悬空寺位于北岳恒山脚下的金龙峡,距大同市约80公里,据说是北魏时一位叫了然的和尚所建,距今已有1400多年的历史。
这里山势陡峻,两边是直立百米、如同斧劈刀削一般的悬崖,悬空寺就建在这悬崖上,或者说像是粘贴在悬崖上似的,给人一种可望而不可即的感觉。
抬头望上去,但见层层叠叠的殿阁,只有十数根像筷子似的木柱子把它撑住。
俗语说:“平地起高楼。
”可是,悬空寺却反其道而行之。
虽然悬空寺给人的第一个印象是一栋危楼,但出于好奇和探险的冲动,谁都愿意鼓起勇气踏进寺门。
踏上那连接殿宇的走廊,人们会不约而同地提起脚跟,屏住呼吸,小心翼翼地踩在木板上,好像走在刚结了冰的河面上,生怕脚重,寺塌下来。
侧身探头向外仰望,但见凌空的走廊只有数条立木和横木支撑着。
这些横木又叫做“铁扁担”,是用当地的特产铁杉木加工成为方形的木梁,深深插进岩石里去的。
据说,木梁用桐油浸过,所以不怕被白蚁咬,还有防腐作用。
其实,悬空寺之所以能够悬空,除了借助“铁扁担”之力外,柱子也立下了汗马功劳。
这些柱子,每个落点都经过精心计算,以保证能把整座悬空寺支撑起来。
据说,有的木柱起承重作用;
有的是用来平衡楼阁的高低;
有的要有一定重量加在上面,才能够发挥它的支撑作用,如果空无一物,它就无所借力而身不由己了。
悬空寺在建寺时因地制宜,充分利用峭壁的自然状态来布置和建造寺庙的各部分建筑,设计非常精巧。
比如,寺中两座最大的建筑物之一的三官殿,就应用了向岩壁要空间的道理,殿前面是木制的房子,后面则在岩壁上挖了很多石窟,使殿堂变得非常开阔。
悬空寺的其它殿堂大都小巧玲珑,进深都较小,殿内的塑像形体也相对缩小。
Hover a word for its pinyin & meaning; click to pin it.
narration saved locally, offline — from https://download.mandarinbean.com/audio?source=aHR0cHM6Ly90cmFmZmljLmxpYnN5bi5jb20vc2VjdXJlL2xlYXJuY2hpbmVzZS9UaGVfSGFuZ2luZ19UZW1wbGVfLV82MDk3Lm1wMw&filename=The-Hanging-Temple.mp3&signature=7a0413034ccb129761ccd9a568e45f5873ecd72b889d996b25c36fae3571caf3
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 悬空寺 | Xuán kōng Sì | Xuankong Temple or Suspended Temple near Yanyuan in Shanxi |
| 位于 | wèi yú | to be located at / to be situated at / to lie |
| 北岳 | Běi yuè | Mt Heng 恆山|恒山 in Shanxi, one of the Five Sacred Mountains 五嶽|五岳 |
| 恒山 | Héng Shān | Mt Heng in Shanxi, northern mountain of the Five Sacred Mountains / Hengshan district of Jixi city, Heilongjiang |
| 脚 | jiǎo | foot / leg (of an animal or an object) / base (of an object) |
| 下 | xià | down / downwards / below |
| 的 | de | possessive particle (of; 's) / modifying particle (used after an attribute to modify a noun or to form a nominal expression) |
| 金龙峡 | Jīn Lóng Xiá | Jinlong Gorge; a place name, the gorge at the foot of Mount Heng where the Hanging Temple is located. |
| 距 | jù | to be at a distance of ... from; to be apart from |
| 大同 | Dà tóng | (Confucianism) Great Harmony (concept of an ideal society) |
| 市 | shì | city / municipality (administrative unit) |
| 约 | yuē | approximately |
| 公里 | gōng lǐ | kilometer |
| 据说 | jù shuō | it is said that; reportedly |
| 是 | shì | to be (followed by substantives only) |
| 北魏 | Běi Wèi | Wei of the Northern Dynasties (386-534) |
| 时 | shí | o'clock / time / hour / season / period |
| 一 | yī | one / single / a (article) |
| 位 | wèi | classifier for people (honorific) |
| 叫 | jiào | to be called |
| 了然 | Liǎo Rán | Liao Ran, a monk said to have built the Hanging Temple |
| 和尚 | hé shang | Buddhist monk |
| 所 | suǒ | particle introducing a relative clause or passive |
| 建 | jiàn | to establish / to found / to set up / to build / to construct |
| 今 | jīn | now / the present time |
| 已 | yǐ | already |
| 有 | yǒu | to have; there is |
| 多 | duō | (after a numeral) ... odd |
| 年 | nián | year |
| 历史 | lì shǐ | history |
| 这里 | zhè lǐ | here |
| 山 | shān | mountain; hill / (coll.) small bundle of straw for silkworms to spin cocoons on |
| 势 | shì | power / influence / potential / momentum / tendency / trend / situation / conditions / outward appearance / sign / gesture / male genitals |
| 陡峻 | dǒu jùn | precipitous / high and steep |
| 两 | liǎng | two / both / some / a few |
| 边 | biān | side / edge / margin / border / boundary |
| 直立 | zhí lì | erect / upright / vertical |
| 百 | bǎi | hundred |
| 米 | mǐ | uncooked rice / meter (unit of length) / (slang) Chinese yuan |
