Glossary

Xinian, Fu; Steinhardt, Nancy S.; Harrer, Alexandra

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Glossary

Fu Xinian, Nancy S. Steinhardt (Editor), Alexandra Harrer (Translator)

Traditional Chinese Architecture: Twelve Essays

Glossary

Author

Fu Xinian, Nancy S. Steinhardt (Editor), Alexandra Harrer (Translator)

PublisherPrinceton University Press

Stable URL: https://aaeportal.com/?id=-23711

Glossary

an 案 table

anceng 暗層 / 暗层 hidden mezzanine level

ang 昂 (descending or ascending) cantilever

angzui 昂嘴 cantilever-tip

baban xing 八瓣形 eight-petal shape (of a column shaft)

baihui 白灰 lime

baimu 柏木 cypress wood

banmen 板門 / 板门 solid door

banwa 板瓦 flat tile

baoping 寶瓶 / 宝瓶 golden bottle (mounted on a pagoda finial)

baosha 抱廈 / 抱厦 “hugging building,” small projecting portico; see also guitouwu

ba/patou jiaoxiang 把頭絞項 / 把头绞项 a simple form of bracketing in which the crossbeam-head pierces through the building plane and rests directly on a cap-block

bei 桮 a kind of cup

beishan mianshui 背山面水 (geomantic concept of) facing water with a mountain in the back

bentang 本堂 Chinese pronunciation of hondō, a Japanese term for a main hall in a Buddhist monastery

bi 陛 lower level of a two-tiered hall podium; in some contexts, palace steps

biankuang 邊框 / 边框 stile, a vertical member of a doorframe

bianqing 編磬 / 编磬 hanging musical stones

bianzhong 編鐘 / 编钟 hanging musical bells

bianzhu 編竹 / 编竹 woven bamboo

bianzhu moniqiang 編竹抹泥牆 / 编竹抹泥墙 bamboo wall coated with plaster

biaogao 標高 / 标高 (ground) elevation

bidai 壁带 a horizontal timber embedded in or attached to an earthen wall

biding 壁頂 / 壁顶 wall top, upper part of a wall

bieshu 别墅 (rural) villa

bihua 壁畫 / 壁画 decorative or narrative wall painting

bizhu 壁柱 a vertical timber embedded in or attached to an earthen wall; column embedded into/attached to the inner or outer wall surface similar to a pilaster

bo 箔 bamboo tray (for raising silkworm)

bofengban 搏風板 / 搏风板 gable-eaves board, bargeboard

bu 步 pace, a unit of length

bujia 步架 purlin-to-purlin distance, a unit of measure for beam length or building depth in Qing architecture

bujian puzuo 補間鋪作 / 补间铺作 intercolumnar bracket set; pingshenke 平身科 in Qing terminology

busha liangtou 不廈兩頭 / 不厦两头 Song terminology for overhanging gable roof

cai 材 a timber of standard width and height in Song carpentry; its height is a modular unit in Song carpentry; see also caifen zhidu, dancai, zhi, and zucai

caideng 材等 grade, indicating social rank

caifen zhidu 材份制度 cai-fen system; system for modular design

caigao 材高 height of the cai (cai referring to a timber block of standard height)

caihua 彩畫 / 彩画 decorative polychrome painting of architectural members

cangku 倉庫 / 仓库 storehouse

cao 槽 structural frame composed of bracket sets and/or multilayered, piled-up joists; or, column-row axis; or, area enclosed by cao-frame or cao-columns

caoding 草頂 / 草顶 thatched roof

caofeng 槽縫 / 槽缝 cao (boundary) line; synonymous with cao-frame/cao-column axis depending on the specific meaning of the term

cao caofu 草栿 “rough” (unfinished) beam

caojia 草架 “rough” structural frame, a framework whose members are not finished and are hidden from the viewer

caolu 草廬 / 草庐 thatched cottage

cejiao 側腳 / 侧脚 incline or tilt of corner-column axes toward the center of the whole structure

cemen 側門 / 侧门 side gate

cengdieshi 層疊式 / 层叠式 a method of mounting lateral beams in a tailiang-style roof by piling them on top of one another

cenggong 層栱 / 层栱 layered bracket

cengmei 層楣 / 层楣 layered lintel

cengwei guanxi 層位關係 / 层位关系 stratigraphic relationships; relationships between different strata that indicate different time periods

chagan 刹杆 wooden pole that reaches to the ground connecting the stories from bottom to top

chagong 插栱 bracket-arm directly inserted into another member such as the column shaft

changlang 敞廊 open-sided corridor, or hall with a front porch that is defined by columns alone and not enclosed on the sides; also known as changting

changting 敞廳 / 敞厅 hall open on one side

Chanzongyang 禪宗樣 / 禅宗样 (Jap.: Zenshūyō 禅宗様 Chan style, more often known by the Japanese name of the same sect of Buddism, Zen style; refers to a style of Japanese architecture based on Chinese Chan construction

chaofang 朝房 waiting room for officials

chaotang 朝堂 audience hall

chashou 叉手 inverted-V-shaped truss; two diagonally slanting struts whose heads are joined together and topped by a bearing-block prong

chaxiashi 刹下石 foundation stone of the central pillar of a pagoda

chazhu 刹柱 central pillar of a pagoda

chazhu 杈柱 bifurcated column

cheng 樘 feature on top of beam whose two parts abut, from Shiming

chengchushi 承础石 bearing foundation stone

chengliu 承霤 eaves gutter, eaves trough

chenglu jinpan 承露金盤 / 承露金盘 golden discs or plates on the pagoda finial

chengmen 城門 / 城门 city(-wall) gate

chengmendao 城門道 / 城门道 passageway through the gate of a city wall

chengmenlou 城門樓 / 城门楼 gate-tower of a city wall; multistory gatehouse

chengqiang 城牆 / 城墙 city wall; may have a battlement of alternating crenellated openings (duokou 垛口) and raised solid portions known as merlons (nuqiang 女牆 / 女墙)

chengzaili 承載力 / 承载力 bearing capacity

chengzhongqiang 承重牆 / 承重墙 load-bearing wall

cheshang lumingzao 徹上露明造 / 彻上露明造 exposed ceiling construction

chi 尺 foot, an absolute unit of length unit known as shaku/jaku in Japan

chichi 赤墀 an imperial stairway with red lacquer painted steps

chidu 尺度 scale, dimension

chikou 侈口 wide mouth

chiwei 鴟尾 / 鸱尾 owl’s tail, owl’s-tail-shaped ornament at the end of a roof ridge

chiwen 鴟吻 / 鸱吻 ornament at the end of a roof ridge in which creature’s mouth is open; usually used to refer to later buildings than the term

chiwei chizhao 池沼 pond, pool

chonggong 重栱 double-tier bracket-arm parallel to the wall plane

chongjian 重建 reconstruct

chonglang 重廊 double corridor

chonglu 重櫨 / 重栌 double cap-block

chongmei 重楣 double lintel

chongmen 重門 / 重门 double gate

X-chong ta 重塔 pagoda with X number of stories

chu 础 plinth, understructure beneath a column as in zhuchu 柱础 or jichu 基础

chuan 椽 rafter; horizontally projected rafter span, a unit of measure for beam length or building depth in Song architecture

chuandang 椽檔 / 椽档 interval between rafters

chuandou (goujiia) 穿鬥/逗(構架) / 穿斗/逗(构架) column-and-tie-beam framework; an architecture style that uses columns and beams, without struts, seen almost exclusively in South China

chuanfang 穿枋 (penetrating) tie-beam

X chuanfu X 椽栿 X-rafter crossbeam

chuang 床 bed elevated on a platform

chuiji 垂脊 vertical ridge

chukeng 础坑 (foundation) pit, a hole dug for the foundation of a column or wall

chuomufang 綽幕枋 / 绰幕枋 short supporting timber for additional abutment of architraves; forerunner of the late imperial queti

chutou 出頭 / 出头 sideways extension of architrave ends penetrating the shafts of flanking columns

cijian 次間 / 次间 bay on either side of the central bay (mingjian)

