Why Do Forbidden City Plaques Feature Both Manchu and Chinese?

Understanding Bilingual Palace Inscriptions, Qing Dynasty Language Policies, and the History of the Forbidden City

By MING YE

Visitors to Beijing's Forbidden City may notice an unusual feature on some palace plaques: alongside familiar Chinese characters, there is another writing system with a distinctly different appearance.

Its strokes are slender, its letters connect vertically, and it resembles neither Chinese characters nor modern English letters.

This is usually Manchu script.

For example, important buildings in the Forbidden City, including the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Palace of Heavenly Purity, and the Palace of Earthly Tranquility, are closely associated with the Qing dynasty tradition of bilingual Manchu–Chinese palace inscriptions.

Why, then, do plaques in the Forbidden City frequently display both Chinese characters and Manchu script?

Are the Manchu inscriptions simply translations of the Chinese names? Why did the Qing imperial palace use two writing systems? And what can these inscriptions tell us about history?

The central reason is that the Qing dynasty was established by a Manchu ruling elite, and the Manchu language and script held important positions in Qing state institutions, palace life, and official documentation. Bilingual Manchu–Chinese plaques served the practical purpose of identifying buildings while also reflecting the language practices, political identity, and cultural traditions of the Qing court.

However, not every plaque in the Forbidden City contains both Manchu and Chinese. Inscriptions also vary according to the building and historical period.

Understanding these differences requires examining the transformation of the Forbidden City from the Ming dynasty to the Qing dynasty.

Was the Forbidden City Originally Built by the Qing Dynasty?

No.

Today's Forbidden City in Beijing originally served as the imperial palace of both the Ming and Qing dynasties.

Historically, the palace complex was known as the Zijincheng, or Forbidden City.

Construction began during the Yongle reign of the Ming dynasty, and the principal palace complex was largely completed around 1420.

Therefore, the Forbidden City was not originally constructed by the Qing dynasty.

In 1644, the Qing established control over Beijing and subsequently used the Forbidden City as its imperial palace, repairing, modifying, and reorganizing certain buildings and palace spaces.

The Qing court retained many Ming dynasty structures while assigning new institutional functions and cultural meanings to some areas.

The use of written languages within the palace also changed during this process.

Under the Ming dynasty, palace building names were primarily recorded in Chinese characters.

During the Qing dynasty, Manchu and Chinese were displayed together on many palace buildings and official signs.

Therefore, the bilingual Manchu–Chinese plaques visible in the Forbidden City today should primarily be understood within the historical context of the Qing court.

The Forbidden City's architectural origins belong to the Ming dynasty, while many of its bilingual Manchu–Chinese inscriptions reflect the Qing dynasty's continued use and transformation of the palace complex.

What Is a Bilingual Manchu–Chinese Palace Plaque?

The Chinese expression Man-Han Hebi (满汉合璧), literally referring to the combination of Manchu and Chinese, describes objects, documents, or architectural decorations that display both writing systems.

On palace plaques, this commonly means that the same building name appears in both Manchu and Chinese.

For example, a palace name plaque may contain the Chinese name of a building together with its corresponding Manchu designation.

Chinese characters are generally arranged horizontally, while Manchu follows its traditional vertical writing direction.

Traditional Manchu is written from top to bottom, with columns progressing from left to right.

This differs from the traditional organization of Chinese writing.

However, the exact placement of Manchu and Chinese on palace plaques does not follow one universal arrangement.

Different plaques may reflect their production dates, architectural functions, decorative layouts, and restoration histories.

Therefore, the position of the two scripts on a particular plaque should not be used to assume that every Qing dynasty inscription followed the same layout.

The defining feature of a bilingual Manchu–Chinese plaque is the presence of both writing systems on the same object or architectural sign.

Why Did the Qing Imperial Palace Use Manchu Script?

Because Manchu was one of the historically important languages and writing systems of the Qing ruling elite.

The Manchu political community from which the Qing dynasty emerged developed through historical processes in northeastern China.

The Manchu language belongs to the Tungusic language family.

Manchu script is an alphabetic writing system developed from traditional Mongolian script.

According to Qing historical records, in 1599 Nurhaci instructed Erdeni, Gagai, and others to create an early Manchu writing system based on Mongolian script.

The script subsequently developed spelling conventions suited to the Manchu language.

Important reforms were introduced during the seventeenth century.

As the Later Jin and Qing states developed, Manchu writing became widely used in political, military, administrative, and other official affairs.

After the Qing entered Beijing, Manchu continued to occupy an important position in the imperial court and state administration.

The use of Manchu on palace building names, official documents, and certain ceremonial spaces therefore had a clear institutional and historical foundation.

It was not a writing system invented merely to decorate buildings.

