Assassins and spaceships and evil doings! Start reading Chapter One of the novel Support Human Beings by Liu Cixin, author of China’s most famous sci-fi Three Body Problem.
业务就是业务，无关其他。这是滑膛所遵循的原则，但这一次，客户却让他感到了困惑。
首先客户的委托方式不对，他要与自己面谈，在这个行业中，这可是件很稀奇的事。三年前，滑膛听教官不止一次地说过，他们与客户的关系，应该是前额与后脑勺的关系，永世不得见面，这当然是为了双方的利益考虑。见面的地点更令滑膛吃惊，是在这座大城市中最豪华的五星级酒店中最豪华的总统大厅，那可是世界上最不适合委托这种业务的地方。据对方透露，这次委托加工的工件有三个，这倒无所谓，再多些他也不在乎。
服务生拉开了总统大厅镶金的大门，滑膛在走进去前，不为人察觉地把手向夹克里探了一下，轻轻拉开了左腋下枪套的按扣。其实这没有必要，没人会在这种地方对他干太意外的事。
大厅金碧辉煌，仿佛是与外面现实毫无关系的另一个世界，巨型水晶吊灯就是这个世界的太阳，猩红色的地毯就是这个世界的草原。这里初看很空旷，但滑膛还是很快发现了人，他们围在大厅一角的两个落地窗前，撩开厚重的窗帘向外面的天空看，滑膛扫了一眼，立刻数出竟有十三个人。客户是他们而不是他，也出乎滑膛的预料，教官说过，客户与他们还像情人关系一一尽管可能有多个，但每次只能与他们中的一人接触。 [SCI-FI PART]滑膛知道他们在看什么：哥哥飞船又移到南半球上空了，现在可以清晰地看到。上帝文明离开地球已经三年了，那次来自宇宙的大规模造访，使人类对外星文明的心理承受能力增强了许多，况且，上帝文明有铺天盖地的两万多艘飞船，而这次到来的哥哥飞船只有一艘。它的形状也没有上帝文明的飞船那么奇特，只是一个两头圆的柱体，像是宇宙中的一粒感冒胶囊。
看到滑膛进来，那十三个人都离开窗子，回到了大厅中央的大圆桌旁。滑膛认出了他们中的大部分，立刻感觉这间华丽的大厅变得寒碜了。这些人中最引入注目的是朱汉杨，他的华软集团的“东方3000”操作系统正在全球范围内取代老朽的WINDOWS。其他的人，也都在福布斯财富500排行的前50内，这些人每年的收益，可能相当于一个中等国家的GDP，滑膛处于一个小型版的全球财富论坛中。
这些人与齿哥是绝对不一样的，滑堂暗想，齿哥是一夜的富豪，他们则是三代修成的贵族，虽然真正的时间远没有那么长，但他们确实是贵族，财富在他们这里已转化成内敛的高贵，就像朱汉杨手上的那枚钻戒，纤细精致，在他修长的手指上若隐若现，只是偶尔闪一下温润的柔光，但它的价值，也许能买几十个齿哥手指上那颗核桃大小金光四射的玩艺儿。
但现在，这十三名高贵的财界精英聚在这里，却是要雇职业杀手杀人，而且要杀三个人，据首次联系的人说，这还只是第一批。
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Hover a word for its pinyin & meaning; click to pin it.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 业 | Yè | surname Ye |
| 务 | wù | affair; business; matter; to be engaged in; to attend to; by all means |
| 就是 | jìu shì | exactly; precisely; only; simply; just; (used correlatively with 也[ye3]) even; even if |
| 无 | mó | used in 南無|南无[na1 mo2] |
| 关 | Guān | surname Guan |
| 其 | qí | his; her; its; their; that; such; it (refers to sth preceding it) |
| 他 | tā | (third-person singular) (since the early 20th century, usu. male) he; him; his; (bound form) other; another; some other (as in 他日[ta1 ri4] and 他人[ta1 ren2]) |
| 这 | zhè | (pronoun) this; these; (bound form) this; the (followed by a noun); (bound form) this; these (followed by a classifier) (in this sense, commonly pr. [zhei4], esp. in Beijing) |
| 是 | shì | to be (followed by substantives only); correct; right; true; (respectful acknowledgement of a command) very well; (adverb for emphatic assertion); variant of 是[shi4] |
| 滑 | Huá | surname Hua |
| 膛 | tāng | (bound form) hollow space |
| 所 | suǒ | actually; place; classifier for houses, small buildings, institutions etc; that which; particle introducing a relative clause or passive; CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 遵 | zun | to observe; to follow |
| 循 | xūn | (bound form) to follow; to act in accordance with |
| 的 | de | of; ~'s (possessive particle); (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun); (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis); (used after a noun, verb or adjective to… |
| 原则 | yuán zé | principle; doctrine; CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 但 | dàn | but; yet; however; still; merely; only; just |
| 一次 | yī cì | first; first time; once; (math.) linear (of degree one) |
| 客户 | kè hù | client; customer |
| 却 | què | old variant of 卻|却[que4]; but; yet; however; while; to go back; to decline; to retreat; nevertheless; even though |
| 让 | ràng | to yield; to permit; to let sb do sth; to have sb do sth; to make sb (feel sad etc); by (indicates the agent in a passive clause, like 被[bei4]) |
| 感 | gǎn | to feel; to move; to touch; to affect; feeling; emotion; (suffix) sense of ~ |
| 到了 | dào liǎo | at last; finally; in the end |
| 困 | kùn | to trap; to surround; hard-pressed; stranded; destitute; sleepy; tired |
| 惑 | huǒ | to confuse |
| 首先 | shǒu xiān | first of all; in the first place |
| 委 | Wěi | surname Wei |
| 托 | tuo | to hold up in one's hand; to support with one's palm; (bound form) a shill; torr (unit of pressure) |
| 方式 | fāng shì | way; method; manner; mode; pattern (of behavior etc); CL:種|种[zhong3] |
| 不对 | bù duì | incorrect; wrong; amiss; abnormal; queer |
| 要 | yāo | (bound form) to demand; to coerce |
| 与 | yú | variant of 歟|欤[yu2] |
| 自己 | zì jǐ | oneself; (attributive) one's own |
| 面谈 | miàn tán | face-to-face meeting; an interview |
| 在 | zài | to exist; to be alive; (of sb or sth) to be (located) at; (used before a verb to indicate an action in progress) |
| 这个 | zhè ge | (pronoun) this; (adjective) this |
