HSK 5 · Article · 618 characters · Listen: mandarinthewild.com/library/read/why-is-it-called-the-forbidden-city

紫禁城为什么叫紫禁城?

Why is it called the Forbidden City?

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如果rúguǒ你nǐ在zài北京běijīng问路wènlù:“紫禁城zǐjìnchéng怎么zěnme走zǒu?”很hěn多duō人rén会huì想xiǎng一yì想xiǎng,然后ránhòu笑xiào着zhe说shuō:“你nǐ是shì说shuō故宫gùgōng吧ba!”同tóng一个yígè地方dìfang,为什么wèishénme有yǒu两liǎng个gè名字míngzi?“紫禁城zǐjìnchéng”里li的de“紫zǐ”和hé“禁jìn”,到底dàodǐ是shì什么shénme意思yìsi?

先xiān说shuō“禁”。这zhè个gè字zì很hěn好hǎo懂dǒng,就是jiùshì“不许bùxǔ进去jìnqu”。明清míngqīng两liǎng代dài,这里zhèlǐ是shì皇帝huángdì住zhù的de地方dìfang,四周sìzhōu有yǒu高高gāogāo的de城墙chéngqiáng,城墙chéngqiáng外面wàimiàn还有háiyǒu一yì条tiáo宽kuān五十多wǔshíduō米mǐ的de护城河hùchénghé。普通pǔtōng老百姓láobǎixìng别说biéshuō进去jìnqu,连lián靠近kàojìn都dōu不行bùxíng。只有zhíyǒu皇帝huángdì的de家人jiārén、大臣dàchén、太监tàijiàn和hé宫女gōngnǚ等等déngděng,才cái能néng出入chūrù。所以suóyǐ,这zhè座zuò城chéng是shì一yí座zuò“禁城chéng”。

再zài来lái看kàn“紫zǐ”。很hěn多duō人rén以为yǐwéi,这zhè是shì因为yīnwèi宫gōng里的de墙qiáng是shì紫红色zǐhóngsè的de。其实qíshí,这zhè个gè字zì和hé天上tiānshàng的de星星xīngxing有关yǒuguān。古代gǔdài中国zhōngguó人rén认为rènwéi,天上tiānshàng的de星星xīngxing也yě分成fēnchéng不同bùtóng的de区域qūyù,北极星běijíxīng附近fùjìn的de一片yípiàn星空xīngkōng叫jiào“紫微垣”,是shì天帝tiāndì住zhù的de地方dìfang,所有suóyǒu的de星星xīngxing都dōu围wéi着zhe它tā转。皇帝huángdì叫jiào自己zìjǐ“天子tiānzǐ”,也yě就是jiùshì天帝tiāndì的de儿子érzi,那么nàme他tā在zài人间rénjiān的de家jiā,当然dāngrán也yě要yào用yòng上shàng这个zhège“紫zǐ”字zì。于是yúshì,“紫zǐ”和hé“禁jìn”放fàng在zài一起yìqǐ,就jiù成chéng了le“紫禁城zǐjìnchéng”。

这zhè座zuò宫殿gōngdiàn是shì明朝míngcháo的de永乐皇帝让ràng人rén修建xiūjiàn的de,从cóng1406年nián开始kāishǐ,到dào1420年nián建成jiànchéng,前后qiánhòu用yòng了le十几shíjǐ年nián,据说jùshuō动用dòngyòng了le上百万shàngbǎiwàn名míng工人gōngrén。在zài这zhè以后yǐhòu的de将近jiāngjìn五百wúbǎi年nián里,一yí共有gòngyǒu二十四èrshísì位wèi明清míngqīng两liǎng代dài的de皇帝huángdì在zài这里zhèlǐ生活shēnghuó和hé处理chúlǐ国事guóshì。

关于guānyú故宫gùgōng,还hái流传liúchuán着zhe一yí个gè说法shuōfǎ:它tā一yí共有gòngyǒu九千九百九十九jiǔqiānjiúbáijiǔshíjiǔ间jiān半bàn房子fángzi,因为yīnwèi只有zhíyǒu天帝tiāndì的de宫殿gōngdiàn才cái能néng有yǒu一万yíwàn间jiān,皇帝huángdì不bù敢gǎn超过chāoguò。这zhè个gè说法shuōfǎ很hěn有意思yǒuyìsi,可惜kěxī并bìng不是búshì真的zhēnde。根据gēnjù调查diàochá,故宫gùgōng保存bǎocún下来xiàlai的de建筑jiànzhù有yǒu九百多jiúbǎiduō座zuò,房间fángjiān有yǒu八千八百多bāqiānbābǎiduō间jiān。

