日本神社的“鸟居”是什么？

Each week, The Times’s crossword column, Wordplay, highlights the answer to one of the most difficult clues from the previous week’s puzzles.

每一周，时报的字谜专栏“词玩”(Wordplay)都会呈现前一周字谜难度最高的线索的答案。

This week’s word: torii.

本周的词是：“torii”(鸟居)。

Torii (pronounced TOR-ee-ee) are familiar as a symbol of Japan, but many solvers were unsure of the word when it appeared in the March 20 puzzle with the clue “Traditional Japanese gate.” It has appeared 63 times in Times crosswords.

“Torii”(发音为TOR-ee-ee)是日本一个为人所熟悉的象征，但当它在3月20日的填字谜中，以“传统日本大门”的线索出现时，许多解谜者都不确定这个词。它已经在时报的字谜游戏中出现过63次。

These gates, which have a traditional shape and structure, are closely related to the Shinto religion. Typically located at the entrance of Shinto shrines or in spots that hold special religious significance, they signal to worshipers a transition from the profane world to the sacred. By walking through the torii, one has entered the world of the Kami, or Shinto gods.

这些有着传统外观和结构的大门，与日本的神道教紧密相关。它们通常位于神道教神社的入口处，或是具有特殊宗教意义的地方，向朝拜者表明这里是世俗世界到圣洁世界的过渡。穿过去，你就进入了神道教众神的世界。

The earliest documentation of the torii in Japan dates to 922 A.D., during the Heian period.

日本对“Torii”的最早记录可追溯至日本平安时代的公元922年。

The structure of the torii varies, but the most important parts are the pillars (hashira), the lintel placed on the two pillars (kasagi), and a tie-beam that keeps the structure together (nuki).

“Torii”的构造各有不一，但其中最为重要的部位是大柱，门楣置于两个门柱上，还有将该构造维系在一起的系梁。

For the easier puzzles at the beginning of the week, the word might also appear with the clue: “Shinto temple gateway” or “Shinto gateway.”

周初简单一些的字谜中，这个词可能会以这样的线索出现：“神道教庙宇大门口”或“神道教大门口”。

Later in the week, it might be referred to as: “Shinto shrine entrance,” “Traditional Japantown feature,” “Decorative gateway in Japan” or “Japanese portal.”

在晚些时候较难的字谜中，这个词可能会被指代为：“神道教神社入口”、“传统日本街的特色”、“日本装饰性的通道口”或是“日式入口”。