債 The Debt

Debt

，，．He had always lived at his wife's family home, for besides his wife he had no other kin. His wife's family loved him for his

他: tā — 1. (third-person singular) (since the early 20th century, usu. male) he; him; his 2. (bound form) other; another; some other (as in 他日 (tā rì) and 他人 (tā rén)) (HSK 1)
一向: yī xiàng — 1. a period of time in the recent past 2. (indicating a period of time up to the present) all along; the whole time (HSK 5)
就: jiù — 1. (after a suppositional clause) in that case; then 2. (after a clause of action) as soon as; immediately after 3. (same as 就是 (jiù shì)) merely; nothing else but; simply; just; precisely; exactly 4. only; as little as 5. as much as; as many as 6. to approach; to move towards 7. to undertake; to engage in 8. (often followed by 著 (zhe)) taking advantage of 9. (of food) to go with 10. with regard to; concerning 11. (bound form) to reach; to attain (as in 一蹴而就 (yī cù ér jiù)) 12. (pattern: 就 (jiù) ... 也 (yě) ...) even if ... still ... 13. (pattern: 不 (bù) ... 就 (jiù) ...) if not ... then must be ... (HSK 1)
住: zhù — 1. to live; to reside; to stay 2. to stop; to cease 3. (result complement indicating firmness or a stable achieved state) (HSK 1)
在: zài — 1. to exist; to be alive 2. (of sb or sth) to be (located) at 3. (used before a verb to indicate an action in progress) (HSK 1)
妻子: qī zǐ — wife and children (HSK 4)
家: jiā — 1. home 2. family 3. (polite) my (sister, uncle etc) 4. classifier for families or businesses 5. refers to the philosophical schools of pre-Han China 6. noun suffix for a specialist in some activity, such as a musician or revolutionary, corresponding to English -ist, -er, -ary or -ian 7. classifier: 個 (gè) (HSK 1)
裏: lǐ — variant of 裡 (lǐ) (HSK 1)
因: yīn — 1. cause 2. reason 3. because (HSK 6)
爲: wéi — variant of 為 (wéi) (HSK 2)
他: tā — 1. (third-person singular) (since the early 20th century, usu. male) he; him; his 2. (bound form) other; another; some other (as in 他日 (tā rì) and 他人 (tā rén)) (HSK 1)
除: chú — 1. to get rid of 2. to remove 3. to exclude 4. to eliminate 5. to wipe out 6. to divide 7. except 8. not including (HSK 6)
妻子: qī zǐ — wife and children (HSK 4)
以外: yǐ wài — 1. apart from 2. other than 3. except for 4. external 5. outside of 6. on the other side of 7. beyond (HSK 2)
沒有: méi yǒu — 1. haven't 2. hasn't 3. doesn't exist 4. to not have 5. to not be (HSK 1)
別的: bié de — 1. else 2. other (HSK 1)
親戚: qīn qi — 1. a relative (i.e. family relation) 2. classifier: 門 (mén), 個 (gè), 位 (wèi) (HSK 7-9)
妻: qī — (bound form) wife
家底: jiā dǐ — 1. family property 2. patrimony
人: rén — 1. person; people 2. classifier: 個 (gè), 位 (wèi), 名 (míng) (HSK 1)
愛: ài — 1. to love; to be fond of; to like 2. affection 3. to be inclined (to do sth); to tend to (happen) (HSK 1)
他: tā — 1. (third-person singular) (since the early 20th century, usu. male) he; him; his 2. (bound form) other; another; some other (as in 他日 (tā rì) and 他人 (tā rén)) (HSK 1)
底: de — (equivalent to 的 as possessive particle) (HSK 4)

，，．cleverness, and pitied his solitariness, so in all things they showed him respect.

，．、，：，，．His wife had long since passed away, and he had no children of his own. His life consisted of reading, writing, and sometimes playing the seven-stringed zither: he was by no means a bookworm, for he always sought understanding in his books, unlike a bookworm who seeks only to read widely.

他: tā — 1. (third-person singular) (since the early 20th century, usu. male) he; him; his 2. (bound form) other; another; some other (as in 他日 (tā rì) and 他人 (tā rén)) (HSK 1)
底: de — (equivalent to 的 as possessive particle) (HSK 4)
妻子: qī zǐ — wife and children (HSK 4)
早已: zǎo yǐ — 1. for a long time; long since 2. (dialect) in the past (HSK 3)
去世: qù shì — 1. to pass away 2. to die (HSK 3)
膝下: xī xià — 1. at the knee (in reference to children) 2. (salutation used in letters to parents or grandparents)
又: yòu — 1. (once) again 2. also 3. both... and... 4. and yet 5. (used for emphasis) anyway (HSK 2)
沒有: méi yǒu — 1. haven't 2. hasn't 3. doesn't exist 4. to not have 5. to not be (HSK 1)
子女: zǐ nǚ — children; sons and daughters (HSK 3)
他: tā — 1. (third-person singular) (since the early 20th century, usu. male) he; him; his 2. (bound form) other; another; some other (as in 他日 (tā rì) and 他人 (tā rén)) (HSK 1)
底: de — (equivalent to 的 as possessive particle) (HSK 4)
生活: shēng huó — 1. to live 2. life 3. livelihood (HSK 2)
就是: jiù shì — 1. exactly; precisely 2. only; simply; just 3. (used correlatively with 也 (yě)) even; even if (HSK 3)
念書: niàn shū — 1. to read; to study 2. to attend school (HSK 7-9)
寫字: xiě zì — 1. to write (by hand) 2. to practice calligraphy
有時: yǒu shí — 1. sometimes 2. now and then (HSK 1)
還: Huán — surname Huan (HSK 1)
彈: dàn — 1. crossball 2. bullet 3. shot 4. shell 5. ball (HSK 5)
彈: dàn — 1. crossball 2. bullet 3. shot 4. shell 5. ball (HSK 5)
七: qī — 1. seven 2. 7 (HSK 1)
絃: xián — 1. variant of 弦 2. bow string 3. string of musical instrument 4. watch spring 5. chord (straight line joining two points on a curve) 6. hypotenuse
他: tā — 1. (third-person singular) (since the early 20th century, usu. male) he; him; his 2. (bound form) other; another; some other (as in 他日 (tā rì) and 他人 (tā rén)) (HSK 1)
决不: jué bù — 1. not at all 2. simply (can) not (HSK 5)
是: shì — 1. to be (followed by substantives only) 2. correct; right; true 3. (respectful acknowledgement of a command) very well 4. (adverb for emphatic assertion) (HSK 1)
一個: yī ge — 1. a; an; one 2. the whole (afternoon, summer vacation etc)
書: Shū — abbr. for 書經 (Shū jīng) (HSK 1)
獃: dāi — 1. foolish; stupid (variant of 呆 (dāi)) 2. expressionless; blank (variant of 呆 (dāi)) (HSK 5)
子: zǐ — 1. son 2. child 3. seed 4. egg 5. small thing 6. 1st earthly branch: 11 p.m.–1 a.m., midnight, 11th solar month (7th December to 5th January), year of the rat 7. viscount, fourth of five orders of nobility 五等爵位 (wǔ děng jué wèi) 8. ancient Chinese compass point: 0° (north) 9. subsidiary; subordinate; (prefix) sub-
因: yīn — 1. cause 2. reason 3. because (HSK 6)
爲: wéi — variant of 為 (wéi) (HSK 2)
他: tā — 1. (third-person singular) (since the early 20th century, usu. male) he; him; his 2. (bound form) other; another; some other (as in 他日 (tā rì) and 他人 (tā rén)) (HSK 1)
常: Cháng — surname Chang (HSK 1)
要: yāo — (bound form) to demand; to coerce (HSK 1)
在: zài — 1. to exist; to be alive 2. (of sb or sth) to be (located) at 3. (used before a verb to indicate an action in progress) (HSK 1)
書: Shū — abbr. for 書經 (Shū jīng) (HSK 1)
內: nèi — 1. inside 2. inner 3. internal 4. within 5. interior (HSK 3)
求: qiú — 1. to seek 2. to look for 3. to request 4. to demand 5. to beseech (HSK 2)
理解: lǐ jiě — to comprehend; to understand (HSK 3)
不: bù — 1. no; not so 2. (bound form) not; un- (HSK 1)
像: xiàng — 1. to resemble 2. to be like 3. to look as if 4. such as 5. appearance 6. image 7. portrait 8. image under a mapping (math.) (HSK 2)
書: Shū — abbr. for 書經 (Shū jīng) (HSK 1)
獃: dāi — 1. foolish; stupid (variant of 呆 (dāi)) 2. expressionless; blank (variant of 呆 (dāi)) (HSK 5)
子: zǐ — 1. son 2. child 3. seed 4. egg 5. small thing 6. 1st earthly branch: 11 p.m.–1 a.m., midnight, 11th solar month (7th December to 5th January), year of the rat 7. viscount, fourth of five orders of nobility 五等爵位 (wǔ děng jué wèi) 8. ancient Chinese compass point: 0° (north) 9. subsidiary; subordinate; (prefix) sub-
只: zhī — variant of 隻 (zhī) (HSK 2)
求: qiú — 1. to seek 2. to look for 3. to request 4. to demand 5. to beseech (HSK 2)
多: duō — 1. many; much; more; a lot of 2. too many; in excess 3. (after a numeral) ... odd 4. how (to what extent) (Taiwan pr. (duó)) 5. (bound form) multi-; poly- (HSK 1)
念: niàn — 1. to read 2. to study (a subject) 3. to attend (a school) 4. to read aloud 5. to give (sb) a tongue-lashing (classifier: 頓 (dùn)) 6. to miss (sb) 7. idea 8. remembrance 9. twenty (banker's anti-fraud numeral corresponding to 廿 (niàn)) (HSK 3)