| 行 | háng | (bound form) row; line; (bound form) line of business; trade; profession; (bound form) commercial firm; (bound form) to rank (first, second etc) among one's siblings (by age); (in … |
| 中 | Zhōng | (bound form) China; Chinese; surname Zhong |
| 可是 | kě shì | but; however; (used for emphasis) indeed |
| 件 | jiàn | item; component; classifier for events, things, clothes etc |
| 很 | hěn | very; quite; (also, often used before an adjective without intensifying its meaning, i.e. as a meaningless syntactic element) |
| 稀 | xi | sparse; scattered; diluted; thin; watery; (bound form) totally; extremely (used with negative attributes, as in 稀糟[xi1 zao1] "utterly ruined") |
| 奇 | jī | odd (number) |
| 事 | shì | matter; thing; item; work; affair; CL:件[jian4],樁|桩[zhuang1],回[hui2] |
| 三 | Sān | surname San |
| 年前 | nián qián | by the end of the year; at the end of the year; shortly before New Year |
| 听 | yǐn | smile (archaic); to listen to; to hear; to heed; to obey; a can (loanword from English "tin"); classifier for canned beverages; to let be; to allow (Taiwan pr. [ting4]); (literary) to administer; t… |
| 教 | Jiào | surname Jiao |
| 官 | Guān | surname Guan |
| 不止 | bù zhǐ | incessantly; without end; more than; not limited to |
| 地 | de | -ly; structural particle: used before a verb or adjective, linking it to preceding modifying adverbial adjunct |
| 说 | shuì | to persuade; variant of 說|说[shuo1] |
| 过 | Guō | surname Guo |
| 们 | men | plural marker for pronouns, and nouns referring to individuals |
| 系 | xì | to connect; to relate to; to tie up; to bind; to be (literary); system; department; faculty; to tie; to fasten; to button up |
| 应 | Yīng | surname Ying; Taiwan pr. [Ying4] |
| 该 | gāi | should; ought to; probably; must be; to deserve; to owe; to be sb's turn to do sth; that; the above-mentioned |
| 前额 | qián é | forehead |
| 后 | Hòu | surname Hou; back; behind; rear; afterwards; after; later; post- |
| 脑 | nǎo | brain; mind; head; essence |
| 勺 | sháo | spoon; ladle; CL:把[ba3]; abbr. for 公勺[gong1 shao2], centiliter (unit of volume) |
| 永世 | yǒng shì | eternal; forever |
| 不得 | bù dé | must not; may not; not to be allowed; cannot |
| 见面 | jiàn miàn | to meet; to see each other; CL:次[ci4] |
| 当然 | dāng rán | only natural; as it should be; certainly; of course; without doubt |
| 为了 | wèi le | for; for the purpose of; in order to |
| 双方 | shuāng fāng | bilateral; both sides; both parties involved |
| 利益 | lì yì | benefit; (in sb's) interest; CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 考虑 | kǎo lu:4 | to think over; to consider; consideration |
| 地点 | dì diǎn | place; site; location; venue; CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 更 | gēng | to change or replace; to experience; one of the five two-hour periods into which the night was formerly divided; watch (e.g. of a sentry or guard) |
| 令 | líng | used in 脊令[ji2 ling2]; used in 令狐[Ling2 hu2] (Taiwan pr. [ling4]) |
| 吃惊 | chī jīng | to be startled; to be shocked; to be amazed |
| 座 | zuò | seat; base; stand; (bound form) constellation; (archaic) suffix used in a respectful form of address (e.g. 師座|师座[shi1 zuo4]); classifier for large immovable objects such as buildin… |
| 大城市 | dà chéng shì | major city; metropolis |
| 最 | zuì | variant of 最[zui4]; old variant of 最[zui4]; (before an adjective or verb) to the highest degree; (the) most ...; -est; (after 之[zhi1]) best or most extreme example (e.g. 世界之最[shi4 jie4 zhi1 zui4] "the greatest in the world") |
| 豪华 | háo huá | luxurious |
| 五星级 | wǔ xīng jí | five-star (hotel) |
| 酒店 | jǐu diàn | wine shop; pub (public house); hotel; restaurant; (Tw) hostess club |
| 总 | zǒng | (bound form) general; overall; to sum up; in every case; always; invariably; anyway; after all; eventually; sooner or later; surely; (after a person's name) abbr. for 總經理|总经理[zong3… |
| 统 | tóng | to gather; to unify |
| 大厅 | dà tīng | hall; concourse; public lounge; (hotel) lobby |
| 那 | Nā | surname Na |
| 世界 | shì jiè | world |
| 上 | shǎng | used in 上聲|上声[shang3 sheng1] |
| 不适 | bù shì | unwell; indisposed; out of sorts |
| 合 | gě | 100 ml; one-tenth of a peck; measure for dry grain equal to one-tenth of sheng 升 or liter, or one-hundredth dou 斗; variant of 合[he2] |
| 这种 | zhè zhǒng | this kind of |
| 地方 | dì fāng | region; regional (away from the central administration); local |
| 据 | jǔ | according to; based on; evidence |
| 对方 | duì fāng | the other person; the other side; the other party |
| 透 | tǒu | (bound form) to penetrate; to seep through; thoroughly; through and through |
