Definition

1. Noun:
   • The inner palace; the harem: Refers to the private, restricted living quarters within an imperial palace, traditionally reserved for the emperor's wives, concubines, female attendants, and children. It denotes the secluded, inner part of the palace complex.
   • The imperial harem: Specifically refers to the institution or collective of women (empress, consorts, concubines, maids) living in the inner palace under the emperor's rule.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Các cung tần mỹ nữ sống trong nội cung. (The imperial consorts and beauties lived within the inner palace / harem.)
  • Nội cung là nơi cấm đàn ông ra vào. (The inner palace was a place forbidden to men.)
  • Những câu chuyện về cuộc sống nội cung thường rất bí ẩn. (Stories about life in the harem are often very mysterious.)

Advanced Usage

• "Chuyện nội cung": Refers to affairs, politics, or gossip related to the harem.
  • Tiểu thuyết lịch sử đó khắc họa rõ nét những mưu đồ chính trị trong chuyện nội cung. (That historical novel vividly depicts the political intrigues within harem affairs.)

Variants and Related Words

• Hậu cung (n): A synonym often used interchangeably with "nội cung" to mean the harem or the rear palace.
• Tam cung lục viện (idiom): Literally "three palaces and six departments"; a traditional term referring to the extensive system of the emperor's wives and consorts, representing the entire harem institution.

Synonyms

• Harem (n): The English loanword directly equivalent in meaning.
• Inner palace (n): A direct translation conveying the architectural and spatial aspect.
• Seraglio (n): A term of Italian/Turkish origin, also meaning the sequestered living quarters of women in an oriental palace.

Related Phrases / Idioms

• "Màn trướng nội cung": Literally "the curtains of the inner palace"; evokes the secrecy and seclusion of the harem.
  • Quyền lực đằng sau màn trướng nội cung đôi khi rất lớn. (The power behind the harem's curtains was sometimes very great.)

1. Harem