Literally “heart” or “central” “bay” (Kroll 2015, 507; 196; Steinhardt 1991, 27-50). According to the Yingzao fashi, xinjian (also called dangxinjian 當心間) refers to the central bay of a building, divided longitudinally by the two central front pillars (pingzhu 平柱) and covering the entire depth (YZFS 5.7a). Occasionally, it may also refer to the unit of space between these two pillars (YZFS 4.9a-b;5.4b). According to the Yingzao fashi, there should only be one xinjian in any given building.
