cheongsam

American  

[chawng-sahm] / ˈtʃɔŋˈsɑm /

noun

1. a form-fitting, knee-length dress with a mandarin collar and slit skirt, worn chiefly by Chinese women.

---

cheongsam British  

/ ˈtʃɒŋˈsæm /

noun

1. a straight dress, usually of silk or cotton, with a stand-up collar and a slit in one side of the skirt, worn by Chinese women

---

Etymology

Origin of cheongsam

1955–60; < Chinese dial. (Guangdong) chèuhngsāam, equivalent to Chinese chángshān long dress

Example Sentences

And some nominees chose ensembles with personal details: Costume designer Ruth Carter, in a dramatic yellow gown, wore 3D-printed earrings from designer Julia Koerner, who also created Bassett’s crown in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”; composer Diane Warren wore her usual dark rocker-chic suit, but added Oscar-gold shoes; supporting actress nominee Hong Chau chose a pink Prada gown with a collar reminiscent of a classic cheongsam dress.

From Seattle Times

Perhaps only Bruce Lee’s fist or the Cheongsam sway of another Wong favorite, Maggie Cheung, compare.

From New York Times

Donning streetwear that features traditional cultural symbols is another way youth are wearing their cultural pride without fussing with the challenges of properly tying a kimono or without the large price tag of purchasing an authentic cheongsam.

From Seattle Times

Other irreplaceable pieces included the carefully written letters of bachelors working in the United States to send money home “even though they didn’t live a full life because of discrimination,” said Ms. Maasbach; traditional wedding dresses from the early 1900s known as cheongsam; items brought by emigrants in suitcases that in some instances were later left anonymously outside the museum’s front door; and photographs from Chinatown in the 1980s.

From New York Times

If Red Sister Ching-ling was Mao’s most glamorous ambassador, little sister May-ling proved her mettle in the United States, where she toured for eight months to secure support for her husband’s regime during World War II. In 1943, when she addressed Congress dressed in a silk cheongsam and speaking impeccable American English, she mesmerized every politician in America and earned a four-minute standing ovation.

From New York Times