| 露 | Lù | surname Lu |
| 次 | cì | next in sequence; second; the second (day, time etc); secondary; vice-; sub-; infra-; inferior quality; substandard; order; sequence; hypo- (chemistry); classifier for enumerated e… |
| 加工 | jiā gōng | to process; processing; working (of machinery) |
| 工 | gōng | work; worker; skill; profession; trade; craft; labor |
| 有 | yǒu | to have; there is; (bound form) having; with; -ful; -ed; -al (as in 有意[you3 yi4] intentional) |
| 个 | gě | used in 自個兒|自个儿[zi4 ge3 r5]; variant of 個|个[ge4] |
| 倒 | dǎo | to fall; to collapse; to lie horizontally; to fail; to go bankrupt; to overthrow; to change (trains or buses); to move around; to resell at a profit |
| 谓 | wěi | to say; to call; to be called; meaning; so-called |
| 再 | zài | again; once more; re-; further; beyond this point of time; (before an adjective) more; then (after sth, and not until then); no matter how ... (followed by an adjective or verb, an… |
| 多 | duō | many; much; more; a lot of; too many; in excess; (after a numeral) ... odd; how (to what extent) (Taiwan pr. [duo2]); (bound form) multi-; poly- |
| 些 | xiē | classifier indicating a small amount or small number greater than 1: some, a few, several |
| 也 | Yě | surname Ye |
| 不 | bù | no; not so; (bound form) not; un- |
| 乎 | hu | (classical particle similar to 於|于[yu2]) in; from; than |
| 服务生 | fú wù shēng | server (at a restaurant) |
| 拉 | lā | to pull; to play (a bowed instrument); to drag; to draw; to chat; (coll.) to empty one's bowels |
| 开 | kāi | to open (transitive or intransitive); (of ships, vehicles, troops etc) to start; to turn on; to put in operation; to operate; to run; to boil; to write out (a prescription, check, … |
| 了 | le | (completed action marker); (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now); (modal particle intensifying preceding clause); (bound form) clear in one's mind; to understand clearly |
| 镶 | xiang | to inlay; ridge |
| 金 | Jīn | surname Jin; surname Kim (Korean); Jurchen Jin dynasty (1115–1234) |
| 大门 | Dà mén | the Doors, US rock band |
| 走进 | zǒu jìn | to enter; to step into |
| 去 | qù | to go; to go to (a place); (of a time etc) last; just passed; to send; to remove; to get rid of; to reduce; to be apart from in space or time; to die (euphemism); to play (a part);… |
| 前 | qián | front; forward; ahead; first; top (followed by a number); future; ago; before; BC (e.g. 前293年); former; formerly |
| 为人 | wéi rén | to conduct oneself; behavior; conduct; personal character |
| 察 | Chá | short name for Chahar Province 察哈爾|察哈尔[Cha2 ha1 er3]; variant of 察[cha2] |
| 觉 | jiào | a nap; a sleep; CL:場|场[chang2] |
| 把手 | bǎ shǒu | to shake hands |
| 向 | Xiàng | surname Xiang; to tend toward; to guide; variant of 向[xiang4]; variant of 向[xiang4]; direction; orientation; to face; to turn toward; to; towards; shortly before; formerly |
| 夹克 | jiā kè | (loanword) jacket; also pr. [jia2 ke4] |
| 里 | lǐ | variant of 裡|里[li3]; lining; interior; inside; internal; also written 裏|里[li3]; surname Li |
| 探 | tǎn | to explore; to scout; to stretch forward |
| 一下 | yī xià | (after a verb) a bit; a little (indicating brief duration, or softening the tone, or suggesting giving sth a try); all at once; suddenly |
| 轻轻 | qīng qīng | lightly; softly |
| 左 | Zuǒ | surname Zuo |
| 腋 | ||
| 下 | xià | down; downwards; below; lower; later; next (week etc); second (of two parts); to decline; to go down; to arrive at (a decision, conclusion etc); measure word to show the frequency … |
| 枪 | qiāng | gun; spear |
| 套 | tào | to cover; to encase; cover; sheath; to overlap; to interleave; to model after; to copy; formula; harness; loop of rope; (fig.) to fish for; to obtain slyly; classifier for sets, co… |
| 按 | ǎn | to press; to leave aside or shelve; to restrain; to check or refer to; in the light of |
| 扣 | kǒu | to fasten; button; knot; to confiscate; discount; to smash, spike or dunk (a ball); (fig.) to tag a label on sb |
| 其实 | qí shí | actually; in fact; really |
| 没有 | méi yǒu | haven't; hasn't; doesn't exist; to not have; to not be |
| 必要 | bì yào | necessary; essential; indispensable; required |
| 没 | méi | (negative prefix for verbs) have not; not |
| 人 | rén | person; people; CL:個|个[ge4],位[wei4],名[ming2] |
| 会 | huì | can; to have the skill; to know how to; to be likely to; to be sure to; to meet; to get together; meeting; gathering; (suffix) union; group; association; (bound form) a moment (Tai… |
