A complete courtyard includes the building itself and the courtyard. Courtyard refers to the site around or around buildings (including pavilions, terraces, buildings and pavilions), which is called court or courtyard, that is, all the ancillary sites and vegetation of a building.

Influenced by its history and culture, the traditional courtyards in China show a rich sense of space in the enclosed form of buildings and the location of rooms. Traditional quadrangles are mostly quadrangles or three-way courtyards, that is, they are composed of four or three single buildings. The principal room generally faces south, with three to five rooms (including wing rooms), which has the highest status and is the main building in the courtyard. If the house has two floors, the room in the middle of the second floor will be used as a memorial tablet for ancestor worship and a room for ancestor worship on New Year's Day. Some also have wing rooms on both sides of the main room, which play the role of bedroom. Below the main room is the wing with the opposite east-west direction, which is used by the younger generation. Opposite the main house is an inverted seat, which is used for stacking sundries or for servants to live in. Some courtyards also have shadow walls (reflective walls), which are unique elements in traditional buildings in China. They have the functions of wind and line of sight, and have an important impact on the gathering of space and the change of reality. Folk believe that it also has the functions of exorcism, wind protection and gas gathering. The interior of these buildings are all equipped with beautiful lattice windows, partition fans, furniture, plaques, calligraphy and painting, etc. It reveals a strong traditional cultural atmosphere everywhere. This scene is integrated with the outdoor enclosed courtyard space, with large, medium and small, small and big, producing a subtle and profound artistic conception, which is a typical traditional architectural style in China.