In today’s post, we’ll read the first chapter of Ba Jin’s famous novel The Family. Set in 1920s Chengdu, The Family follows three brothers in the wealthy, tradition-bound Guo household as they each respond differently to the crushing weight of the old patriarchal system — one submitting, one resisting quietly, and one breaking free.
风刮得很紧,雪片像扯破了的棉絮一样在空中飞舞,没有目的地四处飘落。左右两边墙脚各有一条白色的路,好像给中间满是水泥的石板路镶了两道宽边。
街上有行人和两人抬的轿子。他们斗不过风雪,显出了畏缩的样子。雪片愈落愈多,白茫茫地布在在天空中,向四处落下,落在伞上,落在轿顶上,落在轿夫的笠上,落在行人的脸上。
风玩弄着伞,把它吹得向四面偏倒,有一两次甚至吹得它离开了行人的手。风在空中怒吼,声音凄厉,跟雪地上的脚步声混合在一起,成了一种古怪的音乐,这音乐刺痛行人的耳朵,好像在警告他们:风雪会长久地管治着世界,明媚的春天不会回来了。
已经到了傍晚,路旁的灯火还没有燃起来。街上的一切逐渐消失在灰暗的暮色里。路上尽是水和泥。空气寒冷。一个希望鼓舞着在僻静的街上走得很吃力的行人──那就是温暖、明亮的家。
“三弟,走快点,”说话的是一个十八岁的青年,一手拿伞,一手提着棉袍的下幅,还掉过头看后面,圆圆的脸冻得通红,鼻子上架着一副金丝眼镜。
在后面走的弟弟是一个有同样身材、穿同样服装的青年。他的年纪稍微轻一点,脸也瘦些,但是一双眼睛非常明亮。
“不要紧,就快到了。……二哥,今天练习的成绩算你最好,英文说得自然,流利。你扮李医生,很不错,”他用热烈的语调说,马上加快了脚步,水泥又溅到他的裤脚上面。
“这没有什么,不过我的胆子大一点,”哥哥高觉民带笑地说,便停了脚步,让弟弟高觉慧走到他旁边。“你的胆子太小了,你扮‘黑狗’简直不像。你昨天不是把那几句话背得很熟吗?怎么上台去就背不出来了。要不是朱先生提醒你,恐怕你还背不完嘞!”哥哥温和地说着,没有一点责备的口气。
觉慧脸红了。他着急地说:“不晓得什么缘故,我一上讲台心就慌了。好像有好多人的眼光在看我,我恨不得把所有的话一字不遗漏地说出来……”一阵风把他手里的伞吹得旋转起来,他连忙闭上嘴,用力捏紧伞柄。这一阵风马上就过去了。路中间已经堆积了落下来未融化的雪,望过去,白皑皑的,上面留着重重叠叠的新旧脚迹,常常是一步踏在一步上面,新的掩盖了旧的。
“我恨不得把全篇的话一字不遗漏地背了出来,”觉慧把刚才中断了的话接着说下去;“可是一开口,什么话都忘掉了,连平日记得最熟的几句,这时候也记不起来。一定要等朱先生提一两个字,我才可以说下去。不晓得将来正式上演的时候是不是还是这样。要是那时候也是跟现在一样地说不出,那才丢脸嘞!”孩子似的天真的脸上现出了严肃的表情。脚步踏在雪地上,软软的,发出轻松的叫声。
“三弟,你不要怕,”觉民安慰道,“再练习两三次,你就会记得很熟的。你只管放胆地去做。……老实说,朱先生把《宝岛》①改编成剧本,就编得不好,演出来恐怕不会有什么好成绩。”
觉慧不作声了。他感激哥哥的友爱。他在想要怎样才能够把那一幕戏演得好,博得来宾和同学们的称赞,讨得哥哥的欢喜。他这样想着,过了好些时候,他觉得自己渐渐地进入了一个奇异的境界。忽然他眼前的一切全改变了。在前面就是那个称为“彭保大将”的旅馆,他的老朋友毕尔就住在那里。他,有着江湖气质的“黑狗”,在失去了两根手指、经历了许多变故以后,终于找到了毕尔的踪迹,他心里交织着复仇的欢喜和莫名的恐怖。他盘算着,怎样去见毕尔,对他说些什么话,又如何责备他弃信背盟隐匿宝藏,失了江湖上的信义。这样想着,平时记熟了的剧本中的英语便自然地涌到脑子里来了。他醒悟似地欢叫起来:“二哥,我懂得了!”
觉民惊讶地看他一眼,问道:“什么事情?你这样高兴!”
“二哥,我现在才晓得演戏的奥妙了,”觉慧带着幼稚的得意的笑容说。“我想着,仿佛我自己就是‘黑狗’一样,于是话自然地流露了出来,并不要我费力思索。”
“对的,演戏正是要这样,”觉民微笑地说。“你既然明白了这一层,你一定会成功的。……现在雪很小了,把伞收起来罢。刮着这样的风,打伞很吃力。”他便抖落了伞上的雪,收了伞。觉慧也把伞收起了。两个人并排走着,伞架在肩上,身子靠得很近。
雪已经住了,风也渐渐地减轻了它的威势。墙头和屋顶上都积了很厚的雪,在灰暗的暮色里闪闪地发亮。几家灯烛辉煌的店铺夹杂在黑漆大门的公馆中间,点缀了这条寂寞的街道,在这寒冷的冬日的傍晚,多少散布了一点温暖与光明。
“三弟,你觉得冷吗?”觉民忽然关心地问。
“不,我很暖和,在路上谈着话,一点也不觉得冷。”
“那么,你为什么发抖?”
“因为我很激动。我激动的时候都是这样,我总是发抖,我的心跳得厉害。我想到演戏的事情,我就紧张。老实说,我很希望成功。二哥,你不笑我幼稚吗?”觉慧说着,掉过头去望了觉民一眼。
“三弟,”觉民同情地对觉慧说。“不,一点也不。我也是这样。我也很希望成功。我们都是一样。所以在课堂上先生的称赞,即使是一句简单的话,不论哪一个听到也会高兴。”
“对,你说得不错,”弟弟的身子更挨近了哥哥的,两个人一块儿向前走着,忘却了寒冷,忘却了风雪,忘却了夜。
“二哥,你真好,”觉慧望着觉民的脸,露出天真的微笑。觉民也掉过头看觉慧的发光的眼睛,微笑一下,然后慢慢地说:“你也好。”过后,他又向四周一望,知道就要到家了,便说:“三弟,快走,转弯就到家了。”
觉慧点了点头,于是两个人加速了脚步,一转眼就走入了一条更清静的街道。
街灯已经燃起来了,方形的玻璃罩子里,清油灯的光在寒风中显得更孤寂,灯柱的影子淡淡地躺在雪地上。街中寥寥的几个行人匆忙地走着,留了一些脚印在雪上,就默默地消失了。深深的脚迹疲倦地睡在那里,也不想动一动,直到新的脚来压在它们的身上,它们才发出一阵低微的叹声,被压碎成了奇怪的形状,于是在这一白无际的长街上,不再有清清楚楚的脚印了,在那里只有大的和小的黑洞。
有着黑漆大门的公馆静寂地并排立在寒风里。两个永远沉默的石狮子蹲在门口。门开着,好像一只怪兽的大口。里面是一个黑洞,这里面有什么东西,谁也望不见。每个公馆都经过了相当长的年代,或是更换了几个姓。每一个公馆都有它自己的秘密。大门上的黑漆脱落了,又涂上新的,虽然经过了这些改变,可是它们的秘密依旧不让外面的人知道。
走到了这条街的中段,在一所更大的公馆的门前,弟兄两个站住了。他们把皮鞋在石阶上擦了几下,抖了抖身上的雪水,便提着伞大步走了进去。他们的脚步声很快地消失在黑洞里面。门前又恢复了先前的静寂。这所公馆和别的公馆一样,门口也有一对石狮子,屋檐下也挂着一对大的红纸灯笼,只是门前台阶下多一对长方形大石缸,门墙上挂着一副木对联,红漆底子上现出八个隶书黑字:“国恩家庆,人寿年丰。”两扇大门开在里面,门上各站了一位手执大刀的顶天立地的彩色门神。
Hover a word for its pinyin & meaning; click to pin it.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 棉絮 | miánxù | cotton wadding/batting |
| 畏缩 | wèisuō | to shrink back, to cower |
| 凄厉 | qīlì | mournful and shrill |
| 暮色 | mùsè | dusk, twilight |
| 僻静 | pìjìng | quiet and secluded |
| 流利 | liúlì | fluent |
| 遗漏 | yílòu | to omit, to leave out |
| 奥妙 | àomiào | secret, mystery, profound meaning |
| 寥寥 | liáoliáo | very few, sparse |
| 隶书 | lìshū | clerical script (calligraphy style) |
| 风 | fēng | wind; news; style; custom; manner; CL:陣|阵[zhen4],絲|丝[si1] |
| 刮 | guā | to scrape; to blow; to shave; to plunder; to extort; to blow (of the wind) |
| 得很 | de hěn | (after an adjective) very |
| 紧 | jǐn | tight; strict; close at hand; near; urgent; tense; hard up; short of money; to tighten |
| 雪片 | xuě piàn | snowflake |
| 像 | xiàng | to resemble; to be like; to look as if; such as; appearance; image; portrait; image under a mapping (math.) |
| 扯 | ché | to pull; (of cloth, thread etc) to buy; to gossip; hokey |
| 破 | pò | broken; damaged; worn out; lousy; rotten; to break, split or cleave; to get rid of; to destroy; to break with; to defeat; to capture (a city etc); to expose the truth of |
| 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 |
| 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… |
| 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 … |
| 样 | yàng | manner; pattern; way; appearance; shape; classifier: kind, type |
| 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) |
| 空中 | kōng zhōng | in the sky; in the air |
| 飞舞 | fēi wǔ | to flutter; to dance in the breeze |
| 没有 | méi yǒu | haven't; hasn't; doesn't exist; to not have; to not be |
| 目的地 | mù dì dì | destination (location) |
| 四处 | sì chù | all over the place; everywhere and all directions |
| 飘落 | piāo luò | to float down; to fall gently (snowflakes, leaves etc) |
| 左右 | zuǒ yòu | left and right; nearby; approximately; attendant; to control; to influence |
| 两边 | liǎng biān | either side; both sides |
| 墙 | qiáng | variant of 牆|墙[qiang2]; wall (CL:面[mian4],堵[du3]); (slang) to block (a website) (usu. in the passive: 被牆|被墙[bei4 qiang2]) |
| 脚 | jiǎo | foot; leg (of an animal or an object); base (of an object); CL:雙|双[shuang1],隻|只[zhi1]; classifier for kicks |
| 各 | gè | each; every |
| 有 | yǒu | to have; there is; (bound form) having; with; -ful; -ed; -al (as in 有意[you3 yi4] intentional) |
| 条 | tiáo | strip; item; article; clause (of law or treaty); classifier for long thin things (ribbon, river, road, trousers etc) |
| 白色 | bái sè | white; fig. reactionary; anti-communist |
| 路 | Lù | surname Lu |
| 好 | hǎo | good; appropriate; proper; all right!; (before a verb) easy to; (before a verb) good to; (before an adjective for exclamatory effect) so; (verb complement indicating completion); (… |
| 给 | gěi | to; for; for the benefit of; to give; to allow; to do sth (for sb); (grammatical equivalent of 被); (grammatical equivalent of 把); (sentence intensifier) |
| 中间 | zhōng jiān | the middle; the inside; in the middle; within; between; among; during; in the meantime |
| 满 | Mǎn | Manchu ethnic group |
| 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] |
| 水 | Shuǐ | surname Shui; Shui ethnic group |
| 泥 | nī | mud; paste |
| 石板路 | shí bǎn lù | road or pavement laid with flagstones |
| 镶 | xiang | to inlay; ridge |
| 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) |
| 道 | dào | road; path (CL:條|条[tiao2],股[gu3]); (bound form) way; reason; principle; (bound form) a skill; an art; a specialization; (Daoism) the Way; the Dao; to say (introducing a direct quot… |
| 宽 | Kuān | surname Kuan |
| 边 | biān | side; edge; margin; border; boundary; CL:個|个[ge4]; simultaneously |
| 街上 | jiē shang | on the street; in town |
| 行人 | xíng rén | pedestrian; traveler on foot; passer-by; official responsible for arranging audiences with the emperor |
| 和 | hé | old variant of 和[he2]; surname He; (literary) harmonious (variant of 和[he2]) |
| 人 | rén | person; people; CL:個|个[ge4],位[wei4],名[ming2] |
| 抬 | tái | to lift; to raise; (of two or more persons) to carry; variant of 抬[tai2] |
| 轿 | ||
| 子 | zǐ | son; child; seed; egg; small thing; 1st earthly branch: 11 p.m.–1 a.m., midnight, 11th solar month (7th December to 5th January), year of the rat; viscount, fourth of five orders o… |
| 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]) |
| 们 | men | plural marker for pronouns, and nouns referring to individuals |
