Definition
公堂 historically refers to the court hall where a local magistrate presided over trials in imperial China. It also extends to mean an ancestral hall or memorial temple used for family rituals. The word appears in modern written Chinese, especially in historical narratives and set phrases like 对簿公堂 (to litigate in court).
p.w.
(historical) law courttribunalancestral hallmemorial temple
Examples
- ，公堂。Zài gǔdài, lǎobǎixìng dǎ guānsi dōu yào shàng gōng táng.In ancient times, common people had to go to the court to file lawsuits.
- 公堂。Zhè zuò gōng táng lǐ gòngfèng zhe zǔxiān de páiwèi.This ancestral hall enshrines the memorial tablets of ancestors.
- ，。Shuāngfāng duì bù gōng táng, zuìzhōng dáchéng le héjiě.The two parties faced each other in court and eventually reached a settlement.
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