Inside the Forbidden City

Inside the Forbidden City 1965

宋宫秘史 sòng gōng mì shǐ

It seems that Li Zhenfei was once an imperial concubine, who often found herself competing with her rival Madame Liu for the emperor's sole, undivided attention. When Li gives birth to the Emperor's child, the jealous Liu switches the boy with a cat and commands a servant named Kou Zhu to kill the baby. However, Kou Zhu ignores the order and gives the prince-to-be to the emperor's brother, a decision which eventually leads to the boy being adopted by the emperor himself! But as fate would have it, to go along with his new son, the emperor has a new wife as well - Madame Liu! As this strange new family unit is being constructed, poor Li Zhenfei has been confined to the forbidden palace, condemned to never see or speak to her son, the prince. But destiny reunites her with her son, but will this family reunion be a happy one? And will Madame Liu finally be punished for her treachery?

HSK 1
2
3
4
5
6
7
6.59 Advanced

Vocabulary

Filter the words you want to study before watching.

管 筦 guǎn to take care (of); to control; to manage; to be in charge of; to look after; to run; to care about; tube; pipe; woodwind; classifier for tube-shaped objects; particle similar to 把 in 管...叫 constructions; writing brush; (coll.) to; towards Colloquialism HSK 3
金水 金水 Jīn shuǐ Jinshui District of Zhengzhou City, Henan Proper Noun ∼HSK 3
朝中 朝中 Cháo Zhōng North Korea-China Proper Noun ∼HSK 3
中秋 中秋 Zhōng qiū the Mid-autumn festival, the traditional moon-viewing festival on the 15th of the 8th lunar month Proper Noun ∼HSK 3
朝日 朝日 Zhāo rì Asahi (Japanese place name, company name etc) Proper Noun ∼HSK 3
总管 總管 zǒng guǎn to be in charge of (a major area of responsibility); person in charge; manager; (old) butler (of a rich family); chief steward ∼HSK 3
退下 退下 tuì xià to retire; to withdraw; to retreat; to step down ∼HSK 3
打死 打死 dǎ sǐ to kill; to beat to death ∼HSK 3
王朝 王朝 wáng cháo dynasty ∼HSK 3
范 範 fàn surname; bee-like insect ∼HSK 3
该死 該死 gāi sǐ Damn it!; damned; wretched ∼HSK 3
亲信 親信 qīn xìn (often pejorative) trusted aide; confidant; to put one's trust in (sb) ∼HSK 3
般 般 bān sort, manner, kind, category ∼HSK 3
身亡 身亡 shēn wáng to die ∼HSK 3
奇闻 奇聞 qí wén bizarre anecdote; extraordinary piece of news ∼HSK 3
在朝 在朝 zài cháo sitting (currently serving, e.g. board members) ∼HSK 3
后世 後世 hòu shì later generations ∼HSK 3
父 父 fù father; KangXi radical 88 ∼HSK 3
还阳 還陽 huán yáng to come back to life (after death) ∼HSK 3
灯火 燈火 dēng huǒ lights ∼HSK 3
铁面 鐵面 tiě miàn iron mask (as defensive armor); fig. upright and selfless person ∼HSK 3
地保 地保 dì bǎo (old) local constable ∼HSK 3
领路 領路 lǐng lù to lead the way ∼HSK 3
把门 把門 bǎ mén to stand as a goalkeeper; to keep guard on a gate ∼HSK 3
民 民 Mín people, subjects, citizens ∼HSK 3
订做 訂做 dìng zuò to make to order; to have sth made to order ∼HSK 3
造化 造化 zào huà (literary) Nature; the Creator ∼HSK 3
性急 性急 xìng jí impatient ∼HSK 3
报喜 報喜 bào xǐ to announce good news; to report success ∼HSK 3
难保 難保 nán bǎo hard to say; can't guarantee; difficult to protect; difficult to preserve ∼HSK 3
使不得 使不得 shǐ bu de cannot be used; must not (do sth); unacceptable ∼HSK 3
富贵 富貴 fù guì riches and honor ∼HSK 3
嫡传 嫡傳 dí chuán handed down in a direct line from the founder ∼HSK 3
叔 叔 shū uncle; father's younger brother; husband's younger brother; Taiwan pr. [shu2] ∼HSK 3
光阴荏苒 光陰荏苒 guāng yīn - rěn rǎn (idiom) How time flies! ∼HSK 3
千秋 千秋 qiān qiū a thousand years; your birthday (honorific) ∼HSK 3
万般 萬般 wàn bān every kind; manifold; extremely ∼HSK 3
一声 一聲 yī shēng first tone in Mandarin (high, level tone) ∼HSK 3
断送 斷送 duàn sòng to forfeit (future profit, one's life etc); ruined ∼HSK 3
活活 活活 huó huó while still alive; simply; totally ∼HSK 3
朝廷 朝廷 cháo tíng court; imperial household; dynasty ∼HSK 3
死者 死者 sǐ zhě the dead; the deceased ∼HSK 3
世上 世上 shì shàng on earth ∼HSK 3
朝向 朝向 cháo xiàng toward; to face; to open onto; to turn towards; orientation; exposure; Qibla (Islam) ∼HSK 3
旧事 舊事 jiù shì old affair; former matter ∼HSK 3
健在 健在 jiàn zài (of an elderly person) alive and in good health; (of a thing) intact; holding up OK; still going strong ∼HSK 3
众 眾 Zhòng multitude, crowd; masses, public ∼HSK 3
报上 報上 bào shàng in the newspaper ∼HSK 3
和合 和合 hé hé harmony ∼HSK 3
财 財 cái wealth, valuables, riches ∼HSK 3