More surprising is the fact that the individual storeys of a Japanese pagoda, unlike their counterparts elsewhere, are not actually connected to each other.

更惊人的是这样一个事实：日本宝塔的楼层与其它地方的同类建筑不同，它们实际上并不相连。

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Is the answer that, like a tall pine tree, the Japanese pagoda—with its massive trunk-like central pillar known as shinbashira—simply flexes and sways during a typhoon or earthquake?

答案会不会是这样：日本宝塔——由于有着一根叫做“塔心柱”的巨大树干状中心柱子——就像一棵高大的松树般，在一场台风或地震中仅仅只会来回摇摆和弯曲呢？

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The eaves of a Japanese pagoda extend the building's width by 70% or so.

日本宝塔的屋檐延伸出长度相当于房屋宽度的70%，甚至更多。

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The river dips under Chelsea Bridge, past Battersea Park's Japanese pagoda and the Houses of Parliament.

BBC: Following the Thames: A source-to-mouth guide

So now we have the last and most significant clue to the mystery of the Japanese pagoda.

ECONOMIST: AN ENGINEERING MYSTERY

Is the answer that, like a tall pine tree, the Japanese pagoda with its massive trunk-like central pillar known as a shinbashira simply flexes and sways when riding out a typhoon or an earthquake?

ECONOMIST: AN ENGINEERING MYSTERY