The earliest known use of the term huagong 華栱, literally, “blossoming bracket-arms” (Kroll 167 (huā), 135) or “flower arms” (Fu 357), is in the
Yingzao fashi (YZFS 4.2b-4.3a). As an architectural term, huagong refers to any bracket arm in the bracketing structure that projects away from the wall plane. It is also known as miao 杪 (or chao 抄) gong 栱, juantou 卷頭, or tiaotou 跳頭. Other names for huagong depend on the position and shape of the timber member. For example, those located in the corners of buildings are called jiaogong 角栱, those with a T-shape are called dingtougong 丁頭栱, and those with a T-shape used in corners are called xiaxugong 蝦須栱. The term huagong is also found in the poetry of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, where it was used, by synecdoche, to refer to an elaborately painted roof or an exquisitely crafted building (Sun 孫 1787, 18.3a; Chen 陳 1854, 2.32b; Weng 翁 2002, 10.9a; Deng 鄧 1843, 147.8b). The full meaning of the term hua 華 in the development of outwardly-projecting corbel bracket arms has aroused considerable scholarly discussion and is still unsettled (Feng 2012, Chen 陳 2010, and Xu 徐 2003).
“華栱”最早且主要見於北宋
《營造法式》(李 2009, 4.2b-4.3a)。作為建築術語,指大木作斗栱中向內外起傳跳作用的構件之一,又名杪(抄)栱、卷頭或跳頭;根據出跳位置、形態的不同又有其他稱謂,如位於轉角處稱“角栱”,半截栱形態者稱“丁頭栱”,位於轉角處的半截栱形態者稱“蝦須栱”。其中“華”字由於含義未明而引發了不少學者的討論。(Feng 2012, 陳 2010,徐 2003)“華栱”一詞也見於明清詩文,從文義看,應是從檐下構件名稱引申為華麗的、或繪有彩畫的屋頂進而指代美輪美奐的建築。(孫 1787, 18.3a; 陳 1854, 2.32b; 翁 2002, 10.9a; 鄧 1843, 147.8b)