Built in the early fifteenth century (1406-1420 A.D.), it is also called the Palace Museum or the Old Palace.

故宮建于十五世紀(jì)早期（公元1406-1420年），也稱為故宮博物院或故宮。

As you pass through Tian An Men you will enter a walled courtyard.

穿過天安門以后，你就進入了一個有墻的庭院。

Although you cannot see them, on either side of this courtyard are many gardens and halls.

你盡管看不到，但是，在這個庭院的兩邊有很多的花園和大廳。

Of particular interest if you have time might be the Imperial Ancestral Temple, which is to the right, and the Sun Yat-Sen Park, on the left.

你如果有時間，右邊的太廟和左邊的中山公園都非常值得一看。

Covering an area of 175 acres, the Palace is enclosed by walls over 10.4m high and surrounded by a moat 52m wide.

故宮占地面積72公頃，圍墻10.4米高，護城河有52米寬。

Today this moat is still full of water.

直到現(xiàn)在，護城河還是注滿了水。

Four watchtowers are placed, one at each corner.

四周各有一個角樓。

Used as the imperial palace by both the Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368-1911 A.D.), the Imperial Palace is the largest and most complete group of ancient buildings standing in China.

故宮作為明、清兩代的皇宮（公元1368-1911年），是中國現(xiàn)存的最大的、也是最完整的古建筑群。

The halls and palaces which comprise the Imperial Palace are all built of wood and brick.

構(gòu)成故宮的宮和殿都是由木材和磚塊建成的。

With a total of over nine thousand rooms, most of the Palace had undergone some reconstruction to repair damage caused by fire and other ravages of time during the long years of its history.

故宮共有九千多間房子，大部分都進行了重建，來修復(fù)在漫長歷史當(dāng)中由火災(zāi)或者時間流逝帶來的破壞。

Throughout you will find typical masterpieces of ancient Chinese architecture.

從頭到尾你都會發(fā)現(xiàn)中國古代建筑師們留下的杰作。

Two notable examples are the ingeniously constructed watchtowers and the magnificent Hall of Supreme Harmony.

建筑巧妙的角樓以及莊嚴(yán)宏偉的太和殿是其中最值得一提的兩個例子。

To further insure the Imperial Palace would be given special protection, in 1961 the Chinese government decreed that the entire area be considered one of China's "most important historical sites".

為了進一步確保故宮受到特別的保護，中國政府于1961年頒布條令，規(guī)定將整個故宮地區(qū)劃為中國最重要的歷史遺跡。

The Palace Museum, with four gates, has its main entrance to the south, known as the Meridian Gate.

故宮博物院共有四個大門，它的主門是南門，也叫午門。

This is the gate you will approach as you continue along the cobbled roadway from Tian An Men.

沿著天安門的那條石子路向前就能走到午門。

The Imperial Palace is divided into two ceremonial areas: the Outer Palace and the Inner Court.

故宮博物院分為兩個重要的區(qū)域，一是外朝，二是內(nèi)廷。

Through the Meridian Gate and across the Golden Water Bridge, one comes to the Gate of Supreme Harmony, the main gate of the Outer Palace.

穿過午門，跨過金水橋，我們就來到了太和門，這是外朝的主門。

The main buildings in the Outer Palace are the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Hall of Complete Harmony, and the Hall of Preserving Harmony.

太和門是外朝的主門，外朝的主要建筑是太和殿、中和殿、保和殿。

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