Joke Collection Website - Talk about mood - The ancients liked to put things in their sleeves. When they walked with their arms hanging down, why couldn't the things fall out?

The ancients liked to put things in their sleeves. When they walked with their arms hanging down, why couldn't the things fall out?

Anyone who likes to watch costume TV dramas knows that when paying or picking up something, people will suddenly take it out of their sleeves, as if doing magic, and the sleeves are like a treasure box, and anything can be put in it. . So, could ancient people really put things in their sleeves?

Respected people in ancient China wore wide clothes and long sleeves. There is a pocket sewn into the sleeve. The opening direction of the pocket is opposite to that of the sleeve, and the pocket has a closed trapezoid shape. In this way, if you put money, letters, etc. in your pocket, even if your hands droop or bow or something, the things inside will not fall out. Precisely because sleeves often carry money, the phrase "two sleeves of fresh breeze" is used to describe poor people or honest officials who are not corrupt.

There are also some so-called "hidden blades" and "hidden arrows", which are small knives and short arrows hidden in the sleeves. The original meaning of "pocket" refers to the small and rare things hidden in the sleeves. Starting from the Han Dynasty, the sleeves of clothes at that time were called Pipa sleeves (looks like hanging Hu sleeves). The cuffs were very small, generally about the same size as the wrist, and could hold some small things. However, in ancient times, it was not like on TV. Everyone wore clothes with wide sleeves. Only some nobles wore clothes like this. The sleeves of the ancients also had narrow sleeves, that is, the sleeves were straight. Please don’t be misled by today’s TV series. Generally, only nobles would wear wide robes and large sleeves. Since they are nobles, there is no need to carry silver. In ancient times, people of high status would wear clothes with wide width and large sleeves. Let’s talk about something that many people have experienced

When I was in school, I secretly played with my mobile phone. When I saw the teacher coming, I immediately inserted my mobile phone into the sleeve of my school uniform with my fingers. The sleeves of school uniforms are usually elastic. , the cuff is much smaller than the diameter of the sleeve, so even if you stand in front of the teacher, the phone in the sleeve will not fall off.

This principle is probably what the ancients said about "the universe in one's sleeves". First, let’s take a look at the basic style of the wide-sleeved robe:

As shown in the picture above, although the sleeves of the ancient robe look very wide and cumbersome, the cuffs are very narrow, only A few centimeters, the same as our current elastic cuffs.

The sleeve body is very wide, so even if you put something in the sleeve, when you stand with your hands hanging down, as long as the upper arm does not exceed the horizontal line, the things in the sleeve will hang down and look bulging. Therefore, there are actually no pockets in the sleeves, the sleeve itself is a big pocket. This type of sleeve is usually called "Pipa sleeve, hanging Hu sleeve".

There is a proverb in the Ming Dynasty about this kind of clothing, "the two sleeves are like cloth bags", which can be said to be very vivid.

Since the cuffs are so narrow, how do you put things in? The position in the arms where the two plackets and the drawstring intersect the pocket on the chest, this is " This is the origin of the word "with one's heart". Put your hands in here, put things, and pick things up. When the right hand takes something from the left sleeve, it is behind the left elbow, so "behind the elbow" is where the pocket exists.

One of the handed down works of traditional Chinese medicine is called "Emergency Prescriptions", which was compiled by Ge Hong, a medical scientist in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, after extensively collecting folk prescriptions for treating common diseases at that time. , and the "behind the elbow" in the title of the book is easy to understand.

Of course, the ancients could not put things in the sleeves of many clothes, and there were no shallow hidden pockets like in the TV series "Iron Teeth, Bronze Teeth Ji Xiaolan". Most of the clothes worn by ordinary people have narrow sleeves, and the cuffs and sleeves are slim. In order to show their status, dignitaries developed wide-sleeved robes.

Many of them are worn for formal occasions, such as the legendary "fairy skirt with wide sleeves" in "Sword of Sword III". It is impossible to have "the universe on the sleeves" That's right, otherwise it would be so embarrassing to have a bulging bag.

We Chinese call "small and exquisite" playthings "pocket", which means that although the sleeves are wide and can put things, the things they put must be light, so they are summarized as "pocket" , it can be said that this word is one of the special representatives of the "ideographic meaning" of Chinese characters.

