Hsien-shan roof (gable-and-hip roof) is one of the most important roof forms of traditional Chinese building for its high grade, versatility and typical technology, and thus the hsien-shan roof is one of the most important research objects in the history of Chinese architecture, especially in the history of technology of traditional Chinese timber structure. The period before the Song amd Jin Dynasty (before AD 1279) is a critical period that the technology of hsien-shan roof went through a process from embryo to maturity, and thus it is an unavoidable important stage to understand the traditional technology of hsien-shan roof. The study reviews the researches from 1931 on the traditional technology of the buildings with hsien-shan roof before the Chinese Dynasty of Song and Jin from the perspective of technical essentials, and provides an outlook for future relative researches.