Versailles is a huge, very grand palace just outside Paris, in a town of the same name. King Louis XIV of France turned what had been a small hunting lodge into an enormous royal palace in the 1600s, and moved his whole court there — partly so he could keep the powerful nobles close and watch them. It is famous for its gold-covered rooms, its Hall of Mirrors, and its enormous formal gardens with fountains and straight paths. Today the French state owns it and it is a museum that millions of tourists visit.

Versailles is a huge, very grand palace just outside Paris, in a town of the same name凡爾賽宮是巴黎近郊一座巨大又氣派的宮殿，就在一個同名的小鎮裡。King Louis XIV of France turned what had been a small hunting lodge into an enormous royal palace in the 1600s法國國王路易十四在十七世紀把一個原本只是小狩獵行宮的地方，改建成一座巨大的皇宮，and moved his whole court there並把整個宮廷都搬了過去——partly so he could keep the powerful nobles close and watch them部分原因是為了把有權勢的貴族留在身邊，方便盯著他們。It is famous for its gold-covered rooms, its Hall of Mirrors, and its enormous formal gardens with fountains and straight paths它以金碧輝煌的房間、鏡廳，還有帶著噴泉和筆直步道的巨大幾何花園聞名。Today the French state owns it and it is a museum that millions of tourists visit今天法國政府擁有這座宮殿，它是一座每年吸引數百萬遊客的博物館。

The name also stands for history that happened inside it. The Treaty of Versailles, signed in the Hall of Mirrors in 1919, formally ended the First World War and forced Germany to accept blame and pay heavily — many historians argue those hard terms helped set up the next war. So when someone says 'Versailles' in a history lesson, you must listen for which one they mean: the building, or the treaty.

The name also stands for history that happened inside it這個名字也代表著發生在裡面的歷史。The Treaty of Versailles, signed in the Hall of Mirrors in 1919《凡爾賽和約》在1919年在鏡廳簽署，formally ended the First World War正式結束了第一次世界大戰，and forced Germany to accept blame and pay heavily並強迫德國承擔戰爭責任、付出鉅額賠款——many historians argue those hard terms helped set up the next war許多歷史學家認為，這些苛刻的條件間接種下了下一場戰爭的種子。So when someone says 'Versailles' in a history lesson所以歷史課上有人說'Versailles'的時候，you must listen for which one they mean你得聽清楚他指的是哪一個：the building, or the treaty是宮殿，還是和約。

There is a third use, looser and often unkind: people say a house or a hotel is 'like Versailles' when it is grand to the point of showing off.

There is a third use, looser and often unkind還有第三種用法，比較鬆散，而且常常帶點損人的意味：people say a house or a hotel is 'like Versailles' when it is grand to the point of showing off如果一棟房子或飯店氣派到有點在炫耀，人們就會說它'like Versailles'像凡爾賽宮一樣。

Say it roughly 'ver-SIGH' — the double l and the final s are silent, because the name is French.

Say it roughly 'ver-SIGH'大致唸成'ver-SIGH'——the double l and the final s are silent雙l和字尾的s都不發音，because the name is French因為這個名字是法文。