五岳 （wǔ yuè ）

The Five Sacred Mountains

五岳是中国五大名山的总称。即东岳泰山、南岳衡山、西岳华山、北岳恒山、中岳嵩山。传说为神仙所居，历代帝王多往祭祀。

 (wǔ yuè shì zhōng guó wǔ dà míng shān de zǒng chēng 。jí dōng yuè tài shān 、nán yuè héng shān 、xī yuè huá shān 、běi yuè héng shān 、zhōng yuè sōng shān 。chuán shuō wéi shén xiān suǒ jū ，lì dài dì wáng duō wǎng jìsì.)

The Five Sacred Mountains refer to the five famed mountains in China: Mount Tai in the east, Mount Heng in the south, Mount Hua in the west, Mount Heng in the north and Mount Song in the central plains. It is said that gods lived in the scared mountains, so the emperors of all dynasties went to these mountains to offer sacrifices to gods and ancestors.

岱庙 （dài miào）

Daimiao Temple

岱庙是登泰山的起点。据说岱庙是仿造宋代皇宫建造的。其正殿天贶殿双层屋檐、四坡屋顶、九开间、五进深，与天子的宫殿同等规格。在现存的中国古代建筑中，只有北京故宫的太和殿与它相似。

(dài miào shìdēng tài shān de qǐdiǎn. jù shuō dài miào shì fǎng zào sòng dài huáng gōng jiàn zào de. qí zhèng diàn tiān kuàng diàn shuāng céng wū yán、sì pō wū dǐng、jiǔ kāi jiān、wǔ jìn shēn，yǔ tiān zǐde gōng diàn tóng děng guīgé. zài xiàn cún de zhōng guó gǔ dài jiàn zhù zhōng，zhīyǒu běi jīng gù gōng de tài hé diàn yǔ tā xiàng sì.)

Daimiao Temple is the starting point when climbing Mount Tai. It is said that Daimiao Temple imitates the style of the imperial palace in the Song Dynasty (960-1279). Tiankuang Hall, the main hall in the temple, has double eaves and a “hipped” roof. It has a width nine times that of an ordinary room and the distance from the entrance to the rear is five times that of an ordinary room. The main hall is of an equal scale to the imperial palace. Of the extant ancient architectures in China, only the Hall of Taihe in the Forbidden City is of similar design.

 

－From China’s World Heritage, by Beijing Language and Culture University Press  

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