the freedom of the city
noun /ðə ˌfriːdəm əv ðə ˈsɪti/
/ðə ˌfriːdəm əv ðə ˈsɪti/
[uncountable]- an honour that a particular city gives to people. It is usually given to a famous person by the city that they live in or were born in, or to a person who has done some good work for a city. It is a historical title, and does not give the person any special rights. In the US, a person who is given the freedom of the city is also given a large key as a symbol of the honour. For this reason the honour is commonly called the keys to the city.
城市的自由：特定城市赋予人们的荣誉。通常将其由居住或出生的城市提供给名人，或者提供给为城市做得很好的人。这是历史名称，不会赋予该人任何特殊权利。在美国，被授予城市自由的人也将获得一把大钥匙作为荣誉的象征。因此，荣誉通常被称为城市的钥匙。