In the same way, "two sleeves of breeze" represents integrity and dedication to the public, which is easier to understand.

As for the "hidden pockets" performed on TV, in which hands are inserted into the cuffs to put things, it seems feasible, but the research on existing unearthed cultural relics has hardly heard of it. trace. I can’t say there isn’t one, but there is no concrete evidence.

The clothes of ancient Chinese people did not have any pockets, but not everything was put in the sleeves. Sometimes they were stuffed into the belt or hung as a purse, or put in the placket of the chest, and sometimes they were carried on the back. travel. If you are a prince or noble, just let your servants take it back, why bother yourself. Putting things into sleeves mostly happens on important occasions like going to court. After all, they are all people of high status. It is not elegant to directly reach into your arms to take out things, and the condition for doing this is that you have to wear clothes. There are big sleeves because ancient people also wore clothes with narrow sleeves.

There is a kind of pipa sleeve in Hanfu, which is mostly seen in Hanfu made in Ming Dynasty. The special thing about Pipa sleeves is that the cuffs are very small, similar to the size of the wrist, so you can put some things in them.

Other clothes have a very distinctive feature - large sleeves, so there is a saying that "the city has great sleeves and all the silk is in all directions". Among the ancients, only the literati and nobles wore such large-sleeved clothes. Ordinary lower-class people usually wore short-sleeved clothes or tied up their sleeves because of their labor. Generally speaking, the broad-sleeved robes we see worn by the ancients have pockets sewn inside the sleeves in the opposite direction to the opening of the cuffs. The pockets are closed in a trapezoid shape and can be used to store some silver coins, letters and other things, which is more convenient. Some terms also emerged from this, such as "Xiao Zhen" originally refers to the small rare treasures hidden in the sleeves, and "Liangxiu Qingfeng" refers to the fact that there is no money in the sleeves, so he is very poor. The clothes of the ancients can also hold large items. For example, in "Stealing Talisman to Save Zhao", Lord Xinling used the "Zhu Hai Sleeve Forty Jin Iron Pig" when he seized the military power to kill Jin Bi. And these pockets are mostly behind the elbows rather than at the cuffs to prevent things from falling out when you raise your arms. The word "behind the elbow" in Ge Hong's medical book "Emergency Prescriptions of the elbow" means that the book can be carried around in the pocket behind the elbow. However, after the Qing Dynasty entered the customs, they changed this "Chinese dress". The ancients often said that "the universe is in the sleeve". Are the sleeves in ancient times really so magical? Can it encompass everything?

In TV dramas, we often see ancient people taking out all kinds of strange things from their sleeves, such as court memorials, daggers, silver coins or some food, but they are just small and exquisite objects. For example, banknotes and the like, so they are also called "pocket".

Since it is a pocket for storing things, wouldn’t it be more convenient to design it on the outside?

Because ancient clothes were very elegant and elegant, if you sew a big pocket on the outside, it obviously has nothing to do with the word elegant. In addition, in the minds of the ancients, they felt that only beggars would sew patches on the outside of their clothes. Originally, those who wore such sleeves were literati, and they would definitely be unwilling to let down their bodies to accept such external pockets.

Moreover, this kind of external pocket is also easy to attract pickpockets and can be easily stolen by others. On the contrary, if these pockets are designed inside the cuffs, it will not only not affect the appearance, but also enhance privacy and security. So where should these small items be placed in the sleeves?

You can’t put it on your sleeves. Firstly, it will be easy to be discovered. Secondly, there is a high chance of falling out. This kind of pocket is usually sewn behind the elbow, and the opening direction of the pocket is exactly opposite to that of the cuff, forming a trapezoidal shape. Theoretically, as long as your arms are raised horizontally, things won't slip out of your pocket.

Scenes like the one in the TV series where the protagonist often pulls out various gadgets from his cuffs using magic tricks were completely impossible among the ancients, because although they wore wide robes with big sleeves, the cuffs were closed But it is very narrow, and it is quite difficult to take things from the cuffs. And it’s a bit unsightly. So how do they get this stuff in and out?

The correct way is to pass your hand through your chest and take something behind your left elbow with your right hand. This is the origin of "carry".

Not all sleeves have pockets sewn inside. Pipa sleeves and drooping sleeves do not need pockets. They are just a big pocket in themselves. They only need to maintain a certain bend in the upper arm and forearm. degree, then you don’t have to worry about things slipping out of the cuffs.

