---
title: "Traditional Chinese Architecture: Curved Roofs, Roof Animals, Pagodas, Courtyard Houses and Gardens, With Pinyin"
description: "The parts of a traditional Chinese building and what they are for, from the upturned eaves 飞檐 and the brackets 斗拱 to the animals on the roof, why roofs curve, what a pagoda 宝塔 is, the courtyard house, feng shui and the classical garden, and 50 words with pinyin and sound."
canonical: "https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-architecture"
author: "Mandarin The Wild"
---

Free · 50 words

# Chinese architecture

[Print as flashcards](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-flashcards?level=mine&words=%E5%BB%BA%E7%AD%91%20%E5%8F%A4%E5%BB%BA%E7%AD%91%20%E5%AE%AB%E6%AE%BF%20%E5%9B%9B%E5%90%88%E9%99%A2%20%E8%83%A1%E5%90%8C%20%E5%AE%9D%E5%A1%94%20%E4%BD%9B%E5%A1%94%20%E4%BA%AD%E5%AD%90%20%E6%A5%BC%E9%98%81%20%E7%89%8C%E5%9D%8A%20%E5%AF%BA%E5%BA%99%20%E7%A5%A0%E5%A0%82%20%E5%9C%9F%E6%A5%BC%20%E7%AA%91%E6%B4%9E%20%E5%90%8A%E8%84%9A%E6%A5%BC%20%E5%B1%8B%E9%A1%B6%20%E5%B1%8B%E6%AA%90%20%E9%A3%9E%E6%AA%90%20%E5%B1%8B%E8%84%8A%20%E9%B8%B1%E5%90%BB%20%E7%90%89%E7%92%83%E7%93%A6%20%E7%93%A6%20%E6%96%97%E6%8B%B1%20%E6%A2%81%20%E6%9F%B1%E5%AD%90%20%E6%A6%AB%E5%8D%AF%20%E6%9C%A8%E7%BB%93%E6%9E%84%20%E9%A3%8E%E6%B0%B4%20%E4%B8%AD%E8%BD%B4%E7%BA%BF%20%E5%A4%A9%E4%BA%95%20%E5%BD%B1%E5%A3%81%20%E5%9B%9E%E5%BB%8A%20%E7%BA%A2%E5%A2%99%20%E9%97%A8%E6%A7%9B%20%E9%97%A8%E7%A5%9E%20%E7%9F%B3%E7%8B%AE%E5%AD%90%20%E9%97%A8%E5%A2%A9%20%E7%AA%97%E6%A3%82%20%E5%9B%AD%E6%9E%97%20%E5%81%87%E5%B1%B1%20%E6%B1%A0%E5%A1%98%20%E6%8B%B1%E6%A1%A5%20%E5%BB%8A%E6%A1%A5%20%E6%8B%99%E6%94%BF%E5%9B%AD%20%E7%B4%AB%E7%A6%81%E5%9F%8E%20%E6%95%85%E5%AE%AB%20%E5%A4%AA%E5%92%8C%E6%AE%BF%20%E5%A4%A9%E5%9D%9B%20%E5%A4%A7%E9%9B%81%E5%A1%94%20%E9%95%BF%E5%9F%8E)

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## The parts of a Chinese building, and what they are for

| | In Chinese | What it is for |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Upturned eaves | 飞檐 fēiyán | Roof corners that sweep up: they throw rain clear of the walls and let in more winter sun |
| Glazed tiles | 琉璃瓦 liúlíwǎ | Yellow for the emperor, green for princes and many temples, blue for the Temple of Heaven; grey tiles for everyone else |
| Roof animals | 脊兽 jǐshòu | A row of small beasts on the ridge, led by an immortal riding a bird; the more of them, the higher the building’s rank |
| Brackets | 斗拱 dǒugǒng | Interlocking wooden blocks under the eaves that carry the roof’s weight down to the columns |
| Mortise and tenon | 榫卯 sǔnmǎo | Wooden joints that lock together without nails or glue, and give a little in an earthquake |
| Columns | 柱子 zhùzi | Red-lacquered wooden pillars that hold the roof up; the walls between them carry nothing |
| Spirit screen | 影壁 yǐngbì | A wall just inside the gate: it keeps the courtyard private and, people said, keeps out evil spirits, which can only move in straight lines |
| Threshold | 门槛 ménkǎn | A raised wooden sill across the doorway: by custom you step over it, never on it |
| Courtyard house | 四合院 sìhéyuàn | Four buildings round a courtyard, the main hall facing south: the old Beijing family home |

## Buildings

jiàn建zhù筑

architecture

gǔ古jiàn建zhù筑

ancient building; historic architecture

gōng宫diàn殿

palace

sì四hé合yuàn院

siheyuan; courtyard house (traditional Beijing residence)

hú胡tòng同

alley; lane

bǎo宝tǎ塔

pagoda

fó佛tǎ塔

pagoda; stupa

tíng亭zi子

pavilion; kiosk

lóu楼gé阁

pavilion; multistory building

pái牌fāng坊

memorial archway; decorative gateway

sì寺miào庙

temple; monastery

cí祠táng堂

ancestral hall; shrine

tǔ土lóu楼

tulou; earthen roundhouse (of the Hakka in Fujian)

yáo窑dòng洞

cave dwelling

diào吊jiǎo脚lóu楼

stilt house; house on stilts

## Roofs, beams and columns

wū屋dǐng顶

roof; rooftop

wū屋yán檐

eaves

fēi飞yán檐

upturned eaves

wū屋jǐ脊

ridge of a roof

chī鸱wěn吻

ridge ornament (on a traditional roof)

liú琉lí璃wǎ瓦

glazed tile

wǎ瓦

tile

dǒu斗gǒng拱

dougong (interlocking wooden brackets in Chinese architecture)

liáng梁

beam; rafter

zhù柱zi子

pillar; column

sǔn榫mǎo卯

mortise and tenon

mù木jié结gòu构

wooden structure; timber frame

## Layout and feng shui

fēng风shuǐ水

feng shui; geomancy

zhōng中zhóu轴xiàn线

central axis

tiān天jǐng井

courtyard; patio

yǐng影bì壁

screen wall (facing a gate)

huí回láng廊

winding corridor; cloister

hóng红qiáng墙

red wall (esp. of palaces and temples)