cimiao 祠廟 / 祠庙 memorial shrine or temple; ancestral temple

citing 祠堂 ancestral hall

cuandang 攢檔 / 攒档 Qing term for interval between two bracket sets

cuanjianding 攢尖頂 / 攒尖顶 pyramidal roof, pointed roof, peaked roof

cuanjianxing zhang 攢尖形帳 / 攒尖形帐 pointed-roof/peak-roof “canopy”

cun 寸 (Jap.: sun) an absolute unit of length equal to one-tenth of a chi/shaku

cunluo 村落 settlement, village

dadao 大道 thoroughfare, significant street

dadizhai 大第宅 mansion

da’e 大額 / 大额 massive, large architrave

Dafoyang 大佛樣 / 大佛样 (Jap.: Daibutsuyō大仏様) Great Buddha style; style of Japanese architecture that follows a style in use in China in the Southern Song dynasty

dajie 大街 avenue

damuzuo 大木作 term in Yingzao fashi that refers to large-scale wooden structures; in contrast to small-scale carpentry xiaomuzuo

dancai 單材 / 单材 single standard unit; a timber of standard width and height in official-style carpentry

dancao 單槽 / 单槽 single-cao (type of column-grid layout in diantang-type construction)

danceng jianzhu 單層建築 / 单层建筑 single-story building

dangong 單栱 / 单栱 single-tier bracket-arm parallel to the wall plane

danlang 單廊 / 单廊 single corridor

danpo wuyan 單坡屋檐 / 单坡屋檐 single-pitch eaves

danti jianzhu 單體建築 / 单体建筑 single building

danyan 單檐 / 单檐 (roof with only) one layer of eaves

dao 道 road; also used to refer to “the Way,” or Daoism

dashi 大式 Qing terminology for large-scale building style Datanqiang 大壇牆 / 大坛墙 Great Altar walls

dianceng 墊層 / 垫层 cushion layer

diange 殿閣 / 殿阁 palatial- or diantang-style structure with more than one story

diange dipan fencao 殿閣地盤分槽 / 殿阁地盘分槽 floor plans for the division of cao in diantang and diange dianji 殿基 building foundation; see also dianjie

dianjie 殿階 / 殿阶 general term for podium step or hall podium (a rammed-earth platform covered with bricks or stone on which the building stands, also known as dianji and taiji); in a more specialized sense, the upper level of a two-tiered hall podium

diantang 殿堂 palatial-style structure, the most eminent building type in Yingzao fashi

dianyu 殿宇 general term for a hall

dianzhang zhidu 典章制度 official laws and regulations

diaojue 雕桷 carved rafter that is four-sided in section

diaoke 雕刻 to carve, cut, or engrave; carving, engraving, or sculpture

diban 地板 floor planks; more broadly, floor structure/construction

diban longgu 地板龍骨 / 地板龙骨 transverse floor joist

die’se 疊澀 / 叠涩 corbel; a method of piling up multiple layers on top of one another to create a corbeled, steplike surface

diewa ji 疊瓦脊 / 叠瓦脊 ridge formed by piled-up layers of roof tiles

difang jianzhu chuantong 地方建築傳統 / 地方建筑传统 local or regional building tradition

difu 地栿 floor beam; floor sill

dimian 地面 ground; floor surface

dimianceng 地面層 / 地面层 ground floor, basement

dimianfang 地面枋 longitudinal floor joist

ding 鼎 tripod; when a similar vessel has four legs, it is called fangding 方鼎

dingfu 丁栿 short longitudinal tie-beam that rests on top of a transverse beam to form a T-shaped intersection that resembles the Chinese character ding 丁

dingtougong 丁頭栱 / 丁头栱 half-bracket or “inserted bracket-arm” whose trunk is directly inserted into a column shaft; pronounced sashihijiki 挿肘木 in Japanese, which is equivalent to the Chinese term chagong

dipan 地盤 / 地盘 site; in a broader sense, domain; sometimes a floor plan

dishui 滴水 drip tile

dizhai 邸宅 dwelling of a high-ranking official; interchangeable with guizhai 貴邸 / 贵邸

dongkou 洞口 tunnel opening at the end of a passageway

dongku 洞窟 cave; hollowed-out space in the side of a cliff

(dongxi) celang (東西) 側廊 / (东西) 侧廊 (east and west) side corridors

(dongxi) wu (東西)廡 / (东西) 庑 (east and west)side building

(dongxi) xinglang (東西) 行廊 / (东西) 行廊 (eastward- and westward-)-stretching, (east- and west-)bound corridor

dou 枓 / 斗 general term for bearing-block; a rice measure

dou 豆 a kind of food container

doudi 枓底 / 斗底 bottom of bearing-block

dougong 枓栱 / 斗栱 post-Song term for bracket set or bracket-block cluster

doujian tingxie 闘尖亭榭 / 斗尖亭榭 pointed-roofed pavilion

doukou 枓口 / 斗口 mortise opening on a block; a modular unit in Ming and Qing carpentry

dousi cuanjian 鬬四攢尖 / 斗四攒尖 a domed place over a square base

dousi cuanjianxing zhang 鬬四攢尖形帳 / 斗四攒尖形帐 canopy or tent that has a square plan and a segmented-dome ceiling supported by four arch-shaped canopy poles

douzi shuzhu 枓子蜀柱 / 斗子蜀柱 “block-and-strut” construction with a dwarf column

duanmiantu 斷面圖 / 断面图 cross-section

duanzhi 端直 concept of orthogonality

dui 對 / 对 abutting; arrangement (of beams) of a transverse framework in tingtang-type construction

duiliu 對霤 / 对霤 shared eaves gutter or trough; separate part installed between the roof eaves of two adjacent buildings

dujiaomen 獨腳門 / 独脚门 a gate with a pair of flanking columns supporting a double-pitch roof; also known as screen-wall gate (pingfengmen 屏風門 / 屏风门)

dunduo 墩垛 pier block

dunshou 蹲獸 / 蹲兽 mythical beasts marching along the diagonal ridges of a roof

duntai 墩臺 / 墩台 (wall) pier platform

duodian 朵殿 ear building(s); buttress hall(s); a pair of buildings flanking the main hall

duojiadou 多加枓 / 多加斗 method of increasing the number of bearing-blocks in a bracket set

duolou 朵樓 / 朵楼 ear tower(s); buttress-building(s); a pair of buildings flanking the city gate

duozi 垛子 wall thickening/support

duzhu 都柱 central column; in a pagoda, corresponding to chazhu

e 額 / 额 general term for architrave

ebikōryō 海老虹梁 (Japanese) an S-shaped beam believed to resemble the back of a shrimp, used in Japanese Zen-style architecture

ejiao 訛角 / 讹角 beveled edge that is first known in tenth-century architecture

er 耳 ear of bearing-block

erchuque 二出闕 / 二出阙 mother-and-son que; see also muzique

erfang 耳房 buildings positioned on both sides of the main structure; similar to xiewu in Song terminology

fan 梵 Sanskrit, denoting something distinctively Indian

fang 房 room; house

fangge 方格 square grid used for planning a site layout

fanggewang 方格網 / 方格网 square grid network

fangkuang 方框 square frame

fangmugou 仿木构 imitating a wooden structure

fangting 方亭 square pavilion

fangwu 房屋 general term for a house or building

fangxian 放線 / 放线 siting or layout of a building

fangxing fudouzhang 方形覆斗帳 / 方形覆斗帐 inverted, bucket-shaped canopy with square, flat-top ceiling

fangyu sheshi 防禦設施 / 防御设施 defensive installations such as earthworks, stockades, and gate walls

fangzheng 方正 concept of “squareness”

feidao 飛道 / 飞道 elevated path or sloping path or passageway

feilang 飛廊 / 飞廊 flying corridor

feiliang 飛椽 / 飞椽 flying rafter; upper rafters when there are two sets

feishi 肺石 stone beaten in case of injustice

feitian 飛天 / 飞天 apsara, flying Buddhist divinity

fen 分 an absolute unit of measurement within the Chinese chi-fen system of length; a modular subunit of length within the Chinese cai-fen system of length (15 fen equal to 1 cai); sometimes written in Fu Xinian’s text with a reference mark (※) a degree symbol (°) or as fen 份, to distinguish it from the absolute measurement

fen 份 a modular subunit of length within the cai-fen system; a section of the cai; if written as fen 分 put in quotation marks in the English translation to distinguish it from the absolute measurement

fengjian lizhi 封建禮制 / 封建礼制 feudal system of rites

fenshua 粉刷 (color) wash

fenxin 分心 centrally divided; referring to transverse framework in tingtang-type construction

fenxin doudicao 分心斗底槽 compartmentalized-cao; column-grid layout in diantang-type construction

