Sun Yat-sen introduced Zhongshan suit shortly after the founding of the Republic of China as a form of national dress although with a distinctly political and later governmental implication.

中华民国成立后不久，孙中山将中山装引入中国作为国民服饰的代表，不过中山装后来被赋予了鲜明的政治和统治理念。

The Zhongshan suit was an attempt to cater to contemporary sensibilities without adopting Western styles wholesale. The tunic can be traced back to British army uniforms from World War I and U.S. Army uniforms during the Spanish-American Philippine War.

中山装意在不全盘照搬西方服装风格的前提下迎合当代的理念。这种服装制式可以追溯到一战时期的英国军队制服以及美西及菲律宾战争时期的美国军服。

After Sun Yat-sen's death in 1925, the Zhongshan suit was assigned a revolutionary and patriotic significance. The four pockets were said to represent the Four Virtues cited in the classic Guanzi: Propriety, Justice, Honesty, and Shame. The five center-front buttons were said to represent the five Yuans (branches of government)–legislation, supervision, examination, administration and jurisdiction–cited in the constitution of the Republic of China and the three cuff-buttons to symbolize Sun Yat-sen's Three Principles of the People: Nationalism, Democracy, and People's Livelihood. Finally, unlike Western-style suits that are usually composed of two layers of cloth, the jacket is in a single piece–symbolizing China's unity and peace.

1925年孙中山逝世后，中山装被赋予了一层革命和爱国的理念。四个兜代表《管子》中的“四维”：礼、义、廉、耻;正中间的五颗纽扣代表中华民国根据《宪法》设立的五个院：立法、监察、考试、行政以及司法;袖口的三颗纽扣代表孙中山的“三民主义”：民族、民权、民生。最后，西式服装通常都由两层布料做成，而中山装只用一块布料制成，代表中国的团结与和平。