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

In the afternoon, at the hour when the shadows from the mango trees began to lengthen and the air started its slow cooling, he would go to the gate again.

每到下午，芒果树的影子开始拉长、空气渐渐转凉的时候，他就会再次走到大门旁。

He would sit.

他会坐下来。

He would wait.

他会等待。

And she would come.

然后她就会回来。

This is how it worked for four years, with the fidelity of a law of nature.

四年来，一切都是如此，像自然法则一样分毫不差。

The gate swung open.

大门敞开了。

Nipa came through.

妮帕走了进来。

Khao met her there, white and attentive, and for a moment before the demands of the afternoon descended — homework, dinner, her mother's voice calling from somewhere inside — it was just the two of them in the garden, the day closing softly around them.

卡欧在那里迎接她，白色的身影，专注而凝神，在下午种种琐事降临之前——作业、晚饭、她母亲从屋子某处传来的呼唤声——有那么片刻，花园里只有他们两个，白日在他们身边悄然合拢。

Malee watched this sometimes from the porch, without comment.

玛丽有时会在门廊上望着这一切，一言不发。

She thought it was a kind of love she recognized — the love that organizes itself entirely around another person, that does not ask anything except to be near, that finds its fullest expression simply in the act of return.

她觉得这是一种她熟悉的爱——那种完全围绕着另一个人构建起来的爱，除了靠近什么都不求，仅仅在归来这个动作里便找到了最完满的表达。

She had felt something like it herself, once, for people who were no longer here.

她自己也曾有过这样的感受，是为那些已不在了的人。

She understood it.

她懂得这种感情。

She let them have it.