| 如同 | rú tóng | like / as |
| 斧 | fǔ | hatchet |
| 劈 | pī | to hack / to chop / to split open / (of lightning) to strike |
| 刀 | dāo | knife; blade; single-edged sword; cutlass / (slang) (loanword) dollar |
| 削 | xiāo | to peel with a knife / to pare / to cut (a ball at tennis etc) |
| 一般 | yī bān | same |
| 悬崖 | xuán yá | precipice / overhanging cliff |
| 就 | jiù | merely; nothing else but; simply; just; precisely; exactly |
| 在 | zài | (of sb or sth) to be (located) at |
| 这 | zhè | this; these |
| 上 | shàng | (noun suffix) on; above |
| 或者 | huò zhě | or |
| 说 | shuō | to speak; to talk; to say |
| 像 | xiàng | to resemble / to be like / to look as if |
| 粘贴 | zhān tiē | to stick / to affix / to adhere / to paste (as in "copy and paste") |
| 似的 | shì de | seems as if / rather like |
| 给 | gěi | to give |
| 人 | rén | person; people |
| 种 | zhǒng | classifier for types, kinds, sorts |
| 可望而不可即 | kě wàng ér bù kě jí | visible but out of reach; attainable only in appearance, not in reality |
| 感觉 | gǎn jué | feeling; impression; sensation |
| 抬 | tái | to lift / to raise / (of two or more persons) to carry |
| 头 | tóu | head / the top / end / beginning or end / chief / boss / side / aspect |
| 望 | wàng | to hope / to expect / to visit / to gaze (into the distance) / to look towards |
| 上去 | shàng qù | to go up |
| 但 | dàn | merely; only; just |
| 见 | jiàn | to see / to meet / to appear (to be sth) / to interview |
| 层层叠叠 | céng céng dié dié | layer upon layer; overlapping in many layers |
| 殿阁 | diàn gé | palace buildings; halls and pavilions |
| 只 | zhǐ | only; merely; just |
| 十 | shí | ten / 10 |
| 数 | shù | several; a few |
| 根 | gēn | classifier for long slender objects |
| 筷子 | kuài zi | chopsticks |
| 木 | mù | (bound form) tree / (bound form) wood |
| 柱子 | zhù zi | pillar |
| 把 | bǎ | (used to put the object before the verb: 把[ba3] + {noun} + {verb}) |
| 它 | tā | it |
| 撑住 | chēng zhù | to support; to hold up; to prop up |
| 俗语 | sú yǔ | common saying / proverb / colloquial speech |
| 平地起高楼 | píng dì qǐ gāo lóu | to build something rapidly from nothing; to rise abruptly from a low base |
| 可是 | kě shì | but; however |
| 却 | què | but / yet / however / while / nevertheless / even though |
| 反其道而行之 | fǎn qí dào ér xíng zhī | to do the very opposite / to act in a diametrically opposite way |
| 虽然 | suī rán | although; even though |
| 第 | dì | (prefix indicating ordinal number) |
| 个 | gè | classifier for people or objects in general |
| 印象 | yìn xiàng | impression (sth that stays in one's mind) / a memory |
| 栋 | dòng | classifier for houses or buildings |
| 危楼 | wēi lóu | (literary) tall building / dangerous building; one that is at risk of collapse |
| 出于 | chū yú | due to |
| 好奇 | hào qí | inquisitiveness / curiosity |
| 和 | hé | and; together with |
| 探险 | tàn xiǎn | adventure |
| 冲动 | chōng dòng | impulse / urge |
| 谁 | shéi | who |
| 都 | dōu | all; both; entirely |
| 愿意 | yuàn yì | to wish / to want / ready / willing (to do sth) |
| 鼓 | gǔ | to drum / to strike / to rouse / to bulge / to swell |
| 起 | qǐ | verb suffix, to start / starting from (a time, place, price etc) |
| 勇气 | yǒng qì | courage |
| 踏 | tà | to tread / to stamp / to step on / to press a pedal / to investigate on the spot |
| 进 | jìn | to go in / to enter / to put in / to submit / to take in / to admit |
| 寺 | sì | Buddhist temple / mosque / government office (old) |
