Many structures built during the Tang and Song dynasties featured "curtain walls" which were, by

definition, non load bearing. As a result, the unsupported wooden beams that shouldered the weight
were prone to cracking and splitting.

Designers needed a technique which would more evenly distribute the burden across their structures.
Their solution was dougong.

昂 ang (lit.’to hold high, to raise, to lift’)= a cantilever

or level arm

斗 dou = a bearing block

拱 gong = a cantilever bracket

懍 lin = purlin, a longitudinal beam of the roof frame

which supports the rafters between the ridges and the
eaves.

The weight of the roof and structure is supported by

wooden columns 柱 zhù onto which a massive
wooden block, the 斗 dou, is placed to form a solid
base for the curved brackets 拱 gong, which in turn
support the roof beams. The use of dougong brackets made a reduction of the number of pillars possible
since each bracket increases the area of support of each column and transfers the weight of the
horizontal beams to the vertical pillars over a larger area. Adding multiple interlocking dougong further
reduces the strain on the horizontal beams and also makes the wooden structures more flexible and
therefore more earthquake resistant.

There are two types of bracket sets, the 偷心 Tōu xīn (lit.‘stolen heart’) and the 计心 jìxīn (lit.
‘the added heart’). The presence or the absence of the ‘heart’ refers to whether a lateral bracket
– 拱 gong – passes through arms that lie perpendicular to the building plane or not. The use of 计心 jì
xīn, or the ‘added heart’ bracket, enables several tiers of bracket arms to be added to a building
(these are always perpendicular to the building plane). Both the 计心 jìxīn (‘added heart’) and 偷心
Tōu xīn (‘stolen heart’) brackets can feature an 昂 ang (lit. ‘to hold high, to raise, to lift’), i.e. a
cantilever or level arm.

Translating as "cap (and) block," dougong （斗拱） is a system of wooden brackets that can support the
overhanging roofs commonly found in Chinese architecture. The underlying physics are simple: The
interlocking brackets transfer weight to vertical columns, lessening the strain on the horizontal beams.
Nails or fasteners are not required.

This support system meant that even buildings made from latticework and mud could bear the weight of
a heavy temple roof. It also meant that wooden frames became much more flexible while still
maintaining their structural integrity - even in structures of substantial height.

As well as giving the illusion that building are "floating" in their frames, this flexibility offers protection
against the forces of nature.