檼 (yìn) - Ridgepole — the main beam supporting a roof & also used metaphorically for something essential or foundational.

檼Tone 4

yìn ｜ 18 strokes ｜ radical:

懿嘤

檼 · yìn

Ridgepole — the main beam supporting a roof in traditional Chinese architecture;

also used metaphorically for something essential or foundational.

Ridgepole — the main beam supporting a roofalso used metaphorically for something essential or foundational.

Usage highlights

Ridge beamRoof ridgepoleMain beamWooden ridgeArchitectural ridgeSupporting beam

Synonyms

  • 梁— beam, especially horizontal supporting beam
  • 栋— ridgepole, main roof beam

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The main ridgepole supports the entire roof structure (屋檼).
  • Ancient temples often have massive ridge beams (檼梁).
  • This principle serves as the philosophical ridgepole (思想之檼).
  • The character 檼 appears in classical architectural texts (《营造法式》中的檼).

Collocations

  • Ridge beam(檼梁)
  • Roof ridgepole(屋檼)
  • Main beam(主檼)
  • Wooden ridge(木檼)
  • Architectural ridge(建筑檼)
  • Supporting beam(支撑檼)

Idioms

  • Ridgepole and beams forming the structure(檼梁架构)
  • As straight as a ridgepole(如檼之直)
  • The ridgepole supporting the roof(栋檼之材)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • 檼 represents traditional Chinese wooden architecture where the ridgepole was crucial for structural integrity.
  • In classical texts, it symbolizes the central supporting element in both physical and metaphorical structures.
  • The character is rarely used in modern vernacular but preserved in architectural terminology and classical references.

FAQ