siheyuan

• ssu-ho-yuan (Wade–Giles)

From the Hanyu Pinyin romanization of Mandarin 四合院 (sìhéyuàn).

• IPA^(key): /ˌsɪhəjuˈæn/

siheyuan (plural siheyuans or siheyuan)

1. A traditional type of Chinese residence consisting of four houses with a courtyard in the middle; a Chinese quadrangle.
   • [1988, Anthony Grey, Peking: A Novel of China's Revolution, 1921-1978‎, Little, Brown and Company, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 54:

     Traditional ssu ho yuan, the former homes of courtiers, both mission dwellings consisted of clusters of single-storied, gray-tiled pavilions built around shady courtyards adorned with rock gardens, lotus pools, and ancient fruit trees.]

• Yanshuei