The presence of Manchu script in the Qing imperial palace reflects its historical importance as a means of written communication in government and court culture.

Why Did the Plaques Retain Chinese Characters Alongside Manchu?

Because the Qing state did not conduct its administrative and cultural life exclusively in Manchu.

The Qing dynasty governed an extensive territory with a complex population and linguistic composition.

Chinese language and writing played major roles in administration, literary production, education, cultural exchange, and everyday society.

The Qing state made extensive use of Chinese writing while also employing Manchu in particular institutions and administrative contexts.

The parallel appearance of Manchu and Chinese therefore corresponded to the multilingual realities of Qing government and court culture.

On palace plaques, Chinese characters presented established architectural names and maintained continuity with long-standing Chinese traditions of naming imperial buildings.

Manchu recorded the corresponding names in another language and writing system.

This bilingual presentation preserved aspects of earlier palace culture while also expressing the linguistic characteristics of the Qing period.

However, it would be inaccurate to assume that all Manchu inscriptions existed simply to indicate the pronunciation of Chinese characters, or that all Chinese inscriptions existed merely to translate Manchu.

The two scripts recorded different languages.

Both could serve meaningful functions within the same architectural inscription.

Which Famous Buildings in the Forbidden City Have Bilingual Manchu–Chinese Plaques?

The names of major buildings in the Forbidden City provide useful material for examining Qing bilingual inscription traditions.

The following table introduces several representative palace buildings and their historical functions. The precise inscriptions, preservation conditions, and production dates of individual plaques should be verified against object records published by the Palace Museum.

Palace buildingHistorical functionHall of Supreme Harmony (太和殿)One of the most important buildings in the Outer Court, used for major Qing imperial ceremoniesHall of Central Harmony (中和殿)Located between the Halls of Supreme Harmony and Preserving Harmony; associated with major ceremonial activitiesHall of Preserving Harmony (保和殿)Used during the Qing dynasty for banquets, ceremonies, and imperial examinationsPalace of Heavenly Purity (乾清宫)An important Inner Court palace associated with imperial residence and government affairs during the Ming and early Qing periodsPalace of Earthly Tranquility (坤宁宫)Originally the empress's residence under the Ming; parts were used for shamanic rituals during the QingHall of Mental Cultivation (养心殿)An important residence and workplace of Qing emperors during the middle and later periods of the dynasty

These buildings served different historical functions, but all formed part of the institutional and architectural environment of the Qing imperial court.

For researchers studying Manchu, palace name plaques are more than architectural labels. They may also preserve examples of how Manchu was actually used in the imperial palace.

One distinction is particularly important:

A plaque visible today is not necessarily the original object created during the Ming dynasty or the early Qing period.

Some buildings and inscriptions experienced fires, repairs, reconstruction, or replacement.

Researchers must therefore distinguish between the original construction date of a building, its period of Qing use, and the production or restoration date of the surviving plaque.

What Is the Significance of the Manchu Inscription on the Hall of Supreme Harmony?

The Hall of Supreme Harmony is one of the most recognizable buildings in the Forbidden City.

It stands at the center of the Outer Court and was closely associated with major Qing imperial ceremonies.

The Chinese name Taihe (太和), meaning Supreme Harmony, carries meanings rooted in traditional Chinese political and philosophical thought.

Within the Qing imperial setting, the presentation of palace names in both Manchu and Chinese reflected the use of multiple languages in official architectural inscriptions.

However, studying the plaque requires distinguishing two questions.

First, what is the literal and historical cultural meaning of the Chinese name “Hall of Supreme Harmony”?

Second, what is the actual Manchu spelling of the palace name, and how should it be interpreted linguistically?

These two questions cannot necessarily be answered through direct character-by-character substitution.

Manchu and Chinese belong to different language families.

Their vocabulary structures and grammatical conventions differ.

Therefore, each individual Manchu letter cannot simply be matched to a particular Chinese character.

Accurate research on Manchu palace inscriptions requires examination of actual letterforms, standardized Romanization, and reliable historical sources rather than inventing a Manchu spelling from the Chinese name.

Are Manchu Palace Inscriptions Translated Character by Character from Chinese?

Not necessarily.

This is a common misconception.

Manchu is an alphabetic writing system.

Chinese characters are primarily morphosyllabic.

The two writing systems represent language through different structural principles.

For example, the Chinese name 乾清宫 (Palace of Heavenly Purity) contains three Chinese characters.

However, the corresponding Manchu name does not have to contain three Manchu letters.

A Manchu word generally consists of multiple letters.

If a palace name contains several Manchu words, its written form must also follow the vocabulary and grammatical rules of Manchu.

Historical bilingual names may involve semantic translation, established equivalent names, or other conventional forms.