Fodian 佛殿 Buddha hall; palatial-style building housing Buddhist images

Foguo Jingtu 佛國淨土 / 佛国净土 Buddhist Pure Land

(Fo)kan (佛) 龕 / (佛) 龛 (Buddhist) niche, small shrine

Fotan 佛壇 / 佛坛 dais for Buddhist image, raised Buddhist platform

Fotu 佛圖 / 佛图 stupa

Fozhang 佛帳 / 佛帐 Buddhist cabinet (a small room); (interior) Buddhist shrine

fubigong 扶壁栱 bracket-arms and joists piled up within the wall plane

fudi 府邸 (aristocratic or princely) mansion

fudouxing zhang 覆斗形帳 / 覆斗形帐 inverted bucket-shaped canopy or tent that resembles an upturned rice measure called dou; see also fangxing fudouzhang, hengchang fudouzhang

fujian 复建 to re-create a building in a nonscientific way; broader term than chongjian

fujie 副階 / 副阶 auxiliary structure attached to the core building

fulian 覆蓮 / 覆莲 column-base molding of downward-pointing lotus petals

fupen 覆盆 column-base molding in the shape of an overturned bowl

fushezhuang yijiaochuan 輻射狀翼角椽 / 辐射状翼角椽 radial arrangement of rafters

fushu jianzhu 附屬建築 / 附属建筑 auxiliary or subsidiary building; also

fuzhu jianzhu 輔助建築 / 辅助建筑

futu 浮圖 / 浮图 stupa

fuxiang 栿項 / 栿项 smaller cross-section of a beam at the end than in the center, being reduced to the size of cai

fuyi 輔翼 / 辅翼 subsidiary wing of a building

fuyuan 复原 reconstruction, revival, restitution

fuyuantu 复原圖 / 复原图 reconstruction drawing

gaichai 改拆 to dismantle and remodel

gaijian 改建 to rebuild with modifications

ganjian 杆件 general term for a wooden pole or timber

ganlan (jianzhu) 幹欄(建築) / 干阑(建筑) raised-floor (architecture)

gaoceng muta 高層木塔 / 高层木塔 tall, multistory timber pagoda

gaoceng taixie 高層臺榭 / 高层台榭 multistory high-platform building

gaodu 高度 height of a buildin

gaokuabi 高跨比 height:width ratio of a beam

gaokuanbi 高寬比 / 高宽比 height:width ratio of any component

gaotai 高臺 / 高台 high platform

ge 戈 spear, dagger

ge 格 cell; rectangle as in fangge

ge 閣 / 阁 pavilion

gedao 閣道 / 阁道 elevated path or sloping path or passageway

gehuoqiang 隔火牆 / 隔火墙 fire partition wall

geqiang 隔墙 partition wall

gezimen 格子門 / 格子门 lattice door

gong 栱 general term for a bracket-arm

gong 拱 general term for a vault, arch

gong 觥 cup made of horn

gongbi 工笔 meticulous painting style

gongcheng 宮城 palace-city of a capital

gongdian 宮殿 palace

gongdianjian 宮殿監 / 宫殿监 Qing dynasty office in charge of palace affairs

gongshang manfang dou 栱上滿放枓 / 栱上满放斗 filling in the space in the body of a bracket with blocks

gongshi 宮室 palace

gongyan 栱眼 bracket eye; decorative molding of the upper bracket-arm edge

gongyanbi 栱眼壁 intrabracket-set board; board behind the bracket sets that integrates them into the structure

gongyuan 宮院 palatial compound

gongzixing 工字形 gong-shape, taking the shape of the Chinese character gong 工

goujia 構架 / 构架 general term for structural framework; may be used with respect to an architectural component or the structure of the whole building

goulan 勾欄 / 勾栏 balustrade; see also langan

goulianda wuding 勾連搭屋頂 / 勾连搭屋顶 undulating roof with built-in “valley” to carry off rainwater at the intersection of two roof slopes

gouzao 構造 / 构造 construction, stressing the way something is put together

gu 鼓 drum

gualengzhu 瓜棱 / 楞柱 melon-shaped column; column carved in the shape of a melon with outward-bulging segments arranged around a center

guan 棺 inner coffin

guang 廣 / 广 historical term for a small, single-pitch, roofed building leaning against a taixie platform

guangchang 廣場 / 广场 open field or space; plaza or place in modern sense

guanliao dizhu de dazhuzhai 官僚地主的大住宅 large residences of government officials and landlords

guanshi jianzhu 官式建築 / 官式建筑 official-style architecture

guanshu 官署 government office

guazhu 瓜柱 short column

guazigong 瓜子栱 melon-seed bracket-arm; the parallel bracket-arm shortest in length

guidi 貴邸 / 贵邸 aristocratic mansion

guitouwu 龜頭屋 / 龟头屋 turtle-head building; a covered porch with gables placed parallel to that of the main building

guiwei 貴位 / 贵位 honored positions, term used in Yijing (Book of changes) to refer to numbers 5 and 9, which symbolize the superior man

gujianzhu 古建築 / 古建筑 premodern or traditional-style architecture

guo 槨 / 椁 outer coffin

guoliang 過梁 / 过梁 a kind of lintel

gutou 箍頭 / 箍头 painted end-portion of a painted beam

guzhi gufa 古制古法 traditional regulations and methods

haitangban xianjiao 海棠瓣線腳 / 海棠瓣线脚 begonia-petal molding

hangtu 夯土 rammed earth

hangtu duntai 夯土墩臺 / 夯土墩台 rammed-earth (wall-)pier platform

hangtu taiji 夯土臺基 / 夯土台基 rammed-earth foundation platform

hengchang fudouzhang 橫長覆斗帳 / 横长覆斗帐 inverted, bucket-shaped canopy with rectangular, flat top

henggong 橫栱 / 横栱 general term for a bracket-arm parallel to the wall plane

hengmei 橫楣 longitudinal lintel; may be used interchangeably with lan’e

hengmen 衡門 / 衡门 door or gate with a pair of columns flanking and supporting a horizontal, wooden joist at the top

hengpei 橫帔 / 横帔 valance; decorative heading

hengxiang goujia 橫向構架 / 横向构架 transverse framework of crossbeams (as opposed to the lengthwise framework of the beams [zongxiang goujia])

heta 合㭼 a kind of wood fastener used to fix the shaft of a short column on top of a pingliang

houshanbei 厚苫背 mud-and-straw insulation added between roof tiles and the rafter layer as protection against cold weather

hu 壺 / 壶 a kind of wine vessel

huagong 華栱 / 华栱 perpendicular or transversal bracket-arm (projecting at a right angle to the wall plane); in English sometimes called flower-arm

huangcheng 皇城 administrative-city of a capital; literally translates as imperial-city

huaxiang shi 畫像石 / 画像石 pictorial design carved in relief on stone

huaxiang zhuan 畫像磚 / 画像砖 pictorial design painted or stamped in relief on brick

huilang 迴廊 / 回廊 (Jap.: kairō) general term for a surrounding or enclosing corridor

huini 灰泥 plaster

huozhu 火珠 fire beads

hutong 胡同 neighborhood system of alleys formed by courtyards

huoyanquan 火焰券 flame-shaped arch; pointed, horseshoe-shaped arch; also used to refer to chaitya 支提 arch

