From A Chinese-English Dictionary, 1982.
Category Archives: Literature
Dragon’s backbone
Dragon Dormant Commissioner Qu, of Wuling County, was reading in an upper room when a heavy rain began to fall. In the deepening gloom he caught sight of a little creature, bright as a glow-worm, wriggling its way on to his desk. It meandered across … Read More →
Sebald
If language may be regarded as an old city full of streets and squares, nooks and crannies, with some quarters dating from far back in time while others have been torn down, cleaned up and rebuilt, and with suburbs reaching further and further into the … Read More →
Ulvåsa
‘Well,’ said Eva, ‘that sounds like interesting reading.’ And she asked whether he still liked as much onion as before. ‘Yes, lots of onion.’ Something else he had read the other day: If you have discovered your rational faculties, then you will always feel like … Read More →
Dali
Duck justice A peasant living in the Bai Family Village to the west of our county town stole one of his neighbour’s ducks, cooked it and ate it. That night, his entire body was consumed by an intense itching, and when he looked at himself … Read More →
Souk
‘Close to Bab Touma, three photographers stood in front of their remarkable apparatus, large wooden boxes on adjustable tripods also made of wood. Their customers sat on folding stools in the open air, in front of a wall with a black cloth over it. Farid … Read More →
Exile
‘A Russian may be sent to Siberia by sentence of the courts or by an Imperial decree issued through the Police Ministry ; in the latter case he is said to be ‘awaiting the Czar’s pleasure,’ and no publicity is given to his fate. His … Read More →
Arabia Felix
The inside of Husain’s house was cold and dark. We climbed three flights of steep stone stairs to a bare little sitting-room furnished with a single rug and a few cushions. Puffing my way up, I thought how odd it was that every detail of … Read More →