[[Characters]] #Characters \ #Objects-and-Machinery \ #Architecture # 宫 gōng imperial palace; temple ## Components [[宀 mián]] [[宀 (mián)]] [[吕 lǚ]] ## Meaning The character "宫" (gōng) is still commonly used in modern Chinese with the following meanings: 1. Palace: Referring to the ancient royal residence, although nowadays it is often used in the context of historical sites or tourist attractions. 2. Hall: Referring to large and magnificent buildings, often used in the names of theaters, concert halls, and similar venues. 3. Abode: In modern contexts, it can also refer to large residences or mansions. For example, "故宫" (Gùgōng) refers to the Forbidden City in Beijing, which was the imperial palace during the Ming and Qing dynasties. ## History The character "宫" originally depicted a house with a roof and two surrounding walls, representing a palace. In ancient times, people lived mostly in caves, and the character "宫" resembled a cave entrance with interconnected small caves inside. Later, "宫" specifically referred to the palace of an emperor after the Qin and Han dynasties. Nowadays, these ancient palaces have become tourist attractions, and the lives within the palaces have been depicted in movies and TV dramas. "宫" is a compound ideogram. In the oracle bone script, it resembles a wall surrounding several houses. The bronze script and seal script inherited this form. In clerical script and regular script, it is written as "宫." The original meaning of "宫" referred to a house with walls. Later, it specifically referred to the residence of a king or emperor. For example, in the poem "宫词" by Wang Jian, it says, "宫人早起笑相呼，不识阶前扫地大." ## Evolution ### Oracular Script ![[宫 ora.svg]] ### Bronze Script ![[宫 bronce.svg]] ### Seal Script ![[宫 sello.svg]] ### Clerical Script ![[宫 cle.svg]] ### Regular Script ![[宫 reg.svg]]