华盖 (huá gài) — (historical) canopy over an imperial or noble carriage; (metaphorical) halo, aureole (around a person's head, often in Buddhist or literary contexts); (astronomy) the Imperial Canopy constellation (faint stars in Cassiopeia, considered unlucky)
Definition
A classical/literary noun with three layered senses: the canopy over an imperial carriage, the halo behind a Buddha statue, and an unlucky constellation in Cassiopeia. Mostly encountered in classical texts and Buddhist imagery, not everyday speech.
noun
(historical) canopy over an imperial or noble carriage(metaphorical) haloaureole (around a person's head, often in Buddhist or literary contexts)(astronomy) the Imperial Canopy constellation (faint stars in Cassiopeia, considered unlucky)
Examples
- ，华盖。Gǔ dài dì wáng chū xíng shí, tóu dǐng yǒu huá gài zhē yáng.When ancient emperors traveled, they had a canopy over their heads to block the sun.
- 华盖，。Fó xiàng bèi hòu cháng yǒu yì quān huá gài, xiàng zhēng zhì huì yǔ cí bēi.Buddha statues often have a halo behind them, symbolizing wisdom and compassion.
- 华盖，。Gǔ rén rèn wéi huá gài xīng chū xiàn yù shì bù xiáng, suǒ yǐ jiào tā zāi xīng.Ancient people believed that the appearance of the Imperial Canopy star foretold misfortune, so they called it a star of calamity.
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