Few people know that the term “tử” in the Forbidden City also carries the meaning from the idiom “tử khí đông lai”.
The Forbidden City served as the imperial palace for the Ming and Qing dynasties in China. The first impression for anyone visiting or seeing images of the Forbidden City is the striking red walls and golden roofs.
The Forbidden City, or the Imperial Palace today, contains more than 9,000 rooms of various sizes, surrounded by vibrant red walls over 10 meters high.
Everywhere in the Imperial Palace, there is an eye-catching red hue, so why is it called the “Forbidden City”?
In Chinese, “tử” in the Forbidden City means purple. Many wonder why the term “xích” (red) or “hồng” (also red) wasn’t used to name it, but instead, the seemingly unrelated “tử” was chosen!
According to research, “tử” in the Forbidden City does not only refer to color, but it symbolizes power and solemnity.
The Forbidden City means the sacred ground of the imperial palace. The color purple represents the celestial bodies, the light of stars in the sky, rather than simply the color purple as many might think.
So why are the city walls in the Imperial Palace predominantly red? The color red harmonizes with the golden hue, which is the color of the ancient Chinese royalty. Together, they create a lavish and magnificent capital city, standing out as the most prominent area in the imperial land while also embodying a sense of dignity that instills fear and reverence.
Few people know that the term “tử” in the Forbidden City also carries the meaning from the idiom “tử khí đông lai”.
The expression “tử khí đông lai” is an idiom derived from the legend of Laozi as he passed through the Hangu Pass, also known as the Hangu Pass. At that time, Yuan Xi saw a stream of purple qi (tử khí) appearing from the east, indicating that a sage would pass through the pass. Indeed, Laozi appeared riding a buffalo from the east. The ancients believed this was a sign of good fortune and auspiciousness. Hence, the phrase “tử khí đông lai” came to symbolize luck.
The Hangu Pass is a strategic mountain pass situated between the valley of the Yellow River and the Wei River—the cradle of Chinese civilization and home to many ancient dynasties, including Xi’an. It is located on the southern bank of the Yellow River, east of the Erdos Plateau at the Dongguan entrance in Shaanxi Province.
At the same time, “tử” in the Forbidden City also symbolizes preciousness and the highest status of the imperial palace.
It is known that the materials containing the purple dye at that time were extremely expensive. To dye fabric purple required many difficult processing steps. Therefore, not everyone could afford to wear purple clothing. During that era, many high-ranking officials chose purple because it symbolized high status, nobility, and wealth.
Thus, the name Forbidden City does not stem from a simple color reference, nor was it chosen merely for its beauty, but rather has a deeper implication. This reflects the profound knowledge and intellectual depth of ancient Chinese thought and literature.
The presence of the Forbidden City represents the ultimate power of the Ming and Qing dynasties. The rules were so strict that common people found it challenging to access the imperial palace. Only a select few high-ranking officials could enter the palace to attend court and discuss important state matters.