Researchers therefore cannot determine the number of Manchu letters from the number of Chinese characters.

Likewise, a Manchu name containing more letters does not necessarily convey more information than its Chinese counterpart.

The two writing systems use different basic units, so their character counts are not directly comparable.

Why Is the Manchu Writing on Forbidden City Plaques Vertical?

Because Manchu inherited the vertical writing structure of traditional Mongolian script.

Traditional Manchu is written from top to bottom, with columns arranged from left to right.

The letters within a Manchu word are generally connected vertically.

The same letter may also take different shapes depending on its position within a word.

For example, a letter may have initial, medial, and final forms.

This phenomenon is known as positional variation.

Therefore, the Manchu writing on a palace plaque is not simply a collection of independent letters arranged vertically.

It follows a complete system of traditional spelling and letter connections.

This also explains why beginners who have already memorized the basic Manchu alphabet may still find it difficult to recognize the inscriptions on Forbidden City plaques.

In addition to positional letterforms, historical plaques may use decorative or calligraphic styles.

Reading Manchu palace inscriptions therefore requires knowledge of both the alphabet and historical calligraphic conventions.

How Are Bilingual Palace Plaques Related to Qing Dynasty Language Policies?

During the Qing dynasty, Manchu and Chinese were used in different institutions, administrative activities, and historical periods.

Manchu held an important position in court affairs, certain central government institutions, military administration, and other specialized contexts.

Chinese was widely used in administration, education, literature, and social life.

Some official documents and institutional texts were produced in bilingual Manchu–Chinese forms.

However, this does not mean that every Qing government document had to be written in both languages.

The language used often depended on the institution, nature of the activity, historical period, and specific regulations.

The same principle applies to palace plaques.

Bilingual inscriptions reflect the Qing court's use of both writing systems, but they do not prove that all administrative activities throughout the Qing empire operated under a completely equal bilingual system.

For historical research, a more accurate approach is to examine the specific documents, institutions, and periods in which Manchu and Chinese were used, and to identify the functions of each language.

Do Bilingual Palace Plaques Reflect the Qing Dynasty's Emphasis on Manchu Identity?

The use of Manchu script on palace buildings was closely connected to the historical identity of the Qing ruling elite.

The Qing imperial family and the Eight Banners system were deeply associated with the development of the Manchu political community.

The Manchu language, Manchu writing, mounted archery traditions, and certain court rituals were long regarded as important elements of Manchu historical culture.

Some Qing emperors also emphasized the importance of preserving the Manchu language and traditional customs.

The continued use of Manchu script in imperial architecture can therefore be understood within the broader historical context of maintaining Manchu political and cultural traditions.

However, it would be misleading to interpret every Manchu palace plaque as a separate political declaration.

Architectural inscriptions served multiple purposes.

They could preserve established institutions, reflect court aesthetics, follow historical conventions, or relate to the particular function of a building.

Their historical significance should therefore be assessed in relation to the period and the surviving evidence.

Why Don't All Plaques in the Forbidden City Contain Manchu?

Because the plaques in the Forbidden City do not all belong to the same category.

Some identify palace buildings.

Others contain inscriptions written by emperors.

Some mark studies, Buddhist halls, or other specialized spaces.

Still others are signs produced during later restoration, exhibition, or interpretation projects.

These inscriptions have different origins, purposes, and language choices.

The Forbidden City was also used over the long periods of both the Ming and Qing dynasties.

Written materials from different historical periods naturally do not all follow the same format.

Even during the Qing dynasty, it would be incorrect to assume that every inscription had to be bilingual.

Therefore, seeing a plaque containing only Chinese characters does not necessarily mean that it dates from the Ming dynasty.

Likewise, the presence of both Manchu and Chinese does not, by itself, establish the date of an inscription.

Determining a plaque's history requires examination of architectural archives, physical evidence, inscriptions, restoration records, and museum research.

Can the Manchu Inscriptions on Forbidden City Plaques Still Be Read Today?

Yes.

Although the everyday use of Manchu has declined dramatically in modern times, it is not an undecipherable writing system.

Manchu has a relatively systematic alphabet, established spelling conventions, and a substantial historical documentary tradition.

Modern scholars can read large numbers of Qing dynasty Manchu documents using knowledge of Manchu grammar, dictionaries, historical archives, and relevant research materials.

Reading a Manchu palace plaque generally involves several steps.

First, the reader must accurately identify the actual shapes of the Manchu letters.

Second, the connections between letters and their positional variations must be determined.

Third, the Manchu letterforms can be transcribed into a standardized Romanized form.

Fourth, the name can be interpreted using Manchu vocabulary and historical sources.