| 对 | duì | right; correct; towards; at; for; concerning; regarding; to treat (sb a certain way); to face; (bound form) opposite; facing; matching; to match together; to adjust; to fit; to sui… |
| 干 | gān | old variant of 乾|干[gan1]; surname Gan; variant of 乾|干[gan1]; tree trunk; main part of sth; to manage; to work; to do; capable; cadre; to kill (slang); to fuck (vulgar); (coll.) pissed off; annoyed |
| 太 | tài | highest; greatest; too (much); very; extremely |
| 意外 | yì wài | unexpected; accident; mishap; CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 碧 | bì | green jade; bluish green; blue; jade |
| 辉 | hui | (bound form) radiance; brilliance; to shine |
| 煌 | huāng | brilliant |
| 仿 | fǎng | to imitate; to copy; variant of 仿[fang3] |
| 佛 | fū | Buddha; Buddhism (abbr. for 佛陀[Fo2 tuo2]) |
| 外面 | wài miàn | outside (also pr. [wai4 mian5] for this sense); surface; exterior; external appearance |
| 现实 | xiàn shí | reality; actuality; real; actual; realistic; pragmatic; materialistic; self-interested |
| 毫无 | háo wú | not in the least; to completely lack |
| 另 | lìng | other; another; separate; separately |
| 一个 | yī ge | a; an; one; the whole (afternoon, summer vacation etc) |
| 巨 | jù | very large; huge; tremendous; gigantic; (coll.) very; extremely; variant of 巨[ju4] |
| 型 | xīng | mold; style |
| 水晶 | shuǐ jīng | crystal |
| 吊 | diǎo | to suspend; to hang a person |
| 灯 | dēng | lamp; light; lantern; CL:盞|盏[zhan3] |
| 太阳 | tài yang | sun; sunlight; sunshine; temple (on the side of the human head) (abbr. for 太陽穴|太阳穴[tai4 yang2 xue2]) |
| 猩 | ape | |
| 红色 | hóng sè | red (color); revolutionary |
| 地毯 | dì tǎn | carpet; rug |
| 草原 | cǎo yuán | grassland; prairie; CL:片[pian4] |
| 这里 | zhè lǐ | variant of 這裡|这里[zhe4 li3] |
| 初 | chū | (bound form) at first; initially; (bound form) first; early; (bound form) (in lunar calendar dates, before numerals 1–10) days 1 to 10 of a month, as in 初三[chu1 san1] "the third" |
| 看 | kān | to look after; to take care of; to watch; to guard |
| 空 | kōng | empty; air; sky; in vain |
| 旷 | kuàng | vast; to neglect |
| 还是 | hái shi | still (as before); had better; unexpectedly; or |
| 快 | kuài | rapid; quick; speed; rate; soon; almost; to make haste; clever; sharp (of knives or wits); forthright; plainspoken; gratified; pleased; pleasant |
| 发现 | fā xiàn | to notice; to become aware of; to discover; to find; to detect; a discovery |
| 围 | wéi | to encircle; to surround; all around; to wear by wrapping around (scarf, shawl) |
| 一 | yī | one; single; a (article); as soon as; entire; whole; all; throughout; "one" radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 1); also pr. [yao1] for greater clarity when spelling out … |
| 角 | Jué | surname Jue |
| 两 | liǎng | two; both; some; a few; tael, unit of weight equal to 50 grams (modern) or 1⁄16 of a catty 斤[jin1] (old) |
| 落地窗 | luò dì chuāng | floor-to-ceiling window; French window |
| 撩 | ||
| 厚重 | hòu zhòng | thick; heavy; thickset (body); massive; generous; extravagant; profound; dignified |
| 窗帘 | chuāng lián | window curtains |
| 向外 | xiàng wài | outward |
| 面的 | miàn dī | abbr. of 麵包車的士|面包车的士[mian4 bao1 che1 di1 shi4]; minivan taxi |
| 天空 | tiān kōng | sky |
| 扫 | sǎo | to sweep (with a brush or broom); to sweep away; to wipe out; to get rid of; to sweep (one's eyes etc) over; to scan |
| 一眼 | yī yǎn | a glance; a quick look; a glimpse |
| 立刻 | lì kè | immediately; at once; right away |
| 数出 | shǔ chū | to count out (a sum of money etc) |
| 竟 | jǐng | unexpectedly; to go so far as to |
| 十三 | shí sān | thirteen; 13 |
| 个人 | gè rén | an individual; oneself; (attributive) personal; one's own |
| 而 | ér | and; as well as; and so; but (not); yet (not); (indicates causal relation); (indicates change of state); (indicates contrast) |
| 不是 | bù shì | no; is not; not |
| 出 | chū | to go out; to come out; to arise; to occur; to produce; to yield; to go beyond; to exceed; (used after a verb to indicate an outward direction or a positive result); classifier for…; variant of 出[chu1] (classifier for plays or chapters of classical novels) |
| 预料 | yù liào | to forecast; to anticipate; expectation |
| 还 | Huán | surname Huan |
| 像 | xiàng | to resemble; to be like; to look as if; such as; appearance; image; portrait; image under a mapping (math.) |
| 情人 | qíng rén | lover; sweetheart |
| 一一 | yī yī | one by one; one after another |
| 尽管 | jǐn guǎn | despite; although; even though; in spite of; unhesitatingly; do not hesitate (to ask, complain etc); (go ahead and do it) without hesitating |