；His wife's family had a large garden for him to stroll in;．and many servants at his beck and call. But he never made a point of

妻子: qī zǐ — wife and children (HSK 4)
底: de — (equivalent to 的 as possessive particle) (HSK 4)
家: jiā — 1. home 2. family 3. (polite) my (sister, uncle etc) 4. classifier for families or businesses 5. refers to the philosophical schools of pre-Han China 6. noun suffix for a specialist in some activity, such as a musician or revolutionary, corresponding to English -ist, -er, -ary or -ian 7. classifier: 個 (gè) (HSK 1)
裏: lǐ — variant of 裡 (lǐ) (HSK 1)
有: yǒu — 1. to have; there is 2. (bound form) having; with; -ful; -ed; -al (as in 有意 (yǒu yì) intentional) (HSK 1)
很: hěn — 1. very; quite 2. (also, often used before an adjective without intensifying its meaning, i.e. as a meaningless syntactic element) (HSK 1)
大: dà — 1. big; large; great 2. older (than another person) 3. eldest (as in 大姐 (dà jiě)) 4. greatly; freely; fully 5. (dialect) father 6. (dialect) uncle (father's brother) (HSK 1)
的: de — 1. of; ~'s (possessive particle) 2. (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun) 3. (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis) 4. (used after a noun, verb or adjective to form a nominal expression, as in 皮革的 (pí gé de) "one made of leather" or 跑堂兒的 (pǎo táng r de) "a waiter (literally, one who runs back and forth in a restaurant)" or 新的 (xīn de) "new one") 5. also pr. (dì) or (di) in poetry and songs (HSK 1)
花園: huā yuán — 1. garden (for flowers, ornamental plants etc); (landscaped) park; yard with decorative plants 2. classifier: 座 (zuò) (HSK 2)
供: gōng — 1. to provide; to supply 2. to be for (the use or convenience of) (HSK 7-9)
他: tā — 1. (third-person singular) (since the early 20th century, usu. male) he; him; his 2. (bound form) other; another; some other (as in 他日 (tā rì) and 他人 (tā rén)) (HSK 1)
游玩: yóu wán — 1. to amuse oneself 2. to have fun 3. to go sightseeing 4. to take a stroll (HSK 6)
有: yǒu — 1. to have; there is 2. (bound form) having; with; -ful; -ed; -al (as in 有意 (yǒu yì) intentional) (HSK 1)
許多: xǔ duō — 1. many 2. a lot of 3. much (HSK 2)
奴僕: nú pú — servant
聽: tīng — 1. to listen to; to hear 2. to heed; to obey 3. a can (loanword from English "tin") 4. classifier for canned beverages 5. to let be; to allow (Taiwan pr. (tìng)) 6. (literary) to administer; to deal with (Taiwan pr. (tìng)) (HSK 1)
他: tā — 1. (third-person singular) (since the early 20th century, usu. male) he; him; his 2. (bound form) other; another; some other (as in 他日 (tā rì) and 他人 (tā rén)) (HSK 1)
使: shǐ — 1. to make 2. to cause 3. to enable 4. to use 5. to employ 6. to send 7. to instruct sb to do sth 8. envoy 9. messenger (HSK 3)
令: líng — 1. used in 脊令 (jí líng) 2. used in 令狐 (Líng hú) (Taiwan pr. (lìng)) (HSK 5)
但: dàn — 1. but; yet; however; still 2. merely; only; just (HSK 2)
他: tā — 1. (third-person singular) (since the early 20th century, usu. male) he; him; his 2. (bound form) other; another; some other (as in 他日 (tā rì) and 他人 (tā rén)) (HSK 1)
從沒: cóng méi — 1. never (in the past) 2. never did (HSK 6)
有: yǒu — 1. to have; there is 2. (bound form) having; with; -ful; -ed; -al (as in 有意 (yǒu yì) intentional) (HSK 1)
特意: tè yì — 1. specially 2. intentionally (HSK 6)

；going to the garden to stroll about;．nor had he ever summoned a single servant.

，．，On a gloomy day, when a person feels ill at ease no matter where he is, his mother-in-law called him into the house to chat,

．：『，and for some unknown reason began to counsel him. His mother-in-law said, 'I feel that since our daughter passed away, you have become more

不: bù — 1. no; not so 2. (bound form) not; un- (HSK 1)
曉得: xiǎo de — to know (HSK 6)
爲: wéi — variant of 為 (wéi) (HSK 2)
什麼: shén me — 1. what? 2. something; anything (HSK 1)
緣故: yuán gù — 1. reason 2. cause (HSK 6)
就: jiù — 1. (after a suppositional clause) in that case; then 2. (after a clause of action) as soon as; immediately after 3. (same as 就是 (jiù shì)) merely; nothing else but; simply; just; precisely; exactly 4. only; as little as 5. as much as; as many as 6. to approach; to move towards 7. to undertake; to engage in 8. (often followed by 著 (zhe)) taking advantage of 9. (of food) to go with 10. with regard to; concerning 11. (bound form) to reach; to attain (as in 一蹴而就 (yī cù ér jiù)) 12. (pattern: 就 (jiù) ... 也 (yě) ...) even if ... still ... 13. (pattern: 不 (bù) ... 就 (jiù) ...) if not ... then must be ... (HSK 1)
勸: quàn — 1. to advise 2. to urge 3. to try to persuade 4. to exhort 5. to console 6. to soothe (HSK 5)
起: qǐ — 1. to rise 2. to raise 3. to get up 4. to set out 5. to start 6. to appear 7. to launch 8. to initiate (action) 9. to draft 10. to establish 11. to get (from a depot or counter) 12. verb suffix, to start 13. starting from (a time, place, price etc) 14. classifier for occurrences or unpredictable events: case, instance 15. classifier for groups: batch, group (HSK 1)
他: tā — 1. (third-person singular) (since the early 20th century, usu. male) he; him; his 2. (bound form) other; another; some other (as in 他日 (tā rì) and 他人 (tā rén)) (HSK 1)
來: lái — 1. to come 2. (used as a substitute for a more specific verb) 3. hither (directional complement for motion toward the speaker, as in 回來 (huí lai)) 4. ever since (as in 自古以來 (zì gǔ yǐ lái)) 5. for the past (amount of time) 6. (prefix) the coming ...; the next ... (as in 來世 (lái shì)) 7. (between two verbs) in order to 8. (after a round number) approximately 9. (used after 得 (dé) to indicate possibility, as in 談得來 (tán de lái), or after 不 (bù) to indicate impossibility, as in 吃不來 (chī bu lái)) (HSK 1)
岳母: yuè mǔ — wife's mother, mother-in-law (HSK 7-9)
說: shuì — to persuade (HSK 1)
我: wǒ — I; me; my (HSK 1)
覺得: jué de — 1. to think that ...; to feel that ... 2. to feel (uncomfortable etc) (HSK 1)
自從: zì cóng — 1. since (a time) 2. ever since (HSK 3)
儷: lì — 1. (bound form) paired; coupled 2. (bound form) husband and wife
兒: ér — 1. child 2. son
去世: qù shì — 1. to pass away 2. to die (HSK 3)
以後: yǐ hòu — 1. after 2. later 3. afterwards 4. following 5. later on 6. in the future (HSK 2)
你: nǐ — you (informal, as opposed to courteous 您 (nín)) (HSK 1)
就: jiù — 1. (after a suppositional clause) in that case; then 2. (after a clause of action) as soon as; immediately after 3. (same as 就是 (jiù shì)) merely; nothing else but; simply; just; precisely; exactly 4. only; as little as 5. as much as; as many as 6. to approach; to move towards 7. to undertake; to engage in 8. (often followed by 著 (zhe)) taking advantage of 9. (of food) to go with 10. with regard to; concerning 11. (bound form) to reach; to attain (as in 一蹴而就 (yī cù ér jiù)) 12. (pattern: 就 (jiù) ... 也 (yě) ...) even if ... still ... 13. (pattern: 不 (bù) ... 就 (jiù) ...) if not ... then must be ... (HSK 1)
比: Bǐ — 1. Belgium 2. Belgian 3. abbr. for 比利時 (Bǐ lì shí) (HSK 1)
前: qián — 1. front 2. forward 3. ahead 4. first 5. top (followed by a number) 6. future 7. ago 8. before 9. BC (e.g. 前293年) 10. former 11. formerly (HSK 1)
格: gē — 1. used in 格登 (gē dēng) 2. used in 格格 (gē gē) (HSK 7-9)

．，．，formal than before. I urge you there is no need for this, for outsiders who don't understand will all blame me. Look how you are dressed — not even as well as the household's

