This character often refers to an outdoor area surrounded by walls or fences, such as a courtyard or walled garden. It is also used in reference to some institutions, such as a “yi yuan,” which refers to a hospital, or “xue yuan,” which is a school or college.

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贡院
gòng yuàn

Gong means “tribute” or “selecting local talent or goods for His Majesty.” Yuan refers to “a courtyard.”

Gongyuan is an old term which refers to the places where the Chinese imperial examinations were held. These exams were the major path to holding a government position in ancient China. They can be traced back to the Tang Dynasty when talented people were selected for the state bureaucracy through a civil service examination system. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, gongyuan became centers where the provincial exams (xiang shi) or metropolitan exams (hui shi) were held. Those who passed the metropolitan exams could take the palace exams (dian shi) held in the Imperial palace, and were often supervised by the emperor himself.

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庭院深深
tíng yuàn shēn shēn

Tingyuan is often known as “a courtyard” while shen means “quite deep.” The term, which literally means a deep courtyard, originated from a piece of ci (a type of Chinese poetry) by the famous Song poet Ouyang Xiu (1007-72). In the Butterflies Lingering over Flowers, Ouyang wrote, “Deep, deep the courtyard where he is, so deep. It’s veiled by smoke-like willows heap on heap. By curtain on curtain and screen on screen. Leaving his saddle and bridle, there he has been merrymaking. From my tower his trace can’t be seen.” It depicted a woman in a courtyard pining over her husband, who was having fun outside. In ancient China, the status of women began to decline in the Song Dynasty and they were required to stay indoors most of the time. This piece of ci poetry reflected the woman’s sorrow at being restricted from having a social life and ignored by her lover as well as her lost youth. The deep courtyard revealed a sense of intimacy and loneliness.

 

(edited by JIANG HONG)