Of course, most of these sleeves still appear on the bodies of princes and nobles. Ordinary people still wear wide clothes, narrow sleeves, and coarse linen clothes. When they need to store something, they often take it out of their purse, belt, or baggage on their back.

From this point alone, we can see the gap between the rich and the poor in ancient times. Only wealthy people wear wide robes and long sleeves to highlight their status, while the poor lower class people often wear short sleeves or even shorts because of work problems. But in ancient times, when powerful people went out, they wore gorgeous clothes and were often followed by a group of servants. There are dedicated servants responsible for the items you need with you. When you need a money bag, you don't need to take out the money bag from your sleeves. There will naturally be dedicated servants to pay for it.

Most of the time, the pockets in their toga coats are unused, and the pockets are just ancillary functions for them. After all, good-looking is the most practical.

Obviously, the ancients did not live as comfortably as our modern people. For example, we can do things like carrying a small bag and a mobile phone on the street, but they may have to stuff themselves all over and carry a lot of big and small bags.

Although it is inconvenient, there are many servants, and there are dedicated people to provide you with everything you want. This is something that most of us modern people cannot envy.

This question can be split into two: Did ancient people have particularly big sleeves on their clothes? Can extra large sleeves be used to hold everything?

Since the characters who pull out their sleeves in TV dramas are generally Han Chinese in a broad sense, we limit the scope of "clothes of ancient people" to "Hanfu". Baidu Hanfu, the first thing that probably appeared was the "wide robe, big sleeves, and robes with wide belts" worn at adult ceremonies in high schools in various places.

In fact, floor-length sleeves are not the most common sleeve shape in ancient Chinese clothing. Not only are ordinary people unable to wear them once in their lives, but even in the upper class, their frequency is far less frequent than in TV dramas.

TV series "Ci of Daming Palace"

Besides mopping their sleeves, what options do the Chinese have? Judging from the sleeve silhouettes of clothing in the past, the changes in sleeves are mostly concentrated in the curvature of the sleeve bottom line, the length of the sleeve body and the width of the cuffs. According to the classification method in the book "Research on Ancient Chinese Clothing", sleeve shapes can be roughly divided into wide sleeves, hanging Hu sleeves/pipa sleeves, long sleeves/large sleeves, and narrow sleeves/small sleeves.

As the "Hanfu among Hanfus", Shenyi only became popular from south to north around the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. Most of the early silk paintings, wooden figurines and objects of deep clothing were unearthed from Chu tombs. The most common sleeve shape is not the wide sleeves, but the "hanging Hu sleeves" which are relatively niche in the revival of Hanfu circles.

Warring States Period, Chen Family Chu Tombs in Dashan, Silk Paintings

The so-called "Cui Hu" has nothing to do with the Hu people. "Shuowen Jiezi" interprets "Hu" as "ox chin hanging". The sleeves of the hanging Hu sleeves are enlarged, the cuffs are tightened, and the armpits are narrow, similar to the shape of the drooping skin folds on the neck of a cow.

This kind of sleeve shape not only belongs to the Chu region, which "made lotus for clothing", it continued to be popular in the Han Dynasty, and was a common element in Han clothing until the Qing Dynasty.

The "hanging beard" on the cow's neck

As for whether the hanging beard sleeve and the pipa sleeve are the same sleeve shape, the academic circle has not yet reached a conclusion. Although the cutting of "Pipa sleeves" after the Ming Dynasty is slightly different from that of Chu tomb cultural relics, in general, the shape of their large sleeves and small cuffs has not changed much.

There are several other sleeve shapes. Wide sleeves are characterized by short sleeves and wide cuffs, and are generally used in upper-class social dresses; large sleeves/long sleeves have extremely long sleeves, and the bottom line of the sleeves is an arc. The sleeves can touch the floor when drooping; narrow sleeves/small sleeves are mainly for convenience, and are usually covered with other clothes.

Baoyu "Autumn Fragrant Color Standing Python and White Fox Armpit Arrow Sleeves"

The upper class does not have sleeves that can be widened to the bottom, and ordinary people are even less likely to wear waste fabrics that are cumbersome and cumbersome. The toga has big sleeves, so the sleeves of the clothes of the ancients were very big, which is obviously wrong.

