胡同与四合院

北京běi jīng城chéng的de地图dì tú，像xiàng一yí块kuài大dà豆腐dòu fu，横héng一yì条tiáo竖shù一yì条tiáo，全quán是shì一样yí yàng宽kuān的de巷xiàng子zǐ。这些zhè xiē巷xiàng子zǐ有yǒu个gè蒙mēng古gǔ名字míng zi，叫jiào胡hú同tóng。

Old Beijing's map looks like a slab of tofu, lanes of one width crossing at right angles. These lanes bear a Mongol name: hutong.

元yuán朝cháo的de时候shí hou，北京běi jīng就jiù有yǒu了le胡hú同tóng。七qī八bā百bǎi年nián过去guò qù，最多zuì duō的de时候shí hou城里chéng lǐ有yǒu六liù千qiān多duō条tiáo，名字míng zi千qiān奇qí百bǎi怪guài。

The hutong appeared in Yuan times; after eight centuries there were over six thousand, with names of every kind.

有的yǒu de叫jiào烟yān袋dài斜xié街jiē，因为yīn wèi巷xiàng子zǐ斜xié着zhe像xiàng烟yān袋dài；有的yǒu de叫jiào扁biǎn担dān胡hú同tóng，因为yīn wèi又yòu窄zhǎi又yòu直zhí；还有hái yǒu的de以yǐ手艺shǒu yì人rén的de名字míng zi命名mìng míng。

Pipe Slant Street slants like a pipe; Pole Hutong is narrow and straight; others take craftsmen's names.

胡hú同tóng里lǐ最zuì常见cháng jiàn的de房子fáng zi是shì四合院sì hé yuàn。四sì面miàn房子fáng zi围wéi着zhe一yí个gè院子yuàn zi，一yì家jiā几jǐ代dài人rén住zhù在zài一起yì qǐ，方fāng方正fāng zhèng正zhèng，安ān安静ān jìng静jìng。

The hutong's typical house is the courtyard siheyuan: buildings on four sides around a yard where generations live together, square and quiet.

四合院sì hé yuàn的de门mén也yě有yǒu讲究jiǎng jiu。大门dà mén开kāi在zài东南dōng nán角jiǎo，进jìn门mén先xiān见jiàn影yǐng壁bì，外wài人rén看kàn不见bú jiàn院子yuàn zi里lǐ的de生活shēng huó。

The courtyard gate has rules: it sits in the southeast, and a screen wall inside keeps the family's life from passing eyes.

院子yuàn zi里lǐ种zhòng着zhe枣zǎo树shù、石shí榴liú，养yǎng着zhe金鱼jīn yú和hé鸟niǎo。夏天xià tiān在zài树shù下xià乘chéng凉liáng，冬天dōng tiān在zài屋wū里lǐ生shēng炉子lú zi，日子rì zi过guò得de很hěn慢màn。

Yards hold date trees and pomegranates, goldfish and birds; summers under shade, winters by the stove, life ran slow.

一yí个gè胡hú同tóng就是jiù shì一yí个gè大家庭dà jiā tíng。谁shéi家jiā包bāo了le饺子jiǎo zi，邻居lín jū都dōu能néng尝cháng到dào；谁shéi家jiā有yǒu了le难nán事shì，全quán院yuàn都dōu来lái帮忙bāng máng。

One hutong was one big family: dumplings were shared, troubles brought the whole courtyard's help.

孩子hái zi们men在zài胡hú同tóng里lǐ长大zhǎng dà，跳tiào皮pí筋jīn、捉迷藏zhuō mí cáng、拍pāi洋yáng画huà，一yì喊hǎn吃饭chī fàn，声音shēng yīn能néng传chuán半bàn条tiáo街jiē。

Children grew up there, skipping games, hide-and-seek, card-slapping, and a dinner call carried half the street.

后来hòu lái，城市chéng shì越yuè长cháng越yuè大dà，一yí片piàn片piàn胡hú同tóng拆chāi了le，变成biàn chéng了le高gāo楼lóu。四合院sì hé yuàn里lǐ的de人rén搬bān进jìn了le有yǒu电梯diàn tī的de公寓gōng yù。

Later the city grew; whole hutongs fell to towers, and courtyard families moved into elevator apartments.

有人yǒu rén说shuō这zhè是shì进步jìn bù，老lǎo房子fáng zi冬天dōng tiān冷lěng、没有méi yǒu厕所cè suǒ；有人yǒu rén说shuō这zhè是shì可惜kě xī，拆chāi掉diào的de胡hú同tóng再也zài yě回huí不bù来lái了le。

Some call it progress, the old houses were cold, toiletless; others say a pity, a demolished hutong never returns.

现在xiàn zài，北京běi jīng留下liú xià了le几jǐ十shí片piàn保护bǎo hù区qū。南nán锣luó鼓gǔ巷xiàng的de胡hú同tóng还hái在zài，只是zhǐ shì住zhù家jiā变成biàn chéng了le咖啡kā fēi馆guǎn和hé文wén创chuàng店diàn。

Today dozens of protected zones remain. Nanluoguxiang's hutong survive, though homes became cafés and design shops.

四合院sì hé yuàn的de北běi房fáng最zuì暖和nuǎn huo，给gěi长辈zhǎng bèi住zhù；东西dōng xi厢xiāng房fáng是shì儿女ér nǚ们men的de；南nán房fáng采光cǎi guāng差chà，做zuò书房shū fáng或者huò zhě客房kè fáng。

The north rooms, warmest, go to the elders; the east and west wings to the children; the dim south rooms serve as study or guest quarters.

