Why is the doornail of the Forbidden City No.9, not No.8?

The doornail on the Forbidden City is actually of practical significance in terms of architecture. The doornail is actually the top hat of the nail, and it also has a decorative function. In ancient times, the use of doornails was very particular.

The use of doornails on the royal gate began in the Ming Dynasty, when there were clear regulations on the use of doornails.

There are 9 doornails on the Forbidden City, each with 9, and there are 81 * * *, which is a multiple of 9. Nine is considered to be the largest positive number in China's ancient figures, and the 9-way doornail on the door of the Forbidden City also shows that this is the place where a high-ranking person lives, indicating the supremacy of imperial power.

For example, the number and arrangement of doornails are different with the status and level of relatives' palaces, county palaces and temples. General pro-Wangfu vertical nine horizontal seven; Prince mansion is vertical seven horizontal five; The duke's mansion is seven in vertical and horizontal directions, and the number from marquis to baron is reduced to five or five. Except for the palace gate, all the others can only use iron doornails, and ordinary people can't use doornails at all.

But there is one exception, and that is the doornail of Donghuamen. According to the theory of geomantic omen, the east belongs to wood, the south to fire, the west to gold, the north to water and the center to earth. The Forbidden City is the place where the emperor lived, showing the ninth five-year plan of the emperor. Nine is the highest number of yang. Yang belongs to fire, and the wood in the east is like grams. Therefore, Donghuamen in the East will reduce the number of doornails to avoid rushing to itself. Moreover, too much fire and too much soil is not good for imperial power, and reducing the number of doornails symbolizing the door of oriental wood can also alleviate the internal collision of the court.

In addition to the number of doornails, many people have heard a saying: The doornails on the Forbidden City door should not be touched, so why? In fact, this is to protect cultural relics. In the past, it was rumored that touching the doornail on the palace door would bring good luck and cure all diseases. Some people even associated the doornail with the "people" and thought that touching the doornail on the Forbidden City door would make the family "people flourish", so many people would think about touching it when they went to the Forbidden City, which would undoubtedly cause damage to cultural relics.

In order to protect cultural relics from destruction, the Forbidden City has also installed transparent covers in the lower half of some palace doors, and iron railings have been enclosed outside the Hall of Supreme Harmony.