The specialists guide to Chinese antiques.
August 3, 2010 3:22 am
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The ultimate comprehensive english/Chinese dictionary of chinese furniture vocabulary and terms
I have seen this list floating around on the internet (though I have no idea where it originally came from). Though some terms are region-specific, its nevertheless very comprehensive with over 450 different terms.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
| 朵云双螭纹 | duǒ yún shuāng chī wén | Cloud surrounded by confronting dragons motif. |
In order to make it a bit more user friendly I have a) added Hanyu pinyin pronunciations and b) reorganized the list itself according to specific categories. Trust me when I say this was no easy task! There are also links to pronunciation via the MDBG Chinese-English dictionary wordpress plugin. Though far from perfect, I hope this is a useful guide to anyone working with Chinese antique furniture. The list is broken down as follows:
Decorative Beading and Molding Names
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
| 冰盘沿 | bīng pán yán | Ice-plate edge. General term for allinward-sloping mouldings. |
| 打洼 | dǎ wā | Concave moulding; also called aomian or wamian. |
| 灯草线 | dēng cǎo xiàn | Beading, a rounded moulding.Dengcao |
| 瓜棱线 | guā léng xiàn | Melon-shaped moulding, a ridge-shaped moulding used on legs. (When the leg is seen in section, it resembles the section of a fluted melon.) It is often found on waistless square tables and round-corner cabinets. Also called |
| 剑脊棱 | jiàn jǐ léng | Sword-ridge moulding. Moulding which slopes downwards from a central ridge. Lu Ban jing (Lu Ban’s Classic) calls it jianjixian. |
| 拦水线 | lán shuǐ xiàn | Water-stopping moulding. High moulding around the edge of a table to prevent spilt water or wine from soiling the user’s clothes. |
| 两柱香 | liǎng zhù xiāng | Two-incense-stick beading. Double row of beading down the centre of the leg of a recessed-leg table. |
| 劈料 | pī liào | Split moulding. Convex moulding made from a single piece of wood which is usually divided evenly into two (also three or four in late Qing times) segments. |
| 皮条线 | pí tiáo xiàn | Leather-strip moulding. Moulding which is rather flat and broad. |
| 皮条线加洼儿 | pí tiáo xiàn jiā wā ér | Leather-strip moulding and beaded moulding with concave centre. |
| 起边线 | qǐ biān xiàn | Edge beading. |
| 双混面压边线 | shuāng hún miàn yā biānxiàn | Double convex moulding with flat edges. |
| 甜瓜棱： | tián guā léng ： | Melon-shaped moulding. See瓜棱线. |
| 洼面 | wā miàn | Concave moulding; also aomian or dawa. |
| 委角线 | wěi jiǎo xiàn | Indented corner moulding. |
| 线脚 | xiàn jiǎo | Moulding. General term for all types of moulding. |
| 弦(xian)纹 | xián (xian)wén | String moulding, on round stools. |
| 一炷香 | yī zhù xiāng | One-incense-stick beading. Single row of beading down the centre of the leg of a recessed-leg table. |
| 凹面 | āo miàn | Concave moulding |
| 亚边线 | yà biān xiàn | Flat edges of a moulding. |
| 拧麻花 | níng má huā | Twisted rope pattern. Form of moulding resembling a fried dough twist; also called shengwen. |
| 托腮 | tuō sāi | Stepped apron moulding. Term used in the Qing Regulations and by craftsmen for a moulding between the waist and the apron, which may be in one with the apron or made from a separate piece of wood. |
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