| 可 | kě | (prefix) can; may; able to; -able; to approve; to permit; to suit; (particle used for emphasis) certainly; very; but; however |
| 能 | Néng | surname Neng |
| 多个 | duō ge | many; multiple; multi- (faceted, ethnic etc) |
| 每次 | měi cì | every time |
| 只 | zhī | variant of 隻|只[zhi1]; variant of 只[zhi3]; grain that has begun to ripen; classifier for birds and certain animals, one of a pair, some utensils, vessels etc |
| 中的 | zhòng dì | to hit the target; (fig.) to hit the nail on the head |
| 接触 | jiē chù | to touch; to contact; access; in touch with |
| 知道 | zhī dào | to know; to become aware of; also pr. [zhi1dao5] |
| 什 | shén | what |
| 么 | má | exclamatory final particle; variant of 麼|么[me5] |
| 哥 | gē | elder brother |
| 飞船 | fēi chuán | spaceship; spacecraft; dirigible; airship |
| 又 | yòu | (once) again; also; both... and...; and yet; (used for emphasis) anyway |
| 移 | yī | to move; to change; to remove |
| 到 | dào | to reach; to arrive; to leave for; to go to; to (a place); until (a time); up to (a point); (verb complement indicating arriving at a place or reaching a point); considerate; thoug… |
| 南半球 | nán bàn qíu | the Southern Hemisphere |
| 上空 | shàng kōng | the skies above a certain place; (aviation) airspace; (Tw) topless |
| 现 | xiàn | to appear; present; now; existing; current |
| 可以 | kě yǐ | can; may; possible; able to; not bad; pretty good |
| 清 | Qīng | Qing (Wade-Giles: Ch'ing) dynasty of China (1644–1911); surname Qing |
| 晰 | xi | clear |
| 看到 | kàn dào | to see |
| 帝 | dǐ | (bound form) emperor; sovereign; supreme deity |
| 文明 | wén míng | civilized; civilization; culture; CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 离开 | lí kāi | to depart; to leave |
| 地球 | dì qíu | the earth |
| 已经 | yǐ jīng | already |
| 年 | Nián | surname Nian; grain; harvest (old); variant of 年[nian2] |
| 来 | lái | to come; (used as a substitute for a more specific verb); hither (directional complement for motion toward the speaker, as in 回來|回来[hui2 lai5]); ever since (as in 自古以來|自古以来[zi4 gu3… |
| 自 | zì | (bound form) self; oneself; from; since; naturally; as a matter of course |
| 宇 | yǔ | room; universe |
| 宙 | ||
| 大 | dà | big; large; great; older (than another person); eldest (as in 大姐[da4 jie3]); greatly; freely; fully; (dialect) father; (dialect) uncle (father's brother) |
| 规 | guī | variant of 規|规[gui1]; compass; a rule; regulation; to admonish; to plan; to scheme |
| 模 | mō | to imitate; norm |
| 造 | zǎo | to make; to manufacture; to fabricate; party (in a lawsuit or legal agreement); classifier for crops |
| 访 | fǎng | (bound form) to seek by inquiry; (bound form) to visit; to call on |
| 使 | shǐ | to make; to cause; to enable; to use; to employ; to send; to instruct sb to do sth; envoy; messenger |
| 类 | lěi | kind; type; class; category; (bound form) to resemble; to be similar to |
| 对外 | duì wài | external; foreign; pertaining to external or foreign (affairs) |
| 星 | xīng | star; heavenly body; satellite; small amount |
| 心理 | xīn lǐ | psychology; mentality |
| 承 | chēng | to bear; to carry; to undertake; to inherit; to continue |
| 受 | shòu | to receive; to accept; to suffer; subjected to; to bear; to stand; pleasant; (passive marker); (LGBT) bottom |
| 力 | Lì | surname Li |
| 增 | zēng | (bound form) to increase; to augment; to add to |
| 强 | qiāng | strong; powerful; vigorous; better; to force (qiang3); stubborn (jiang4); surname Qiang |
| 许多 | xǔ duō | many; a lot of; much |
| 况 | kuàng | moreover; situation |
| 且 | qiě | and; moreover; yet; for the time being; to be about to; both (... and...) |
| 铺 | pǔ | to spread; to pave (pu1); a shop; a bed (pu4) |
| 天 | tiān | day; sky; heaven |
| 盖 | gǎi | to cover; to build; a lid; since; approximately; surname Gai |
| 万 | mò | used in 万俟[Mo4 qi2]; surname Wan |
| 艘 | sou | classifier for ships |
| 只有 | zhǐ yǒu | only have ...; there is only ...; (used in combination with 才[cai2]) it is only if ... (that one can ...) (as in 只有通過治療才能痊愈|只有通过治疗才能痊愈[zhi3 you3 tong1 guo4 zhi4 liao2 cai2 neng2 qu… |
| 它 | tā | it; it (pronoun for an animal) |
| 形状 | xíng zhuàng | form; shape |
| 那么 | nà me | like that; in that way; to that extent; (before a number) ... or so; about ...; then; in that case |
| 奇特 | qí tè | peculiar; unusual; queer |
| 只是 | zhǐ shì | merely; only; just; nothing but; simply; but; however |
