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Dong Xian - Blog Posts

1 year ago

For Pride Month, the story of the cut off sleeve

So, there is a story about Han Dynasty China, a time and place where bisexuality was the norm. Emperor Ai was having a nap in a traditional long-sleeve robe with his male companion, Dong Xian.

Eventually, the Emperor awoke from his nap, but his lover had not. To avoid waking him up, he instead chose to cut off the sleeve Dong Xian was sleeping on.

This spread through the court, and in tribute the Emperor's courtiers cut off one of their own sleeves. The tale eventually gave way to the saying “the passion of the cut sleeve", a euphemism for intimacy between two men.


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