Sunmao

• Comment Seems very similar to the better-written Ancient Chinese wooden architecture. Just using the Chinese word does not justify a seperate article. Johnbod (talk) 04:53, 13 March 2021 (UTC)
• Comment Hi, yes it might seem similar; however, Sunmao is only a part of Ancient Chinese wooden architecture, it only refers to the wooden joinery or mortise and tenon, and/or those actual pieces in ancient Chinese wooden architecture, as well as the art and/or technique of joining and connecting wood together. Whereas Ancient Chinese wooden architecture may refer to entire buildings, foundation, ceilings, etc.
• Comment I realize that. Which is why it would be a useful section there (trimmed of some of the excess verbiage). Johnbod (talk) 22:22, 28 March 2021 (UTC)
• Comment Yes, I completely agree that Sunmao should have a section on the Ancient Chinese wooden architecture page. But in addition to wooden architecture, Sunmao is also used heavily in furniture, jewelry, tools, and other applications, as well as other types of materials, like metals, clay, etc., So I do think that it should have its own page. Hanren1 (talk) 23:22, 29 March 2021 (UTC)
• Comment At the moment, you give these non-architectural uses the briefest of mentions, so I don't see any need. You could add to joinery, Chinese furniture and mortise and tenon as well, which would be seen by far more people. Johnbod (talk) 00:21, 30 March 2021 (UTC)
• Comment I only mentioned those briefly here to provide context outside of architecture, there are extensive histories and writings on Sunmao's non-architecture applications. Yes, Sunmao could be added to all of the articles you listed; however, the term does deserve its own page for its unique cultural and historical values as well as wide applications outside of architecture, and it is the only way to index and categorize all of the applications (architecture and others) and the historical development of those applications together. Hanren1 (talk) 18:25, 31 March 2021 (UTC)

Sunmao (榫卯)
Wooden Sunmao joints of tie beams and cross beams from the Yingzao Fashi, published in 1103 by the Song Dynasty Chinese scholar-bureaucrat Li Jie (1065-1110).
Traditional Chinese	榫卯
Simplified Chinese	榫卯
Literal meaning	"Mortise and tenon", "Mortise-and-tenon joints", or "Mortise and tenon joint structure"
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin sǔn mǎo

Sunmao structure on the Forbidden City's Hall of Supreme Harmony, Beijing

Sunmao structure on the China Art Museum, Shanghai

Sunmao (Chinese: 榫卯, pinyin: sǔn mǎo), also known as Chinese joinery, or Mortise and tenon joint structure, is an ancient Chinese wooden architecture employing Chinese woodworking/carpentry and joinery methods that uses primarily wood, bricks, and tiles as the main building materials, with the wooden frame structure as the main structure, and columns, beams, and purlins as the main components. The joints between the various components are joined and connected by mortise and tenon, and fit together to form a flexible frame.

Sunmao is the most common structuring approach in ancient Chinese architecture and furniture. Sunmao structures, as a part of the "Chinese traditional architectural craftsmanship for timber-framed structures", is a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage inscribed in 2009 on the UN Representative list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

The origin of the word "Sunmao" comes from the combination of the Chinese characters "Sun" and "Mao". “Sun” refers to “Suntou” (榫头, or 笋头, tenon), which is a wooden component that is designed for insertion, typically with a protruding or projecting part, and “Mao” comes from “Maoyan” (卯眼, or 卯口, or 榫眼, mortise), which is a wooden component that is designed for receiving a corresponding projection, typically with a hole or recessed cut.

Sunmao is an extremely skillful and sophisticated invention, with the Sunmao structure, ancient Chinese architects were able to create complex buildings without a nail or glue. In addition, this connection method of components makes ancient Chinese wooden architecture a special flexible structure that surpasses contemporary architectural bents, frames or steel frames. It can not only withstand larger loads, but also allows certain movements and deformation, which can offset the seismic energy/force under seismic structure load produced by earthquakes, therefore reducing the impact of earthquakes on the structure. Thus, stability is one of the most important characteristics of Sunmao. Ancient Chinese architectures have survived thousands of years while enduring strong earthquakes because of their Sunmao structures.

Sunmao is also heavily used in Chinese furniture, with the most prominent examples being the Ming Dynasty style rosewood/Chinese Rosewood (or Dalbergia odorifera) furnitures, which Sunmao was the signature feature. In addition to architecture and furniture making, Sunmao is also used in many other aspects of Chinese culture, including tools, appliances, weapons, crafts, jewelry, etc., and in many different materials, including wood, metal, clay, etc.

History

"The Neolithic period (6000 — 2000 b.c.e.) marks the true emergence of the wooden frames so characteristic of Chinese architecture. As early as seven thousand years ago, Neolithic peoples knew how to use mortise and tenon — a method of joinery that employs notches and inserts — to build wood-beamed houses. (The world’s oldest examples are at the Hemudu site in Zhejiang.) By the end of the era these techniques were well developed, and such homes were made in circular, square, or oblong shapes, depending on their function." - Chinese Architecture -- The Origins of Chinese Architecture (English ed.). Yale University Press. pp. 5–15. ISBN 978-0-300-09559-3 Search this book on ..

Sunmao is used widely and frequently in ancient Chinese architecture and buildings throughout Chinese history, almost all traditional Chinese buildings that exist today use Sunmao. However, some of the most notable or significant milestone buildings include the following:

Spring and Autumn period (722 BC – 476 BC) and Warring States period (476 BC – 221 BC)

Sunmao was adopted from architecture to furniture making.

Qin Dynasty (221 BC – 206 BC) and Han Dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD)

According to Xi Cheng Za Ji (《西京杂记》), during the Qin and Han Dynasty, as the main wooden structure became more sophisticated, other materials were used to make Sunmao structures, including Sunmao bricks (榫卯砖), Qikou bricks (企口砖), and Qixing bricks or Wedge bricks (楔形砖), which were very popular in Han Dynasty.

Northern and Southern Dynasties (420 AD – 589 AD)

In 491 AD, Sunmao was used to build the Hanging Temple (悬空寺) near Mount Heng in Huayuan County, Shanxi Province. According to legend, the temple was built by only one man, a monk named Liaoran (了然). The temple is also very notable as the structure is kept in place with oak crossbeams fitted into holes chiseled into the cliffs (where the crossbeams acted as tenons and the cliffs with chiseled holes acted as mortises).

Tang Dynasty (618 AD – 907 AD)

In 857 AD, Sunmao was used to build the Fo Guang Temple Hall (佛光寺大殿) at Mount Wutai, Shanxi Province.

Song Dynasty (960 AD – 1279 AD)

In 1125 AD, Sunmao was used to build the Shaolin Monastery (少林寺) in Dengfeng County, Henan Province.

Ming Dynasty (1368 AD – 1644 AD)

In 1406 AD, Sunmao was used to build the Forbidden City (紫禁城, or 故宫) in Beijing.

Other Examples

• The Temple of Heaven’s The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests
• China Art Museum
• Daguanyuan

See Also

• Ancient Chinese wooden architecture
• Chinese architecture
• Mortise and tenon
• Joinery
• Dougong

Sunmao (榫卯)

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