Originally, the solicitation of great numbers of people to help construct Zen temple buildings. By the 14th century, fushin had come to mean the gathering of donations for such building projects. Eventually, these meanings were lost, and fushin came to mean construction or engineering work. The word sakuji 作事 had also become a popular expression for building and construction work as early as the 13th century and continued to be used during the following centuries. By the last quarter of the 17th century, fushin and sakuji were used interchangeably for the construction of residences of the elite and dwellings for farmers and merchants. Throughout the Muromachi period and after, government offices in control of building projects began to distinguish between the word fushin and sakuji: the former referred only to engineering projects and the latter to architectural works. Gradually, the use of fushin returned to its earlier meaning, referring to both engineering and architectural works. It retains that meaning today.