As a complex building tradition patronized by the wealthiest individuals in the premodern world, traditional Chinese architecture came to signify imperial power, material wealth, and sophisticated culture across Eurasia. The highly specialized terminology used to describe individual aspects of palaces, temples, cities, houses, and gardens in China is, in and of itself, rich with symbolism and metaphor. Consequently, these terms are difficult to fully understand. This issue is dedicated to specialized studies of individual technical terms used to describe individual buildings or structural features within the premodern Chinese architectural tradition. By gathering research articles exploring the complex associations and semantic range of this specialized terminology, we seek to expand our understanding of the place of architecture within both the history of science and visual culture in traditional China.