无常 Wu Chang, or Life-Is-Transient

Wuchang

无常
wú cháng — 1. variable 2. changeable 3. fickle 4. impermanence (Sanskrit: anitya) 5. ghost taking away the soul after death 6. to pass away 7. to die

,——On the day of the god-welcoming procession, if the deity being paraded about holds power over life and death — no, that phrase "power over life and death" isn't quite right, for in China it seems every god has some license to kill people as he pleases — it would be better to say he presides over the great matter of the people's life and death, gods such as the City God or the Great Emperor of the Eastern Peak.Well then, amid his retinue there is a special troupe of characters: ghost-soldiers, the Ghost King, and the Living Wuchang.

迎神賽會
yíng shén sài huì — folk festival, esp. involving shrine or image of God
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)
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)
tiān — 1. day 2. sky 3. heaven (HSK 1)
出巡
chū xún — to go on an inspection tour
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)
Shén — God (HSK 5)
如果
rú guǒ — if; in case; in the event that (HSK 2)
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)
掌握
zhǎng wò — 1. to grasp (often fig.) 2. to control 3. to seize (initiative, opportunity, destiny) 4. to master 5. to know well 6. to understand sth well and know how to use it 7. fluency (HSK 5)
shēng — 1. to grow; to give birth; to produce; to be born 2. to arise; to occur 3. to light (a fire) 4. to live; to be alive 5. life 6. raw; uncooked; unprocessed 7. unfamiliar; strange 8. (bound form) student; person engaged in a field 9. (bound form) male role in traditional opera 10. (bound form) life; lifetime 11. (bound form) means of livelihood 12. (bound form) very; intensely (as in 生疼 (shēng téng)) 13. (bound form) in a forced manner (as in 生拉硬拽 (shēng lā yìng zhuài)) (HSK 2)
shā — 1. to kill; to slay; to murder; to attack 2. to weaken; to reduce 3. (dialect) to smart 4. (used after a verb) extremely (HSK 5)
zhī — 1. (possessive particle, literary equivalent of 的 (de)) 2. him 3. her 4. it (HSK 7-9)
Quán — surname Quan (HSK 6)
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)
bù — 1. no; not so 2. (bound form) not; un- (HSK 1)
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)
shēng — 1. to grow; to give birth; to produce; to be born 2. to arise; to occur 3. to light (a fire) 4. to live; to be alive 5. life 6. raw; uncooked; unprocessed 7. unfamiliar; strange 8. (bound form) student; person engaged in a field 9. (bound form) male role in traditional opera 10. (bound form) life; lifetime 11. (bound form) means of livelihood 12. (bound form) very; intensely (as in 生疼 (shēng téng)) 13. (bound form) in a forced manner (as in 生拉硬拽 (shēng lā yìng zhuài)) (HSK 2)
shā — 1. to kill; to slay; to murder; to attack 2. to weaken; to reduce 3. (dialect) to smart 4. (used after a verb) extremely (HSK 5)
zhī — 1. (possessive particle, literary equivalent of 的 (de)) 2. him 3. her 4. it (HSK 7-9)
Quán — surname Quan (HSK 6)
sì — 1. four 2. 4 (HSK 1)
gě — used in 自個兒 (zì gě r) (HSK 1)
zì — 1. letter 2. symbol 3. character 4. word 5. classifier: 個 (gè) 6. courtesy or style name traditionally given to males aged 20 in dynastic China (HSK 1)
不大
bù dà — 1. not very (clear, far away etc); not too 2. not often; infrequently (HSK 1)
tuǒ — 1. suitable 2. adequate 3. ready 4. settled (HSK 7-9)
凡是
fán shì — each and every; every; all; any (HSK 6)
Shén — God (HSK 5)
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)
中國
Zhōng guó — China (HSK 1)
仿佛
fǎng fú — 1. to seem; as if; seemingly 2. alike; similar (HSK 6)
Dū — surname Du (HSK 1)
有些
yǒu xiē — 1. some 2. somewhat; rather; a bit
隨意
suí yì — 1. as one wishes 2. according to one's wishes 3. at will 4. voluntary 5. conscious (HSK 5)
殺人
shā rén — 1. homicide 2. to murder 3. to kill (a person)
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)
權柄
quán bǐng — authority
似的
shì de — 1. seems as if 2. rather like 3. Taiwan pr. (sì de) (HSK 4)
dǎo — 1. to fall; to collapse; to lie horizontally 2. to fail; to go bankrupt 3. to overthrow 4. to change (trains or buses) 5. to move around 6. to resell at a profit (HSK 2)
不如
bù rú — 1. not equal to; not as good as; inferior to 2. it would be better to (HSK 2)
shuì — to persuade (HSK 1)
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)
職掌
zhí zhǎng — 1. to be in charge of 2. assignment
人民
rén mín — the people (HSK 3)
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)
生死
shēng sǐ — life or death (HSK 7-9)
大事
dà shì — 1. major event 2. major political event (war or change of regime) 3. major social event (wedding or funeral) 4. (do sth) in a big way 5. classifier: 件 (jiàn), 樁 (zhuāng) (HSK 5)
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)
bà — 1. to stop 2. to cease 3. to dismiss 4. to suspend 5. to quit 6. to finish
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)
rú — 1. as 2. as if 3. such as (HSK 6)
城隍
Chéng Huáng — Shing Wong (deity in Chinese mythology)
Hé — surname He (HSK 1)
東嶽
Dōng yuè — Mt Tai 泰山 in Shandong, one of the Five Sacred Mountains 五嶽 (Wǔ yuè)
大帝
dà dì — 1. heavenly emperor 2. "the Great" (title)
之類
zhī lèi — 1. and so on 2. and such (HSK 6)
那麽
nà me — variant of 那麼 (nà me) (HSK 2)
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)
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)
lǔ — 1. alkaline soil 2. salt 3. brine 4. halogen (chemistry) 5. crass 6. stupid
簿
bù — 1. a book 2. a register 3. account-book
中間
zhōng jiān — 1. the middle; the inside 2. in the middle; within; between; among 3. during; in the meantime (HSK 1)
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)
另有
lìng yǒu — to have some other (reason etc)
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)
qún — 1. group 2. crowd 3. flock, herd, pack etc (HSK 3)
特別
tè bié — 1. unusual; special 2. very; especially; particularly 3. expressly; for a specific purpose 4. (often followed by 是 (shì)) in particular (HSK 2)
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)
腳色
jué sè — variant of 角色 (jué sè)
guǐ — 1. disembodied spirit; ghost; devil 2. (suffix) person with a certain vice or addiction etc 3. sly; crafty; resourceful (variant of 詭 (guǐ)) 4. one of the 28 constellations of ancient Chinese astronomy (HSK 5)
cù — variant of 猝 (cù)
guǐ — 1. disembodied spirit; ghost; devil 2. (suffix) person with a certain vice or addiction etc 3. sly; crafty; resourceful (variant of 詭 (guǐ)) 4. one of the 28 constellations of ancient Chinese astronomy (HSK 5)
Wáng — surname Wang (HSK 4)
還有
hái yǒu — 1. there still remain(s); there is (or are) still 2. in addition (HSK 1)
huó — 1. to live 2. alive 3. living 4. work 5. workmanship (HSK 3)
無常
wú cháng — 1. variable 2. changeable 3. fickle 4. impermanence (Sanskrit: anitya) 5. ghost taking away the soul after death 6. to pass away 7. to die

迎神赛会这一天出巡的神,如果是掌握生杀之权的,——不,这生杀之权四个字不大妥,凡是神,在中国仿佛都有些随意杀人的权柄似的,倒不如说是职掌人民的生死大事的罢,就如城隍和东岳大帝之类。那么,他的卤簿中间就另有一群特别的脚色:鬼卒、鬼王,还有活无常。

These ghostly figures are, for the most part, played by rough fellows and country folk.The ghost-soldiers and the Ghost King wear garish red-and-green clothing, and go barefoot;their faces are painted blue, with scales drawn on top — perhaps dragon scales or some other kind, I'm not quite sure.The ghost-soldiers carry steel tridents, whose rings jangle and clatter, while the Ghost King carries a small tiger-head plaque.According to legend, the Ghost King walks on only one foot;but he is, after all, a countryman, and although his face is painted with scales of one kind or another, he still has no choice but to walk on two feet.So the onlookers feel little awe of them, and pay them scant attention, except for the sutra-chanting old women and their grandchildren, who, for the sake of covering all bases, offer them too, as a matter of course, the ritual gesture of "trembling in awe, awaiting your command."

這些
zhè xiē — these (HSK 1)
guǐ — 1. disembodied spirit; ghost; devil 2. (suffix) person with a certain vice or addiction etc 3. sly; crafty; resourceful (variant of 詭 (guǐ)) 4. one of the 28 constellations of ancient Chinese astronomy (HSK 5)
wù — 1. (bound form) thing 2. (literary) the outside world as distinct from oneself; people other than oneself
men — plural marker for pronouns, and nouns referring to individuals
大概
dà gài — 1. roughly 2. probably 3. rough 4. approximate 5. about 6. general idea (HSK 3)
Dū — surname Du (HSK 1)
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)
yóu — 1. to follow 2. from 3. because of; due to 4. by; via; through 5. (before a noun and a verb) it is for ... to ... (HSK 3)
cū — 1. (of sth long) wide; thick 2. (of sth granular) coarse 3. (of a voice) gruff 4. (of sb's manner etc) rough; crude; careless; rude (HSK 4)
rén — 1. person; people 2. classifier: 個 (gè), 位 (wèi), 名 (míng) (HSK 1)
Hé — surname He (HSK 1)
鄉下人
xiāng xià rén — 1. country folk 2. rustic 3. rural folk
扮演
bàn yǎn — 1. to play the role of 2. to act (HSK 5)
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)
guǐ — 1. disembodied spirit; ghost; devil 2. (suffix) person with a certain vice or addiction etc 3. sly; crafty; resourceful (variant of 詭 (guǐ)) 4. one of the 28 constellations of ancient Chinese astronomy (HSK 5)
cù — variant of 猝 (cù)
Hé — surname He (HSK 1)
guǐ — 1. disembodied spirit; ghost; devil 2. (suffix) person with a certain vice or addiction etc 3. sly; crafty; resourceful (variant of 詭 (guǐ)) 4. one of the 28 constellations of ancient Chinese astronomy (HSK 5)
Wáng — surname Wang (HSK 4)
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)
Hóng — surname Hong (HSK 2)
Hóng — surname Hong (HSK 2)
綠綠
lǜ lǜ — (derog.) (slang) Muslim person
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)
衣裳
yī shang — (coll.) clothes
chì — 1. red 2. scarlet 3. bare 4. naked
zhāo — 1. a move in chess (Taiwan pr. (zhuó)) 2. trick; tactic 3. (dialect) okay; all right 4. (dialect) to put in; to add (HSK 1)
jiǎo — 1. foot 2. leg (of an animal or an object) 3. base (of an object) 4. classifier: 雙 (shuāng), 隻 (zhī) 5. classifier for kicks (HSK 2)
Lán — surname Lan (HSK 2)
liǎn — 1. face 2. classifier: 張 (zhāng), 個 (gè) (HSK 2)
上面
shàng miàn — 1. on top of 2. above-mentioned 3. also pr. (shàng mian) (HSK 3)
yòu — 1. (once) again 2. also 3. both... and... 4. and yet 5. (used for emphasis) anyway (HSK 2)
huà — 1. to draw; to paint 2. picture; painting (classifier: 幅 (fú), 張 (zhāng)) 3. to draw (a line) (variant of 劃 (huà)) 4. stroke of a Chinese character (variant of 劃 (huà)) 5. (calligraphy) horizontal stroke (variant of 劃 (huà)) (HSK 2)
xiē — classifier indicating a small amount or small number greater than 1: some, a few, several (HSK 4)
魚鱗
yú lín — fish scales
也許
yě xǔ — perhaps; maybe (HSK 2)
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)
Lóng — surname Long (HSK 3)
lín — scales (of fish, snakes etc)
huò — 1. maybe 2. perhaps 3. might 4. possibly 5. or (HSK 2)
別的
bié de — 1. else 2. other (HSK 1)
shén — what
me — variant of 麼 (me)
lín — scales (of fish, snakes etc)
bà — 1. to stop 2. to cease 3. to dismiss 4. to suspend 5. to quit 6. to finish
wǒ — I; me; my (HSK 1)
不大
bù dà — 1. not very (clear, far away etc); not too 2. not often; infrequently (HSK 1)
清楚
qīng chu — 1. clear 2. distinct 3. to understand thoroughly 4. to be clear about (HSK 2)
guǐ — 1. disembodied spirit; ghost; devil 2. (suffix) person with a certain vice or addiction etc 3. sly; crafty; resourceful (variant of 詭 (guǐ)) 4. one of the 28 constellations of ancient Chinese astronomy (HSK 5)
cù — variant of 猝 (cù)
ná — 1. to hold 2. to seize 3. to catch 4. to apprehend 5. to take 6. (used in the same way as 把 (bǎ): to mark the following noun as a direct object) (HSK 1)
zhāo — 1. a move in chess (Taiwan pr. (zhuó)) 2. trick; tactic 3. (dialect) okay; all right 4. (dialect) to put in; to add (HSK 1)
鋼叉
gāng chā — 1. pitchfork 2. garden fork 3. restraining pole (used by police) 4. military fork (of ancient times)
chā — 1. fork 2. pitchfork 3. prong 4. pick 5. cross 6. intersect 7. "X" (HSK 5)
Huán — surname Huan (HSK 3)
zhèn — 1. to shake 2. to flap 3. to vibrate 4. to resonate 5. to rise up with spirit 6. to rouse oneself
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)
láng — 1. jade-like stone 2. clean and white 3. tinkling of pendants
láng — 1. jade-like stone 2. clean and white 3. tinkling of pendants
de — 1. -ly 2. structural particle: used before a verb or adjective, linking it to preceding modifying adverbial adjunct (HSK 1)
xiǎng — 1. echo 2. sound 3. noise 4. to make a sound 5. to sound 6. to ring 7. loud 8. classifier for noises (HSK 2)
guǐ — 1. disembodied spirit; ghost; devil 2. (suffix) person with a certain vice or addiction etc 3. sly; crafty; resourceful (variant of 詭 (guǐ)) 4. one of the 28 constellations of ancient Chinese astronomy (HSK 5)
Wáng — surname Wang (HSK 4)
ná — 1. to hold 2. to seize 3. to catch 4. to apprehend 5. to take 6. (used in the same way as 把 (bǎ): to mark the following noun as a direct object) (HSK 1)
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)
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)
一塊
yī kuài — 1. a piece; a chunk 2. (fig.) (coll.) (typically preceded by a specifier such as 這 (zhè)) aspect; area; dimension (Example: 情感這一塊 (qíng gǎn zhè yī kuài) "the emotional aspect (of it)") 3. (coll.) one yuan; a dollar 4. together; in the same place; in company
小小
xiǎo xiǎo — 1. very small 2. very few 3. very minor
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)
虎頭牌
hǔ tóu pái — tiger-head plaque (made of wood and mounted on the front of a yamen 衙門 (yá men) during the Qing dynasty as a symbol of authority)
據傳
jù chuán — 1. it is rumored that ... 2. it is reported that ...
shuì — to persuade (HSK 1)
guǐ — 1. disembodied spirit; ghost; devil 2. (suffix) person with a certain vice or addiction etc 3. sly; crafty; resourceful (variant of 詭 (guǐ)) 4. one of the 28 constellations of ancient Chinese astronomy (HSK 5)
Wáng — surname Wang (HSK 4)
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)
zhī — variant of 隻 (zhī) (HSK 2)
yòng — 1. to use; to make use of; to employ 2. (coverb) with; using 3. to need; to have to (usu. used in the negative or in questions) 4. usefulness; utility 5. (bound form) expense; outlay 6. (courteous) to eat; to drink 7. (literary) hence; therefore (HSK 1)
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)
zhī — variant of 隻 (zhī) (HSK 2)
jiǎo — 1. foot 2. leg (of an animal or an object) 3. base (of an object) 4. classifier: 雙 (shuāng), 隻 (zhī) 5. classifier for kicks (HSK 2)
走路
zǒu lù — 1. to walk; to go on foot 2. to leave; to depart 3. (informal) to clear off; to beat it 4. (of sb who gets fired or resigns) to leave the job; to get out (HSK 1)
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)
dàn — 1. but; yet; however; still 2. merely; only; just (HSK 2)
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)
究竟
jiū jìng — 1. to go to the bottom of a matter 2. after all 3. when all is said and done 4. (in an interrogative sentence) finally 5. outcome 6. result (HSK 4)
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)
鄉下人
xiāng xià rén — 1. country folk 2. rustic 3. rural folk
雖然
suī rán — although; even though (often used correlatively with 可是 (kě shì) or 但是 (dàn shì) etc) (HSK 2)
liǎn — 1. face 2. classifier: 張 (zhāng), 個 (gè) (HSK 2)
shǎng — used in 上聲 (shǎng shēng) (HSK 1)
已經
yǐ jīng — already (HSK 2)
huà — 1. to draw; to paint 2. picture; painting (classifier: 幅 (fú), 張 (zhāng)) 3. to draw (a line) (variant of 劃 (huà)) 4. stroke of a Chinese character (variant of 劃 (huà)) 5. (calligraphy) horizontal stroke (variant of 劃 (huà)) (HSK 2)
shǎng — used in 上聲 (shǎng shēng) (HSK 1)
xiē — classifier indicating a small amount or small number greater than 1: some, a few, several (HSK 4)
魚鱗
yú lín — fish scales
或者
huò zhě — 1. or 2. possibly; maybe; perhaps (HSK 2)
別的
bié de — 1. else 2. other (HSK 1)
shén — what
me — variant of 麼 (me)
lín — scales (of fish, snakes etc)
què — 1. but 2. yet 3. however 4. while 5. to go back 6. to decline 7. to retreat 8. nevertheless 9. even though (HSK 4)
仍然
réng rán — still; as before; yet (HSK 3)
只得
zhǐ dé — to have no alternative but to; to be obliged to (HSK 6)
yòng — 1. to use; to make use of; to employ 2. (coverb) with; using 3. to need; to have to (usu. used in the negative or in questions) 4. usefulness; utility 5. (bound form) expense; outlay 6. (courteous) to eat; to drink 7. (literary) hence; therefore (HSK 1)
le — 1. (completed action marker) 2. (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now) 3. (modal particle intensifying preceding clause) (HSK 1)
liǎng — 1. two 2. both 3. some 4. a few 5. tael, unit of weight equal to 50 grams (modern) or 1⁄16 of a catty 斤 (jīn) (old) (HSK 1)
zhī — variant of 隻 (zhī) (HSK 2)
jiǎo — 1. foot 2. leg (of an animal or an object) 3. base (of an object) 4. classifier: 雙 (shuāng), 隻 (zhī) 5. classifier for kicks (HSK 2)
走路
zǒu lù — 1. to walk; to go on foot 2. to leave; to depart 3. (informal) to clear off; to beat it 4. (of sb who gets fired or resigns) to leave the job; to get out (HSK 1)
所以
suǒ yǐ — 1. therefore 2. as a result 3. so 4. the reason why (HSK 2)
看客
kàn kè — audience; spectators; onlookers
對於
duì yú — regarding; as far as (sth) is concerned; with regard to (HSK 4)
他們
tā men — they; them (HSK 1)
不很
bù hěn — not very
敬畏
jìng wèi — to revere
Yě — surname Ye (HSK 1)
不大
bù dà — 1. not very (clear, far away etc); not too 2. not often; infrequently (HSK 1)
留心
liú xīn — to be careful; to pay attention to (HSK 7-9)
除了
chú le — 1. apart from; besides; in addition to (used to exclude, as in 除了他,誰也沒來 (chú le tā, shéi yě méi lái) "apart from him, nobody came", or to include, as in 除了英語,他也會法語 (chú le Yīng yǔ, tā yě huì Fǎ yǔ) "in addition to English, he also knows French") 2. (used to introduce one of two habitual alternatives in the pattern 除了 (chú le) + A + 就是 (jiù shì) + B, "either A or B") (HSK 3)
念佛
niàn fó — 1. to pray to Buddha 2. to chant the names of Buddha
老嫗
lǎo yù — (literary) old woman
Hé — surname He (HSK 1)
tā — she (HSK 1)
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)
孫子
Sūn zǐ — Sun Tzu, also known as Sun Wu 孫武 (Sūn Wǔ) (c. 500 BC, dates of birth and death uncertain), general, strategist and philosopher of the Spring and Autumn Period (700-475 BC), believed to be the author of the “Art of War” 孫子兵法 (Sūn zǐ Bīng fǎ), one of the Seven Military Classics of ancient China 武經七書 (Wǔ jīng Qī shū) (HSK 4)
men — plural marker for pronouns, and nouns referring to individuals
wéi — 1. as (in the capacity of) 2. to take sth as 3. to act as 4. to serve as 5. to behave as 6. to become 7. to be 8. to do 9. by (in the passive voice) (HSK 2)
面面
miàn miàn — multiple viewpoints
yuán — 1. circle 2. round 3. circular 4. spherical 5. (of the moon) full 6. unit of Chinese currency (yuan) 7. tactful 8. to make consistent and whole (the narrative of a dream or a lie) (HSK 4)
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)
起見
qǐ jiàn — 1. motive 2. purpose 3. (sth) being the motive or purpose
Yě — surname Ye (HSK 1)
照例
zhào lì — 1. as a rule 2. as usual 3. usually (HSK 7-9)
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)
他們
tā men — they; them (HSK 1)
一個
yī ge — 1. a; an; one 2. the whole (afternoon, summer vacation etc)
不勝
bù shèng — 1. cannot bear or stand 2. be unequal to 3. very 4. extremely
屏營
bīng yíng — with fear and trepidation
待命
dài mìng — 1. to be on call 2. to be on standby
之至
zhī zhì — extremely
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)
儀節
yí jié — 1. etiquette 2. ceremonial protocol

这些鬼物们,大概都是由粗人和乡下人扮演的。鬼卒和鬼王是红红绿绿的衣裳,赤著脚;蓝脸,上面又画些鱼鳞,也许是龙鳞或别的什么鳞罢,我不大清楚。鬼卒拿著钢叉,叉环振得琅琅地响,鬼王拿的是一块小小的虎头牌。据传说,鬼王是只用一只脚走路的;但他究竟是乡下人,虽然脸上已经画上些鱼鳞或者别的什么鳞,却仍然只得用了两只脚走路。所以看客对于他们不很敬畏,也不大留心,除了念佛老妪和她的孙子们为面面圆到起见,也照例给他们一个“不胜屏营待命之至”的仪节。

————As for us — I and, I believe, a great many others — what we most wanted to see was the Living Wuchang.Not only was he lively and witty, but the mere fact that he was snow-white from head to foot made him, amid all that red and green, stand out like "a crane among chickens."The instant people caught sight of the tall white-paper hat and the shadow of the tattered plantain-leaf fan in his hand, everyone grew a little tense, and grew happy besides.

至於
zhì yú — 1. as for 2. as to 3. to go so far as to (HSK 6)
我們
wǒ men — we; us; ourselves; our (HSK 1)
wǒ — I; me; my (HSK 1)
相信
xiāng xìn — to believe; to be convinced; to accept as true (HSK 2)
wǒ — I; me; my (HSK 1)
Hé — surname He (HSK 1)
許多
xǔ duō — 1. many 2. a lot of 3. much (HSK 2)
rén — 1. person; people 2. classifier: 個 (gè), 位 (wèi), 名 (míng) (HSK 1)
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)
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)
願意
yuàn yì — 1. to wish 2. to want 3. ready 4. willing (to do sth) (HSK 2)
kān — 1. to look after 2. to take care of 3. to watch 4. to guard (HSK 1)
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)
què — 1. but 2. yet 3. however 4. while 5. to go back 6. to decline 7. to retreat 8. nevertheless 9. even though (HSK 4)
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)
huó — 1. to live 2. alive 3. living 4. work 5. workmanship (HSK 3)
無常
wú cháng — 1. variable 2. changeable 3. fickle 4. impermanence (Sanskrit: anitya) 5. ghost taking away the soul after death 6. to pass away 7. to die
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)
不但
bù dàn — not only (... but also ...) (HSK 2)
活潑
huó po — 1. lively 2. vivacious 3. brisk 4. active 5. (chemistry) reactive (HSK 5)
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)
詼諧
huī xié — 1. humorous 2. jocular 3. zany
Shàn — surname Shan (HSK 4)
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)
Nā — surname Na (HSK 1)
渾身
hún shēn — 1. all over 2. from head to foot (HSK 7-9)
雪白
xuě bái — snow white
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))
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)
Hóng — surname Hong (HSK 2)
Hóng — surname Hong (HSK 2)
綠綠
lǜ lǜ — (derog.) (slang) Muslim person
Zhōng — 1. (bound form) China; Chinese 2. surname Zhong (HSK 1)
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)
yǒu — 1. to have; there is 2. (bound form) having; with; -ful; -ed; -al (as in 有意 (yǒu yì) intentional) (HSK 1)
鶴立雞群
hè lì jī qún — 1. a crane in a flock of chicken (idiom); way above the common 2. manifestly superior (HSK 7-9)
zhī — 1. (possessive particle, literary equivalent of 的 (de)) 2. him 3. her 4. it (HSK 7-9)
gài — 1. (bound form) general; approximate 2. without exception; categorically 3. (bound form) bearing; deportment
只要
zhǐ yào — so long as; provided; if (HSK 2)
望見
wàng jiàn — 1. to espy 2. to spot (HSK 6)
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)
dǐng — 1. apex 2. crown of the head 3. top 4. roof 5. most 6. to carry on the head 7. to push to the top 8. to go against 9. to replace 10. to substitute 11. to be subjected to (an aerial bombing, hailstorm etc) 12. (slang) to "bump" a forum thread to raise its profile 13. classifier for headwear, hats, veils etc (HSK 4)
Bái — 1. surname Bai 2. Bai ethnic group (HSK 1)
zhǐ — 1. paper (classifier: 張 (zhāng), 沓 (dá)) 2. classifier for documents, letters etc (HSK 2)
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)
高帽子
gāo mào zi — 1. tall conical paper hat worn as a public humiliation 2. dunce cap 3. (fig.) flattery
Hé — surname He (HSK 1)
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)
shǒu — 1. hand 2. (formal) to hold 3. person engaged in certain types of work 4. person skilled in certain types of work 5. personal(ly) 6. convenient 7. classifier for skill 8. classifier: 雙 (shuāng), 隻 (zhī) (HSK 1)
lǐ — variant of 裡 (lǐ) (HSK 1)
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)
pò — 1. broken 2. damaged 3. worn out 4. lousy 5. rotten 6. to break, split or cleave 7. to get rid of 8. to destroy 9. to break with 10. to defeat 11. to capture (a city etc) 12. to expose the truth of (HSK 3)
芭蕉扇
bā jiāo shàn — palm-leaf fan
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)
影子
yǐng zi — 1. shadow 2. reflection 3. (fig.) hint 4. indication 5. influence 6. classifier: 個 (gè) (HSK 4)
大家
dà jiā — 1. everyone 2. influential family 3. great expert (HSK 2)
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)
Dū — surname Du (HSK 1)
有些
yǒu xiē — 1. some 2. somewhat; rather; a bit
緊張
jǐn zhāng — 1. nervous 2. keyed up 3. intense 4. tense 5. strained 6. in short supply 7. scarce 8. classifier: 陣 (zhèn) (HSK 3)
而且
ér qiě — 1. (not only ...) but also 2. moreover; in addition; furthermore (HSK 2)
高興
gāo xìng — 1. happy 2. glad 3. willing (to do sth) 4. in a cheerful mood (HSK 1)
起來
qǐ lai — 1. to stand up; to get up 2. also pr. (qǐ lái) (HSK 1)
le — 1. (completed action marker) 2. (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now) 3. (modal particle intensifying preceding clause) (HSK 1)

至于我们——我相信:我和许多人——所最愿意看的,却在活无常。他不但活泼而诙谐,单是那浑身雪白这一点,在红红绿绿中就有“鹤立鸡群”之概。只要望见一顶白纸的高帽子和他手里的破芭蕉扇的影子,大家就都有些紧张,而且高兴起来了。

Of all the ghostly beings, it is with him alone that the common people are most familiar and most intimate, and in ordinary times too he can often be met with.”,,……For instance, behind the main hall of a City God temple or a Temple of the Eastern Peak there is a dark chamber called the "Chamber of the Nether Court," and there, in a gloom just bright enough to make out shapes, stand clay figures of every sort of ghost: the ghost of a hanged man, the ghost of one who fell to his death, the ghost mauled by a tiger, the ghost of a failed examination candidate…and the tall white thing you see the moment you step through the door is none other than him.”,Although I too once paid my respects at this "Chamber of the Nether Court," I was timid at the time and didn't get a clear look.I've heard that in one hand he also holds an iron chain, since he is the emissary who comes to seize the souls of the living.It is said that the "Chamber of the Nether Court" in the Temple of the Eastern Peak at Fanjiang was originally built in a most unusual way: the doorway had a loose board, and the instant a person stepped through and trod on one end of it, the clay figure standing at the other end would lunge forward, its iron chain dropping right around your neck.Later on it frightened someone to death, so the board was nailed down fast, and by the time I was small it could no longer move.