| 头 | tóu | head; hair style; the top; end; beginning or end; a stub; remnant; chief; boss; side; aspect; first; leading; classifier for pigs or livestock; CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 圆 | yuán | circle; round; circular; spherical; (of the moon) full; unit of Chinese currency (yuan); tactful; to make consistent and whole (the narrative of a dream or a lie) |
| 柱 | zhǔ | pillar |
| 体 | tī | used in 體己|体己[ti1 ji5]; Taiwan pr. [ti3] |
| 粒 | lì | grain; granule; pellet; particle; classifier for small round objects (peas, bullets, peanuts, pills, grains etc); (Tw) classifier for larger round objects (watermelon etc) |
| 冒 | mào | old variant of 冒[mao4]; surname Mao |
| 胶 | ||
| 囊 | nāng | used in 囊膪[nang1 chuai4] and 囊揣[nang1 chuai4] |
| 进 | jìn | to go forward; to advance; to go in; to enter; to put in; to submit; to take in; to admit; (math.) base of a number system; classifier for sections in a building or residential com… |
| 都 | Dū | surname Du |
| 窗子 | chuāng zi | window |
| 回到 | huí dào | to return to |
| 央 | yāng | center; end; to beg; to plead |
| 大圆 | dà yuán | great circle (in spherical geometry) |
| 桌 | zhuō | table; desk; classifier for tables of guests at a banquet etc; old variant of 桌[zhuo1] |
| 旁 | páng | one side; other; different; lateral component of a Chinese character (such as 刂[dao1], 亻[ren2] etc) |
| 认出 | rèn chū | recognition; to recognize |
| 大部分 | dà bù fen | the greater part; the majority; most; Taiwan pr. [da4bu4fen4] |
| 间 | jiān | between; among; within a definite time or space; room; section of a room or lateral space between two pairs of pillars; classifier for rooms |
| 华 | Huá | abbr. for China |
| 丽 | lǐ | used in place names, notably 高麗|高丽[Gao1 li2] and 麗水|丽水[Li2 shui3] |
| 变得 | biàn de | to become |
| 寒 | hán | cold; poor; to tremble |
| 碜 | ||
| 这些 | zhè xiē | these |
| 人中 | rén zhōng | philtrum; infranasal depression; the "human center" acupuncture point |
| 引入 | yǐn rù | to draw into; to pull into; to introduce |
| 注 | zhù | (bound form) to pour into; to flow into; to inject; (bound form) to focus (one's spirit, gaze etc) on a single point; to concentrate; (bound form) stake (in gambling); classifier f…; to annotate; to provide explanatory notes on a written text; an annotation; an explanatory note; (bound form) to put on record; to register |
| 目的 | mù dì | purpose; aim; goal; target; objective |
| 朱 | Zhū | surname Zhu; (bound form) cinnabar |
| 汉 | Hàn | Han ethnic group; Chinese (language); the Han dynasty (206 BC-220 AD) |
| 杨 | yāng | poplar; surname Yang |
| 软 | ruǎn | soft; flexible; variant of 軟|软[ruan3] |
| 集团 | jí tuán | group; bloc; corporation; conglomerate |
| 东 | Dōng | surname Dong |
| 方 | Fāng | surname Fang |
| 操作 | cāo zuò | to work; to operate; to manipulate |
| 正 | zhēng | first month of the lunar year |
| 全球 | quán qíu | the whole world; worldwide; global |
| 范 | fǎn | pattern; example |
| 内 | nèi | inside; inner; internal; within; interior |
| 取代 | qǔ dài | to replace; to supersede; to supplant; (chemistry) substitution |
| 老 | lǎo | prefix used before the surname of a person or a numeral indicating the order of birth of the children in a family or to indicate affection or familiarity; old (of people); venerabl… |
| 朽 | ||
| 福布斯 | Fú bù sī | Forbes (US publisher); Forbes magazine |
| 财富 | cái fù | wealth; riches |
| 排行 | pái háng | to rank; ranking; seniority (among siblings) |
| 每年 | měi nián | every year; each year; yearly |
| 收益 | shōu yì | earnings; profit |
| 相当于 | xiāng dāng yú | equivalent to |
| 中等 | zhōng děng | medium |
| 国家 | guó jiā | country; nation; state |
| 处于 | chǔ yú | to be in (some state, position, or condition) |
| 小 | xiǎo | small; tiny; few; young |
| 版 | bǎn | a register; block of printing; edition; version; page |
| 论 | Lún | abbr. for 論語|论语[Lun2 yu3], The Analects (of Confucius) |
| 坛 | tān | altar; (bound form) (sporting, literary etc) circles; world |
| 齿 | chǐ | (bound form) tooth; (bound form) to regard as worthy of mention |
| 绝对 | jué duì | absolute; unconditional |
| 不一 | bù yī | to vary; to differ |
| 样 | yàng | manner; pattern; way; appearance; shape; classifier: kind, type |
| 堂 | táng | (main) hall; large room for a specific purpose; CL:間|间[jian1]; relationship between cousins etc on the paternal side of a family; of the same clan; classifier for classes, lectures… |
| 暗想 | àn xiǎng | think to oneself |
| 夜 | yè | variant of 夜[ye4]; night |
| 富豪 | fù háo | rich and powerful person |
