Forbidden City

American

noun

a walled section of Peking (now Beijing), built in the 15th century, containing the imperial palace and other buildings of the imperial government of China.

Forbidden City British

noun

Lhasa, Tibet: once famed for its inaccessibility and hostility to strangers
a walled section of Beijing, China, enclosing the Imperial Palace and associated buildings of the former Chinese Empire

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of Forbidden City

First recorded in 1845–50

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The Forbidden City was the heart of imperial China for more than 500 years and remains laden with symbolism of its powerful past.

From Barron's • Jan. 29, 2026

I remember him turning up uncharacteristically early at the Forbidden City in Beijing to meet China’s vice-premier and finding himself locked out.

From BBC • Oct. 14, 2024

Kristina Backman, Mankato West class of 1998, went on one of those nearly three-week-long trips, during which they visited the Great Wall, Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City, and Hong Kong.

From Slate • Aug. 7, 2024

The mortar that holds together some of China’s most famous structures — including the Great Wall and the Forbidden City — includes traces of starch from sticky rice.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 2, 2023

He opened like the great gates of the Forbidden City.

From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023