Abstract: Non-planar roofs were employed in numerous diverse locations, while the expressive force of the curvature of Chinese roofs is indeed unique. Architectural historiography has provided several different reasons to elucidate this phenomenon. Setting aside the widely accepted explanatory models, this paper aims to examine the possibilities beyond the existing scholarship. The perspective presented here introduces another, previously unconsidered factor that might have motivated Chinese carpenters to develop the remarkably eye with emphases on the roof contour. It questions the implication that the properties of specific building materials causing unpredictable changes in appearance. Based on this idea, the carpenters might look for a design method that enabled them to conceal an unintended irregularity while impossible to be entirely avoided, even with the most meticulous work.