Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave — Page 8

Vocabulary

承认

chéngrèn — To admit, acknowledge, or recognize something

这

zhè — This; indicating something nearby or just mentioned

是

shì — To be; linking subject and predicate

一个

yī gè — One; a single unit or item

精神

jīngshén — Spirit, mind, or mental state

退化

tuìhuà — To degenerate, deteriorate, or regress

的

de — Structural particle indicating possession or modification

非凡

fēifán — Extraordinary, remarkable, or exceptional

案例

ànlì — A case or example, often for study

它

tā — It; third-person singular pronoun for objects

至少

zhìshǎo — At least; the minimum amount or degree

证明

zhèngmíng — To prove, demonstrate, or certify something

了

le — Particle indicating completed action or change

白人

báirén — White person; referring to people of Caucasian descent

奴隶

núlì — A slave; person owned and controlled by another

可以

kěyǐ — Can, may; expressing permission or ability

在

zài — At, in, on; indicating location or ongoing action

人性

rénxìng — Human nature; inherent qualities of humankind

尺度

chǐdù — Scale, standard, or measure of judgment

上

shàng — On, above; indicating position or aspect

堕落

duòluò — To morally degrade, fall, or become corrupt

得

de — Particle linking verb to degree complement

与

yǔ — And, with; connecting nouns or comparing things

黑人

hēirén — Black person; referring to people of African descent

一样

yīyàng — The same, alike; indicating equivalence or similarity

低

dī — Low; below average in level or position

先生

xiānsheng — Mister; respectful title for an adult man

非常

fēicháng — Very, extremely; indicating a high degree

恰当

qiàdàng — Appropriate, suitable, or fitting for a situation

地

de — Adverbial particle linking adverb to verb

选择

xuǎnzé — To choose, select, or make a decision

以

yǐ — Using, by means of; indicating method or instrument

自己

zìjǐ — Oneself; reflexive pronoun referring to the subject

风格

fēnggé — Style; characteristic manner of expression or writing

尽

jìn — To exhaust, use fully; to the utmost extent

其

qí — His, her, its; formal third-person possessive pronoun

所能

suǒ néng — What one is capable of; the best of one's ability

撰写

zhuànxiě — To write, compose, or author a piece of work

叙述

xùshù — Narrative, account; to narrate or describe events

而

ér — But, and; conjunction contrasting or linking clauses

不是

bù shì — Is not; negation of a state or identity

雇用

gùyòng — To hire or employ someone for a task

他人

tārén — Others, other people; someone other than oneself

代笔

dàibǐ — To ghostwrite; write on behalf of someone else

因此

yīncǐ — Therefore, consequently; indicating a logical result

完全

wánquán — Completely, entirely, wholly; without exception

他

tā — He, him; third-person singular male pronoun

作品

zuòpǐn — Work, creation; a literary or artistic piece

考虑

kǎolǜ — To consider, think about, or take into account

到

dào — To, until, arrive; indicating direction or result

作为

zuòwéi — As, in the capacity of; serving in a certain role

所

suǒ — Particle used before verbs to nominalize them

经历

jīnglì — Experience; to go through events or hardships

生涯

shēngyá — Career, life course; the span of one's life or work

多么

duōme — How, how very; expressing degree in exclamations

漫长

màncháng — Long and slow; seemingly endless in duration

黑暗

hēi'àn — Dark, darkness; lacking light or hope

以及

yǐjí — As well as, and; connecting additional elements

自

zì — From, since; indicating a starting point in time

挣脱

zhèngtuō — To break free from, struggle loose from restraint

铁链

tiěliàn — Iron chains; metal links used for binding or restraint

以来

yǐlái — Since; from a past time up to the present

改善

gǎishàn — To improve, better; make something more satisfactory

心智

xīnzhì — Mind and intellect; cognitive and mental faculties

机会

jīhuì — Opportunity, chance; favorable time or circumstance

稀少

xīshǎo — Scarce, rare; occurring in very small quantities

依

yī — According to, based on; following a standard