| 门 | mén | gate / door / gateway / doorway / opening / valve / switch / way to do something / knack / family / house / (religious) sect / school (of thought) / class / category / phylum or division (taxonomy) / (suffix) -gate (i.e. scandal; derived from Watergate) |
| 那 | nà | (specifier) that; the; those / (pronoun) that (referring to persons, things or situations) |
| 连接 | lián jiē | to link; to join; to connect |
| 殿宇 | diàn yǔ | (literary) halls (of a palace or a temple) |
| 走廊 | zǒu láng | corridor / aisle / hallway / passageway / veranda |
| 人们 | rén men | people |
| 会 | huì | to be likely to; to be sure to |
| 不约而同 | bù yuē ér tóng | (idiom) (of two or more people) to take the same action without prior consultation; (usu. used adverbially) all (or both) of them, independently; as if by prior agreement |
| 地 | de | -ly / structural particle: used before a verb or adjective, linking it to preceding modifying adverbial adjunct |
| 提 | tí | to carry (hanging down from the hand) / to lift / to put forward / to mention / to raise (an issue) |
| 脚跟 | jiǎo gēn | heel |
| 屏住 | bǐng zhù | to hold in; to suppress temporarily (especially breath) |
| 呼吸 | hū xī | to breathe |
| 小心翼翼 | xiǎo xīn yì yì | (idiom) cautious; careful; prudent |
| 踩 | cǎi | to step on / to tread / to stamp / to press a pedal / to pedal (a bike) / (online) to downvote |
| 板 | bǎn | board / plank / plate / shutter / table tennis bat / clappers (music) / accented beat in Chinese music |
| 好像 | hǎo xiàng | as if |
| 走 | zǒu | to walk / to go / to run / to move (of vehicle) / to visit / to leave / to go away / to die (euph.) / to change (shape, form, meaning) |
| 刚 | gāng | just / barely / exactly |
| 结 | jié | to tie / to bind / to check out (of a hotel) |
| 了 | le | (completed action marker) / (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now) |
| 冰 | bīng | ice / (slang) methamphetamine |
| 河面 | hé miàn | surface of a river |
| 生怕 | shēng pà | afraid / extremely nervous / for fear that / so as not to |
| 重 | zhòng | heavy / serious |
| 塌 | tā | to collapse / to droop / to settle down |
| 下来 | xià lái | (after verb of motion, indicates motion down and towards us, also fig.) |
| 侧 | cè | to incline towards / to lean |
| 身 | shēn | body / the main part of a structure or body |
| 探 | tàn | to explore / to search out / to scout / to visit / to stretch forward |
| 向 | xiàng | towards / shortly before / formerly / always / all along |
| 外 | wài | outside / external |
| 仰望 | yǎng wàng | to look up at / to look up to sb hopefully |
| 凌空 | líng kōng | be high up in the sky |
| 条 | tiáo | classifier for long thin things |
| 立 | lì | to stand / to set up / to establish / to lay down / to draw up |
| 横 | héng | horizontal / chaotic / (in fixed expressions) harsh and unreasonable / violent |
| 支撑 | zhī chēng | to prop up / to support |
| 着 | zhe | aspect particle indicating action in progress or ongoing state |
| 这些 | zhè xiē | these |
| 又 | yòu | also |
| 叫做 | jiào zuò | to be called; to be known as |
| 铁 | tiě | iron (metal) / arms / weapons |
| 扁担 | biǎn dan | carrying pole / shoulder pole |
| 用 | yòng | to use; to make use of; to employ / (coverb) with; using |
| 当地 | dāng dì | local |
| 特产 | tè chǎn | special local product / (regional) specialty |
| 铁杉木 | tiě shān mù | hemlock wood; timber from hemlock trees |
| 加工 | jiā gōng | to process |