人民
rén mín — the people (HSK 3)
zhī — 1. (possessive particle, literary equivalent of 的 (de)) 2. him 3. her 4. it (HSK 7-9)
yú — 1. (of time or place) in; at; on 2. (indicating any indirect relation) to; toward; vis-à-vis; with regard to; for 3. (indicating a source) from; out of 4. (used in comparison) than 5. (used in the passive voice) by (HSK 6)
guǐ — 1. disembodied spirit; ghost; devil 2. (suffix) person with a certain vice or addiction etc 3. sly; crafty; resourceful (variant of 詭 (guǐ)) 4. one of the 28 constellations of ancient Chinese astronomy (HSK 5)
wù — 1. (bound form) thing 2. (literary) the outside world as distinct from oneself; people other than oneself
惟獨
wéi dú — variant of 唯獨 (wéi dú)
yú — variant of 歟 (yú) (HSK 6)
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)
最為
zuì wéi — the most
rěn — 1. (literary) ripe grain; ripe; harvest; year 2. (literary) very familiar with; well acquainted with
shú — 1. ripe; mature 2. thoroughly cooked; done 3. familiar; acquainted 4. experienced; skilled 5. (of sleep etc) deep; profound 6. also pr. (shóu) (HSK 2)
Yě — surname Ye (HSK 1)
最為
zuì wéi — the most
親密
qīn mì — 1. intimate 2. close (HSK 4)
平時
píng shí — 1. ordinarily 2. in normal times 3. in peacetime (HSK 2)
Yě — surname Ye (HSK 1)
常常
cháng cháng — frequently; often (HSK 1)
可以
kě yǐ — 1. can 2. may 3. possible 4. able to 5. not bad 6. pretty good (HSK 2)
遇見
yù jiàn — to meet (HSK 4)
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)
譬如
pì rú — for example; for instance; such as (HSK 7-9)
城隍
Chéng Huáng — Shing Wong (deity in Chinese mythology)
miào — 1. temple 2. ancestral shrine 3. classifier: 座 (zuò) 4. temple fair 5. great imperial hall 6. imperial (HSK 7-9)
huò — 1. maybe 2. perhaps 3. might 4. possibly 5. or (HSK 2)
東嶽
Dōng yuè — Mt Tai 泰山 in Shandong, one of the Five Sacred Mountains 五嶽 (Wǔ yuè)
miào — 1. temple 2. ancestral shrine 3. classifier: 座 (zuò) 4. temple fair 5. great imperial hall 6. imperial (HSK 7-9)
Zhōng — 1. (bound form) China; Chinese 2. surname Zhong (HSK 1)
大殿
dà diàn — main hall of a Buddhist temple
後面
hòu mian — 1. the back; the rear; the last bit 2. behind; near the end; at the back 3. later; afterwards (HSK 3)
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)
yǒu — 1. to have; there is 2. (bound form) having; with; -ful; -ed; -al (as in 有意 (yǒu yì) intentional) (HSK 1)
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)
jiān — 1. between 2. among 3. within a definite time or space 4. room 5. section of a room or lateral space between two pairs of pillars 6. classifier for rooms (HSK 1)
暗室
àn shì — darkroom
叫作
jiào zuò — 1. to call 2. to be called (HSK 2)
陰司
yīn sī — 1. hell 2. nether world
jiān — 1. between 2. among 3. within a definite time or space 4. room 5. section of a room or lateral space between two pairs of pillars 6. classifier for rooms (HSK 1)
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)
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)
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)
biàn — 1. to distinguish 2. to recognize
sè — 1. color 2. classifier: 種 (zhǒng) 3. look 4. appearance 5. sex (HSK 4)
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)
昏暗
hūn àn — dusky
Zhōng — 1. (bound form) China; Chinese 2. surname Zhong (HSK 1)
sù — 1. to model (a figure) in clay 2. (bound form) plastic (i.e. the synthetic material)
zhāo — 1. a move in chess (Taiwan pr. (zhuó)) 2. trick; tactic 3. (dialect) okay; all right 4. (dialect) to put in; to add (HSK 1)
各種
gè zhǒng — every kind of; all kinds of; various (HSK 3)
guǐ — 1. disembodied spirit; ghost; devil 2. (suffix) person with a certain vice or addiction etc 3. sly; crafty; resourceful (variant of 詭 (guǐ)) 4. one of the 28 constellations of ancient Chinese astronomy (HSK 5)
吊死鬼
diào sǐ guǐ — 1. ghost of a person who died by hanging 2. hanged person 3. (coll.) inchworm 4. hangman (word game)
diē — 1. to fall 2. to tumble 3. to trip 4. (of prices etc) to drop 5. Taiwan pr. (dié) (HSK 6)
死鬼
sǐ guǐ — 1. devil (used jocularly or contemptuously) 2. the departed
hǔ — 1. tiger 2. classifier: 隻 (zhī) (HSK 5)
shāng — 1. to injure 2. injury 3. wound (HSK 3)
guǐ — 1. disembodied spirit; ghost; devil 2. (suffix) person with a certain vice or addiction etc 3. sly; crafty; resourceful (variant of 詭 (guǐ)) 4. one of the 28 constellations of ancient Chinese astronomy (HSK 5)
kē — 1. branch of study 2. administrative section 3. division 4. field 5. branch 6. stage directions 7. family (taxonomy) 8. rules 9. laws 10. to mete out (punishment) 11. to levy (taxes etc) 12. to fine sb 13. classifier: 個 (gè) (HSK 2)
cháng — 1. threshing floor 2. classifier for events and happenings: spell, episode, bout (HSK 2)
guǐ — 1. disembodied spirit; ghost; devil 2. (suffix) person with a certain vice or addiction etc 3. sly; crafty; resourceful (variant of 詭 (guǐ)) 4. one of the 28 constellations of ancient Chinese astronomy (HSK 5)
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)
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)
進門
jìn mén — 1. to enter a door 2. to go in 3. to learn the basics of a subject 4. to join one's husband's household upon marriage
kǒu — 1. mouth 2. classifier for things with mouths (people, domestic animals, cannons, wells etc) 3. classifier for bites or mouthfuls (HSK 1)
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)
看見
kàn jiàn — to see; to catch sight of (HSK 1)
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)
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)
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)
Bái — 1. surname Bai 2. Bai ethnic group (HSK 1)
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)
東西
dōng xī — east and west (HSK 1)
就是
jiù shì — 1. exactly; precisely 2. only; simply; just 3. (used correlatively with 也 (yě)) even; even if (HSK 3)
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)
wǒ — I; me; my (HSK 1)
雖然
suī rán — although; even though (often used correlatively with 可是 (kě shì) or 但是 (dàn shì) etc) (HSK 2)
Yě — surname Ye (HSK 1)
Zēng — surname Zeng (HSK 4)
瞻仰
zhān yǎng — 1. to revere 2. to admire (HSK 7-9)
Guō — surname Guo (HSK 1)
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)
Huí — Hui ethnic group (Chinese Muslims) (HSK 1)
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)
陰司
yīn sī — 1. hell 2. nether world
jiān — 1. between 2. among 3. within a definite time or space 4. room 5. section of a room or lateral space between two pairs of pillars 6. classifier for rooms (HSK 1)
dàn — 1. but; yet; however; still 2. merely; only; just (HSK 2)
那時
nà shí — 1. then 2. at that time 3. in those days (HSK 2)
膽子
dǎn zi — 1. courage 2. nerve 3. guts (HSK 7-9)
xiǎo — 1. small 2. tiny 3. few 4. young (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)
kān — 1. to look after 2. to take care of 3. to watch 4. to guard (HSK 1)
明白
míng bai — 1. clear; obvious; unequivocal 2. sensible; reasonable 3. to understand; to realize (HSK 1)
聽說
tīng shuō — 1. to hear (sth said) 2. one hears (that) 3. hearsay 4. listening and speaking (HSK 2)
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)
一手
yī shǒu — 1. a skill 2. mastery of a trade 3. by oneself 4. without outside help (HSK 7-9)
Huán — surname Huan (HSK 1)
ná — 1. to hold 2. to seize 3. to catch 4. to apprehend 5. to take 6. (used in the same way as 把 (bǎ): to mark the following noun as a direct object) (HSK 1)
zhāo — 1. a move in chess (Taiwan pr. (zhuó)) 2. trick; tactic 3. (dialect) okay; all right 4. (dialect) to put in; to add (HSK 1)
Tiě — surname Tie (HSK 3)
Suǒ — 1. surname Suo 2. abbr. for 索馬里 (Suǒ mǎ lǐ), Somalia
因為
yīn wèi — because; owing to; on account of (HSK 2)
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)
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)
Gōu — surname Gou (HSK 7-9)
shè — 1. (bound form) to take in; to absorb; to assimilate 2. to capture (video or still images) 3. (literary) to conserve (one's health) 4. (literary) to act for
shēng — 1. to grow; to give birth; to produce; to be born 2. to arise; to occur 3. to light (a fire) 4. to live; to be alive 5. life 6. raw; uncooked; unprocessed 7. unfamiliar; strange 8. (bound form) student; person engaged in a field 9. (bound form) male role in traditional opera 10. (bound form) life; lifetime 11. (bound form) means of livelihood 12. (bound form) very; intensely (as in 生疼 (shēng téng)) 13. (bound form) in a forced manner (as in 生拉硬拽 (shēng lā yìng zhuài)) (HSK 2)
hún — soul; spirit; immortal soul (that can be detached from the body) (HSK 7-9)
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)
使者
shǐ zhě — 1. emissary 2. envoy (HSK 7-9)
相傳
xiāng chuán — 1. to pass on 2. to hand down 3. tradition has it that ... 4. according to legend (HSK 7-9)
Fán — surname Fan
Jiāng — 1. surname Jiang 2. (bound form) Yangtze River 3. (bound form) Jiangsu Province (abbr. for 江蘇 (Jiāng sū)) (HSK 4)
東嶽
Dōng yuè — Mt Tai 泰山 in Shandong, one of the Five Sacred Mountains 五嶽 (Wǔ yuè)
miào — 1. temple 2. ancestral shrine 3. classifier: 座 (zuò) 4. temple fair 5. great imperial hall 6. imperial (HSK 7-9)
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)
陰司
yīn sī — 1. hell 2. nether world
jiān — 1. between 2. among 3. within a definite time or space 4. room 5. section of a room or lateral space between two pairs of pillars 6. classifier for rooms (HSK 1)
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)
構造
gòu zào — 1. structure 2. composition 3. tectonic (geology) 4. classifier: 個 (gè) (HSK 4)
本來
běn lái — 1. original 2. originally 3. at first 4. it goes without saying 5. of course (HSK 3)
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)
極其
jí qí — extremely (HSK 4)
特別
tè bié — 1. unusual; special 2. very; especially; particularly 3. expressly; for a specific purpose 4. (often followed by 是 (shì)) in particular (HSK 2)
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)
門口
mén kǒu — 1. doorway 2. gate 3. classifier: 個 (gè) (HSK 1)
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)
一塊
yī kuài — 1. a piece; a chunk 2. (fig.) (coll.) (typically preceded by a specifier such as 這 (zhè)) aspect; area; dimension (Example: 情感這一塊 (qíng gǎn zhè yī kuài) "the emotional aspect (of it)") 3. (coll.) one yuan; a dollar 4. together; in the same place; in company
活板
huó bǎn — trapdoor
rén — 1. person; people 2. classifier: 個 (gè), 位 (wèi), 名 (míng) (HSK 1)
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)
進門
jìn mén — 1. to enter a door 2. to go in 3. to learn the basics of a subject 4. to join one's husband's household upon marriage
tā — see 踏實 (tā shi) (HSK 6)
zhāo — 1. a move in chess (Taiwan pr. (zhuó)) 2. trick; tactic 3. (dialect) okay; all right 4. (dialect) to put in; to add (HSK 1)
活板
huó bǎn — trapdoor
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)
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)
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)
duān — 1. (bound form) tip; end; extremity 2. (bound form) aspect; facet 3. (bound form) upright; proper 4. to hold sth level with both hands; to carry 5. to eliminate; to wipe out (HSK 6)
sù — 1. to model (a figure) in clay 2. (bound form) plastic (i.e. the synthetic material)
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)
Nā — surname Na (HSK 1)
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)
端的
duān dì — 1. really 2. after all 3. details 4. particulars
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)
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)
pū — 1. to throw oneself at 2. to pounce on 3. to devote one's energies 4. to flap 5. to flutter 6. to dab 7. to pat 8. to bend over (HSK 6)
過來
guò lái — 1. to come over 2. to manage 3. to handle 4. to be able to take care of (HSK 2)
Tiě — surname Tie (HSK 3)
Suǒ — 1. surname Suo 2. abbr. for 索馬里 (Suǒ mǎ lǐ), Somalia
zhēng — first month of the lunar year (HSK 1)
tào — 1. to cover 2. to encase 3. cover 4. sheath 5. to overlap 6. to interleave 7. to model after 8. to copy 9. formula 10. harness 11. loop of rope 12. (fig.) to fish for 13. to obtain slyly 14. classifier for sets, collections 15. bend (of a river or mountain range, in place names) 16. tau (Greek letter Ττ) (HSK 2)
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)
nǐ — you (informal, as opposed to courteous 您 (nín)) (HSK 1)
脖子
bó zi — 1. neck 2. classifier: 個 (gè) (HSK 7-9)
shǎng — used in 上聲 (shǎng shēng) (HSK 1)
後來
hòu lái — 1. afterwards; later 2. newly arrived (HSK 2)
hè — 1. to scare 2. to intimidate 3. to threaten 4. (interjection showing disapproval) tut-tut 5. (interjection showing astonishment) (HSK 5)
sǐ — 1. to die 2. impassable 3. uncrossable 4. inflexible 5. rigid 6. extremely 7. damned (HSK 3)
le — 1. (completed action marker) 2. (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now) 3. (modal particle intensifying preceding clause) (HSK 1)
一個人
yī gè rén — 1. by oneself (without assistance) 2. alone (without company)
dīng — 1. nail 2. to follow closely 3. to keep at sb (to do sth) 4. variant of 盯 (dīng) (HSK 7-9)
shí — 1. real 2. true 3. honest 4. really 5. solid 6. fruit 7. seed 8. definitely
le — 1. (completed action marker) 2. (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now) 3. (modal particle intensifying preceding clause) (HSK 1)
所以
suǒ yǐ — 1. therefore 2. as a result 3. so 4. the reason why (HSK 2)
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)
wǒ — I; me; my (HSK 1)
幼小
yòu xiǎo — 1. young 2. immature
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)
時候
shí hou — 1. time 2. length of time 3. moment 4. period (HSK 1)
這就
zhè jiù — 1. immediately 2. at once
yǐ — 1. already 2. to stop 3. then 4. afterwards (HSK 3)
不能
bù néng — 1. cannot 2. must not 3. should not
dòng — 1. (of sth) to move 2. to set in movement 3. to displace 4. to touch 5. to make use of 6. to stir (emotions) 7. to alter 8. abbr. for 動詞 (dòng cí), verb (HSK 1)

人民之于鬼物,惟独与他最为稔熟,也最为亲密,平时也常常可以遇见他。譬如城隍庙或东岳庙中,大殿后面就有一间暗室,叫作“阴司间”,在才可辨色的昏暗中,塑著各种鬼:吊死鬼、跌死鬼、虎伤鬼、科场鬼,……而一进门口所看见的长而白的东西就是他。我虽然也曾瞻仰过一回这“阴司间”,但那时胆子小,没有看明白。听说他一手还拿著铁索,因为他是勾摄生魂的使者。相传樊江东岳庙的“阴司间”的构造,本来是极其特别的:门口是一块活板,人一进门,踏著活板的这一端,塑在那一端的他便扑过来,铁索正套在你脖子上。后来吓死了一个人,钉实了,所以在我幼小的时候,这就已不能动。

,《If you want to get a clear look at him, well, there is a picture of him in the Yuli Chaozhuan (Records Transcribed from the Jade Almanac) — though editions of the Yuli Chaozhuan vary in how detailed they are, and the fuller editions are certain to have it.On his body he wears the coarse mourning garb of deepest grief, at his waist is bound a straw rope, on his feet are straw sandals, and around his neck hang paper ingots;in his hands are a tattered plantain-leaf fan, an iron chain, and an abacus;his shoulders are hunched up, while his hair hangs loose down his back;the outer corners of his brows and eyes both slant downward, forming the shape of the character "八" (eight).On his head is a tall rectangular hat, wide at the bottom and narrow at the top, which, judging by the proportions, must stand about two feet high;:“”。and on the front of it, in the very spot where the melon-skin skullcaps worn by old-school gentlemen and their young heirs bear a bead or a gem, are written, top to bottom, four characters: "The sight of you brings joy."”。In one edition, however, what is written there instead is "So you've come too."These four characters are also sometimes seen on the plaque over the hall of Lord Bao; but who wrote them on his hat — himself, or King Yama — I have never managed to work out.

cháng — used in 倘佯 (cháng yáng)
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)
要看
yào kàn — (it) depends on ...
gě — used in 自個兒 (zì gě r) (HSK 1)
分明
fēn míng — 1. clear 2. distinct 3. evidently 4. clearly (HSK 7-9)
那麽
nà me — variant of 那麼 (nà me) (HSK 2)
yù — jade (HSK 4)
lì — 1. to experience 2. to undergo 3. to pass through 4. all 5. each 6. every 7. history
chāo — 1. money 2. paper money 3. variant of 抄 (chāo)
chuán — 1. to pass on 2. to spread 3. to transmit 4. to infect 5. to transfer 6. to circulate 7. to conduct (electricity) (HSK 3)
shǎng — used in 上聲 (shǎng shēng) (HSK 1)
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)
huà — 1. to draw; to paint 2. picture; painting (classifier: 幅 (fú), 張 (zhāng)) 3. to draw (a line) (variant of 劃 (huà)) 4. stroke of a Chinese character (variant of 劃 (huà)) 5. (calligraphy) horizontal stroke (variant of 劃 (huà)) (HSK 2)
zhāo — 1. a move in chess (Taiwan pr. (zhuó)) 2. trick; tactic 3. (dialect) okay; all right 4. (dialect) to put in; to add (HSK 1)
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)
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)
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)
不過
bù guò — 1. only 2. merely 3. no more than 4. but 5. however 6. anyway (to get back to a previous topic) 7. cannot be more (after adjectival) (HSK 2)
yù — jade (HSK 4)
lì — 1. to experience 2. to undergo 3. to pass through 4. all 5. each 6. every 7. history
chāo — 1. money 2. paper money 3. variant of 抄 (chāo)
chuán — 1. to pass on 2. to spread 3. to transmit 4. to infect 5. to transfer 6. to circulate 7. to conduct (electricity) (HSK 3)
Yě — surname Ye (HSK 1)
yǒu — 1. to have; there is 2. (bound form) having; with; -ful; -ed; -al (as in 有意 (yǒu yì) intentional) (HSK 1)
繁簡
fán jiǎn — 1. complicated and simple 2. traditional and simplified form of Chinese characters
不同
bù tóng — 1. different 2. distinct 3. not the same 4. not alike (HSK 2)
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)
本子
běn zi — 1. book 2. notebook 3. Japanese-style self-published comic (esp. an erotic one), aka "dōjinshi" 4. classifier: 本 (běn) 5. edition (HSK 1)
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)
cháng — used in 倘佯 (cháng yáng)
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)
繁本
fán běn — 1. detailed edition 2. unexpurgated version
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)
一定
yī dìng — 1. surely; certainly; definitely 2. fixed; settled 3. a certain ...; a given ... (HSK 2)
yǒu — 1. to have; there is 2. (bound form) having; with; -ful; -ed; -al (as in 有意 (yǒu yì) intentional) (HSK 1)
身上
shēn shang — 1. on the body 2. at hand 3. among (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)
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)
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)
zhǎn — 1. to behead (as form of capital punishment) 2. to chop (HSK 7-9)
cuī — variant of 縗 (cuī)
xiōng — 1. terrible 2. fearful (HSK 6)
fú — 1. clothes 2. dress 3. garment 4. to serve (in the military, a prison sentence etc) 5. to obey 6. to be convinced (by an argument) 7. to convince 8. to admire 9. to acclimatize 10. to take (medicine) 11. mourning clothes 12. to wear mourning clothes (HSK 6)
腰間
yāo jiān — waist
Shù — surname Shu (HSK 3)
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)
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)
cǎo — 1. grass 2. straw 3. manuscript 4. draft (of a document) 5. careless 6. rough 7. classifier: 棵 (kē), 撮 (zuǒ), 株 (zhū), 根 (gēn) (HSK 2)
shéng — 1. rope 2. classifier: 根 (gēn)
jiǎo — 1. foot 2. leg (of an animal or an object) 3. base (of an object) 4. classifier: 雙 (shuāng), 隻 (zhī) 5. classifier for kicks (HSK 2)
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)
草鞋
cǎo xié — straw sandals
Xiàng — surname Xiang (HSK 4)
guà — 1. to hang; to suspend (from a hook etc) 2. to hang up (the phone) 3. (of a line) to be dead 4. to be worried; to be concerned 5. (dialect) to make a phone call 6. to register (at a hospital); to make an appointment (with a doctor) 7. (slang) to kill; to die; to be finished; to fail (an exam) 8. classifier for sets or clusters of objects (HSK 3)
紙錠
zhǐ dìng — paper ingots (burned as offerings to the dead)
shǒu — 1. hand 2. (formal) to hold 3. person engaged in certain types of work 4. person skilled in certain types of work 5. personal(ly) 6. convenient 7. classifier for skill 8. classifier: 雙 (shuāng), 隻 (zhī) (HSK 1)
shǎng — used in 上聲 (shǎng shēng) (HSK 1)
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)
pò — 1. broken 2. damaged 3. worn out 4. lousy 5. rotten 6. to break, split or cleave 7. to get rid of 8. to destroy 9. to break with 10. to defeat 11. to capture (a city etc) 12. to expose the truth of (HSK 3)
芭蕉扇
bā jiāo shàn — palm-leaf fan
Tiě — surname Tie (HSK 3)
Suǒ — 1. surname Suo 2. abbr. for 索馬里 (Suǒ mǎ lǐ), Somalia
算盤
suàn pán — 1. abacus 2. classifier: 把 (bǎ) 3. plan 4. scheme (HSK 7-9)
肩膀
jiān bǎng — shoulder (HSK 7-9)
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)
sǒng — 1. to excite 2. to raise up 3. to shrug 4. high 5. lofty 6. towering
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)
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)
頭髮
tóu fa — hair (on the head) (HSK 2)
què — 1. but 2. yet 3. however 4. while 5. to go back 6. to decline 7. to retreat 8. nevertheless 9. even though (HSK 4)
pī — 1. to drape over one's shoulders 2. to open 3. to unroll 4. to split open 5. to spread out (HSK 5)
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)
眉眼
méi yǎn — 1. brows and eyes 2. appearance 3. looks 4. countenance
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)
wài — 1. outside 2. in addition 3. foreign 4. external (HSK 1)
shāo — tip of branch
Dū — surname Du (HSK 1)
向下
xiàng xià — 1. down 2. downward
xiàng — 1. elephant 2. classifier: 隻 (zhī) 3. shape 4. form 5. appearance 6. to imitate
一個
yī ge — 1. a; an; one 2. the whole (afternoon, summer vacation etc)
bā — eight (HSK 1)
zì — 1. letter 2. symbol 3. character 4. word 5. classifier: 個 (gè) 6. courtesy or style name traditionally given to males aged 20 in dynastic China (HSK 1)
頭上
tóu shàng — 1. overhead 2. above
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)
dǐng — 1. apex 2. crown of the head 3. top 4. roof 5. most 6. to carry on the head 7. to push to the top 8. to go against 9. to replace 10. to substitute 11. to be subjected to (an aerial bombing, hailstorm etc) 12. (slang) to "bump" a forum thread to raise its profile 13. classifier for headwear, hats, veils etc (HSK 4)
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)
方帽
fāng mào — mortarboard; square academic cap
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)
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)
dǐng — 1. apex 2. crown of the head 3. top 4. roof 5. most 6. to carry on the head 7. to push to the top 8. to go against 9. to replace 10. to substitute 11. to be subjected to (an aerial bombing, hailstorm etc) 12. (slang) to "bump" a forum thread to raise its profile 13. classifier for headwear, hats, veils etc (HSK 4)
xiǎo — 1. small 2. tiny 3. few 4. young (HSK 1)
àn — 1. to press 2. to push 3. to leave aside or shelve 4. to control 5. to restrain 6. to keep one's hand on 7. to check or refer to 8. according to 9. in the light of 10. (of an editor or author) to make a comment (HSK 3)
比例
bǐ lì — 1. proportion 2. scale (HSK 3)
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)
suàn — 1. to calculate; to figure out 2. to include; to count in 3. to count; to be valid; to carry weight 4. to regard as; to consider (to be ...) (HSK 2)
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)
yǒu — 1. to have; there is 2. (bound form) having; with; -ful; -ed; -al (as in 有意 (yǒu yì) intentional) (HSK 1)
èr — 1. two 2. 2 3. (Beijing dialect) stupid (HSK 1)
chě — one of the characters used to represent a musical note in gongche notation, 工尺譜 (gōng chě pǔ) (HSK 4)
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)
Gāo — surname Gao (HSK 1)
bà — 1. to stop 2. to cease 3. to dismiss 4. to suspend 5. to quit 6. to finish
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)
正面
zhèng miàn — 1. front 2. obverse side 3. right side 4. positive 5. direct 6. open (HSK 7-9)
就是
jiù shì — 1. exactly; precisely 2. only; simply; just 3. (used correlatively with 也 (yě)) even; even if (HSK 3)
遺老
yí lǎo — elderly loyalist of a former dynasty; former official who remains loyal after a dynastic change
yí — (bound form) to leave behind
shǎo — 1. few 2. less 3. to lack 4. to be missing 5. to stop (doing sth) 6. seldom (HSK 1)
men — plural marker for pronouns, and nouns referring to individuals
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)
Dài — surname Dai (HSK 4)
guā — 1. melon; gourd; squash 2. (slang) a piece of gossip (HSK 4)
Pí — surname Pi (HSK 3)
xiǎo — 1. small 2. tiny 3. few 4. young (HSK 1)
mào — 1. hat 2. cap
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)
chuò — variant of 輟 (chuò)
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)
lì — 1. grain; granule; pellet; particle 2. classifier for small round objects (peas, bullets, peanuts, pills, grains etc) 3. (Tw) classifier for larger round objects (watermelon etc) (HSK 7-9)
珠子
zhū zi — 1. pearl 2. bead 3. classifier: 粒 (lì), 顆 (kē)
huò — 1. maybe 2. perhaps 3. might 4. possibly 5. or (HSK 2)
一塊
yī kuài — 1. a piece; a chunk 2. (fig.) (coll.) (typically preceded by a specifier such as 這 (zhè)) aspect; area; dimension (Example: 情感這一塊 (qíng gǎn zhè yī kuài) "the emotional aspect (of it)") 3. (coll.) one yuan; a dollar 4. together; in the same place; in company
寶石
bǎo shí — 1. precious stone; gem 2. classifier: 枚 (méi), 顆 (kē) (HSK 4)
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)
地方
dì fāng — 1. region 2. regional (away from the central administration) 3. local (HSK 1)
Zhí — 1. surname Zhi 2. Zhi (c. 2000 BC), fifth of the legendary Flame Emperors 炎帝 (Yán dì) descended from Shennong 神農 (Shén nóng) Farmer God (HSK 3)
xiě — to write (HSK 1)
zhāo — 1. a move in chess (Taiwan pr. (zhuó)) 2. trick; tactic 3. (dialect) okay; all right 4. (dialect) to put in; to add (HSK 1)
sì — 1. four 2. 4 (HSK 1)
gě — used in 自個兒 (zì gě r) (HSK 1)
zì — 1. letter 2. symbol 3. character 4. word 5. classifier: 個 (gè) 6. courtesy or style name traditionally given to males aged 20 in dynastic China (HSK 1)
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)
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)
jiàn — 1. to see 2. to meet 3. to appear (to be sth) 4. to interview 5. opinion 6. view (HSK 1)
有喜
yǒu xǐ — 1. to be expecting 2. to be with child
yǒu — 1. to have; there is 2. (bound form) having; with; -ful; -ed; -al (as in 有意 (yǒu yì) intentional) (HSK 1)
一種
yī zhǒng — one kind of; one type of
本子
běn zi — 1. book 2. notebook 3. Japanese-style self-published comic (esp. an erotic one), aka "dōjinshi" 4. classifier: 本 (běn) 5. edition (HSK 1)
shǎng — used in 上聲 (shǎng shēng) (HSK 1)
què — 1. but 2. yet 3. however 4. while 5. to go back 6. to decline 7. to retreat 8. nevertheless 9. even though (HSK 4)
xiě — to write (HSK 1)
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)
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)
nǐ — you (informal, as opposed to courteous 您 (nín)) (HSK 1)
Yě — surname Ye (HSK 1)
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)
le — 1. (completed action marker) 2. (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now) 3. (modal particle intensifying preceding clause) (HSK 1)
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)
sì — 1. four 2. 4 (HSK 1)
gě — used in 自個兒 (zì gě r) (HSK 1)
zì — 1. letter 2. symbol 3. character 4. word 5. classifier: 個 (gè) 6. courtesy or style name traditionally given to males aged 20 in dynastic China (HSK 1)
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)
有時
yǒu shí — 1. sometimes 2. now and then (HSK 1)
Yě — surname Ye (HSK 1)
jiàn — 1. to see 2. to meet 3. to appear (to be sth) 4. to interview 5. opinion 6. view (HSK 1)
yú — 1. (of time or place) in; at; on 2. (indicating any indirect relation) to; toward; vis-à-vis; with regard to; for 3. (indicating a source) from; out of 4. (used in comparison) than 5. (used in the passive voice) by (HSK 6)
包公
Bāo gōng — Lord Bao or Judge Bao, fictional nickname of Bao Zheng 包拯 (Bāo Zhěng) (999-1062), Northern Song official renowned for his honesty
殿
diàn — palace hall
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)
扁額
biǎn é — variant of 匾額 (biǎn é)
shǎng — used in 上聲 (shǎng shēng) (HSK 1)
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)
至於
zhì yú — 1. as for 2. as to 3. to go so far as to (HSK 6)
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)
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)
mào — 1. hat 2. cap
shǎng — used in 上聲 (shǎng shēng) (HSK 1)
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)
何人
hé rén — who
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)
xiě — to write (HSK 1)
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)
自己
zì jǐ — oneself; (attributive) one's own (HSK 2)
還是
hái shi — 1. still (as before) 2. had better 3. unexpectedly 4. or (HSK 1)
閻羅王
Yán luó wáng — (Buddhism) Yama, the King of Hell
wǒ — I; me; my (HSK 1)
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)
沒有
méi yǒu — 1. haven't 2. hasn't 3. doesn't exist 4. to not have 5. to not be (HSK 1)
研究
yán jiū — 1. research 2. a study 3. classifier: 項 (xiàng) 4. to research 5. to look into (HSK 4)
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)