| 斗 | Dǒu | abbr. for the Big Dipper constellation 北斗星[Bei3 dou3 xing1]; to fight; to struggle; to condemn; to censure; to contend; to put together; coming together; variant of 鬭|斗[dou4]; variant of 鬥|斗[dou4] |
| 不过 | bù guò | only; merely; no more than; but; however; anyway (to get back to a previous topic); cannot be more (after adjectival) |
| 风雪 | fēng xuě | snowstorm |
| 显出 | xiǎn chū | to express; to exhibit |
| 愈 | yǔ | the more...(the more...); to heal |
| 落 | là | to leave out; to be missing; to leave behind or forget to bring; to lag or fall behind |
| 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- |
| 白 | Bái | surname Bai; Bai ethnic group |
| 茫 | māng | vast, with no clear boundary; indistinct; confused |
| 地 | de | -ly; structural particle: used before a verb or adjective, linking it to preceding modifying adverbial adjunct |
| 布 | bù | variant of 布[bu4]; to announce; to spread; cloth; to declare; to announce; to spread; to make known |
| 天空 | tiān kōng | sky |
| 中 | Zhōng | (bound form) China; Chinese; surname Zhong |
| 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 |
| 落下 | luò xià | to fall; to drop; to land (of projectile) |
| 伞 | sán | umbrella |
| 上 | shǎng | used in 上聲|上声[shang3 sheng1] |
| 顶上 | dǐng shàng | on top of; at the summit |
| 夫 | fū | husband; man; manual worker; conscripted laborer (old) |
| 笠 | ||
| 脸 | liǎn | face; CL:張|张[zhang1],個|个[ge4] |
| 玩弄 | wán nòng | to play with; to toy with; to dally with; to engage in; to resort to |
| 着 | zhāo | variant of 著|着[zhao1]; a move in chess (Taiwan pr. [zhuo2]); trick; tactic; (dialect) okay; all right; (dialect) to put in; to add |
| 把 | bǎ | to hold; to grasp; to hold a baby in position to help it urinate or defecate; handlebar; classifier: handful, bundle, bunch; classifier for things with handles; (used to put the ob… |
| 它 | tā | it; it (pronoun for an animal) |
| 吹 | chuī | to blow; to play a wind instrument; to blast; to puff; to boast; to brag; to end in failure; to fall through |
| 得 | dé | to obtain; to get; to gain; to catch (a disease); proper; suitable; proud; contented; to allow; to permit; ready; finished |
| 四面 | sì miàn | all sides |
| 偏 | pian | to lean; oblique; to deviate from average; stubbornly |
| 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 |
| 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… |
| 甚至 | shèn zhì | even; so much so that |
| 离开 | lí kāi | to depart; to leave |
| 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] |
| 怒 | Nù | Nu ethnic group |
| 吼 | hóu | to roar; to shriek; bellow of rage |
| 声音 | shēng yīn | sound; voice |
| 跟 | gēn | heel; to follow closely; to go with; (of a woman) to marry sb; with; compared with; to; towards; and (joining two nouns) |
| 雪地 | xuě dì | snow-covered ground |
| 步 | Bù | surname Bu |
| 声 | shēng | sound; voice; tone; noise; reputation; classifier for sounds |
| 混 | hǔn | muddy; turbid (; ); Taiwan pr. [hun4] |
| 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] |
| 一起 | yī qǐ | (in) the same place; together; in company (with); altogether; in total; an instance of; a case of (murder, accident, dispute etc) |
| 成了 | chéng le | to be done; to be ready; that's enough!; that will do! |
| 一种 | yī zhǒng | one kind of; one type of |
| 古 | Gǔ | surname Gu |
| 怪 | guǎi | odd; strange; uncanny; to find strange; to regard as odd; (coll.) somewhat; rather |
| 音 | yīn | sound; noise; note (of musical scale); tone; news; syllable; reading (phonetic value of a character) |
| 乐 | Lè | surname Le |
| 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) |
| 刺痛 | cì tòng | to tingle; to sting; to have a sudden sharp pain; (fig.) to hurt deeply; tingle; prick; sting; stab of pain |
| 耳 | ěr | ear; handle (archaeology); and that is all (Classical Chinese) |
| 朵 | duó | flower; fig. item on both sides |
| 警 | jíng | to alert; police |
| 告 | gào | (bound form) to say; to tell; to announce; to report; to denounce; to file a lawsuit; to sue |
| 会长 | huì zhǎng | president of a club, committee etc |
| 久 | jǐu | (of a period of time) long |
| 管 | guǎn | variant of 管[guan3]; surname Guan |
| 治 | zhì | to rule; to govern; to manage; to control; to harness (a river); to treat (a disease); to wipe out (a pest); to punish; to research |
| 世界 | shì jiè | world |
| 明 | Míng | Ming Dynasty (1368–1644); surname Ming; Ming (c. 2000 BC), fourth of the legendary Flame Emperors, 炎帝[Yan2 di4] descended from Shennong 神農|神农[Shen2 nong2] Farmer God |
| 媚 | mèi | charming; to flatter |
| 春天 | chūn tiān | spring (season); CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 不会 | bù huì | improbable; unlikely; will not (act, happen etc); not able; not having learned to do sth; (coll.) (Tw) don't mention it; not at all |
| 回 | Huí | Hui ethnic group (Chinese Muslims); to curve; to return; to revolve; variant of 迴|回[hui2] |
| 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… |
| 已经 | yǐ jīng | already |
| 到了 | dào liǎo | at last; finally; in the end |
| 傍 | bǎng | near; to depend on; Taiwan pr. [pang2], [bang1], [bang4] |
| 晚 | wǎn | evening; night; late |
| 路旁 | lù páng | roadside |
| 灯火 | dēng huǒ | lights |
| 还 | Huán | surname Huan |
| 燃起 | rán qǐ | to ignite; to light; fig. to spark off (hopes, controversy, flames of revolution) |
| 一切 | yī qiè | everything; every; all |
| 逐 | zhú | (bound form) to pursue; to chase; to drive away; one by one; individually |
| 渐 | jiǎn | to imbue |
| 消 | xiāo | to diminish; to subside; to consume; to reduce; to idle away (the time); (after 不[bu4] or 只[zhi3] or 何[he2] etc) to need; to require; to take |
| 失 | shī | to lose; to miss; to fail |
| 灰暗 | huī àn | dull gray; drab; murky |
| 里 | lǐ | variant of 裡|里[li3]; lining; interior; inside; internal; also written 裏|里[li3]; surname Li |
| 路上 | lù shang | on the road; on the way; en route |
| 尽是 | jìn shì | to be full of; completely |
| 空气 | kōng qì | air; atmosphere |
| 寒冷 | hán lěng | cold (climate); frigid; very cold |
| 一个 | yī ge | a; an; one; the whole (afternoon, summer vacation etc) |
| 希 | xī | to hope; to admire; variant of 稀[xi1] |
| 望 | wàng | full moon; to hope; to expect; to visit; to gaze (into the distance); to look towards; towards; 15th day of month (lunar calendar); old variant of 望[wang4] |
| 鼓舞 | gǔ wǔ | to inspire; to encourage; to hearten; to boost (morale) |
| 走 | zǒu | to walk; to go; to run; to move (of vehicle); to visit; to leave; to go away; to die (euph.); from; through; away (in compound verbs, such as 撤走[che4 zou3]); to change (shape, form… |
| 吃力 | chī lì | to entail strenuous effort; to toil at a task; strenuous; laborious; strain |
| 那 | Nā | surname Na |
| 就是 | jìu shì | exactly; precisely; only; simply; just; (used correlatively with 也[ye3]) even; even if |
| 温 | wen | warm; temperate; temperature; to warm up; to review; surname Wen |
| 暖 | nuǎn | old variant of 暖[nuan3]; warm; to warm; variant of 暖[nuan3]; variant of 暖[nuan3], warm |
| 明亮 | míng liàng | bright; shining; glittering; to become clear |
| 家 | jiā | used in 傢伙|家伙[jia1 huo5] and 傢俱|家俱[jia1 ju4]; home; family; (polite) my (sister, uncle etc); classifier for families or businesses; refers to the philosophical schools of pre-Han China; noun suffix for a specialist in some act… |
| 三 | Sān | surname San |
| 弟 | dì | younger brother; junior male; I (modest word in letter) |
| 快 | kuài | rapid; quick; speed; rate; soon; almost; to make haste; clever; sharp (of knives or wits); forthright; plainspoken; gratified; pleased; pleasant |
| 点 | diǎn | to touch briefly; to tap; to mark with a dot; to check off (on a list); to order (food etc); to select; to mention; to bring up (a topic or person); to hint at; to imply; to admini… |
