"My lord! That Yingzao Fashi is a kind of shipbuilding mold—the form and rules for building ships. Every type of hull has fixed methods, and also mnemonic verses for passing down the construction rules... Er... You do not understand? How should I put it? Every hull type has a fixed form, but no fixed measurements. So when shipwrights memorize the construction rules, what they memorize is not exactly how long or wide it is, but the proportions between the parts—how many tenths to how many tenths..."
"Ah! Forgive me, my lord. This humble one is clumsy-tongued and still has not explained it clearly. Let us take a Zheyang Ship, then!... The Yingzao Fashi for this kind of seagoing vessel was passed down to us by the superior nation, Great Ming. I and several other shipwrights took part in building this ship, and we also memorized the Yingzao Fashi by heart..."
"You ask how it is built in detail? Er, put it this way. Before building a ship, you first need a measuring ruler! Every Yingzao Fashi has a ruler! A ruler!... Using the length of this ruler, together with the memorized construction formula—that is, the proportions with the other parts—you determine the specifications and materials for every place on the ship... And this ruler is the keel of the whole ship!"
The sunlight blazed bright, and the seagoing ship sailed across the great ocean, surrounded on all sides by boundless water and sky, with a faint chain of islands to the north. The shipwright Kim Seon-su knelt flat on the ground and bowed respectfully. Then he stood, first explaining and gesturing with great care. It was only that the two sides' languages did not flow smoothly, and more of it had to rely on hand signs and movements.
Seeing the