倘使要看个分明,那么,《玉历钞传》上就画著他的像,不过《玉历钞传》也有繁简不同的本子的,倘是繁本,就一定有。身上穿的是斩衰凶服,腰间束的是草绳,脚穿草鞋,项挂纸锭;手上是破芭蕉扇、铁索、算盘;肩膀是耸起的,头发却披下来;眉眼的外梢都向下,象一个“八”字。头上一顶长方帽,下大顶小,按比例一算,该有二尺来高罢;在正面,就是遗老遗少们所戴瓜皮小帽的缀一粒珠子或一块宝石的地方,直写著四个字道:“一见有喜”。有一种本子上,却写的是“你也来了”。这四个字,是有时也见于包公殿的扁额上的,至于他的帽上是何人所写,他自己还是阎罗王,我可没有研究出。

”。In the Yuli Chaozhuan there is also another ghostly figure who forms a counterpart to the Living Wuchang, similarly dressed, called "Death Has His Due."He too appears at the god-welcoming processions, though his name has been corrupted into "Dead Wuchang" — black-faced, black-robed, and nobody cares to look at him.He appears in the "Chamber of the Nether Court" too, standing there grimly with his chest to the wall;”。now that is truly what you'd call "up against a wall."Everyone who goes in to burn incense must rub his back, which is said to rid one of bad luck;,——as a child I too once rubbed that back, and yet my bad luck never seemed to leave me — perhaps, had I not rubbed it then, my bad luck now would be even worse; on this point, too, I have never managed to work anything out.

yù — jade (HSK 4)
lì — 1. to experience 2. to undergo 3. to pass through 4. all 5. each 6. every 7. history
chāo — 1. money 2. paper money 3. variant of 抄 (chāo)
chuán — 1. to pass on 2. to spread 3. to transmit 4. to infect 5. to transfer 6. to circulate 7. to conduct (electricity) (HSK 3)
shǎng — used in 上聲 (shǎng shēng) (HSK 1)
還有
hái yǒu — 1. there still remain(s); there is (or are) still 2. in addition (HSK 1)
一種
yī zhǒng — one kind of; one type of
Hé — surname He (HSK 1)
huó — 1. to live 2. alive 3. living 4. work 5. workmanship (HSK 3)
無常
wú cháng — 1. variable 2. changeable 3. fickle 4. impermanence (Sanskrit: anitya) 5. ghost taking away the soul after death 6. to pass away 7. to die
相對
xiāng duì — 1. relatively 2. opposite 3. to resist 4. to oppose 5. relative 6. vis-a-vis 7. counterpart (HSK 7-9)
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)
guǐ — 1. disembodied spirit; ghost; devil 2. (suffix) person with a certain vice or addiction etc 3. sly; crafty; resourceful (variant of 詭 (guǐ)) 4. one of the 28 constellations of ancient Chinese astronomy (HSK 5)
wù — 1. (bound form) thing 2. (literary) the outside world as distinct from oneself; people other than oneself
裝束
zhuāng shù — 1. attire 2. clothing
Yě — surname Ye (HSK 1)
相仿
xiāng fǎng — similar
叫作
jiào zuò — 1. to call 2. to be called (HSK 2)
sǐ — 1. to die 2. impassable 3. uncrossable 4. inflexible 5. rigid 6. extremely 7. damned (HSK 3)
yǒu — 1. to have; there is 2. (bound form) having; with; -ful; -ed; -al (as in 有意 (yǒu yì) intentional) (HSK 1)
fēn — 1. to divide; to separate 2. to distribute; to allocate 3. to distinguish (good and bad) 4. (bound form) branch of (an organization); sub- (as in 分局 (fēn jú)) 5. fraction 6. one tenth (of certain units) 7. unit of length equivalent to 0.33 cm 8. minute (unit of time) 9. minute (angular measurement unit) 10. a point (in sports or games) 11. 0.01 yuan (unit of money) (HSK 1)
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)
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)
yíng — 1. to welcome; to meet 2. to forge ahead (esp. in the face of difficulties); to meet face to face (HSK 7-9)
Shén — God (HSK 5)
時候
shí hou — 1. time 2. length of time 3. moment 4. period (HSK 1)
Yě — surname Ye (HSK 1)
有的
yǒu de — 1. (there are) some (who are...) 2. some (exist) (HSK 1)
dàn — 1. but; yet; however; still 2. merely; only; just (HSK 2)
名稱
míng chēng — 1. name (of a thing) 2. name (of an organization) (HSK 2)
què — 1. but 2. yet 3. however 4. while 5. to go back 6. to decline 7. to retreat 8. nevertheless 9. even though (HSK 4)
é — 1. error 2. false 3. to extort
作死
zuò sǐ — 1. to court disaster 2. also pr. (zuō sǐ)
無常
wú cháng — 1. variable 2. changeable 3. fickle 4. impermanence (Sanskrit: anitya) 5. ghost taking away the soul after death 6. to pass away 7. to die
le — 1. (completed action marker) 2. (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now) 3. (modal particle intensifying preceding clause) (HSK 1)
黑臉
hēi liǎn — stern or displeased expression; to show such an expression
Hēi — short name for Heilongjiang 黑龍江 (Hēi lóng jiāng) (HSK 2)
yī — 1. clothes 2. classifier: 件 (jiàn) 3. Kangxi radical 145
shéi — 1. who 2. also pr. (shuí) (HSK 1)
Yě — surname Ye (HSK 1)
bù — 1. no; not so 2. (bound form) not; un- (HSK 1)
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)
kān — 1. to look after 2. to take care of 3. to watch 4. to guard (HSK 1)
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)
陰司
yīn sī — 1. hell 2. nether world
jiān — 1. between 2. among 3. within a definite time or space 4. room 5. section of a room or lateral space between two pairs of pillars 6. classifier for rooms (HSK 1)
lǐ — variant of 裡 (lǐ) (HSK 1)
Yě — surname Ye (HSK 1)
有的
yǒu de — 1. (there are) some (who are...) 2. some (exist) (HSK 1)
胸口
xiōng kǒu — chest
kào — 1. to lean against or on 2. to stand by the side of 3. to come near to 4. to depend on 5. to trust 6. to fuck (vulgar) 7. traditional military costume drama where the performers wear armor (old) (HSK 2)
zhāo — 1. a move in chess (Taiwan pr. (zhuó)) 2. trick; tactic 3. (dialect) okay; all right 4. (dialect) to put in; to add (HSK 1)
qiáng — variant of 牆 (qiáng) (HSK 2)
bì — 1. wall 2. rampart
陰森
yīn sēn — 1. gloomy 2. sinister 3. eerie
Sēn — Mori (Japanese surname)
de — 1. -ly 2. structural particle: used before a verb or adjective, linking it to preceding modifying adverbial adjunct (HSK 1)
zhàn — 1. station 2. to stand 3. to halt 4. to stop 5. branch of a company or organization 6. website (HSK 1)
zhāo — 1. a move in chess (Taiwan pr. (zhuó)) 2. trick; tactic 3. (dialect) okay; all right 4. (dialect) to put in; to add (HSK 1)
Nā — surname Na (HSK 1)
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)
真真
zhēn zhēn — 1. really 2. in fact 3. genuinely 4. scrupulously
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)
碰壁
pèng bì — 1. to hit a wall 2. (fig.) to hit a brick wall; to hit a snag; to have the door slammed in one's face
fán — 1. ordinary 2. commonplace 3. mundane 4. temporal 5. of the material world (as opposed to supernatural or immortal levels) 6. every 7. all 8. whatever 9. altogether 10. gist 11. outline 12. note of Chinese musical scale (HSK 7-9)
yǒu — 1. to have; there is 2. (bound form) having; with; -ful; -ed; -al (as in 有意 (yǒu yì) intentional) (HSK 1)
進去
jìn qù — to go in (HSK 1)
燒香
shāo xiāng — to burn incense
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)
人們
rén men — people (HSK 2)
必須
bì xū — 1. to have to 2. must 3. compulsory 4. necessarily (HSK 2)
mā — used in 摩挲 (mā sa)
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)
mā — used in 摩挲 (mā sa)
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)
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)
脊梁
jǐ liáng — 1. backbone 2. spine 3. Taiwan pr. (jǐ liang) (HSK 7-9)
據說
jù shuō — it is said that; reportedly (HSK 3)
可以
kě yǐ — 1. can 2. may 3. possible 4. able to 5. not bad 6. pretty good (HSK 2)
擺脫
bǎi tuō — 1. to break away from 2. to cast off (old ideas etc) 3. to get rid of 4. to break away (from) 5. to break out (of) 6. to free oneself from 7. to extricate oneself (HSK 4)
le — 1. (completed action marker) 2. (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now) 3. (modal particle intensifying preceding clause) (HSK 1)
晦氣
huì qì — 1. bad luck 2. unlucky 3. calamitous 4. wretched
wǒ — I; me; my (HSK 1)
小時
xiǎo shí — 1. hour 2. classifier: 個 (gè) (HSK 1)
Yě — surname Ye (HSK 1)
Zēng — surname Zeng (HSK 4)
mā — used in 摩挲 (mā sa)
Guō — surname Guo (HSK 1)
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)
脊梁
jǐ liáng — 1. backbone 2. spine 3. Taiwan pr. (jǐ liang) (HSK 7-9)
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)
然而
rán ér — however; but; yet (HSK 4)
晦氣
huì qì — 1. bad luck 2. unlucky 3. calamitous 4. wretched
似乎
sì hū — it seems; seemingly; as if (HSK 4)
終於
zhōng yú — 1. at last 2. in the end 3. finally 4. eventually (HSK 3)
沒有
méi yǒu — 1. haven't 2. hasn't 3. doesn't exist 4. to not have 5. to not be (HSK 1)
tuō — 1. to shed 2. to take off 3. to escape 4. to get away from (HSK 4)
也許
yě xǔ — perhaps; maybe (HSK 2)
那時
nà shí — 1. then 2. at that time 3. in those days (HSK 2)
bù — 1. no; not so 2. (bound form) not; un- (HSK 1)
mā — used in 摩挲 (mā sa)
現在
xiàn zài — now; at present; currently (HSK 1)
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)
晦氣
huì qì — 1. bad luck 2. unlucky 3. calamitous 4. wretched
Huán — surname Huan (HSK 1)
yāo — (bound form) to demand; to coerce (HSK 1)
chóng — 1. to repeat 2. repetition 3. again 4. re- 5. classifier: layer (HSK 1)
bà — 1. to stop 2. to cease 3. to dismiss 4. to suspend 5. to quit 6. to finish
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)
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)
jiē — see 節骨眼 (jiē gu yǎn) (HSK 2)
Yě — surname Ye (HSK 1)
還是
hái shi — 1. still (as before) 2. had better 3. unexpectedly 4. or (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)
研究
yán jiū — 1. research 2. a study 3. classifier: 項 (xiàng) 4. to research 5. to look into (HSK 4)
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)

《玉历钞传》上还有一种和活无常相对的鬼物,装束也相仿,叫作“死有分”。这在迎神时候也有的,但名称却讹作死无常了,黑脸、黑衣,谁也不爱看。在“阴司间”里也有的,胸口靠著墙壁,阴森森地站著;那才真真是“碰壁”。凡有进去烧香的人们,必须摩一摩他的脊梁,据说可以摆脱了晦气;我小时也曾摩过这脊梁来,然而晦气似乎终于没有脱,——也许那时不摩,现在的晦气还要重罢,这一节也还是没有研究出。

Nor have I studied the scriptures of Hinayana Buddhism, but from things I've picked up by hearsay, the Indian Buddhist sutras do contain Yama-deva, and Ox-Head A-pang too, both of them serving as directors down in hell.As for this Mr. Wuchang, the emissary who seizes the souls of the living, he seems to have no basis in antiquity at all; the only thing one is accustomed to hearing is some phrase like "life is impermanent" (人生無常).It seems that once this notion reached China, people gave it concrete form.This, truly, is a creation of us Chinese.

wǒ — I; me; my (HSK 1)
Yě — surname Ye (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)
研究
yán jiū — 1. research 2. a study 3. classifier: 項 (xiàng) 4. to research 5. to look into (HSK 4)
Guō — surname Guo (HSK 1)
小乘
Xiǎo shèng — 1. Hinayana, the Lesser Vehicle 2. Buddhism in India before the Mayahana sutras 3. also pr. (Xiǎo chéng)
佛教
Fó jiào — Buddhism (HSK 6)
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)
經典
jīng diǎn — 1. the classics 2. scriptures 3. classical 4. classic (example, case etc) 5. typical (HSK 4)
dàn — 1. but; yet; however; still 2. merely; only; just (HSK 2)
jù — 1. according to 2. to act in accordance with 3. to depend on 4. to seize 5. to occupy (HSK 6)
ěr — 1. ear 2. handle (archaeology) 3. and that is all (Classical Chinese)
shí — 1. to eat 2. food 3. animal feed 4. eclipse
zhī — 1. (possessive particle, literary equivalent of 的 (de)) 2. him 3. her 4. it (HSK 7-9)
Tán — surname Tan (HSK 3)
zé — 1. (literary) (conjunction used to express contrast with a previous clause) but; then 2. (bound form) standard; norm 3. (bound form) principle 4. (literary) to imitate; to follow 5. classifier for written items (HSK 7-9)
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)
印度
Yìn dù — India
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)
佛經
fó jīng — Buddhist texts; Buddhist scripture
lǐ — variant of 裡 (lǐ) (HSK 1)
yàn — flame
摩天
mó tiān — 1. skyscraping 2. towering into the sky
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)
有的
yǒu de — 1. (there are) some (who are...) 2. some (exist) (HSK 1)
Niú — surname Niu (HSK 3)
shǒu — 1. head 2. chief 3. first (occasion, thing etc) 4. classifier for poems, songs etc (HSK 4)
ā — 1. prefix used before monosyllabic names, kinship terms etc to indicate familiarity 2. used in transliteration 3. (bound form) Afghanistan (abbr. for 阿富汗 (Ā fù hàn)) 4. (bound form) Albania (abbr. for 阿爾巴尼亞 (Ā ěr bā ní yà)) 5. (bound form) Algeria (abbr. for 阿爾及利亞 (Ā ěr jí lì yà)) 6. (bound form) Argentina (abbr. for 阿根廷 (Ā gēn tíng)) 7. also pr. (à)
páng — 1. one side 2. other 3. different 4. lateral component of a Chinese character (such as 刂 (dāo), 亻 (rén) etc) (HSK 5)
Yě — surname Ye (HSK 1)
有的
yǒu de — 1. (there are) some (who are...) 2. some (exist) (HSK 1)
Dū — surname Du (HSK 1)
在地
zài dì — (Tw) local; native (from Taiwanese 在地, Tai-lo pr. [tsāi-tē])
yù — prison
lǐ — variant of 裡 (lǐ) (HSK 1)
做主
zuò zhǔ — variant of 作主 (zuò zhǔ)
Rén — surname Ren (HSK 3)
至於
zhì yú — 1. as for 2. as to 3. to go so far as to (HSK 6)
Gōu — surname Gou (HSK 7-9)
shè — 1. (bound form) to take in; to absorb; to assimilate 2. to capture (video or still images) 3. (literary) to conserve (one's health) 4. (literary) to act for
shēng — 1. to grow; to give birth; to produce; to be born 2. to arise; to occur 3. to light (a fire) 4. to live; to be alive 5. life 6. raw; uncooked; unprocessed 7. unfamiliar; strange 8. (bound form) student; person engaged in a field 9. (bound form) male role in traditional opera 10. (bound form) life; lifetime 11. (bound form) means of livelihood 12. (bound form) very; intensely (as in 生疼 (shēng téng)) 13. (bound form) in a forced manner (as in 生拉硬拽 (shēng lā yìng zhuài)) (HSK 2)
hún — soul; spirit; immortal soul (that can be detached from the body) (HSK 7-9)
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)
使者
shǐ zhě — 1. emissary 2. envoy (HSK 7-9)
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)
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)
無常
wú cháng — 1. variable 2. changeable 3. fickle 4. impermanence (Sanskrit: anitya) 5. ghost taking away the soul after death 6. to pass away 7. to die
先生
xiān sheng — 1. teacher 2. gentleman; sir; mister (Mr.) 3. husband 4. (dialect) doctor 5. classifier: 位 (wèi) (HSK 1)
què — 1. but 2. yet 3. however 4. while 5. to go back 6. to decline 7. to retreat 8. nevertheless 9. even though (HSK 4)
似乎
sì hū — it seems; seemingly; as if (HSK 4)
yú — 1. (of time or place) in; at; on 2. (indicating any indirect relation) to; toward; vis-à-vis; with regard to; for 3. (indicating a source) from; out of 4. (used in comparison) than 5. (used in the passive voice) by (HSK 6)
Gǔ — surname Gu (HSK 3)
mó — used in 南無 (nā mó) (HSK 4)
zhēng — 1. journey 2. trip 3. expedition 4. to go on long campaign 5. to attack (HSK 7-9)
ěr — 1. ear 2. handle (archaeology) 3. and that is all (Classical Chinese)
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)
Xí — surname Xi
Wén — surname Wen (HSK 2)
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)
只有
zhǐ yǒu — 1. only have ...; there is only ... 2. (used in combination with 才 (cái)) it is only if ... (that one can ...) (as in 只有通過治療才能痊愈 (zhǐ yǒu tōng guò zhì liáo cái néng quán yù) "the only way to cure it is with therapy") 3. it is only (someone) who ... (as in 只有男性才有此需要 (zhǐ yǒu nán xìng cái yǒu cǐ xū yào) "only men would have such a requirement") 4. (used to express lack of alternatives) can only; have no choice but to (as in 只有屈服 (zhǐ yǒu qū fú) "the only thing you can do is give in") (HSK 3)
shén — what
me — variant of 麼 (me)
人生
rén shēng — life (one's time on earth) (HSK 3)
無常
wú cháng — 1. variable 2. changeable 3. fickle 4. impermanence (Sanskrit: anitya) 5. ghost taking away the soul after death 6. to pass away 7. to die
之類
zhī lèi — 1. and so on 2. and such (HSK 6)
的話
de huà — if (coming after a conditional clause) (HSK 2)
大概
dà gài — 1. roughly 2. probably 3. rough 4. approximate 5. about 6. general idea (HSK 3)
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)
意思
yì si — 1. idea 2. opinion 3. meaning 4. wish 5. desire 6. interest 7. fun 8. token of appreciation, affection etc 9. classifier: 個 (gè) 10. to give as a small token 11. to do sth as a gesture of goodwill etc (HSK 2)
chuán — 1. to pass on 2. to spread 3. to transmit 4. to infect 5. to transfer 6. to circulate 7. to conduct (electricity) (HSK 3)
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)
中國
Zhōng guó — China (HSK 1)
之後
zhī hòu — 1. after; behind 2. (at the beginning of a sentence) afterwards; since then (HSK 4)
人們
rén men — people (HSK 2)
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)
jiāng — 1. will 2. shall 3. to use 4. to take 5. to checkmate 6. just a short while ago 7. (introduces object of main verb, used in the same way as 把 (bǎ)) (HSK 5)
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)
具象
jù xiàng — 1. tangible image 2. concrete 3. representational (art)
huā — variant of 花 (huā)
le — 1. (completed action marker) 2. (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now) 3. (modal particle intensifying preceding clause) (HSK 1)
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)
實在
shí zài — 1. really 2. actually 3. indeed 4. true 5. real 6. honest 7. dependable 8. (philosophy) reality (HSK 2)
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)
我們
wǒ men — we; us; ourselves; our (HSK 1)
中國人
Zhōng guó rén — Chinese person
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)
創作
chuàng zuò — 1. to create; to produce; to write 2. a creative work; a creation (HSK 3)

我也没有研究过小乘佛教的经典,但据耳食之谈,则在印度的佛经里,焰摩天是有的,牛首阿旁也有的,都在地狱里做主任。至于勾摄生魂的使者的这无常先生,却似乎于古无征,耳所习闻的只有什么“人生无常”之类的话。大概这意思传到中国之后,人们便将他具象化了。这实在是我们中国人的创作。

But why is it that the moment people catch sight of him, they all grow a little tense, and happy besides?

然而
rán ér — however; but; yet (HSK 4)
人們
rén men — people (HSK 2)
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)
jiàn — 1. to see 2. to meet 3. to appear (to be sth) 4. to interview 5. opinion 6. view (HSK 1)
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)
wéi — 1. as (in the capacity of) 2. to take sth as 3. to act as 4. to serve as 5. to behave as 6. to become 7. to be 8. to do 9. by (in the passive voice) (HSK 2)
shén — what
me — variant of 麼 (me)
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)
Dū — surname Du (HSK 1)
有些
yǒu xiē — 1. some 2. somewhat; rather; a bit
緊張
jǐn zhāng — 1. nervous 2. keyed up 3. intense 4. tense 5. strained 6. in short supply 7. scarce 8. classifier: 陣 (zhèn) (HSK 3)
而且
ér qiě — 1. (not only ...) but also 2. moreover; in addition; furthermore (HSK 2)
高興
gāo xìng — 1. happy 2. glad 3. willing (to do sth) 4. in a cheerful mood (HSK 1)
起來
qǐ lai — 1. to stand up; to get up 2. also pr. (qǐ lái) (HSK 1)
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)

然而人们一见他,为什么就都有些紧张,而且高兴起来呢?

