Page 75 - JCAU-7-2

Journal of Chinese
Architecture and Urbanism Ting or Chinese pavilion

close connection to the appreciation of natural beauty feedback has been instrumental in refining and improving
persisted from the Northern and Southern dynasties the quality of this work. The translations of the primary
through to the Qing dynasty. The modern definition of ting sources are by the authors, unless otherwise specified.
– “an architecture with a roof but without enclosing walls”
as described in Ciyuan – is rooted in roofed architectural Funding
elements found in Ming private gardens (He et al., 2015, Shanghai Municipal Education Commission, Scientific
p. 210). However, this article does not aim to provide a Research Innovation Grant for Rare and Obscure
thorough discussion of the depictions of ting in paintings, Disciplines Project (grant no.: 2023LMJX4), and New York
nor does it serve as a comprehensive architectural survey. University, Dean’s Undergraduate Research Fund Grant.
Instead, carefully chosen examples of ting from various
periods are used to demonstrate the semantic range of the Conflict of interest
term as a distinct type that should not be conflated with The authors declare they have no competing interests.
other building types that have existed independently in
European architecture. Author contributions
Although widely employed in modern scholarship Conceptualization: All authors
on Chinese gardens, typical English translations such as Formal analysis: All authors
“pavilion,” “kiosk,” or “gazebos” are less precise terms for Investigation: All authors
ting upon close examination. These terms can be misleading Methodology: Lala Zuo
when used as equivalents to ting because they are cross- Writing – original draft: Dustin B. Chen
referenced with other building types, such as ge and xie, Writing – review & editing: All authors
and because their original connotations in English do not
align with those of ting. Furthermore, the Romanized term Ethics approval and consent to participate
ting was conflated with various architectural types by the
18 -century European architect William Chambers. Not applicable.
th
Nevertheless, this is not to suggest that a close Consent for publication
examination of Chinese architectural terms renders Not applicable.
them impossible to translate. In theory, the use of a thick
translation, which provides a specific cultural context in Availability of data
which the concept is historically situated, is preferable to
a one-word, thin translation that centers solely around the Not applicable.
semantics of the term. Illustrations and annotations, as Further disclosure
well as brief explanations of the intertwined history of ting
and related building types, can serve as effective methods Partial material of this research was presented at the
for rendering thick translations. Future efforts are required ATTCAT 2021 workshop and symposium (https://cga.
to develop a coherent method for selecting and applying shanghai.nyu.edu/attcat-2021/).
thick translations that effectively integrate definition,
annotation, and translation in transcultural scholarship. References
This will tremendously benefit readers and scholars by Appiah, K. A. (1993). Thick translation. Callaloo, 16(4):808-819.
fostering a culturally specific understanding of terms such https://doi.org/10.2307/2932211
as ting.
Bald, R. C. (1950). Sir William Chambers and the Chinese garden.
Acknowledgments Journal of the History of Ideas, 11(3):l287-320.

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to https://doi.org/10.2307/2707733
all participants of the ATTCAT 2021 workshop and Ban, G., & Yan, S. (1962). Han Shu. (Di 1 ban.) [Book of Han]. 1st
symposium (https://cga.shanghai.nyu.edu/attcat-2021/) ed. Beijing: Zhonghua Shuju.
for their invaluable critique, inspiration, and insights, Bassnett, S. (2014). Translation. London: Routledge.
which have greatly contributed to the development of this
article. Special thanks to Tracy Millar, Zhuge Jing, and Bermann, S., & Wood, M. (2005). Nation, Language, and the Ethics
Aurelia Campbell, the executive members of the ATTCAT of Translation. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press
committee, for their meticulous editing and thoughtful Cao, Y. (2018). Research on the Architectural Methods of Pavilion
critiques of an earlier version of this manuscript. Their from the 10 to the 14 Century [Doctoral Dissertation,
th
th
Volume 7 Issue 2 (2025) 12 https://doi.org/10.36922/jcau.4107