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English → Chinese The Dog Her Mother Didn't Choose Level 5/10

She named him Khao on the walk home, carrying him against her chest in both hands, his small weight warm and dense as a sleeping child.

她在回家的路上给他取名叫考，用双手将他抱在胸前，他小小的重量温热而厚实，像一个熟睡的孩子。

He did not struggle.

他没有挣扎。

He looked up at her with dark, unhurried eyes and seemed to accept the situation with the same composure he had shown among his siblings — as though he had been waiting for her specifically, and now that she had arrived, the matter was settled.

他用深沉而从容的眼睛仰望着她，似乎以他在兄弟姐妹中所表现出的同样镇定接受了这一切——仿佛他一直在专门等待她，而如今她既已到来，此事便已尘埃落定。

"Khao," she said, and he blinked.

「考，」她说，他眨了眨眼。

"Because you're white."

「因为你是白色的。」

Her mother walked beside her, carrying the bag of vegetables from the market, and said, "He's not coming inside."

她的母亲走在她身旁，拎着从市场买回的蔬菜袋，说道：「他不能进屋。」

Khao came inside that evening.

考那天晚上进了屋。

This was not a defeat for Malee so much as an acknowledgment of how the household was going to rearrange itself.

对玛丽来说，这与其说是一次失败，不如说是对家里将要重新调整自身秩序的一种认可。

She was a practical woman, and practicality sometimes meant accepting the shape of things rather than insisting on a different shape.

她是个务实的女人，而务实有时意味着接受事物本来的样子，而不是坚持让它变成另一种样子。

The dog was small, and clean, and did not cry in the night.

这只狗个头小，干干净净，夜里也不哭叫。

He slept curled at the foot of Nipa's bed as though he had always slept there, as though the space had been reserved for him and he had simply arrived to fill it.

他蜷缩着睡在妮帕床脚，仿佛他一直都睡在那里，仿佛那个位置早已为他留好，而他不过是来将其填满。

Malee made rules.

玛丽立下了规矩。

No dog on the furniture other than Nipa's bed.

除妮帕的床外，狗不得上家具。

No dog in the kitchen when she was cooking.

她做饭时狗不得进厨房。

No dog begging at the table.

狗不得在桌边讨食。

These rules were followed for the most part, with the occasional creative interpretation that Nipa would have described as accidental and Malee knew was not.

这些规矩大体上得到了遵守，偶尔会有些创造性的诠释，妮帕会说那是意外，而玛丽心知并非如此。

The house itself seemed to absorb Khao without effort.

房子本身似乎毫不费力地将考容纳了进来。

It was an old wooden house, built by Malee's father, with a wide porch that faced the front garden and a gate at the edge of the property where the dirt path met the road.

