The constructions of the Temple of Heaven all have metaphoric meanings, the three major buildings, namely the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, the Hall of Emperor and Sky, and the Circular Mound Altar, are all in the shape of circle, indicating that the sky is round. The roofs of those constructions were made of blue glazed tiles to match the color of sky. The overall layout of the Temple of Heaven is circular in the north and square in the south to symbolize the circular heaven and the square earth. The Temple of Heaven is divided into two parts, the inner temple and outer temple, by two surrounding walls. The main buildings for worship are located within the inner wall: the Altar of Prayer for Good Harvests is in the north, including the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, the Huangqian Hall, and the hallways, and the Circular Mound Altar is in the south, including the Hall of Emperor and Sky, and the Circular Altar. A 360-meter-long passage made of bricks and stones, called Red Stairway Bridge, is built to link the two parts of the main constructions. To the west of the inner altar lies the Hall of Abstinence which was used for Emperors to perform fast before offering sacrifices to the Gods. To the south-west of the outer altar lies the Divine Music Administration that was specially designed to train singing and dancing performers for the sacrifice ceremonies.

Scattered in the alter are the Seven Star Stone, Holy Kitchen, Pavilion of Sacrifices and so on. Old cypress trees, green and upright, can be seen all around those ancient buildings. The Temple of Heaven, as the model example of the sacrifice building complex in ancient China, has deep connotations of the thousands-year long Chinese traditional culture. It is a comprehensive expression of Chinese ancient philosophy, astronomy, mathematics, mechanics, architectural techniques, ethics, aesthetics, and so on, and is also an important carrier of Chinese civilization. The unique architectural format and the metaphoric architectural layout both express the simple philosophical theory and the world outlook of Chinese people in ancient China, and the respect for the "Heaven", the universe and the nature, of the Chinese nation.