外: wài — 1. outside 2. in addition 3. foreign 4. external (HSK 1)
客氣: kè qi — 1. polite 2. courteous 3. formal 4. modest (HSK 5)
我: wǒ — I; me; my (HSK 1)
勸: quàn — 1. to advise 2. to urge 3. to try to persuade 4. to exhort 5. to console 6. to soothe (HSK 5)
你: nǐ — you (informal, as opposed to courteous 您 (nín)) (HSK 1)
毋: Wú — surname Wu
須: xū — 1. must 2. to have to 3. to wait (HSK 7-9)
如此: rú cǐ — like this; so; such (HSK 5)
因: yīn — 1. cause 2. reason 3. because (HSK 6)
爲: wéi — variant of 為 (wéi) (HSK 2)
外人: wài rén — 1. outsider 2. foreigner 3. stranger
不知: bù zhī — 1. not to know 2. unaware 3. unknowingly 4. fig. not to admit (defeat, hardships, tiredness etc) (HSK 7-9)
道: dào — 1. road; path (classifier: 條 (tiáo), 股 (gǔ)) 2. (bound form) way; reason; principle 3. (bound form) a skill; an art; a specialization 4. (Daoism) the Way; the Dao 5. to say (introducing a direct quotation, as in a novel) 6. (bound form) to express; to extend (polite words) 7. classifier for long thin things (rivers, cracks, shadows etc), barriers (walls, doors etc), questions (in an exam etc), commands, courses in a meal, steps in a process 8. (old) circuit (administrative division) (HSK 2)
都: Dū — surname Du (HSK 1)
要: yāo — (bound form) to demand; to coerce (HSK 1)
怪: guài — 1. odd; strange; uncanny 2. (bound form) monster; supernatural being 3. to find strange; to regard as odd 4. to blame 5. (coll.) somewhat; rather (HSK 4)
我: wǒ — I; me; my (HSK 1)
看: kān — 1. to look after 2. to take care of 3. to watch 4. to guard (HSK 1)
你: nǐ — you (informal, as opposed to courteous 您 (nín)) (HSK 1)
穿: chuān — 1. to bore through; to pierce; to perforate 2. to go through (e.g. a tunnel); to cross (e.g. a street) 3. to thread; to string together 4. to wear; to put on (clothes, shoes etc.) 5. verb complement indicating thoroughness or completion (HSK 1)
成: Chéng — 1. surname Cheng 2. short name for Chengdu 成都 (Chéng dū) (HSK 2)
這樣: zhè yàng — 1. this way; like this; so 2. (before a noun) this kind of; such (HSK 2)
還不如: hái bù rú — 1. to be better off ... 2. might as well ...
家: jiā — 1. home 2. family 3. (polite) my (sister, uncle etc) 4. classifier for families or businesses 5. refers to the philosophical schools of pre-Han China 6. noun suffix for a specialist in some activity, such as a musician or revolutionary, corresponding to English -ist, -er, -ary or -ian 7. classifier: 個 (gè) (HSK 1)
裏: lǐ — variant of 裡 (lǐ) (HSK 1)
底: de — (equivalent to 的 as possessive particle) (HSK 4)

，，？servants; if a stranger were to come, how could I bear the shame of it?，，，．』If anyone should ever bully you, saying this or that about you, you may certainly tell me, and I shall punish him in front of you.'

僕人: pú rén — servant
若: rě — 1. used in 般若 (bō rě) 2. used in 蘭若 (lán rě) (HSK 6)
有: yǒu — 1. to have; there is 2. (bound form) having; with; -ful; -ed; -al (as in 有意 (yǒu yì) intentional) (HSK 1)
生人: shēng rén — 1. stranger 2. living person 3. to give birth 4. to be born (in a certain time or place)
來到: lái dào — to arrive; to come (HSK 1)
叫: jiào — 1. to shout 2. to call 3. to order 4. to ask 5. to be called 6. by (indicates agent in the passive mood) (HSK 1)
我: wǒ — I; me; my (HSK 1)
怎樣: zěn yàng — 1. how 2. what kind (HSK 2)
過得去: guò dé qù — 1. lit. can pass through (an opening) 2. fig. can get by (in life) 3. tolerably well 4. not too bad 5. How are you getting by? 6. How's life?
儻: tǎng — 1. (literary) variant of 倘 (tǎng) 2. used in 倜儻 (tì tǎng)
或: huò — 1. maybe 2. perhaps 3. might 4. possibly 5. or (HSK 2)
有人: yǒu rén — 1. someone 2. people 3. anyone 4. there is someone there 5. occupied (as in restroom) (HSK 2)
欺負: qī fu — to bully (HSK 6)
你: nǐ — you (informal, as opposed to courteous 您 (nín)) (HSK 1)
說: shuì — to persuade (HSK 1)
你: nǐ — you (informal, as opposed to courteous 您 (nín)) (HSK 1)
這: zhè — 1. (pronoun) this; these 2. (bound form) this; the (followed by a noun) 3. (bound form) this; these (followed by a classifier) (in this sense, commonly pr. (zhèi), esp. in Beijing) (HSK 1)
長: cháng — 1. long 2. (bound form) length 3. (bound form) strong point; forte 4. (bound form) to be good at 5. (literary) surplus; spare (Taiwan pr. (zhàng)) (HSK 2)
那: Nā — surname Na (HSK 1)
短: duǎn — 1. short 2. brief 3. to lack 4. weak point 5. fault (HSK 2)
儘: jǐn — 1. to the greatest extent 2. (when used before a noun of location) furthest or extreme 3. to be within the limits of 4. to give priority to (HSK 6)
可以: kě yǐ — 1. can 2. may 3. possible 4. able to 5. not bad 6. pretty good (HSK 2)
告訴: gào sù — to press charges; to file a complaint (HSK 1)
我: wǒ — I; me; my (HSK 1)
我: wǒ — I; me; my (HSK 1)
責罰: zé fá — to punish
他: tā — 1. (third-person singular) (since the early 20th century, usu. male) he; him; his 2. (bound form) other; another; some other (as in 他日 (tā rì) and 他人 (tā rén)) (HSK 1)
給: gěi — 1. to 2. for 3. for the benefit of 4. to give 5. to allow 6. to do sth (for sb) 7. (grammatical equivalent of 被) 8. (grammatical equivalent of 把) 9. (sentence intensifier) (HSK 1)
你: nǐ — you (informal, as opposed to courteous 您 (nín)) (HSK 1)
看: kān — 1. to look after 2. to take care of 3. to watch 4. to guard (HSK 1)

『？'How would I know anything about formality?，．』It is only that I feel the debts I owe are too many, and I am too embarrassed to ask for anything more.'

『？'What debts?？Has anyone come demanding payment from you?，！Ah, you are far too distant with me!，I regard you just the same as my own nephew; whatever you lack

，；you should simply go and ask the steward for;；and if anyone dares to gossip about it,．』I will certainly not let him off.'

『，、，'What I owe are debts of every kind. When I see the many poor and sorrowful people, it is as if I owed them a debt beyond counting.

我: wǒ — I; me; my (HSK 1)
所: suǒ — 1. actually 2. place 3. classifier for houses, small buildings, institutions etc 4. that which 5. particle introducing a relative clause or passive 6. classifier: 個 (gè) (HSK 3)
欠: qiàn — 1. to owe 2. to lack 3. (literary) to be deficient in 4. (bound form) yawn 5. to raise slightly (a part of one's body) (HSK 5)
底: de — (equivalent to 的 as possessive particle) (HSK 4)
是: shì — 1. to be (followed by substantives only) 2. correct; right; true 3. (respectful acknowledgement of a command) very well 4. (adverb for emphatic assertion) (HSK 1)
一切: yī qiè — 1. everything 2. every 3. all (HSK 3)
的: de — 1. of; ~'s (possessive particle) 2. (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun) 3. (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis) 4. (used after a noun, verb or adjective to form a nominal expression, as in 皮革的 (pí gé de) "one made of leather" or 跑堂兒的 (pǎo táng r de) "a waiter (literally, one who runs back and forth in a restaurant)" or 新的 (xīn de) "new one") 5. also pr. (dì) or (di) in poetry and songs (HSK 1)
債: zhài — 1. debt 2. classifier: 筆 (bǐ) (HSK 6)
我: wǒ — I; me; my (HSK 1)
看見: kàn jiàn — to see; to catch sight of (HSK 1)
許多: xǔ duō — 1. many 2. a lot of 3. much (HSK 2)
貧乏: pín fá — 1. impoverished 2. lacking 3. deficient 4. limited 5. meager 6. impoverishment 7. lack 8. deficiency
人: rén — 1. person; people 2. classifier: 個 (gè), 位 (wèi), 名 (míng) (HSK 1)
愁苦: chóu kǔ — 1. anxiety 2. distress
人: rén — 1. person; people 2. classifier: 個 (gè), 位 (wèi), 名 (míng) (HSK 1)
就: jiù — 1. (after a suppositional clause) in that case; then 2. (after a clause of action) as soon as; immediately after 3. (same as 就是 (jiù shì)) merely; nothing else but; simply; just; precisely; exactly 4. only; as little as 5. as much as; as many as 6. to approach; to move towards 7. to undertake; to engage in 8. (often followed by 著 (zhe)) taking advantage of 9. (of food) to go with 10. with regard to; concerning 11. (bound form) to reach; to attain (as in 一蹴而就 (yī cù ér jiù)) 12. (pattern: 就 (jiù) ... 也 (yě) ...) even if ... still ... 13. (pattern: 不 (bù) ... 就 (jiù) ...) if not ... then must be ... (HSK 1)
如: rú — 1. as 2. as if 3. such as (HSK 6)
該: gāi — 1. should 2. ought to 3. probably 4. must be 5. to deserve 6. to owe 7. to be sb's turn to do sth 8. that 9. the above-mentioned (HSK 2)
了: le — 1. (completed action marker) 2. (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now) 3. (modal particle intensifying preceding clause) (HSK 1)
他們: tā men — they; them (HSK 1)
無量: wú liàng — 1. measureless 2. immeasurable
數: shǔ — 1. to count 2. to count as; to regard as 3. to enumerate; to list (HSK 2)
的: de — 1. of; ~'s (possessive particle) 2. (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun) 3. (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis) 4. (used after a noun, verb or adjective to form a nominal expression, as in 皮革的 (pí gé de) "one made of leather" or 跑堂兒的 (pǎo táng r de) "a waiter (literally, one who runs back and forth in a restaurant)" or 新的 (xīn de) "new one") 5. also pr. (dì) or (di) in poetry and songs (HSK 1)

．，．，，Whenever I have fine food and clothing, I always think first of repaying them. If there is even one person in this world who cannot eat his fill, cannot keep warm, or cannot live

