What is a splayed wall?

Eight-shaped walls, as the name implies, are two walls shaped like a figure of eight, which are the two side walls of the entrance and exit of the culvert. Ancient buildings should be two eight-shaped walls at the gates of ancient big houses or yamen. Generally, slogans or couplets are written on them, such as justice and honesty.

in the Ming and Qing dynasties, the shadow wall was divided into one shape and eight shapes in form. There are many splayed walls on both sides of the gate of large-scale residential buildings in Beijing, which are opposite to the splayed shadow wall across the street, forming a space slightly wider than the street in front of the gate; In the door, a zigzag shadow wall is used to form a square yard with the left and right walls and screen doors, which becomes two transitions from streets to houses. The screen walls of southern houses are mostly built outside the door.