describe how the lowering code works

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diff --git a/src/doc/rustc-dev-guide/src/SUMMARY.md b/src/doc/rustc-dev-guide/src/SUMMARY.md
index 47775e29c87..da84350ea8f 100644
--- a/src/doc/rustc-dev-guide/src/SUMMARY.md
+++ b/src/doc/rustc-dev-guide/src/SUMMARY.md
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@
     - [Canonical queries](./traits-canonical-queries.md)
       - [Canonicalization](./traits-canonicalization.md)
     - [Lowering rules](./traits-lowering-rules.md)
+      - [The lowering module in rustc](./traits-lowering-module.md)
     - [Well-formedness checking](./traits-wf.md)
     - [The SLG solver](./traits-slg.md)
     - [Bibliography](./traits-bibliography.md)
diff --git a/src/doc/rustc-dev-guide/src/traits-lowering-module.md b/src/doc/rustc-dev-guide/src/traits-lowering-module.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..c47b8fbe845
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/doc/rustc-dev-guide/src/traits-lowering-module.md
@@ -0,0 +1,66 @@
+# The lowering module in rustc
+
+The program clauses described in the
+[lowering rules](./traits-lowering-rules.html) section are actually
+created in the [`rustc_traits::lowering`][lowering] module.
+
+[lowering]: https://github.com/rust-lang/rust/tree/master/src/librustc_traits/lowering.rs
+
+## The `program_clauses_for` query
+
+The main entry point is the `program_clauses_for` [query], which --
+given a def-id -- produces a set of Chalk program clauses. These
+queries are tested using a
+[dedicated unit-testing mechanism, described below](#unit-tests).  The
+query is invoked on a `DefId` that identifies something like a trait,
+an impl, or an associated item definition. It then produces and
+returns a vector of program clauses.
+
+[query]: ./query.html
+
+<a name=unit-tests>
+
+## Unit tests
+
+Unit tests are located in [`src/test/ui/chalkify`][chalkify]. A good
+example test is [the `lower_impl` test][lower_impl]. At the time of
+this writing, it looked like this:
+
+```rust
+#![feature(rustc_attrs)]
+
+trait Foo { }
+
+#[rustc_dump_program_clauses] //~ ERROR Implemented(T: Foo) :-
+impl<T: 'static> Foo for T where T: Iterator<Item = i32> { }
+
+fn main() {
+    println!("hello");
+}
+```
+
+The `#[rustc_dump_program_clauses]` annotation can be attached to
+anything with a def-id.  (It requires the `rustc_attrs` feature.) The
+compiler will then invoke the `program_clauses_for` query on that
+item, and emit compiler errors that dump the clauses produced. These
+errors just exist for unit-testing, as we can then leverage the
+standard [ui test] mechanisms to check them. In this case, there is a
+`//~ ERROR Implemented` annotation which is intentionally minimal (it
+need only be a prefix of the error), but [the stderr file] contains
+the full details:
+
+```
+error: Implemented(T: Foo) :- ProjectionEq(<T as std::iter::Iterator>::Item == i32), TypeOutlives(T \
+: 'static), Implemented(T: std::iter::Iterator), Implemented(T: std::marker::Sized).
+  --> $DIR/lower_impl.rs:15:1
+   |
+LL | #[rustc_dump_program_clauses] //~ ERROR Implemented(T: Foo) :-
+   | ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+
+error: aborting due to previous error
+```
+
+[chalkify]: https://github.com/rust-lang/rust/tree/master/src/test/ui/chalkify
+[lower_impl]: https://github.com/rust-lang/rust/tree/master/src/test/ui/chalkify/lower_impl.rs
+[the stderr file]: https://github.com/rust-lang/rust/tree/master/src/test/ui/chalkify/lower_impl.stderr
+[ui test]: https://rust-lang-nursery.github.io/rustc-guide/tests/adding.html#guide-to-the-ui-tests