| 则 | zé | (literary) (conjunction used to express contrast with a previous clause) but; then; (bound form) standard; norm; (bound form) principle; (literary) to imitate; to follow; classifie… |
| 三代 | sān dài | three generations of a family; the three earliest dynasties (Xia, Shang and Zhou) |
| 修 | xiu | to repair; to build; to cultivate; to study; surname Xiu |
| 成 | Chéng | surname Cheng; short name for Chengdu 成都[Cheng2 du1] |
| 贵族 | guì zú | lord; nobility; nobleman; noblewoman; aristocrat; aristocracy |
| 虽然 | suī rán | although; even though (often used correlatively with 可是[ke3 shi4] or 但是[dan4 shi4] etc) |
| 真正 | zhēn zhèng | genuine; real; true; really; indeed |
| 时间 | shí jiān | (concept of) time; (duration of) time; (point in) time |
| 远 | yuǎn | far; distant; remote; (intensifier in a comparison) by far; much (lower etc) |
| 长 | cháng | long; (bound form) length; (bound form) strong point; forte; (bound form) to be good at; (literary) surplus; spare (Taiwan pr. [zhang4]) |
| 确实 | què shí | indeed; really; reliable; real; true |
| 已 | yǐ | already; to stop; then; afterwards |
| 转化 | zhuǎn huà | to change; to turn; to convert; (genetics) to transform; (chemistry) isomerization |
| 敛 | ||
| 高贵 | gāo guì | grandeur; noble |
| 就 | jìu | (after a suppositional clause) in that case; then; (after a clause of action) as soon as; immediately after; (same as 就是[jiu4 shi4]) merely; nothing else but; simply; just; precise… |
| 手 | shǒu | hand; (formal) to hold; person engaged in certain types of work; person skilled in certain types of work; personal(ly); convenient; classifier for skill; CL:雙|双[shuang1],隻|只[zhi1] |
| 枚 | mēi | (classifier for badges, coins, needles); a stalk; to pick |
| 钻 | zuan | to drill; to bore; to get into (zuan4); a drill; diamond (zuan1) |
| 戒 | jiè | to guard against; to exhort; to admonish or warn; to give up or stop doing sth; Buddhist monastic discipline; ring (for a finger) |
| 纤 | ||
| 细 | xì | thin or slender; finely particulate; thin and soft; fine; delicate; trifling; (of a sound) quiet; frugal |
| 精致 | jīng zhì | delicate; fine; exquisite; refined |
| 手指 | shǒu zhǐ | finger; CL:個|个[ge4],隻|只[zhi1] |
| 若 | ruǒ | used in 般若[bo1 re3] |
| 隐 | yín | (bound form) secret; hidden; concealed; crypto- |
| 偶 | óu | accidental; pair |
| 尔 | ěr | variant of 爾|尔[er3]; thus; so; like that; you; thou |
| 闪 | shán | to flash; to dodge; to sidestep; to sprain; a lightning flash |
| 温 | wen | warm; temperate; temperature; to warm up; to review; surname Wen |
| 润 | rǔn | moist; glossy; sleek; to embellish; to enhance; (neologism c. 2021) (slang) (loanword from "run") to emigrate (in order to flee adverse conditions) |
| 柔 | róu | soft; flexible; supple; yielding; rho (Greek letter Ρρ) |
| 光 | guāng | light; ray (CL:道[dao4]); bright; shiny; only; merely; used up; finished; to leave (a part of the body) uncovered |
| 价 | jiǎ | (literary) messenger; servant |
| 值 | zhī | value; to happen to |
| 也许 | yě xǔ | perhaps; maybe |
| 买 | mǎi | to buy; to purchase |
| 几 | jī | small table; (literary) almost |
| 十 | shí | ten; 10 |
| 颗 | ke | classifier for small spheres, pearls, corn grains, teeth, hearts, satellites etc |
| 核 | hē | pit; nucleus; to examine; to verify |
| 桃 | táo | peach |
| 大小 | dà xiǎo | large and small; size; adults and children; consideration of seniority; at any rate |
| 四射 | sì shè | to radiate all around |
| 玩 | wán | to play; to have fun; to trifle with; toy; sth used for amusement; curio or antique (Taiwan pr. [wan4]); to keep sth for entertainment; variant of 玩[wan2]; Taiwan pr. [wan4] |
| 艺 | yì | skill; art |
| 儿 | ér | child; son |
| 名 | míng | name; noun (part of speech); place (e.g. among winners); famous; classifier for people |
| 财 | cái | money; wealth; riches; property; valuables |
| 界 | jiè | (bound form) boundary; border; (bound form) realm |
| 精英 | jīng yīng | cream; elite; essence; quintessence |
| 聚 | jǔ | to assemble; to gather (transitive or intransitive) |
| 却是 | què shì | nevertheless; actually; the fact is ... |
| 雇 | gù | variant of 雇[gu4]; to employ; to hire; to rent |
| 职 | zhí | office; duty |
| 杀手 | shā shǒu | killer; murderer; hit man; (sports) formidable player |
| 杀人 | shā rén | homicide; to murder; to kill (a person) |
| 杀 | shā | to kill; to slay; to murder; to attack; to weaken; to reduce; (dialect) to smart; (used after a verb) extremely |
| 首次 | shǒu cì | first; first time; for the first time |
| 联系 | lián xì | variant of 聯繫|联系[lian2 xi4] |