”。Wherever a place produces men of letters, scholars, or celebrities, such a man need only give his pen a twist and the place is easily turned into a "model county."”,”,My hometown, though praised back in the late Han by Mr. Yu Zhongxiang, had that praise far too long ago; in the end it could not avoid producing the so-called "Shaoxing legal clerks" — though of course not every man, woman, and child there is a "Shaoxing legal clerk"; there are plenty of other "lowly folk" as well.”,It is beyond these "lowly folk" to come out with some feverish, brilliant utterance like "The path we now tread is narrow and perilous; to the left lies a vast, boundless quagmire, to the right a vast, boundless expanse of shifting sand, and ahead, far, far off, lies our destination, veiled in thin mist" — and yet, without meaning to, they see the road toward that "destination veiled in thin mist" quite clearly: courtship, marriage, raising children, death.But this, of course, applies only to my own hometown; as for the people of a "model county," that is naturally another matter.——”——”,Many of them — my fellow townsmen among the "lowly folk" — live on, suffer, are slandered, are turned upon, and from long accumulated experience they know that in this world of the living, "justice" is upheld by one society alone, and that this society itself is "far, far off and hazy" — and so, inevitably, they come to yearn for the netherworld.People, on the whole, tend to believe they carry some private grievance;the living "men of decency and virtue" can only fool the birds; ask an ignorant commoner instead, and he will answer you without a moment's hesitation: fair judgment is to be found in the netherworld!

fán — 1. ordinary 2. commonplace 3. mundane 4. temporal 5. of the material world (as opposed to supernatural or immortal levels) 6. every 7. all 8. whatever 9. altogether 10. gist 11. outline 12. note of Chinese musical scale (HSK 7-9)
yǒu — 1. to have; there is 2. (bound form) having; with; -ful; -ed; -al (as in 有意 (yǒu yì) intentional) (HSK 1)
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)
chǔ — 1. to reside 2. to live 3. to dwell 4. to be in 5. to be situated at 6. to stay 7. to get along with 8. to be in a position of 9. to deal with 10. to discipline 11. to punish (HSK 4)
地方
dì fāng — 1. region 2. regional (away from the central administration) 3. local (HSK 1)
如果
rú guǒ — if; in case; in the event that (HSK 2)
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)
le — 1. (completed action marker) 2. (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now) 3. (modal particle intensifying preceding clause) (HSK 1)
文士
wén shì — 1. literati 2. scholar
學者
xué zhě — scholar (HSK 5)
huò — 1. maybe 2. perhaps 3. might 4. possibly 5. or (HSK 2)
名流
míng liú — 1. gentry 2. celebrities
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)
jiāng — 1. will 2. shall 3. to use 4. to take 5. to checkmate 6. just a short while ago 7. (introduces object of main verb, used in the same way as 把 (bǎ)) (HSK 5)
筆頭
bǐ tóu — 1. ability to write 2. writing skill 3. written 4. in written form
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)
niǔ — 1. to turn 2. to twist 3. to wring 4. to sprain 5. to swing one's hips (HSK 6)
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)
hěn — 1. very; quite 2. (also, often used before an adjective without intensifying its meaning, i.e. as a meaningless syntactic element) (HSK 1)
容易
róng yì — 1. easy; straightforward 2. likely; liable to; apt to (HSK 3)
變成
biàn chéng — 1. to change into 2. to turn into 3. to become (HSK 2)
模範
mó fàn — 1. model 2. fine example (HSK 5)
xiàn — 1. county 2. (Japan) prefecture (HSK 4)
wǒ — I; me; my (HSK 1)
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)
故鄉
gù xiāng — 1. home 2. homeland 3. native place 4. classifier: 個 (gè) (HSK 3)
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)
Hàn — 1. Han ethnic group 2. Chinese (language) 3. the Han dynasty (206 BC-220 AD)
me — variant of 麼 (me) (HSK 4)
suī — 1. although 2. even though (HSK 6)
曾經
céng jīng — 1. once 2. already 3. former 4. previously 5. ever 6. (past tense marker used before verb or clause) (HSK 3)
Yú — surname Yu
Zhòng — surname Zhong
xiáng — 1. to soar 2. to glide 3. variant of 詳 (xiáng) 4. (slang) shit
先生
xiān sheng — 1. teacher 2. gentleman; sir; mister (Mr.) 3. husband 4. (dialect) doctor 5. classifier: 位 (wèi) (HSK 1)
揄揚
yú yáng — 1. to praise 2. to extol 3. to publicize 4. to advocate
Guō — surname Guo (HSK 1)
但是
dàn shì — but; however (HSK 2)
Nā — surname Na (HSK 1)
究竟
jiū jìng — 1. to go to the bottom of a matter 2. after all 3. when all is said and done 4. (in an interrogative sentence) finally 5. outcome 6. result (HSK 4)
tài — 1. highest 2. greatest 3. too (much) 4. very 5. extremely (HSK 1)
zǎo — 1. early 2. morning 3. Good morning! 4. long ago 5. prematurely (HSK 1)
le — 1. (completed action marker) 2. (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now) 3. (modal particle intensifying preceding clause) (HSK 1)
後來
hòu lái — 1. afterwards; later 2. newly arrived (HSK 2)
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)
免不了
miǎn bù liǎo — 1. unavoidable 2. can't be avoided (HSK 7-9)
產生
chǎn shēng — 1. to arise; to come into being; to come about 2. to give rise to; to bring into being; to bring about; to produce; to engender; to generate (HSK 3)
所謂
suǒ wèi — 1. what is meant by the expression ...; what is referred to as ... 2. (derog.) so-called (HSK 7-9)
紹興
Shào xīng — see 紹興市 (Shào xīng Shì)
師爺
shī yé — 1. (historical) privately hired legal or administrative advisor to a government official 2. teacher's teacher (in academic lineage)
不過
bù guò — 1. only 2. merely 3. no more than 4. but 5. however 6. anyway (to get back to a previous topic) 7. cannot be more (after adjectival) (HSK 2)
Yě — surname Ye (HSK 1)
並非
bìng fēi — really isn't (HSK 7-9)
男女
nán nǚ — 1. male-female 2. male and female (HSK 4)
老小
lǎo xiǎo — 1. the old and the young 2. the youngest member of the family
Quán — surname Quan (HSK 2)
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)
紹興
Shào xīng — see 紹興市 (Shào xīng Shì)
師爺
shī yé — 1. (historical) privately hired legal or administrative advisor to a government official 2. teacher's teacher (in academic lineage)
別的
bié de — 1. else 2. other (HSK 1)
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)
děng — 1. to wait for; to await 2. by the time; when; till 3. and so on; etc.; et al. 4. (bound form) class; rank; grade 5. (bound form) equal to; same as 6. (used to end an enumeration) 7. (literary) (plural suffix attached to a personal pronoun or noun) (HSK 1)
rén — 1. person; people 2. classifier: 個 (gè), 位 (wèi), 名 (míng) (HSK 1)
Yě — surname Ye (HSK 1)
不少
bù shǎo — many; quite a few; a good number of (HSK 2)
這些
zhè xiē — these (HSK 1)
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)
děng — 1. to wait for; to await 2. by the time; when; till 3. and so on; etc.; et al. 4. (bound form) class; rank; grade 5. (bound form) equal to; same as 6. (used to end an enumeration) 7. (literary) (plural suffix attached to a personal pronoun or noun) (HSK 1)
rén — 1. person; people 2. classifier: 個 (gè), 位 (wèi), 名 (míng) (HSK 1)
yāo — (bound form) to demand; to coerce (HSK 1)
他們
tā men — they; them (HSK 1)
fā — 1. to send out 2. to show (one's feeling) 3. to issue 4. to develop 5. to make a bundle of money 6. classifier for gunshots (rounds) (HSK 2)
shén — what
me — variant of 麼 (me)
我們
wǒ men — we; us; ourselves; our (HSK 1)
現在
xiàn zài — now; at present; currently (HSK 1)
zǒu — 1. to walk 2. to go 3. to run 4. to move (of vehicle) 5. to visit 6. to leave 7. to go away 8. to die (euph.) 9. from 10. through 11. away (in compound verbs, such as 撤走 (chè zǒu)) 12. to change (shape, form, meaning) (HSK 1)
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)
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)
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)
tiáo — 1. strip 2. item 3. article 4. clause (of law or treaty) 5. classifier for long thin things (ribbon, river, road, trousers etc) (HSK 2)
狹窄
xiá zhǎi — narrow (HSK 7-9)
險阻
xiǎn zǔ — dangerous and difficult (path)
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)
小路
xiǎo lù — minor road; lane; pathway; trail (HSK 7-9)
左面
zuǒ miàn — left side
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)
廣漠
guǎng mò — vast and empty
無際
wú jì — 1. limitless 2. boundless
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)
泥潭
ní tán — quagmire (HSK 7-9)
右面
yòu miàn — right side
Yě — surname Ye (HSK 1)
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)
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)
piān — 1. disk 2. sheet (HSK 2)
廣漠
guǎng mò — vast and empty
無際
wú jì — 1. limitless 2. boundless
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)
fú — 1. to float 2. superficial 3. floating 4. unstable 5. movable 6. provisional 7. temporary 8. transient 9. impetuous 10. hollow 11. inflated 12. to exceed 13. superfluous 14. excessive 15. surplus (HSK 6)
shā — 1. sand 2. gravel 3. granule 4. variant of 沙 (shā)
前面
qián miàn — 1. ahead 2. in front 3. preceding 4. above 5. also pr. (qián mian) (HSK 3)
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)
遙遙
yáo yáo — 1. distant 2. remote
茫茫
máng máng — 1. boundless 2. vast and obscure
yīn — (bound form) shade (of a tree)
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)
薄霧
bó wù — 1. mist 2. haze
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)
裏面
lǐ miàn — variant of 裡面 (lǐ miàn) (HSK 3)
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)
目的地
mù dì dì — destination (location) (HSK 7-9)
那樣
nà yàng — 1. that kind 2. that sort (HSK 2)
熱昏
rè hūn — to be overcome by the heat
似的
shì de — 1. seems as if 2. rather like 3. Taiwan pr. (sì de) (HSK 4)
妙語
miào yǔ — witticism
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)
辦不到
bàn bu dào — cannot be done; not feasible; impossible to accomplish (HSK 7-9)
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)
可是
kě shì — 1. but; however 2. (used for emphasis) indeed (HSK 2)
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)
無意中
wú yì zhōng — 1. accidentally 2. unintentionally 3. unexpectedly
kān — 1. to look after 2. to take care of 3. to watch 4. to guard (HSK 1)
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)
wǎng — 1. to go (in a direction) 2. to 3. towards 4. (of a train) bound for 5. past 6. previous (HSK 2)
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)
yīn — (bound form) shade (of a tree)
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)
薄霧
bó wù — 1. mist 2. haze
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)
裏面
lǐ miàn — variant of 裡面 (lǐ miàn) (HSK 3)
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)
目的地
mù dì dì — destination (location) (HSK 7-9)
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)
道路
dào lù — 1. road 2. path 3. way 4. classifier: 條 (tiáo) (HSK 2)
hěn — 1. very; quite 2. (also, often used before an adjective without intensifying its meaning, i.e. as a meaningless syntactic element) (HSK 1)
明白
míng bai — 1. clear; obvious; unequivocal 2. sensible; reasonable 3. to understand; to realize (HSK 1)
求婚
qiú hūn — to propose marriage (HSK 7-9)
結婚
jié hūn — to marry; to get married (HSK 3)
yǎng — 1. to raise (animals) 2. to bring up (children) 3. to keep (pets) 4. to support 5. to give birth (HSK 2)
孩子
hái zi — child (HSK 1)
死亡
sǐ wáng — 1. to die 2. death (HSK 6)
dàn — 1. but; yet; however; still 2. merely; only; just (HSK 2)
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)
自然
zì rán — 1. nature 2. natural 3. naturally (HSK 3)
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)
zhuān — 1. for a particular person, occasion, purpose 2. focused on one thing 3. special 4. expert 5. particular (to sth) 6. concentrated 7. specialized
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)
wǒ — I; me; my (HSK 1)
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)
故鄉
gù xiāng — 1. home 2. homeland 3. native place 4. classifier: 個 (gè) (HSK 3)
而言
ér yán — (typically preceded by 就… (jiù xx) or 對… (duì xx) etc) as far as ... is concerned; speaking in terms of ...
若是
ruò shì — if
模範
mó fàn — 1. model 2. fine example (HSK 5)
xiàn — 1. county 2. (Japan) prefecture (HSK 4)
lǐ — variant of 裡 (lǐ) (HSK 1)
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)
人民
rén mín — the people (HSK 3)
Nā — surname Na (HSK 1)
當然
dāng rán — 1. only natural 2. as it should be 3. certainly 4. of course 5. without doubt (HSK 3)
yòu — 1. (once) again 2. also 3. both... and... 4. and yet 5. (used for emphasis) anyway (HSK 2)
作別
zuò bié — 1. to take one's leave 2. to bid farewell
Lún — abbr. for 論語 (Lún yǔ), The Analects (of Confucius)
他們
tā men — they; them (HSK 1)
bì — 1. my (polite) 2. poor 3. ruined 4. shabby 5. worn out 6. defeated
同鄉
tóng xiāng — person from the same village, town, or province
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)
děng — 1. to wait for; to await 2. by the time; when; till 3. and so on; etc.; et al. 4. (bound form) class; rank; grade 5. (bound form) equal to; same as 6. (used to end an enumeration) 7. (literary) (plural suffix attached to a personal pronoun or noun) (HSK 1)
rén — 1. person; people 2. classifier: 個 (gè), 位 (wèi), 名 (míng) (HSK 1)
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)
許多
xǔ duō — 1. many 2. a lot of 3. much (HSK 2)
活著
huó zhe — alive
kǔ — 1. bitter 2. hardship 3. pain 4. to suffer 5. to bring suffering to 6. painstakingly (HSK 4)
zhāo — 1. a move in chess (Taiwan pr. (zhuó)) 2. trick; tactic 3. (dialect) okay; all right 4. (dialect) to put in; to add (HSK 1)
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)
流言
liú yán — 1. rumor 2. gossip 3. to spread rumors
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)
反噬
fǎn shì — to backfire on; to rebound on
yīn — 1. cause 2. reason 3. because (HSK 6)
le — 1. (completed action marker) 2. (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now) 3. (modal particle intensifying preceding clause) (HSK 1)
積久
jī jiǔ — to accumulate over time
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)
經驗
jīng yàn — 1. experience 2. to go through; to experience (HSK 3)
知道
zhī dào — 1. to know; to become aware of 2. also pr. (zhī dao) (HSK 1)
陽間
yáng jiān — the world of the living
維持
wéi chí — to keep; to maintain; to preserve (HSK 4)
公理
gōng lǐ — 1. self-evident truth 2. (math.) axiom
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)
只有
zhǐ yǒu — 1. only have ...; there is only ... 2. (used in combination with 才 (cái)) it is only if ... (that one can ...) (as in 只有通過治療才能痊愈 (zhǐ yǒu tōng guò zhì liáo cái néng quán yù) "the only way to cure it is with therapy") 3. it is only (someone) who ... (as in 只有男性才有此需要 (zhǐ yǒu nán xìng cái yǒu cǐ xū yào) "only men would have such a requirement") 4. (used to express lack of alternatives) can only; have no choice but to (as in 只有屈服 (zhǐ yǒu qū fú) "the only thing you can do is give in") (HSK 3)
一個
yī ge — 1. a; an; one 2. the whole (afternoon, summer vacation etc)
huì — 1. can; to have the skill; to know how to 2. to be likely to; to be sure to 3. to meet; to get together 4. meeting; gathering 5. (suffix) union; group; association 6. (bound form) a moment (Taiwan pr. (huǐ)) (HSK 1)
而且
ér qiě — 1. (not only ...) but also 2. moreover; in addition; furthermore (HSK 2)
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)
huì — 1. can; to have the skill; to know how to 2. to be likely to; to be sure to 3. to meet; to get together 4. meeting; gathering 5. (suffix) union; group; association 6. (bound form) a moment (Taiwan pr. (huǐ)) (HSK 1)
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)
本身
běn shēn — 1. itself 2. in itself 3. per se (HSK 6)
就是
jiù shì — 1. exactly; precisely 2. only; simply; just 3. (used correlatively with 也 (yě)) even; even if (HSK 3)
遙遙
yáo yáo — 1. distant 2. remote
茫茫
máng máng — 1. boundless 2. vast and obscure
於是乎
yú shì hū — therefore
shì — 1. power 2. influence 3. potential 4. momentum 5. tendency 6. trend 7. situation 8. conditions 9. outward appearance 10. sign 11. gesture 12. male genitals
不得不
bù dé bù — 1. have no choice or option but to 2. cannot but 3. have to 4. can't help it 5. can't avoid (HSK 3)
發生
fā shēng — to happen; to occur; to take place; to break out (HSK 3)
對於
duì yú — regarding; as far as (sth) is concerned; with regard to (HSK 4)
陰間
yīn jiān — 1. the nether world 2. Hades 3. (neologism) (slang) disturbing 4. unsettling 5. awful 6. detestable
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)
神往
shén wǎng — 1. to be fascinated 2. to be rapt 3. to long for 4. to dream of
rén — 1. person; people 2. classifier: 個 (gè), 位 (wèi), 名 (míng) (HSK 1)
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)
大抵
dà dǐ — 1. generally speaking 2. by and large 3. for the most part
zì — 1. (bound form) self; oneself 2. from; since 3. naturally; as a matter of course (HSK 4)
以為
yǐ wéi — to think; to believe (often with the implication that the belief is mistaken – unless referring to one's own current belief) (HSK 2)
xián — 1. bit (of a bridle) 2. to hold in the mouth 3. to harbor (feelings) 4. to link 5. to accept 6. rank 7. title
xiē — classifier indicating a small amount or small number greater than 1: some, a few, several (HSK 4)
冤抑
yuān yì — to suffer injustice
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)
huó — 1. to live 2. alive 3. living 4. work 5. workmanship (HSK 3)
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)
正人君子
zhèng rén jūn zi — 1. upright gentleman 2. man of honor
men — plural marker for pronouns, and nouns referring to individuals
只能
zhǐ néng — 1. can only 2. obliged to do sth 3. to have no other choice (HSK 2)
piàn — 1. to cheat 2. to swindle 3. to deceive 4. to get on (a horse etc) by swinging one leg over (HSK 5)
diǎo — 1. variant of 屌 (diǎo) 2. penis (HSK 2)
rě — 1. used in 般若 (bō rě) 2. used in 蘭若 (lán rě) (HSK 6)
wèn — to ask; to inquire (HSK 1)
愚民
yú mín — 1. ignorant masses 2. to keep the people in ignorance
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)
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)
可以
kě yǐ — 1. can 2. may 3. possible 4. able to 5. not bad 6. pretty good (HSK 2)
不假思索
bù jiǎ sī suǒ — (idiom) to act without taking time to think; to react instantly; to fire from the hip (HSK 7-9)
de — 1. -ly 2. structural particle: used before a verb or adjective, linking it to preceding modifying adverbial adjunct (HSK 1)
回答
huí dá — 1. to reply; to answer 2. reply; answer (HSK 1)
nǐ — you (informal, as opposed to courteous 您 (nín)) (HSK 1)
公正
gōng zhèng — just; fair; equitable (HSK 5)
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)
裁判
cái pàn — 1. (law) to judge; to adjudicate; verdict; judgement 2. (sports) to referee 3. (sports) umpire; referee; judge (HSK 5)
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)
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)
陰間
yīn jiān — 1. the nether world 2. Hades 3. (neologism) (slang) disturbing 4. unsettling 5. awful 6. detestable

凡有一处地方,如果出了文士学者或名流,他将笔头一扭,就很容易变成“模范县”。我的故乡,在汉末虽曾经虞仲翔先生揄扬过,但是那究竟太早了,后来到底免不了产生所谓“绍兴师爷”,不过也并非男女老小全是“绍兴师爷”,别的“下等人”也不少。这些“下等人”,要他们发什么“我们现在走的是一条狭窄险阻的小路,左面是一个广漠无际的泥潭,右面也是一片广漠无际的浮砂,前面是遥遥茫茫荫在薄雾的里面的目的地”那样热昏似的妙语,是办不到的,可是在无意中,看得往这“荫在薄雾的里面的目的地”的道路很明白:求婚,结婚,养孩子,死亡。但这自然是专就我的故乡而言,若是“模范县”里的人民,那当然又作别论。他们——敝同乡“下等人”——的许多,活著,苦著,被流言,被反噬,因了积久的经验,知道阳间维持“公理”的只有一个会,而且这会的本身就是“遥遥茫茫”,于是乎势不得不发生对于阴间的神往。人是大抵自以为衔些冤抑的;活的“正人君子”们只能骗鸟,若问愚民,他就可以不假思索地回答你:公正的裁判是在阴间!

When one thinks of the pleasures of life, life is certainly worth clinging to;but when one thinks of the bitterness of life, Wuchang is not necessarily an unwelcome guest.”,Rich or poor, high-born or low, at that hour everyone goes before King Yama "with empty hands"; the wronged are vindicated, and the guilty are punished.”,And yet, "lowly" as they are said to be, do they never reflect on themselves?Having lived out a whole lifetime as a human being, what has one really been?Has one never "leapt up into midair"?Has one never "shot an arrow from the shadows"?Wuchang holds a great abacus in his hand, and it will do you no good to put on all the airs you like.When it comes to dealing with others, one wants justice without a single drop of adulteration; but when it comes to oneself, one would still rather hope that, even in the courts of the underworld, a bit of personal favor might yet be found.But that, after all, is the netherworld: King Yama, Ox-Head A-pang, and Horse-Face, whom the Chinese thought up themselves, hold no second jobs — they are the true dispensers of justice, even though they have never published any great essays in the newspapers.Before one has yet become a ghost, people who, for the moment, are not deceiving their own hearts, gazing far ahead into the future, cannot help but still wish to find some crumb of personal favor within the solid block of justice — and at such a time, our Mr. Living Wuchang appears altogether lovable: to take the greater of two benefits, the lesser of two harms — what our ancient philosopher Mozi called "the lesser choice."

