故宫博物院（英汉双语）

　　The Forbidden City
　　紫禁城，又称故宫博物院，是15世纪至20世纪初明清两代24位皇帝统治中国的地方。它是北京最华丽的宫殿建筑群，也是世界上保存最完好的宫殿建筑群之一。
　　当永乐皇帝决定以北京为首都时，他还决定遵循大都（北京作为元朝，1206-1368，首都时的名字）中轴线的设计。当然，明朝皇帝还下令对新首都的整体结构进行大规模的重新设计。这座宏伟的皇城花了近百万人几十年的时间才建成。
　　紫禁城占地72万平方米，由外院（南部）和内院（北部）组成。外院是皇帝管理国家事务的地方，内院是皇室居住的地方。外院的主要建筑有太和殿、中和殿和保和殿。太和殿位于紫禁城的正中心。三个主要大厅的东面是文华殿，西面是武英殿，分别用于民政和军事管理。内院的主要建筑是乾清宫、交泰殿和坤宁宫。这些殿堂的两侧是东六宫和西六宫，它们是后妃的居住区。紫禁城内有800多个大厅和房间，全部沿中轴线或其侧面精确布局。
　　参观紫禁城，任何人都会惊叹于紫禁城独特的色彩运用。黄色和红色是紫禁城的主题色。在中国古代，黄色是皇权的象征，红色一直是幸福的象征。除了黄色和红色，其他颜色也被用来产生平衡的效果。明亮的黄色和红色突出了皇权，蓝色、白色和类似的冷色为建筑增添了优雅的元素。例如，正门（南面）和太和门（北面）之间的宁静庭院完全用灰色砖块铺设。五座大理石桥横跨正直之门内的内金水河。在灰色背景的映衬下，金色和红色光芒四射的＂至尊和谐之门＂拔地而起，这是一幅极其壮丽的景象。
　　参观紫禁城的游客都会被北京市中心这一历史奇观所震撼。
　　The Forbidden City, also known as the Palace Museum, is where 24 emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties ruled China from the 15th century to the early 20th century. It is the most splendid palace complex in Beijing and one of the best preserved of its kind in the world.
　　When Emperor Yongle decided to make Beijing his capital, he also decided to follow the design of the central axis of Dadu— the name for Beijing when it served as the capital of the Yuan Dynasty (1206- 1368). Of course, the Ming emperor had also commissioned a large-scale redesign of the overall structure of his new capital. It took nearly one million people many decades to complete construction of the magnificent imperial city.
　　The Forbidden City, covering an area of 720,000 square meters, consists of the Outer Court (southern part) and the Inner Court (northern part). The Outer Court is where the emperor ran state affairs, and the Inner Court is where the imperial family lived.The main structures of the Outer Court are the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Hall of Central Harmony and the Hall for Preserving Harmony. The Hall of Supreme Harmony is located in the very center of the Forbidden City. To the east of the three main halls is the Hall of Literary Glory and to their west stands the Hall of Military Eminence, for civil and military administration respectively. The main structures of the Inner Court are the Hall of Heavenly Purity, the Hall of Union and Peace, and the Hall of Earthly Tranquility. On either side of these halls are the Eastern Six Palaces and the Western Six Palaces, living quarters for the imperial concubines (妾). There are over 8,00 halls and rooms in the Forbidden City, all laid out in a precise manner along the central axis or to its sides.
　　No one can visit the Forbidden City without marveling at its unique application of color.Yellow and vermilion (朱红色) are the thematic colors of the Forbidden City. Yellow was symbolic of imperial power in ancient China, and red has always been symbolic of happiness. Besides yellow and red, other colors are used to produce a balanced effect. While bright yellow and red colors give prominence to imperial power, blue, white and similar cool colors add an element of grace to the buildings. For example, the spacious courtyard between the Gate of Uprightness (to the south) and the Gate Supreme Harmony (to the north) is entirely paved with gray bricks. Five marble bridges span the Inner Golden River just inside the Gate of Uprightness. Against the gray background rises the Gate of Supreme Harmony in radiant gold and red, a vision of extreme magnificence.
　　No visitor to the Forbidden City can help but be stricken by the awe-inspiring sights this historic wonder in the center of Beijing.
　　声明：本资料根据外语教学与研究出版社出版张桂萍编著的《中国文化英语教程》汇编而成。如有侵权，联系删除。