她让他们拥有它。

Vocabulary

每: měi — Every, each; used before nouns or time words.
到: dào — To arrive at; to reach a place or time.
下午: xiàwǔ — Afternoon; the time period after noon.
芒果树: mángguǒ shù — Mango tree; tropical fruit-bearing tree.
的: de — Structural particle indicating possession or modification.
影子: yǐngzi — Shadow or reflection of an object or person.
开始: kāishǐ — To begin, start; the beginning of something.
拉长: lācháng — To lengthen, stretch out, make longer.
空气: kōngqì — Air; the mixture of gases surrounding the earth.
渐渐: jiànjiàn — Gradually, little by little, progressively.
转凉: zhuǎn liáng — To turn cool; weather becoming cooler.
时候: shíhou — Time, moment, period when something occurs.
他: tā — He, him; third-person masculine pronoun.
就: jiù — Then, right away; indicating immediacy or consequence.
会: huì — Will; to be able to, likely to do something.
再次: zàicì — Once again, one more time.
走到: zǒu dào — To walk to, to go as far as a place.
大门: dàmén — Main gate or front door of a building.
旁: páng — Beside, next to, at the side of.
坐: zuò — To sit; to take a seated position.
下来: xiàlái — To come down; complement indicating downward or settling action.
等待: děngdài — To wait, to await someone or something.
然后: ránhòu — Then, after that; indicating sequence of events.
她: tā — She, her; third-person feminine pronoun.
回来: huílái — To come back, to return to a place.
四年: sì nián — Four years; a span of four years.
来: lái — To come; also used as a resultative complement.
一切: yīqiè — Everything, all things without exception.
都: dōu — All, both; indicating totality or inclusiveness.
是: shì — To be; linking verb indicating identity or existence.
如此: rúcǐ — Like this, so, in this way.
像: xiàng — To resemble, to be like; similar to.
自然法则: zìrán fǎzé — Law of nature; natural rule governing the world.
一样: yīyàng — The same, alike; used in comparisons.
分毫不差: fēnháo bù chā — Not the slightest deviation; perfectly accurate, exact.
敞开: chǎngkāi — To open wide, fling open a door or space.
了: le — Particle indicating completed action or changed state.
走: zǒu — To walk, to go, to move on foot.
进来: jìnlái — To come in, to enter a place.
在: zài — To be at, in, on; indicates location or presence.
那里: nàlǐ — There, over there; that place.
迎接: yíngjiē — To welcome, to greet someone upon their arrival.
白色: báisè — White color; the color white.
身影: shēnyǐng — Silhouette, figure; the shape of a person's body.
专注: zhuānzhù — Focused, concentrated, attentive to one thing.
而: ér — And, yet; conjunction linking adjectives or clauses.
凝神: níngshén — To concentrate the mind; to gaze with full attention.
种种: zhǒngzhǒng — Various kinds of, all sorts of things.
琐事: suǒshì — Trivial matters, trifles, minor everyday affairs.
降临: jiànglín — To descend upon, to arrive, to befall.
之前: zhīqián — Before, prior to a certain time or event.
作业: zuòyè — Homework, schoolwork, assigned tasks.
晚饭: wǎnfàn — Dinner, evening meal.
母亲: mǔqīn — Mother; a formal word for one's mother.
从: cóng — From; indicating starting point of movement or time.
屋子: wūzi — Room, house; an enclosed living space.
某处: mǒuchù — Somewhere, some unspecified place.
传来: chuánlái — To come through, to be transmitted here; sound reaching.
呼唤声: hūhuàn shēng — The sound of calling out or summoning someone.
有: yǒu — To have, there is/are; indicating existence or possession.
那么: nàme — That, so, such; indicating degree or transition.
片刻: piànkè — A brief moment, a short while.
花园: huāyuán — Garden; an outdoor space with flowers and plants.
里: lǐ — Inside, within; locative particle indicating interior.
只有: zhǐyǒu — Only, there is only; nothing but.
他们: tāmen — They, them; third-person plural pronoun.
两个: liǎng gè — Two (people or things); the two of them.
白日: báirì — Daytime, broad daylight; the bright day.
身边: shēnbiān — Beside one, by one's side, nearby.
悄然: qiǎorán — Quietly, silently, without noise or notice.
合拢: hélǒng — To close up, to come together, to fold shut.
有时: yǒushí — Sometimes, at times, occasionally.
门廊: ménláng — Porch, veranda, covered entrance to a building.
上: shàng — On, above, up; locative particle indicating surface or location.
望着: wàng zhe — Gazing at, watching, looking steadily at something.
这: zhè — This; demonstrative pronoun indicating something nearby.
一言不发: yī yán bù fā — To say not a single word; remain completely silent.
觉得: juéde — To feel, to think, to sense emotionally.
一种: yī zhǒng — A kind of, a type of; one sort of.
熟悉: shúxī — Familiar with, well acquainted; to know well.
爱: ài — Love; deep affection for another person.
那种: nà zhǒng — That kind of, that type of; referring to a known type.
完全: wánquán — Completely, entirely, wholly, totally.
围绕: wéirào — To revolve around, to surround, to center on.
着: zhe — Particle indicating ongoing action or attached state.
另: lìng — Another, other, a different one.
一个: yī gè — One (person or thing); a single unit.
人: rén — Person, human being, people.
构建: gòujiàn — To build, to construct, to establish a structure.
起来: qǐlái — To rise up; complement indicating beginning or completion.
除了: chúle — Except for, apart from, besides.
靠近: kàojìn — To approach, to get close to, to draw near.
什么: shénme — What; interrogative pronoun; also used as 'anything'.
不求: bù qiú — Not seeking, not asking for, desiring nothing.
仅仅: jǐnjǐn — Merely, only, just; nothing more than.
归来: guīlái — To return, to come back; literary word for returning.
这个: zhège — This one; this particular thing or person.
动作: dòngzuò — Action, movement, gesture, physical motion.
便: biàn — Then, as soon as; literary equivalent of 就 (jiù).
找到: zhǎodào — To find, to have found something searched for.
最: zuì — Most, -est; superlative degree marker.
完满: wánmǎn — Perfect, complete, fully satisfactory.
表达: biǎodá — To express, to convey feelings or ideas.
自己: zìjǐ — Oneself, self; reflexive pronoun.
也: yě — Also, too, as well; additive adverb.
曾: céng — Once, formerly; indicating past experience.
有过: yǒuguò — To have once had or experienced something.
这样: zhèyàng — Like this, in this way, such.
感受: gǎnshòu — Feeling, sense, emotional experience.
为: wèi — For, on behalf of; indicating purpose or beneficiary.
那些: nàxiē — Those; plural demonstrative referring to distant things.
已: yǐ — Already; literary form of 已经 (yǐjīng).
不在: bù zài — Not present, no longer here; absent or passed away.
懂得: dǒngde — To understand, to comprehend, to know deeply.
这种: zhè zhǒng — This kind of, this type of feeling or thing.
感情: gǎnqíng — Emotion, feeling, affection between people.
让: ràng — To let, allow, cause; to make someone do something.
拥有: yōngyǒu — To possess, to own, to have something valuable.
它: tā — It; third-person pronoun for objects or animals.

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