huāgǒng 華栱

https://architecturasinica.org/keyword/k000172

Terms

  • huagong (Pinyin without tones)2
  • 華栱 (Traditional Chinese)
  • 华栱 (Simplified Chinese)
  • huāgǒng (Pinyin)2
  • hua-kung (Wade-Giles)
  • perpendicular bracket arm (English)6
  • projecting bracket (English)7
  • transverse bracket-arm (English)8
  • flower-arm (English)9
  • flower arms (English)10
  • flower or petal arms (English)11

Note

    The earliest known use of the term huagong 華栱, literally, “blossoming bracket-arms” (Kroll 167 (huā), 135) or “flower arms” (Fu 357), is in the Yingzao fashi (YZFS 4.2b-4.3a). As an architectural term, huagong refers to any bracket arm in the bracketing structure that projects away from the wall plane. It is also known as miao 杪 (or chao 抄) gong 栱, juantou 卷頭, or tiaotou 跳頭. Other names for huagong depend on the position and shape of the timber member. For example, those located in the corners of buildings are called jiaogong 角栱, those with a T-shape are called dingtougong 丁頭栱, and those with a T-shape used in corners are called xiaxugong 蝦須栱. The term huagong is also found in the poetry of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, where it was used, by synecdoche, to refer to an elaborately painted roof or an exquisitely crafted building (Sun 孫 1787, 18.3a; Chen 陳 1854, 2.32b; Weng 翁 2002, 10.9a; Deng 鄧 1843, 147.8b). The full meaning of the term hua 華 in the development of outwardly-projecting corbel bracket arms has aroused considerable scholarly discussion and is still unsettled (Feng 2012, Chen 陳 2010, and Xu 徐 2003). 12

    “華栱”最早且主要見於北宋《營造法式》(李 2009, 4.2b-4.3a)。作為建築術語,指大木作斗栱中向內外起傳跳作用的構件之一,又名)栱、卷頭或跳頭;根據出跳位置、形態的不同又有其他稱謂,如位於轉角處稱“角栱”,半截栱形態者稱“丁頭栱”,位於轉角處的半截栱形態者稱“蝦須栱”。其中“華”字由於含義未明而引發了不少學者的討論。(Feng 2012, 陳 2010,徐 2003)“華栱”一詞也見於明清詩文,從文義看,應是從檐下構件名稱引申為華麗的、或繪有彩畫的屋頂進而指代美輪美奐的建築。(孫 1787, 18.3a; 陳 1854, 2.32b; 翁 2002, 10.9a; 鄧 1843, 147.8b) 12

Related concepts

Works Cited

Any information without attribution has been created following the Syriaca.org editorial guidelines.

  • 1 KROLL. 2015. A Student's Dictionary of Classical and Medieval Chinese, 167, 135.Link to Zotero Bibliographic Record; FU. 2017. Traditional Chinese Architecture: Twelve Essays, 357.Link to Zotero Bibliographic Record; 陳. 2010. 《營造法式》辭解, 296.Link to Zotero Bibliographic Record; GUO. 2002. A Visual Dictionary of Chinese Architecture, 42.Link to Zotero Bibliographic Record
  • 2 陳. 2010. 《營造法式》辭解, 296.Link to Zotero Bibliographic Record
  • 3 陳. 2010. 《營造法式》辭解, 389.Link to Zotero Bibliographic Record
  • 4 陳. 2010. 《營造法式》辭解, 296.Link to Zotero Bibliographic Record
  • 5 GUO. 2002. A Visual Dictionary of Chinese Architecture, 58.Link to Zotero Bibliographic Record; KROLL. 2015. A Student's Dictionary of Classical and Medieval Chinese, 306, 135.Link to Zotero Bibliographic Record
  • 6 FU. 2017. Traditional Chinese Architecture: Twelve Essays, 357.Link to Zotero Bibliographic Record
  • 7 GUO. 2002. A Visual Dictionary of Chinese Architecture, 42.Link to Zotero Bibliographic Record
  • 8 STEINHARDT. 2019. Chinese architecture: a history, 113.Link to Zotero Bibliographic Record
  • 9 STEINHARDT. 2019. Chinese architecture: a history, 159.Link to Zotero Bibliographic Record
  • 10 GLAHN. 1978. Some Chou and Han Architectural Terms, 105.Link to Zotero Bibliographic Record; GUO. 2002. A Visual Dictionary of Chinese Architecture, 357.Link to Zotero Bibliographic Record; FENG. 2012. Chinese Architecture and Metaphor: Song Culture in the Yingzao Fashi Building Manual, 140.Link to Zotero Bibliographic Record; GUO. 2002. A Visual Dictionary of Chinese Architecture, 42.Link to Zotero Bibliographic Record
  • 11 STEINHARDT. 2019. Chinese architecture: a history, 123.Link to Zotero Bibliographic Record
  • 12 KROLL. 2015. A Student's Dictionary of Classical and Medieval Chinese, 167, 135.Link to Zotero Bibliographic Record; FU. 2017. Traditional Chinese Architecture: Twelve Essays, 357.Link to Zotero Bibliographic Record; 李. 2009. 營造法式 (1103; 故宫藏抄本), 4.2b-4.3a.Link to Zotero Bibliographic Record; 孫. 1787. 文簡集, 18.3a.Link to Zotero Bibliographic Record; 陳. 1854. 太乙舟詩集, 2.32b.Link to Zotero Bibliographic Record; 翁. 2002. 複初齋詩集, 10.9a.Link to Zotero Bibliographic Record; 鄧. 1843. 沅湘耆舊集, 147.8b.Link to Zotero Bibliographic Record; FENG. 2012. Chinese Architecture and Metaphor: Song Culture in the Yingzao Fashi Building ManualLink to Zotero Bibliographic Record; 陳. 2010. 《營造法式》辭解Link to Zotero Bibliographic Record; 徐. 2003. “抄”、“杪”辨, 30-39, 274-275.Link to Zotero Bibliographic Record

Broad Match: bracketing

External relationships (1)

Date range


How to Cite This Entry

ZHUGE Jing 諸葛净 et al., “ 華栱 huāgǒng” in Architectura Sinica last modified May 31, 2023, https://architecturasinica.org/keyword/k000172.

Bibliography:

ZHUGE Jing 諸葛净 et al., “ 華栱 huāgǒng.” In Architectura Sinica, edited by Tracy Miller. Entry published March 11, 2021. https://architecturasinica.org/keyword/k000172.

About this Entry

Entry Title: 華栱 huāgǒng

Authorial and Editorial Responsibility:

  • Tracy Miller, editor, Architectura Sinica
  • ZHUGE Jing 諸葛净, associate editor, Architectural Terminology
  • ZHUGE Jing 諸葛净 and RUAN Jing 阮景, entry contributors, “ 華栱 huāgǒng

Additional Credit:

  • Website coordination by Yuh-Fen Benda
  • Preliminary research and revision by RUAN Jing 阮景
  • Peer review by ATTCAT 2022
  • English proofreading by Aurelia Campbell Tracy Miller
  • Chinese proofreading by ZHUGE Jing 諸葛净 ZUO Lala 左拉拉
  • Data entry, proofreading, and revision by Tracy Miller
  • Adding citations by LI Zhixian 李知賢
  • Entry of revised data and links by LI Zhixian 李知賢

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