píngzuò

  1. Home
  2. top of the aat hierarchies
  3. Objects Facet
  4. Components (hierarchy name)
  5. components (objects parts)
  6. [components by specific context]
  7. architectural elements
  8. [structural elements and components for structural elements]
  9. structural elements
  10. [supporting and resisting elements]
  11. píngzuò
Scope note
The term pingzuo 平坐 (also written pingzuo 平座; lit. “level” “seat” Kroll 2015 346, 636) has a variety of meanings in classical Chinese literature beyond the scope of architecture, including a sitting posture (Li 1995, 36), a certain kind of sitting apparatus (Xu and An 2004, 2444; Zhou 2000, 12515), and a base (Gu 1984, 12.186). In the Ming and Qing dynasties (14th-20th centuries), pingzuo was also used to refer to a seat or throne (Zhang 1981, 58). All these meanings emphasize that pingzuo is a structure designed to provide a level base for whatever is on top of it. Current architectural historians focus on the use of pingzuo as described in the Song court architectural manual Yingzao fashi (1103 CE) in the context of timber-framed structures. Here the basic characteristic of pingzuo is a platform supported by bracket sets on top of pillars, providing a level foundation for a building constructed above it. The pillars supporting the pingzuo can be erected on top of a lower story, directly into the ground, in the water, or on top of city walls.
píngzuò
Accepted term: 01-Dec-2025