Fluent Fiction - Mandarin Chinese: Exploring Beijing’s Forbidden City: A Journey Through History
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Story Transcript:

Zh: 北京的天空很蓝，太阳高高挂在天上。
En: The sky over Beijing is very blue, with the sun hanging high.

Zh: 在北京故宫的门口，小明和丽丽站在一起。
En: At the gate of the Forbidden City in Beijing, Xiaoming and Lili are standing together.

Zh: 他们今天有一节特别的文化课。
En: They have a special cultural lesson today.

Zh: 在导游的带领下，他们走进了红墙黄瓦的大门。
En: Led by their tour guide, they walk through the large red walls and yellow tiles gate.

Zh: 小明问：“丽丽，你知道故宫有多大吗？”
En: Xiaoming asks, "Lili, do you know how big the Forbidden City is?"

Zh: 丽丽回答：“听说里面有九千九百九十九间房子呢！”
En: Lili replies, "I heard it has 9,999 rooms!"

Zh: 他们跟随导游走进了一个大殿。
En: Following the guide, they enter a grand hall.

Zh: 导游说：“这里是太和殿，是皇帝上朝的地方。”
En: The tour guide says, "This is the Hall of Supreme Harmony, where the emperor held court."

Zh: 小明和丽丽睁大了眼睛，仔细听着。
En: Xiaoming and Lili widen their eyes and listen attentively.

Zh: 接下来，他们去了乾清宫。
En: Next, they visit the Palace of Heavenly Purity.

Zh: 导游解释道：“这是皇帝的寝宫，皇帝晚上就在这里休息。”
En: The guide explains, "This is the emperor's bedchamber, where he rested at night."

Zh: 丽丽说道：“真漂亮啊，看那边的龙椅，好华丽！”
En: Lili exclaims, "How beautiful! Look at that dragon throne, it's so magnificent!"

Zh: 小明走近一些，仔细看那些精致的雕刻。
En: Xiaoming steps closer to examine the intricate carvings carefully.

Zh: 走了一段路，小明和丽丽都有点累了。
En: After walking for a while, both Xiaoming and Lili feel a bit tired.

Zh: 他们找到一个亭子，坐下来休息。
En: They find a pavilion and sit down to rest.

Zh: 故宫的花园很美，有很多花和树，还有小桥和流水。
En: The Forbidden City’s garden is very beautiful, with many flowers and trees, along with small bridges and flowing water.

Zh: 小鸟在树上唱歌，风轻轻吹过。
En: Birds sing in the trees, and the wind blows gently.

Zh: 休息了一会儿，丽丽对小明说：“我们再去看看其他地方吧，还有好多没看呢！”
En: After a short rest, Lili says to Xiaoming, "Let's go see other places, there's still a lot we haven't seen!"

Zh: 小明点点头：“好啊，我们去那边的御花园吧。”
En: Xiaoming nods, "Sure, let's go to the Imperial Garden."

Zh: 在御花园里，他们看到了很多奇花异草。
En: In the Imperial Garden, they see many rare flowers and plants.

Zh: “丽丽，你看，这朵花真特别！”小明兴奋地指着一朵花说。
En: "Lili, look at this flower, it's so special!" Xiaoming says excitedly, pointing at a flower.

Zh: 丽丽笑了：“是啊，真漂亮。听导游说，这些花都是从各地运来的。”
En: Lili smiles, "Yes, it's really beautiful. The tour guide said these flowers were brought from various places."

Zh: 快到午饭时间了，文化课也接近尾声。
En: As lunchtime approaches, the cultural lesson is coming to an end.

Zh: 导游带着大家来到一个大院，宣布：“今天的文化课到这里就结束了，大家可以自由活动。”
En: The tour guide leads everyone to a large courtyard and announces, "Today's cultural lesson ends here; you are free to explore on your own."

Zh: 小明问丽丽：“你饿了吗？”
En: Xiaoming asks Lili, "Are you hungry?"

Zh: 丽丽点点头：“有点饿。我们去吃午饭吧，然后再逛逛。”
En: Lili nods, "A bit. Let’s go have lunch and then continue exploring."

Zh: 他们走出故宫，找到了一家小餐馆。
En: They leave the Forbidden City and find a small restaurant.

Zh: 吃完午饭后，他们决定回家。
En: After lunch, they decide to head home.

Zh: 小明说：“今天真的学到了好多故宫的知识，好开心！”
En: Xiaoming says, "We really learned a lot about the Forbidden City today, it was great!"

Zh: 丽丽点头同意：“是啊，今天真好玩。有机会我们再来一次吧！”
En: Lili nods in agreement, "Yes, it was really fun today. Let's come again if we get the chance!"

Zh: 夕阳西下，北京的天空变得温柔了。
En: As the sun sets in the west, the sky over Beijing turns gentle.

Zh: 小明和丽丽走在回家的路上，满心欢喜地回味着故宫的一天。
En: Xiaoming and Lili walk home, joyfully reminiscing about their day at the Forbidden City.


Vocabulary Words:

• guide: 导游
• pavilion: 亭子
• bridge: 小桥
• grand: 大殿
• bedchamber: 寝宫
• rare: 奇
• tiles: 黄瓦
• attention: 仔细听
• carvings: 雕刻
• magnificent: 华丽
• widen: 睁大
• explains: 解释
• rest: 休息
• lesson: 文化课
• precious: 珍贵
• harmony: 和谐
• court: 上朝
• attention: 仔细听
• approaches: 接近
• special: 特别
• cultural: 文化的
• Imperial: 御
• reminiscing: 回味
• west: 西
• sunset: 夕阳
• emperor: 皇帝
• dragon throne: 龙椅
• carefully: 仔细
• excitedly: 兴奋地
• garden: 花园