| 说话 | shuō huà | to speak; to say; to talk; to gossip; to tell stories; talk; word |
| 十八 | shí bā | eighteen; 18 |
| 岁 | suì | variant of 歲|岁[sui4], year; years old; classifier for years (of age); year; year (of crop harvests) |
| 青年 | qīng nián | youth; youthful years; young person; the young |
| 一手 | yī shǒu | a skill; mastery of a trade; by oneself; without outside help |
| 拿 | ná | old variant of 拿[na2]; variant of 拿[na2]; to hold; to seize; to catch; to apprehend; to take; (used in the same way as 把[ba3]: to mark the following noun as a direct object) |
| 提 | dī | used in 提防[di1 fang5] and 提溜[di1 liu5] |
| 棉 | ||
| 袍 | pāo | gown (lined) |
| 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 … |
| 幅 | fú | width; roll; classifier for textiles or pictures |
| 掉 | diào | to fall; to drop; to lag behind; to lose; to go missing; to reduce; fall (in prices); to lose (value, weight etc); to wag; to swing; to turn; to change; to exchange; to swap; to sh… |
| 过 | Guō | surname Guo |
| 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] |
| 看 | kān | to look after; to take care of; to watch; to guard |
| 后 | Hòu | surname Hou; back; behind; rear; afterwards; after; later; post- |
| 面 | miàn | face; side; surface; aspect; top; classifier for objects with flat surfaces such as drums, mirrors, flags etc; variant of 麵|面[mian4]; flour; noodles; (of food) soft (not crunchy); (slang) (of a person) ineffectual; spineless |
| 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) |
| 冻 | dǒng | to freeze; aspic or jelly |
| 通红 | tōng hóng | very red; red through and through; to blush (deep red) |
| 鼻子 | bí zi | nose; CL:個|个[ge4],隻|只[zhi1] |
| 架 | jiǎ | to support; rack; classifier for planes, large vehicles, radios etc |
| 副 | fù | secondary; auxiliary; deputy; assistant; vice-; abbr. for 副詞|副词 adverb; classifier for pairs, sets of things & facial expressions |
| 金 | Jīn | surname Jin; surname Kim (Korean); Jurchen Jin dynasty (1115–1234) |
| 丝 | si | silk; classifier: a trace (of smoke etc), a tiny bit etc |
| 眼镜 | yǎn jìng | spectacles; eyeglasses; CL:副[fu4] |
| 弟弟 | dì di | younger brother; CL:個|个[ge4],位[wei4] |
| 同 | tóng | like; same; similar; together; alike; with; used in 衚衕|胡同[hu2 tong4] |
| 身 | shēn | body; life; oneself; personally; one's morality and conduct; the main part of a structure or body; pregnant; classifier for sets of clothes: suit, twinset; Kangxi radical 158 |
| 材 | cāi | material; ability; a capable individual |
| 穿 | chuān | to bore through; to pierce; to perforate; to go through (e.g. a tunnel); to cross (e.g. a street); to thread; to string together; to wear; to put on (clothes, shoes etc.); verb com… |
| 服装 | fú zhuāng | dress; clothing; costume; clothes; CL:身[shen1] |
| 年纪 | nián jì | age; CL:把[ba3],個|个[ge4] |
| 稍 | shao | somewhat |
| 微 | Wēi | surname Wei; ancient Chinese state near present-day Chongqing; Taiwan pr. [Wei2] |
| 轻 | qīng | light; easy; gentle; soft; reckless; unimportant; frivolous; small in number; unstressed; neutral; to disparage |
| 一点 | yī diǎn | a bit; a little bit; (used in negative expressions) (not) the least bit; (after an adjective, used to form the comparative) a bit more, -er; a point (in a discussion etc); (calligr… |
| 也 | Yě | surname Ye |
| 瘦 | shòu | thin; to lose weight; (of clothing) tight; (of meat) lean; (of land) unproductive |
| 些 | xiē | classifier indicating a small amount or small number greater than 1: some, a few, several |
| 但 | dàn | but; yet; however; still; merely; only; just |
| 双眼 | shuāng yǎn | the two eyes |
| 睛 | jīng | eye; eyeball |
| 非常 | fēi cháng | very; really; unusual; extraordinary |
| 不要 | bù yào | don't!; must not |
| 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… |
| 二 | èr | two; 2; (Beijing dialect) stupid |
| 哥 | gē | elder brother |
| 今天 | jīn tiān | today; the present time; now |
| 练 | liàn | to practice; to train; to drill; to perfect (one's skill); exercise; (literary) white silk; to boil and scour raw silk |
| 习 | Xí | surname Xi |
| 成 | Chéng | surname Cheng; short name for Chengdu 成都[Cheng2 du1] |
| 绩 | jì | to spin (hemp etc); merit; accomplishment; Taiwan pr. [ji1] |
| 算 | suàn | to calculate; to figure out; to include; to count in; to count; to be valid; to carry weight; to regard as; to consider (to be ...) |
| 你 | nǐ | you (informal, as opposed to courteous 您[nin2]); you (Note: In Taiwan, 妳 is used to address females, but in mainland China, it is not commonly used. Instead, 你 is used to address both males and females.) |
| 最好 | zuì hǎo | best; had better ...; it would be best to ... |
| 英文 | Yīng wén | English (language) |
| 说 | shuì | to persuade; variant of 說|说[shuo1] |
| 自然 | zì rán | nature; natural; naturally |
| 扮 | bǎn | to disguise oneself as; to play (a role) |
| 李 | lí | plum; surname Li |
| 医生 | yī shēng | doctor; medical practitioner |
| 很 | hěn | very; quite; (also, often used before an adjective without intensifying its meaning, i.e. as a meaningless syntactic element) |
| 不错 | bù cuò | correct; right; not bad; pretty good |
| 用 | yòng | to use; to make use of; to employ; (coverb) with; using; to need; to have to (usu. used in the negative or in questions); usefulness; utility; (bound form) expense; outlay; (courte… |
| 热 | rè | to warm up; to heat up; hot (of weather); heat; fervent |
| 烈 | liě | ardent; fierce; upright; exploits |
| 语 | yǔ | dialect; language; speech |
| 调 | diào | to transfer; to move (troops or cadres); to investigate; to enquire into; accent; view; argument; key (in music); mode (music); tune; tone; melody |
| 马上 | mǎ shàng | at once; right away; immediately; on horseback (i.e. by military force) |
| 加 | Jiā | Canada (abbr. for 加拿大[Jia1 na2 da4]); surname Jia |
| 又 | yòu | (once) again; also; both... and...; and yet; (used for emphasis) anyway |
| 溅 | jiǎn | to splash |
| 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… |
| 裤 | kǔ | trousers; pants |
| 上面 | shàng miàn | on top of; above-mentioned; also pr. [shang4 mian5] |
| 什 | shén | what |
| 么 | má | exclamatory final particle; variant of 麼|么[me5] |
| 我 | wǒ | I; me; my |
| 胆 | dán | gall bladder; guts; inner container (e.g. bladder of a football, inner container of a thermos) |
| 大一 | dà yī | first year of university |
| 高 | Gāo | surname Gao |
| 觉 | jiào | a nap; a sleep; CL:場|场[chang2] |
| 民 | Mín | surname Min |
| 带 | dài | band; belt; girdle; ribbon; tire; area; zone; region; CL:條|条[tiao2]; to wear; to carry; to take along; to bear (i.e. to have); to lead; to bring; to look after; to raise |
| 笑 | xiào | old variant of 笑[xiao4]; to laugh; to smile; to laugh at |
| 便 | biàn | plain; informal; suitable; convenient; opportune; to urinate or defecate; equivalent to 就[jiu4]: then; in that case; even if; soon afterwards |
| 停 | tíng | to stop; to halt; to park (a car) |
| 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]) |
| 慧 | huì | intelligent |
| 旁边 | páng biān | side; adjacent place |
| 太 | tài | highest; greatest; too (much); very; extremely |
| 小 | xiǎo | small; tiny; few; young |
| 黑 | Hēi | short name for Heilongjiang 黑龍江|黑龙江[Hei1 long2 jiang1] |
| 狗 | gǒu | dog; CL:隻|只[zhi1],條|条[tiao2] |
| 简直 | jiǎn zhí | simply; really |
| 不 | bù | no; not so; (bound form) not; un- |
| 昨天 | zuó tiān | yesterday |
| 不是 | bù shì | no; is not; not |
| 几 | jī | small table; (literary) almost |
| 句 | gōu | variant of 勾[gou1] |
| 话 | huà | dialect; language; spoken words; speech; talk; words; conversation; what sb said; CL:種|种[zhong3],席[xi2],句[ju4],口[kou3],番[fan1]; old variant of 話|话[hua4] |