ji 基 general term for foundation; podium or raised platform; see also dianjie

X-jia chuan 架椽 X-rafter beam; number of rafter lengths in space between two purlins

jiakong 架空 built on stilts

ji’an 幾案 / 几案 long table

jian 間 / 间 bay; unit of distance between two pillars; see cijian, jinjian, mingjian, shaojian

jiandi pingsa 減地平鈒 / 减地平钑 a stone carving method described in Yingzao fashi in which low relief is carved within a raised outline

jianfeng 間縫 / 间缝 bay boundary line; synonymous with bay-column axis

jiangtang 講堂 / 讲堂 (Jap.: kōdō) lecture hall (in a Buddhist monastery)

jianlou 箭樓 / 箭楼 watchtower; arrow tower

jianzhu 建築 / 建筑 architecture; building; structure

jianzhu 減柱 / 减柱 (interior) column omission

jianzhuwu 建築物 / 建筑物 a building

jiaobei 繳背 / 缴背 a second layer of timber installed in the same direction as the principal beam on top of it

jiaoduo 角垛 corner pier; small wall section placed around the foot of a corner column, stretching neither the entire length nor depth nor height of a building

jiaofudou 交栿枓 / 交栿斗 small bearing-block below a beam

jiaogong 角栱 corner bracket-arm; installed at a 45-degree angle to the building plane

jiaohudou 交互枓 / 交互斗 connecting-block; a type of small bearing-block in a bracket set

jiaoji 角脊 diagonal ridge

jiaoliang 角梁 corner beam

jiaolou 角樓 / 角楼 corner tower of a city wall

jiaoye 蕉葉 / 蕉叶 plantain-leaf (ornament)

jicha 級差 / 级差 gap, difference, such as between a bay width and the next larger bay width or between proportional widths of two adjacent grades, in which case it is known as grade difference

jidian 祭殿 sacrificial hall

jie 街 street

jie 階 / 阶 general term for step, staircase, stairway; see also dianjie

jiedao 階道 / 阶道 stairway

jiegou 結構 / 结构 structure, as in the nature and quality of the timber frame

jiehua 界畫 / 界画 painting executed with measuring devices such as ruled lines

jiejianxi 解劍席 / 解剑席 place where official removes his sword and clothing before ascending to a hall

jieti 階梯 / 阶梯 x flights of stairs/sets of stairs; staircase

jigong 积栱 piled-up brackets; a historical name for the bracket set

jilin 脊檁 / 脊檩 ridge purlin, also known as jituan

jing 井 shaft; see also kongjing, tianjing

jinggan gouzao 井幹構造 / 井干构造 log-cabin construction

jingkuabi 徑跨比 / 径跨比 diameter:span ratio of a long, cylindrical component (such as a purlin or rafter)

jingshe 精舍 vihara; Sanskrit term for place where monks live and study the Buddhist law

jingzang 經藏 / 经藏 sūtra repository

jinjian 盡間 / 尽间 end bay

jinshen 進深 / 进深 depth of a building, length across the façade

jintang 金堂 (Jap.: kondō) term for main hall in a Buddhist monastery, used mainly in Japan

jinwu zhangyuan 金吾仗院 palace-guard courtyards

jinxiang doudicao 金箱斗底槽 concentric-cao; column-grid layout in diantang-type construction

jinyuan 禁苑 imperial park

jinzhu 金柱 interior column

jisi jianzhu 祭祀建築 / 祭祀建筑 sacrificial building

jituan 脊槫 main roof ridge purlin; see also jilin

jiuqi 酒器 general term for wine vessel

jiuxi 九錫 / 九锡 Nine Bestowments given by the emperor to his vassals

jizhuzhang 积竹杖 long-handled rod made of bamboo

jizuo 基座 foundation, base (providing a stable, even platform for timber floors above)

juancaowen 卷草紋 / 卷草纹 floral scroll

juansha 卷殺 / 卷杀 entasis

jue 爵 a kind of bronze vessel

jugao 舉高 / 举高 vertical rise of the roof; a method of roof construction known as “raising of the roof”

jungongtu 竣工圖 / 竣工图 plan of the completion of a construction project

kaerumata 蟇股 Japanese term for struts in the shape of a frog’s legs

kaijian 開間 / 开间 bay(s) of a building; building width

kaizao 開鑿 / 开凿 to excavate a Buddhist cave

kanejaku 曲尺 Japanese term for standard unit of length (an absolute measurement)

kantan 勘探 on-site exploratory testing

kanyu 堪輿 / 堪舆 Kanyu or general geomancy

kehua 刻畫 / 刻画 carve, incise

komajaku 高麗尺 Japanese term for the ancient Korean unit of measurement cheok during the Goguryeo kingdom period, prevalent in Japan in the eighth century; 1 komajaku equals 0.356 m

kongjing 空井 interior shaft cut through the floor construction of a multistory building

koujue 口訣 / 口诀 rhyme or pithy formula memorized by craftsmen

kuakongfang 跨空枋 spanning-the-empty-space tie-beam, name for shunfuchuan in the Ming dynasty

kukan 窟龕 / 窟龛 cave niche; recessed wall section usually for displaying statues

kulang 窟廊 cave gallery; corridor or passageway

kunmen 壼門 / 壸门 arch with serrated edge above doorway, most often found in Buddhist architecture; sometimes mistakenly written as humen 壶门

kuo 廓 outer wall of a city

kuoda moshu 擴大模數 / 扩大模数 expanded module, design unit for an expanded modular system

kushi 窟室 chamber

lan’e 欄額 / 阑额 architrave; longitudinal lintel, formerly known as hengmei

lan’gan 栏杆 balustrade, an entire railing system consisting of a number of individual components, each with its own name; see also goulan

landing 廊頂 / 廊顶 gallery roof or ceiling; corridor roof or ceiling

lanshuiba 攔水壩 / 拦水坝 water-retaining dam

laojiaoliang 老角樑 / 老角梁 a type of large corner beam

lengzhu 棱柱 column with sharp, angular, or bulging corners

li 籬 / 篱, liba 籬笆 / 篱笆, liqiang 籬牆 / 篱墙 fence made of a soft material such as bamboo as opposed to wooden palisades

li 鬲 a kind of square vessel with hollow legs

li 里 a unit of length

liang 樑 / 梁 crossbeam

liangjia 樑架 / 梁架 beam framework

liangpeng 涼棚 / 凉棚 mat-awning, shade-shed

liangpo wuding 兩坡屋頂 / 两坡屋顶 double-pitch roof

liangshi qiao 樑式橋 / 梁式桥 bridge made of beams that is supported by an abutment on either end

liangxia 兩下 / 两下 Song terminology for overhanging gable roof

liangzhushi 樑柱式 / 梁柱式 general term for post-and-beam construction style

lianhuachu 蓮華礎 / 莲花础 column base decorated with lotus flowers

lianzuo 蓮座 / 莲座 lotus seat

liaofengtuan 撩風槫 / 撩风槫 eaves-raising purlin that is circular in section, above the linggong and parallel to the exterior wall plane to support the eaves rafters

liaoyanfang 撩檐枋 eaves-raising joist that is square in section; above the linggong and parallel to the exterior wall plane to support the eaves rafters

lifang 里坊 neighborhood system in which blocks are one li square

lijia 立頰 / 立颊 upright cheek; doorframe post

limen 籬門 / 篱门 bamboo gate

limiantu 立面圖 / 立面图 elevation diagram

lin 檁 / 檩 purlin; also known as tuan

linggong 令栱 uppermost bracket-arm parallel to the building plane that sometimes carries longitudinal joists; sometimes known in English as order bracket-arm or lead bracket-arm; original Chinese character may have been 零, which suggests the meaning is “single” (zero additions) bracket-arm

lingqin 陵寢 / 陵寝 mausoleum

lingxingge 菱形格 rhombus-pattern grid

lingzi 櫺子 / 棂子 window grill

linjia (tixi) 檁架(體系) / 檩架(体系) purlin frame (framework) Lishi 力士 Dvārapāla, Guardian of the Gate

