Chinese emperor Ai of Han, fell in love with a minor official, a man named Dong Xian, and bestowed upon him great political power and a magnificent palace. Legend has it that one day while the two men were sleeping in the same bed, the emperor was roused from his sleep by pressing business. Dong Xian had fallen asleep across the emperor’s robe, but rather than awaken his peaceful lover, the Emperor cut his robe free at the sleeve. Thus “the passion of the cut sleeve” became a euphemism for same-sex love in China. — R.G.L.
get you a dude who will fuck up his own clothing for you
I feel like I need to stress what a big deal it is that the Chinese Emperor was the one who did this.
We are talking about pretty much the most powerful man in the world at that time. Someone whose palace was basically its own city. Also, he’s in ancient China, a society that cared a lot about art, aesthetics, and just appearances and social hierarchy in general. That man cut a sleeve off of his robe, which was probably silk, tailored to him, and very valuable in its own right, rather than mildly inconvenience his lover. A man who was not only well beneath him in status, but literally lived and died at his command.
That’s why this story endured to become a widely used reference. It’s not just “a dude who will fuck up his own clothing.” Emperor Ai has to have loved loved Dong Xian.
