ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Yingzao Fashi

Yingzao fashi is a special kind of book from a really long time ago in China. The book tells people how to build really cool buildings like temples and palaces.

You know how you can build with blocks or Legos? Well, people in China used to build with something called wood. They would cut the wood into different shapes and fit them together like puzzles to make really cool buildings.

But building with wood can be tricky, and it takes a lot of knowledge about how to do it right. That's where the yingzao fashi book comes in! It has lots of pictures and explanations that show people how to build with wood in a way that is safe and strong.

The book talks about lots of different things that you need to know when you build a building, like how to measure things correctly, what different kinds of tools to use, and how to make sure the wood pieces fit together just right.

So, imagine you are a little kid building with toy blocks, and yingzao fashi is your instruction manual for building something really impressive like an amazing castle. The book helps you understand all the steps you need to take to make sure your castle doesn't fall down and stays strong for a really long time. Pretty cool, right?