aUncle Ben, how did the Forbidden City get this name?
本叔叔,紫禁城这个名字是怎么来的啊?
bWell, in the feudal society, emperors had supreme power, so his residence was certainly a forbidden palace.
这个嘛,在封建社会,帝王拥有至高无上的权利,那他的住处当然是禁地啦。
aHis residence? You mean the whole palace?
他的住所?你是说这整个宫殿吗?
bYes. The Forbidden City is divided into two parts. The southern section, or the Outer Court was for the emperor to exercise his power over the nation, and the northern part, or the Inner Court was for his royal family.
bEven the whole country belonged to him. That's why he is called the emperor.
甚至连整个国家都是属于他的。这就是为什么他被称为皇帝啊。
aOK, then. I love these unique structured towers with the delicate carvings on them. It's really artistic.
好吧,嗯,我喜欢这些造型别致的塔,它们上面有很多精致的雕刻。真是艺术啊。
bYeah, the buildings and designs of the Forbidden City are the peak of Chinese traditional architecture, not only scientific but also suitable for living.
是啊。紫禁城的建筑和设计达到了中国传统建筑的顶峰,不仅科学而且很适合居住。
aI agree. It's definitely a product of wisdom. Well, why were those small animal sculptures placed on the tops of the buildings?
我同意。它真是智慧的成果。还有,为什么把那些小动物的雕塑放在建筑物顶部呢?
bSome of them are mascots and some are symbols of power.
有一些是吉祥物,还有一些则是权势的象征。
aWhy are there so many yellow things? Is yellow the lucky color in China?
为什么这里有这么多黄色的东西啊?在中国黄色是幸运的颜色吗?
bOh, no. In fact, yellow is the symbol of the royal family.
哦,不是的。实际上,黄色是皇族的象征。
aJust like the pattern dragon, right?
就像是龙的图案,对吗?
bExactly. Here is the Nine-dragon Screen.
没错。这个是九龙壁。
aOh, it's really fabulous. I wanna take a picture here.