| 背 | běi | the back; behind (bei4); to recite from memory (bei4); to carry on the back (bei1) |
| 熟 | shú | ripe; mature; thoroughly cooked; done; familiar; acquainted; experienced; skilled; (of sleep etc) deep; profound; also pr. [shou2] |
| 吗 | má | (coll.) what? |
| 怎 | zěn | how |
| 上台 | shàng tái | to rise to power (in politics); to go on stage (in the theater) |
| 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);… |
| 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) |
| 要不是 | yào bu shì | if it were not for; but for |
| 朱 | Zhū | surname Zhu; (bound form) cinnabar |
| 先生 | xiān sheng | teacher; gentleman; sir; mister (Mr.); husband; (dialect) doctor; CL:位[wei4] |
| 提醒 | tí xǐng | to remind; to call attention to; to warn of |
| 恐 | kóng | afraid; to fear |
| 怕 | Pà | surname Pa |
| 完 | wán | to finish; to be over; whole; complete; entire |
| 嘞 | ||
| 责备 | zé bèi | to blame; to criticize; condemnation; reproach |
| 口气 | kǒu qì | tone of voice; the way one speaks; manner of expression; tone |
| 红 | Hóng | surname Hong |
| 着急 | zháo jí | to worry; to feel anxious; to feel a sense of urgency; to be in a hurry; Taiwan pr. [zhao1ji2] |
| 晓 | xiáo | dawn; to know; to make explicit |
| 缘 | yuān | cause; karma; predestined affinity; hem; along |
| 故 | gù | happening; instance; reason; cause; intentional; former; old; friend; therefore; hence; (of people) to die, dead |
| 讲 | jiǎng | to speak; to explain; to negotiate; to emphasize; to be particular about; as far as sth is concerned; speech; lecture |
| 台 | Tái | Taiwan (abbr.); surname Tai; desk; table; counter; typhoon |
| 心 | xīn | heart; mind; intention; center; core; CL:顆|颗[ke1],個|个[ge4] |
| 慌 | huang | to get panicky; to lose one's head |
| 好多 | hǎo duō | many; quite a lot; much better |
| 眼光 | yǎn guāng | gaze; insight; foresight; vision; way of looking at things |
| 恨 | hěn | to hate |
| 不得 | bù dé | must not; may not; not to be allowed; cannot |
| 所有 | suǒ yǒu | all; to have; to possess; to own |
| 的话 | de huà | if (coming after a conditional clause) |
| 一字 | yī zì | in a row; in a line |
| 说出 | shuō chū | to speak out; to declare (one's view) |
| 一阵 | yī zhèn | a burst; a fit; a peal; a spell (period of time) |
| 手里 | shǒu lǐ | in hand; (a situation is) in sb's hands |
| 旋 | xuān | to revolve; a circle |
| 转 | zhuǎi | see 轉文|转文[zhuai3 wen2] |
| 起 | qǐ | to rise; to raise; to get up; to set out; to start; to appear; to launch; to initiate (action); to draft; to establish; to get (from a depot or counter); verb suffix, to start; sta… |
| 连忙 | lián máng | promptly; at once |
| 闭上 | bì shang | to close; to shut up |
| 嘴 | zuǐ | mouth; beak; nozzle; spout (of teapot etc); CL:張|张[zhang1],個|个[ge4] |
| 用力 | yòng lì | to exert oneself physically |
| 捏 | nie | to hold between the thumb and fingers; to mold (using the fingers); to join together |
| 柄 | bíng | handle or shaft (of an axe etc); sth that affords an advantage to an opponent |
| 过去 | guò qù | (in the) past; former; previous; to go over; to pass by |
| 堆 | duī | to pile up; to heap up; a mass; pile; heap; stack; large amount |
| 积 | ji | to amass; to accumulate; to store up; (TCM) constipation; indigestion |
| 未 | wèi | not yet; did not; have not; not; 8th earthly branch: 1-3 p.m., 6th solar month (7th July-6th August), year of the Sheep; ancient Chinese compass point: 210° |
| 融化 | róng huà | to melt; to thaw; to dissolve; to blend into; to combine; to fuse |
| 雪 | Xuě | surname Xue |
| 皑 | ||
| 留 | líu | old variant of 留[liu2]; to leave (a message etc); to retain; to stay; to remain; to keep; to preserve |
| 着重 | zhuó zhòng | to put emphasis on; to stress |
| 重 | chóng | to repeat; repetition; again; re-; classifier: layer |
| 叠 | diē | to pile up; to fold; to repeat; a layer |
| 新 | Xīn | abbr. for Xinjiang 新疆[Xin1 jiang1]; abbr. for Singapore 新加坡[Xin1 jia1 po1]; surname Xin |
| 旧 | jìu | old; opposite: new 新; former; worn (with age) |
| 迹 | jǐ | (bound form) trace; mark; vestige; clue |
| 常常 | cháng cháng | frequently; often |
| 踏 | tā | see 踏實|踏实[ta1 shi5] |
| 掩 | yán | to cover up; to conceal; (coll.) to get (one's fingers etc) caught when closing a door or lid |
| 盖 | gǎi | to cover; to build; a lid; since; approximately; surname Gai |
| 全 | Quán | surname Quan |
| 篇 | piān | sheet; piece of writing; bound set of bamboo slips used for record keeping (old); classifier for written items: chapter, article |
| 刚才 | gāng cái | just now; a moment ago |
| 中断 | zhōng duàn | to cut short; to break off; to discontinue; to interrupt |
| 接着 | jiē zhe | to catch and hold on; to continue; to go on to do sth; to follow; to carry on; then; after that; subsequently; to proceed; to ensue; in turn; in one's turn |
| 下去 | xià qù | to go down; to descend; to go on; to continue; (of a servant) to withdraw |
| 可是 | kě shì | but; however; (used for emphasis) indeed |
| 开口 | kāi kǒu | to open one's mouth; to start to talk |
| 都 | Dū | surname Du |
| 忘 | wàng | to forget; to overlook; to neglect |
| 连平 | Lián píng | see 連平縣|连平县[Lian2 ping2 Xian4] |
| 日记 | rì jì | diary; CL:則|则[ze2],本[ben3],篇[pian1] |
| 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") |
| 这时 | zhè shí | at this time; at this moment |
| 候 | hòu | to wait; to inquire after; to watch; season; climate; (old) period of five days |
| 记 | jì | to record; to note; to memorize; to remember; mark; sign; classifier for blows, kicks, shots |
| 一定 | yī dìng | surely; certainly; definitely; fixed; settled; a certain ...; a given ... |
| 要 | yāo | (bound form) to demand; to coerce |
| 等 | děng | to wait for; to await; by the time; when; till; and so on; etc.; et al.; (bound form) class; rank; grade; (bound form) equal to; same as; (used to end an enumeration); (literary) (… |
| 个 | gě | used in 自個兒|自个儿[zi4 ge3 r5]; variant of 個|个[ge4] |
| 字 | zì | letter; symbol; character; word; CL:個|个[ge4]; courtesy or style name traditionally given to males aged 20 in dynastic China |
| 才 | cái | ability; talent; sb of a certain type; a capable individual; then and only then; just now; (before an expression of quantity) only; (emphatic, esp. in contrast or correction) reall…; (variant of 才[cai2]) just now; (variant of 才[cai2]) (before an expression of quantity) only |
| 可以 | kě yǐ | can; may; possible; able to; not bad; pretty good |
| 将 | jiāng | will; shall; to use; to take; to checkmate; just a short while ago; (introduces object of main verb, used in the same way as 把[ba3]) |
| 正式 | zhèng shì | formal; official |
| 演 | yǎn | to perform (a play etc); to stage (a show); (bound form) to develop; to play out; to carry out (a task) |
| 时 | shí | old variant of 時|时[shi2]; surname Shi |
| 是不是 | shì bu shì | is or is not (used to form yes-no questions) |
| 还是 | hái shi | still (as before); had better; unexpectedly; or |
| 要是 | yào shi | (coll.) if |
| 那时 | nà shí | then; at that time; in those days |
| 现 | xiàn | to appear; present; now; existing; current |
| 说不出 | shuō bu chū | unable to say |
| 丢 | dīu | to lose; to put aside; to throw |
| 孩子 | hái zi | child |
| 似 | shǐ | used in 似的[shi4 de5] |
| 天真 | tiān zhēn | naive; innocent; artless |
| 严 | yān | strict; severe; tight; rigorous; father (formal); surname Yan |
| 肃 | sǔ | solemn; respectful; to eliminate; surname Su |
| 表情 | biǎo qíng | (facial) expression; to express one's feelings |
| 软 | ruǎn | soft; flexible; variant of 軟|软[ruan3] |
| 发出 | fā chū | to issue (an order, decree etc); to send out; to dispatch; to produce (a sound); to let out (a laugh) |
| 轻松 | qīng sōng | light; gentle; relaxed; effortless; uncomplicated; to relax; to take things less seriously |
