长袖何翩翩:汉代画像石乐舞“长袖”母题意象探源
Gracefully Flowing Long Sleeves: Tracing the Imagery of the “Long-Sleeve” Motif in Musical and Dance Scenes of Han Dynasty Stone Reliefs
The “long sleeve” motif in musical and dance imagery on Han dynasty pictorial stones is a highly stylized visual pattern. Its widespread presence across regions and contexts points to deep cultural meanings. Taking the “long sleeve” motif as its focus, this study integrates literature review and image analysis to construct an analytical framework of “image → function → iconographic origin.” It begins with a “form-establishing” (lixiang) analysis of the “long sleeve” imagery in Han pictorial stones, examining the morphological genealogy of the motif, its codified movements, and compositional principles. On this basis, the study proceeds from “instrument to Dao,” exploring the “long sleeve” as a bodily technique, a form of ritual space, and a medium for communicating with the spiritual realm. Finally, through tracing the origins of meaning, it discusses the concept of “ritual protocol” as generated through three layers of imagery associated with the long sleeve motif. The study shows that the “long sleeve” motif functions as a visual-cultural symbol that condenses the core spiritual concepts of the Han dynasty. Its mechanism of core image formation reveals the fundamental logic of Han art, in which embodied ritual practices mediate between Heaven and humanity and reconcile life and death within a framework of “ritual protocol.” This research provides a micro-level interpretive case for understanding the aesthetic spirit of the Han era—marked by vitality within simplicity and lightness within solidity.