北京胡同和四合院

    Si He Yuan (四合院, four-side enclosed courtyards) is a classical architecture style of residential housing of Beijing citizens dated from the Ming Dynasty. The narrow streets between the Si He Yuan are called "Hutong"s. A single implementation of Si He Yuan comprises of garden surrounded by four houses and protected by high walls. Si He Yuan with Hutong which have been very familiar for people, having a history of more than 700 years now suffer from the urban renovation and economic development of China, and they are slowly disappearing from Beijing。

    四合院（四合院，四面封闭的庭院）是从明代的北京市延续下来的古典建筑风格的住宅。四合院之间的狭窄的街道被称为“胡同”。一个四合院有园林包围着四个房子，有高高的围墙保护。四合院与胡同都是人们常见到的，有超过700多年的历史，但是由于现在的城市改造和中国经济的发展，四合院慢慢地从北京消失。

     The word "hutong" (胡同) means "water well"(水井) in Mongolian. The Mongolians keep the nomadic tradition of settling down around springs or wells. A hutong is the passage formed by lines of siheyuan (四合院, four-side enclosed courtyards). Strictly, hutong alleys are less than nine meters wide. Most hutongs in Beijing run in an east-west or north-south direction, with most houses facing south to take in as much sunshine as possible. 

    "胡同”（胡同）在蒙古指水井。蒙古族保持游牧的传统常常定居在泉水或水井周围。胡同就是指四合院（四合院，四面封闭的庭院）中间的过道。严格来说，胡同一般不到9米宽。在北京的胡同一般是东西或南北方向，大多数房屋坐北朝南，尽可能的向阳。

     A standard siheyuan usually consists of houses on its four sides with a yard in the center. The gates are usually painted red and have large copper door rings. Usually, a whole family lives in compound. The elder generation lives in the main house standing at the north end, the younger generations live in the side houses, and the south house is usually the family sitting room or study.
    一个标准的四合院通常由一个位于中心的院子和四侧房屋构成。门通常漆成红色，并有大的铜门环。通常情况下，全家人住在大院。北端的正房由老一代的人居住，年轻一代生活在旁边的房子，朝南的房子里，通常是家庭客厅或学习。

     Hutong joins hutong, and siheyuan meets siheyuan to form a block. Blocks join with blocks to form the whole residential constructions.

    胡同与胡同相连，四合院与四合院相并，形成一个块。块与块一起就形成整体的住宅群。