传国玉玺

傳國玉璽
chuánguó yùxǐ
noun

Meanings

  1. 1 Heirloom Seal of the Realm, the jade seal handed down by China's emperors from the Qin dynasty on

Examples

HSK 6
Chuánshuō chuánguó yùxǐ shì yòng Héshìbì kèchéng de.
Legend has it that the Heirloom Seal of the Realm was carved from the He Shi Bi jade.
HSK 7-9
Zài luànshì, dédào chuánguó yùxǐ jiù děngyú dédào le tiānmìng.
In times of chaos, getting hold of the Heirloom Seal meant getting the mandate of Heaven.

Tips

history
Said to have been carved for 秦始皇 from the 和氏璧 jade and inscribed 'Mandated by Heaven, may the reign be long and prosperous', it passed from dynasty to dynasty as proof of the right to rule. It was lost in the wars of the Five Dynasties in the 10th century, and every seal that turned up later was doubted.
usage
玉玺 is any emperor's jade seal; 传国 'handed down with the state' marks this one.

Stroke Order

传 chuán
国 guó
玉 yù
玺 xǐ