mǎmiàn 馬面
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Mamian 馬面, literally “horse face,” is a defensive structure within a traditional Chinese city wall. The mamian is prominent on the outer surface of the wall and can be taller than or equal to the height of the city wall. According to literature and archeological evidence, most mamian are solid masonry. It is named for its narrow façade and long shape like a horse head. Its main function was to increase the defensive capacity of the city wall by eliminating blind corners, which were vulnerable to attacks from the side. Mamian also played a role in strengthening the city wall. Mamian were clearly defined in texts as early as the Song dynasty and remained in use through the Qing dynasty.7
馬面作為中國古代城墻防禦設施，指向城外凸出于城墻表面的附城構築物，高出城墻或與城墻等高。因其正視狹長，形如馬脸而得名。根據文獻及考古材料，馬面大多為實心砌築，其主要功能是以側射的方式消除防禦死角，增加城墻防禦能力，還可以起到加固墻體的作用。根據现存古代文獻，馬面一詞最早出現在宋代，文集和兵書中均有提及，有明確定義並且一直沿用至清代（沈，10.2a-10.2b）（陳，2.4a-2.4b）（范，10.18b）。7
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Works Cited
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- 1 陳. 2010. 《營造法式》辭解, 262.
- 2 STEINHARDT. 1999. Chinese Imperial City Planning, 7-8.; GUO. 2002. A Visual Dictionary of Chinese Architecture, 57.
- 3 GUO. 2002. A Visual Dictionary of Chinese Architecture, 57.; HUANG. 2001. Defensive Structures and Construction Materials in Song City Walls, 50.
- 4 HUANG. 2001. Defensive Structures and Construction Materials in Song City Walls, 50.
- 5 齊. 1999. 中國土木建築百科詞典·建築卷, 226.
- 6 STEINHARDT. 1999. Chinese Imperial City Planning, 7-8.
- 7 沈. 夢溪筆談, 10.2a-10.2b.; 陳. 守城機要.守城錄, 2.4a-2.4b.; 范. 1628-1644. 戰守全書 : 十八卷, 10.18b.
Broad Match: fortification elements
How to Cite This Entry
Bibliography:
JIA Tingli 賈亭立 et al., “ 馬面 mǎmiàn.” In Architectura Sinica, edited by Tracy Miller. Entry published May 7, 2020. https://architecturasinica.org/keyword/k000121.About this Entry
Entry Title: 馬面 mǎmiàn
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- Tracy Miller, editor, Architectura Sinica
- ZHUGE Jing 諸葛凈, associate editor, Architectural Terminology
- JIA Tingli 賈亭立 and XIE Fei 谢菲, entry contributors, “ 馬面 mǎmiàn”
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