What does the purple in the Forbidden City mean?

The word "purple" in the Forbidden City actually means "purple".

Now we say the Forbidden City, which is basically called the Forbidden City, but the word "ancient" in the Forbidden City means "before". The Forbidden City refers to the former palace. Its real name in history should be the Forbidden City. What does the word "Zi" in the Forbidden City mean? Is it purple? Is it "purple gas from the East"? Of course not! Now let me introduce the origin of the name "Forbidden City".

In China's ancient philosophy, people attached great importance to the relationship between man and nature. Simply put, they think that wind and rain, floods and droughts, letters from Hutuluo, blessings from heaven, etc. are all revelations from heaven, sometimes expressing punishment and sometimes expressing gratitude. This philosophy is called "the unity of heaven and man".

The ancients believed that there was a corresponding relationship between heaven and earth. For example, the ancients divided the stars in the sky into several groups, and each group was called a "Star Palace", which was collectively called "Three Walls and Twenty-eight Houses", and then to "Qinglong, White Tiger, Suzaku and Xuanwu" (collectively called "Four Elephants" or "Star Palace"). In the ancient tombs of the Warring States Period, there were already maps corresponding to twenty-eight stars and four elephants.

Ziweiyuan, Taiweiyuan and Tianshiyuan are collectively called Sanyuan, among which Ziweiyuan is located in the center of Sanyuan, and the stars in Ziweiyuan are often named after the royal family, such as emperor and prince. The ancients believed that this was the location of the Heavenly Palace where the Jade Emperor lived. Therefore, the word "purple" in the Forbidden City actually means "purple is in the middle".