by Amy Kwei
cow eyes — Round eyes.
Chungking — the capital of the Republic of China during WWII.
cut off his pigtail — This act symbolized republican aspiration and rebellion against the Manchu emperor of the Chin Dynasty (1644-1911). The Manchu are a Chinese minority race that came from Manchuria. Throughout the Chin Dynasty, the majority “Han” people were required to follow Manchu custom and wear a pigtail to indicate their subjugation to the Manchus.
dim sum — Literally, “to dot” (dim) “the heart” (sum). It is an idiomatic expression referring to a meal of dumplings and small delicacies, eaten in the mornings or late evenings, before bedtime. Again, the Cantonese pronunciation is used here because it is popularly known in United States. In Mandarin, it would be pronounced “dian shin”.
don’t place sadness in your heart — Don’t dwell on your sorrows.
double good fortune — A description of a woman who is both pregnant and has gained weight.
dragon eye — A fruit similar to a leechi nut. It is mustard colored, round and has a smooth skin.
Dragon Well tea — A green tea produced near Hangzhou. The top grade of this tea is considered the finest in aroma and flavor. Connoisseurs recommend that the tea be brewed with clear water that is several degrees below the boiling point. Steeping it for too long affects the delicate color and turns the infusion bitter.
drink vinegar —Be jealous.
dumb egg — Stupid person.
East Ocean Devils — The Japanese.
first moon — The first month of the lunar calendar, popularly used in China. In the third book, Righteous Virtue dates his letter to his wife at the end, according to Chinese custom and the lunar calendar, but in his English letter to his daughters, he writes the date at the beginning according to the Western solar calendar.
Five Classics and the Four Books — These are the books of Confucian scholarship. The five classics are the Book of Song, Book of History, Book of Change, Book of Rites and the Spring and Autumn Annals. The Four Books are the Analects of Confucius, Mencius, The Great Learning and The Doctrine of the Mean.
foreign concessions — Chinese territories held by foreign powers. In the nineteenth and early twentieth Centuries, the West acquired a taste for tea, silk, porcelain, lacquerware, and other fineries of China. Smug and unable to appreciate the advantages of Western technology, China did not want to buy anything from the Western powers. Britain shipped opium to sell in China, in defiance of Chinese imperial prohibition. China went to war in October 1839 and lost. Hong Kong became a British colony. There followed one unequal treaty after another, until the major powers — Russia, Germany, Japan, France, Portugal and Britain — all held Chinese territories as “concessions.”. Colonialism gave the western nations economic advantages in trade, political and military power to protect their interests and religious opportunities to proselytize. Until Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, Japan did not consider itself at war with the Europeans. Therefore, the inhabitants in the foreign concessions enjoyed the rights of non-belligerents.
Fragrant harbor — Hong Kong.
gas car — Automobile.
go down — Warehouse.
Golden Rule of the Mean — Chung Yung, one of the four books of Confucian learning. In it, Confucius taught a humanism that exalted the paramount virtues of filial piety, moderation (the golden rule of the mean), compromise, patience, tolerance, pacifism, and reverence for the aged, learning, experience, and ancestors. These are considered essential traits of gentlemanly behavior.
Greater East Asia Co-prosperity sphere — A Japanese proposal set forth in 1938 to induce Chinese co-operation in creating a new economic order based upon Japanese technological know how, and Chinese labor / resources. The plan proposed to expel European influences and left no room for Chinese independence. The “co-prosperity sphere” was a well-known slogan in Japanese occupied China during World War II.
Have you eaten your rice? — How are you? A popular form of greeting.
heart and liver — precious.
Hong Kong — An island south of Kwangtung Province, in southern China. It became a British crown colony in 1841, after the Chinese lost the opium war. Before the Second World War, many Chinese thought Hong Kong would be a safe haven from the Japanese.
Hwangpo — A channel of the Yangtze River, where Shanghai is situated.
I know your heart — I understand you.
I look to the east and west — I hesitate.
Jade Emperor — The chief God of heaven according to Chinese beliefs.