債: zhài — 1. debt 2. classifier: 筆 (bǐ) (HSK 6)
一般: yī bān — 1. same 2. ordinary 3. so-so 4. common 5. general 6. generally 7. in general (HSK 2)
我: wǒ — I; me; my (HSK 1)
有: yǒu — 1. to have; there is 2. (bound form) having; with; -ful; -ed; -al (as in 有意 (yǒu yì) intentional) (HSK 1)
好: hǎo — 1. good 2. appropriate; proper 3. all right! 4. (before a verb) easy to 5. (before a verb) good to 6. (before an adjective for exclamatory effect) so 7. (verb complement indicating completion) 8. (of two people) close; on intimate terms 9. (after a personal pronoun) hello (HSK 1)
的: de — 1. of; ~'s (possessive particle) 2. (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun) 3. (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis) 4. (used after a noun, verb or adjective to form a nominal expression, as in 皮革的 (pí gé de) "one made of leather" or 跑堂兒的 (pǎo táng r de) "a waiter (literally, one who runs back and forth in a restaurant)" or 新的 (xīn de) "new one") 5. also pr. (dì) or (di) in poetry and songs (HSK 1)
衣食: yī shí — clothes and food
總: zǒng — 1. (bound form) general; overall 2. to sum up 3. in every case; always; invariably 4. anyway; after all; eventually; sooner or later 5. surely 6. (after a person's name) abbr. for 總經理 (zǒng jīng lǐ) or 總編 (zǒng biān) etc (HSK 3)
想: xiǎng — 1. to think (about) 2. to think of; to devise 3. to think (that); to believe (that) 4. to desire; to want (to) 5. to miss (feel wistful about the absence of) (HSK 1)
先: xiān — 1. beforehand; first; earlier 2. at first; originally 3. for the time being; for now 4. (prefix) my late (in referring to deceased relatives older than oneself) (HSK 1)
償還: cháng huán — to repay; to reimburse (HSK 7-9)
他們: tā men — they; them (HSK 1)
世間: shì jiān — 1. world 2. earth
若: rě — 1. used in 般若 (bō rě) 2. used in 蘭若 (lán rě) (HSK 6)
有: yǒu — 1. to have; there is 2. (bound form) having; with; -ful; -ed; -al (as in 有意 (yǒu yì) intentional) (HSK 1)
一個人: yī gè rén — 1. by oneself (without assistance) 2. alone (without company)
喫: chī — variant of 吃 (chī) (HSK 1)
不: bù — 1. no; not so 2. (bound form) not; un- (HSK 1)
飽足: bǎo zú — to be full (after eating)
穿: chuān — 1. to bore through; to pierce; to perforate 2. to go through (e.g. a tunnel); to cross (e.g. a street) 3. to thread; to string together 4. to wear; to put on (clothes, shoes etc.) 5. verb complement indicating thoroughness or completion (HSK 1)
不: bù — 1. no; not so 2. (bound form) not; un- (HSK 1)
煖: nuǎn — variant of 暖 (nuǎn) (HSK 5)
和: Hé — surname He (HSK 1)
住: zhù — 1. to live; to reside; to stay 2. to stop; to cease 3. (result complement indicating firmness or a stable achieved state) (HSK 1)
不: bù — 1. no; not so 2. (bound form) not; un- (HSK 1)

，．』in comfort, I dare not openly enjoy this life of abundance all by myself.'

『��！』，，『，'You speak far too abstrusely!' Having said this, she paused a good while, then nodded and went on, 'Very good — this is truly the spirit of the scholar who

你: nǐ — you (informal, as opposed to courteous 您 (nín)) (HSK 1)
說: shuì — to persuade (HSK 1)
得: dé — 1. to obtain 2. to get 3. to gain 4. to catch (a disease) 5. proper 6. suitable 7. proud 8. contented 9. to allow 10. to permit 11. ready 12. finished (HSK 2)
太: tài — 1. highest 2. greatest 3. too (much) 4. very 5. extremely (HSK 1)
了: le — 1. (completed action marker) 2. (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now) 3. (modal particle intensifying preceding clause) (HSK 1)
她: tā — she (HSK 1)
說: shuì — to persuade (HSK 1)
過: Guō — surname Guo (HSK 1)
這: zhè — 1. (pronoun) this; these 2. (bound form) this; the (followed by a noun) 3. (bound form) this; these (followed by a classifier) (in this sense, commonly pr. (zhèi), esp. in Beijing) (HSK 1)
話: huà — 1. dialect 2. language 3. spoken words 4. speech 5. talk 6. words 7. conversation 8. what sb said 9. classifier: 種 (zhǒng), 席 (xí), 句 (jù), 口 (kǒu), 番 (fān) (HSK 1)
停: tíng — 1. to stop 2. to halt 3. to park (a car) (HSK 2)
了: le — 1. (completed action marker) 2. (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now) 3. (modal particle intensifying preceding clause) (HSK 1)
半晌: bàn shǎng — 1. half of the day 2. a long time 3. quite a while
才: cái — 1. ability; talent 2. sb of a certain type 3. a capable individual 4. then and only then 5. just now 6. (before an expression of quantity) only 7. (emphatic, esp. in contrast or correction) really; actually (HSK 2)
接着: jiē zhe — 1. to catch and hold on 2. to continue 3. to go on to do sth 4. to follow 5. to carry on 6. then 7. after that 8. subsequently 9. to proceed 10. to ensue 11. in turn 12. in one's turn (HSK 2)
點頭: diǎn tóu — to nod (HSK 2)
說: shuì — to persuade (HSK 1)
很: hěn — 1. very; quite 2. (also, often used before an adjective without intensifying its meaning, i.e. as a meaningless syntactic element) (HSK 1)
好: hǎo — 1. good 2. appropriate; proper 3. all right! 4. (before a verb) easy to 5. (before a verb) good to 6. (before an adjective for exclamatory effect) so 7. (verb complement indicating completion) 8. (of two people) close; on intimate terms 9. (after a personal pronoun) hello (HSK 1)
這: zhè — 1. (pronoun) this; these 2. (bound form) this; the (followed by a noun) 3. (bound form) this; these (followed by a classifier) (in this sense, commonly pr. (zhèi), esp. in Beijing) (HSK 1)
才: cái — 1. ability; talent 2. sb of a certain type 3. a capable individual 4. then and only then 5. just now 6. (before an expression of quantity) only 7. (emphatic, esp. in contrast or correction) really; actually (HSK 2)
是: shì — 1. to be (followed by substantives only) 2. correct; right; true 3. (respectful acknowledgement of a command) very well 4. (adverb for emphatic assertion) (HSK 1)
讀書: dú shū — 1. to read a book 2. to study 3. to attend school (HSK 1)

「」．……is "first to grieve for the world's troubles." ...？But when do you mean to finish paying it all off?Do you have a plan for

人: rén — 1. person; people 2. classifier: 個 (gè), 位 (wèi), 名 (míng) (HSK 1)
先天: xiān tiān — 1. embryonic period (contrasted with 後天 (hòu tiān)) 2. inborn; innate; natural (HSK 7-9)
下: xià — 1. down 2. downwards 3. below 4. lower 5. later 6. next (week etc) 7. second (of two parts) 8. to decline 9. to go down 10. to arrive at (a decision, conclusion etc) 11. measure word to show the frequency of an action (HSK 1)
之: zhī — 1. (possessive particle, literary equivalent of 的 (de)) 2. him 3. her 4. it (HSK 7-9)
憂: yōu — 1. to worry 2. to concern oneself with 3. worried 4. anxiety 5. sorrow 6. (literary) to observe mourning
而: ér — 1. and 2. as well as 3. and so 4. but (not) 5. yet (not) 6. (indicates causal relation) 7. (indicates change of state) 8. (indicates contrast) (HSK 4)
憂: yōu — 1. to worry 2. to concern oneself with 3. worried 4. anxiety 5. sorrow 6. (literary) to observe mourning
底: de — (equivalent to 的 as possessive particle) (HSK 4)
精神: jīng shén — 1. spirit 2. mind 3. consciousness 4. thought 5. mental 6. psychological 7. essence 8. gist 9. classifier: 個 (gè) (HSK 3)
然而: rán ér — however; but; yet (HSK 4)
你: nǐ — you (informal, as opposed to courteous 您 (nín)) (HSK 1)
要: yāo — (bound form) to demand; to coerce (HSK 1)
什: shén — what
麽: me — variant of 麼 (me)
時候: shí hou — 1. time 2. length of time 3. moment 4. period (HSK 1)
才: cái — 1. ability; talent 2. sb of a certain type 3. a capable individual 4. then and only then 5. just now 6. (before an expression of quantity) only 7. (emphatic, esp. in contrast or correction) really; actually (HSK 2)
還: Huán — surname Huan (HSK 1)
得: dé — 1. to obtain 2. to get 3. to gain 4. to catch (a disease) 5. proper 6. suitable 7. proud 8. contented 9. to allow 10. to permit 11. ready 12. finished (HSK 2)
淸: qīng — variant of 清 (qīng)
呢: ne — 1. (sentence-final particle) used in questions to link back to prior discourse or context ("what about...?", "and...?") 2. (sentence-final particle) indicating that a state or situation still holds 3. (discourse particle) used to mark a slight pause or emphasis in speech (HSK 1)
你: nǐ — you (informal, as opposed to courteous 您 (nín)) (HSK 1)
有: yǒu — 1. to have; there is 2. (bound form) having; with; -ful; -ed; -al (as in 有意 (yǒu yì) intentional) (HSK 1)
淸: qīng — variant of 清 (qīng)
還: Huán — surname Huan (HSK 1)
底: de — (equivalent to 的 as possessive particle) (HSK 4)
計: Jì — surname Ji (HSK 7-9)

？』clearing the debt, or not?'

『……'Um...……』，．Um...' He had never once thought of this in his mind, and so he could not answer.