So people in costume dramas often pull things out of their sleeves and they are all fake? Not necessarily, this is based on descriptions from classical novels.

Chapter 27 of "A Dream of Red Mansions", Baochai "takes out a fan from his sleeve" when he flutters a butterfly; Chapter 37 of "Water Margin", Song Jiang meets Dai Zong, Song Di and Wu Yong "The man opened the cover, read it from the beginning, and hid it in his sleeve"; even when Lord Xinling stole the talisman to save Zhao, he had to rely on his sleeve to save the day: the butcher "Zhu Hai sleeved forty pounds of iron vertebrae, vertebrae" Kill Jin Bi. The young master then led Jin Bi's army. There are still wide sleeves, large sleeves and drooping sleeves that may have something hidden inside the sleeves.

The special shape of the sleeves can obviously accommodate small items such as sachets, handkerchiefs, and a few small coins. As for wide sleeves and large sleeves, if you want to hold things, you must install a secret pocket. Judging from the current unearthed cultural relics, no secret pocket has been sewn into the sleeves with large openings.

However, when people wear long-sleeved clothes, it is impossible to expose their bare bodies and expose their arms. Adding a coat with drooping sleeves to the outer coat can hide items inside the sleeves.

Lower half seal

There is also a kind of sleeve, the cuff looks wide on the surface, but in fact the opening is not much bigger than the wrist, and the other parts are sewn of. This design also appears in kimonos. If you insist on stuffing something in, the capacity is indeed enough, but if you want to take it out the same way, you will inevitably scratch your head.

However, due to the dual considerations of beauty and convenience, the things that can be put in the sleeves are extremely limited. They cannot be too heavy or too big. As for taking out a ingot of silver? Unless you want to buy the entire inn, where in ancient life would you have the opportunity to spend so much money.

It is said that ancient people were very traditional, and one would think that they would be more conservative. This is not the case. People in ancient times were also quite fashionable and very fashionable. Let’s take the sleeves that the subject talks about that can hide things.

Taking Hanfu as an example, they have many kinds of sleeves

Guangxiu

This is the kind of sleeve we see most on TV. The sleeves are very wide and cannot hold anything. But this is hard for industrious and intelligent people, they will sew a bag with the opening facing inward, so that it can be used for things.

Pipa sleeves

Because this type of sleeve has large sleeves and a small opening, and the narrow armpit shape resembles a pipa, it is called Pipa sleeve. Because this one has a closure, it can hide a lot of things directly.

Drooping Hu Sleeves

This sleeve is somewhat similar to the previous Pipa sleeve. The sleeve tube is very large, but the cuffs are very small. Then this can also be used to hide things directly.

Another type is narrow straight sleeves, which means there is no way to hide anything.

Is it possible to hide things and just put everything in it? Of course not. Think about it, if you put a few taels of silver in your sleeve, you don't have to pick up bricks in a fight. You can just shake the sleeve and knock people out. Under normal circumstances, some small and valuable items, such as gold jewelry and documents, will be placed in the sleeves.

Those are like some larger items that are usually placed on the chest. Ancient clothes had two lapels that intersected at the chest. After fastening the belt, there would be a pocket-like space, which would be used to store some larger items.

The ancient people would also make some purses to hold money and hang them around their waists. So when watching TV, thieves who steal other people's things just hit them and then steal away their wallets hanging on their waists.

As for the question asked by the question whether the things hidden in the sleeves will fall off, it will not fall off under normal circumstances, but no one can guarantee that it will be foolproof, like Zhang Song in "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms", isn't it because Did many hearts lose their lives after losing the letter in their sleeves?

Anyone who likes to watch costume TV dramas knows that when paying or picking up something, people will suddenly take it out of their sleeves, as if doing magic, and the sleeves are like a treasure box, and anything can be put in it. . So, could ancient people really put things in their sleeves?

Respected people in ancient China wore wide clothes and long sleeves. There are pockets sewn into the sleeves. The opening direction of the pocket is opposite to that of the sleeves, and the pocket has a closed trapezoid shape. In this way, if you put money, letters, etc. in your pocket, even if your hands droop or bow or something, the things inside will not fall out. Precisely because sleeves often carry money, the phrase "two sleeves of fresh breeze" is used to describe poor people or honest officials who are not corrupt.

