screen wall; shadow wall
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 4 examplesnoun
screen wall; shadow wall; a wall built facing the main gate to shield the interior from outside view
A traditional architectural element in Chinese courtyard houses (siheyuan), placed either outside or inside the main gate to block direct sightlines and provide privacy. Also known as 影壁 (yǐngbì) or 照墙 (zhàoqiáng).
Sì四
hé合
yuàn院
de的
dà大
mén门
wài外
tōng通
cháng常
jiàn建
yǒu有
yī一
zuò座
zhào照
bì壁
。
There is usually a screen wall built outside the main gate of a siheyuan.
Zhè这
zuò座
zhào照
bì壁
shàng上
de的
zhuān砖
diāo雕
jīng精
měi美
jué绝
lún伦
。
The brick carvings on this screen wall are absolutely exquisite.
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Zhào照
bì壁
yě也
jiào叫
yǐng影
bì壁
，
shì是
Zhōng中
guó国
chuán传
tǒng统
jiàn建
zhù筑
de的
zhòng重
yào要
yuán元
sù素
。
The screen wall, also called yingbi, is an important element of traditional Chinese architecture.
Kè客
rén人
jìn进
mén门
hòu后
，
xiān先
yào要
rào绕
guò过
zhào照
bì壁
cái才
néng能
kàn看
dào到
yuàn院
nèi内
de的
jǐng景
xiàng象
。
After entering the gate, guests must first walk around the screen wall before they can see the courtyard.