想到
xiǎng dào — 1. to think of 2. to call to mind 3. to anticipate (HSK 2)
shēng — 1. to grow; to give birth; to produce; to be born 2. to arise; to occur 3. to light (a fire) 4. to live; to be alive 5. life 6. raw; uncooked; unprocessed 7. unfamiliar; strange 8. (bound form) student; person engaged in a field 9. (bound form) male role in traditional opera 10. (bound form) life; lifetime 11. (bound form) means of livelihood 12. (bound form) very; intensely (as in 生疼 (shēng téng)) 13. (bound form) in a forced manner (as in 生拉硬拽 (shēng lā yìng zhuài)) (HSK 2)
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)
樂趣
lè qù — delight; pleasure; joy (HSK 4)
shēng — 1. to grow; to give birth; to produce; to be born 2. to arise; to occur 3. to light (a fire) 4. to live; to be alive 5. life 6. raw; uncooked; unprocessed 7. unfamiliar; strange 8. (bound form) student; person engaged in a field 9. (bound form) male role in traditional opera 10. (bound form) life; lifetime 11. (bound form) means of livelihood 12. (bound form) very; intensely (as in 生疼 (shēng téng)) 13. (bound form) in a forced manner (as in 生拉硬拽 (shēng lā yìng zhuài)) (HSK 2)
固然
gù rán — admittedly (it's true that...) (HSK 7-9)
可以
kě yǐ — 1. can 2. may 3. possible 4. able to 5. not bad 6. pretty good (HSK 2)
留戀
liú liàn — 1. reluctant to leave 2. to hate to have to go 3. to recall fondly (HSK 7-9)
dàn — 1. but; yet; however; still 2. merely; only; just (HSK 2)
想到
xiǎng dào — 1. to think of 2. to call to mind 3. to anticipate (HSK 2)
shēng — 1. to grow; to give birth; to produce; to be born 2. to arise; to occur 3. to light (a fire) 4. to live; to be alive 5. life 6. raw; uncooked; unprocessed 7. unfamiliar; strange 8. (bound form) student; person engaged in a field 9. (bound form) male role in traditional opera 10. (bound form) life; lifetime 11. (bound form) means of livelihood 12. (bound form) very; intensely (as in 生疼 (shēng téng)) 13. (bound form) in a forced manner (as in 生拉硬拽 (shēng lā yìng zhuài)) (HSK 2)
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)
苦趣
kǔ qù — wretched feelings (opposite: 樂趣, delight)
無常
wú cháng — 1. variable 2. changeable 3. fickle 4. impermanence (Sanskrit: anitya) 5. ghost taking away the soul after death 6. to pass away 7. to die
Yě — surname Ye (HSK 1)
不一定
bù yī dìng — 1. not necessarily 2. maybe (HSK 2)
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)
ě — used in 惡心 (ě xīn) (HSK 7-9)
kè — 1. customer; visitor; guest 2. classifier for servings or portions (when ordering food)
無論
wú lùn — 1. no matter what or how 2. regardless of whether... (HSK 4)
貴賤
guì jiàn — 1. noble and lowly 2. high versus low social hierarchy of ruler to people, father to son, husband to wife in Confucianism
無論
wú lùn — 1. no matter what or how 2. regardless of whether... (HSK 4)
貧富
pín fù — poor and rich (HSK 7-9)
qí — 1. his 2. her 3. its 4. their 5. that 6. such 7. it (refers to sth preceding it) (HSK 5)
Shí — surname Shi (HSK 3)
Dū — surname Du (HSK 1)
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)
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)
Shuāng — surname Shuang (HSK 3)
空手
kōng shǒu — 1. empty-handed 2. unarmed 3. (painting, embroidery etc) without following a model 4. (abbr. for 空手道 (kōng shǒu dào)) karate
見閻王
jiàn Yán wáng — (coll.) to meet one's maker; to kick the bucket; to die
yǒu — 1. to have; there is 2. (bound form) having; with; -ful; -ed; -al (as in 有意 (yǒu yì) intentional) (HSK 1)
yuān — 1. injustice 2. grievance 3. wrong (HSK 7-9)
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)
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)
shēn — 1. to stretch 2. to extend (HSK 5)
有罪
yǒu zuì — guilty
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)
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)
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)
fá — to punish; to penalize; to fine (HSK 5)
然而
rán ér — however; but; yet (HSK 4)
雖說
suī shuō — 1. though 2. although (HSK 7-9)
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)
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)
děng — 1. to wait for; to await 2. by the time; when; till 3. and so on; etc.; et al. 4. (bound form) class; rank; grade 5. (bound form) equal to; same as 6. (used to end an enumeration) 7. (literary) (plural suffix attached to a personal pronoun or noun) (HSK 1)
rén — 1. person; people 2. classifier: 個 (gè), 位 (wèi), 名 (míng) (HSK 1)
Yě — surname Ye (HSK 1)
何嘗
hé cháng — 1. (rhetorical question) when? 2. how? 3. it's not that...
沒有
méi yǒu — 1. haven't 2. hasn't 3. doesn't exist 4. to not have 5. to not be (HSK 1)
反省
fǎn xǐng — 1. to reflect upon oneself 2. to examine one's conscience 3. to question oneself 4. to search one's soul (HSK 7-9)
自己
zì jǐ — oneself; (attributive) one's own (HSK 2)
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)
le — 1. (completed action marker) 2. (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now) 3. (modal particle intensifying preceding clause) (HSK 1)
一世
yī shì — 1. generation 2. period of 30 years 3. one's whole lifetime 4. lifelong 5. age 6. era 7. times 8. the whole world 9. the First (of numbered European kings)
rén — 1. person; people 2. classifier: 個 (gè), 位 (wèi), 名 (míng) (HSK 1)
yòu — 1. (once) again 2. also 3. both... and... 4. and yet 5. (used for emphasis) anyway (HSK 2)
怎麽
zěn me — variant of 怎麼 (zěn me) (HSK 1)
yàng — 1. manner 2. pattern 3. way 4. appearance 5. shape 6. classifier: kind, type (HSK 6)
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)
未曾
wèi céng — hasn't (or haven't); hasn't ever
tiào — 1. to jump 2. to hop 3. to skip over 4. to bounce 5. to palpitate (HSK 3)
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)
半天
bàn tiān — 1. half of the day 2. a long time 3. quite a while 4. midair 5. classifier: 個 (gè) (HSK 1)
kōng — 1. empty 2. air 3. sky 4. in vain (HSK 3)
me — variant of 麼 (me)
沒有
méi yǒu — 1. haven't 2. hasn't 3. doesn't exist 4. to not have 5. to not be (HSK 1)
fàng — 1. to put 2. to place 3. to release 4. to free 5. to let go 6. to let out 7. to set off (fireworks) (HSK 1)
Lěng — surname Leng (HSK 1)
jiàn — 1. arrow 2. classifier: 支 (zhī) (HSK 6)
me — variant of 麼 (me)
無常
wú cháng — 1. variable 2. changeable 3. fickle 4. impermanence (Sanskrit: anitya) 5. ghost taking away the soul after death 6. to pass away 7. to die
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)
shǒu — 1. hand 2. (formal) to hold 3. person engaged in certain types of work 4. person skilled in certain types of work 5. personal(ly) 6. convenient 7. classifier for skill 8. classifier: 雙 (shuāng), 隻 (zhī) (HSK 1)
lǐ — variant of 裡 (lǐ) (HSK 1)
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)
ná — 1. to hold 2. to seize 3. to catch 4. to apprehend 5. to take 6. (used in the same way as 把 (bǎ): to mark the following noun as a direct object) (HSK 1)
zhāo — 1. a move in chess (Taiwan pr. (zhuó)) 2. trick; tactic 3. (dialect) okay; all right 4. (dialect) to put in; to add (HSK 1)
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)
算盤
suàn pán — 1. abacus 2. classifier: 把 (bǎ) 3. plan 4. scheme (HSK 7-9)
nǐ — you (informal, as opposed to courteous 您 (nín)) (HSK 1)
bǎi — 1. to arrange 2. to exhibit 3. to move to and fro 4. a pendulum (HSK 4)
jìn — 1. to use up 2. to exhaust 3. to end 4. to finish 5. to the utmost 6. exhausted 7. finished 8. to the limit (of sth) 9. all 10. entirely (HSK 6)
臭架子
chòu jià zi — 1. stinking pretension 2. to give oneself airs and offend others 3. hateful arrogance
Yě — surname Ye (HSK 1)
無益
wú yì — 1. no good 2. not good for 3. not beneficial
對付
duì fu — 1. to handle; to deal with; to tackle 2. to get by with; to make do 3. (dialect) (usu. used in the negative) to get along with (sb) (HSK 4)
別人
bié ren — other people; others; other person (HSK 1)
yāo — (bound form) to demand; to coerce (HSK 1)
滴水不羼
dī shuǐ bù chàn — 1. not diluted by one drop 2. hundred percent
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)
公理
gōng lǐ — 1. self-evident truth 2. (math.) axiom
duì — 1. right; correct 2. towards; at; for 3. concerning; regarding 4. to treat (sb a certain way) 5. to face 6. (bound form) opposite; facing; matching 7. to match together; to adjust 8. to fit; to suit 9. to answer; to reply 10. to add; to pour in (a fluid) 11. to check; to compare 12. classifier: couple; pair (HSK 1)
自己
zì jǐ — oneself; (attributive) one's own (HSK 2)
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)
還不如
hái bù rú — 1. to be better off ... 2. might as well ...
suī — 1. although 2. even though (HSK 6)
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)
陰司
yīn sī — 1. hell 2. nether world
lǐ — variant of 裡 (lǐ) (HSK 1)
Yě — surname Ye (HSK 1)
Huán — surname Huan (HSK 1)
能夠
néng gòu — 1. to be capable of 2. to be able to 3. can (HSK 2)
xún — 1. to search 2. to look for 3. to seek (HSK 7-9)
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)
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))
私情
sī qíng — 1. personal considerations 2. love affair
然而
rán ér — however; but; yet (HSK 4)
Nā — surname Na (HSK 1)
yòu — 1. (once) again 2. also 3. both... and... 4. and yet 5. (used for emphasis) anyway (HSK 2)
究竟
jiū jìng — 1. to go to the bottom of a matter 2. after all 3. when all is said and done 4. (in an interrogative sentence) finally 5. outcome 6. result (HSK 4)
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)
陰間
yīn jiān — 1. the nether world 2. Hades 3. (neologism) (slang) disturbing 4. unsettling 5. awful 6. detestable
閻羅
Yán luó — (Buddhism) Yama, the King of Hell
天子
tiān zǐ — 1. the (rightful) emperor 2. "Son of Heaven" (traditional English translation)
Niú — surname Niu (HSK 3)
shǒu — 1. head 2. chief 3. first (occasion, thing etc) 4. classifier for poems, songs etc (HSK 4)
ā — 1. prefix used before monosyllabic names, kinship terms etc to indicate familiarity 2. used in transliteration 3. (bound form) Afghanistan (abbr. for 阿富汗 (Ā fù hàn)) 4. (bound form) Albania (abbr. for 阿爾巴尼亞 (Ā ěr bā ní yà)) 5. (bound form) Algeria (abbr. for 阿爾及利亞 (Ā ěr jí lì yà)) 6. (bound form) Argentina (abbr. for 阿根廷 (Ā gēn tíng)) 7. also pr. (à)
páng — 1. one side 2. other 3. different 4. lateral component of a Chinese character (such as 刂 (dāo), 亻 (rén) etc) (HSK 5)
還有
hái yǒu — 1. there still remain(s); there is (or are) still 2. in addition (HSK 1)
中國人
Zhōng guó rén — Chinese person
自己
zì jǐ — oneself; (attributive) one's own (HSK 2)
想出
xiǎng chū — 1. to figure out 2. to work out (a solution etc) 3. to think up 4. to come up with (an idea etc)
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)
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)
馬面
Mǎ Miàn — Horse-Face, one of the two guardians of the underworld in Chinese mythology
Dū — surname Du (HSK 1)
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)
並不
bìng bù — not at all; by no means
兼差
jiān chāi — 1. to moonlight 2. side job
真正
zhēn zhèng — 1. genuine; real; true 2. really; indeed (HSK 2)
主持
zhǔ chí — 1. to take charge of 2. to manage or direct 3. to preside over 4. to uphold 5. to stand for (justice etc) 6. to host (a TV or radio program etc) 7. (TV) anchor (HSK 3)
公理
gōng lǐ — 1. self-evident truth 2. (math.) axiom
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)
腳色
jué sè — variant of 角色 (jué sè)
雖然
suī rán — although; even though (often used correlatively with 可是 (kě shì) or 但是 (dàn shì) etc) (HSK 2)
他們
tā men — they; them (HSK 1)
bìng — 1. and 2. furthermore 3. also 4. together with 5. (not) at all 6. simultaneously 7. to combine 8. to join 9. to merge (HSK 3)
沒有
méi yǒu — 1. haven't 2. hasn't 3. doesn't exist 4. to not have 5. to not be (HSK 1)
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)
報上
bào shàng — in the newspaper
發表
fā biǎo — 1. to issue 2. to publish (HSK 3)
Guō — surname Guo (HSK 1)
shén — what
me — variant of 麼 (me)
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)
文章
wén zhāng — 1. article 2. essay 3. literary works 4. writings 5. hidden meaning 6. classifier: 篇 (piān), 段 (duàn), 頁 (yè) (HSK 3)
dāng — 1. to be 2. to act as 3. manage 4. withstand 5. when 6. during 7. ought 8. should 9. match equally 10. equal 11. same 12. obstruct 13. just at (a time or place) 14. on the spot 15. right 16. just at (HSK 2)
Huán — surname Huan (HSK 1)
wèi — 1. not yet 2. did not 3. have not 4. not 5. 8th earthly branch: 1-3 p.m., 6th solar month (7th July-6th August), year of the Sheep 6. ancient Chinese compass point: 210° (HSK 7-9)
做鬼
zuò guǐ — 1. to play tricks 2. to cheat 3. to get up to mischief 4. to become a ghost 5. to give up the ghost
之前
zhī qián — 1. before 2. prior to 3. ago 4. previously 5. beforehand (HSK 4)
有時
yǒu shí — 1. sometimes 2. now and then (HSK 1)
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)
bù — 1. no; not so 2. (bound form) not; un- (HSK 1)
qī — 1. to take unfair advantage of 2. to deceive 3. to cheat
xīn — 1. heart 2. mind 3. intention 4. center 5. core 6. classifier: 顆 (kē), 個 (gè) (HSK 3)
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)
人們
rén men — people (HSK 2)
遙想
yáo xiǎng — to think about (the distant past or future)
zhāo — 1. a move in chess (Taiwan pr. (zhuó)) 2. trick; tactic 3. (dialect) okay; all right 4. (dialect) to put in; to add (HSK 1)
將來
jiāng lái — 1. in the future 2. future 3. the future 4. classifier: 個 (gè) (HSK 3)
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)
yòu — 1. (once) again 2. also 3. both... and... 4. and yet 5. (used for emphasis) anyway (HSK 2)
不能不
bù néng bù — 1. have to 2. cannot but (HSK 5)
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)
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)
zhěng — 1. (bound form) whole; complete; entire; (before a measure word) whole; (before or after number + measure word) exactly 2. (bound form) in good order; tidy; neat 3. (bound form) to put in order; to straighten 4. (bound form) to repair; to mend; to renovate 5. (coll.) to fix sb; to give sb a hard time; to mess with sb 6. (dialect) to tinker with; to do sth to (HSK 3)
kuài — 1. lump; chunk; piece 2. classifier for pieces of cloth, cake, soap etc 3. (coll.) classifier for money and currency units (HSK 1)
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)
公理
gōng lǐ — 1. self-evident truth 2. (math.) axiom
Zhōng — 1. (bound form) China; Chinese 2. surname Zhong (HSK 1)
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)
xún — 1. to search 2. to look for 3. to seek (HSK 7-9)
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))
情面
qíng miàn — 1. feelings and sensibilities 2. sentiment and face 3. sensitivity to other's feelings
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)
末屑
mò xiè — 1. bits 2. scraps
這時
zhè shí — 1. at this time 2. at this moment (HSK 2)
hòu — 1. to wait 2. to inquire after 3. to watch 4. season 5. climate 6. (old) period of five days
我們
wǒ men — we; us; ourselves; our (HSK 1)
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)
huó — 1. to live 2. alive 3. living 4. work 5. workmanship (HSK 3)
無常
wú cháng — 1. variable 2. changeable 3. fickle 4. impermanence (Sanskrit: anitya) 5. ghost taking away the soul after death 6. to pass away 7. to die
先生
xiān sheng — 1. teacher 2. gentleman; sir; mister (Mr.) 3. husband 4. (dialect) doctor 5. classifier: 位 (wèi) (HSK 1)
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)
見得
jiàn dé — 1. to seem 2. to appear 3. (in a negative or interrogative sentence) to be sure
可親
kě qīn — 1. kindly 2. nice 3. amiable
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)
le — 1. (completed action marker) 2. (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now) 3. (modal particle intensifying preceding clause) (HSK 1)
Lì — surname Li (HSK 6)
Zhōng — 1. (bound form) China; Chinese 2. surname Zhong (HSK 1)
qǔ — 1. to take 2. to get 3. to choose 4. to fetch (HSK 2)
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)
hài — 1. to do harm to 2. to cause trouble to 3. harm 4. evil 5. calamity (HSK 5)
Zhōng — 1. (bound form) China; Chinese 2. surname Zhong (HSK 1)
qǔ — 1. to take 2. to get 3. to choose 4. to fetch (HSK 2)
xiǎo — 1. small 2. tiny 3. few 4. young (HSK 1)
我們
wǒ men — we; us; ourselves; our (HSK 1)
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)
Gǔ — surname Gu (HSK 3)
zhé — 1. wise 2. a sage
Mò — 1. surname Mo 2. abbr. for 墨西哥 (Mò xī gē), Mexico (HSK 7-9)
Qú — surname Qu
先生
xiān sheng — 1. teacher 2. gentleman; sir; mister (Mr.) 3. husband 4. (dialect) doctor 5. classifier: 位 (wèi) (HSK 1)
Wèi — surname Wei
zhī — 1. (possessive particle, literary equivalent of 的 (de)) 2. him 3. her 4. it (HSK 7-9)
xiǎo — 1. small 2. tiny 3. few 4. young (HSK 1)
qǔ — 1. to take 2. to get 3. to choose 4. to fetch (HSK 2)
yún — (classical) to say (HSK 2)

想到生的乐趣,生固然可以留恋;但想到生的苦趣,无常也不一定是恶客。无论贵贱,无论贫富,其时都是“一双空手见阎王”,有冤的得伸,有罪的就得罚。然而虽说是“下等人”,也何尝没有反省?自己做了一世人,又怎么样呢?未曾“跳到半天空”么?没有“放冷箭”么?无常的手里就拿著大算盘,你摆尽臭架子也无益。对付别人要滴水不羼的公理,对自己总还不如虽在阴司里也还能够寻到一点私情。然而那又究竟是阴间,阎罗天子、牛首阿旁,还有中国人自己想出来的马面,都是并不兼差,真正主持公理的脚色,虽然他们并没有在报上发表过什么大文章。当还未做鬼之前,有时先不欺心的人们,遥想著将来,就又不能不想在整块的公理中,来寻一点情面的末屑,这时候,我们的活无常先生便见得可亲爱了,利中取大,害中取小,我们的古哲墨瞿先生谓之“小取”云。

In the clay figures in the temples, or in the ink-printed likenesses in books, none of that lovableness is to be seen.The best way is to go and watch the opera.”。But an ordinary opera won't do; you must watch a "grand opera" or the "Mulian Opera."Zhang Dai, in his Tao'an Mengyi (Dream Reminiscences of Tao'an), once extolled the lively bustle of the Mulian Opera, saying it went on for two or three days running.By the time I was a small child it was no longer so; like the grand operas, it began at dusk and was finished by dawn of the following day.,“”,These were all performances staged to honor the gods and ward off calamity; every full performance was bound to have a villain, and toward dawn of the next day came the moment of that villain's reckoning — his "cup of sin filled to overflowing," King Yama would issue the warrant to seize him, and so the living Living Wuchang would appear upon the stage.

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)
miào — 1. temple 2. ancestral shrine 3. classifier: 座 (zuò) 4. temple fair 5. great imperial hall 6. imperial (HSK 7-9)
lǐ — variant of 裡 (lǐ) (HSK 1)
泥塑
ní sù — 1. clay modeling 2. clay figurine or statue
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)
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)
Shū — abbr. for 書經 (Shū jīng) (HSK 1)
shǎng — used in 上聲 (shǎng shēng) (HSK 1)
Mò — 1. surname Mo 2. abbr. for 墨西哥 (Mò xī gē), Mexico (HSK 7-9)
Yìn — 1. surname Yin 2. abbr. for 印度 (Yìn dù), India (HSK 6)
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)
模樣
mú yàng — 1. look 2. style 3. appearance 4. approximation 5. about 6. classifier: 個 (gè) 7. also pr. (mó yàng) (HSK 5)
shǎng — used in 上聲 (shǎng shēng) (HSK 1)
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)
看不出
kàn bu chū — can't discern
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)
Nā — surname Na (HSK 1)
可愛
kě ài — 1. adorable 2. cute 3. lovely (HSK 2)
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)
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)
最好是
zuì hǎo shì — (as a complete expression, or followed by 啦 (la)) (coll.) Yeah, right! As if!
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)
看戲
kàn xì — 1. to watch a play 2. to watch passively (i.e. from the sidelines, from the crowd)
dàn — 1. but; yet; however; still 2. merely; only; just (HSK 2)
kān — 1. to look after 2. to take care of 3. to watch 4. to guard (HSK 1)
普通
pǔ tōng — 1. common 2. ordinary 3. general 4. average (HSK 2)
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)
xì — 1. trick 2. drama 3. play 4. show 5. classifier: 齣 (chū), 場 (chǎng), 臺 (tái) (HSK 5)
Yě — surname Ye (HSK 1)
不行
bù xíng — 1. won't do 2. be out of the question 3. be no good 4. not work 5. not be capable (HSK 2)
必須
bì xū — 1. to have to 2. must 3. compulsory 4. necessarily (HSK 2)
kān — 1. to look after 2. to take care of 3. to watch 4. to guard (HSK 1)
大戲
dà xì — 1. large-scale Chinese opera 2. Beijing opera 3. major dramatic production (movie, TV series etc)
或者
huò zhě — 1. or 2. possibly; maybe; perhaps (HSK 2)
mù — 1. eye 2. (literary) to look; to regard 3. eye (of a net); mesh 4. mesh size; grit size (abbr. for 目數 (mù shù)) 5. item; section 6. list; catalogue 7. (taxonomy) order 8. name; title
Lián — surname Lian (HSK 3)
xì — 1. trick 2. drama 3. play 4. show 5. classifier: 齣 (chū), 場 (chǎng), 臺 (tái) (HSK 5)
mù — 1. eye 2. (literary) to look; to regard 3. eye (of a net); mesh 4. mesh size; grit size (abbr. for 目數 (mù shù)) 5. item; section 6. list; catalogue 7. (taxonomy) order 8. name; title
Lián — surname Lian (HSK 3)
xì — 1. trick 2. drama 3. play 4. show 5. classifier: 齣 (chū), 場 (chǎng), 臺 (tái) (HSK 5)
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)
熱鬧
rè nao — 1. bustling with noise and excitement 2. lively (HSK 4)
張岱
Zhāng Dài — Zhang Dai (1597-c. 1684), late Ming scholar
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)
Táo — surname Tao
ān — 1. hut 2. small temple 3. nunnery
mèng — 1. dream (classifier: 場 (cháng)) 2. (bound form) to dream (HSK 4)
yì — 1. to recollect 2. to remember 3. memory
shǎng — used in 上聲 (shǎng shēng) (HSK 1)
Yě — surname Ye (HSK 1)
Zēng — surname Zeng (HSK 4)
誇張
kuā zhāng — 1. to exaggerate 2. overstated; exaggerated 3. hyperbole 4. (coll.) excessive; ridiculous; outrageous (HSK 7-9)
Guō — surname Guo (HSK 1)
shuì — to persuade (HSK 1)
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)
yāo — (bound form) to demand; to coerce (HSK 1)
Lián — surname Lian (HSK 3)
yǎn — 1. to perform (a play etc); to stage (a show) 2. (bound form) to develop; to play out; to carry out (a task) (HSK 3)
liǎng — 1. two 2. both 3. some 4. a few 5. tael, unit of weight equal to 50 grams (modern) or 1⁄16 of a catty 斤 (jīn) (old) (HSK 1)
Sān — surname San (HSK 1)
tiān — 1. day 2. sky 3. heaven (HSK 1)
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)
wǒ — I; me; my (HSK 1)
幼小
yòu xiǎo — 1. young 2. immature
時候
shí hou — 1. time 2. length of time 3. moment 4. period (HSK 1)
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)
已經
yǐ jīng — already (HSK 2)
不然
bù rán — 1. not so 2. no 3. or else 4. otherwise 5. if not 6. How about ...? (HSK 4)
le — 1. (completed action marker) 2. (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now) 3. (modal particle intensifying preceding clause) (HSK 1)
Yě — surname Ye (HSK 1)
rú — 1. as 2. as if 3. such as (HSK 6)
大戲
dà xì — 1. large-scale Chinese opera 2. Beijing opera 3. major dramatic production (movie, TV series etc)
一樣
yī yàng — 1. same 2. like 3. equal to 4. the same as 5. just like (HSK 1)
shǐ — 1. to begin 2. to start 3. then 4. only then
yú — 1. (of time or place) in; at; on 2. (indicating any indirect relation) to; toward; vis-à-vis; with regard to; for 3. (indicating a source) from; out of 4. (used in comparison) than 5. (used in the passive voice) by (HSK 6)
黃昏
huáng hūn — 1. dusk 2. evening 3. nightfall (HSK 7-9)
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)
次日
cì rì — 1. next day 2. the morrow (HSK 7-9)
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)
天明
tiān míng — 1. dawn 2. daybreak
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)
完結
wán jié — 1. to finish 2. to conclude 3. completed
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)
Dū — surname Du (HSK 1)
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)
敬神
jìng shén — 1. to respect a deity 2. to pray to a God
ráng — sacrifice for avoiding calamity
zāi — disaster; calamity (HSK 5)
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)
演劇
yǎn jù — to perform a play
全本
quán běn — 1. whole edition 2. whole performance (of Chinese opera)
lǐ — variant of 裡 (lǐ) (HSK 1)
一定
yī dìng — 1. surely; certainly; definitely 2. fixed; settled 3. a certain ...; a given ... (HSK 2)
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
yī ge — 1. a; an; one 2. the whole (afternoon, summer vacation etc)
惡人
è rén — 1. evil person; vile creature; villain 2. (archaic) ugly person
次日
cì rì — 1. next day 2. the morrow (HSK 7-9)
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)
將近
jiāng jìn — 1. almost 2. nearly 3. close to (HSK 3)
天明
tiān míng — 1. dawn 2. daybreak
便是
biàn shì — 1. (emphasizes that sth is precisely or exactly as stated) 2. precisely 3. exactly 4. even 5. if 6. just like 7. in the same way as (HSK 6)
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)
惡人
è rén — 1. evil person; vile creature; villain 2. (archaic) ugly person
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)
收場
shōu chǎng — 1. the end 2. an ending 3. to wind down 4. to conclude
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)
時候
shí hou — 1. time 2. length of time 3. moment 4. period (HSK 1)
惡貫滿盈
è guàn mǎn yíng — 1. lit. strung through and filled with evil (idiom); filled with extreme evil 2. replete with vice 3. guilty of monstrous crimes
閻王
Yán wang — 1. (Buddhism) Yama, the King of Hell 2. (fig.) cruel and tyrannical person (HSK 7-9)
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)
piào — 1. ticket 2. ballot 3. banknote 4. classifier: 張 (zhāng) 5. person held for ransom 6. amateur performance of Chinese opera 7. classifier for groups, batches, business transactions (HSK 1)
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)
Gōu — surname Gou (HSK 7-9)
shè — 1. (bound form) to take in; to absorb; to assimilate 2. to capture (video or still images) 3. (literary) to conserve (one's health) 4. (literary) to act for
le — 1. (completed action marker) 2. (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now) 3. (modal particle intensifying preceding clause) (HSK 1)
於是乎
yú shì hū — therefore
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)
huó — 1. to live 2. alive 3. living 4. work 5. workmanship (HSK 3)
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)
huó — 1. to live 2. alive 3. living 4. work 5. workmanship (HSK 3)
無常
wú cháng — 1. variable 2. changeable 3. fickle 4. impermanence (Sanskrit: anitya) 5. ghost taking away the soul after death 6. to pass away 7. to die
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)
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)
戲臺
xì tái — stage
shǎng — used in 上聲 (shǎng shēng) (HSK 1)
出現
chū xiàn — 1. to appear 2. to arise 3. to emerge 4. to show up (HSK 2)

在庙里泥塑的,在书上墨印的模样上,是看不出他那可爱来的。最好是去看戏。但看普通的戏也不行,必须看“大戏”或者“目连戏”。目连戏的热闹,张岱在《陶庵梦忆》上也曾夸张过,说是要连演两三天。在我幼小时候可已经不然了,也如大戏一样,始于黄昏,到次日的天明便完结。这都是敬神禳灾的演剧,全本里一定有一个恶人,次日的将近天明便是这恶人的收场的时候,“恶贯满盈”,阎王出票来勾摄了,于是乎这活的活无常便在戏台上出现。

I still remember sitting in a boat below such a stage; the mood of the audience was quite different from usual.Ordinarily the deeper the night grew, the more listless people became, but at such times the opposite happened — everyone grew more and more animated.The tall paper-pasted hat he was to wear, which had originally been hung at the corner of the stage, was now taken inside beforehand;and a special instrument was made ready to be blown for all it was worth.This instrument looked like a horn, slender and long, perhaps seven or eight feet — presumably something ghosts are fond of hearing, for it was never used except on ghost-related occasions;,Nhatu,nhatu,nhatututuu”。when blown, it sounded out "Nhatu, nhatu, nhatututuu," and so we called it the "Mulian Wail."

