枘 (ruì) - The tenon (a projecting piece of wood made & the tongue of a tenon.

枘Tone 4

ruì ｜ 8 strokes ｜ radical: 木

儒三

枘 · ruì

The tenon (a projecting piece of wood made for insertion into a mortise in another piece);

the tongue of a tenon.

The tenon (a projecting piece of wood madethe tongue of a tenon.

Usage highlights

Tenon and mortiseSquare tenon and round mortiseTenon structureTenon jointWooden tenon

Synonyms

  • 榫— tenon (more common term)
  • 榫头— tenon head

Antonyms

  • 凿— mortise (the hole into which the tenon fits)

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The tenon fits into the mortise (枘凿).
  • Carpentry requires precise tenon joints (枘卯结构).
  • This is like trying to fit a square tenon into a round mortise (方枘圆凿).

Collocations

  • Tenon and mortise(枘凿)
  • Square tenon and round mortise(方枘圆凿)
  • Tenon structure(枘卯)
  • Tenon joint(枘接)
  • Wooden tenon(木枘)

Idioms

  • A square tenon for a round mortise — incompatible(方枘圆凿)
  • Like fitting a round peg in a square hole(圆凿方枘)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Central to traditional Chinese woodworking, especially in mortise-and-tenon joinery (榫卯结构) used in ancient architecture and furniture.
  • The idiom 方枘圆凿 (fang rui yuan zao) is a classical metaphor for incompatibility or misfit, originating from ancient texts.

FAQ