## Doors and windows

mén门kǎn槛

threshold; doorsill

mén门shén神

door god (image pasted on doors at New Year)

shí石shī狮zi子

stone lion

mén门dūn墩

gate pier (stone block supporting a gate pivot)

chuāng窗líng棂

window lattice

## Gardens

yuán园lín林

garden; park

jiǎ假shān山

rockery; artificial hill (in a garden)

chí池táng塘

pond; pool

gǒng拱qiáo桥

arch bridge

láng廊qiáo桥

covered bridge

zhuō拙zhèng政yuán园

Humble Administrator's Garden (in Suzhou)

## Famous buildings

zǐ紫jìn禁chéng城

the Forbidden City

gù故gōng宫

the Forbidden City; the Palace Museum

tài太hé和diàn殿

Hall of Supreme Harmony (in the Forbidden City)

tiān天tán坛

Temple of Heaven (in Beijing)

dà大yàn雁tǎ塔

Big Wild Goose Pagoda (in Xi'an)

cháng长chéng城

the Great Wall

## Now read them in a real story

[**十两饺子**How to order dumplings in ChineseHSK 1 · 1 minRead it free](https://mandarinthewild.com/library/read/how-to-order-dumplings-in-chinese)

## What are the main features of traditional Chinese architecture?

A wooden frame, 木结构 (mù jiégòu), on a raised stone platform: columns, 柱子 (zhùzi), carry a heavy tiled roof through brackets, 斗拱 (dǒugǒng), so the walls are only screens. Buildings stand in rows round courtyards, laid out symmetrically along a central axis, 中轴线 (zhōngzhóuxiàn), with the main hall facing south, 坐北朝南 (zuò běi cháo nán). Colour showed rank: red walls and yellow roofs were for the emperor. The Forbidden City, 紫禁城 (Zǐjìnchéng), is the biggest example.

## Why do Chinese roofs curve up at the corners?

Several reasons are given. The upturned eaves, 飞檐 (fēiyán), throw rainwater clear of the wooden walls and columns, and they let more low winter sun in while the deep eaves shade the rooms in summer. They also make a heavy roof look light, like wings, and the higher and more sweeping the roof, the more important the building.

## What are the animals on Chinese roofs?

The ridge beasts, 脊兽 (jǐshòu): a line of small glazed figures on the corner ridges, led by an immortal riding a bird and followed by a dragon, a phoenix, a lion, a sea horse and others. They guard the building, and their number shows its rank; only the Hall of Supreme Harmony, 太和殿 (Tàihé Diàn), in the Forbidden City has ten. The big dragon heads biting the ends of the main ridge are 鸱吻 (chīwěn), said to protect against fire.

## What is a Chinese pagoda?

A 塔 (tǎ) or 宝塔 (bǎotǎ): a tower that came to China with Buddhism, from the Indian stupa, built to hold relics of the Buddha and sacred texts. Chinese pagodas usually have an odd number of storeys, seven, nine or thirteen, each with its own eaves, and are often square or eight-sided. A famous one is the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, 大雁塔 (Dàyàn Tǎ), in Xi’an, built in the Tang dynasty for the scriptures the monk Xuanzang brought back from India.

## What is a Chinese courtyard house?

四合院 (sìhéyuàn), four sides together: four single-storey buildings round a courtyard, closed to the street. The main hall on the north side faces south and belongs to the eldest generation; the gate is usually in the southeast corner, with a spirit screen, 影壁 (yǐngbì), behind it, and the lanes between the houses are the 胡同 (hútòng) of old Beijing. In the south, houses close round a small open well, 天井 (tiānjǐng), and in Fujian the Hakka build round earthen fortresses, 土楼 (tǔlóu).

## What are the elements of a Chinese garden?

A classical garden, 园林 (yuánlín), is a landscape in miniature: rocks piled into hills, 假山 (jiǎshān), water, 池塘 (chítáng), pavilions, 亭子 (tíngzi), covered walkways, 回廊 (huíláng), and arched bridges, 拱桥 (gǒngqiáo). Round “moon gates” and lattice windows frame views, and the designers “borrow” scenery from outside the wall, 借景 (jièjǐng). The best known are the gardens of Suzhou, like the Humble Administrator’s Garden, 拙政园 (Zhuōzhèng Yuán), listed by UNESCO.

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## More Chinese culture

- [Famous places in China](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-landmarks)
- [Chinese art and craft words](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-art-words)
- [Chinese Buddhist words](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-buddhist-words)
- [Chinese dynasties in order](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-dynasties)

Words, pinyin and meanings from our own dictionary; the buildings and their meanings from Wikipedia’s Chinese architecture, Dougong, Imperial roof decoration, Pagoda, Siheyuan and Chinese garden.