There are also some so-called "sleeve blades" and "sleeve arrows", which are small knives and short arrows hidden in the sleeves. The original meaning of "pocket" refers to the small and rare things hidden in the sleeves. Starting from the Han Dynasty, the sleeves of clothes at that time were called Pipa sleeves (looks like hanging Hu sleeves). The cuffs were very small, generally about the same size as the wrist, and could hold some small things. However, in ancient times, it was not like on TV. Everyone wore clothes with wide sleeves. Only some nobles wore clothes like this.

The sleeves of the ancients also had narrow sleeves, that is, the sleeves were straight. Please don’t be misled by current TV dramas. Generally, only nobles would wear wide robes and large sleeves. Since they are nobles, there is no need to carry silver. In ancient times, people of high status would wear clothes with wide width and large sleeves.

Hanfu, the full name is "Traditional Costumes of the Han Nationality", also known as Han Clothing, Han Clothes, and Chinese Clothing. It was worn from the accession of the Yellow Emperor to the middle of the 17th century AD (the late Ming Dynasty and the early Qing Dynasty). ), in the main residential areas of the Han nationality, with the "Chinese-Han" culture as the background and dominant ideology, with the Chinese etiquette culture as the center, and formed through natural evolution, it has a unique Han nationality style and character, which is obviously different from the traditional costumes of other nationalities. and accessories system, which is the embodiment of China's "land of clothes", "land of etiquette", "splendid China" and the country of Seris. It carries the Han people's outstanding craftsmanship and aesthetics such as dyeing, weaving and embroidery, and inherits more than 30 Chinese intangible items. Cultural heritage and protected Chinese arts and crafts. Similar to the word Han people, the denotation of the word "Han" in Hanfu has also been expanded from the Han Dynasty to refer to the entire nation. Hanfu "began from the Yellow Emperor and was prepared by Yao and Shun" and originated from the crown uniform made by the Yellow Emperor.

It was finalized in the Zhou Dynasty, and through the Han Dynasty, a complete crown service system was formed based on the Four Books and Five Classics, and became part of the Shinto teachings. Therefore, all subsequent Chinese dynasties all followed the Zhou Fa and Han Dynasties and regarded the inheritance of Han clothes and crowns as a national event, so there was a public opinion in the Twenty-Four Histories.

"The Yellow Emperor, Yao, and Shun used their clothes to rule the world, and the benefits were taken from the universe." This means that the shape of the upper and lower garments is determined by heaven's will and is sacred. Hanfu has also influenced the entire Han cultural circle through the Chinese legal system. The costumes of some ethnic groups in Asia, such as Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Mongolia, Bhutan, etc., all have or draw lessons from the characteristics of Hanfu.

Welcome to open the historical treasure.

There is a word called "two sleeves of breeze", which describes a person who is honest.

What is the relationship between integrity and the number of cents on sleeves? It really does matter.

Therefore, the word "breeze on two sleeves" to describe a person's integrity is still very vivid.

The sleeves of the ancients were not small. As shown above, it is the Mianfu of the Han Dynasty, and the sleeves are super big.

Such large sleeves are very inconvenient when doing work, so these clothes are worn by "meat eaters" who do not need to do physical work. Real working people are very smartly dressed. Such big sleeves have a function - to put something inside the sleeves.

The sleeves are so wide, will they fall out?

To solve this problem, we have to find the way to put things in our sleeves.

In addition to this sleeve bag that can hold small things, the ancients also made small purses, which were also very delicate.

If it is a large amount of metal currency, it is a bit inconvenient to put it in the sleeve bag, and there will be a special bag hung on the waist, so it is also called "traveling" .

This is a poem written by Yu Qian of the Ming Dynasty in "Qijue. Entering Beijing". He went from the local area to the capital Beijing to serve as an official, and required that he should be "breathtaking in both sleeves" as an official, which meant that he would not accept bribes. This involves the issue of ancient people's clothing, that is to say, why ancient officials put things in their sleeves.

The clothing of ancient people was still divided into grades. They were generally divided into two categories: bureaucrats and gentry, with wide robes and large sleeves. They were elegant and did not have to do menial work. This kind of clothing was comfortable and used a lot of fabrics. , there were no garment pockets at that time. The sleeves of this type of clothing are wide and the cuffs are tightened, naturally forming a sleeve. Some people use fabric to reinforce this part, or sew a small pocket, which can hold banknotes, a small amount of silver, lighter articles and letters, etc. Items and heavy money are usually equipped with a purse hanging around the waist, mainly for convenience.