litiao 裏跳 / 里跳 interior projection of a bracket set

liuchuanfu 六椽栿 six-rafter (cross)beam

liupai 流派 school of builders

liusu 流蘇 / 流苏 tassel; dangling ornament

longchi 龍墀 / 龙墀 dragon steps

longku 龍窟 / 龙窟 underground chamber/crypt for precious objects beneath a pagoda

louge 樓閣 / 楼阁 multistory structure

luan 欒 / 栾 early name for a bracket

luanshi 卵石 gravel

ludingshi 盝頂式 / 盝顶式 lu-style (roof)top; box-shaped rooftop; roof shaped like a truncated pyramid

ludou 櫨枓 / 栌斗 cap-block; largest bearing-block in a bracket set; directly tenoned into the column top or the architrave body (lu)weishu (蘆) 葦束 / (芦) 苇束 bundled reeds

madao 馬道 / 马道 literally “horse path,” a term for a sloping path

maishen 埋深 embedded depth

mandao 慢道 literally “slow path,” a term for a path that ascends or descends gradually

mangong 慢栱 long(est) bracket-arm, placed on top of a short block to form the layer of bracket-arms parallel to the wall plane; in English sometimes called “extended bracket(-arm)” or a “vine bracket-arm” (mangong 蔓栱)

mantang 滿堂 / 满堂 hall with a complete column grid

maokou 卯口 mortise opening, for example, in the form of a unidirectional opening (shunbiankou 順便口 / 顺便口)

mazhatou 螞蚱頭 / 蚂蚱头 shuatou with a special end-shape that resembles the head of a locust

mei 楣 longitudinal lintel

meijia 楣架 doorframe head

meiliang 楣樑 / 楣梁 lintel; early name for a kind of architrave

mendun 門墩 / 门墩 gate pier; thickened section in a city wall penetrated by a gateway

men’e 門額 / 门额 door lintel or horizontal top

menkuang 門框 / 门框 doorframe; see also lijia

menlang 門廊 / 门廊 (entrance) porch

menlou 門樓 / 门楼 gatehouse

miankuo 面闊 / 面阔 width of a building, length along the façade

miliang pingding 密樑平頂 / 密梁平顶 closely placed beams, flat roof

minban 皿版 flat timber under the cap-block of a bracket set

mingfu 明栿 exposed beam

mingjian 明間 / 明间 central bay

mingqi 明器 numinous object; pottery burial object

mingtang 明堂 numinous hall

minjian jianzhu 民間建築 / 民间建筑 traditional folk/vernacular architecture

minjuqun 民居群 residential complex

mocheng xiemian 抹成斜面 bevel; same as moxie

mohui 抹灰 plastering

mokoshi 裳階 Japanese term for a pent roof, usually one bay deep, that extends on four exterior sides of a structure; marked by roof eaves, with best example at the east pagoda of Yakushiji

moni 抹泥 claying/plastering

moshu 模數 / 模数 modulus, module; referring to the modular design system in Chinese traditional architecture

motou 抹頭 / 抹头 rail; a horizontal member of a doorframe

moxie 抹斜 bevel

mozhu 模鑄 / 模铸 mold and cast

muchuang 墓牀 / 墓床 coffin platform

mudao 墓道 outer (tomb) passageway; elongated (tomb) entryway with airshafts

mugou ganlan pingtai 木構欄杆平台 / 木构干阑平台 raised-floor timber ganlan-style platform

mugoujia 木構架 / 木构架 timber frame, wooden/timber framework, timber framing, or the lengthwise or transverse timber framework

mugou jianzhu 木構建築 / 木构建筑 timber-frame structure/building

mujiegou 木結構 / 木结构 timber framework

muque 母闕 / 母阙 mother-que, taller of pair of gate-towers; the larger portion of a two-body que

mutanhui 木炭灰 ash wood/charcoal

muwen 木紋 / 木纹 wood-grain painting pattern applied to architectural components

muxiao 木銷 / 木销 wooden connector used, for example, in a face-to-face joint to join two longitudinal timbers

muzha 木柵 / 木栅 wooden stake, batten

muzhamen 木柵門 / 木栅门 batten door/battened door; unframed door made of vertical boards and horizontal battens

muzique 母子闕 / 母子阙 mother-and-son gate-tower with taller and shorter adjoining sections; also known as erchuque

nabi 納陛 / 纳陛 staircase covered by a roof and used to ascend to the high podium of a building, often reserved for the emperor and prominent officials

nei’ao 内 sunken; concave profile

neicao 内槽 inner cao

neichao 内朝 Inner Court (capitalized in reference to Ming-Qing Beijing); sometimes also known as neiting 内廷

nei’e 內額 / 内额 interior architrave (inside the building)

neiqieyuan 內切圓 / 内切圆 inscribed circle in a square in a plan or cross-section

neiting 内廷 inner court

neizhu 内柱 interior column (inside a building)

nidaogong 泥道栱 short bracket-arm within the wall plane; in English sometimes called “plaster channel bracket-arm”

nijū kōryō kaerumata 二重虹梁蟇股 Japanese name of two-tier rainbow-shaped beam with frog’s-legs struts

nisu 泥塑 clay sculpture

nongmin maoshe 農民茅舍 / 农民茅舍 folk house, thatched hut of a “peasant”

nuqiang 女牆 / 女墙 (masonry) parapet

paijia 排架 bent frame

paishan 排山 pushing-out gable; outward projection of the gable-roof parts in a hip-gable roof

paishan goudi 排山溝滴 / 排山沟滴 eaves tiles placed at the edges of the outward-projecting gable-roof parts in a hip-gable roof

pan 盤 / 盘

panjian 襻間 / 襻间 horizontal timber used along transverse frameworks underneath the purlins to stabilize the roof (dongxi)

peidian (東西) 配殿 / (东西) 配殿 (east and west) side halls

ping 平 bearing-block waist (also many other nonarchitectural meanings)

ping’an 平闇 flat, coffered ceiling using small grids

pingliang 平樑 / 平梁 two-rafter crossbeam, used at the top layer of a structure; top beam

pingmiantu 平面圖 / 平面图 floor plan

pingpandou 平盤枓 / 平盘斗 bearing-block without opening; flat block

pingqi 平棊 flat, coffered ceiling using grids larger than ping’an

pingqifang 平棊枋 paneled-ceiling tie-beam

pingtai 平臺 / 平台 flat platform (of a timber-frame construction)

pingxingxian hengjia 平行弦桁架 parallel chord truss; a kind of composite beam

pingzuo 平坐 timber substructure; usually a connector between structurally independent floors

pingzuoceng 平坐層 / 平坐层 pingzuo-level, or mezzanine floor; frame construction to fix wooden flooring; sometimes referring to exterior balcony

pizhu(xing) 批竹(形) split-bamboo (shape)

podao 坡道 ramp

poumiantu 剖面圖 / 剖面图 sectional elevation

pupaifang 普拍枋 additional layer of horizontally positioned architrave above the lan’e

pusa 菩薩 / 菩萨 bodhisattva

puzuo 鋪作 / 铺作 a bracketing unit as defined in Yingzao fashi; eight ranks are possible