wǒ — I; me; my (HSK 1)
Huán — surname Huan (HSK 1)
記得
jì de — to remember (HSK 1)
自己
zì jǐ — oneself; (attributive) one's own (HSK 2)
Zuò — surname Zuo (HSK 1)
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)
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)
一種
yī zhǒng — one kind of; one type of
戲臺
xì tái — stage
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)
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)
chuán — 1. boat 2. vessel 3. ship 4. classifier: 條 (tiáo), 艘 (sōu), 隻 (zhī) (HSK 2)
shǎng — used in 上聲 (shǎng shēng) (HSK 1)
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)
情形
qíng xing — circumstances; situation; state of affairs (HSK 5)
看客
kàn kè — audience; spectators; onlookers
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)
心情
xīn qíng — mood; frame of mind (HSK 2)
Hé — surname He (HSK 1)
普通
pǔ tōng — 1. common 2. ordinary 3. general 4. average (HSK 2)
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)
兩樣
liǎng yàng — not the same; different
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)
平常
píng cháng — 1. ordinary 2. common 3. usually 4. ordinarily (HSK 2)
yù — 1. the more...(the more...) 2. to recover 3. to heal 4. better
yè — night (HSK 2)
shēn — (lit. and fig.) deep (HSK 3)
yù — 1. the more...(the more...) 2. to recover 3. to heal 4. better
懶散
lǎn sǎn — indolent; negligent; slack
這時
zhè shí — 1. at this time 2. at this moment (HSK 2)
què — 1. but 2. yet 3. however 4. while 5. to go back 6. to decline 7. to retreat 8. nevertheless 9. even though (HSK 4)
yù — 1. the more...(the more...) 2. to recover 3. to heal 4. better
起勁
qǐ jìn — energetic; vigorous; enthusiastic (HSK 7-9)
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)
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)
Dài — surname Dai (HSK 4)
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)
zhǐ — 1. paper (classifier: 張 (zhāng), 沓 (dá)) 2. classifier for documents, letters etc (HSK 2)
hū — 1. to smear; to daub; to cover (a surface with sth sticky or paste-like) 2. Taiwan pr. (hú) (HSK 7-9)
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)
高帽子
gāo mào zi — 1. tall conical paper hat worn as a public humiliation 2. dunce cap 3. (fig.) flattery
本來
běn lái — 1. original 2. originally 3. at first 4. it goes without saying 5. of course (HSK 3)
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)
guà — 1. to hang; to suspend (from a hook etc) 2. to hang up (the phone) 3. (of a line) to be dead 4. to be worried; to be concerned 5. (dialect) to make a phone call 6. to register (at a hospital); to make an appointment (with a doctor) 7. (slang) to kill; to die; to be finished; to fail (an exam) 8. classifier for sets or clusters of objects (HSK 3)
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)
Tái — Taiwan (abbr.) (HSK 3)
Jué — surname Jue (HSK 2)
shǎng — used in 上聲 (shǎng shēng) (HSK 1)
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)
這時
zhè shí — 1. at this time 2. at this moment (HSK 2)
預先
yù xiān — beforehand; in advance (HSK 7-9)
ná — 1. to hold 2. to seize 3. to catch 4. to apprehend 5. to take 6. (used in the same way as 把 (bǎ): to mark the following noun as a direct object) (HSK 1)
進去
jìn qù — to go in (HSK 1)
le — 1. (completed action marker) 2. (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now) 3. (modal particle intensifying preceding clause) (HSK 1)
一種
yī zhǒng — one kind of; one type of
特別
tè bié — 1. unusual; special 2. very; especially; particularly 3. expressly; for a specific purpose 4. (often followed by 是 (shì)) in particular (HSK 2)
樂器
yuè qì — 1. musical instrument 2. classifier: 件 (jiàn) (HSK 7-9)
Yě — surname Ye (HSK 1)
準備
zhǔn bèi — 1. preparation 2. to prepare 3. to intend 4. to be about to 5. reserve (fund) (HSK 1)
使勁
shǐ jìn — to exert all one's strength (HSK 4)
de — 1. -ly 2. structural particle: used before a verb or adjective, linking it to preceding modifying adverbial adjunct (HSK 1)
chuī — 1. to blow 2. to play a wind instrument 3. to blast 4. to puff 5. to boast 6. to brag 7. to end in failure 8. to fall through (HSK 2)
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)
樂器
yuè qì — 1. musical instrument 2. classifier: 件 (jiàn) (HSK 7-9)
好象
hǎo xiàng — to seem; to be like (variant of 好像 (hǎo xiàng))
喇叭
lǎ ba — 1. horn (automobile etc) 2. loudspeaker 3. brass wind instrument 4. trumpet 5. suona 鎖吶 (suǒ nà) (HSK 7-9)
xì — 1. thin or slender 2. finely particulate 3. thin and soft 4. fine 5. delicate 6. trifling 7. (of a sound) quiet 8. frugal (HSK 4)
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)
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)
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)
yǒu — 1. to have; there is 2. (bound form) having; with; -ful; -ed; -al (as in 有意 (yǒu yì) intentional) (HSK 1)
qī — 1. seven 2. 7 (HSK 1)
bā — eight (HSK 1)
chě — one of the characters used to represent a musical note in gongche notation, 工尺譜 (gōng chě pǔ) (HSK 4)
大約
dà yuē — 1. approximately 2. probably (HSK 3)
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)
guǐ — 1. disembodied spirit; ghost; devil 2. (suffix) person with a certain vice or addiction etc 3. sly; crafty; resourceful (variant of 詭 (guǐ)) 4. one of the 28 constellations of ancient Chinese astronomy (HSK 5)
wù — 1. (bound form) thing 2. (literary) the outside world as distinct from oneself; people other than oneself
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)
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)
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)
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)
bà — 1. to stop 2. to cease 3. to dismiss 4. to suspend 5. to quit 6. to finish
Hé — surname He (HSK 1)
guǐ — 1. disembodied spirit; ghost; devil 2. (suffix) person with a certain vice or addiction etc 3. sly; crafty; resourceful (variant of 詭 (guǐ)) 4. one of the 28 constellations of ancient Chinese astronomy (HSK 5)
無關
wú guān — 1. unrelated 2. having nothing to do (with sth else) (HSK 6)
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)
時候
shí hou — 1. time 2. length of time 3. moment 4. period (HSK 1)
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)
不用
bù yòng — need not (HSK 1)
chuī — 1. to blow 2. to play a wind instrument 3. to blast 4. to puff 5. to boast 6. to brag 7. to end in failure 8. to fall through (HSK 2)
起來
qǐ lai — 1. to stand up; to get up 2. also pr. (qǐ lái) (HSK 1)
de — 1. -ly 2. structural particle: used before a verb or adjective, linking it to preceding modifying adverbial adjunct (HSK 1)
xiǎng — 1. echo 2. sound 3. noise 4. to make a sound 5. to sound 6. to ring 7. loud 8. classifier for noises (HSK 2)
所以
suǒ yǐ — 1. therefore 2. as a result 3. so 4. the reason why (HSK 2)
我們
wǒ men — we; us; ourselves; our (HSK 1)
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)
tā — it (HSK 2)
mù — 1. eye 2. (literary) to look; to regard 3. eye (of a net); mesh 4. mesh size; grit size (abbr. for 目數 (mù shù)) 5. item; section 6. list; catalogue 7. (taxonomy) order 8. name; title
Lián — surname Lian (HSK 3)
hài — exclamation of regret
tóu — 1. head 2. hair style 3. the top 4. end 5. beginning or end 6. a stub 7. remnant 8. chief 9. boss 10. side 11. aspect 12. first 13. leading 14. classifier for pigs or livestock 15. classifier: 個 (gè) (HSK 2)

我还记得自己坐在这一种戏台下的船上的情形,看客的心情和普通是两样的。平常愈夜深愈懒散,这时却愈起劲。他所戴的纸糊的高帽子,本来是挂在台角上的,这时预先拿进去了;一种特别乐器,也准备使劲地吹。这乐器好象喇叭,细而长,可有七八尺,大约是鬼物所爱听的罢,和鬼无关的时候就不用;吹起来,Nhatu,nhatu,nhatututuu地响,所以我们叫它“目连嗐头”。

Amid the intent gaze of a crowd waiting for the villain's downfall, out he came, dressed even more simply than in the pictures — no iron chain, no abacus — just a great, snow-white fellow, powder-faced and rouge-lipped, his brows black as lacquer and knit together, so that one couldn't tell whether he was laughing or crying.But the instant he stepped onstage he had to sneeze a hundred and eight times, and let off a hundred and eight farts at the same time, before he could go on to relate his own history.Unfortunately I no longer remember it clearly; one passage went roughly like this:

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)
許多
xǔ duō — 1. many 2. a lot of 3. much (HSK 2)
rén — 1. person; people 2. classifier: 個 (gè), 位 (wèi), 名 (míng) (HSK 1)
期待
qī dài — 1. to look forward to 2. to await 3. expectation (HSK 4)
zhāo — 1. a move in chess (Taiwan pr. (zhuó)) 2. trick; tactic 3. (dialect) okay; all right 4. (dialect) to put in; to add (HSK 1)
惡人
è rén — 1. evil person; vile creature; villain 2. (archaic) ugly person
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)
沒落
mò luò — 1. to decline 2. to wane (HSK 7-9)
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)
凝望
níng wàng — 1. to gaze at 2. to stare fixedly at
Zhōng — 1. (bound form) China; Chinese 2. surname Zhong (HSK 1)
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)
出來
chū lái — 1. to come out 2. to appear 3. to arise (HSK 1)
le — 1. (completed action marker) 2. (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now) 3. (modal particle intensifying preceding clause) (HSK 1)
服飾
fú shì — 1. apparel 2. clothing and personal adornment (HSK 7-9)
比畫
bǐ hua — variant of 比劃 (bǐ hua)
shǎng — used in 上聲 (shǎng shēng) (HSK 1)
Huán — surname Huan (HSK 1)
簡單
jiǎn dān — simple; not complicated (HSK 3)
bù — 1. no; not so 2. (bound form) not; un- (HSK 1)
拿鐵
ná tiě — latte (loanword)
Suǒ — 1. surname Suo 2. abbr. for 索馬里 (Suǒ mǎ lǐ), Somalia
Yě — surname Ye (HSK 1)
不帶
bù dài — 1. not to have 2. without 3. un-
算盤
suàn pán — 1. abacus 2. classifier: 把 (bǎ) 3. plan 4. scheme (HSK 7-9)
就是
jiù shì — 1. exactly; precisely 2. only; simply; just 3. (used correlatively with 也 (yě)) even; even if (HSK 3)
雪白
xuě bái — snow white
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)
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)
tiáo — 1. strip 2. item 3. article 4. clause (of law or treaty) 5. classifier for long thin things (ribbon, river, road, trousers etc) (HSK 2)
莽漢
mǎng hàn — boor
fěn — 1. powder 2. cosmetic face powder 3. food prepared from starch; noodles or pasta made from any kind of flour 4. to turn to powder 5. (dialect) to whitewash 6. white 7. pink 8. (suffix) fan (abbr. for 粉絲 (fěn sī)) 9. to be a fan of (HSK 7-9)
miàn — 1. face 2. side 3. surface 4. aspect 5. top 6. classifier for objects with flat surfaces such as drums, mirrors, flags etc
Zhū — surname Zhu
chún — lip
méi — 1. eyebrow 2. upper margin
Hēi — short name for Heilongjiang 黑龍江 (Hēi lóng jiāng) (HSK 2)
rú — 1. as 2. as if 3. such as (HSK 6)
qī — 1. paint 2. lacquer 3. classifier: 道 (dào) 4. to paint (furniture, walls etc) (HSK 7-9)
cù — 1. to knit (one's brows) 2. wrinkled (of brows) 3. to hesitate 4. distressed
zhāo — 1. a move in chess (Taiwan pr. (zhuó)) 2. trick; tactic 3. (dialect) okay; all right 4. (dialect) to put in; to add (HSK 1)
不知
bù zhī — 1. not to know 2. unaware 3. unknowingly 4. fig. not to admit (defeat, hardships, tiredness etc) (HSK 7-9)
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)
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)
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)
xiào — 1. to laugh; to smile 2. to laugh at (HSK 1)
還是
hái shi — 1. still (as before) 2. had better 3. unexpectedly 4. or (HSK 1)
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)
kū — to cry; to weep (HSK 2)
dàn — 1. but; yet; however; still 2. merely; only; just (HSK 2)
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)
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)
出臺
chū tái — 1. to officially launch (a policy, program etc) 2. to appear on stage 3. to appear publicly 4. (of a bar girl) to leave with a client (HSK 6)
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)
xū — 1. must 2. to have to 3. to wait (HSK 7-9)
dá — 1. (loanword) dozen 2. Taiwan pr. (dǎ) (HSK 1)
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)
Bǎi — surname Bai (HSK 1)
líng — 1. zero 2. nought 3. zero sign 4. fractional 5. fragmentary 6. odd (of numbers) 7. (placed between two numbers to indicate a smaller quantity followed by a larger one) 8. fraction 9. (in mathematics) remainder (after division) 10. extra 11. to wither and fall 12. to wither (HSK 1)
bā — eight (HSK 1)
gě — used in 自個兒 (zì gě r) (HSK 1)
tì — sneeze
同時
tóng shí — at the same time; simultaneously (HSK 2)
Yě — surname Ye (HSK 1)
fàng — 1. to put 2. to place 3. to release 4. to free 5. to let go 6. to let out 7. to set off (fireworks) (HSK 1)
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)
Bǎi — surname Bai (HSK 1)
líng — 1. zero 2. nought 3. zero sign 4. fractional 5. fragmentary 6. odd (of numbers) 7. (placed between two numbers to indicate a smaller quantity followed by a larger one) 8. fraction 9. (in mathematics) remainder (after division) 10. extra 11. to wither and fall 12. to wither (HSK 1)
bā — eight (HSK 1)
gě — used in 自個兒 (zì gě r) (HSK 1)
pì — 1. fart 2. flatulence 3. nonsense 4. (usu. in the negative) what 5. (not) a damn thing
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)
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)
自述
zì shù — 1. to recount in one's own words 2. autobiography 3. written self-introduction
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)
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)
履歷
lǚ lì — 1. background (academic and work) 2. curriculum vitae 3. résumé
可惜
kě xī — 1. it is a pity 2. what a pity 3. unfortunately (HSK 5)
wǒ — I; me; my (HSK 1)
jì — 1. to record 2. to note 3. to memorize 4. to remember 5. mark 6. sign 7. classifier for blows, kicks, shots (HSK 1)
不清楚
bù qīng chu — 1. unclear 2. not understood 3. currently unknown
le — 1. (completed action marker) 2. (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now) 3. (modal particle intensifying preceding clause) (HSK 1)
其中
qí zhōng — 1. among 2. in 3. included among these (HSK 2)
yǒu — 1. to have; there is 2. (bound form) having; with; -ful; -ed; -al (as in 有意 (yǒu yì) intentional) (HSK 1)
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)
Duàn — surname Duan (HSK 2)
大概
dà gài — 1. roughly 2. probably 3. rough 4. approximate 5. about 6. general idea (HSK 3)
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)
這樣
zhè yàng — 1. this way; like this; so 2. (before a noun) this kind of; such (HSK 2)

在许多人期待著恶人的没落的凝望中,他出来了,服饰比画上还简单,不拿铁索,也不带算盘,就是雪白的一条莽汉,粉面朱唇,眉黑如漆,蹙著,不知道是在笑还是在哭。但他一出台就须打一百零八个嚏,同时也放一百零八个屁,这才自述他的履历。可惜我记不清楚了,其中有一段大概是这样:

In this recitation, every "子" is pronounced in the entering tone.Chen Nianyi was a famous physician of the Yue region, whom Yu Zhonghua wrote into his Dangkou Zhi (Quelling the Bandits) and cast as an immortal;。la;“”,;nga,“but when it came to his own son, the young man seems to have been not nearly so clever. ("La" here means "of," the possessive particle; "兒" is read like "ni," which is presumably an archaic pronunciation; "nga" means "my" or "our.")

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)
敘述
xù shù — 1. to relate (a story or information) 2. to tell or talk about 3. to recount 4. narration 5. telling 6. narrative 7. account (HSK 7-9)
lǐ — variant of 裡 (lǐ) (HSK 1)
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)
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-
zì — 1. letter 2. symbol 3. character 4. word 5. classifier: 個 (gè) 6. courtesy or style name traditionally given to males aged 20 in dynastic China (HSK 1)
Dū — surname Du (HSK 1)
dòu — 1. comma 2. phrase marked by pause (HSK 1)
zuō — 1. (bound form) worker 2. (bound form) workshop 3. (slang) troublesome; high-maintenance (person) (HSK 6)
入聲
rù shēng — 1. entering tone 2. checked tone 3. one of the four tones of Middle Chinese
Chén — 1. surname Chen 2. Chen (c. 1045 – 479 BC), a Zhou dynasty state 3. Chen (557–589), one of the Southern Dynasties 南朝 (Nán Cháo)
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)
Yì — 1. surname Yi 2. (Tw) Italy (abbr. for 義大利 (Yì dà lì))
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)
Yuè — 1. generic word for peoples or states of south China or south Asia at different historical periods 2. abbr. for Vietnam 越南 (HSK 2)
中的
zhòng dì — 1. to hit the target 2. (fig.) to hit the nail on the head
名醫
míng yī — famous doctor
Yú — surname Yu
Zhòng — surname Zhong
Huá — abbr. for China
Zēng — surname Zeng (HSK 4)
jiāng — 1. will 2. shall 3. to use 4. to take 5. to checkmate 6. just a short while ago 7. (introduces object of main verb, used in the same way as 把 (bǎ)) (HSK 5)
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)
xiě — to write (HSK 1)
rù — 1. to enter; to go into 2. to join; to become a member of 3. (bound form) to conform to (as in 入時 (rù shí)) 4. abbr. for 入聲 (rù shēng) 5. (on product packaging, after {number n} + {classifier}) containing (n pieces) (from Japanese 入 "iri") (HSK 6)
dàng — 1. to wash 2. to squander 3. to sweep away 4. to move 5. to shake 6. dissolute 7. pond
kòu — 1. to invade 2. to plunder 3. bandit 4. foe 5. enemy
zhì — 1. aspiration 2. ambition 3. the will
lǐ — variant of 裡 (lǐ) (HSK 1)
nǐ — 1. to plan to 2. to draft (a plan) 3. to imitate 4. to assess 5. to compare 6. pseudo- (HSK 7-9)
wéi — 1. as (in the capacity of) 2. to take sth as 3. to act as 4. to serve as 5. to behave as 6. to become 7. to be 8. to do 9. by (in the passive voice) (HSK 2)
神仙
shén xiān — 1. Daoist immortal 2. supernatural entity 3. (in modern fiction) fairy, elf, leprechaun etc 4. fig. lighthearted person (HSK 7-9)
可是
kě shì — 1. but; however 2. (used for emphasis) indeed (HSK 2)
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)
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)
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)
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)
令郎
lìng láng — your esteemed son (honorific)
似乎
sì hū — it seems; seemingly; as if (HSK 4)
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)
不大
bù dà — 1. not very (clear, far away etc); not too 2. not often; infrequently (HSK 1)
高明
Gāo míng — see 高明區 (Gāo míng Qū) (HSK 7-9)
le — 1. (completed action marker) 2. (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now) 3. (modal particle intensifying preceding clause) (HSK 1)
zhě — 1. (after a verb or adjective) one who (is) ... 2. (after a noun) person involved in ... 3. -er 4. -ist 5. (used after a number or 後 (hòu) or 前 (qián) to refer to sth mentioned previously) 6. (used after a term, to mark a pause before defining the term) 7. (old) (used at the end of a command) 8. (old) this
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)
Yě — surname Ye (HSK 1)
ér — 1. child 2. son
dòu — 1. comma 2. phrase marked by pause (HSK 1)
rě — 1. used in 般若 (bō rě) 2. used in 蘭若 (lán rě) (HSK 6)
Ní — surname Ni
倒是
dào shi — 1. contrary to what one might expect 2. actually 3. contrariwise 4. why don't you (HSK 5)
古音
gǔ yīn — 1. ancient (esp. pre-Qin) pronunciation of a Chinese character 2. classical speech sounds
bà — 1. to stop 2. to cease 3. to dismiss 4. to suspend 5. to quit 6. to finish
zhě — 1. (after a verb or adjective) one who (is) ... 2. (after a noun) person involved in ... 3. -er 4. -ist 5. (used after a number or 後 (hòu) or 前 (qián) to refer to sth mentioned previously) 6. (used after a term, to mark a pause before defining the term) 7. (old) (used at the end of a command) 8. (old) this
wǒ — I; me; my (HSK 1)
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)
huò — 1. maybe 2. perhaps 3. might 4. possibly 5. or (HSK 2)
我們
wǒ men — we; us; ourselves; our (HSK 1)
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)
zhī — 1. (possessive particle, literary equivalent of 的 (de)) 2. him 3. her 4. it (HSK 7-9)
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))
Yě — surname Ye (HSK 1)

这叙述里的“子”字都读作入声。陈念义是越中的名医,俞仲华曾将他写入《荡寇志》里,拟为神仙;可是一到他的令郎,似乎便不大高明了。la者“的”也;“儿”读若“倪”,倒是古音罢;nga者,“我的”或“我们的”之意也。

,——Even King Yama, as this Wuchang tells it, seems none too clever either, actually misjudging his character — no, his ghost-character.”。But since he knew even about the "half-hour's leave to return to the living," he had, after all, not entirely lost his claim to being "a spirit both wise and upright."Still, this punishment left our Living Wuchang with an indelible impression of grievance and suffering; the moment it is brought up, he knits his brows even tighter, grips his tattered plantain-leaf fan firmly, tilts his face toward the ground, and begins to dance about like a duck paddling on water.

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)
kǒu — 1. mouth 2. classifier for things with mouths (people, domestic animals, cannons, wells etc) 3. classifier for bites or mouthfuls (HSK 1)
lǐ — variant of 裡 (lǐ) (HSK 1)
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)
閻羅
Yán luó — (Buddhism) Yama, the King of Hell
天子
tiān zǐ — 1. the (rightful) emperor 2. "Son of Heaven" (traditional English translation)
仿佛
fǎng fú — 1. to seem; as if; seemingly 2. alike; similar (HSK 6)
Yě — surname Ye (HSK 1)
不大
bù dà — 1. not very (clear, far away etc); not too 2. not often; infrequently (HSK 1)
高明
Gāo míng — see 高明區 (Gāo míng Qū) (HSK 7-9)
jìng — 1. unexpectedly 2. actually 3. to go so far as to 4. indeed (HSK 7-9)
huì — 1. can; to have the skill; to know how to 2. to be likely to; to be sure to 3. to meet; to get together 4. meeting; gathering 5. (suffix) union; group; association 6. (bound form) a moment (Taiwan pr. (huǐ)) (HSK 1)
誤解
wù jiě — 1. to misunderstand 2. misunderstanding (HSK 5)
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)
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)
人格
rén gé — 1. personality 2. integrity 3. dignity (HSK 7-9)
bù — 1. no; not so 2. (bound form) not; un- (HSK 1)
guǐ — 1. disembodied spirit; ghost; devil 2. (suffix) person with a certain vice or addiction etc 3. sly; crafty; resourceful (variant of 詭 (guǐ)) 4. one of the 28 constellations of ancient Chinese astronomy (HSK 5)
gē — 1. used in 格登 (gē dēng) 2. used in 格格 (gē gē) (HSK 7-9)
dàn — 1. but; yet; however; still 2. merely; only; just (HSK 2)
Lián — surname Lian (HSK 3)
還陽
huán yáng — to come back to life (after death)
bàn — 1. half 2. semi- 3. incomplete 4. (after a number) and a half (HSK 1)
kè — 1. quarter (hour) 2. moment 3. to carve 4. to engrave 5. to cut 6. oppressive 7. classifier for short time intervals (HSK 2)
Dū — surname Du (HSK 1)
知道
zhī dào — 1. to know; to become aware of 2. also pr. (zhī dao) (HSK 1)
究竟
jiū jìng — 1. to go to the bottom of a matter 2. after all 3. when all is said and done 4. (in an interrogative sentence) finally 5. outcome 6. result (HSK 4)
Huán — surname Huan (HSK 1)
不失
bù shī — still possesses; yet retains (some positive attribute that contrasts with another of its attributes)
qí — 1. his 2. her 3. its 4. their 5. that 6. such 7. it (refers to sth preceding it) (HSK 5)
聰明
cōng ming — 1. intelligent; clever; bright 2. acute (of sight and hearing) (HSK 5)
正直
zhèng zhí — 1. upright 2. upstanding 3. honest (HSK 7-9)
zhī — 1. (possessive particle, literary equivalent of 的 (de)) 2. him 3. her 4. it (HSK 7-9)
Wèi — surname Wei
Shén — God (HSK 5)
不過
bù guò — 1. only 2. merely 3. no more than 4. but 5. however 6. anyway (to get back to a previous topic) 7. cannot be more (after adjectival) (HSK 2)
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)
懲罰
chéng fá — 1. penalty 2. punishment 3. to punish (HSK 7-9)
què — 1. but 2. yet 3. however 4. while 5. to go back 6. to decline 7. to retreat 8. nevertheless 9. even though (HSK 4)
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)
le — 1. (completed action marker) 2. (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now) 3. (modal particle intensifying preceding clause) (HSK 1)
我們
wǒ men — we; us; ourselves; our (HSK 1)
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)
huó — 1. to live 2. alive 3. living 4. work 5. workmanship (HSK 3)
無常
wú cháng — 1. variable 2. changeable 3. fickle 4. impermanence (Sanskrit: anitya) 5. ghost taking away the soul after death 6. to pass away 7. to die
Yǐ — abbr. for Israel 以色列 (Yǐ sè liè) (HSK 7-9)
不可磨滅
bù kě mó miè — indelible
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)
冤苦
yuān kǔ — 1. to treat (sb) unjustly 2. anguish caused by an injustice
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)
印象
yìn xiàng — 1. impression (sth that stays in one's mind) 2. a memory (HSK 3)
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)
提起
tí qǐ — 1. to mention; to bring up 2. (lit. and fig.) to lift; to raise 3. to initiate (legal proceedings) (HSK 5)
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)
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)
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)
更加
gèng jiā — 1. more (than sth else) 2. even more (HSK 3)
cù — 1. to knit (one's brows) 2. wrinkled (of brows) 3. to hesitate 4. distressed
jǐn — 1. tight 2. strict 3. close at hand 4. near 5. urgent 6. tense 7. hard up 8. short of money 9. to tighten (HSK 3)
Shuāng — surname Shuang (HSK 3)
méi — 1. eyebrow 2. upper margin
niē — 1. to hold between the thumb and fingers 2. to pinch 3. to mold (using the fingers) 4. to hold (lit. in one's hand and fig.) 5. to join together 6. to fabricate (a story, a report, etc) (HSK 7-9)
dìng — 1. to fix; to set; to make definite 2. to subscribe to (a newspaper etc); to book (tickets etc); to order (goods etc) 3. to congeal; to coagulate 4. (literary) definitely (HSK 4)
pò — 1. broken 2. damaged 3. worn out 4. lousy 5. rotten 6. to break, split or cleave 7. to get rid of 8. to destroy 9. to break with 10. to defeat 11. to capture (a city etc) 12. to expose the truth of (HSK 3)
芭蕉扇
bā jiāo shàn — palm-leaf fan
liǎn — 1. face 2. classifier: 張 (zhāng), 個 (gè) (HSK 2)
向著
xiàng zhe — 1. towards 2. facing (sb or sth) 3. (coll.) to side with 4. to favor (HSK 7-9)
de — 1. -ly 2. structural particle: used before a verb or adjective, linking it to preceding modifying adverbial adjunct (HSK 1)
鴨子
yā zi — 1. duck (classifier: 隻 (zhī)) 2. (slang) male prostitute (HSK 5)
fú — 1. to float 2. superficial 3. floating 4. unstable 5. movable 6. provisional 7. temporary 8. transient 9. impetuous 10. hollow 11. inflated 12. to exceed 13. superfluous 14. excessive 15. surplus (HSK 6)
Shuǐ — 1. surname Shui 2. Shui ethnic group (HSK 1)
似的
shì de — 1. seems as if 2. rather like 3. Taiwan pr. (sì de) (HSK 4)
跳舞
tiào wǔ — to dance (HSK 3)
起來
qǐ lai — 1. to stand up; to get up 2. also pr. (qǐ lái) (HSK 1)

他口里的阎罗天子仿佛也不大高明,竟会误解他的人格,——不,鬼格。但连“还阳半刻”都知道,究竟还不失其“聪明正直之谓神”。不过这惩罚,却给了我们的活无常以不可磨灭的冤苦的印象,一提起,就使他更加蹙紧双眉,捏定破芭蕉扇,脸向著地,鸭子浮水似的跳舞起来。

Nhatu,nhatu,nhatu-nhatu-nhatututuu!Nhatu, nhatu, nhatu-nhatu-nhatututuu!The Mulian Wail, too, blares on as though it too could bear no more grievance.And so he made up his mind:

mù — 1. eye 2. (literary) to look; to regard 3. eye (of a net); mesh 4. mesh size; grit size (abbr. for 目數 (mù shù)) 5. item; section 6. list; catalogue 7. (taxonomy) order 8. name; title
Lián — surname Lian (HSK 3)
hài — exclamation of regret
tóu — 1. head 2. hair style 3. the top 4. end 5. beginning or end 6. a stub 7. remnant 8. chief 9. boss 10. side 11. aspect 12. first 13. leading 14. classifier for pigs or livestock 15. classifier: 個 (gè) (HSK 2)
Yě — surname Ye (HSK 1)
冤苦
yuān kǔ — 1. to treat (sb) unjustly 2. anguish caused by an injustice
不堪
bù kān — 1. cannot bear 2. cannot stand 3. utterly 4. extremely (HSK 7-9)
似的
shì de — 1. seems as if 2. rather like 3. Taiwan pr. (sì de) (HSK 4)
chuī — 1. to blow 2. to play a wind instrument 3. to blast 4. to puff 5. to boast 6. to brag 7. to end in failure 8. to fall through (HSK 2)
zhāo — 1. a move in chess (Taiwan pr. (zhuó)) 2. trick; tactic 3. (dialect) okay; all right 4. (dialect) to put in; to add (HSK 1)
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)
因此
yīn cǐ — thus; consequently; as a result (HSK 3)
決定
jué dìng — 1. to decide; to determine; to make up one's mind 2. decision (classifier: 個 (gè), 項 (xiàng)) (HSK 3)
le — 1. (completed action marker) 2. (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now) 3. (modal particle intensifying preceding clause) (HSK 1)