『，，？'My good child, debts of this sort have never, since ancient times, been paid off by anyone — why trouble yourself over it?，．，：，I think you had better be a small-time creditor instead. As for a life of sufficiency, it too is without bounds: how do we know that what we call sufficiency today is not

好: hǎo — 1. good 2. appropriate; proper 3. all right! 4. (before a verb) easy to 5. (before a verb) good to 6. (before an adjective for exclamatory effect) so 7. (verb complement indicating completion) 8. (of two people) close; on intimate terms 9. (after a personal pronoun) hello (HSK 1)
孩子: hái zi — child (HSK 1)
這樣: zhè yàng — 1. this way; like this; so 2. (before a noun) this kind of; such (HSK 2)
的: de — 1. of; ~'s (possessive particle) 2. (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun) 3. (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis) 4. (used after a noun, verb or adjective to form a nominal expression, as in 皮革的 (pí gé de) "one made of leather" or 跑堂兒的 (pǎo táng r de) "a waiter (literally, one who runs back and forth in a restaurant)" or 新的 (xīn de) "new one") 5. also pr. (dì) or (di) in poetry and songs (HSK 1)
債: zhài — 1. debt 2. classifier: 筆 (bǐ) (HSK 6)
自來: zì lái — 1. from the beginning 2. always 3. to come of one's own accord
就: jiù — 1. (after a suppositional clause) in that case; then 2. (after a clause of action) as soon as; immediately after 3. (same as 就是 (jiù shì)) merely; nothing else but; simply; just; precisely; exactly 4. only; as little as 5. as much as; as many as 6. to approach; to move towards 7. to undertake; to engage in 8. (often followed by 著 (zhe)) taking advantage of 9. (of food) to go with 10. with regard to; concerning 11. (bound form) to reach; to attain (as in 一蹴而就 (yī cù ér jiù)) 12. (pattern: 就 (jiù) ... 也 (yě) ...) even if ... still ... 13. (pattern: 不 (bù) ... 就 (jiù) ...) if not ... then must be ... (HSK 1)
沒有: méi yǒu — 1. haven't 2. hasn't 3. doesn't exist 4. to not have 5. to not be (HSK 1)
人: rén — 1. person; people 2. classifier: 個 (gè), 位 (wèi), 名 (míng) (HSK 1)
能: Néng — surname Neng (HSK 1)
還: Huán — surname Huan (HSK 1)
得: dé — 1. to obtain 2. to get 3. to gain 4. to catch (a disease) 5. proper 6. suitable 7. proud 8. contented 9. to allow 10. to permit 11. ready 12. finished (HSK 2)
清: Qīng — 1. Qing (Wade-Giles: Ch'ing) dynasty of China (1644–1911) 2. surname Qing (HSK 6)
你: nǐ — you (informal, as opposed to courteous 您 (nín)) (HSK 1)
何必: hé bì — 1. there is no need 2. why should (HSK 7-9)
自: zì — 1. (bound form) self; oneself 2. from; since 3. naturally; as a matter of course (HSK 4)
尋: xún — 1. to search 2. to look for 3. to seek (HSK 7-9)
苦惱: kǔ nǎo — 1. vexed 2. distressed (HSK 7-9)
我: wǒ — I; me; my (HSK 1)
想: xiǎng — 1. to think (about) 2. to think of; to devise 3. to think (that); to believe (that) 4. to desire; to want (to) 5. to miss (feel wistful about the absence of) (HSK 1)
你: nǐ — you (informal, as opposed to courteous 您 (nín)) (HSK 1)
還是: hái shi — 1. still (as before) 2. had better 3. unexpectedly 4. or (HSK 1)
做: zuò — 1. to make; to produce 2. to write; to compose 3. to do; to engage in; to hold (a party etc) 4. (of a person) to be (an intermediary, a good student etc); to become (husband and wife, friends etc) 5. (of a thing) to serve as; to be used for 6. to assume (an air or manner) (HSK 1)
一個: yī ge — 1. a; an; one 2. the whole (afternoon, summer vacation etc)
小小: xiǎo xiǎo — 1. very small 2. very few 3. very minor
的: de — 1. of; ~'s (possessive particle) 2. (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun) 3. (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis) 4. (used after a noun, verb or adjective to form a nominal expression, as in 皮革的 (pí gé de) "one made of leather" or 跑堂兒的 (pǎo táng r de) "a waiter (literally, one who runs back and forth in a restaurant)" or 新的 (xīn de) "new one") 5. also pr. (dì) or (di) in poetry and songs (HSK 1)
債主: zhài zhǔ — creditor
罷: bà — 1. to stop 2. to cease 3. to dismiss 4. to suspend 5. to quit 6. to finish
說到: shuō dào — 1. to talk about 2. to mention 3. (preposition) as for
具: jù — 1. tool 2. device 3. utensil 4. equipment 5. instrument 6. talent 7. ability 8. to possess 9. to have 10. to provide 11. to furnish 12. to state 13. classifier for devices, coffins, dead bodies
足: jù — excessive (HSK 6)
生活: shēng huó — 1. to live 2. life 3. livelihood (HSK 2)
也: Yě — surname Ye (HSK 1)
是: shì — 1. to be (followed by substantives only) 2. correct; right; true 3. (respectful acknowledgement of a command) very well 4. (adverb for emphatic assertion) (HSK 1)
沒有: méi yǒu — 1. haven't 2. hasn't 3. doesn't exist 4. to not have 5. to not be (HSK 1)
涯: yá — 1. border 2. horizon 3. shore
岸: àn — bank; shore; beach; coast (HSK 5)
底: de — (equivalent to 的 as possessive particle) (HSK 4)
我們: wǒ men — we; us; ourselves; our (HSK 1)
今日: jīn rì — today (HSK 5)
所謂: suǒ wèi — 1. what is meant by the expression ...; what is referred to as ... 2. (derog.) so-called (HSK 7-9)
具: jù — 1. tool 2. device 3. utensil 4. equipment 5. instrument 6. talent 7. ability 8. to possess 9. to have 10. to provide 11. to furnish 12. to state 13. classifier for devices, coffins, dead bodies
足: jù — excessive (HSK 6)
焉知: yān zhī — (literary) how is one to know?
不是: bù shì — 1. no 2. is not 3. not

？tomorrow's deficiency?，；Read a little more and you will know that life itself is the seedbed of deficiency, the nursery plot of vexation;and if one wished to mend

明日: míng rì — tomorrow (HSK 6)
底: de — (equivalent to 的 as possessive particle) (HSK 4)
缺陷: quē xiàn — defect; flaw (HSK 6)
你: nǐ — you (informal, as opposed to courteous 您 (nín)) (HSK 1)
多: duō — 1. many; much; more; a lot of 2. too many; in excess 3. (after a numeral) ... odd 4. how (to what extent) (Taiwan pr. (duó)) 5. (bound form) multi-; poly- (HSK 1)
念: niàn — 1. to read 2. to study (a subject) 3. to attend (a school) 4. to read aloud 5. to give (sb) a tongue-lashing (classifier: 頓 (dùn)) 6. to miss (sb) 7. idea 8. remembrance 9. twenty (banker's anti-fraud numeral corresponding to 廿 (niàn)) (HSK 3)
一點: yī diǎn — 1. a bit; a little bit 2. (used in negative expressions) (not) the least bit 3. (after an adjective, used to form the comparative) a bit more, -er 4. a point (in a discussion etc) 5. (calligraphy) dot stroke (、) 6. one o'clock (abbr. for 一點鍾 (yī diǎn zhōng))
書: Shū — abbr. for 書經 (Shū jīng) (HSK 1)
就: jiù — 1. (after a suppositional clause) in that case; then 2. (after a clause of action) as soon as; immediately after 3. (same as 就是 (jiù shì)) merely; nothing else but; simply; just; precisely; exactly 4. only; as little as 5. as much as; as many as 6. to approach; to move towards 7. to undertake; to engage in 8. (often followed by 著 (zhe)) taking advantage of 9. (of food) to go with 10. with regard to; concerning 11. (bound form) to reach; to attain (as in 一蹴而就 (yī cù ér jiù)) 12. (pattern: 就 (jiù) ... 也 (yě) ...) even if ... still ... 13. (pattern: 不 (bù) ... 就 (jiù) ...) if not ... then must be ... (HSK 1)
知道: zhī dào — 1. to know; to become aware of 2. also pr. (zhī dao) (HSK 1)
生命: shēng mìng — 1. life (as the characteristic of living beings) 2. living being; creature (classifier: 條 (tiáo)) (HSK 3)
卽: jí — 1. variant of 即 (jí) 2. promptly
是: shì — 1. to be (followed by substantives only) 2. correct; right; true 3. (respectful acknowledgement of a command) very well 4. (adverb for emphatic assertion) (HSK 1)
缺陷: quē xiàn — defect; flaw (HSK 6)
底: de — (equivalent to 的 as possessive particle) (HSK 4)
苗圃: Miáo Pǔ — Miao Pu (1977–), Chinese actress
是: shì — 1. to be (followed by substantives only) 2. correct; right; true 3. (respectful acknowledgement of a command) very well 4. (adverb for emphatic assertion) (HSK 1)
煩惱: fán nǎo — 1. to be worried 2. to be distressed 3. worries (HSK 7-9)
底: de — (equivalent to 的 as possessive particle) (HSK 4)
秧田: yāng tián — rice seedling bed
若: rě — 1. used in 般若 (bō rě) 2. used in 蘭若 (lán rě) (HSK 6)
要: yāo — (bound form) to demand; to coerce (HSK 1)
補: bǔ — 1. to repair 2. to patch 3. to mend 4. to make up for 5. to fill (a vacancy) 6. to supplement (HSK 3)
修: Xiū — surname Xiu (HSK 3)

，，，．，？its deficiencies and root out its vexations, there is no way but to renounce life itself. And yet, how could we ever manage that?Every single person is so

！afraid of death!，．』Do not entertain such wild fancies — better to go along with your circumstances and simply live.'