X-puzuo X鋪作 / X铺作 a bracket set composed of X fundamental pieces of components and thus of Xth rank

puzuoceng 鋪作層 / 铺作层 bracket-set layer

qi 欹 the base of blocks used in a bracket set; also pronounced yi

qiancuo 嵌錯 / 嵌错 inlay

Qianshou qianyan Guanyin 千手千眼觀音 / 千手千眼观音 thousand-armed, thousand-eyed Guanyin

qiantang houshi 前堂後室 / 前堂后室 concept of “public space in the front, private space in the back”

qiaodun 橋墩 / 桥墩 bridge pier

qiaoliang 橋樑 / 桥梁 bridge

qigu 祈穀 / 祈谷 ritual of praying for rain that occurred each spring

qikong 氣孔 / 气孔 (ventilation) air hole

qindian 寢殿 / 寝殿 resting hall

qinggunwa 青掍瓦 gray polished tile

qingong 寢宮 / 寝宫 residential palace

qingshi 青石 limestone

qingyanzhu 擎檐柱 eaves-lifting column

qinmian (xing) 琴面(形) lute-faced (shape)

qiongding 穹頂 / 穹顶 dome, domed roof, cupola; vault that may have a hemispherical, sometimes pointed, shape qionglongding, (die’se)

qiongding 穹隆頂 / 穹隆顶, (疊澀)穹頂 / (叠涩)穹顶 corbel dome, cupola-like dome

qiqiao 起翹 / 起翘 upward turn; see also shangqiao

qiqiao yijiao 起翹翼角 / 起翘翼角 upturned projecting roof corner

qixindou 齊心枓 / 齐心斗 center-block; square bearing-block with an opening in a variety of shapes placed at the midpoint of a perpendicular bracket set or at the central axis of the whole bracketing unit

qizhu babai 七朱八白 seven-red-and-eight-white; a decorative pattern for an architrave or beam

quan 券 arch

Quanguo Zhongdian Wenwu Baohu Danwei 全國重點文物保護單位 / 全国重点文物保护单位 National Priority Protected Site designated by the national government of China

quanmu goujia 全木構架 / 全木构架 building/structural frame made solely of timber

quchi 曲尺 (Jap.: kanejaku) standard measure of length; carpenter’s square; L-shape, zigzag, stepped

que 闕 / 阙 freestanding or semidetached gate-towers, usually in pairs

danque 單闕 / 单阙 single- que

erchong que 二重闕 / 二重阙 double- que

erchuque 二出闕 / 二出阙 mother-and-sonque

muzique 母子闕 / 母子阙 mother-and-s que

sanchong que 三重闕 / 三重阙 triple-que

quelou 闕樓 / 阙楼 multistory building atop the que

queti 雀替 short, supporting timber for additional abutment of architraves; beak-shaped braces; Qing dynasty name for chuomufang

quji 曲脊 zigzag ridge between gable and hip parts of a hip-gable roof

qunzu 群組 / 群组 building cluster (as opposed to enclosed courtyard)

renmu 紝木 / 纴木 inlaid timber between vertical posts to reinforce load-bearing, rammed-earth wall

renzigong 人字栱 inverted V-shaped brace; brace shaped like the Chinese character ren 人

renzi poding 人字坡頂 / 人字坡顶 suspended ceiling shaped like a gable roof

rongqi 容器 container

rufu 乳栿 a kind of two-rafter beam

sanchao 三朝 three courts (outer, inner, and middle)

sandou 散枓 / 散斗 end-block; smallest bearing-block with one-dimensional opening

sangdun 磉礅 masonry foundation of a column

sanlieshi 散列式 scattered designs of buildings

sanshui 散水 drip channel; groove sloping away from the building to disperse rainwater

sashihijiki 挿肘木 Japanese for chagong; inserted bracket-arm, an arm that is inserted into another wooden member of a structure

sengtu 僧徒 monk

shajiang 砂浆 (waterproof) mortar finishing

shaku 錫杖彫り Japanese for chi; unit of length

shakujōbori 廈兩頭 / 厦两头 decorative pattern on architectural details of Great Buddha style that is modeled after flower petals on the staff carried by a Buddhist monk

shaliangtou 廈兩頭 / 厦两头 Song terminology for hip-gable roof

shan 扇 window or door shutter or covering

shang 觞 wine vessel

shang’ang 上昂 ascending cantilever

shangpingtuan 上平槫 upper roof purlin

shangqiao 上翹 / 上翘 upward turn; see also qiqiao

shangqi yijiao 上起翼角 / 上起翼角 upturned projecting roof corner

shanmen 山門 / 山门 entry gate to a monastery, sometimes translated as gatehouse

shanqiang 山牆 / 山墙 gable wall

shaojian 梢間 / 梢间 second-to-last bay

sheli 射禮 / 射礼 ritual shooting; archery ritual

shelie 射獵 / 射猎 hunting with bow and arrow; shooting

shengqi 生起 rise; rise in height of pillars across the front façade of a building whereby those that flank the central bay are shortest and those that support the corners are tallest

shengtu 生起 raw soil

shetang 射堂 archery hall

shezhai wei si 捨宅為寺 / 舍宅为寺 Buddhist charity concept of turning houses into temples as gifts

shi 室 room

shicetu 實測圖 / 实测图 survey plan

shidian 視點 / 视点 viewing location

shigao 視高 / 视高 eye level (of the viewer)

shihan 石函 stone container (for relics buried beneath a pagoda)

shihou 射侯 target for arrow shooting

shijue 試掘 / 试掘 trial pit site investigation

shiku 石窟 rock-carved cave or grotto

shikuqun 石窟群 rock-carved cave cluster

shiqi 食器 general term for food vessel

shisang 石磉 foundation stone (of the central pillar of a pagoda)

shiwu 飾物 / 饰物 trappings, ornaments, ornamentation

shiwu 石屋 stone chamber or stone house

shixin 實心 / 实心 solid core

shiyitu 示意圖 / 示意图 schematic drawing/plan

shizigong 十字栱 cross-shaped bracket joint

shizin kaikou 十字開口 / 十字开口 cross-shaped opening (of a bearing-block)

shoufen 收分 batter (incline of a column shaft or wall with respect to the vertical)

shoutou 獸頭 / 兽头 animal heads of roof decoration

shuaiban 率班 (to take up the) leading position among officials

shuangcao 雙槽 / 双槽 double-cao type of construction

shuangcao fujie zhouza 雙槽副階周匝 / 双槽副阶周匝 double cao with a fujie enclosing it

shuangku 雙窟 / 双窟 paired caves

shuang shanmen 雙扇門 / 双扇门 double-shutter door

shuangyan 雙檐 / 双檐 (roof with) two sets of eaves

shuatou 耍頭 / 耍头 decoratively carved nose of a bracket set

shuicao 水槽 water trough

shuilun 水輪 / 水轮 waterwheel

shuimo(fang) 水磨(坊) water mill

shuiping touying 水平投影 horizontal projection

shuipingxian 水平線 / 水平线 horizontal multilayered molding atop the roof ridge

shuiqu 水渠 water channel/ditch

shuizha 水閘 / 水闸 sluice; sluice gate

shujing 束莖 / 束茎 bundled plant stems

shulian 束蓮 / 束莲 bundled lotus

shunbiankou 順便口 / 顺便口 unidirectional opening

shunfuchuan 順栿串 / 顺栿串 tie-beam installed between columns in the same direction as the principal beam above; see also kuakongfang

shunshen kaikou 順身開口 / 顺身开口 one-dimensional opening (of a bearing-block)

shuzhu 蜀柱 dwarf column

shuzhuzhu 束竹柱 bundled-bamboo column; column with a shaft that visually resembles a bundle of lotus stalks

sichuanfu 四椽栿 four-rafter (cross)beam

si’e 四阿 Song name for a roof with four slopes

siguan 寺觀 / 寺观 Buddhist or Daoist monasteries

siheyuan 四合院 courtyard enclosed by buildings on four sides

sijiao cuanjianding 四角攢尖頂 / 四角攒尖顶 wedge-shaped corbel dome

sipoding 四坡頂 / 四坡顶 a roof that slopes in four directions; hipped roof

suanban lengzhu 蒜瓣棱柱 garlic-shaped column; see gualengzhu

sudupo 窣堵坡 stupa

sufang 素枋 joist

suidao 隧道 tunnel

suiliangfang 隨樑枋 / 随梁枋 following-the-beam tie-beam; Ming name for shunfuchuan

sun 寸 Japanese for an absolute unit of length equal to one-tenth of a shaku; known as cun in China

sunju 筍虡 wooden frame for ancient musical instruments

sunmao 榫卯 general term for wood joinery; specifically a mortise-and-tenon joinery

suoping 素平 plain and flat (surface)

suoxingzhu 梭形柱 shuttle-shaped column

suozhu 梭柱 shuttle-shaped column, column with entasis

suxiang 塑像 statue

ta 塔 pagoda

ta 榻 couch

tabu 踏步 step(s)

tai 臺 / 台 platform

taicang 太倉 / 太仓 government granary

taiji 臺基 / 台基 rammed-earth platform covered with bricks or stone; see also dianjie

tailiang(shi) (goujia) 抬樑(式)(構架) / 抬梁(式)(构架) column-beam-and-strut(-style) (structure)

taimiao 太廟 / 太庙 (imperial) ancestral temple

taixie 臺榭 / 台榭 building elevated on a high platform

taizuo 臺座 / 台座 podium beneath a building

tajian 塔尖 pagoda spire

tancheng 壇城 / 坛城 mandala

tang 堂 hall of more humble variety than a palace hall

Tang chi 唐尺 absolute unit of length used in the Tang dynasty

Tangdai dianzhang 唐代典章 Tang legal code

Tang liangjing guanshi jianzhu fengge 唐兩京官式建築風格 / 唐两京官式建筑风格 official two-capital style of Tang architecture