| 成为 | chéng wéi | to become; to turn into |
| 方 | fāng | square / upright / honest / fair and square |
| 形 | xíng | form / shape |
| 木梁 | mù liáng | wooden beam; timber beam |
| 深深 | shēn shēn | deep / profound |
| 插 | chā | stick in / pierce |
| 岩石 | yán shí | (geology) rock |
| 里 | lǐ | lining / interior / inside |
| 去 | qù | (after a verb of motion) movement away from the speaker; (after certain verbs) detachment or separation |
| 桐 | tóng | tree name (variously Paulownia, Firmiana or Aleurites) |
| 油 | yóu | oil / fat / grease / petroleum |
| 浸 | jìn | to immerse / to soak / to steep |
| 过 | guo | (experienced action marker) |
| 所以 | suǒ yǐ | therefore / as a result / so |
| 不 | bù | no; not so |
| 怕 | pà | to be afraid / to fear / to dread / to be unable to endure |
| 被 | bèi | used to indicate passive voice (placed before the doer of the action like "by" in English passive-voice sentences, or, if the doer is not mentioned, before the verb) / (sarcastic or jocular) used to indicate that the following word should be regarded as being in air quotes |
| 白蚁 | bái yǐ | termite / white ant |
| 咬 | yǎo | to bite / to nip |
| 还 | hái | in addition, also, else, even |
| 防腐 | fáng fǔ | rotproof / antiseptic / anti-corrosion |
| 作用 | zuò yòng | action; function; activity / impact; result; effect |
| 其实 | qí shí | actually; in fact; really |
| 之所以 | zhī suǒ yǐ | (after a noun N and before a predicate P) the reason why N P |
| 能够 | néng gòu | to be capable of / to be able to |
| 悬空 | xuán kōng | to hang in the air |
| 除了 | chú le | apart from; besides; in addition to |
| 借助 | jiè zhù | to draw support from |
| 之 | zhī | (possessive particle, literary equivalent of 的[de5]) |
| 力 | lì | power / force / strength / ability |
| 也 | yě | also; too; as well; (not ...) either |
| 汗马功劳 | hàn mǎ gōng láo | war exploits / (fig.) heroic contribution |
| 每 | měi | each / every |
| 落点 | luò diǎn | the point where something lands or is placed; a support/contact point |
| 经过 | jīng guò | to pass / to go through |
| 精心 | jīng xīn | with utmost care / fine / meticulous / detailed |
| 计算 | jì suàn | to calculate; to compute / to consider; to think over / to plot; to scheme |
| 以 | yǐ | by means of / according to / in order to / because of / at |
| 保证 | bǎo zhèng | to guarantee / to ensure / to safeguard / to pledge |
| 能 | néng | can / to be able to / might possibly |
| 整 | zhěng | (bound form) whole; complete; entire; (before a measure word) whole; (before or after number + measure word) exactly / (bound form) in good order; tidy; neat |
| 座 | zuò | classifier for large immovable objects |
| 起来 | qǐ lái | indicating the beginning and continuation of an action or a state / indicating an upward movement / indicating completion / expressing preliminary judgment |
| 有的 | yǒu de | (there are) some (who are...) / some (exist) |
| 木柱 | mù zhù | wooden pillar; timber post |
| 承重 | chéng zhòng | load-bearing (wall, pillar etc) |
| 用来 | yòng lái | to be used for |
| 平衡 | píng héng | balance / equilibrium |
| 楼阁 | lóu gé | building / pavilion |
| 高 | gāo | high / tall / above average / loud |
| 低 | dī | low |
| 要 | yào | will; shall; about to / need to; should / if |
| 一定 | yī dìng | a certain ...; a given ... |
| 重量 | zhòng liàng | weight |
| 加 | jiā | to add / to increase; to augment |
| 上面 | shàng miàn | on top of |
| 才 | cái | then and only then |
