Wooden bracket set that is a main component of the traditional Chinese post-and-beam structure, along with the roof structure and the column grid. The origins of the Chinese bracketing system was a spreading block (dou) placed upon a column to support the beam above more broadly, and in depictions of curved arms (gong) attached near the top of the columns, parallel to the building wall, extending outward and up to help support the beam. In time, the block and arms were combined to create traditional Chinese brackets.