Jade-mei — Younger sister Purple Jade. It is civil to call one’s wife, a sister.
Jei-jei — Older sister.
jen — Benevolence, the foundation of Chinese humanism. This Confucian precept is similar to the Western concept of charity. However, “jen” is focused on man as the center of universe, not God. The cornerstone of this humanism is filial piety. In Hsiao Ching, or Book of Filial Piety, Confucius said, “The Superior Man teaches filial piety in order that man may respect all those who are fathers in the world; he teaches brotherly love in the younger brother, in order that man may respect all those who are elder brothers in the world.”
jump house — Hopscotch.
kang pai — dry cup. It is a toast, and a gesture of good fellowship to shout kang pai as one tosses down a drink, and then holds the cup upside down.
Kempetai — Japanese secret police.
Kwan Ying Buddha — The goddess of mercy.
Lan Tao Island — An island off the southern coast of China, about an hour’s boat ride from Hong Kong.
legislative council — In the novel, it is a regional body of elders, or prominent citizens who mediate on local affairs.
Long March —The eight thousand-mile trek that Communists undertook in 1935. Upon the death of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, Chiang Kai-shek gained control of the Kuomintang. He expelled the Communists from the Nationalist party. By 1930, he began undertaking large-scale campaigns against them. In 1934, advised by General Von Seeckt of the German army, he embarked upon the fifth campaign to extirpate the Communists. To avoid total annihilation from this well organized attack, Mao Tse-tung (1893-1976) led one hundred thousand Communist troops in a withdrawal from Kiangsi. The communists trekked through five provinces, reaching the barren, northern Shensi Province a year later. Only thirty thousand survived the hazardous journey, harassed all the way by the pursuing enemy. This long march became the legend of the new People’s Republic of China. Most leaders of the new republic came from the survivors of the march.
lord — Master of the house.
M-ma — Mother.
Manchukuo — The name of the puppet state established by Japan in the Chinese province of Manchuria in 1931. In 1934, Japan transformed Manchukuo into an empire by enthroning the heir to the Manchu Dynasty. It had become a staging ground for Japanese invasion of the Chinese mainland.
Manchuria — Land on the Northeastern part of China, abutting Korea and Russia. The pine forests and rich mineral deposits of the area provided an industrial basin coveted by all the neighbors. In China - A Short Cultural History, C.P. Fitzgerald writes: “The name, Manchuria, is unknown to the Chinese and Manchu languages. It is a foreign term coined by Europeans . . . . After the Manchu conquest, the three provinces of Manchuria were collectively known as ‘the three eastern provinces.’ Manchukuo, the name given to Manchuria during the Japanese controlled puppet regime 1931-1945, was merely a translation into Chinese of the word, ‘Manchuria’.
Manchus — A Chinese minority from Manchuria. They were the ruling class of the last Chinese Dynasty (Chin 1644-1911). They adopted the Chinese form of government, and were totally assimilated into Chinese culture. Today, they’re indistinguishable from other Chinese.
Mao Tse-tung (1893-1976) — The leading Chinese communist revolutionary who established the People’s Republic of China.
May 4th movement of 1919 — Massive student protests in Shanghai against Western Imperialism after the West
ern Powers met in Paris and awarded the German possessions in Shantung Province to Japan, discounting the Chinese “bitter labor” contribution to the Allied forces during World War I.
Mei-mei — younger sister.
Mencius — A fourth century B.C. philosopher who is accepted as an orthodox interpreter of Confucianism. Mencius reaffirmed filial piety (hsiao) as the foundation of society. He taught the fundamental goodness and educability of man, and that the mandate of Heaven (tien ming) is conferred upon the ruler when he practices benevolence (jen) and righteousness (i).
meridians — Invisible channels that lie at different depths in the human body. These are the pathways of chi used in acupuncture. The meridians do not correspond to the nervous system, and they have no anatomical structure. Modern investigations seem to indicate that the flow pattern of the meridian is similar to the patient’s description of pain sensations. The acupuncture points are located along the length of the main meridians in carefully defined places. By inserting a needle into the appropriate points and twirling it, the blockage in the channel is cleared and the free flow of chi restored.
