Today I want to tell you about something very, very small. Actually, it is not small, but it is often overlooked by people.

What is it? See the picture below:

I believe you have seen such buildings in many palaces and gardens. When you are tired, the small wooden bench inside can let you rest your feet. But did you notice that there are some "things" under the wooden bench:

Can you guess what these things are called?

Wooden railings? Support under the stool?

NO, NO, NO, everyone, don't underestimate this thing, it has a great origin, and it even has a particularly "charming" name - méizi (sitting stool lintel)!

What exactly is a “stool lintel”?

Speaking of the bench lintel, it is mainly a small wooden decoration component of ancient buildings. It is usually located under the pillars of the building and close to the column base. It has both decorative and practical functions.

"Sitting bench", as the name suggests, is a horizontal wooden board between two pillars, about two feet from the ground (as shown below). According to "Yingzaofashi", it is generally two inches thick and more than five inches wide.

The "楣子" generally refers to the horizontal wood on the door frame, such as the "门楣" we often say. ("楣 is the side of the house. Qi called it "延", Chu called it "梠", and Qin called it "楣." - "Shuowen")

Therefore, "stool" + "lintel" = these small horizontal and vertical wooden frames under the wooden stool.

The lintel of the bench generally has various shapes and is mostly used in southern gardens. It is also called "bench railing" or "half railing".

"Details in Palace Gardens" is a sub-column of Gongdianjun's Toutiao account. It mainly explains the often overlooked "small objects" in palace gardens to increase everyone's knowledge. I hope you like and support it!