『，……'Time...，……a plan...……』，to simply live...' As these words came from his mother-in-law's mouth, his eardrums felt as if

．，．，．they had received the most violent hammer-blow. He turned it over and over in his mind, until his thoughts grew dizzy. To settle this matter, he did not come out of his room for several days.

受: shòu — 1. to receive 2. to accept 3. to suffer 4. subjected to 5. to bear 6. to stand 7. pleasant 8. (passive marker) 9. (LGBT) bottom (HSK 3)
了: le — 1. (completed action marker) 2. (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now) 3. (modal particle intensifying preceding clause) (HSK 1)
極: jí — 1. extremely 2. pole (geography, physics) 3. utmost 4. top (HSK 4)
猛烈: měng liè — fierce; violent; vigorous; intense (HSK 7-9)
的: de — 1. of; ~'s (possessive particle) 2. (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun) 3. (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis) 4. (used after a noun, verb or adjective to form a nominal expression, as in 皮革的 (pí gé de) "one made of leather" or 跑堂兒的 (pǎo táng r de) "a waiter (literally, one who runs back and forth in a restaurant)" or 新的 (xīn de) "new one") 5. also pr. (dì) or (di) in poetry and songs (HSK 1)
椎: chuí — 1. hammer; mallet (variant of 槌 (chuí)) 2. variant of 捶 (chuí)
擊: jī — 1. to hit 2. to strike 3. to break 4. Taiwan pr. (jí)
他: tā — 1. (third-person singular) (since the early 20th century, usu. male) he; him; his 2. (bound form) other; another; some other (as in 他日 (tā rì) and 他人 (tā rén)) (HSK 1)
想來: xiǎng lái — it may be assumed that
想: xiǎng — 1. to think (about) 2. to think of; to devise 3. to think (that); to believe (that) 4. to desire; to want (to) 5. to miss (feel wistful about the absence of) (HSK 1)
去: qù — 1. to go 2. to go to (a place) 3. (of a time etc) last 4. just passed 5. to send 6. to remove 7. to get rid of 8. to reduce 9. to be apart from in space or time 10. to die (euphemism) 11. to play (a part) 12. (when used either before or after a verb) to go in order to do sth 13. (after a verb of motion indicates movement away from the speaker) 14. (used after certain verbs to indicate detachment or separation) (HSK 1)
已: yǐ — 1. already 2. to stop 3. then 4. afterwards (HSK 3)
想: xiǎng — 1. to think (about) 2. to think of; to devise 3. to think (that); to believe (that) 4. to desire; to want (to) 5. to miss (feel wistful about the absence of) (HSK 1)
昏: hūn — 1. muddle-headed 2. twilight 3. to faint 4. to lose consciousness (HSK 6)
了: le — 1. (completed action marker) 2. (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now) 3. (modal particle intensifying preceding clause) (HSK 1)
他: tā — 1. (third-person singular) (since the early 20th century, usu. male) he; him; his 2. (bound form) other; another; some other (as in 他日 (tā rì) and 他人 (tā rén)) (HSK 1)
爲: wéi — variant of 為 (wéi) (HSK 2)
解决: jiě jué — 1. to solve; to resolve; to settle (a problem) 2. to eliminate; to wipe out (an enemy, bandits etc) (HSK 3)
這: zhè — 1. (pronoun) this; these 2. (bound form) this; the (followed by a noun) 3. (bound form) this; these (followed by a classifier) (in this sense, commonly pr. (zhèi), esp. in Beijing) (HSK 1)
事: shì — 1. matter 2. thing 3. item 4. work 5. affair 6. classifier: 件 (jiàn), 樁 (zhuāng), 回 (huí) (HSK 1)
好幾: hǎo jǐ — 1. several 2. quite a few
天: tiān — 1. day 2. sky 3. heaven (HSK 1)
沒有: méi yǒu — 1. haven't 2. hasn't 3. doesn't exist 4. to not have 5. to not be (HSK 1)
出來: chū lái — 1. to come out 2. to appear 3. to arise (HSK 1)

，，，．，That morning, when the maidservant carried porridge to his room, she did not find him there, and her heart was filled with great puzzlement. For in the mornings he had nowhere in

：？particular to go: to the seaside?，？He was not one to go there lightly. To the garden?．He was even less willing to go there in the morning. Because the servant girls were all there at

方: Fāng — surname Fang (HSK 4)
可: kě — 1. (prefix) can; may; able to; -able 2. to approve; to permit 3. to suit 4. (particle used for emphasis) certainly; very 5. but; however (HSK 5)
去: qù — 1. to go 2. to go to (a place) 3. (of a time etc) last 4. just passed 5. to send 6. to remove 7. to get rid of 8. to reduce 9. to be apart from in space or time 10. to die (euphemism) 11. to play (a part) 12. (when used either before or after a verb) to go in order to do sth 13. (after a verb of motion indicates movement away from the speaker) 14. (used after certain verbs to indicate detachment or separation) (HSK 1)
海邊: hǎi biān — coast; seaside; seashore; beach (HSK 2)
呢: ne — 1. (sentence-final particle) used in questions to link back to prior discourse or context ("what about...?", "and...?") 2. (sentence-final particle) indicating that a state or situation still holds 3. (discourse particle) used to mark a slight pause or emphasis in speech (HSK 1)
他: tā — 1. (third-person singular) (since the early 20th century, usu. male) he; him; his 2. (bound form) other; another; some other (as in 他日 (tā rì) and 他人 (tā rén)) (HSK 1)
是: shì — 1. to be (followed by substantives only) 2. correct; right; true 3. (respectful acknowledgement of a command) very well 4. (adverb for emphatic assertion) (HSK 1)
不: bù — 1. no; not so 2. (bound form) not; un- (HSK 1)
輕易: qīng yì — 1. easy; simple 2. rashly; offhandedly (HSK 4)
到底: dào dǐ — 1. finally 2. in the end 3. when all is said and done 4. after all 5. to the end 6. to the last (HSK 3)
花園: huā yuán — 1. garden (for flowers, ornamental plants etc); (landscaped) park; yard with decorative plants 2. classifier: 座 (zuò) (HSK 2)
呢: ne — 1. (sentence-final particle) used in questions to link back to prior discourse or context ("what about...?", "and...?") 2. (sentence-final particle) indicating that a state or situation still holds 3. (discourse particle) used to mark a slight pause or emphasis in speech (HSK 1)
他: tā — 1. (third-person singular) (since the early 20th century, usu. male) he; him; his 2. (bound form) other; another; some other (as in 他日 (tā rì) and 他人 (tā rén)) (HSK 1)
更: gēng — 1. to change or replace 2. to experience 3. one of the five two-hour periods into which the night was formerly divided 4. watch (e.g. of a sentry or guard) (HSK 2)
不願: bù yuàn — unwilling
意: yì — 1. (bound form) idea; thought; meaning; sense 2. (bound form) intention; feeling; inclination; state of mind 3. (bound form) Italy (abbr. for 意大利 (Yì dà lì))
在: zài — 1. to exist; to be alive 2. (of sb or sth) to be (located) at 3. (used before a verb to indicate an action in progress) (HSK 1)
早晨: zǎo chén — 1. early morning 2. also pr. (zǎo chen) (HSK 2)
去: qù — 1. to go 2. to go to (a place) 3. (of a time etc) last 4. just passed 5. to send 6. to remove 7. to get rid of 8. to reduce 9. to be apart from in space or time 10. to die (euphemism) 11. to play (a part) 12. (when used either before or after a verb) to go in order to do sth 13. (after a verb of motion indicates movement away from the speaker) 14. (used after certain verbs to indicate detachment or separation) (HSK 1)
因: yīn — 1. cause 2. reason 3. because (HSK 6)
爲: wéi — variant of 為 (wéi) (HSK 2)
丫頭: yā tou — 1. girl 2. servant girl 3. (used deprecatingly, but sometimes also as a term of endearment) (HSK 7-9)
們: men — plural marker for pronouns, and nouns referring to individuals
都: Dū — surname Du (HSK 1)
在: zài — 1. to exist; to be alive 2. (of sb or sth) to be (located) at 3. (used before a verb to indicate an action in progress) (HSK 1)
那: Nā — surname Na (HSK 1)

．that hour, going into the garden to vie for picking the finest flowers to present to their young mistresses. What he most dreaded seeing was people spoiling things

