A: Adam, how was your visit to the Temple of Heaven last week? Was it fun? B： 简直太棒了。建筑特别壮观，结构也很精巧。我最喜欢的是祈年殿。我去天坛的时候是个晴天，万里无云。祈年

A：亚当，上周你的天坛之行怎么样?有意思吗?
B: Oh, it was fantastic. The buildings were magnificent and their structures were exquisite. What I liked most was the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests. It was a sunny day when I went to the Temple of Heaven, and the sky was crystal clear. The blue roof of the Hall integrated into the sky, and the small golden ball on top of the roof reflected sunlight. I wondered if the designer chose the blue color deliberately.
A：没错，祈年殿的蓝顶正是代表蓝天。另外，不知道你发现没有，不管是祈年殿还是它的基座，形状都是圆形。你知道这是为什么吗?
B: Yeah, I noticed it, but I don’t know why. Does the circular shape mean something in Chinese culture? Or is it because Chinese like the round shape?
A：其实是因为中国古人认为天是圆形的，地是方形的。所以，天坛的主要建筑都是圆形。而天坛的奇妙之处还有很多。就拿你最喜欢的祈年殿来说，这么高大坚固的建筑，完全是木制的，没有用一根钉子和横梁。因此，祈年殿也成了中国古代木结构建筑的经典之作。
B: That’s really an ingenious architectural design. I saw many pillars inside the Hall. Maybe it’s them who support the building. Some pillars were big with golden patterns that looked like flowers, and some were smaller and the color was red.
A：殿里的柱子也有讲究呢。有金色图案的柱子一共四根，代表一年四季。而红柱有12根，象征一年12个月。天坛还有不少关于数字的秘密，咱们下次一起去天坛，一边逛，我一边给你讲这些数字背后的故事。
B: Sure. And next time I can also share with you what I know about Western architecture. By the way, it’s interesting to note that for both China and the West, many outstanding architectural designs are born out of religions or beliefs. But let’s save this topic for next time.