正zhèng房fáng门口mén kǒu挂guà着zhe帘子lián zi，夏天xià tiān挡dǎng蚊子wén zi，冬天dōng tiān挡dǎng北běi风fēng。帘子lián zi一yì掀xiān，就是jiù shì一家人yì jiā rén吃饭chī fàn的de地方dì fang。

Curtains hang at the main door: keeping out mosquitoes in summer, north wind in winter. Lift the curtain and there is the family's table.

四合院sì hé yuàn讲究jiǎng jiu门mén墩dūn。门口mén kǒu一yí对duì石头shí tou门mén墩dūn，圆yuán的de像xiàng鼓gǔ，方fāng的de像xiàng书shū，有钱yǒu qián人家rén jia还要hái yào雕diāo狮子shī zi。

Courtyards prize their gate-stones: round like drums or square like books, and rich houses carved lions into them.

胡hú同tóng口kǒu有yǒu一yì棵kē老lǎo槐树huái shù，谁shéi家jiā有yǒu喜事xǐ shì就jiù在zài树shù下xià说shuō，谁shéi家jiā有yǒu丧事sāng shì也yě从cóng树shù下xià走zǒu。槐树huái shù不bù说话shuō huà，什么shén me都dōu看见kàn jiàn了le。

An old locust tree stands at the lane's mouth: weddings announced beneath it, funerals passing under it. The tree says nothing and has seen everything.

四合院sì hé yuàn里lǐ最zuì热闹rè nao的de是shì夏天xià tiān。晚饭wǎn fàn后hòu家jiā家jiā搬bān出chū小xiǎo桌子zhuō zi，在zài院子yuàn zi里lǐ吃饭chī fàn，蝉chán在zài树shù上shàng叫jiào，邻居lín jū隔gé着zhe墙qiáng聊liáo天tiān。

Summer is the courtyard's liveliest season: after dinner every family drags out small tables, cicadas sing overhead, neighbors chat across walls.

冬天dōng tiān最zuì怕pà水管shuǐ guǎn冻dòng。早上zǎo shang起来qǐ lai先xiān用yòng热水rè shuǐ浇jiāo一yí遍biàn管子guǎn zi，水shuǐ流liú出来chū lái才能cái néng洗xǐ脸liǎn做饭zuò fàn。

Winter's fear is frozen pipes: hot water over the pipes first thing each morning, else no water for washing or cooking.

现在xiàn zài留下liú xià来lái的de四合院sì hé yuàn，有的yǒu de改gǎi成chéng了le旅馆lǚ guǎn，有的yǒu de成chéng了le大dà杂zá院yuàn，住zhù十shí几jǐ户hù人家rén jia，院子yuàn zi中间zhōng jiān还hái拉lā着zhe晾liàng衣yī绳shéng。

Of the surviving courtyards, some became hotels, others big shared compounds housing a dozen families, clotheslines still strung across the yard.

梁liáng思sī成chéng先生xiān sheng当年dāng nián为wèi保护bǎo hù北京běi jīng城chéng跑pǎo遍biàn了le胡hú同tóng。他tā说shuō：拆chāi掉diào一yí座zuò城chéng楼lóu，像xiàng割gē去qù我wǒ一yí块kuài肉ròu。

Architect Liang Sicheng once ran through every hutong defending the city. To demolish a tower, he said, is like cutting flesh from me.

胡hú同tóng里lǐ的de叫jiào卖mài声shēng也yě是shì一yì种zhǒng音乐yīn yuè。磨mó刀dāo的de、收shōu废品fèi pǐn的de、卖mài糖táng葫hú芦lú的de，一yì人rén一yí个gè调tiáo，孩子hái zi们men一yì听tīng就jiù知道zhī dào是shì谁shéi来lái了le。

The vendors' cries were a music of their own: the knife-grinder, the scrap collector, the candied-haw seller, each had a tune and the children knew each one.

四合院sì hé yuàn的de影yǐng壁bì后面hòu mian常常cháng cháng刻kè着zhe字zì，最zuì常见cháng jiàn的de是shì一yí个gè福fú字zì，或者huò zhě平安píng ān两liǎng个gè字zì。进jìn门mén先xiān看见kàn jiàn的de，是shì一家人yì jiā rén最zuì简单jiǎn dān的de愿望yuàn wàng。

Behind the screen wall characters are often carved, most often 'fortune' or 'peace'. What you see first on entering is a family's simplest wish.

住zhù过guò胡hú同tóng的de人rén搬bān走zǒu了le，还hái会huì回来huí lai看看kàn kan。站zhàn在zài胡hú同tóng口kǒu，什么shén me变biàn了le，什么shén me没méi变biàn，一眼yì yǎn就jiù能néng认出rèn chū来lái。

Those who once lived in hutong still come back to look. At the lane's mouth they can tell at a glance what changed and what stayed.

游客yóu kè们men在zài胡hú同tóng里lǐ拍照pāi zhào，老人lǎo rén们men坐zuò在zài门口mén kǒu下棋xià qí。城市chéng shì和hé四合院sì hé yuàn一样yí yàng，一边yì biān要yào新xīn，一边yì biān要yào旧jiù，才cái像xiàng个gè家jiā。

Tourists photograph the lanes while elders play chess at the doors. A city, like a courtyard, needs the new and the old to feel like home.