xīnjiān 心間
https://architecturasinica.org/keyword/k000142Note (full)
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. 3
As an architectural term, xinjian was adopted only in official texts of the Song dynasty and was interchangeable with zhongjian 中間 (literally center, or central, bay). In the Republican period, alongside the study of the Yingzao fashi, scholars of the Yingzao xueshe adopted xinjian as a basic architectural term equated with mingjian 明間 (Liang 1932, 29).5
心間 (亦作當心間)，在《營造法式》中指位于建築中央，以前檐中心二柱（平柱）為界，包含整個進深的基本單元 (李 2009，5.7a)。也存在僅指前檐二柱之間的情況 (李 2009, 4.9a-b;5.4b)。從 《營造法式》的語境看，一座建築物的“心間（當心間）”有且僅有一個。4
“心間”在历史文獻中僅見於宋代帶有官方性質的文献，并存在與“中間”並用的情況。在民国时期，隨著營造學社對《營造法式》的研究，“心間”被重新引入到現代建築史研究中，成為“明間” 的同義词 (梁 1932，29)。5
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, online edition accessed on 2021-03-12.
- 2 STEINHARDT. 1991. The Mizong Hall of Qinglong Si: Space, Ritual, and Classicism in Tang Architecture, 27-50.; ZUO. 2010. From Jiangnan to Sichuan: Yuan Architecture Along the Yantze River, 216.
- 3 KROLL. 2016. A Student's Dictionary of Classical and Medieval Chinese, 507; 196.; STEINHARDT. 1991. The Mizong Hall of Qinglong Si: Space, Ritual, and Classicism in Tang Architecture, 27-50.; 李. 2009. 營造法式 (1103; 故宫藏抄本), 5.7a,4.9a-b; 5.4b.
- 4 李. 2009. 營造法式 (1103; 故宫藏抄本), 5.7a;4.9a-b;5.4b.
- 5 梁. 1932. 薊縣獨樂寺觀音閣山門考, 29.
Broad Match: building frame
How to Cite This Entry
Bibliography:
Guo Mian 郭勉 et al., “ 心間 xīnjiān.” In Architectura Sinica, edited by Tracy Miller. Entry published March 12, 2021. https://architecturasinica.org/keyword/k000142.About this Entry
Entry Title: 心間 xīnjiān
Authorial and Editorial Responsibility:
- Tracy Miller, editor, Architectura Sinica
- ZHUGE Jing 諸葛净, associate editor, Architectural Terminology
- Guo Mian 郭勉 and ZHUGE Jing 諸葛净, entry contributors, “ 心間 xīnjiān”
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- Data entry and adding citation(s) by CHEN Baolong 陈宝龙
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