imperial concubines' quarters; concubines
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesnoun
the western palace quarters where imperial concubines lived; by extension, imperial concubines
archaicIn imperial China, the western palaces (especially the Six Western Palaces in the Forbidden City) were where concubines resided, as opposed to the Eastern Palace (东宫) for the crown prince and the Central Palace (中宫) for the empress. The term appears frequently in historical texts, classical novels, and operas.
Xī西
gōng宫
de的
fēi妃
zǐ子
men们
měi每
tiān天
dōu都
yào要
xiàng向
huáng皇
hòu后
qǐng请
ān安
。
The concubines of the western palace had to pay their respects to the empress every day.
Dōng东
gōng宫
tài太
zǐ子
，
xī西
gōng宫
niáng娘
niang娘
。
The crown prince resides in the Eastern Palace, while the imperial concubine resides in the Western Palace.
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Tā她
rù入
gōng宫
sān三
nián年
，
zhōng终
yú于
cóng从
cái才
rén人
jìn晋
shēng升
wéi为
xī西
gōng宫
niáng娘
niang娘
。
After three years in the palace, she was finally promoted from Talent to Noble Lady of the Western Palace.