Zhongnanhai

Meanings

1. An area and building in Xicheng district, Beijing, China, which houses the government leaders of the People's Republic of China.
2. The government of the People's Republic of China; the central leadership of the Chinese Communist Party.

Etymology

The atonal Hanyu Pinyin romanization of the Mandarin pronunciation of Chinese 中南海 (Zhōngnánhǎi, “Central South Sea”), a compound of the names 中海 (zhōnghǎi, “Central Sea”) + 南海 (Nánhǎi, “South Sea; Nanhai”), two lakes in central Beijing just west of the Forbidden City.