Nhatu,nhatu,nhatu-nhatu-nhatututuu!目连嗐头也冤苦不堪似的吹著。他因此决定了:

,“;“。“”,("難" here means "now"; "者個" carries the sense of "the," a particle marking finality of speech.) "Though one may harbor resentment, one does not resent a roof-tile blown loose by the wind" — he shows no mercy now, but this is only because he has been reprimanded by old King Yama; he has no choice in the matter.Among all the host of ghosts, he alone has some measure of human feeling;if we are never to become ghosts, well and good — but if we must become ghosts, then naturally he is the only one we could feel at all close to.

nán — 1. difficult (to...) 2. problem 3. difficulty 4. difficult 5. not good (HSK 1)
zhě — 1. (after a verb or adjective) one who (is) ... 2. (after a noun) person involved in ... 3. -er 4. -ist 5. (used after a number or 後 (hòu) or 前 (qián) to refer to sth mentioned previously) 6. (used after a term, to mark a pause before defining the term) 7. (old) (used at the end of a command) 8. (old) this
jīn — 1. now 2. the present time 3. current 4. contemporary 5. this (day, year etc)
Yě — surname Ye (HSK 1)
zhě — 1. (after a verb or adjective) one who (is) ... 2. (after a noun) person involved in ... 3. -er 4. -ist 5. (used after a number or 後 (hòu) or 前 (qián) to refer to sth mentioned previously) 6. (used after a term, to mark a pause before defining the term) 7. (old) (used at the end of a command) 8. (old) this
gě — used in 自個兒 (zì gě r) (HSK 1)
zhě — 1. (after a verb or adjective) one who (is) ... 2. (after a noun) person involved in ... 3. -er 4. -ist 5. (used after a number or 後 (hòu) or 前 (qián) to refer to sth mentioned previously) 6. (used after a term, to mark a pause before defining the term) 7. (old) (used at the end of a command) 8. (old) this
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)
le — 1. (completed action marker) 2. (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now) 3. (modal particle intensifying preceding clause) (HSK 1)
zhī — 1. (possessive particle, literary equivalent of 的 (de)) 2. him 3. her 4. it (HSK 7-9)
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))
cí — 1. word 2. statement; speech; lyrics 3. a form of lyric poetry, flourishing in the Song dynasty 宋朝 (Sòng cháo) (classifier: 首 (shǒu)) (HSK 2)
zhī — 1. (possessive particle, literary equivalent of 的 (de)) 2. him 3. her 4. it (HSK 7-9)
jué — 1. to decide 2. to determine 3. to execute (sb) 4. (of a dam etc) to breach or burst 5. definitely 6. certainly
Yě — surname Ye (HSK 1)
suī — 1. although 2. even though (HSK 6)
yǒu — 1. to have; there is 2. (bound form) having; with; -ful; -ed; -al (as in 有意 (yǒu yì) intentional) (HSK 1)
zhì — (literary) (bound form) jealous
xīn — 1. heart 2. mind 3. intention 4. center 5. core 6. classifier: 顆 (kē), 個 (gè) (HSK 3)
bù — 1. no; not so 2. (bound form) not; un- (HSK 1)
yuàn — 1. to blame 2. (bound form) resentment; hatred; grudge (HSK 5)
piāo — 1. to float (in the air); to flutter; to waft 2. complacent; frivolous 3. weak; shaky; wobbly (HSK 7-9)
wǎ — 1. roof tile 2. abbr. for 瓦特 (wǎ tè) (HSK 7-9)
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)
現在
xiàn zài — now; at present; currently (HSK 1)
毫不留情
háo bù liú qíng — 1. to show no quarter 2. ruthless 3. relentless
le — 1. (completed action marker) 2. (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now) 3. (modal particle intensifying preceding clause) (HSK 1)
然而
rán ér — however; but; yet (HSK 4)
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)
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)
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)
le — 1. (completed action marker) 2. (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now) 3. (modal particle intensifying preceding clause) (HSK 1)
閻羅
Yán luó — (Buddhism) Yama, the King of Hell
老子
Lǎo zǐ — 1. Laozi or Lao-tze (c. 500 BC), Chinese philosopher, the founder of Taoism 2. the sacred book of Daoism, 道德經 (Dào dé jīng) by Laozi
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)
督責
dū zé — 1. to supervise 2. to reprimand
zhī — 1. (possessive particle, literary equivalent of 的 (de)) 2. him 3. her 4. it (HSK 7-9)
gù — 1. happening 2. instance 3. reason 4. cause 5. intentional 6. former 7. old 8. friend 9. therefore 10. hence 11. (of people) to die, dead (HSK 7-9)
不得已
bù dé yǐ — 1. to act against one's will 2. to have no alternative but to 3. to have to 4. to have no choice 5. must (HSK 7-9)
Yě — surname Ye (HSK 1)
一切
yī qiè — 1. everything 2. every 3. all (HSK 3)
guǐ — 1. disembodied spirit; ghost; devil 2. (suffix) person with a certain vice or addiction etc 3. sly; crafty; resourceful (variant of 詭 (guǐ)) 4. one of the 28 constellations of ancient Chinese astronomy (HSK 5)
Zhòng — abbr. for 眾議院 (Zhòng yì yuàn), House of Representatives
Zhōng — 1. (bound form) China; Chinese 2. surname Zhong (HSK 1)
就是
jiù shì — 1. exactly; precisely 2. only; simply; just 3. (used correlatively with 也 (yě)) even; even if (HSK 3)
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)
有點
yǒu diǎn — a little
人情
rén qíng — 1. human emotions 2. social relationship; friendship 3. favor; a good turn (HSK 7-9)
我們
wǒ men — we; us; ourselves; our (HSK 1)
不變
bù biàn — 1. constant 2. unvarying 3. (math.) invariant
guǐ — 1. disembodied spirit; ghost; devil 2. (suffix) person with a certain vice or addiction etc 3. sly; crafty; resourceful (variant of 詭 (guǐ)) 4. one of the 28 constellations of ancient Chinese astronomy (HSK 5)
zé — 1. (literary) (conjunction used to express contrast with a previous clause) but; then 2. (bound form) standard; norm 3. (bound form) principle 4. (literary) to imitate; to follow 5. classifier for written items (HSK 7-9)
yǐ — 1. already 2. to stop 3. then 4. afterwards (HSK 3)
如果
rú guǒ — if; in case; in the event that (HSK 2)
yāo — (bound form) to demand; to coerce (HSK 1)
biàn — 1. to change 2. to become different 3. to transform 4. to vary 5. rebellion (HSK 2)
guǐ — 1. disembodied spirit; ghost; devil 2. (suffix) person with a certain vice or addiction etc 3. sly; crafty; resourceful (variant of 詭 (guǐ)) 4. one of the 28 constellations of ancient Chinese astronomy (HSK 5)
自然
zì rán — 1. nature 2. natural 3. naturally (HSK 3)
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)
只有
zhǐ yǒu — 1. only have ...; there is only ... 2. (used in combination with 才 (cái)) it is only if ... (that one can ...) (as in 只有通過治療才能痊愈 (zhǐ yǒu tōng guò zhì liáo cái néng quán yù) "the only way to cure it is with therapy") 3. it is only (someone) who ... (as in 只有男性才有此需要 (zhǐ yǒu nán xìng cái yǒu cǐ xū yào) "only men would have such a requirement") 4. (used to express lack of alternatives) can only; have no choice but to (as in 只有屈服 (zhǐ yǒu qū fú) "the only thing you can do is give in") (HSK 3)
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)
可以
kě yǐ — 1. can 2. may 3. possible 4. able to 5. not bad 6. pretty good (HSK 2)
比較
bǐ jiào — 1. to compare 2. to contrast 3. comparatively 4. relatively 5. quite 6. comparison (HSK 3)
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)
相親
xiāng qīn — 1. blind date 2. arranged interview to evaluate a proposed marriage partner (Taiwan pr. (xiàng qīn)) 3. to be deeply attached to each other
jìn — 1. near 2. close to 3. approximately (HSK 2)

“难”者,“今”也;“者个”者“的了”之意,词之决也。“虽有忮心,不怨飘瓦”,他现在毫不留情了,然而这是受了阎罗老子的督责之故,不得已也。一切鬼众中,就是他有点人情;我们不变鬼则已,如果要变鬼,自然就只有他可以比较的相亲近。

To this day I remember clearly how, back home, together with the "lowly folk," I would often gaze happily and straight-on at this Wuchang — ghost yet human, reason yet feeling, fearsome yet lovable;……。and how I relished the crying or laughing on his face, and the blunt words and jesting talk on his lips…

wǒ — I; me; my (HSK 1)
至今
zhì jīn — 1. so far 2. to this day 3. until now (HSK 3)
Huán — surname Huan (HSK 1)
確鑿
què záo — 1. definite 2. conclusive 3. undeniable 4. authentic 5. also pr. (què zuò) (HSK 7-9)
記得
jì de — to remember (HSK 1)
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)
故鄉
gù xiāng — 1. home 2. homeland 3. native place 4. classifier: 個 (gè) (HSK 3)
時候
shí hou — 1. time 2. length of time 3. moment 4. period (HSK 1)
Hé — surname He (HSK 1)
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)
děng — 1. to wait for; to await 2. by the time; when; till 3. and so on; etc.; et al. 4. (bound form) class; rank; grade 5. (bound form) equal to; same as 6. (used to end an enumeration) 7. (literary) (plural suffix attached to a personal pronoun or noun) (HSK 1)
rén — 1. person; people 2. classifier: 個 (gè), 位 (wèi), 名 (míng) (HSK 1)
一同
yī tóng — together (HSK 6)
常常
cháng cháng — frequently; often (HSK 1)
這樣
zhè yàng — 1. this way; like this; so 2. (before a noun) this kind of; such (HSK 2)
高興
gāo xìng — 1. happy 2. glad 3. willing (to do sth) 4. in a cheerful mood (HSK 1)
de — 1. -ly 2. structural particle: used before a verb or adjective, linking it to preceding modifying adverbial adjunct (HSK 1)
正視
zhèng shì — to face squarely; to meet head on; to face up to (HSK 7-9)
Guō — surname Guo (HSK 1)
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)
guǐ — 1. disembodied spirit; ghost; devil 2. (suffix) person with a certain vice or addiction etc 3. sly; crafty; resourceful (variant of 詭 (guǐ)) 4. one of the 28 constellations of ancient Chinese astronomy (HSK 5)
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)
rén — 1. person; people 2. classifier: 個 (gè), 位 (wèi), 名 (míng) (HSK 1)
lǐ — 1. texture 2. grain (of wood) 3. inner essence 4. intrinsic order 5. reason 6. logic 7. truth 8. science 9. natural science (esp. physics) 10. to manage 11. to pay attention to 12. to run (affairs) 13. to handle 14. to put in order 15. to tidy up (HSK 6)
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)
qíng — 1. (bound form) feelings; emotion; sentiment; passion 2. (bound form) situation; condition (HSK 7-9)
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)
bù — 1. terror 2. terrified 3. afraid 4. frightened
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)
可愛
kě ài — 1. adorable 2. cute 3. lovely (HSK 2)
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)
無常
wú cháng — 1. variable 2. changeable 3. fickle 4. impermanence (Sanskrit: anitya) 5. ghost taking away the soul after death 6. to pass away 7. to die
而且
ér qiě — 1. (not only ...) but also 2. moreover; in addition; furthermore (HSK 2)
欣賞
xīn shǎng — to appreciate; to enjoy; to admire (HSK 5)
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)
liǎn — 1. face 2. classifier: 張 (zhāng), 個 (gè) (HSK 2)
shǎng — used in 上聲 (shǎng shēng) (HSK 1)
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)
kū — to cry; to weep (HSK 2)
huò — 1. maybe 2. perhaps 3. might 4. possibly 5. or (HSK 2)
xiào — 1. to laugh; to smile 2. to laugh at (HSK 1)
口頭
kǒu tóu — 1. oral 2. verbal (HSK 7-9)
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)
yìng — 1. hard; stiff; solid 2. (fig.) strong; firm 3. resolutely; uncompromisingly 4. laboriously; with great difficulty 5. good (quality); able (person) 6. (of food) filling; substantial (HSK 5)
yǔ — 1. dialect 2. language 3. speech
yú — variant of 歟 (yú) (HSK 6)
諧談
xié tán — 1. joking 2. humorous talk

我至今还确凿记得,在故乡时候,和“下等人”一同,常常这样高兴地正视过这鬼而人,理而情,可怖而可爱的无常;而且欣赏他脸上的哭或笑,口头的硬语与谐谈……。

The Wuchang of the god-welcoming procession, however, differs somewhat from the one on the opera stage.He has only gestures, no words, and follows close behind a clown-like figure carrying a tray of food; he wants to eat it,but the other man won't give it to him.”。Two more characters have also been added, namely what "men of decency and virtue" would call his "wife and children."”,All "lowly folk" share a common failing: they are fond of imposing on others what they themselves desire.Even toward a ghost they cannot bear to leave him lonely; whatever gods or ghosts there are, they will generally see to it that they are paired off, one with another.Wuchang is no exception.And so one figure is a pretty woman, though rather village-wife-like in bearing, whom everyone calls Sister-in-law Wuchang;which, seen this way, makes Wuchang a man of our own generation — small wonder he never puts on the airs of a professor.The other figure is a small child, with a small tall hat and small white robe;small as he is, his shoulders are already hunched up, and the outer corners of his brows and eyes already slant downward.This is plainly young Master Wuchang, though everyone calls him A-Ling, and no one seems to show him much respect;one might guess he is a son of Sister-in-law Wuchang's from an earlier husband.But then why, one wonders, does he resemble Wuchang so closely in looks?Ah!The affairs of gods and ghosts are hard to speak of; I can only set the matter aside for now and not discuss it.As for why Wuchang has no children of his own, that, by this year, can easily be explained;gods and ghosts can foresee the future, and he must fear that, were his children too numerous, the gossips would take sidelong swipes at him and forge up some story that he'd taken Russian rubles — and so he has not only studied the matter, but has long since put "birth control" into practice.

yíng — 1. to welcome; to meet 2. to forge ahead (esp. in the face of difficulties); to meet face to face (HSK 7-9)
Shén — God (HSK 5)
時候
shí hou — 1. time 2. length of time 3. moment 4. period (HSK 1)
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)
無常
wú cháng — 1. variable 2. changeable 3. fickle 4. impermanence (Sanskrit: anitya) 5. ghost taking away the soul after death 6. to pass away 7. to die
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)
Hé — surname He (HSK 1)
演劇
yǎn jù — to perform a play
shǎng — used in 上聲 (shǎng shēng) (HSK 1)
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)
yòu — 1. (once) again 2. also 3. both... and... 4. and yet 5. (used for emphasis) anyway (HSK 2)
有些
yǒu xiē — 1. some 2. somewhat; rather; a bit
不同
bù tóng — 1. different 2. distinct 3. not the same 4. not alike (HSK 2)
le — 1. (completed action marker) 2. (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now) 3. (modal particle intensifying preceding clause) (HSK 1)
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)
只有
zhǐ yǒu — 1. only have ...; there is only ... 2. (used in combination with 才 (cái)) it is only if ... (that one can ...) (as in 只有通過治療才能痊愈 (zhǐ yǒu tōng guò zhì liáo cái néng quán yù) "the only way to cure it is with therapy") 3. it is only (someone) who ... (as in 只有男性才有此需要 (zhǐ yǒu nán xìng cái yǒu cǐ xū yào) "only men would have such a requirement") 4. (used to express lack of alternatives) can only; have no choice but to (as in 只有屈服 (zhǐ yǒu qū fú) "the only thing you can do is give in") (HSK 3)
動作
dòng zuò — 1. movement; motion; action 2. to act; to move (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)
言語
yán yǔ — 1. words 2. speech 3. (spoken) language (HSK 5)
gēn — 1. heel 2. to follow closely 3. to go with 4. (of a woman) to marry sb 5. with 6. compared with 7. to 8. towards 9. and (joining two nouns) (HSK 1)
dìng — 1. to fix; to set; to make definite 2. to subscribe to (a newspaper etc); to book (tickets etc); to order (goods etc) 3. to congeal; to coagulate 4. (literary) definitely (HSK 4)
le — 1. (completed action marker) 2. (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now) 3. (modal particle intensifying preceding clause) (HSK 1)
一個
yī ge — 1. a; an; one 2. the whole (afternoon, summer vacation etc)
pěng — 1. to hold or offer with both hands 2. to sing the praises of 3. classifier for what can be held in both hands (HSK 7-9)
zhāo — 1. a move in chess (Taiwan pr. (zhuó)) 2. trick; tactic 3. (dialect) okay; all right 4. (dialect) to put in; to add (HSK 1)
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)
pán — 1. tray; plate; dish 2. (finance) (bound form) market prices 3. (computing) (bound form) disk 4. to coil (a rope, pigtail etc) 5. to check; to examine; to investigate 6. to transfer; to sell (property) 7. to shift; to move (sth big and heavy) 8. classifier for things resembling a plate or dish 9. classifier for coils 10. classifier for games or matches (chess, table tennis etc) (HSK 4)
飯菜
fàn cài — food
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)
小丑
xiǎo chǒu — clown (HSK 7-9)
似的
shì de — 1. seems as if 2. rather like 3. Taiwan pr. (sì de) (HSK 4)
腳色
jué sè — variant of 角色 (jué sè)
zǒu — 1. to walk 2. to go 3. to run 4. to move (of vehicle) 5. to visit 6. to leave 7. to go away 8. to die (euph.) 9. from 10. through 11. away (in compound verbs, such as 撤走 (chè zǒu)) 12. to change (shape, form, meaning) (HSK 1)
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)
yāo — (bound form) to demand; to coerce (HSK 1)
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)
chī — 1. to eat; to consume 2. to eat at (a cafeteria etc) 3. to eradicate; to destroy 4. to absorb 5. to suffer (shock, injury, defeat etc) (HSK 1)
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)
què — 1. but 2. yet 3. however 4. while 5. to go back 6. to decline 7. to retreat 8. nevertheless 9. even though (HSK 4)
bù — 1. no; not so 2. (bound form) not; un- (HSK 1)
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)
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)
另外
lìng wài — 1. additional 2. in addition 3. besides 4. separate 5. other 6. moreover 7. furthermore (HSK 3)
Huán — surname Huan (HSK 1)
加添
jiā tiān — to add; to augment; to increase
le — 1. (completed action marker) 2. (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now) 3. (modal particle intensifying preceding clause) (HSK 1)
liǎng — 1. two 2. both 3. some 4. a few 5. tael, unit of weight equal to 50 grams (modern) or 1⁄16 of a catty 斤 (jīn) (old) (HSK 1)
míng — 1. name 2. noun (part of speech) 3. place (e.g. among winners) 4. famous 5. classifier for people (HSK 2)
腳色
jué sè — variant of 角色 (jué sè)
就是
jiù shì — 1. exactly; precisely 2. only; simply; just 3. (used correlatively with 也 (yě)) even; even if (HSK 3)
正人君子
zhèng rén jūn zi — 1. upright gentleman 2. man of honor
zhī — 1. (possessive particle, literary equivalent of 的 (de)) 2. him 3. her 4. it (HSK 7-9)
所謂
suǒ wèi — 1. what is meant by the expression ...; what is referred to as ... 2. (derog.) so-called (HSK 7-9)
老婆
lǎo pó — (coll.) wife (HSK 4)
兒女
ér nǚ — 1. children; sons and daughters 2. a young man and a young woman (in love) (HSK 5)
fán — 1. ordinary 2. commonplace 3. mundane 4. temporal 5. of the material world (as opposed to supernatural or immortal levels) 6. every 7. all 8. whatever 9. altogether 10. gist 11. outline 12. note of Chinese musical scale (HSK 7-9)
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)
děng — 1. to wait for; to await 2. by the time; when; till 3. and so on; etc.; et al. 4. (bound form) class; rank; grade 5. (bound form) equal to; same as 6. (used to end an enumeration) 7. (literary) (plural suffix attached to a personal pronoun or noun) (HSK 1)
rén — 1. person; people 2. classifier: 個 (gè), 位 (wèi), 名 (míng) (HSK 1)
Dū — surname Du (HSK 1)
yǒu — 1. to have; there is 2. (bound form) having; with; -ful; -ed; -al (as in 有意 (yǒu yì) intentional) (HSK 1)
一種
yī zhǒng — one kind of; one type of
通病
tōng bìng — 1. common problem 2. common failing
Cháng — surname Chang (HSK 1)
喜歡
xǐ huan — to like; to be fond of (HSK 1)
Yǐ — abbr. for Israel 以色列 (Yǐ sè liè) (HSK 7-9)
jǐ — 1. self 2. oneself 3. sixth of the ten Heavenly Stems 十天干 (shí tiān gān) 4. sixth in order 5. letter "F" or Roman "VI" in list "A, B, C", or "I, II, III" etc 6. hexa
zhī — 1. (possessive particle, literary equivalent of 的 (de)) 2. him 3. her 4. it (HSK 7-9)
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)
yù — 1. to wish for 2. to desire 3. variant of 慾 (yù)
Shī — surname Shi
zhī — 1. (possessive particle, literary equivalent of 的 (de)) 2. him 3. her 4. it (HSK 7-9)
yú — 1. (of time or place) in; at; on 2. (indicating any indirect relation) to; toward; vis-à-vis; with regard to; for 3. (indicating a source) from; out of 4. (used in comparison) than 5. (used in the passive voice) by (HSK 6)
rén — 1. person; people 2. classifier: 個 (gè), 位 (wèi), 名 (míng) (HSK 1)
雖是
suī shì — 1. although 2. even though 3. even if
對於
duì yú — regarding; as far as (sth) is concerned; with regard to (HSK 4)
guǐ — 1. disembodied spirit; ghost; devil 2. (suffix) person with a certain vice or addiction etc 3. sly; crafty; resourceful (variant of 詭 (guǐ)) 4. one of the 28 constellations of ancient Chinese astronomy (HSK 5)
Yě — surname Ye (HSK 1)
bù — 1. no; not so 2. (bound form) not; un- (HSK 1)
kěn — 1. to agree; to consent 2. to be willing to (HSK 6)
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)
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)
孤寂
gū jì — 1. lonesome 2. desolate
fán — 1. ordinary 2. commonplace 3. mundane 4. temporal 5. of the material world (as opposed to supernatural or immortal levels) 6. every 7. all 8. whatever 9. altogether 10. gist 11. outline 12. note of Chinese musical scale (HSK 7-9)
有鬼
yǒu guǐ — (fig.) to smell fishy
Shén — God (HSK 5)
大概
dà gài — 1. roughly 2. probably 3. rough 4. approximate 5. about 6. general idea (HSK 3)
總要
zǒng yào — nevertheless
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)
他們
tā men — they; them (HSK 1)
一對一
yī duì yī — one-to-one; one-on-one
對地
duì dì — targeted (e.g. attacks)
pèi — 1. to join 2. to fit 3. to mate 4. to mix 5. to match 6. to deserve 7. to make up (a prescription) 8. to allocate (HSK 3)
起來
qǐ lai — 1. to stand up; to get up 2. also pr. (qǐ lái) (HSK 1)
無常
wú cháng — 1. variable 2. changeable 3. fickle 4. impermanence (Sanskrit: anitya) 5. ghost taking away the soul after death 6. to pass away 7. to die
Yě — surname Ye (HSK 1)
不在
bù zài — 1. not to be present 2. to be out 3. (euphemism) to pass away 4. to be deceased
例外
lì wài — 1. exception 2. to be an exception (HSK 5)
所以
suǒ yǐ — 1. therefore 2. as a result 3. so 4. the reason why (HSK 2)
一個
yī ge — 1. a; an; one 2. the whole (afternoon, summer vacation etc)
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)
漂亮
piào liang — pretty; beautiful (HSK 2)
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)
女人
nǚ rén — woman (HSK 1)
只是
zhǐ shì — 1. merely; only; just; nothing but 2. simply 3. but; however (HSK 3)
hěn — 1. very; quite 2. (also, often used before an adjective without intensifying its meaning, i.e. as a meaningless syntactic element) (HSK 1)
有些
yǒu xiē — 1. some 2. somewhat; rather; a bit
村婦
cūn fù — female villager; (derog.) female peasant
yàng — 1. manner 2. pattern 3. way 4. appearance 5. shape 6. classifier: kind, type (HSK 6)
大家
dà jiā — 1. everyone 2. influential family 3. great expert (HSK 2)
Dū — surname Du (HSK 1)
chèn — 1. to fit; to match; to suit 2. (coll.) to have; to possess 3. Taiwan pr. (chèng)
tā — she (HSK 1)
無常
wú cháng — 1. variable 2. changeable 3. fickle 4. impermanence (Sanskrit: anitya) 5. ghost taking away the soul after death 6. to pass away 7. to die
sǎo — (bound form) older brother's wife; sister-in-law
這樣
zhè yàng — 1. this way; like this; so 2. (before a noun) this kind of; such (HSK 2)
看來
kàn lai — 1. apparently 2. it seems that (HSK 4)
無常
wú cháng — 1. variable 2. changeable 3. fickle 4. impermanence (Sanskrit: anitya) 5. ghost taking away the soul after death 6. to pass away 7. to die
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)
Hé — surname He (HSK 1)
我們
wǒ men — we; us; ourselves; our (HSK 1)
平輩
píng bèi — of the same generation
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)
無怪
wú guài — 1. No wonder! 2. not surprising
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)
bù — 1. no; not so 2. (bound form) not; un- (HSK 1)
bǎi — 1. to arrange 2. to exhibit 3. to move to and fro 4. a pendulum (HSK 4)
教授
jiào shòu — 1. professor 2. to instruct 3. to lecture on 4. classifier: 個 (gè), 位 (wèi) (HSK 4)
先生
xiān sheng — 1. teacher 2. gentleman; sir; mister (Mr.) 3. husband 4. (dialect) doctor 5. classifier: 位 (wèi) (HSK 1)
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)
架子
jià zi — 1. shelf 2. frame 3. stand 4. framework 5. airs 6. arrogance (HSK 7-9)
一個
yī ge — 1. a; an; one 2. the whole (afternoon, summer vacation etc)
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)
小孩子
xiǎo hái zi — child
xiǎo — 1. small 2. tiny 3. few 4. young (HSK 1)
Gāo — surname Gao (HSK 1)
mào — 1. hat 2. cap
小白
xiǎo bái — 1. (slang) novice; greenhorn 2. (old) (slang) fool; idiot 3. abbr. for 小白臉 (xiǎo bái liǎn), pretty boy
yī — 1. clothes 2. classifier: 件 (jiàn) 3. Kangxi radical 145
雖然
suī rán — although; even though (often used correlatively with 可是 (kě shì) or 但是 (dàn shì) etc) (HSK 2)
xiǎo — 1. small 2. tiny 3. few 4. young (HSK 1)
liǎng — 1. two 2. both 3. some 4. a few 5. tael, unit of weight equal to 50 grams (modern) or 1⁄16 of a catty 斤 (jīn) (old) (HSK 1)
jiān — 1. shoulder 2. to shoulder (responsibilities etc) (HSK 5)
què — 1. but 2. yet 3. however 4. while 5. to go back 6. to decline 7. to retreat 8. nevertheless 9. even though (HSK 4)
已經
yǐ jīng — already (HSK 2)
sǒng — 1. to excite 2. to raise up 3. to shrug 4. high 5. lofty 6. towering
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)
le — 1. (completed action marker) 2. (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now) 3. (modal particle intensifying preceding clause) (HSK 1)
眉目
méi mù — 1. general facial appearance; features 2. arrangement; sequence of ideas; logic (of writing) 3. rough sketch or general idea of things
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)
wài — 1. outside 2. in addition 3. foreign 4. external (HSK 1)
shāo — tip of branch
Yě — surname Ye (HSK 1)
向下
xiàng xià — 1. down 2. downward
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)
分明
fēn míng — 1. clear 2. distinct 3. evidently 4. clearly (HSK 7-9)
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)
無常
wú cháng — 1. variable 2. changeable 3. fickle 4. impermanence (Sanskrit: anitya) 5. ghost taking away the soul after death 6. to pass away 7. to die
少爺
shào ye — 1. son of the boss 2. young master of the house 3. your son (honorific)
le — 1. (completed action marker) 2. (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now) 3. (modal particle intensifying preceding clause) (HSK 1)
大家
dà jiā — 1. everyone 2. influential family 3. great expert (HSK 2)
què — 1. but 2. yet 3. however 4. while 5. to go back 6. to decline 7. to retreat 8. nevertheless 9. even though (HSK 4)
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)
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)
ā — 1. prefix used before monosyllabic names, kinship terms etc to indicate familiarity 2. used in transliteration 3. (bound form) Afghanistan (abbr. for 阿富汗 (Ā fù hàn)) 4. (bound form) Albania (abbr. for 阿爾巴尼亞 (Ā ěr bā ní yà)) 5. (bound form) Algeria (abbr. for 阿爾及利亞 (Ā ěr jí lì yà)) 6. (bound form) Argentina (abbr. for 阿根廷 (Ā gēn tíng)) 7. also pr. (à)
lǐng — 1. neck 2. collar 3. to lead 4. to receive 5. classifier for clothes, mats, screens etc (HSK 3)
對於
duì yú — regarding; as far as (sth) is concerned; with regard to (HSK 4)
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)
似乎
sì hū — it seems; seemingly; as if (HSK 4)
Dū — surname Du (HSK 1)
不很
bù hěn — not very
biǎo — 1. exterior surface 2. family relationship via females 3. to show (one's opinion) 4. a model 5. a table (listing information) 6. a form 7. a meter (measuring sth) (HSK 2)
敬意
jìng yì — respect; esteem; high regard (HSK 7-9)
cāi — to guess (HSK 5)
起來
qǐ lai — 1. to stand up; to get up 2. also pr. (qǐ lái) (HSK 1)
仿佛
fǎng fú — 1. to seem; as if; seemingly 2. alike; similar (HSK 6)
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)
無常
wú cháng — 1. variable 2. changeable 3. fickle 4. impermanence (Sanskrit: anitya) 5. ghost taking away the soul after death 6. to pass away 7. to die
sǎo — (bound form) older brother's wife; sister-in-law
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)
前夫
qián fū — former husband
zhī — 1. (possessive particle, literary equivalent of 的 (de)) 2. him 3. her 4. it (HSK 7-9)
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-
似的
shì de — 1. seems as if 2. rather like 3. Taiwan pr. (sì de) (HSK 4)
dàn — 1. but; yet; however; still 2. merely; only; just (HSK 2)
不知
bù zhī — 1. not to know 2. unaware 3. unknowingly 4. fig. not to admit (defeat, hardships, tiredness etc) (HSK 7-9)
何以
hé yǐ — 1. (literary) why 2. how
相貌
xiàng mào — appearance
yòu — 1. (once) again 2. also 3. both... and... 4. and yet 5. (used for emphasis) anyway (HSK 2)
Hé — surname He (HSK 1)
無常
wú cháng — 1. variable 2. changeable 3. fickle 4. impermanence (Sanskrit: anitya) 5. ghost taking away the soul after death 6. to pass away 7. to die
yǒu — 1. to have; there is 2. (bound form) having; with; -ful; -ed; -al (as in 有意 (yǒu yì) intentional) (HSK 1)
這麽
zhè me — variant of 這麼 (zhè me) (HSK 2)
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)
xū — 1. sh 2. hush
鬼神
guǐ shén — supernatural beings
zhī — 1. (possessive particle, literary equivalent of 的 (de)) 2. him 3. her 4. it (HSK 7-9)
shì — 1. matter 2. thing 3. item 4. work 5. affair 6. classifier: 件 (jiàn), 樁 (zhuāng), 回 (huí) (HSK 1)
nán — 1. difficult (to...) 2. problem 3. difficulty 4. difficult 5. not good (HSK 1)
yán — 1. words 2. speech 3. to say 4. to talk
zhī — 1. (possessive particle, literary equivalent of 的 (de)) 2. him 3. her 4. it (HSK 7-9)
yǐ — classical final particle, similar to modern 了 (le) (HSK 7-9)
只得
zhǐ dé — to have no alternative but to; to be obliged to (HSK 6)
姑且
gū qiě — for the time being; tentatively
zhì — 1. to install 2. to place 3. to put 4. to buy (HSK 7-9)
zhī — 1. (possessive particle, literary equivalent of 的 (de)) 2. him 3. her 4. it (HSK 7-9)
fú — 1. (literary) not 2. used in transliteration
Lún — abbr. for 論語 (Lún yǔ), The Analects (of Confucius)
至於
zhì yú — 1. as for 2. as to 3. to go so far as to (HSK 6)
無常
wú cháng — 1. variable 2. changeable 3. fickle 4. impermanence (Sanskrit: anitya) 5. ghost taking away the soul after death 6. to pass away 7. to die
何以
hé yǐ — 1. (literary) why 2. how
沒有
méi yǒu — 1. haven't 2. hasn't 3. doesn't exist 4. to not have 5. to not be (HSK 1)
qīn — 1. parent 2. one's own (flesh and blood) 3. relative 4. related 5. marriage 6. bride 7. close 8. intimate 9. in person 10. first-hand 11. in favor of 12. pro- 13. to kiss 14. (Internet slang) dear (HSK 3)
兒女
ér nǚ — 1. children; sons and daughters 2. a young man and a young woman (in love) (HSK 5)
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)
今年
jīn nián — this year (HSK 1)
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)
hěn — 1. very; quite 2. (also, often used before an adjective without intensifying its meaning, i.e. as a meaningless syntactic element) (HSK 1)
容易
róng yì — 1. easy; straightforward 2. likely; liable to; apt to (HSK 3)
解釋
jiě shì — 1. explanation 2. to explain 3. to interpret 4. to resolve 5. classifier: 個 (gè) (HSK 4)
le — 1. (completed action marker) 2. (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now) 3. (modal particle intensifying preceding clause) (HSK 1)
鬼神
guǐ shén — supernatural beings
Néng — surname Neng (HSK 1)
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)
zhī — 1. to know 2. to be aware
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)
Pà — surname Pa (HSK 2)
兒女
ér nǚ — 1. children; sons and daughters 2. a young man and a young woman (in love) (HSK 5)
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)
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)
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)
shuì — to persuade (HSK 1)
xián — 1. enclosure 2. (variant of 閒 (xián)) idle 3. unoccupied 4. leisure (HSK 5)
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)
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)
就要
jiù yào — 1. will 2. shall 3. to be going to (HSK 2)
旁敲側擊
páng qiāo cè jī — 1. to make insinuations 2. to take an indirect approach (in making inquiries) (idiom)
de — 1. -ly 2. structural particle: used before a verb or adjective, linking it to preceding modifying adverbial adjunct (HSK 1)
duàn — 1. to forge 2. to discipline 3. wrought
Chéng — 1. surname Cheng 2. short name for Chengdu 成都 (Chéng dū) (HSK 2)
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)
ná — 1. to hold 2. to seize 3. to catch 4. to apprehend 5. to take 6. (used in the same way as 把 (bǎ): to mark the following noun as a direct object) (HSK 1)
盧布
lú bù — (loanword) ruble (Russian currency)
所以
suǒ yǐ — 1. therefore 2. as a result 3. so 4. the reason why (HSK 2)
不但
bù dàn — not only (... but also ...) (HSK 2)
研究
yán jiū — 1. research 2. a study 3. classifier: 項 (xiàng) 4. to research 5. to look into (HSK 4)
Huán — surname Huan (HSK 1)
早已
zǎo yǐ — 1. for a long time; long since 2. (dialect) in the past (HSK 3)
實行
shí xíng — 1. to implement 2. to carry out 3. to put into practice (HSK 3)
le — 1. (completed action marker) 2. (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now) 3. (modal particle intensifying preceding clause) (HSK 1)
節育
jié yù — to practice birth control
le — 1. (completed action marker) 2. (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now) 3. (modal particle intensifying preceding clause) (HSK 1)

