帝 国 dì guó empire / imperial 御 用 yù yòng for use by the emperor / imperial / (derog.) in the pay of the ruler 江 湖 Jiāng hú rivers and lakes / all corners of the country / remote areas to which hermits retreat / section of society operating independently of mainstream society, out of reach of the law / the milieu in which wuxia tales play out (cf. 武俠|武侠[wu3 xia2]) / (in late imperial times) world of traveling merchants, itinerant doctors, fortune tellers etc / demimonde / (in modern times) triads / secret gangster societies / underworld 首 选 shǒu xuǎn first choice / premium / to come first in the imperial examinations 皇 家 huáng jiā royal / imperial household 皇 上 huáng shang the emperor / Your majesty the emperor / His imperial majesty 大 夫 dà fū senior official (in imperial China) 皇 后 huáng hòu empress / imperial consort 下 场 xià chǎng to leave (the stage, an exam room, the playing field etc) / to take part in some activity / to take an examination (in the imperial examination system) 朝 廷 cháo tíng court / imperial household / dynasty 状 元 zhuàng yuán top scorer in the palace examination (highest rank of the Imperial examination system) / see 榜眼[bang3 yan3] and 探花[tan4 hua1] / top scorer in college entrance examination 高考[gao1 kao3] / (fig.) the most brilliantly talented person in the field / leading light 皇 宫 huáng gōng imperial palace 神 器 shén qì magical object / object symbolic of imperial power / fine weapon 侍 卫 shì wèi Imperial bodyguard 故 宫 gù gōng former imperial palace 秀 才 xiù cai a person who has passed the county level imperial exam (historical) / scholar / skillful writer / fine talent 中 式 zhòng shì to pass an exam (or the imperial exam) / to qualify 天 安 门 Tiān ān mén Tiananmen Gate, entrance of the Imperial City in Beijing 娘 娘 niáng niang queen / empress / imperial concubine / Goddess, esp. Xi Wangmu 王母娘娘 / or 西王母, Queen Mother of the West / mother / aunt 增 生 zēng shēng growth (of organism) / proliferation / supernumerary candidate (in imperial examation system) 免 税 miǎn shuì not liable to taxation (of monastery, imperial family etc) / tax free / duty free (shop) 一 品 yī pǐn superb / first-rate / (of officials in imperial times) the highest rank 皇 室 huáng shì royal family / imperial household / member of the royal family 帝 都 dì dū imperial capital 老 友 lǎo yǒu old friend / sb who passed the county level imperial exam (in Ming dynasty) 进 士 jìn shì successful candidate in the highest imperial civil service examination / palace graduate 天 书 tiān shū imperial edict / heavenly book (superstition) / obscure or illegible writing / double dutch 后 宫 hòu gōng harem / chambers of imperial concubines 王 宫 wáng gōng imperial palace 皇 城 Huáng chéng Imperial City, inner part of Beijing, with the Forbidden City at its center 御 史 yù shǐ imperial censor (formal title of a dynastic official) 国 学 guó xué Chinese national culture / studies of ancient Chinese civilization / the Imperial College (history) 功 名 gōng míng scholarly honor (in imperial exams) / rank / achievement / fame / glory 天 庭 tiān tíng middle of the forehead / imperial court / heaven 皇 朝 huáng cháo the imperial court / the government in imperial times 三 甲 sān jiǎ 3rd rank of candidates who passed the imperial examination / (hospital ranking) A-grade tertiary (the highest level) (abbr. for 三級甲等|三级甲等[san1 ji2 jia3 deng3]) 举 人 jǔ rén graduate / successful candidate in the imperial provincial examination 会 要 huì yào dynastic records of imperial China 贵 妃 guì fēi senior concubine / imperial consort 圣 旨 shèng zhǐ imperial edict 皇 族 huáng zú the imperial family / royal kin 宫 主 gōng zhǔ imperial empress / milady 朝 野 cháo yě all levels of society / the imperial court and the ordinary people 科 举 kē jǔ imperial examination 盎 司 àng sī ounce (British imperial system) (loanword) 紫 禁 城 Zǐ jìn chéng the Forbidden City / the Imperial Palace in Beijing / same as 故宮|故宫[Gu4 gong1] 高 发 gāo fā (of diseases, accidents) to occur with a high incidence / (old) to score highly in the imperial exams 终 场 zhōng chǎng end (of a performance