Finally, the Manchu inscription can be compared with the Chinese name to understand the relationship between the two versions.

For inscriptions with unusual calligraphic styles, early letterforms, or poor preservation conditions, additional comparison with historical images and documents may be necessary.

Forbidden City plaques can therefore serve both as introductory materials for the general public and as subjects for specialized research into Manchu writing and Qing court culture.

What Is the Historical Research Value of Bilingual Manchu–Chinese Plaques?

First, they provide visible evidence of the actual use of Manchu script in Qing imperial architecture.

Unlike writing textbooks compiled in later periods, historical plaques are physical objects associated with specific historical settings.

Second, these inscriptions can help researchers understand how palace names were expressed bilingually during the Qing dynasty.

The relationship between names in different languages may reveal translation traditions, naming conventions, and historical cultural contexts.

Third, the calligraphic forms of the inscriptions have artistic value.

The vertical connected structure of Manchu differs from the organization of strokes in Chinese characters.

When the two scripts appear together in architectural decoration, they create a distinctive visual arrangement associated with Qing court culture.

Fourth, palace plaques may also contribute to the study of architectural restoration.

By comparing historical images, archival records, and surviving objects, researchers can investigate the production, replacement, and preservation of particular inscriptions.

However, the existence of a surviving plaque does not automatically prove that it has remained completely unchanged since a particular historical period.

Reliable museum and conservation research is still necessary to determine the date and authenticity of individual objects.

How Can Visitors Observe Bilingual Manchu–Chinese Plaques in the Forbidden City?

For general visitors, several simple observations can provide a useful starting point.

First, look for plaques displaying both Chinese characters and Manchu script.

Second, notice the writing directions of the two scripts.

Chinese palace names are often displayed horizontally, while Manchu has a vertically connected structure.

Third, examine how the Manchu letters connect.

Even without knowing the individual letters, visitors can observe the continuous appearance of the script.

Fourth, consider the palace name and the building's historical function to understand the role of the inscription in the Qing imperial setting.

Fifth, distinguish historical plaques from modern explanatory signs.

Anyone wishing to study the precise Manchu text of a particular plaque should ideally obtain a clear, front-facing photograph and compare it with reliable object information published by the Palace Museum.

The exact spelling of a Manchu inscription should not be guessed from a distant or unclear photograph.

Why Do Forbidden City Plaques Frequently Display Both Chinese and Manchu?

Returning to the original question:

Some plaques in the Forbidden City display both Chinese and Manchu because the Qing imperial court had a historical tradition of using both writing systems. Manchu held an important position in court and official affairs, while Chinese was widely used in administration, culture, and architectural naming.

The appearance of both scripts on palace plaques reflects the Qing dynasty's continued use and transformation of the Forbidden City, as well as the historical characteristics of language use within the imperial court.

Manchu was not merely a decorative addition to Chinese characters.

It was an independent alphabetic writing system capable of recording the Manchu language in full.

The parallel appearance of Manchu and Chinese also does not mean that the two languages correspond word for word or character for character.

Each language records the building name according to its own linguistic structure.

For today's visitors, bilingual palace plaques are visible expressions of historical culture.

For scholars of Manchu language and writing, they are important materials for examining how Manchu was actually used in the Qing imperial court.

For historians of the Forbidden City's architecture, these inscriptions also serve as reminders that the same palace buildings may have undergone different forms of use, restoration, and cultural interpretation across successive dynasties.

Thus, the bilingual Manchu–Chinese inscriptions of the Forbidden City represent more than the coexistence of two writing systems.

They are tangible expressions of the intersection between Ming and Qing palace history, Qing dynasty language practices, and Manchu cultural traditions.

Understanding these inscriptions allows us to look beyond the names of palace buildings and gain a deeper appreciation of the multiple layers of history preserved within the Forbidden City.

— MING YE

References and Research Materials

• The Palace Museum, official website and architectural research materials. Foundational resources concerning the architectural history of the Forbidden City, palace functions, and Qing court history.

• Gertraude Roth Li, Manchu: A Textbook for Reading Documents (2000). An important reference for Manchu letters, spelling conventions, and Qing dynasty document reading.

• Jerry Norman, A Comprehensive Manchu-English Dictionary (2013). A major reference for Manchu vocabulary, Romanization, and lexical meanings.

• Mark C. Elliott, The Manchu Way: The Eight Banners and Ethnic Identity in Late Imperial China (2001). An important study of the Eight Banners system, Manchu identity, and related historical culture.

• Qing Shilu (Veritable Records of the Qing Dynasty). An important historical source for Qing political institutions, court affairs, and related events.

• Manzhou Shilu (Records of the Manchus). Historical accounts concerning the creation of Manchu writing during Nurhaci's period and early Manchu history.