本文對傳統文獻和考古出土資料中有關非華夏之民，尤其是北方游牧民族的外貌形象作了一次初步比較，企圖找出其表現的特點和異同。主要結論如下： 1. 孔子以「被髮左衽」描述戎狄，並非毫無根據，只是實際的情況應遠為複雜。戎狄以及後來的胡在裝束特徵上和北亞、中亞或西北亞受斯基泰文化影響的游牧民族應有文化上的關係。 2. 從春秋戰國到秦漢，中國儘管曾面對種種裝束和面貌都不相同的外族，但是大約從戰國開始，一種頭戴帽尖微向前彎尖頂帽，身穿窄袖短衣和長褲，高鼻深目的胡人變成中國圖象藝術中胡人外貌的典型。這也使得漢代造型藝術傳統中的「胡人」形象，和由士人掌握的有獻傳統所呈現的有了一定的差距。 3. 更有趣的是，若以出土的游牧民族服飾實物與前述文字與圖象描述的特點對照，則可以看出中國的文字和圖象傳統雖各有所尚，但對異族文化顯露的態度，卻有相當一致的印象化、簡約化、刻板化和頑強持續的特點。

　　　　　The paper begins to compare descriptions of non-Chinese peoples, especially those of the northern nomadic tribes, in traditional literary sources and archaeological materials for similarities and differences. The main conclusions are as follows: 1. Confucius's description of the Jung and Ti-"loose hair, folding left collar"- had some basis in fact, but the actual situation was far more complex. The appeal of the Jung, Ti and Hu and much to do with the nomadic tribal cultures of Central and Northwest Asia which were influenced by Scythian culture. 2. A kind of pointed cap, tight-sleeved short blouse, long trouser, "high nose, deep-set eye" barbarian became the pictorial archetype of barbarians from the Spring Autumn/ Warring States to the Ch'in/Han periods although the "barbarians" had a myriad of different dress and appearance. This archetype also caused the discrepancy between the "barbarian" pictorial image in Han art and literary descriptions by the educated elite of the time. 3. Moreover, contrast of the aforementioned literary and pictorial descriptions with actual archaeological artifacts show that both descriptions were impressionistic, simplified, fixed, and incorrigibly unchanging.