椽子 (chuánzi) are the wooden rafters supporting traditional roof tiles. The one that juts past the eaves gets hit by rain and wind first and decays soonest — a vivid argument for the Confucian-flavored social value of
低调 (keeping a low profile). The closest English equivalent is 'the nail that sticks out gets hammered down', usually attributed to Japan but the Chinese version is older and uses architecture instead of carpentry.
