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  4. Components (hierarchy name)
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  7. architectural elements
  8. [structural elements and components for structural elements]
  9. structural elements
  10. [supporting and resisting elements]
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Scope note
An architectural term seen in the Yingzao fashi (1103), the Gongcheng zuofa (1734), and other texts that involve architectural descriptions, including the Sitaji (843-853) and the Tang Huiyao (961). It is generally agreed that in the Gongcheng zuofa the term refers to trough-shaped pits dug for narrow sections or strips of pounded-earth foundation. Interpretations of the term and its relevant plates in the Yingzao fashi are under debate. Scholars have suggested that it can refer to (1) the space enclosed by pillars, forehead rails (lan’e 闌額) and corbelling (puzuo 鋪作) (Cheng Mingda 1981; cf. Liang Sicheng 1944); (2) the axis between the pillar row and corbelling (puzuo) (He Jianzhong 2003; cf. Liang Sicheng 1983); (3) an elongated structural unit within the corbelling (puzuo) (Zhu Yongchun 2016); and (4) pillar rows and wall planes in general (Ren Sijie 2016).
cáo
Accepted term: 13-May-2024