| 叫声 | jiào shēng | yelling (sound made by person); barking; braying; roaring (sound made by animals) |
| 安 | An | surname An |
| 慰 | wěi | to comfort; to reassure |
| 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… |
| 三次 | sān cì | third; three times; (math.) degree three, cubic (equation) |
| 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… |
| 记得 | jì de | to remember |
| 只管 | zhǐ guǎn | solely engrossed in one thing; just (one thing, no need to worry about the rest); simply; by all means; please feel free; do not hesitate (to ask for sth) |
| 放 | fàng | to put; to place; to release; to free; to let go; to let out; to set off (fireworks) |
| 做 | zuò | to make; to produce; to write; to compose; to do; to engage in; to hold (a party etc); (of a person) to be (an intermediary, a good student etc); to become (husband and wife, frien… |
| 老实说 | lǎo shí shuō | honestly speaking; to be frank, ... |
| 宝岛 | Bǎo dǎo | Formosa |
| 改 | gǎi | to change; to alter; to transform; to correct |
| 编 | bian | to weave; to organize; to arrange; to compile; to compose; to make up |
| 剧 | jǔ | theatrical work (play, opera, TV series etc); acute |
| 本 | běn | (bound form) root; stem; (bound form) origin; source; (bound form) one's own; this; (bound form) this; the current (year etc); (bound form) original; (bound form) inherent; origina… |
| 不好 | bù hǎo | no good |
| 作 | zuō | (bound form) worker; (bound form) workshop; (slang) troublesome; high-maintenance (person) |
| 感 | gǎn | to feel; to move; to touch; to affect; feeling; emotion; (suffix) sense of ~ |
| 激 | ji | to arouse; to excite; sharp; violent |
| 友爱 | yǒu ài | friendly affection; fraternal love |
| 想要 | xiǎng yào | to want to; to feel like; to fancy; to care for sb; desirous of |
| 能 | Néng | surname Neng |
| 够 | gòu | enough (sufficient); enough (too much); (coll.) (before adj.) really; (coll.) to reach by stretching out |
| 幕 | mǔ | curtain or screen; headquarters of a general |
| 戏 | xì | variant of 戲|戏[xi4]; trick; drama; play; show; CL:齣|出[chu1],場|场[chang3],臺|台[tai2] |
| 博得 | bó dé | to win; to gain |
| 宾 | bin | visitor; object (in grammar) |
| 同学 | tóng xué | to study at the same school; fellow student; classmate; CL:位[wei4],個|个[ge4] |
| 称赞 | chēng zàn | to praise; to commend; to compliment |
| 讨 | tǎo | to invite; to provoke; to demand or ask for; to send armed forces to suppress; to denounce or condemn; to marry (a woman); to discuss or study |
| 欢喜 | huān xǐ | happy; joyous; delighted; to like; to be fond of |
| 想 | xiǎng | to think (about); to think of; to devise; to think (that); to believe (that); to desire; to want (to); to miss (feel wistful about the absence of) |
| 好些 | hǎo xiē | a good deal of; quite a lot |
| 觉得 | jué de | to think that ...; to feel that ...; to feel (uncomfortable etc) |
| 自己 | zì jǐ | oneself; (attributive) one's own |
| 进入 | jìn rù | to enter; to join; to go into |
| 奇异 | qí yì | fantastic; bizarre; odd; exotic; astonished |
| 境 | jǐng | border; condition; circumstances |
| 界 | jiè | (bound form) boundary; border; (bound form) realm |
| 忽然 | hū rán | suddenly; all of a sudden |
| 眼前 | yǎn qián | before one's eyes; now; at present |
| 改变 | gǎi biàn | to change; to alter; to transform |
| 前面 | qián miàn | ahead; in front; preceding; above; also pr. [qian2 mian5] |
| 那个 | nà ge | that one; that thing; that (as opposed to this); (used before a verb or adjective for emphasis); (used to humorously or indirectly refer to sth embarrassing, funny etc, or when one… |
| 称为 | chēng wéi | to be called; to be known as; to call it "..." |
| 彭 | Péng | surname Peng |
| 保 | báo | Bulgaria (abbr. for 保加利亞|保加利亚[Bao3 jia1 li4 ya4]) |
| 大将 | dà jiàng | a general or admiral |
| 旅馆 | lu:3 guǎn | hotel; CL:家[jia1] |
| 老朋友 | lǎo péng you | old friend; (slang) period; menstruation |
| 毕 | Bì | surname Bi |
| 尔 | ěr | variant of 爾|尔[er3]; thus; so; like that; you; thou |
| 住 | zhù | to live; to reside; to stay; to stop; to cease; (result complement indicating firmness or a stable achieved state) |
| 那里 | nà li | there; that place |
| 有着 | yǒu zhe | to have; to possess |
| 江湖 | jiāng hú | rivers and lakes; all corners of the country; remote areas to which hermits retreat; section of society operating independently of mainstream society, out of reach of the law; the … |
| 气 | qì | gas; air; smell; weather; to make angry; to annoy; to get angry; vital energy; qi |
| 质 | zhǐ | character; quality; to pawn; hostage; Taiwan pr. [zhi2] |
| 根 | gēn | root; basis; classifier for long slender objects, e.g. cigarettes, guitar strings; CL:條|条[tiao2]; radical (chemistry) |
| 手指 | shǒu zhǐ | finger; CL:個|个[ge4],隻|只[zhi1] |
| 经历 | jīng lì | to experience; to go through; experience (CL:段[duan4],次[ci4]) |
| 许多 | xǔ duō | many; a lot of; much |
| 变故 | biàn gù | an unforeseen event; accident; misfortune |
| 以 | yǐ | old variant of 以[yi3]; abbr. for Israel 以色列[Yi3 se4 lie4] |
| 终 | zhong | end |
| 于 | Yú | surname Yu; (of time or place) in; at; on; (indicating any indirect relation) to; toward; vis-à-vis; with regard to; for; (indicating a source) from; out of; (used in comparison) than; (used i… |
| 找到 | zhǎo dào | to find |
| 踪 | zōng | variant of 蹤|踪[zong1]; (bound form) footprint; trace; tracks |
| 心里 | xīn li | chest; heart; mind |
| 交 | jiāo | to hand over; to deliver; to pay (money); to turn over; to make friends; (of lines) to intersect; variant of 跤[jiao1] |
| 织 | zhī | to weave; to knit |
| 复 | fù | to go and return; to return; to resume; to return to a normal or original state; to repeat; again; to recover; to restore; to turn over; to reply; to answer; to reply to a letter; …; to repeat; to double; to overlap; complex (not simple); compound; composite; double; diplo-; duplicate; overlapping; to duplicate; variant of 復|复[fu4]; to reply to a letter |
| 仇 | ||
| 莫 | mǒ | not; no; nothing; none; never; surname Mo |
| 名 | míng | name; noun (part of speech); place (e.g. among winners); famous; classifier for people |
| 怖 | bǔ | terror; afraid |
| 盘 | pán | tray; plate; dish; (finance) (bound form) market prices; (computing) (bound form) disk; to coil (a rope, pigtail etc); to check; to examine; to investigate; to transfer; to sell (p… |
| 见 | jiàn | to see; to meet; to appear (to be sth); to interview; opinion; view |
| 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… |
| 如何 | rú hé | how; what way; what |
| 弃 | qì | to abandon; to relinquish; to discard; to throw away |
| 信 | xìn | letter; mail; CL:封[feng1]; to trust; to believe; to profess faith in; truthful; confidence; trust; at will; at random |
| 盟 | méng | oath; pledge; union; to ally; league, a subdivision corresponding to prefecture in Inner Mongolia |
| 隐 | yín | (bound form) secret; hidden; concealed; crypto- |
| 匿 | nì | to hide |
| 宝藏 | bǎo zàng | precious mineral deposits; hidden treasure; (fig.) treasure; (Buddhism) the treasure of Buddha's law |
| 义 | Yì | surname Yi; (Tw) Italy (abbr. for 義大利|义大利[Yi4 da4 li4]) |
| 平时 | píng shí | ordinarily; in normal times; in peacetime |
| 中的 | zhòng dì | to hit the target; (fig.) to hit the nail on the head |
| 英语 | Yīng yǔ | English (language) |
| 涌 | yóng | (used in place names) |
| 脑子 | nǎo zi | brains; mind; CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 醒 | xǐng | to wake up; to be awake; to become aware; to sober up; to come to |
| 悟 | wǔ | to comprehend; to become aware |
| 欢 | huān | variant of 歡|欢[huan1]; joyous; happy; pleased; hubbub; clamor; variant of 歡|欢[huan1]; a breed of horse; variant of 歡|欢[huan1] |
