This paper reflects on the author’s mental journey of translating the historical Chinese text, Huangdi Zhaijing, or the Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Residential Architecture, into English. It begins with an introduction outlining translation theory and defining the aim and contribution, then it follows a short background on Huangdi Zhaijing and its place in Chinese architectural history. Subsequently, it presents a section on textual sources and translation method, and then it offers a focused discussion of key concepts and passages from the book, while providing minor comparisons with Greco-Roman architectural history and theory. Finally, a conclusion explains the relevance of the translation for contemporary architectural scholarship, theoretical discourse, cultural heritage, and human-environment studies.