| 第 | dì | (prefix indicating ordinal number, as in 第六[di4 liu4] "sixth"); (literary) grades in which successful candidates in the imperial examinations were placed; (old) residence of a high… |
| 批 | pī | to ascertain; to act on; to criticize; to pass on; classifier for batches, lots, military flights; tier (for the ranking of universities and colleges) |
Business is business, and nothing else. This was the principle by which Smoothbore abided, but this time, the client had left him feeling puzzled.
First of all, the way the client commissioned him was wrong, he wanted to meet face-to-face, and in this business, that was a curious matter. Three years earlier, Smoothbore had heard his drillmaster say more than once, their relationship with their clients was like the relationship between the forehead and the back of the head, never to see one another in this world, and this of course was out of consideration for the interests of both parties. The meeting place surprised Smoothbore even more, it was in the most luxurious presidential hall of the city’s most luxurious five-star hotel, which was the least suitable place in the world for commissioning this type of work. According to what the client let slip, this job had three parts, though that was no big deal, even if it had been a few more [Smoothbore] wouldn’t have minded.
The server pulled open the gold-inlayed door of the presidential hall, and before Smoothbore walked in, he surreptitiously moved his hands inside his jacket, lightly flicking open the snap of the gun holster beneath his left armpit. In truth this was unnecessary, no one would do anything too untoward to him in a place like this.
The hall was magnificent, as if it had no connection to the outside world, the huge crystal chandelier was this world’s sun, and the crimson carpet was this world’s grass. At first glance the place was open and spacious, but Smoothbore quickly found the people [inside], they gathered around the floor-to-ceiling windows in one corner of the hall, pushing aside the thick curtains to look at the sky outside, and Smoothbore swept his gaze around [the room], quickly counting that there were 13 people there. That the clients were many and not just one was also unexpected, as the drillmaster had said, the relationship between themselves and their clients was like the relationship between lovers – though there may be several, at each meeting you only have contact with one.
Smoothbore knew what they were looking at: Big Brother’s spaceship had taken off to move to the southern hemisphere again, and now it could be seen clearly. It had already been three years since the gods left Earth, and that big visit from outer space [lit: the universe] greatly strengthened mankind’s psychological acceptance of alien civilizations, besides, the gods’ civilization had 20,000 spaceships that blanketed the sky, and this time Big Brother only had one. [The spaceship’s] shape also wasn’t as peculiar as the ones the gods had, it was just a big pillar rounded at both ends, like a big cold [medicine] capsule [out there] in the universe.
When they saw Smoothbore enter, those 13 people all left the window, and came back to the big round table in the center of the hall. Smoothbore recognized most of them, and immediately felt that the resplendent hall had become shabby [in comparison to them]. The most interesting person among them was Zhu Hanyang, his Huaruan Group’s “Oriental 3000” operating system had already replaced decrepit WINDOWS the world over. As for everyone else, they were all in the Forbes Fortune 500 Top 50, and their annual profits were probably equal to a middling country’s GDP, so Smoothbore was [standing] in a small forum of world’s wealthy.
These people were completely different from Yage, Smoothbore thought to himself, Yage was nouveau riche, but these guys were from three generations of nobility, and although the timeline [probably] wasn’t really that long, they were nobility indeed, they transformed riches into a reserved moral elevation, just like the diamond ring on Zhu Hanyang’s hand, fine and exquisite, understated on his slender finger, occasionally glinting with a soft, gentle light, but it was worth several of the gaudily-glittering walnut-sized things [that] Yage [wore on his] hand.
But right now, these thirteen noble magnates were collected here to hire an assassin to commit murder, moreover to kill three people, and according to his first contact, that was just the first part [of the job].