我

wǒ — I, me; first-person singular pronoun

判断

pànduàn — Judgment, to judge; assess and form a conclusion

对

duì — For, toward; correct; indicating direction or target

才智

cáizhì — Talent and intelligence; intellectual ability

品格

pǐngé — Character, moral quality; ethical standards of a person

都是

dōu shì — All are, both are; indicating universal inclusion

极高

jí gāo — Extremely high; of the utmost level or degree

荣誉

róngyù — Honor, glory; recognition of excellence or virtue

凡

fán — Any, whoever; indicating universality or generality

能

néng — Can, able to; expressing capability or possibility

阅读

yuèdú — To read; engage with written text carefully

此书

cǐ shū — This book; referring to the present work

不

bù — No, not; general negation particle

热泪盈眶

rè lèi yíng kuàng — Eyes brimming with hot tears; deeply moved emotionally

心潮起伏

xīncháo qǐfú — Emotions surging; feelings rising and falling intensely

痛苦

tòngkǔ — Pain, suffering, anguish; intense physical or mental distress

人

rén — Person, people; human being

被

bèi — Passive marker; indicating the subject receives an action

奴隶制

núlìzhì — Slavery; the system of owning people as property

及其

jíqí — And its, along with; referring to related aspects

所有

suǒyǒu — All, every; the entirety of something

帮凶

bāngxiōng — Accomplice, abettor; one who assists in wrongdoing

难以言喻

nán yǐ yányù — Difficult to express in words; indescribable feeling

憎恶

zēngwù — Hatred, loathing; strong feeling of disgust or aversion

充满

chōngmǎn — Filled with, full of; containing in abundance

寻求

xúnqiú — To seek, pursue; look actively for something desired

立即

lìjí — Immediately, at once; without any delay

推翻

tuīfān — To overthrow, topple; bring down a system or power

那

nà — That; indicating something distant or previously mentioned

可憎

kězēng — Detestable, hateful; deserving strong moral condemnation

制度

zhìdù — System, institution; established set of rules or practices

决心

juéxīn — Determination, resolve; firm commitment to a course

激励

jīlì — To inspire, motivate; encourage toward action or goal

为

wèi — For, on behalf of; indicating purpose or recipient

这个

zhège — This, this one; referring to a specific nearby thing

国家

guójiā — Country, nation; a sovereign political state

公正

gōngzhèng — Just, fair; impartial and morally right treatment

上帝

Shàngdì — God; the supreme deity in monotheistic traditions

手中

shǒu zhōng — In the hands of; under the control or power of

命运

mìngyùn — Fate, destiny; the course of events beyond control

战栗

zhànlì — To tremble, shudder; shake with fear or awe

那位

nà wèi — That (person); respectful reference to someone mentioned

永远

yǒngyuǎn — Forever, always; for all time without end

站在

zhàn zài — To stand on or at; taking a side or position

被压迫者

bèi yāpòzhě — The oppressed; those subjected to unjust force or control

一边

yībiān — One side; indicating a particular party or faction

臂膀

bìbǎng — Arm; the upper limb, often symbolizing strength or support

从未

cóngwèi — Never; not at any time in the past

缩短

suōduǎn — To shorten, reduce; make something smaller in length

以至于

yǐzhìyú — To the extent that; leading to a particular result

不能

bùnéng — Cannot, unable to; lacking ability or permission

拯救

zhěngjiù — To save, rescue; deliver from danger or suffering

此人

cǐ rén — This person; referring to the individual just mentioned

必定

bìdìng — Must, certainly; indicating absolute certainty

心如顽石

xīn rú wánshí — Heart like cold stone; utterly hard-hearted and unfeeling

足以

zúyǐ — Enough to, sufficient to; capable of achieving something

扮演

bànyǎn — To play a role; act as a particular character or type

贩卖

fànmài — To traffic, sell illegally; trade in people or goods

人类

rénlèi — Humanity, humankind; all human beings collectively

灵魂

línghún — Soul, spirit; the immaterial essence of a person

之

zhī — Formal possessive or structural particle; of, 's

角色

juésè — Role, character; part played in a situation or story