| 叫 | jiào | to shout; to call; to order; to ask; to be called; by (indicates agent in the passive mood); variant of 叫[jiao4] |
| 懂 | dǒng | to understand; to comprehend |
| 得了 | dé le | all right!; that's enough! |
| 惊 | jīng | to startle; to be frightened; to be scared; alarm |
| 讶 | yǎ | astounded |
| 一眼 | yī yǎn | a glance; a quick look; a glimpse |
| 问道 | wèn dào | to ask the way; to ask |
| 事情 | shì qing | affair; matter; thing; business; CL:件[jian4],樁|桩[zhuang1] |
| 高兴 | gāo xìng | happy; glad; willing (to do sth); in a cheerful mood |
| 幼 | yòu | young |
| 稚 | zhǐ | infantile |
| 得意 | dé yì | proud of oneself; pleased with oneself; complacent |
| 笑容 | xiào róng | smile; smiling expression; CL:副[fu4] |
| 仿 | fǎng | to imitate; to copy; variant of 仿[fang3] |
| 佛 | fū | Buddha; Buddhism (abbr. for 佛陀[Fo2 tuo2]) |
| 于是 | yú shì | thereupon; as a result; consequently; thus; hence |
| 流 | líu | to flow; to disseminate; to circulate or spread; to move or drift; to degenerate; to banish or send into exile; stream of water or sth resembling one; class, rate or grade |
| 露 | Lù | surname Lu |
| 并 | bìng | and; furthermore; also; together with; (not) at all; simultaneously; to combine; to join; to merge; to combine; to amalgamate; short name for Taiyuan 太原[Tai4 yuan2]; variant of 並|并[bing4] |
| 费力 | fèi lì | to expend a great deal of effort |
| 思 | sī | to think; to consider |
| 索 | suó | rope; to search for; to demand; to exact; to reduce; surname Suo |
| 正是 | zhèng shì | is precisely |
| 微笑 | wēi xiào | smile; CL:個|个[ge4],絲|丝[si1]; to smile |
| 既然 | jì rán | since; as; this being the case |
| 明白 | míng bai | clear; obvious; unequivocal; sensible; reasonable; to understand; to realize |
| 一层 | yī céng | one layer; one level |
| 成功 | chéng gōng | to succeed; success; successful; fruitful |
| 收 | shōu | to receive; to accept; to collect; to put away; to restrain; to stop; in care of (used on address line after name) |
| 罢 | bà | to stop; to cease; to dismiss; to suspend; to quit; to finish |
| 打 | dá | (loanword) dozen; Taiwan pr. [da3] |
| 抖 | dóu | to tremble; to reveal |
| 个人 | gè rén | an individual; oneself; (attributive) personal; one's own |
| 排走 | pái zǒu | to drain away; to vent out |
| 肩 | jiān | shoulder; to shoulder (responsibilities etc) |
| 身子 | shēn zi | body; pregnancy; health |
| 靠 | kào | to lean against or on; to stand by the side of; to come near to; to depend on; to trust; to fuck (vulgar); traditional military costume drama where the performers wear armor (old) |
| 近 | jìn | near; close to; approximately |
| 减 | jián | to lower; to reduce; to diminish |
| 威 | wei | power; prestige |
| 势 | shì | power; influence; potential; momentum; tendency; trend; situation; conditions; outward appearance; sign; gesture; male genitals |
| 屋顶 | wū dǐng | roof |
| 上都 | Shàng dū | Shangdu, also known as Xanadu, summer capital of the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368) |
| 厚 | hòu | thick; deep or profound; kind; generous; rich or strong in flavor; to favor; to stress |
| 闪 | shán | to flash; to dodge; to sidestep; to sprain; a lightning flash |
| 发亮 | fā liàng | to shine; shiny |
| 灯 | dēng | lamp; light; lantern; CL:盞|盏[zhan3] |
| 烛 | zhū | candle |
| 辉 | hui | (bound form) radiance; brilliance; to shine |
| 煌 | huāng | brilliant |
| 店 | diàn | inn; old-style hotel (CL:家[jia1]); (bound form) shop; store |
| 铺 | pǔ | to spread; to pave (pu1); a shop; a bed (pu4) |
| 夹 | gā | used in 夾肢窩|夹肢窝[ga1 zhi5 wo1]; variant of 夾|夹[jia2] |
| 杂 | zá | variant of 雜|杂[za2]; mixed; miscellaneous; various; to mix |
| 漆 | ||
| 大门 | Dà mén | the Doors, US rock band |
| 公馆 | gōng guǎn | residence (of sb rich or important); mansion |
| 缀 | zhuǐ | to sew; to stitch; to embellish; to compose (a piece) |
| 寂 | jǐ | silent; Taiwan pr. [ji2] |
| 寞 | mǒ | lonesome |
| 街道 | jiē dào | street; CL:條|条[tiao2]; subdistrict; residential district |
| 冬日 | dōng rì | wintertime |
| 多少 | duō shǎo | number; amount; somewhat |
| 散布 | sàn bù | to disseminate |
| 与 | yú | variant of 歟|欤[yu2] |
| 光明 | guāng míng | light; radiance; (fig.) bright (prospects etc); openhearted |
| 冷 | Lěng | surname Leng |
| 关 | Guān | surname Guan |
| 心地 | xīn dì | character |
| 问 | wèn | to ask; to inquire |
| 谈 | Tán | surname Tan |
| 不觉 | bù jué | unconsciously |
| 那么 | nà me | like that; in that way; to that extent; (before a number) ... or so; about ...; then; in that case |
| 为 | wéi | as (in the capacity of); to take sth as; to act as; to serve as; to behave as; to become; to be; to do; by (in the passive voice); variant of 為|为[wei2] |
| 发 | fā | to send out; to show (one's feeling); to issue; to develop; to make a bundle of money; classifier for gunshots (rounds); hair; Taiwan pr. [fa3] |
| 因为 | yīn wèi | because; owing to; on account of |
| 动 | dòng | (of sth) to move; to set in movement; to displace; to touch; to make use of; to stir (emotions); to alter; abbr. for 動詞|动词[dong4 ci2], verb |
| 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… |
| 心跳 | xīn tiào | heartbeat; pulse |
| 厉 | lǐ | strict; severe; fierce; to sharpen; surname Li |
| 害 | hài | to do harm to; to cause trouble to; harm; evil; calamity |
| 想到 | xiǎng dào | to think of; to call to mind; to anticipate |
| 张 | Zhāng | surname Zhang |
| 同情 | tóng qíng | to sympathize with; sympathy |
| 所以 | suǒ yǐ | therefore; as a result; so; the reason why |
| 课堂 | kè táng | classroom (CL:間|间[jian1]); class session |
| 即 | jí | namely; that is; i.e.; prompt; at once; at present; even if; prompted (by the occasion); to approach; to come into contact; to assume (office); to draw near |
| 使 | shǐ | to make; to cause; to enable; to use; to employ; to send; to instruct sb to do sth; envoy; messenger |
| 一句 | yī jù | a line of verse; a sentence |
| 简单 | jiǎn dān | simple; not complicated |
| 不论 | bù lùn | whatever; no matter what (who, how etc); regardless of; not to discuss |
| 哪 | nǎ | how; which |
| 听到 | tīng dào | to hear |
| 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) |
| 挨 | ai | in order; in sequence |
| 一块儿 | yī kuài r | erhua variant of 一塊|一块[yi1 kuai4] |
| 向前 | xiàng qián | forward; onward |
| 忘却 | wàng què | (literary) to put out of one's mind; to forget |
| 夜 | yè | variant of 夜[ye4]; night |
| 真 | zhēn | really; truly; indeed; real; true; genuine |
| 露出 | lù chū | to expose; to show; also pr. [lou4 chu1] |
| 发光 | fā guāng | to emit light; to shine; to glow; to glisten; to be luminous |
| 眼睛 | yǎn jing | eye; CL:隻|只[zhi1],雙|双[shuang1] |
| 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 |
| 然 | rán | correct; right; so; thus; like this; -ly |
| 慢 | màn | slow |
| 也好 | yě hǎo | that's fine; may as well; (reduplicated) regardless of whether ... or ... |
| 四周 | sì zhōu | all around |
| 知道 | zhī dào | to know; to become aware of; also pr. [zhi1dao5] |
| 就要 | jìu yào | will; shall; to be going to |
| 到家 | dào jiā | perfect; excellent; brought to the utmost degree |
| 转弯 | zhuǎn wān | to turn; to go around a corner |
| 速 | sǔ | fast; quick |
| 一转眼 | yī zhuǎn yǎn | in the blink of an eye |
| 走入 | zǒu rù | to walk into |
| 清静 | qīng jìng | quiet; peaceful and quiet |
| 街灯 | jiē dēng | streetlight |
| 方形 | fāng xíng | square; square-shaped |
| 玻 | bo | see 玻璃[bo1 li5] |
| 璃 | lī | (phonetic character used in transliteration of foreign names) |
| 罩子 | zhào zi | cover; casing |
| 清油 | qīng yóu | vegetable cooking oil |
| 光 | guāng | light; ray (CL:道[dao4]); bright; shiny; only; merely; used up; finished; to leave (a part of the body) uncovered |
| 寒风 | hán fēng | cold wind |
