Inside the Forbidden City 1965
宋宫秘史
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?
Vocabulary
Filter the words you want to study before watching.
| 可能 可能 | might (happen); possible; probable; possibility; probability; maybe; perhaps | |
| 更 更 | to change or replace; to experience; one of the five two-hour periods into which the night was formerly divided; watch (e.g. of a sentry or guard) | |
| 该 該 | should; ought to; probably; must be; to deserve; to owe; to be sb's turn to do sth; that; the above-mentioned | |
| 它 它 | it | |
| 只 隻 | only; merely; just; but | |
| 又 又 | (once) again; also; both... and...; and yet; (used for emphasis) anyway | |
| 因为 因為 | because; owing to; on account of | |
| 如果 如果 | if; in case; in the event that | |
| 已经 已經 | already | |
| 这样 這樣 | this kind of; so; this way; like this; such | |
| 为 為 | as (in the capacity of); to take sth as; to act as; to serve as; to behave as; to become; to be; to do; by (in the passive voice) | |
| 可以 可以 | can; may; possible; able to; not bad; pretty good | |
| 得 得 | to have to; must; ought to; to need to | |
| 自己 自己 | oneself; one's own | |
| 但 但 | but; yet; however; still; merely; only; just | |
| 让 讓 | to yield; to permit; to let sb do sth; to have sb do sth; to make sb (feel sad etc); by (indicates the agent in a passive clause, like 被) | |
| 啊 啊 | interjection of surprise; Ah!; Oh! | |
| 不快 不快 | unhappy; in low spirits; (of a knife) not sharp | Xiehouyu |
| 多事 多事 | meddlesome; eventful | Xiehouyu |
| 多谢 多謝 | many thanks; thanks a lot | Xiehouyu |
| 好看 好看 | good-looking; nice-looking; good (of a movie, book, TV show etc); embarrassed; humiliated | Xiehouyu |
| 干 乹 | dry; dried food; empty; hollow; taken in to nominal kinship; adoptive; foster; futile; in vain; (dialect) rude; blunt; (dialect) to cold-shoulder | Xiehouyu |
| 真是 真是 | indeed; truly; (coll.) (used to express disapproval, annoyance etc) | Colloquialism |
| 看看 看看 | to take a look at; to examine; to survey; (coll.) pretty soon | Colloquialism |
| 那是 那是 | (coll.) of course; naturally; indeed | Colloquialism |
| 这不 這不 | (coll.) As a matter of fact,... (used to introduce evidence for what one has just asserted) | Colloquialism |
| 不行了 不行了 | (coll.) on the point of death; dying | Colloquialism |
| 吃的 吃的 | (coll.) food | Colloquialism |
| 肉 肉 | meat; flesh; pulp (of a fruit); (coll.) (of a fruit) squashy; (of a person) flabby; irresolute; Kangxi radical 130 | Colloquialism |
| 花 花 | flower; blossom; fancy pattern; florid; to spend (money, time); (coll.) lecherous; lustful | Colloquialism |
| 吗 嗎 | (coll.) what? | Colloquialism |
| 那 那 | (specifier) that; the; those (colloquial pr. [nèi]); (pronoun) that (referring to persons, things or situations); then (in that case) | Colloquialism |
| 包拯 包拯 | Bao Zheng (999-1062), Northern Song official renowned for his honesty; modern day metaphor for an honest politician | Proper Noun |
| 十月 十月 | October; tenth month (of the lunar year) | Proper Noun |
| 太后 太后 | Empress Dowager | |
| 太子 太子 | crown prince | |
| 这个 這個 | (pronoun) this; (adjective) this | |
| 这是 這是 | this is; this is the ... | |
| 叩见 叩見 | to kowtow in salute | |
| 二十 二十 | twenty; 20 | |
| 不能 不能 | cannot; must not; should not | |
| 明 明 | bright, light, brilliant; clear | |
| 一个 一個 | a; an; one; the whole (afternoon, summer vacation etc) | |
| 今 今 | now, today, modern era | |
| 儿 兒 | son, child; KangXi radical 10 | |
| 不可 不可 | cannot; should not; must not | |
| 是的 是的 | yes, that's right; variant of | |
| 天子 天子 | the (rightful) emperor; "Son of Heaven" (traditional English translation) | |
| 兴 興 | thrive, prosper, flourish | |
| 说出 說出 | to speak out; to declare (one's view) |