建筑哲学第 5 课

Not just heavy with symbolic meaning, the actual physical weight of a Chinese roof is enormous- 中式屋顶不仅富含象征意义 实际重量也惊人
around four times the weight of a traditional western tiled roof. 约是传统西式铺瓦屋顶的4倍重
Roofs were covered with heavy glazed tiles - 屋顶多以沉重的釉瓦覆盖
typically gray, but sometimes also quite colorful; blue, green, 屋瓦多为灰色，但偶尔也有 色彩鲜明的蓝色和绿色
and in the Forbidden City, they are glazed an imperial yellow. 紫禁城则是代表皇家的黄色

The columns that hold these enormous roofs had to be stout. 支撑巨大屋顶的柱子 必须非常粗大
As protection from weather and termites, the pillars were often painted with lacquer 柱子表面都涂上漆 以防风雨或白蚁侵蚀
or an oil and hemp mixture which had brick dust mixed into it; 或漆上一种用油，麻 和砖屑混成的混合物
from this came the custom of painting the columns a bold red color, 寺庙柱子因此都漆成大红色
which later of course became symbolic of good fortune. 大红色后来成为吉利的象征

The heavy tiled roofs would seem to require a dense forest of columns to support them. 瓦片厚重的屋顶似乎需要用许多柱子支撑
But the Chinese secret of supporting a heavy roof on only a few columns is ingenious. 但中国建筑只以几枝柱子 来巧妙地支撑沉重的屋顶

The columns bear this enormous weight roofs with the assistance of brackets. 柱子藉托座之助撑起巨大重量

In western architecture, much of the complexity of a building is in its foundation. 西式建筑的复杂处在地基
In the East, it's in a complicated pyramidal system of brackets and
crossbeams designed to hold a heavy tiled roof, 东方建筑的复杂处在支撑 屋顶的金字塔型托座与横梁
and which give it its characteristic curved shape. 这些结构 赋予屋顶独特的曲线造型

This ingenious system is called duo gong, 这个巧妙的结构称为斗拱
and its elements are fundamentally quite simple. 其组成要素基本上十分简单
It's made up of brackets which sit on top of columns, 斗拱由装在柱顶的托座构成
and into which are fitted crossbeams. 横梁则插入托座内

They have three parts - 斗拱分3个部分
the Duo, a block, like a capital, placed at the top of a column. 像柱头的斗是柱顶的木块
The gong, a bracket placed across the top of the deng, 拱是放在斗中的托座
and the spacers between them, called the sheng. 其间的空间称为升

The degree of complexity is wonderful, 其复杂程度令人惊叹
with brackets locking together like a Chinese puzzle without any nails or glue.托座环环相扣 全不需用到钉子与黏胶

With these duo gong the Chinese could extend the roof overhand, 中国人用斗拱使屋顶悬空延伸
without having to build more and more columns inside. 内部却不需增建支柱