tây cung
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Noun:
- West Palace: The literal architectural meaning, referring to a palace building located in the western part of a royal compound.
- Royal Gynaeceum / Harem: The primary historical and cultural meaning, specifically denoting the residence of the queen consort and often, by extension, the quarters for royal consorts and concubines within a Vietnamese imperial citadel.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- Trong cố đô Huế, tây cung là nơi ở của các hoàng hậu. (In the Hue Imperial City, the West Palace was the residence of the empresses.)
- Cuộc sống trong tây cung có nhiều quy tắc nghiêm ngặt. (Life within the royal gynaeceum had many strict rules.)
Advanced Usage
- The term is almost exclusively used in a historical or literary context to describe the feudal royal court structure of Vietnam, particularly during the Nguyễn Dynasty.
- It evokes imagery of the secluded, intricate, and often politically charged inner court life.
Variants and Related Words
- Cung cấm (n): The forbidden palace; the innermost private imperial quarters.
- Chỉ thái giám mới được vào sâu trong cung cấm. (Only eunuchs were allowed deep into the forbidden palace.)
- Hậu cung (n): A synonym for the royal harem or the quarters for the emperor's wives and concubines.
- Những câu chuyện về hậu cung thường rất phức tạp. (Stories about the royal harem are often very complex.)
Synonyms
- Harem: The quarters for wives and concubines.
- Royal women's quarters: A descriptive synonym.
- Inner palace: Emphasizing its secluded nature.
Related Idioms and Phrases
- Chuyện tây cung: Literally "West Palace affairs," often referring to the intricate, secretive politics and rivalries within the royal household.
- Âm mưu đó chẳng khác gì chuyện tây cung. (That plot is no different from West Palace intrigues.)
noun
- west palace; Royal gynaeceum