| 发挥 | fā huī | to display / to exhibit / to bring out implicit or innate qualities / to express (a thought or moral) / to develop (an idea) / to elaborate (on a theme) |
| 如果 | rú guǒ | if; in case; in the event that |
| 空无一物 | kōng wú yī wù | empty; having nothing at all |
| 无所借力 | wú suǒ jiè lì | have nothing to rely on for support; be unable to exert force or control |
| 而 | ér | and so / (indicates causal relation) |
| 身不由己 | shēn bù yóu jǐ | (idiom) (of one's circumstances) beyond one's control; unable to do anything about it; (of one's actions) not subject to conscious control (i.e. done in spite of oneself) |
| 因地制宜 | yīn dì zhì yí | (idiom) to use methods in line with local circumstances |
| 充分 | chōng fèn | fully / to the full |
| 利用 | lì yòng | to exploit / to make use of / to use / to take advantage of / to utilize |
| 峭壁 | qiào bì | cliff / precipice |
| 自然 | zì rán | natural |
| 状态 | zhuàng tài | condition; state; state of affairs |
| 来 | lái | (between two verbs) in order to |
| 布置 | bù zhì | to put in order / to arrange / to decorate / to fix up / to deploy |
| 建造 | jiàn zào | to construct; to build |
| 寺庙 | sì miào | temple / monastery / shrine |
| 各 | gè | each / every |
| 部分 | bù fen | part; portion; piece |
| 建筑 | jiàn zhù | building |
| 设计 | shè jì | design; plan |
| 非常 | fēi cháng | very; really |
| 精巧 | jīng qiǎo | elaborate |
| 比如 | bǐ rú | for example; for instance; such as |
| 中 | zhōng | within; among; in |
| 最 | zuì | (before an adjective or verb) to the highest degree; (the) most ...; -est |
| 大 | dà | big; large; great / older (than another person) / eldest |
| 建筑物 | jiàn zhù wù | building / structure / edifice |
| 之一 | zhī yī | one of (sth) / one out of a multitude / one (third, quarter, percent etc) |
| 三官殿 | sān guān diàn | a temple hall dedicated to the Three Officials/Three Purities deities |
| 应用 | yìng yòng | to put to use; to apply |
| 岩壁 | yán bì | a rock cliff; a steep rock face |
| 空间 | kōng jiān | space; room |
| 道理 | dào lǐ | reason / argument / sense / principle / basis / justification |
| 殿 | diàn | palace hall |
| 前面 | qián miàn | ahead / in front / preceding / above |
| 制 | zhì | to manufacture / to make |
| 房子 | fáng zi | house / building (single- or two-story) / apartment / room |
| 后面 | hòu miàn | behind; near the end; at the back / later; afterwards |
| 则 | zé | (literary) (conjunction used to express contrast with a previous clause) but; then |
| 挖 | wā | to dig / to excavate / to scoop out |
| 很多 | hěn duō | many; a lot of |
| 石窟 | shí kū | rock cave / grotto / cliff caves (often with Buddhist statues) |
| 使 | shǐ | to make / to cause / to enable |
| 殿堂 | diàn táng | palace / hall / temple buildings |
| 变得 | biàn de | to become |
| 开阔 | kāi kuò | wide / open (spaces) |
| 其它 | qí tā | (adjective) other |
| 小巧 | xiǎo qiǎo | small and exquisite / delicate / fine (features) / compact / nifty |
| 玲珑 | líng lóng | (onom.) clink of jewels / exquisite / detailed and fine / clever / nimble |
| 进深 | jìn shēn | (of a house or room) distance from the entrance to the rear; depth |
| 较 | jiào | (before an adjective) relatively; comparatively; rather |
| 小 | xiǎo | small / tiny / few |
| 内 | nèi | inside / inner / internal / interior |
| 塑像 | sù xiàng | a statue created through such a process |
| 形体 | xíng tǐ | figure / physique / form and structure |
| 相对 | xiāng duì | relatively |
| 缩小 | suō xiǎo | to reduce; to decrease; to shrink |