yìngshān en

Literally meaning “solid” or “rigid” mountain peak, yingshan is a technical term used to describe a traditional Chinese gable roof, in which the eaves of the gable are flush with the surface of the wall, in contrast to one where the eaves extend past the wall plane on the gable end (see xuanshan). The term yingshan first appeared in the literature of the Qing dynasty. In the narrowest sense, yingshan refers to a roof that has front and rear slopes, in which the purlins are sealed within the walls of the gable ends (Liang 2006, 84; Yao 1986, 40). More broadly, yingshan is regularly used to refer to a gable roof in which the top of the gable ends extend to the eaves tiles or, in some cases, can even extend above the level of the roof.