紫禁城 (Zǐ jìn chéng) — the Forbidden City (imperial palace complex in Beijing)

Definition

noun
the Forbidden City (imperial palace complex in Beijing)
Measure word · 座

Examples

  • 紫禁城。
    Měi nián yǒu hěn duō yóu kè qù cān guān Zǐ jìn chéng.
    Every year many tourists visit the Forbidden City.
  • 紫禁城。
    Zǐ jìn chéng Shì zhōng guó míng qīng liǎng dài de huáng gōng.
    The Forbidden City was the imperial palace of the Ming and Qing dynasties.
  • 紫禁城。
    Zhè zuò Zǐ jìn chéng yǐ jīng yǒu liù bǎi duō nián de lì shǐ le.
    This Forbidden City already has a history of over six hundred years.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

紫禁Purple Forbidden
紫zǐpurple禁jìnforbidden
偏正Modifier + head
城chéngwalled city

紫禁城 denotes the imperial palace: 紫禁 is a fixed designation, and 城 denotes a walled enclosure.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糸糸mì
Sound part声符shēngfú
此
此cǐ紫zǐ
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

紫 is made of 糸, a silk-related part, and 此, which gives the sound cǐ.

Open 紫 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
示示shìaltar
Sound part声符shēngfú
林
林lín禁jìn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

禁 has 林 above 示, an altar. The 林 part gives the sound, and the altar part connects the character to taboo or restricted matters.

Open 禁 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
土土tǔsoil
Sound part声符shēngfú
成
成chéng城chéng
Same sound today

城 pairs 土 (soil) with 成 as a sound part, because city walls were originally made of stamped earth.

Open 城 →

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