Tang wenhua 唐文化 Chinese culture (from the Japanese perspective)

tanmiao 壇廟 / 坛庙 state temple

tan(wei) 壇(壝) / 坛(壝) altar, place of sacrifice

taowu 陶屋 pottery structure

tashen 塔身 pagoda body

tashen zhigao 塔身之高 height of the body from the ground level to the top of the ridge purlin of the last floor of a pagoda

tiangai 天蓋 / 天盖 baldachin, canopy

tianhua 天花 ceiling

tianjing 天井 air shaft

Tianping chi 天平尺 (Jap.: Tempyō shaku) term for unit of length based on the Chinese system of measurement that was used in Japan only during the Tempyō period

Tianzhuyang 天竺样 (Jap.: Tenjikuyō) Indian style; Japanese architectural style mistakenly named Indian that originated in a different part of South China than Karayō

tiaoliang 挑樑 / 挑梁 beam with free-projecting head; cantilever-beam

tiaotou 跳頭 / 跳头 outward projecting end of a perpendicular bracket-arm or cantilever

tiaoyan 挑檐 projecting eaves

tieluo (goujian) 貼絡(構件) / 贴络(构件) pasted-on (component in architecture)

timu 替木 straight strips that hold two pieces together; most often used between linggong and purlin to provide support for the latter

tingqiao 亭橋 / 亭桥 bridge with one or more pavilions

tingtang 廳堂 / 厅堂 hall of lower eminence than a diantang; building type second in eminence in Yingzao fashi

tingtangxing (goujia) 廳堂型(構架) / 厅堂型(构架) tingtang-type structural framework

tingxie 亭榭 small pavilion

tingyuan 庭院 enclosed courtyard

tongdao, tonglu 通道, 通路 inner (tomb) passageway for large, multichamber tombs

tongfengkong 通風孔 / 通风孔 ventilation hole

tongliang 通樑 / 通梁 beam span

tongqi 銅器 / 铜器 bronze vessel/utensil

tongwa 㼧瓦 / 筒瓦 semicircular tile

tongyan 通檐 clear span; transverse framework in tingtang-type construction

toushi 透視 / 透视 perspective

touxin(zao) 偷心(造) stolen-heart (style); bracketing in which only the uppermost transversal member (huagong or ang) supports a linggong (uppermost bracket-arm parallel to the wall)

tuan 槫 purlin; also known as lin; see jituan, shangpingtuan, xiapingtuan, yantuan, zhongpingtuan

tumu hunhe jiegou 土木混合結構 / 土木混合结构 a mixed construction style combining earth and wood; common at the end of the Northern and Southern Dynasties period

tuodun 柁墩 horizontally positioned timber block; similar in function to shuzhu

tuofeng 駝峰 / 驼峰 camel’s-hump-shaped brace

tuojiao 托腳 / 托脚 supporting foot; an inclined strut that gives support to the purlin above it

tupi 土坯 adobe brick

wadang 瓦當 / 瓦当 eave-end tile

wading 瓦頂 / 瓦顶 tile roof

waicao 外槽 outer cao

waichao 外朝 Outer Court (capitalized in reference to Ming-Qing Beijing)

wailang 外廊 exterior gallery

waitiao 外跳 exterior projection of a bracket set

waiyanzhu 外檐柱 exterior column

wangfu 王府 royal mansion

wangqi 王氣 / 王气 imperial energy, particularly of a former dynasty

Wayō 和样 Japanese term for indigenous architectural style of the Kamakura period

wei 葦 / 苇 reed

weiman 帷幔 curtain, screen

weiqiang 圍牆 / 围墙 enclosing wall, surrounding wall

weiqiang 壝牆 / 壝墙 low wall that encloses a sacrificial altar

weizhang 帷帳 / 帷帐 curtain

wenyang 紋樣 / 纹样 decorative pattern

wo 幄 tent; see also zhang, zhangmu, zhangpeng

woliang 臥樑 / 卧梁 horizontal beam at the top of a wall

wu 牾 inverted-V-shaped truss in Shiming

wu 廡 / 庑 side building

wucai zhuangshi 五彩裝飾 / 五彩装饰 five-color decoration

wudian ding 廡殿頂 / 庑殿顶 hipped roof; see also si’e

wujiaceng 屋架層 / 屋架层 roof-frame layer

Wushan shicha 五山十刹 Five Mountains and Ten Monasteries; system for designating Buddhist monasteries in the Southern Song dynasty

wutong 梧桐 Chinese parasol tree

wuxing 五行 Five Phases theory

wuyushi 屋宇式 residential-style architecture

wuzi 杌子 stool

xi 席 mat made of natural materials

xia’ang 下昂 descending cantilever

xiabu 下部 substructure

xiachui bianxing 下垂變形 / 下垂变形 downward-bending deformation of a beam

xiakuan shangzhai 下寬上窄 / 下宽上窄 narrow-top, wide-bottom, such as in a tapering shaft that is wider at the bottom

xiang 巷 lane

xiang 廂 / 厢 wing

xiangfang 廂房 / 厢房 wing-room

xianjiao 線腳 / 线脚 molding

xianzhi 現址 / 现址 existing site; recent location

xiaomuzuo 小木作 term in Yingzao fashi that refers to small-scale timber carpentry; see also damuzuo

xiaoshi 小式 Qing term for small-scale building style

xiapingtuan 下平槫 lowest roof purlin

xichangbi 細長比 / 细长比 slenderness ratio (ratio between the height of the column and cross-section of its smallest diameter)

xie 榭 small wooden structure, sometimes translated as kiosk

xiecheng 斜撐 diagonal/angled brace

xiefangge 斜方格 diagonal-pattern grid

xieliang 斜樑 / 斜梁 slanting crossbeam

xieshan ding 歇山頂 / 歇山顶 hip-gable roof

xieshi 胁侍 left- or right-side attendant to a Buddha statue

xiewu 挾屋 / 挟屋 buildings positioned on both sides of the main structure; also known as erfang

xiexiang 斜項 / 斜项 smaller cross-section of a beam at the end than in the center, being reduced to the size of cai

xiexing 楔形 wedge-shaped

xinban 心板 door panel between stiles and boards

xinggong 行宮 traveling palace; temporary residence of the emperor when traveling outside the capital

xiufu 修復 / 修复 restore

xiushan 修繕 / 修缮 repair

xizhangdiao 錫杖雕 / 锡杖雕 (Jap.: shakujōbori); decorative pattern in Japanese architecture; shaped like a monk’s staff

xu 序 side wing of a palatial-style structure

xuanshan ding 懸山頂 / 悬山顶 overhanging gable roof

xuanyu 懸魚 / 悬鱼 gable ornament; sometimes shaped like a suspended fish, when it is known as 魚尾狀懸魚 / 鱼尾状悬鱼