After officials accept bribes, they usually put money and items inside their sleeves. As long as you pay a little attention, you can tell whether they have received money. People's eyes are sharp. (Sleeve clothing styles in past dynasties, for reference only)

Ordinary people, tight-fitting short-sleeved clothing. Ordinary people have to do practical work, so wide robes and large sleeves are naturally not enough. Moreover, wide robes and large sleeves waste a lot of fabric, and most ordinary people cannot afford it. Ordinary people's clothing also has no pockets. The entire clothing is covered on the right side, and then tied with a belt, and the loose items carried with you can be placed in the arms. If you have a lot of things, use baggage. (Photos of ordinary people's clothing)

The Hanfu we usually admire was the clothing of the bureaucratic gentry class at that time, not the clothing of ordinary people.

Still remember in ancient drama novels, the beautiful girl embroidered purses for her beloved lover?

What is a purse for? Put your cell phone? Put a money clip, or a ledger, or glasses? These things didn’t exist in ancient times! Yes, there were no mobile phones or glasses in ancient times, but there were a bunch of "chores" that ancient people had to take with them when they went out.

The most important thing is to bring money when you go out! Money in ancient times was mainly coins: copper plates and silver coins, which were hard and not uniform in shape. They could not be stored in today's flat wallets, so they had to be stored in a cowhide or deerskin bag with a rope at the mouth. A brocade bag is an ancient wallet.

In the past, it was a bit heavy and inconvenient to carry a few taels of silver when going out. If you put it in your sleeve, it would make a crackling sound, and passers-by would think it was a penny when they heard the whistling of the silver taels in their sleeves. He is showing off his wealth! The ancients also walked with their hands waving (Homo erectus always swung his arms when walking, and those who didn't swung their arms were version 1.0 robots). If they were not careful, they would throw out their silver coins!

Think about it, modern clothes have all kinds of strange designs. For example, there are pockets all over the body, from the chest to the buttocks, "eggs" in the front and back, a pair on each side, and even a few on both shoulders. A small pocket, but who puts a pocket on the cuff? It's obviously inconvenient (this is the same as having a pocket on your back)!

What is the pocket called again? Call it purse! For example, please dig into your wallet—to dig into your wallet is to dig into your pocket.

But the ancient purses are not today's pockets. The purses used by the ancients are today's handbags, which contain small things, such as loose silver coins, love letters and other important things. The purse is either hung around the waist or stored in the arms (inner pocket).

In addition to silver and copper coins, there are also some larger sundries, such as account books, books, famous notes, four treasures of the study, special schoolbags, and folders (small wooden boxes). The ancients were very dignified, and there were dedicated long followers (servants) to carry these sundries. Those who could not afford to keep servants kept it themselves or put it in sacks.

A bag is a larger bag commonly used by ancient people when going out. It is not slung over the shoulder like a modern satchel as shown in some movies and TV dramas now, but placed on the shoulder. Or there are buckles and loops on the backs of horses and donkeys to prevent things from falling out, and they can hold a lot of things inside.

Finally, let’s talk briefly about sleeves. In ancient clothes, if you attend an important event and wear a dress, the sleeves are usually larger, so they look good! In daily life, small sleeves are generally worn. For example, the arrow sleeves popular in the Ming Dynasty were all narrow clothes with small sleeves. It is said that they are all for the convenience of life.

The ancients could distinguish their status from their clothes. Those with a little status wore long shirts, while "working people" wore short clothes. Kong Yiji was so poor that the only thing he could hold on to was The "dignity" is a long gown. However, the long gown also has narrow sleeves. Why? Only narrow sleeves are convenient, just like eating and picking up food without leaving clothes in the bowl, which is annoying!

It can be said that the width of the sleeves of the ancients was proportional to the amount of work they did. People who did not have to work would have wider sleeves (but not too wide, at most one palm of their hand). Kuan), the old brothers who work hard every day, roll up their sleeves and work all day long, wishing they didn’t even have to use their sleeves!

There is nothing you can put in your narrow sleeves, except stuffing a handkerchief into it and taking it out from time to time to blow your nose. Hum! Hum! (Hu Dan/The emperor does not call me)