Middle Kingdom — China. The term conveys the understanding that China was the cultural center of the civilized world.
Monkey King — A rebellious monkey from a sixteenth century Chinese novel, Journey To The West. The Monkey King upset the order of heaven and earth to assert his independence. He is well loved by Chinese children.
moongate — A circular opening in a wall. It is often lined with tiles or lacquered wood, usually without a door.
Mme. Chiang Kai-shek (Soong Mei-ling 1897-2003) — One of the famous Soong sisters. The first sister, Soong Ai-ling married H.H.Kung, a direct descendant of Confucius. Kung later became the finance minister of the Nationalist government. The second sister Soong Chin-ling married the father of the Chinese revolution, Dr. Sun Yat-sen. Mei-ling introduced Chiang Kai-shek to Western culture and Christianity. She was educated at Wellesley College, and was a spokeswoman for China during World War II. She moved to New York after her husband’s death in 1975 and died in 2003 at age 105.
my heart and liver — My precious darling.
Nanking — The capital of a united China during the Republican era 1928-1937. At the end of World War II from 1946-1949, Nanking resumed its status as capital of Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalist government.
new territories — A portion of Kowloon peninsula bordering the Kwangtung province in southern China. It was leased from China in 1898 for 99 years.
New Year’s goodie boxes — The box or bag containing foods that symbolize all the good wishes for the new year. Apples — peace, lotus seed — blessings, olives — long life, kumquats, tangerines, dried lychees and dragon eyes — wealth.
New Year’s money — Money bestowed on children and servants on the Chinese (lunar) New Year. The money is handed out in red envelopes . Everyone celebrated his or her birthday at New Year’s.
Nine Rivulets and Eighteen Gullies — A famous tourist attraction in the West Lake region of Hangzhou, where many small causeways are joined by tea gardens and stone bridges. Willows droop over the water ‘s edge along the walks. Marco Polo considered Hangzhou one of the most civilized and idyllic places on earth.
“Oh-me-to-fo” — A Buddhist chant to the Goddess of Mercy.
old turtle — A dense and obstinate person.
one-foot kick — A servant who does everything: cooking, cleaning, washing etc.
open your heart — Relax.
pedicab — A tricycle pedaled up front by its driver, with a hooded passenger carriage in the back.
personal maid — “mui-tse” in Cantonese. It translates literally to mean “little sister”. Poor families often sold their daughters into rich homes to serve as housemaids or personal maids to the mistresses of the house. These maids did not receive a salary but were given money, clothes and personal items during the holidays. In some unethical families, the maids were exploited. In general, except in dire circumstances, the maids were never re-sold. They were married off with dowries when they reached marriageable age. Since the maids’ fortunes closely followed those of their mistresses’, they often became the mistresses’ confidantes and closest allies in the large, multi-generational homes. This “mui tse” system persisted well into the twentieth Century.
pillow book — A sex manual.
place it in the heart — Dwell on it.
Po-po — An old woman or mother’s mother.
reaching the clouds and rain — Reaching orgasm.
red-eyed monster — Jealousy.
rousing heat — A fete of fun and festivities.
scholar — A person belonging to the highest class in the traditional, Confucian society. It is the scholar who enters official life, and governs the country according to the tenets of Confucian humanism. John King Fairbank in his The United States and China observed: “As a code of personal conduct Confucianism tried to make each individual a moral being, ready to act on ideal grounds, to uphold virtue against human error, especially against evil rulers. There were many Confucian scholars of moral grandeur, uncompromising foes of tyranny. But their reforming zeal, the dynamics of their creed, aimed to reaffirm and conserve the traditional polity, not to change its fundamental premises.” The scholar may be poor and live the life of an ascetic, but the merchant and the gentry most often court him for his wisdom and prestige.
second koo-ma — father’s second younger sister.
self-coming water — Water from a faucet.
shai shai — thank you.