xuanyuban 懸魚板 / 悬鱼板 fish-shaped board

xumen 序門 / 序门 wing door

xumizuo 須彌座 / 须弥座 podium inside a Buddhist shrine shaped like Mount Sumeru

xunzhang 尋杖 / 寻杖 handrail

ya X sexin 壓X色心 / 压X色心 dark color; placing the darkest shade of X in the center

yamu 崖墓 cliff tomb

yan’e 檐額 / 檐额 eaves architrave

yangke 陽刻 / 阳刻 carved in relief; carved form projecting above the stone surface

yankou 檐口 cornice

yanlin 檐檁 / 檐檩 eaves purlin

yantuan 檐槫 eaves purlin

yanya 岩崖 cliff, precipice, steep rock face

yanyue 宴樂 / 宴乐 feasting, banquet

yaoyan 腰檐 waist eaves

yashu 衙署 government building

yi 翼 wing; such as in yishi

yi 匜 gourd-shaped vessel

yi 欹 the base of blocks used in a bracket set; also pronounced qi

yicai weizu 以材為祖 / 以材为祖 a design principle that emphasizes the module cai

yidou ersheng 一枓二枡 / 一斗二升 two-rises-on-one-block; a bracket-block cluster with a cap-block and two small bearing-blocks

yidou sansheng 一枓三枡 / 一斗三升 three-rises-on-one-block; a bracket-block cluster with a cap-block and three small bearing-blocks

yiji 遺跡 / 遗迹 ruins, historical remains

yijiaochuan 翼角椽 rafter for the upturned roof corner

yindi zhiyi 因地製宜 / 因地制宜 adapting to the local topography

yinke 陰刻 / 阴刻 intaglio carving; carved form sunken below the stone surface

yinqi 飲器 / 饮器 drinking vessel

yinyan 引檐 pulled-out eaves; flat, projecting eaves; sun shields

yinyang 陰陽 / 阴阳 Yin-Yang theory (of opposing complementary forces)

yishi 翼室 wing room

yizhi 遺址 / 遗址 archaeological site; ruin

yizhu 移柱 (interior) column displacement

yizi 椅子 chair

yizixing 一字形 linear design, taking the form of the Chinese character yi一

yongdao 甬道 tomb corridor leading to a door passage/doorway

yongdingzhu 永定柱 a column spanning the distance from the ground floor to the next regular floor above

you’e 由額 / 由额 second layer of vertically positioned architrave below the lan’e

youli weichui 游离尾棰 (Jap.: yūri odaruki) free-tail rafter

yu 隅 corner

yuanding gongmen 圓頂拱門 / 圆顶拱门 rounded-arched gate, arched door

yuanding xiaokan 圓頂小龕 / 圆顶小龛 half-dome niche

yuanluo 院落 (architectural) compound, building cluster; consisting of individual buildings that enclose one or more courtyards

yuanyou 苑囿 hunting park; originally an enclosed area for animals; imperial garden in later times

yuanzhi 原址 in-situ

yuanzhuiding 圓錐頂 / 圆锥顶 cone-shaped/conical roof

yudao 御道 imperial way

yueliang 月樑 / 月梁 crescent(-moon)-shaped beam

yuetai 月臺 / 月台 front platform

yulu 御路 imperial road

yundou 雲枓 / 云斗 cloud-shaped bearing-block; see also yungong

yungong 雲栱 / 云栱 cloud-shaped bracket-arm; bracket-arm and bearing-block cut from one piece of wood to create a sinuous and winding form like a stylized cloud

yūri odaruki 遊離尾垂木 (Japanese) free-tail rafter, cantilever shaped like a slanting beam

yuweizhuang xuanyu 魚尾狀懸魚 / 鱼尾状悬鱼 fish-tail gable ornament or fish-shaped board

yuwu 餘屋 / 余屋 ordinary building or ordinary residence; Song term referring to all kinds of buildings except for diantang, tingtang, and tingxie

yuzhi goujian 預製構件 / 预制构件 prefabricated components in the timber frame

zanzao 鏨鑿 / 錾凿 chisel, engrave

zaojing 藻井 domed, coffered ceiling; caisson ceiling

zha 柵 / 栅 palisade

zhaiyuan 宅院 residential courtyard

zhandao 棧道 / 栈道 (wooden) plank road built along a cliff

zhang 帳 / 帐 canopy; tent; ornamental rooflike structure; see also wo, zhangmu, zhangpeng

zhang 丈 unit of measurement; its actual length changes over the course of the Chinese dynasties

zhanggan 帳桿 / 帐杆 canopy poles

zhanggan 杖桿 / 杖杆 measuring rod, used by the master carpenter and usually marked with standard measurements (such as bay width) for a specific building project; equivalent to a yardstick

zhangmei 帳楣 / 帐楣 horizontal canopy joist

zhangmu 帳幕 / 帐幕 tent

zhangpeng 帳篷 / 帐篷 tent

zhangsheng 丈繩 / 丈绳 measuring rope of 1 zhang in length

zhangzhu 帳柱 / 帐柱 canopy column or pole

zhaqian 劄牽 / 扎牵 one-rafter tie-beam

zhechuanban 遮椽板 board to conceal rafters

zhejian 折槛 literally “broken railing,” referring to a specific kind of balustrade without handrails that is used at the central part of a podium at audience halls

zhengdian 正殿 main hall

zhengji 正脊 principal ridge

zhengmen 正門 / 正门 principal gate

zhenshi chicun 真實尺寸 / 真实尺寸 absolute measurement

zhi 栔 a timber of standard width and height in Song carpentry; subsidiary modular unit of area; sometimes pronounced qi

zhicheng 支撐 / 支撑 support; bracing

zhiliang 直樑 / 直梁 straight beam

zhilingchuang 直櫺窗 / 直棂窗 grill window

zhizhu 支柱 supporting post or column

zhongpingtuan 中平槫 middle roof-purlin(s); purlins between the eaves purlins and the principal ridge purlin

zhongxinzhu 中心柱 central pillar

zhouchang 週長 / 周长 perimeter

zhouchuan 舟船 boat

zhouye 肘葉 / 肘叶 door hinge; literally, elbow leaf

zhuangyuan 莊園 / 庄园 manor house; country house

zhuanjiao huilang 轉角迴廊 / 转角回廊 corridor that bends at right angle

zhuceng diejia 逐層疊加 / 逐层叠加 way of erecting the structural framework by consecutively adding one floor on top of the other

zhuchu 柱礎 / 柱础 column base, a square stone with the upper part exposed and the lower part embedded into the building platform or earth

zhuding 柱頂 / 柱顶 column top

zhudong 柱洞 column hole

zhujiaofang 柱腳枋 / 柱脚枋 column-foot joist

zhulang 柱廊 columned gallery

zhuliangzuo 柱樑作 / 柱梁作 general term for post-and-beam construction but understood as a structure in which beams directly interlock with columns as opposed to a building in which bracket sets are on top of columns

zhulie 柱列 colonnade; row of columns

zhumao 柱帽 column cap

Zhuquemen 朱雀門 / 朱雀门 Red-/Vermilion-Bird Gate

zhushen 柱身 column shaft

zhushi 主室 main chamber

zhutou 柱頭 / 柱头 column top, column head

zhutoufang 柱頭枋 / 柱头枋 column-top joist

zhutou puzuo 柱頭鋪作 / 柱头铺作 column-top bracket set; zhutouke 柱頭科/柱头科 in Qing terminology

zhuwang 柱網 / 柱网 column network

zhuzhai 住宅 dwelling, residential architecture

zijiaoliang 子角樑 / 子角梁 a type of small corner beam

zique 子闕 / 子阙 child-que; lower of pair of gate-towers

zongjia 縱架 / 纵架 lengthwise construction

zongti buju 總體佈局 / 总体布局 general layout

zongxiang goujia 縱向構架 / 纵向构架 lengthwise framework (as opposed to the transverse framework of the crossbeams [hengxiang goujia]); synonymous with zongjia

zoushou 走獸 / 走兽 marching creatures; roof ornaments in the form of mythical beasts along the diagonal ridges of a roof

zucai 足材 full standard unit; a timber of standard width and height in official-style carpentry whose dimensions are a combination of cai and zhi

zucaigong 足材栱 “full standard unit” bracket-arm

zun 尊 a kind of wine vessel

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