個: gě — used in 自個兒 (zì gě r) (HSK 1)
時候: shí hou — 1. time 2. length of time 3. moment 4. period (HSK 1)
到: dào — 1. to reach; to arrive 2. to leave for; to go to 3. to (a place); until (a time); up to (a point) 4. (verb complement indicating arriving at a place or reaching a point) 5. considerate; thoughtful; thorough (HSK 1)
園: Yuán — surname Yuan (HSK 6)
裏: lǐ — variant of 裡 (lǐ) (HSK 1)
爭: zhēng — 1. to strive for 2. to vie for 3. to argue or debate 4. deficient or lacking (dialect) 5. how or what (literary) (HSK 3)
摘: zhāi — 1. to take; to pick (flowers, fruit etc); to pluck; to remove; to take off (glasses, hat etc) 2. to select; to pick out 3. to borrow money at a time of urgent need (HSK 5)
好: hǎo — 1. good 2. appropriate; proper 3. all right! 4. (before a verb) easy to 5. (before a verb) good to 6. (before an adjective for exclamatory effect) so 7. (verb complement indicating completion) 8. (of two people) close; on intimate terms 9. (after a personal pronoun) hello (HSK 1)
花: Huā — surname Hua (HSK 1)
去: qù — 1. to go 2. to go to (a place) 3. (of a time etc) last 4. just passed 5. to send 6. to remove 7. to get rid of 8. to reduce 9. to be apart from in space or time 10. to die (euphemism) 11. to play (a part) 12. (when used either before or after a verb) to go in order to do sth 13. (after a verb of motion indicates movement away from the speaker) 14. (used after certain verbs to indicate detachment or separation) (HSK 1)
獻: xiàn — 1. to offer 2. to present 3. to dedicate 4. to donate 5. to show 6. to put on display 7. worthy person (old) (HSK 5)
給: gěi — 1. to 2. for 3. for the benefit of 4. to give 5. to allow 6. to do sth (for sb) 7. (grammatical equivalent of 被) 8. (grammatical equivalent of 把) 9. (sentence intensifier) (HSK 1)
她們: tā men — they; them (females) (HSK 1)
幾: jī — (literary) almost (HSK 1)
位: wèi — 1. position 2. location 3. place 4. seat 5. classifier for people (honorific) 6. classifier for binary bits (e.g. 十六位 16-bit or 2 bytes) 7. (physics) potential (HSK 2)
姑娘: gū niang — 1. girl 2. young woman 3. young lady 4. daughter 5. paternal aunt (old) 6. classifier: 個 (gè) (HSK 3)
他: tā — 1. (third-person singular) (since the early 20th century, usu. male) he; him; his 2. (bound form) other; another; some other (as in 他日 (tā rì) and 他人 (tā rén)) (HSK 1)
最: zuì — 1. (before an adjective or verb) to the highest degree; (the) most ...; -est 2. (after 之 (zhī)) best or most extreme example (e.g. 世界之最 (shì jiè zhī zuì) "the greatest in the world") (HSK 1)
怕: Pà — surname Pa (HSK 2)
見: jiàn — 1. to see 2. to meet 3. to appear (to be sth) 4. to interview 5. opinion 6. view (HSK 1)
底: de — (equivalent to 的 as possessive particle) (HSK 4)
是: shì — 1. to be (followed by substantives only) 2. correct; right; true 3. (respectful acknowledgement of a command) very well 4. (adverb for emphatic assertion) (HSK 1)
人家: rén jiā — 1. household 2. dwelling 3. family 4. sb else's house 5. household business 6. house of woman's husband-to-be 7. classifier: 戶 (hù), 家 (jiā) (HSK 4)
毀壞: huǐ huài — 1. to damage 2. to devastate 3. to vandalize 4. damage 5. destruction (HSK 7-9)
現成: xiàn chéng — 1. ready-made 2. readily available (HSK 7-9)
的: de — 1. of; ~'s (possessive particle) 2. (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun) 3. (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis) 4. (used after a noun, verb or adjective to form a nominal expression, as in 皮革的 (pí gé de) "one made of leather" or 跑堂兒的 (pǎo táng r de) "a waiter (literally, one who runs back and forth in a restaurant)" or 新的 (xīn de) "new one") 5. also pr. (dì) or (di) in poetry and songs (HSK 1)
東: Dōng — surname Dong (HSK 1)

．as they already were.

，．，，The maidservant looked all around, and suddenly saw a letter pinned to the door with a needle. She hurriedly took it down and showed it to someone else, and it turned out

女傭: nǚ yōng — (female) maid
四: sì — 1. four 2. 4 (HSK 1)
團: tuán — 1. round 2. lump 3. ball 4. to roll into a ball 5. to gather 6. regiment 7. group 8. society 9. classifier for a lump or a soft mass: wad (of paper), ball (of wool), cloud (of smoke) (HSK 3)
一: yī — 1. one 2. single 3. a (article) 4. as soon as 5. entire; whole; all; throughout 6. "one" radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 1) 7. also pr. (yāo) for greater clarity when spelling out numbers digit by digit (HSK 1)
望: wàng — 1. full moon 2. to hope 3. to expect 4. to visit 5. to gaze (into the distance) 6. to look towards 7. towards (HSK 7-9)
驀地: mò de — suddenly; unexpectedly
看見: kàn jiàn — to see; to catch sight of (HSK 1)
一: yī — 1. one 2. single 3. a (article) 4. as soon as 5. entire; whole; all; throughout 6. "one" radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 1) 7. also pr. (yāo) for greater clarity when spelling out numbers digit by digit (HSK 1)
封: Fēng — surname Feng (HSK 2)
信: xìn — 1. letter 2. mail 3. classifier: 封 (fēng) 4. to trust 5. to believe 6. to profess faith in 7. truthful 8. confidence 9. trust 10. at will 11. at random (HSK 2)
被: bèi — 1. quilt 2. to cover (with) 3. (literary) to suffer (a misfortune) 4. used to indicate passive voice (placed before the doer of the action like "by" in English passive-voice sentences, or, if the doer is not mentioned, before the verb) 5. (since c. 2009) (sarcastic or jocular) used to indicate that the following word should be regarded as being in air quotes (as in 被旅遊[bei4 lu : 3 you2] to "go on a trip") (HSK 3)
留針: liú zhēn — to leave an inserted needle in place for a period of time (acupuncture)
刺: cī — (onom.) whoosh (HSK 4)
在: zài — 1. to exist; to be alive 2. (of sb or sth) to be (located) at 3. (used before a verb to indicate an action in progress) (HSK 1)
門: Mén — surname Men (HSK 1)
上: shǎng — used in 上聲 (shǎng shēng) (HSK 1)
她: tā — she (HSK 1)
忙: máng — 1. busy 2. hurriedly 3. to hurry 4. to rush (HSK 1)
取: qǔ — 1. to take 2. to get 3. to choose 4. to fetch (HSK 2)
下來: xià lai — 1. to come down 2. (completed action marker) 3. (after verb of motion, indicates motion down and towards us, also fig.) 4. (indicates continuation from the past towards us) 5. to be harvested (of crops) 6. to be over (of a period of time) 7. to go among the masses (said of leaders) (HSK 3)
給: gěi — 1. to 2. for 3. for the benefit of 4. to give 5. to allow 6. to do sth (for sb) 7. (grammatical equivalent of 被) 8. (grammatical equivalent of 把) 9. (sentence intensifier) (HSK 1)
別人: bié ren — other people; others; other person (HSK 1)
一: yī — 1. one 2. single 3. a (article) 4. as soon as 5. entire; whole; all; throughout 6. "one" radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 1) 7. also pr. (yāo) for greater clarity when spelling out numbers digit by digit (HSK 1)
看: kān — 1. to look after 2. to take care of 3. to watch 4. to guard (HSK 1)
原: Yuán — 1. surname Yuan 2. (Japanese surname) Hara (HSK 6)

．to be addressed to the old lady.

，．：She opened the letter and handed it to the old lady. On it was written:

『:'Dear Mother-in-law:

，．，，The question you asked me, I truly could not think of a good answer to. And moreover, your asking made me feel all the more that

你: nǐ — you (informal, as opposed to courteous 您 (nín)) (HSK 1)
問: wèn — to ask; to inquire (HSK 1)
我: wǒ — I; me; my (HSK 1)
底: de — (equivalent to 的 as possessive particle) (HSK 4)
話: huà — 1. dialect 2. language 3. spoken words 4. speech 5. talk 6. words 7. conversation 8. what sb said 9. classifier: 種 (zhǒng), 席 (xí), 句 (jù), 口 (kǒu), 番 (fān) (HSK 1)
教: Jiào — surname Jiao (HSK 1)
我: wǒ — I; me; my (HSK 1)
實在: shí zài — 1. really 2. actually 3. indeed 4. true 5. real 6. honest 7. dependable 8. (philosophy) reality (HSK 2)
想: xiǎng — 1. to think (about) 2. to think of; to devise 3. to think (that); to believe (that) 4. to desire; to want (to) 5. to miss (feel wistful about the absence of) (HSK 1)
不: bù — 1. no; not so 2. (bound form) not; un- (HSK 1)
出: chū — 1. to go out; to come out 2. to arise; to occur 3. to produce; to yield 4. to go beyond; to exceed 5. (used after a verb to indicate an outward direction or a positive result) 6. classifier for dramas, plays, operas etc (HSK 1)
好: hǎo — 1. good 2. appropriate; proper 3. all right! 4. (before a verb) easy to 5. (before a verb) good to 6. (before an adjective for exclamatory effect) so 7. (verb complement indicating completion) 8. (of two people) close; on intimate terms 9. (after a personal pronoun) hello (HSK 1)
囘: huí — variant of 回 (huí)
答: dā — bound form having the same meaning as the free word 答 (dá), used in 答應 (dā ying), 答理 (dā li) etc (HSK 5)
而且: ér qiě — 1. (not only ...) but also 2. moreover; in addition; furthermore (HSK 2)
因: yīn — 1. cause 2. reason 3. because (HSK 6)
你: nǐ — you (informal, as opposed to courteous 您 (nín)) (HSK 1)
這: zhè — 1. (pronoun) this; these 2. (bound form) this; the (followed by a noun) 3. (bound form) this; these (followed by a classifier) (in this sense, commonly pr. (zhèi), esp. in Beijing) (HSK 1)
一: yī — 1. one 2. single 3. a (article) 4. as soon as 5. entire; whole; all; throughout 6. "one" radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 1) 7. also pr. (yāo) for greater clarity when spelling out numbers digit by digit (HSK 1)
問: wèn — to ask; to inquire (HSK 1)
使: shǐ — 1. to make 2. to cause 3. to enable 4. to use 5. to employ 6. to send 7. to instruct sb to do sth 8. envoy 9. messenger (HSK 3)
我: wǒ — I; me; my (HSK 1)
越發: yuè fā — 1. increasingly 2. more and more 3. ever more 4. all the more (HSK 7-9)
覺得: jué de — 1. to think that ...; to feel that ... 2. to feel (uncomfortable etc) (HSK 1)

．，，；the debt I owe is heavier still. I think that if a person cannot repay his debts, he must flee them, and must never let the creditor seize hold of him,

