As a critical component of China’s higher education ceremonial system, the evolution of Chinese academic regalia embodies the logical tensions inherent in the cultural translation of indigenous traditions. This study adopts an interdisciplinary approach integrating dress anthropology and semiotics to systematically investigate the historical genealogy (from the Northern Dynasties [386–581 CE] to the Republican era [1912–1949]) and cultural translation logic of academic regalia. By analyzing the ritual coding system of “yifu zhangde” (以服彰德, virtue manifestation through attire), we propose a tripartite methodology for visual translation: (1) hierarchical formalization of garment structures, (2) ethical symbolization of sartorial codes, and (3) institutional hybridization through negotiated compromises. Scrutinizing Republican-era reforms further clarifies the cultural adaptation logic in the process of “Western systems Sinicized through translation” (西制中译). The findings demonstrate that Chinese academic regalia’s translation logic prioritizes ritual ethics, achieving intergenerational continuity through stratified visual coding and adaptive reconstruction amid tensions between ethnic integration, institutional ruptures, and cultural perpetuation. Rooted in cultural genes, this logic provides insights for constructing a regalia system that harmonizes national identity with international norms.