那是一栋老木屋，由玛丽的父亲所建，有一个面朝前院的宽阔门廊，以及院子边缘处一扇位于土路与大路交汇之处的大门。

Vocabulary

她: tā — Third person singular feminine pronoun: she, her.
在: zài — At, in, on; indicates location or ongoing action.
回家: huí jiā — To return home, go back home.
的: de — Structural particle indicating possession or modification.
路上: lù shang — On the way, along the road.
给: gěi — To give; for, to (preposition indicating recipient).
他: tā — Third person singular masculine pronoun: he, him.
取名: qǔ míng — To give a name, to name something or someone.
叫: jiào — To call, be named; to shout or cry out.
考: kǎo — An exam; to test; here used as a name.
用: yòng — To use, employ; with (using a means or tool).
双手: shuāng shǒu — Both hands, two hands together.
将: jiāng — To take, hold; pre-verb marker for object displacement.
抱: bào — To hold in arms, embrace, carry against chest.
胸前: xiōng qián — In front of the chest, against one's chest.
小小: xiǎo xiǎo — Very small, tiny, little (reduplication for emphasis).
重量: zhòng liàng — Weight, the heaviness of an object.
温热: wēn rè — Warm, gently warm to the touch.
而: ér — And, yet; conjunction linking contrasting or parallel elements.
厚实: hòu shi — Solid and substantial, thick and sturdy.
像: xiàng — To resemble, be like; similar to.
一个: yī gè — One (used with general measure word for objects/people).
熟睡: shú shuì — To be in deep sleep, sleeping soundly.
孩子: hái zi — Child, children; a young person.
没有: méi yǒu — To not have; there is no; did not.
挣扎: zhēng zhá — To struggle, writhe, resist with effort.
深沉: shēn chén — Deep, profound; calm and serious in manner.
从容: cóng róng — Calm, composed, unhurried and at ease.
眼睛: yǎn jing — Eyes, the organ of sight.
仰望: yǎng wàng — To look up at, gaze upward toward something.
着: zhe — Aspect particle indicating ongoing or sustained action/state.
似乎: sì hū — It seems, apparently, as if.
以: yǐ — With, by means of; similar to (preposition).
兄弟姐妹: xiōng dì jiě mèi — Siblings: brothers and sisters collectively.
中: zhōng — Among, in the middle of; within a group.
所: suǒ — Particle forming a noun phrase from a verb clause.
表现出: biǎo xiàn chū — To display, show, manifest a quality or behavior.
同样: tóng yàng — Same, identical, equally, in the same way.
镇定: zhèn dìng — Calm, composed, steady under pressure.
接受: jiē shòu — To accept, receive, take in willingly.
了: le — Completion particle indicating a completed action or change.
这一切: zhè yī qiē — All of this, everything here and now.
仿佛: fǎng fú — As if, as though, seemingly.
一直: yī zhí — All along, continuously, straight (in one direction).
专门: zhuān mén — Specially, specifically, for a particular purpose.
等待: děng dài — To wait for, await something or someone.
如今: rú jīn — Nowadays, now, at the present time.
既已: jì yǐ — Since already, now that it has already happened.
到来: dào lái — To arrive, come; the arrival of something.
此事: cǐ shì — This matter, this affair, this thing.
便已: biàn yǐ — Then already; consequently it was already so.
尘埃落定: chén āi luò dìng — Dust settles; matter is finally resolved and settled.
说: shuō — To say, speak, talk.
眨: zhǎ — To blink, wink (eyes).
眼: yǎn — Eye; also short form for blinking.
因为: yīn wèi — Because, due to, the reason being.
你: nǐ — You, second person singular pronoun.
是: shì — To be (am, is, are); affirmative copula.
白色: bái sè — White color, the color white.
母亲: mǔ qīn — Mother, one's female parent (formal term).
走: zǒu — To walk, go, leave.
身旁: shēn páng — By one's side, beside someone.
拎: līn — To carry (by hand, hanging down), to lift and carry.
从: cóng — From (a place or time); following, since.
市场: shì chǎng — Market, marketplace; commercial trading place.
买回: mǎi huí — To buy and bring back, purchase and return with.
蔬菜: shū cài — Vegetables, green produce.
袋: dài — Bag, sack; measure word for bag-fulls.
说道: shuō dào — Said (narrative verb introducing quoted speech).
不能: bù néng — Cannot, must not, not able to.
进屋: jìn wū — To enter the house, go inside.
那天: nà tiān — That day, on that particular day.
晚上: wǎn shang — Evening, nighttime, at night.
进: jìn — To enter, go in, move inward.
屋: wū — Room, house, indoor space.
对: duì — For, regarding, toward; correct, right.
来说: lái shuō — For (someone), speaking from a perspective.
这: zhè — This, these; proximal demonstrative pronoun.
与其说: yǔ qí shuō — Rather than saying; it's less X and more Y.
一次: yī cì — Once, one time; a single occurrence.
失败: shī bài — Failure, defeat; to fail or be defeated.
不如说: bù rú shuō — Better described as; it would be more accurate to say.
家里: jiā lǐ — At home, inside the family or household.
将要: jiāng yào — About to, going to (future tense marker).
重新: chóng xīn — Anew, again, afresh, to start over.
调整: tiáo zhěng — To adjust, readjust, reorganize.
自身: zì shēn — Oneself, itself; one's own self.
秩序: zhì xù — Order, discipline, organized arrangement.
一种: yī zhǒng — A kind of, a type of, one sort.
认可: rèn kě — Approval, acceptance, recognition of something.