Shih ba-ba — A polite form to address an elder. “Ba-ba” indicates he is the father’s older brother even though he may not be related by blood.
silkworms and mulberry leaves — Silkworms feed on mulberry leaves. Therefore, the hatching of their eggs must coincide with the growth of mulberry trees. Silk production is a centuries-old industry in China. The adult female silkworm moth lays between 300 and 500 eggs on sheets of paper provided by the breeders. The larvae (silkworms) that hatch from the eggs look like tiny ants initially, and then turn pale and worm like reaching a maximum length of about three inches in forty-five days. The worms weave cocoons of a continuous silken thread. The cocoons are most often white in color, but occasionally, yellow, pink or light green. Usually the thread is unwound intact for commercial use after killing the pupa in steam or hot water. Many Chinese children cultivate the worms as a hobby or care for them like pets.
Sing Song girls — Girls of ill repute who make their living by entertaining men.
skywell — A small courtyard attached to the front or back of a house. It is surrounded by high walls on all sides and looks like a well from the sky.
sleeping with willows and lying with flowers — Being on intimate terms with women of ill repute.
soaked in vinegar — Very jealous.
Soong, T.V.(1894-1971) — A brother of Mme. Chiang Kai-shek. Soong was educated at Harvard, and at various points served as the minister of finance and the minister of defense in the Republic of China.
sour meat — Lewd.
spirit screen wall — In a Chinese traditional house, a free standing wall is built facing the front gate. The wall was supposed to prevent evil spirits from entering the house.
spread what is not — Gossip.
sprouted good fortune — Gained weight.
steel organ — Piano.
stir up what is not — Cause trouble.
Sun Yat-sen Dr. (1866-1925) — Leader of the Chinese Revolution who established a republican government in 1911. The Chinese honor him as the George Washington of China.
Sun Yat-sen suit — The present day ‘Mao suit’. Instead of the traditional Chinese robe that some men found comfortable but inconvenient, some Chinese wore this suit to indicate modern Nationalism.
swallowing bitterness — Suffer.
swatting a fly on a tiger’s head — Doing a very dangerous thing.
Tai-tai — Mistress or Mrs.
Taihu roc
ks — Rocks that are most prized for garden designs. They are limestone boulders found on the bottom of Lake Tai, west of Suzhou. The rocks were eroded by the water and sand of the lake giving them the look of miniature mountains, or natural sculptures of birds, animals or gods.
Tang poets — Poets of the golden age of poetry in China during the three centuries of the Tang Dynasty (618-907).
Tang-ko — “Tang” indicates a paternal relationship, and “ko” means older brother.
Tao Te Ching — The best known classic of Taoism. The true authorship of Tao Te Ching is unknown, although it is popularly attributed to Lao Tzu (circa 590 B.C.) In China, a Short Cultural History, C.P. Fitzgerald wrote, “The Taoist represented a revolt from the trammels of a decadent society. They preached a renunciation of the world, a return to primitive simplicity . . . . The sage should himself find the Tao (the Way), and then by his passive example lead men to follow him. . . . Only the sage could find the Tao. It was aristocratic and necessarily exclusive.”
third day ceremony — According to ancient customs, the formal announcement of birth and the first bath are performed on the third day.
Three Character Book — A beginner reader in the Chinese classics for children. All verses are composed of rhyming couplets of three characters.
Tiger-Run Spring — A spring located on the grounds of a monastery close to the city of Hangzhou. The clear water from the spring is renowned as a perfect mate for the superb Lung Ching (Dragon’s Well) tea.
to lose face — To lose the good regards of society.
T’ung Ming Hui — Dr. Sun Yat-sen formed this alliance of mostly young people. It was dedicated to the Republican cause, and the overthrowing of the Manchu Dynasty. Later, the T’ung Ming Hui was amalgamated into the Kuomingtang, which is still the dominant political party in Taiwan.
wasting mouth water —Talking too much.
Western ocean barbarians — Westerners.
Wind-and-water men — Geomancers, people who practice divination according to the lines of land, water and winds. They are consulted for important events such as marriages and building houses and graves. Westerners know it as fung-shui, the Cantonese pronunciation for Wing and Water.