迎神时候的无常,可和演剧上的又有些不同了。他只有动作,没有言语,跟定了一个捧著一盘饭菜的小丑似的脚色走,他要去吃;他却不给他。另外还加添了两名脚色,就是“正人君子”之所谓“老婆儿女”。凡“下等人”,都有一种通病:常喜欢以己之所欲,施之于人。虽是对于鬼,也不肯给他孤寂,凡有鬼神,大概总要给他们一对一对地配起来。无常也不在例外。所以,一个是漂亮的女人,只是很有些村妇样,大家都称她无常嫂;这样看来,无常是和我们平辈的,无怪他不摆教授先生的架子。一个是小孩子,小高帽,小白衣;虽然小,两肩却已经耸起了,眉目的外梢也向下。这分明是无常少爷了,大家却叫他阿领,对于他似乎都不很表敬意;猜起来,仿佛是无常嫂的前夫之子似的。但不知何以相貌又和无常有这么像?吁!鬼神之事,难言之矣,只得姑且置之弗论。至于无常何以没有亲儿女,到今年可很容易解释了;鬼神能前知,他怕儿女一多,爱说闲话的就要旁敲侧击地锻成他拿卢布,所以不但研究,还早已实行了“节育”了。

”。This scene of carrying the tray of food is what is called "Seeing Off Wuchang."Since he is the emissary who comes to seize souls, it is the custom among the people that whenever someone dies, wine and food must be respectfully offered to see him off.As for refusing to let him eat, that is only a joke played during the procession; in actual practice it is not so.,——But everyone is indeed inclined to joke with Wuchang, because he is forthright, fond of speaking his mind, and full of human feeling — if you're looking for a true friend, he is, after all, the safest bet.

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)
pěng — 1. to hold or offer with both hands 2. to sing the praises of 3. classifier for what can be held in both hands (HSK 7-9)
zhāo — 1. a move in chess (Taiwan pr. (zhuó)) 2. trick; tactic 3. (dialect) okay; all right 4. (dialect) to put in; to add (HSK 1)
飯菜
fàn cài — food
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)
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)
mù — 1. curtain or screen 2. canopy or tent 3. headquarters of a general 4. act (of a play) (HSK 7-9)
就是
jiù shì — 1. exactly; precisely 2. only; simply; just 3. (used correlatively with 也 (yě)) even; even if (HSK 3)
sòng — 1. to send; to deliver; to transmit 2. to give (as a present) 3. to see (sb) off 4. to accompany; to go along with (HSK 1)
無常
wú cháng — 1. variable 2. changeable 3. fickle 4. impermanence (Sanskrit: anitya) 5. ghost taking away the soul after death 6. to pass away 7. to die
因為
yīn wèi — because; owing to; on account of (HSK 2)
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)
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)
勾魂
gōu hún — 1. to take away sb's soul 2. (fig.) to captivate; to enchant
使者
shǐ zhě — 1. emissary 2. envoy (HSK 7-9)
所以
suǒ yǐ — 1. therefore 2. as a result 3. so 4. the reason why (HSK 2)
民間
mín jiān — 1. among the people 2. popular 3. folk 4. non-governmental 5. involving people rather than governments (HSK 3)
fán — 1. ordinary 2. commonplace 3. mundane 4. temporal 5. of the material world (as opposed to supernatural or immortal levels) 6. every 7. all 8. whatever 9. altogether 10. gist 11. outline 12. note of Chinese musical scale (HSK 7-9)
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)
死掉
sǐ diào — to die
之後
zhī hòu — 1. after; behind 2. (at the beginning of a sentence) afterwards; since then (HSK 4)
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)
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)
yòng — 1. to use; to make use of; to employ 2. (coverb) with; using 3. to need; to have to (usu. used in the negative or in questions) 4. usefulness; utility 5. (bound form) expense; outlay 6. (courteous) to eat; to drink 7. (literary) hence; therefore (HSK 1)
酒飯
jiǔ fàn — food and drink
gōng — respectful
sòng — 1. to send; to deliver; to transmit 2. to give (as a present) 3. to see (sb) off 4. to accompany; to go along with (HSK 1)
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)
至於
zhì yú — 1. as for 2. as to 3. to go so far as to (HSK 6)
bù — 1. no; not so 2. (bound form) not; un- (HSK 1)
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)
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)
chī — 1. to eat; to consume 2. to eat at (a cafeteria etc) 3. to eradicate; to destroy 4. to absorb 5. to suffer (shock, injury, defeat etc) (HSK 1)
那是
nà shi — 1. (coll.) of course 2. naturally 3. indeed
賽會
sài huì — 1. religious procession 2. exposition
時候
shí hou — 1. time 2. length of time 3. moment 4. period (HSK 1)
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)
開玩笑
kāi wán xiào — to play a joke; to make fun of; to joke (HSK 1)
實際上
shí jì shàng — 1. in fact 2. in reality 3. as a matter of fact 4. in practice (HSK 3)
並不
bìng bù — not at all; by no means
rán — 1. correct 2. right 3. so 4. thus 5. like this 6. -ly
但是
dàn shì — but; however (HSK 2)
Hé — surname He (HSK 1)
無常
wú cháng — 1. variable 2. changeable 3. fickle 4. impermanence (Sanskrit: anitya) 5. ghost taking away the soul after death 6. to pass away 7. to die
開玩笑
kāi wán xiào — to play a joke; to make fun of; to joke (HSK 1)
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)
大家
dà jiā — 1. everyone 2. influential family 3. great expert (HSK 2)
Dū — surname Du (HSK 1)
yǒu — 1. to have; there is 2. (bound form) having; with; -ful; -ed; -al (as in 有意 (yǒu yì) intentional) (HSK 1)
cǐ — this; these (HSK 4)
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))
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)
因為
yīn wèi — because; owing to; on account of (HSK 2)
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)
爽直
shuǎng zhí — straightforward
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)
fā — 1. to send out 2. to show (one's feeling) 3. to issue 4. to develop 5. to make a bundle of money 6. classifier for gunshots (rounds) (HSK 2)
議論
yì lùn — 1. to comment 2. to talk about 3. to discuss 4. discussion 5. classifier: 個 (gè) (HSK 4)
有人情
yǒu rén qíng — humane
yāo — (bound form) to demand; to coerce (HSK 1)
xún — 1. to search 2. to look for 3. to seek (HSK 7-9)
真實
zhēn shí — true; real (HSK 3)
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)
朋友
péng you — 1. friend 2. classifier: 個 (gè), 位 (wèi) (HSK 1)
dǎo — 1. to fall; to collapse; to lie horizontally 2. to fail; to go bankrupt 3. to overthrow 4. to change (trains or buses) 5. to move around 6. to resell at a profit (HSK 2)
還是
hái shi — 1. still (as before) 2. had better 3. unexpectedly 4. or (HSK 1)
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)
妥當
tuǒ dang — 1. appropriate 2. proper 3. ready (HSK 7-9)

这捧著饭菜的一幕,就是“送无常”。因为他是勾魂使者,所以民间凡有一个人死掉之后,就得用酒饭恭送他。至于不给他吃,那是赛会时候的开玩笑,实际上并不然。但是,和无常开玩笑,是大家都有此意的,因为他爽直,爱发议论,有人情,——要寻真实的朋友,倒还是他妥当。

Some say he is a living man who walks the underworld — that is, originally a man who, in his dreams, goes down to the netherworld to serve on duty — which is why he has so much human feeling.”,I still remember a man living in a small house not far from mine who claimed to be one who "walks as Wuchang"; incense and candles were often kept burning outside his door.But to my eye, his face carried, if anything, more of a ghostly air than most.Could it be that going down to the underworld and becoming a ghost actually increases one's human vitality?Ah!The affairs of gods and ghosts are hard to speak of; this too I can only set aside for now and not discuss.

有人
yǒu rén — 1. someone 2. people 3. anyone 4. there is someone there 5. occupied (as in restroom) (HSK 2)
shuì — to persuade (HSK 1)
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)
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)
生人
shēng rén — 1. stranger 2. living person 3. to give birth 4. to be born (in a certain time or place)
zǒu — 1. to walk 2. to go 3. to run 4. to move (of vehicle) 5. to visit 6. to leave 7. to go away 8. to die (euph.) 9. from 10. through 11. away (in compound verbs, such as 撤走 (chè zǒu)) 12. to change (shape, form, meaning) (HSK 1)
Yīn — surname Yin (HSK 2)
就是
jiù shì — 1. exactly; precisely 2. only; simply; just 3. (used correlatively with 也 (yě)) even; even if (HSK 3)
Yuán — 1. surname Yuan 2. (Japanese surname) Hara (HSK 6)
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)
rén — 1. person; people 2. classifier: 個 (gè), 位 (wèi), 名 (míng) (HSK 1)
夢中
mèng zhōng — in a dream
què — 1. but 2. yet 3. however 4. while 5. to go back 6. to decline 7. to retreat 8. nevertheless 9. even though (HSK 4)
rù — 1. to enter; to go into 2. to join; to become a member of 3. (bound form) to conform to (as in 入時 (rù shí)) 4. abbr. for 入聲 (rù shēng) 5. (on product packaging, after {number n} + {classifier}) containing (n pieces) (from Japanese 入 "iri") (HSK 6)
míng — 1. dark 2. deep 3. stupid 4. the underworld
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)
dāng — 1. to be 2. to act as 3. manage 4. withstand 5. when 6. during 7. ought 8. should 9. match equally 10. equal 11. same 12. obstruct 13. just at (a time or place) 14. on the spot 15. right 16. just at (HSK 2)
chā — 1. difference; discrepancy 2. (math.) difference (amount remaining after a subtraction) 3. (literary) a little; somewhat; slightly (HSK 1)
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)
所以
suǒ yǐ — 1. therefore 2. as a result 3. so 4. the reason why (HSK 2)
hěn — 1. very; quite 2. (also, often used before an adjective without intensifying its meaning, i.e. as a meaningless syntactic element) (HSK 1)
有些人
yǒu xiē rén — some people
qíng — 1. (bound form) feelings; emotion; sentiment; passion 2. (bound form) situation; condition (HSK 7-9)
wǒ — I; me; my (HSK 1)
Huán — surname Huan (HSK 1)
記得
jì de — to remember (HSK 1)
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)
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)
Lí — surname Li (HSK 2)
wǒ — I; me; my (HSK 1)
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)
bù — 1. no; not so 2. (bound form) not; un- (HSK 1)
yuǎn — 1. far 2. distant 3. remote 4. (intensifier in a comparison) by far 5. much (lower etc) (HSK 1)
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)
小屋
xiǎo wū — 1. cabin 2. lodge 3. cottage 4. chalet 5. hut 6. shed
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-
lǐ — variant of 裡 (lǐ) (HSK 1)
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)
一個
yī ge — 1. a; an; one 2. the whole (afternoon, summer vacation etc)
男人
nán rén — 1. a man 2. a male 3. men 4. classifier: 個 (gè) (HSK 1)
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)
自稱
zì chēng — 1. to call oneself 2. to claim to be 3. to profess 4. to claim a title (HSK 7-9)
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)
zǒu — 1. to walk 2. to go 3. to run 4. to move (of vehicle) 5. to visit 6. to leave 7. to go away 8. to die (euph.) 9. from 10. through 11. away (in compound verbs, such as 撤走 (chè zǒu)) 12. to change (shape, form, meaning) (HSK 1)
無常
wú cháng — 1. variable 2. changeable 3. fickle 4. impermanence (Sanskrit: anitya) 5. ghost taking away the soul after death 6. to pass away 7. to die
門外
mén wài — outside the door
常常
cháng cháng — frequently; often (HSK 1)
rán — 1. to burn 2. to ignite 3. to light 4. fig. to spark off (hopes) 5. to start (debate) 6. to raise (hopes)
zhāo — 1. a move in chess (Taiwan pr. (zhuó)) 2. trick; tactic 3. (dialect) okay; all right 4. (dialect) to put in; to add (HSK 1)
香燭
xiāng zhú — joss stick and candle
dàn — 1. but; yet; however; still 2. merely; only; just (HSK 2)
wǒ — I; me; my (HSK 1)
kān — 1. to look after 2. to take care of 3. to watch 4. to guard (HSK 1)
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)
liǎn — 1. face 2. classifier: 張 (zhāng), 個 (gè) (HSK 2)
shǎng — used in 上聲 (shǎng shēng) (HSK 1)
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)
guǐ — 1. disembodied spirit; ghost; devil 2. (suffix) person with a certain vice or addiction etc 3. sly; crafty; resourceful (variant of 詭 (guǐ)) 4. one of the 28 constellations of ancient Chinese astronomy (HSK 5)
qì — 1. gas; air 2. smell 3. weather 4. to make angry; to annoy; to get angry 5. vital energy; qi (HSK 2)
反而
fǎn ér — on the contrary; instead (HSK 4)
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)
莫非
mò fēi — 1. can it be possible that 2. could it be (HSK 7-9)
rù — 1. to enter; to go into 2. to join; to become a member of 3. (bound form) to conform to (as in 入時 (rù shí)) 4. abbr. for 入聲 (rù shēng) 5. (on product packaging, after {number n} + {classifier}) containing (n pieces) (from Japanese 入 "iri") (HSK 6)
míng — 1. dark 2. deep 3. stupid 4. the underworld
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)
le — 1. (completed action marker) 2. (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now) 3. (modal particle intensifying preceding clause) (HSK 1)
guǐ — 1. disembodied spirit; ghost; devil 2. (suffix) person with a certain vice or addiction etc 3. sly; crafty; resourceful (variant of 詭 (guǐ)) 4. one of the 28 constellations of ancient Chinese astronomy (HSK 5)
dǎo — 1. to fall; to collapse; to lie horizontally 2. to fail; to go bankrupt 3. to overthrow 4. to change (trains or buses) 5. to move around 6. to resell at a profit (HSK 2)
huì — 1. can; to have the skill; to know how to 2. to be likely to; to be sure to 3. to meet; to get together 4. meeting; gathering 5. (suffix) union; group; association 6. (bound form) a moment (Taiwan pr. (huǐ)) (HSK 1)
增加
zēng jiā — to raise; to increase (HSK 3)
人氣
rén qì — 1. popularity 2. presence of people; liveliness (HSK 7-9)
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)
me — variant of 麼 (me)
xū — 1. sh 2. hush
鬼神
guǐ shén — supernatural beings
zhī — 1. (possessive particle, literary equivalent of 的 (de)) 2. him 3. her 4. it (HSK 7-9)
shì — 1. matter 2. thing 3. item 4. work 5. affair 6. classifier: 件 (jiàn), 樁 (zhuāng), 回 (huí) (HSK 1)
nán — 1. difficult (to...) 2. problem 3. difficulty 4. difficult 5. not good (HSK 1)
yán — 1. words 2. speech 3. to say 4. to talk
zhī — 1. (possessive particle, literary equivalent of 的 (de)) 2. him 3. her 4. it (HSK 7-9)
yǐ — classical final particle, similar to modern 了 (le) (HSK 7-9)
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)
Yě — surname Ye (HSK 1)
只得
zhǐ dé — to have no alternative but to; to be obliged to (HSK 6)
姑且
gū qiě — for the time being; tentatively
zhì — 1. to install 2. to place 3. to put 4. to buy (HSK 7-9)
zhī — 1. (possessive particle, literary equivalent of 的 (de)) 2. him 3. her 4. it (HSK 7-9)
fú — 1. (literary) not 2. used in transliteration
Lún — abbr. for 論語 (Lún yǔ), The Analects (of Confucius)
le — 1. (completed action marker) 2. (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now) 3. (modal particle intensifying preceding clause) (HSK 1)

有人说,他是生人走阴,就是原是人,梦中却入冥去当差的,所以很有些人情。我还记得住在离我家不远的小屋子里的一个男人,便自称是“走无常”,门外常常燃著香烛。但我看他脸上的鬼气反而多。莫非入冥做了鬼,倒会增加人气的么?吁!鬼神之事,难言之矣,这也只得姑且置之弗论了。

June 23rd.

六月
Liù yuè — 1. June 2. sixth month (of the lunar year)
二十
èr shí — twenty; 20
Sān — surname San (HSK 1)
rì — 1. (bound form) sun 2. day 3. day of the month 4. (bound form) Japan (abbr. for 日本 (Rì běn)) 5. (vulgar) to fuck; to have sex with (HSK 1)

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What it’s about

A study of the ghost the town liked best. 活無常, Life-Is-Transient, walks in the procession behind the gods who hold the people's lives and deaths, and he is the one everybody waits for: white from head to foot in all that red and green, powdered face and red lips, black brows drawn together so you cannot tell whether he is laughing or crying, a broken plantain-leaf fan in one hand, straw sandals, and a tall paper hat with four characters written down the front — 一見有喜, joy on sight. His black-faced counterpart 死有分 comes out at the same fairs, and nobody wants to look at him.

The essay is at its best on the 目連戲, the all-night opera where 無常 arrives on stage to collect the villain: he sneezes a hundred and eight times, breaks wind a hundred and eight times, and then sings his own history. Sent to fetch a dying nephew, he could not stand the mother's crying and gave the man half a moment back among the living, for which the King of Hell called him bribable and had him flogged. Lu Xun's account of why the common people love him is the sharp part: they have stopped expecting fairness from anyone alive, so they keep their justice in the underworld, where the judges hold no second appointments and publish no fine essays in the newspapers.

When it was written 背景

Written 23 June 1926 and published in 莽原 in July, three months after the killings of 18 March in Beijing — which is where the sourness about respectable people dispensing public principle comes from. It is the hardest of the memoir essays for a learner: the subject is Shaoxing village religion and local opera, so the vocabulary is specialised and will not transfer, and Lu Xun quotes stage dialect, the 《玉歷鈔傳》 and a good deal of classical phrasing. Come to it after 五猖會 has shown you what a 賽會 is, or read it for the closing argument alone, which needs none of the apparatus.

Words in this chapter 生词