How to Write 樘 (táng) — Meaning “Door frame / window frame”

Imagine a wooden door frame (木) shaped like the entrance to a hall (堂). The character visually reminds you that a frame is the wooden border around a room opening.

The left radical 木 should be written narrower with the last stroke as a dot, not a full rightward slant. The right part 堂 has a small 口 on top and a horizontal line 一 before 土; be careful not to make the 口 too large.

椴 (duàn) means a type of lime tree and has a different right component 段 (segment). 椹 (shèn) refers to the mulberry tree with 甚 (extreme). In contrast, 樘 is only used for door/window frames, never for trees.

樘 is a technical architectural term found in building or renovation contexts, such as 门樘 (door casing) or 窗樘 (window frame). It is not common in everyday speech, but you will see it on construction plans or when discussing traditional wooden frames.

Common words containing 樘 include: 门樘 (mén táng) — Door casing / frame; 窗樘 (chuāng táng) — Window frame; 樘柱 (táng zhù) — Door post / pillar.