Inward facing courtyard homes of the well-to-do were the basic building blocks of Beijing's urban core.
小康家庭的封闭式四合院是北京城市中心的基本房屋街区
Floor plans varied; structures were single story, occasionally two, with hardwood frames, brick infill and tiled roofs.
楼层格局各不相同,结构却很单一,偶尔不一样,都是硬木结构,砖块填充和瓦块屋顶
Separated from the bustle outside by a spirit wall that crossed the entryway; courtyards were private
奔忙被隔离在一堵入口处的墙之外;四合院是私人的
yet communal spaces with rooms for parents, grandparents, sons, unmarried daughters, relatives and friends.
但又公用的空间有房间给父母的,祖父母的,儿子的,未嫁的女儿的,亲戚的和朋友的
Beijing's urban fabric was comfortable; like a favorite jacket it was well worn yet it clothed the human scale.
北京的城市建材是很舒服的像一件很喜欢的很耐穿的夹克,它穿出了人的尺寸
Cupped tiles, dappled leaves, carpets of grass and clumps of flowering shrubs presented textures to absorb city noise
杯状瓦块,斑点树叶,青草地毯和丛生的灌木丛代表的纹理来吸收城市的喧嚣
which courtyard ecosystems replaced with the twitter of birds or the chirps of crickets,
四合院的生态系统将其替换成了鸟儿的歌唱或蟋蟀的唧唧
the laughter of servants and children, someone practicing a flute, perhaps.
仆人和小孩的笑声也许有人在练习吹笛子
This is the home of writer, historian, Goa Monroe.
这里是作家历史学家戈阿门罗的家
Courtyards formed the walls of hutongs.
胡同是因为四合院的墙而形成的
A dense network of narrow alleys, winding anarchically between the rigid north-south street grid.
狭窄的巷子形成的密集的网络,无规律地在严格的南北井字形街道中间蜿蜒
Hutongs that interlaced the financial district were barely the width of a banker,
交错在金融街区中的胡同仅是一个银行的宽度
obviating assault by horse drawn cart and impeding the run of a fleeing robber.
避免了马车的攻击,并且阻止了要逃跑的抢劫犯