street-facing courtyard gate; house gate
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesnoun
street-facing gate of a courtyard or house
Traditional term referring to the main gate of a residential compound that opens directly onto a street or alley. Common in descriptions of traditional Chinese architecture (siheyuans) or old neighborhoods.
Lǎo老
zhái宅
zi子
de的
hóng红
qī漆
jiē街
mén门
yǐ已
jīng经
bān斑
bó驳
le了
。
The red-lacquered street gate of the old house is already peeling.
Tā他
jiā家
de的
jiē街
mén门
zǒng总
shì是
xū虚
yǎn掩
zhe着
。
The street gate of his house is always left slightly ajar.
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Guò过
qù去
de的
sì四
hé合
yuàn院
，
jiē街
mén门
cháo朝
nán南
kāi开
。
In traditional siheyuans, the main gate faced south.