| 显得 | xiǎn de | to seem; to look; to appear |
| 孤 | gū | lone; lonely |
| 柱 | zhǔ | pillar |
| 影子 | yǐng zi | shadow; reflection; (fig.) hint; indication; influence; CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 淡 | dǎn | insipid; weak; light in color; indifferent |
| 躺 | tǎng | to recline; to lie down |
| 街 | jiē | street; CL:條|条[tiao2] |
| 几个 | jǐ ge | a few; several; how many |
| 匆 | ||
| 忙 | máng | busy; hurriedly; to hurry; to rush |
| 一些 | yī xiē | some; a few; a little; (following an adjective) slightly ...er |
| 印 | Yìn | surname Yin; abbr. for 印度[Yin4 du4], India |
| 默默 | mò mò | in silence; not speaking |
| 深 | shēn | old variant of 深[shen1]; (lit. and fig.) deep |
| 疲 | pí | weary |
| 倦 | juǎn | tired; weary; fatigued |
| 睡 | shuì | to sleep; to lie down |
| 不想 | bù xiǎng | unexpectedly; to one's surprise |
| 直到 | zhí dào | until |
| 压 | yā | to press; to push down; to keep under (control); pressure |
| 身上 | shēn shang | on the body; at hand; among |
| 低微 | dī wēi | meager (wages); humble (social status); feeble (voice) |
| 叹 | tǎn | to sigh |
| 被 | bèi | quilt; to cover (with); (literary) to suffer (a misfortune); used to indicate passive voice (placed before the doer of the action like "by" in English passive-voice sentences, or, … |
| 压碎 | yā suì | to crush to pieces |
| 奇 | jī | odd (number) |
| 形状 | xíng zhuàng | form; shape |
| 无 | mó | used in 南無|南无[na1 mo2] |
| 际 | jǐ | border; boundary; between; to meet; occasion |
| 长 | cháng | long; (bound form) length; (bound form) strong point; forte; (bound form) to be good at; (literary) surplus; spare (Taiwan pr. [zhang4]) |
| 清 | Qīng | Qing (Wade-Giles: Ch'ing) dynasty of China (1644–1911); surname Qing |
| 楚 | Chǔ | surname Chu; abbr. for Hubei 湖北省[Hu2 bei3 Sheng3] and Hunan 湖南省[Hu2 nan2 Sheng3] provinces together; Chinese kingdom during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods (722–22… |
| 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… |
| 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) |
| 小的 | xiǎo de | (coll.) young child; the little one(s) of the family; (old) (humble) I; me; my (used by a commoner when speaking to an official) |
| 洞 | dǒng | cave; zero (unambiguous spoken form when spelling out numbers) |
| 静 | jìng | still; calm; quiet; not moving |
| 排 | pái | to arrange in order; to line up; to exclude; to eliminate; to repel; to expel; to discharge; (literary) to push aside; to force open; to rehearse; row; line; platoon; (bound form) … |
| 立 | Lì | surname Li |
| 永远 | yǒng yuǎn | forever; eternal |
| 沉 | chēn | to sink; heavy; deep; to immerse; to keep down |
| 默 | mò | silent; to write from memory |
| 石 | Shí | surname Shi; abbr. for Shijiazhuang 石家莊|石家庄[Shi2 jia1 zhuang1], the capital of Hebei |
| 狮 | ||
| 蹲 | dun | (dialect) to sprain one's foot or leg due to a sudden impact or landing |
| 门口 | mén kǒu | doorway; gate; CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 门 | Mén | surname Men |
| 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, … |
| 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 |
| 兽 | shǒu | beast; beastly |
| 大口 | dà kǒu | big mouthful (of food, drink, smoke etc); open mouth; gulping; gobbling; gaping |
| 里面 | lǐ miàn | variant of 裡面|里面[li3 mian4] |
| 这里 | zhè lǐ | variant of 這裡|这里[zhe4 li3] |
| 东 | Dōng | surname Dong |
| 西 | Xī | the West; abbr. for Spain 西班牙[Xi1 ban1 ya2]; Spanish |
| 谁 | shéi | who; also pr. [shui2] |
| 不见 | bù jiàn | not to see; not to meet; to have disappeared; to be missing |
| 每个 | měi gè | each; every |
| 经过 | jīng guò | to pass; to go through; process; course; CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 相当 | xiāng dāng | equivalent to; appropriate; considerably; to a certain extent; fairly; quite |
| 年代 | nián dài | a decade of a century (e.g. the Sixties); age; era; period; CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 或是 | huò shì | or; either one or the other |
| 换 | huàn | to exchange; to change (clothes etc); to substitute; to switch; to convert (currency) |
| 姓 | xìng | family name; surname; to be surnamed ... |
| 每 | měi | each; every |
| 秘 | mǐ | secret; mysterious; confidential (mi4); Peru (in 秘鲁, bi4) |
| 密 | Mì | surname Mi; name of an ancient state |
| 脱 | tuō | to shed; to take off; to escape; to get away from |
| 涂 | tū | to apply (paint etc); to daub; to scribble; (literary) mud |
| 上新 | shàng xīn | to introduce new items; to roll out new offerings or content |
| 虽然 | suī rán | although; even though (often used correlatively with 可是[ke3 shi4] or 但是[dan4 shi4] etc) |
| 这些 | zhè xiē | these |
| 依 | yi | to depend on; according to |
| 外面 | wài miàn | outside (also pr. [wai4 mian5] for this sense); surface; exterior; external appearance |
| 段 | Duàn | surname Duan |
| 所 | suǒ | actually; place; classifier for houses, small buildings, institutions etc; that which; particle introducing a relative clause or passive; CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 门前 | mén qián | in front of the door |
| 弟兄 | dì xiong | brothers; comrade |
| 站 | zhàn | station; to stand; to halt; to stop; branch of a company or organization; website |
| 皮鞋 | pí xié | leather shoes |
| 石阶 | shí jiē | stone step |
| 擦 | cā | to rub; to scratch; to wipe; to polish; to apply (lipstick, lotion etc); to brush (past); to shred (a vegetable etc) |
| 大步 | dà bù | large strides |
| 进去 | jìn qù | to go in |
| 恢 | hui | (bound form) vast; expansive |
| 先前 | xiān qián | before; previously |
| 别的 | bié de | else; other |
| 一对 | yī duì | couple; pair |
| 屋 | wū | (bound form) house; (bound form) room |
| 檐 | ||
| 挂 | guà | to hang; to suspend (from a hook etc); to hang up (the phone); (of a line) to be dead; to be worried; to be concerned; (dialect) to make a phone call; to register (at a hospital); … |
| 纸 | zhǐ | variant of 紙|纸[zhi3]; paper (CL:張|张[zhang1],沓[da2]); classifier for documents, letters etc |
| 灯笼 | dēng lóng | lantern |
| 只是 | zhǐ shì | merely; only; just; nothing but; simply; but; however |
| 台阶 | tái jiē | steps; flight of steps; step (over obstacle); fig. way out of an embarrassing situation; bench (geology) |
| 长方形 | cháng fāng xíng | rectangle |
| 缸 | gāng | jar; vat; classifier for loads of laundry; CL:口[kou3] |
| 木 | Mù | surname Mu |
| 对联 | duì lián | rhyming couplet; pair of lines of verse written vertically down the sides of a doorway; CL:副[fu4],幅[fu2] |
| 底 | dí | (equivalent to 的 as possessive particle) |
| 八 | bā | eight |
| 国 | Guó | surname Guo |
| 恩 | ēn | variant of 恩[en1]; favor; grace; kindness; (coll.) used like 嗯[en4] in online chat, expressing agreement |
| 庆 | qìng | to celebrate |
| 人寿 | rén shòu | human lifespan; life insurance (abbr. for 人壽保險|人寿保险[ren2 shou4 bao3 xian3]) |
| 年 | Nián | surname Nian; grain; harvest (old); variant of 年[nian2] |
| 丰 | fēng | luxuriant; buxom; variant of 豐|丰[feng1]; variant of 風|风[feng1]; appearance; charm; surname Feng |
| 扇 | shān | to fan; to slap sb on the face |
| 位 | wèi | position; location; place; seat; classifier for people (honorific); classifier for binary bits (e.g. 十六位 16-bit or 2 bytes); (physics) potential |
| 执 | zhí | to execute (a plan); to grasp |
| 大刀 | dà dāo | broadsword; large knife; machete |
| 顶天 | dǐng tiān | to reach the upper limit |
| 彩色 | cǎi sè | color; multicolored |
| 门神 | mén shén | door god |
The wind blew fiercely, and snowflakes danced in the air like torn cotton wadding, drifting aimlessly in all directions. Along both sides of the street, white paths formed at the base of the walls, as if bordering the cement flagstone road in the middle with two wide bands.