我: wǒ — I; me; my (HSK 1)
所: suǒ — 1. actually 2. place 3. classifier for houses, small buildings, institutions etc 4. that which 5. particle introducing a relative clause or passive 6. classifier: 個 (gè) (HSK 3)
負: fù — 1. to bear 2. to carry (on one's back) 3. to turn one's back on 4. to be defeated 5. negative (math. etc) (HSK 6)
底: de — (equivalent to 的 as possessive particle) (HSK 4)
債: zhài — 1. debt 2. classifier: 筆 (bǐ) (HSK 6)
更: gēng — 1. to change or replace 2. to experience 3. one of the five two-hour periods into which the night was formerly divided 4. watch (e.g. of a sentry or guard) (HSK 2)
重: chóng — 1. to repeat 2. repetition 3. again 4. re- 5. classifier: layer (HSK 1)
我: wǒ — I; me; my (HSK 1)
想: xiǎng — 1. to think (about) 2. to think of; to devise 3. to think (that); to believe (that) 4. to desire; to want (to) 5. to miss (feel wistful about the absence of) (HSK 1)
做人: zuò rén — 1. to conduct oneself 2. to behave with integrity
若: rě — 1. used in 般若 (bō rě) 2. used in 蘭若 (lán rě) (HSK 6)
不能: bù néng — 1. cannot 2. must not 3. should not
還債: huán zhài — to settle a debt
就: jiù — 1. (after a suppositional clause) in that case; then 2. (after a clause of action) as soon as; immediately after 3. (same as 就是 (jiù shì)) merely; nothing else but; simply; just; precisely; exactly 4. only; as little as 5. as much as; as many as 6. to approach; to move towards 7. to undertake; to engage in 8. (often followed by 著 (zhe)) taking advantage of 9. (of food) to go with 10. with regard to; concerning 11. (bound form) to reach; to attain (as in 一蹴而就 (yī cù ér jiù)) 12. (pattern: 就 (jiù) ... 也 (yě) ...) even if ... still ... 13. (pattern: 不 (bù) ... 就 (jiù) ...) if not ... then must be ... (HSK 1)
得: dé — 1. to obtain 2. to get 3. to gain 4. to catch (a disease) 5. proper 6. suitable 7. proud 8. contented 9. to allow 10. to permit 11. ready 12. finished (HSK 2)
避: bì — 1. to avoid 2. to shun 3. to flee 4. to escape 5. to keep away from 6. to leave 7. to hide from (HSK 4)
債: zhài — 1. debt 2. classifier: 筆 (bǐ) (HSK 6)
决不: jué bù — 1. not at all 2. simply (can) not (HSK 5)
能: Néng — surname Neng (HSK 1)
敎: jiào — variant of 教 (jiào)
債主: zhài zhǔ — creditor
把: bǎ — 1. to hold; to grasp 2. to hold a baby in position to help it urinate or defecate 3. handlebar 4. classifier: handful, bundle, bunch 5. classifier for things with handles 6. (used to put the object before the verb: 把 (bǎ) + {noun} + {verb}) (HSK 3)
他: tā — 1. (third-person singular) (since the early 20th century, usu. male) he; him; his 2. (bound form) other; another; some other (as in 他日 (tā rì) and 他人 (tā rén)) (HSK 1)
揪住: jiū zhù — to grab

．，、，．and make him suffer. As for repaying debts, going by my own strength and ability, it simply cannot be done. I must go out and find some people to help me;

．，．，．，and if I cannot find any, I shall think of some other way. I am leaving now. My thanks to you for raising and nurturing me all these years. As for my future,

；I hope you will keep it in your thoughts;，．．』as for my past, I wish you would forget it. I too shall pray always for your peace. Left in writing by your son-in-law, Rongrong.'

．，，．When the old lady finished reading this letter, she grew extremely melancholy, and afterward, whenever she thought of her son-in-law, she would be unhappy for days on end. But unhappy

老夫: lǎo fū — I (spoken by an old man)
人: rén — 1. person; people 2. classifier: 個 (gè), 位 (wèi), 名 (míng) (HSK 1)
念: niàn — 1. to read 2. to study (a subject) 3. to attend (a school) 4. to read aloud 5. to give (sb) a tongue-lashing (classifier: 頓 (dùn)) 6. to miss (sb) 7. idea 8. remembrance 9. twenty (banker's anti-fraud numeral corresponding to 廿 (niàn)) (HSK 3)
完: wán — 1. to finish 2. to be over 3. whole 4. complete 5. entire (HSK 2)
這: zhè — 1. (pronoun) this; these 2. (bound form) this; the (followed by a noun) 3. (bound form) this; these (followed by a classifier) (in this sense, commonly pr. (zhèi), esp. in Beijing) (HSK 1)
信: xìn — 1. letter 2. mail 3. classifier: 封 (fēng) 4. to trust 5. to believe 6. to profess faith in 7. truthful 8. confidence 9. trust 10. at will 11. at random (HSK 2)
就: jiù — 1. (after a suppositional clause) in that case; then 2. (after a clause of action) as soon as; immediately after 3. (same as 就是 (jiù shì)) merely; nothing else but; simply; just; precisely; exactly 4. only; as little as 5. as much as; as many as 6. to approach; to move towards 7. to undertake; to engage in 8. (often followed by 著 (zhe)) taking advantage of 9. (of food) to go with 10. with regard to; concerning 11. (bound form) to reach; to attain (as in 一蹴而就 (yī cù ér jiù)) 12. (pattern: 就 (jiù) ... 也 (yě) ...) even if ... still ... 13. (pattern: 不 (bù) ... 就 (jiù) ...) if not ... then must be ... (HSK 1)
非常: fēi cháng — 1. very; really 2. unusual; extraordinary (HSK 1)
愁悶: chóu mèn — 1. depressed 2. gloomy
以後: yǐ hòu — 1. after 2. later 3. afterwards 4. following 5. later on 6. in the future (HSK 2)
每: měi — 1. each 2. every (HSK 3)
想起: xiǎng qǐ — 1. to recall 2. to think of 3. to call to mind (HSK 2)
她: tā — she (HSK 1)
底: de — (equivalent to 的 as possessive particle) (HSK 4)
女: nǚ — 1. female 2. woman 3. daughter (HSK 1)
壻: xù — variant of 婿 (xù)
便: biàn — 1. plain 2. informal 3. suitable 4. convenient 5. opportune 6. to urinate or defecate 7. equivalent to 就 (jiù): then 8. in that case 9. even if 10. soon afterwards (HSK 6)
好幾: hǎo jǐ — 1. several 2. quite a few
天: tiān — 1. day 2. sky 3. heaven (HSK 1)
不: bù — 1. no; not so 2. (bound form) not; un- (HSK 1)
高興: gāo xìng — 1. happy 2. glad 3. willing (to do sth) 4. in a cheerful mood (HSK 1)
但: dàn — 1. but; yet; however; still 2. merely; only; just (HSK 2)
不: bù — 1. no; not so 2. (bound form) not; un- (HSK 1)
高: Gāo — surname Gao (HSK 1)

，．as she might be, her son-in-law never came back after all.

Loading the interactive reader…

What it’s about

A widower with no other family continues living comfortably in his late wife's household. Though respected by his mother-in-law and surrounded by a garden and servants, he dresses poorly, asks for nothing and feels increasingly like a guest. When she urges him to enjoy what is available, he explains that his restraint is not household politeness: every hungry, cold or unhappy person seems to him a creditor, so he cannot openly possess abundant food, clothing and shelter while anyone lacks them.

His mother-in-law admires the sentiment but asks the devastating practical questions: when will the debt be cleared, and what is his plan? She argues that human needs are endless and life itself grows defects and trouble. Unable to answer, he withdraws for days and finally leaves a note. If he cannot repay, he says, he must avoid being seized by creditors; he will seek helpers and another method. His compassion is morally expansive but operationally empty. The ending neither mocks it away nor calls flight repayment, leaving the family to bear the sorrow created by his attempt to answer universal suffering.

When it was written 背景

The metaphor of moral debt draws on several traditions available to Xu: Buddhist accounts of obligation and suffering, Christian responsibility toward the poor and the Confucian ideal of worrying before the world worries. His mother-in-law explicitly quotes Fan Zhongyan's famous line 先天下之憂而憂, then turns elevated ethics into questions of time and method. Her voice is philosophically formidable, not merely materialistic, and the widower's departure tests the danger of limitless obligation detached from concrete relationships. Republican intellectuals often asked how personal cultivation could meet mass poverty; the story refuses a programmatic answer. Learners should distinguish financial 債 from the deliberately universal 一切的債 and notice how the letter transforms “repayment” into recruiting others, an unresolved movement from solitude toward collective action.

Words in this chapter 生词

壻xù壻xù — variant of 婿 (xù)
債zhàiHSK 6債zhài — debt · classifier: 筆 (bǐ) (HSK 6)
岳母yuè mǔHSK 7-9岳母yuè mǔ — wife's mother, mother-in-law (HSK 7-9)
女傭nǚ yōng女傭nǚ yōng — (female) maid
囘huí囘huí — variant of 回 (huí)
缺陷quē xiànHSK 6缺陷quē xiàn — defect; flaw (HSK 6)
麽mó麽mó — tiny · insignificant
僕人pú rén僕人pú rén — servant
爲wéiHSK 2爲wéi — variant of 為 (wéi) (HSK 2)
老夫lǎo fū老夫lǎo fū — I (spoken by an old man)
儘管jǐn guǎnHSK 5儘管jǐn guǎn — despite · although · even though · in spite of · unhesitatingly · do not hesitate (to ask, complain etc) · (go ahead and do it) without hesitating (HSK 5)
决不jué bùHSK 5决不jué bù — not at all · simply (can) not (HSK 5)