or sports match) / last round of testing in the imperial examinations 翰 林 Hàn lín refers to academics employed as imperial secretaries from the Tang onwards, forming the Hanlin Imperial Academy 翰林院 龙 舟 lóng zhōu dragon boat / imperial boat 天 朝 Tiān cháo Celestial Empire, tributary title conferred on imperial China / Taiping Heavenly Kingdom 先 秦 xiān Qín pre-Qin, Chinese history up to the foundation of the Qin imperial dynasty in 221 BC 兵 部 Bīng bù Ministry of War (in imperial China) 妃 子 fēi zi imperial concubine 大 驾 dà jià imperial chariot / (fig.) emperor / (polite) you 行 宫 xíng gōng temporary imperial residence 太 师 tài shī imperial tutor 捕 快 bǔ kuài bailiff responsible for catching criminals (in imperial China) 刑 部 Xíng bù Ministry of Justice (in imperial China) 落 榜 luò bǎng to fail the imperial exams / to flunk 金 榜 jīn bǎng lit. tablet with inscription in gold / pass list for the top imperial examinations / roll of honor 工 部 Gōng Bù Ministry of Works (in imperial China) 吏 部 Lì bù Ministry of Appointments (in imperial China) 户 部 Hù bù Ministry of Revenue in imperial China 天 兵 tiān bīng celestial soldier / (old) imperial troops / (Tw, jocular) clumsy army recruit / (more generally) bungler / screw-up 诏 书 zhào shū edict / written imperial order 露 台 lù tái balcony / patio / flat roof / terrace / deck (unroofed platform) / outdoor stage / ancient imperial celestial observation terrace 礼 部 Lǐ bù Ministry of (Confucian) Rites (in imperial China) 锦 衣 卫 jǐn yī wèi Brocade Uniform Guard, imperial bodyguard and secret police force of the Ming emperors 太 医 tài yī imperial physician 二 甲 èr jiǎ 2nd rank of candidates who passed the imperial examination (i.e. 4th place and up) 御 医 yù yī imperial physician 禁 军 jìn jūn imperial guard 科 考 kē kǎo preliminary round of imperial examinations / abbr. for 科學考察|科学考察[ke1 xue2 kao3 cha2], scientific exploration 地 宫 dì gōng underground palace (as part of imperial tomb) 南 苑 Nán yuàn Nanyuan or "Southern Park", an imperial hunting domain during the Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties, now the site of Nanhaizi Park in the south of Beijing 钦 差 qīn chāi imperial envoy 太 常 tài cháng Minister of Ceremonies in imperial China, one of the Nine Ministers 九卿[jiu3 qing1] 及 第 jí dì to pass an imperial examination 庙 堂 miào táng imperial ancestral temple / imperial court / temple 奉 旨 fèng zhǐ on imperial orders 禁 卫 军 jìn wèi jūn imperial guard 禁 卫 jìn wèi defense of the imperial palace or of the capital / the palace guard (or a member of that unit) 华 盖 huá gài imperial canopy (e.g. domed umbrella-like roof over carriage) / aureole / halo 帝 位 dì wèi imperial throne 后 庭 hòu tíng backyard / imperial harem / (slang) anus 宗 室 zōng shì imperial clan / member of the imperial clan / clansman / ancestral shrine 赶 考 gǎn kǎo to go and take an imperial examination 独 占 鳌 头 dú zhàn áo tóu to come first in triennial palace examinations (idiom, refers to the carved stone turtle head in front of the imperial palace, next to which the most successful candidate in the imperial examinations was entitled to stand) / to be the champion / to be the very best in any field 下 诏 xià zhào to hand down an imperial edict 热 河 Rè hé Rehe, Qing dynasty province abolished in 1955 and divided among Hebei, Liaoning and Inner Mongolia / refers to the Qing imperial resort at Chengde / see also 避暑山莊|避暑山庄[bi4 shu3 shan1 zhuang1] (history) 天 谴 tiān qiǎn the wrath of Heaven / imperial displeasure 第 (prefix indicating ordinal number, e.g. first, number two etc) / order / (old) rank in the imperial examinations / mansion / (literary) but / just 折 桂 zhé guì to win the laurels / to pass an imperial examination / to win a championship 嫔 妃 pín fēi imperial concubine 翰 林 院 Hàn lín yuàn Imperial Hanlin Academy, lasting from Tang dynasty until 1911 主 簿 zhǔ bù official registrar (of a county etc) in imperial China 后 妃 hòu fēi imperial wives and concubines 皇 军 huáng jūn imperial army (esp. Japanese) 宫 人 gōng rén imperial concubine or palace maid / imperial secretary (old)
dì