On the street there were pedestrians and sedan chairs carried by two men. They could not withstand the wind and snow, and showed signs of shrinking back. The snowflakes fell more and more heavily, spreading a white blur across the sky, falling everywhere – on umbrellas, on the tops of sedan chairs, on the bamboo hats of the chair bearers, on the faces of pedestrians.
The wind played with the umbrellas, blowing them to tilt in all directions, and once or twice even snatching them from the hands of pedestrians. The wind howled furiously in the air, its sound mournful and shrill, mixing with the footsteps on the snowy ground to create a strange kind of music. This music stung the ears of the pedestrians, as if warning them: the wind and snow would rule the world forever, and the bright spring would never return.
Evening had already arrived, but the lamps along the road had not yet been lit. Everything on the street gradually disappeared into the gray dusk. The road was covered with water and mud. The air was cold. One hope encouraged the pedestrians struggling along the quiet street – that was a warm, bright home.
‘Third Brother, walk faster,’ said an eighteen-year-old youth, holding an umbrella in one hand and lifting the hem of his cotton robe with the other, turning his head to look behind him. His round face was flushed red from the cold, and he wore a pair of gold-rimmed glasses on his nose.
The younger brother walking behind was a youth of similar build, dressed in similar clothing. He was slightly younger, and his face was thinner, but his eyes were remarkably bright.
‘Don’t worry, we’re almost there… Second Brother, you had the best performance in today’s rehearsal. Your English was natural and fluent. You played Dr. Lee very well,’ he said in an enthusiastic tone, immediately quickening his pace as mud splashed onto his trouser legs.
‘It’s nothing special, I’m just a bit bolder,’ the older brother Gao Juemin said with a smile, stopping to let his younger brother Gao Juehui catch up to walk beside him. ‘You’re too timid. Your portrayal of “Black Dog” wasn’t convincing at all. Didn’t you memorize those lines perfectly yesterday? How come you couldn’t remember them once you got on stage? If Mr. Zhu hadn’t prompted you, I’m afraid you wouldn’t have gotten through it!’ the older brother said gently, without a hint of reproach in his tone.
Juehui’s face turned red. He said anxiously, ‘I don’t know why, but the moment I got on the platform, my heart started racing. It felt like so many eyes were watching me. I desperately wanted to recite every single word without missing any…’ A gust of wind spun the umbrella in his hand, and he quickly closed his mouth, gripping the handle tightly. The gust passed quickly. In the middle of the road, unmelted snow had accumulated, looking white and pristine, with overlapping footprints both old and new – often one step treading upon another, the new covering the old.
‘I desperately wanted to recite the entire passage without missing a single word,’ Juehui continued where he had left off. ‘But the moment I opened my mouth, I forgot everything, even the lines I knew best. I couldn’t remember them at all. I had to wait for Mr. Zhu to prompt me with a word or two before I could continue. I wonder if it will be the same during the actual performance. If I still can’t speak then like now, how embarrassing that would be!’ A serious expression appeared on his childlike, innocent face. Their footsteps fell softly on the snow, making light crunching sounds.
‘Third Brother, don’t be afraid,’ Juemin said reassuringly. ‘After two or three more rehearsals, you’ll know it perfectly. Just be bold and go for it… To be honest, Mr. Zhu’s adaptation of “Treasure Island” into a play wasn’t done well. The performance probably won’t turn out great anyway.’
Juehui fell silent. He felt grateful for his brother’s kindness. He was thinking about how to perform that scene well, to win praise from the guests and classmates, and to please his brother. As he thought this way, after quite some time, he felt himself gradually entering a strange realm. Suddenly everything before his eyes changed completely. Ahead was the inn called ‘Admiral Benbow,’ where his old friend Bill lived. He, ‘Black Dog’ with the temperament of a wanderer, after losing two fingers and experiencing many hardships, had finally found Bill’s whereabouts. His heart was filled with a mixture of vengeful joy and inexplicable terror. He calculated how to meet Bill, what to say to him, and how to reproach him for breaking his word, betraying their pact, and hiding the treasure – losing all honor among their kind. Thinking this way, the English lines from the script that he had memorized came naturally flooding into his mind. He exclaimed as if awakening: ‘Second Brother, I understand now!’
Juemin looked at him in surprise and asked, ‘What is it? Why are you so happy!’
‘Second Brother, I finally understand the secret of acting,’ Juehui said with a naive, triumphant smile. ‘I imagined that I myself was “Black Dog,” and then the words flowed out naturally, without any effort to think.’
‘That’s right, that’s exactly how acting should be,’ Juemin said with a smile. ‘Now that you understand this, you’re sure to succeed… The snow has lightened now, let’s close the umbrellas. It’s exhausting to hold them open in this wind.’ He shook the snow off his umbrella and closed it. Juehui also closed his umbrella. The two walked side by side, umbrellas resting on their shoulders, their bodies close together.
The snow had stopped, and the wind had gradually lost its force. Thick snow had accumulated on the tops of walls and rooftops, gleaming faintly in the gray dusk. A few brightly lit shops interspersed among the mansions with their black-lacquered gates adorned this lonely street, spreading a little warmth and light on this cold winter evening.
‘Third Brother, do you feel cold?’ Juemin suddenly asked with concern.
‘No, I feel quite warm. Talking on the road, I don’t feel cold at all.’
‘Then why are you trembling?’
‘Because I’m excited. I always tremble when I’m excited, and my heart beats hard. When I think about the play, I get nervous. To be honest, I really want to succeed. Second Brother, don’t you think I’m being childish?’ Juehui said, turning his head to glance at Juemin.
‘Third Brother,’ Juemin said sympathetically to Juehui. ‘No, not at all. I’m the same way. I also want very much to succeed. We’re all alike. That’s why even a simple word of praise from a teacher in class makes anyone who hears it happy.’
‘Yes, you’re right,’ the younger brother said, moving closer to his older brother, and the two walked forward together, forgetting the cold, forgetting the wind and snow, forgetting the night.
‘Second Brother, you’re so kind,’ Juehui said, looking at Juemin’s face with an innocent smile. Juemin also turned to look at Juehui’s shining eyes, smiled briefly, then said slowly, ‘So are you.’ After that, he looked around, realized they were almost home, and said, ‘Third Brother, hurry up. Just around the corner and we’ll be home.’
Juehui nodded, and the two quickened their pace. In the blink of an eye, they had turned into an even quieter street.
The street lamps had been lit. Inside the square glass lanterns, the vegetable oil lamps seemed even lonelier in the cold wind. The shadows of the lamp posts lay faintly on the snow. The few pedestrians on the street hurried along, leaving some footprints in the snow before silently disappearing. The deep footprints lay there wearily, not wanting to move at all, until new feet pressed down upon them. Only then did they let out a faint sigh, crushed into strange shapes. And so, on this endless white street, there were no longer any clear footprints – only large and small dark holes.
Mansions with black-lacquered gates stood silently side by side in the cold wind. Two eternally silent stone lions crouched at each entrance. The gates stood open like the gaping mouths of monsters. Inside was a dark void, and no one could see what lay within. Each mansion had stood for a considerable number of years, or had changed hands through several families. Each mansion had its own secrets. The black lacquer on the gates had peeled off and been repainted, but despite these changes, their secrets were still not revealed to outsiders.
Reaching the middle of this street, the two brothers stopped in front of an even larger mansion. They scraped their leather shoes on the stone steps a few times, shook the melted snow off their bodies, and carrying their umbrellas, walked inside with big strides. The sound of their footsteps quickly disappeared into the dark void. The entrance returned to its former silence. This mansion was like the others – it too had a pair of stone lions at the gate and a pair of large red paper lanterns hanging under the eaves. The only difference was that there was an additional pair of large rectangular stone basins at the foot of the steps, and a wooden couplet hung on the gate wall, with eight characters in clerical script appearing against a red-lacquered background: ‘Grace from the nation, celebration in the family; Long life to the people, abundant harvest for the year.’ The two large doors opened inward, and on each door stood a towering, colorful door god holding a large sword.