Examples
zài在běi jīng北京，hú胡tóng同shì是yóu由sì hé yuàn四合院de的chuán tǒng传统jū居suǒ所pái排xíng chéng形成。
在北京，胡同是由四合院的传统居所排形成。
In Beijing, hutongs are alleys formed by lines of siheyuans, the traditional courtyard residences.
他们的四合院要小得多，设计和装饰也比较简单，胡同也比较窄。
Their siheyuans were far smaller in scale and simpler in design and decoration, and the hutongs were narrower.
因为几乎所有的四合院有南面的门和主要楼房，所以大部分的胡同是从东到西建造的。
Nearly all siheyuans had their main buildings and gates facing south for better lighting, so a majority of hutongs run from east to west.