1912年nián,清朝qīngcháo结束jiéshù了le。不过búguò,最后zuìhòu一个yígè皇帝huángdì溥仪pǔyí又yòu在zài宫gōng里住zhù了le十几shíjǐ年nián,直到zhídào1924年nián才cái被迫bèipò离开líkāi。第二年dì’èrnián,也yě就是jiùshì1925年nián,故宫博物院gùgōngbówùyuàn正式zhèngshì成立chénglì,这zhè座zuò“禁城”第一次dìyīcì向xiàng老百姓láobǎixìng打开dǎkāi了le大门dàmén。“故宫gùgōng”的de意思yìsi是shì“过去guòqù的de皇宫huánggōng”,这个zhège新xīn名字míngzi,正好zhènghǎo说明shuōmíng了le它tā身份shēnfèn的de变化biànhuà。

今天jīntiān,故宫gùgōng每年měinián要yào接待jiēdài上千万shàngqiānwàn名míng游客yóukè,是shì世界shìjiè上shàng最zuì受欢迎shòuhuānyíng的de博物馆bówùguǎn之一zhīyī。当年dāngnián老百姓láobǎixìng连lián靠近kàojìn都dōu不bù敢gǎn的de地方dìfang,现在xiànzài只要zhǐyào提前tíqián在zài网上wǎngshàng预约yùyuē,买mǎi一yì张zhāng门票ménpiào,谁shéi都dōu可以kéyǐ走zǒu进去jìnqu。

Key words

WordPinyinMeaning
紫zǐpurple; violet
代dàion behalf of
四周sìzhōuall around; surroundings
宽kuānwide; broad; width
老百姓láobǎixìngordinary people; common folk
墙qiángwall
天上tiānshàngin the sky; in heaven
古代gǔdàiancient times; antiquity
区域qūyùarea; region; district
围wéito surround; to encircle
修建xiūjiànto build; to construct
据说jùshuōit is said; reportedly

English (for the teacher)

Ask the way in Beijing: “How do I get to the Purple Forbidden City?” Many people will think for a moment and then say with a smile, “You mean the Gugong, right?” Why does one place have two names? And what do the “purple” and “forbidden” in Zijincheng actually mean?

Let’s start with “forbidden”. This one is easy: it means “no entry”. Under the Ming and Qing it was where the emperor lived, surrounded by high walls, and outside the walls ran a moat more than fifty metres wide. Ordinary people couldn’t go in, or even come near. Only the emperor’s family, ministers, eunuchs, palace maids and the like could come and go. So this city was a “forbidden city”.

Now for “purple”. Many people assume it’s because the palace walls are purplish red. In fact the word has to do with the stars in the sky. People in ancient China believed the stars were divided into regions too: the patch of sky around the North Star was called the Purple Enclosure, the home of the Emperor of Heaven, and every star turned around it. The emperor called himself the Son of Heaven, the son of that heavenly emperor, so naturally his home on earth had to carry the same word “purple”. Put “purple” and “forbidden” together and you get the Purple Forbidden City.

The palace was built on the orders of the Ming dynasty’s Yongle Emperor, begun in 1406 and finished in 1420, more than a decade of work that is said to have used over a million labourers. In the nearly five hundred years that followed, twenty-four emperors of the Ming and Qing lived and ruled the country here.

There’s also a popular story that the palace has 9,999 and a half rooms, because only the palace of the Emperor of Heaven could have ten thousand, and the emperor did not dare to go beyond that. It’s a nice story, but sadly it isn’t true. According to surveys, the palace has more than nine hundred surviving buildings with over 8,800 rooms.

In 1912 the Qing dynasty came to an end. Even so, the last emperor, Puyi, lived on in the palace for more than a decade, until he was forced to leave in 1924. The next year, 1925, the Palace Museum was officially founded, and for the first time this “forbidden city” opened its gates to ordinary people. Gugong means “the former palace”, and the new name says exactly how its role had changed.

Today the palace welcomes more than ten million visitors a year, making it one of the most popular museums in the world. A place ordinary people once didn’t even dare go near is now open to anyone who books online in advance and buys a ticket.