个: gè — General measure word for people and many objects.
务实: wù shí — Pragmatic, practical, down-to-earth in approach.
女人: nǚ rén — Woman, adult female person.
有时: yǒu shí — Sometimes, occasionally, at times.
意味着: yì wèi zhe — To mean, signify, imply something.
事物: shì wù — Things, matters, objects in the world.
本来: běn lái — Originally, as it originally was, naturally.
样子: yàng zi — Appearance, look, the way something looks.
不是: bù shì — Is not, are not; negation of identity.
坚持: jiān chí — To persist, insist, stick to stubbornly.
让: ràng — To let, allow, cause someone to do something.
它: tā — It; third person singular for objects/animals.
变成: biàn chéng — To turn into, become, transform into.
另一种: lìng yī zhǒng — Another kind, a different type or sort.
这只: zhè zhī — This one (with measure word for animals).
狗: gǒu — Dog, canine animal.
个头: gè tou — Size, stature, physical build of a person or animal.
小: xiǎo — Small, little, young.
干干净净: gān gān jìng jìng — Very clean and tidy (reduplicated for emphasis).
夜里: yè lǐ — At night, during the night.
也: yě — Also, too, either; even.
不: bù — No, not; general negation particle.
哭叫: kū jiào — To cry and wail, whimper and howl.
蜷缩: quán suō — To curl up, huddle into a compact position.
睡: shuì — To sleep, go to sleep.
床脚: chuáng jiǎo — Foot of the bed, the lower end of a bed.
都: dōu — All, both; already (in some contexts).
那里: nà lǐ — There, over there, that place.
那个: nà ge — That one, that (demonstrative with measure word).
位置: wèi zhì — Position, location, place.
早已: zǎo yǐ — Already long ago, had long since been.
为: wèi — For, for the sake of (preposition).
留好: liú hǎo — To reserve and keep ready, set aside properly.
不过是: bù guò shì — It is merely, nothing more than, just.
来: lái — To come; used as directional complement.
将其: jiāng qí — To take it; formal way to refer to and act on it.
填满: tián mǎn — To fill up completely, fill to capacity.
立下: lì xià — To establish, set down (rules or records).
规矩: guī ju — Rules, norms, established standards of behavior.
除: chú — Except for, apart from; to remove.
床: chuáng — Bed, sleeping furniture.
外: wài — Outside, beyond, other than.
不得: bù dé — Must not, not allowed to, forbidden to.
上: shàng — On, above, up; to go up onto.
家具: jiā jù — Furniture, household furnishings.
做饭: zuò fàn — To cook food, prepare a meal.
时: shí — When, at the time of, during.
厨房: chú fáng — Kitchen, the room for cooking food.
桌边: zhuō biān — Beside the table, next to the table.
讨食: tǎo shí — To beg for food, solicit food from others.
这些: zhè xiē — These, these ones (plural demonstrative).
大体上: dà tǐ shang — Generally, on the whole, for the most part.
得到: dé dào — To get, obtain, receive, achieve.
遵守: zūn shǒu — To abide by, comply with, observe rules.
偶尔: ǒu ěr — Occasionally, once in a while, now and then.
会: huì — Will; can, to be able to, know how to.
有些: yǒu xiē — Some, somewhat, a little, slightly.
创造性: chuàng zào xìng — Creativity, creative nature or quality.
诠释: quán shì — To interpret, explain, give an interpretation.
那: nà — That; then (conjunction in some contexts).
意外: yì wài — Unexpected, accidental; a surprise or accident.
心知: xīn zhī — To know in one's heart, be inwardly aware.
并非: bìng fēi — Not at all, is by no means, certainly not.
如此: rú cǐ — Like this, thus, in this way, so.
房子: fáng zi — House, building used as a residence.
本身: běn shēn — Itself, in itself, by itself.
毫不费力: háo bù fèi lì — Effortlessly, without any effort at all.
地: de — Adverbial particle linking adverb to verb.
容纳: róng nà — To accommodate, hold, contain within a space.
进来: jìn lái — To come in, enter (toward the speaker).
一栋: yī dòng — One (building); measure word for buildings.
老木屋: lǎo mù wū — Old wooden house, an aged timber-built home.
由: yóu — By, made by; from; through (passive agent marker).
父亲: fù qīn — Father, one's male parent (formal term).
所建: suǒ jiàn — Built by, constructed by (formal passive structure).
有: yǒu — To have, there is/are; to exist.
面朝: miàn cháo — Facing toward, oriented in the direction of.
前院: qián yuàn — Front yard, courtyard at the front of a house.
宽阔: kuān kuò — Wide, broad, spacious in area.
门廊: mén láng — Porch, veranda, covered entrance corridor.
以及: yǐ jí — As well as, and also, along with.
院子: yuàn zi — Courtyard, yard surrounding a house.
边缘: biān yuán — Edge, margin, border of an area.
处: chù — Place, location; measure word for spots/places.
一扇: yī shàn — One (door or window); measure word for doors.
位于: wèi yú — To be located at, situated in a place.
土路: tǔ lù — Dirt road, unpaved earthen path or track.
与: yǔ — And, with; together with (conjunction/preposition).
大路: dà lù — Main road, large road or highway.
交汇: jiāo huì — To converge, meet, intersect at a point.
之处: zhī chù — The place where, the spot at which (formal).
大门: dà mén — Main gate, front entrance door or gate.

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