The Importance of Being Earnest: A Trivial Comedy for Serious People — Page 13

Vocabulary

夫人

fūren — Madam; respectful title for a married woman.

下午

xiàwǔ — Afternoon; the time period after noon.

好

hǎo — Good; well; fine; indicating a positive state.

亲爱的

qīn'ài de — Dear; beloved; affectionate term of address.

我

wǒ — I; me; first-person singular pronoun.

希望

xīwàng — Hope; wish; to desire a certain outcome.

你

nǐ — You; second-person singular pronoun.

表现

biǎoxiàn — Behave; perform; show one's conduct or ability.

得

de — Structural particle linking verb to complement.

很好

hěn hǎo — Very good; very well; excellent condition.

感觉

gǎnjué — Feel; feeling; perception or sensation.

姑妈

gūmā — Paternal aunt; father's sister.

那

nà — That; referring to something previously mentioned.

不

bù — No; not; negation particle.

完全

wánquán — Completely; entirely; totally; fully.

是

shì — Is; am; are; to be (copula verb).

一回事

yī huí shì — The same thing; one and the same matter.

事实上

shìshí shàng — In fact; actually; in reality.

这

zhè — This; referring to something nearby or just mentioned.

两件事

liǎng jiàn shì — Two things; two separate matters or affairs.

很少

hěn shǎo — Rarely; seldom; not often occurring.

同时

tóngshí — At the same time; simultaneously; concurrently.

出现

chūxiàn — Appear; emerge; show up; come into view.

看见

kànjiàn — See; catch sight of; perceive visually.

以

yǐ — With; using; by means of (preposition).

冰冷

bīnglěng — Icy cold; freezing; also means emotionally cold.

的

de — Structural particle indicating possession or modification.

态度

tàidu — Attitude; manner; way one behaves toward others.

向

xiàng — Toward; facing; in the direction of.

他

tā — He; him; third-person masculine singular pronoun.

鞠躬

jūgōng — Bow; bend the body as a sign of respect.

对

duì — To; toward; addressing someone directly.

说

shuō — Say; speak; tell; express in words.

天哪

tiān na — Good heavens; oh my; exclamation of surprise.

真

zhēn — Really; truly; genuinely; indeed.

时髦

shímáo — Fashionable; trendy; stylish; in vogue.

一直

yīzhí — Always; continuously; all along; consistently.

都

dōu — All; both; entirely; without exception.

很

hěn — Very; quite; rather; adverb of degree.

不是

bù shì — Is not; are not; negation of 'to be'.

吗

ma — Question particle forming yes/no questions.

先生

xiānsheng — Mister; sir; respectful title for a man.

您

nín — You (formal/polite); respectful second-person pronoun.

真是

zhēn shì — Truly is; really; used for emphasis.

完美无缺

wánměi wúquē — Perfect and flawless; without any defects whatsoever.

小姐

xiǎojiě — Miss; young lady; unmarried woman.

哦

ó / ò — Oh; expressing realization, surprise, or mild response.

并非

bìng fēi — Not at all; by no means; definitely not.

如此

rúcǐ — Like this; so; such; in this manner.

那样的话

nà yàng de huà — In that case; if that were so; then.

就

jiù — Then; right away; precisely; indicates consequence.

没有

méiyǒu — Don't have; there is no; lack of something.

进步

jìnbù — Progress; improvement; advancement in ability or skill.

余地

yúdì — Room; leeway; margin; space for further action.

了

le — Particle indicating completed action or changed state.

而

ér — And; but; whereas; conjunction linking clauses.

打算

dǎsuàn — Plan; intend; have the intention to do something.

在

zài — In; at; on; indicates location or ongoing action.

许多

xǔduō — Many; a lot of; numerous; a great quantity.

方面

fāngmiàn — Aspect; respect; field; area of consideration.

继续

jìxù — Continue; keep on; carry on doing something.

发展

fāzhǎn — Develop; grow; expand; make progress.

和

hé — And; with; together with; conjunction.

一起

yīqǐ — Together; jointly; at the same time and place.

角落里

jiǎoluò lǐ — In the corner; in a secluded spot or nook.

坐下

zuò xià — Sit down; take a seat.

抱歉

bàoqiàn — Sorry; feel apologetic; express regret or apology.

我们

wǒmen — We; us; first-person plural pronoun.

来晚

lái wǎn — Arrive late; come later than expected.

一点

yīdiǎn — A little; a bit; slightly; small amount.

但

dàn — But; however; yet; adversative conjunction.

不得不

bùdé bù — Have to; cannot avoid; must do something.

去

qù — Go; go to; move toward a destination.

拜访

bàifǎng — Pay a visit; call on someone; visit formally.

自从

zìcóng — Since; ever since a particular point in time.

她

tā — She; her; third-person feminine singular pronoun.

可怜的

kělián de — Poor; pitiful; deserving sympathy or compassion.

丈夫

zhàngfu — Husband; a woman's male spouse.

去世

qùshì — Pass away; die; used respectfully for death.

后

hòu — After; afterward; following in time.

没再

méi zài — Have not again; did not go back anymore.

去过

qù guò — Have been to; went there before (experiential aspect).

那里

nàlǐ — There; that place; over there.

从未

cóng wèi — Never; have never; at no point in the past.

见过

jiàn guò — Have seen before; experienced seeing (experiential aspect).

一个

yī gè — One; a single (general measure word + numeral).

女人

nǚrén — Woman; female adult person.

变化

biànhuà — Change; transformation; alteration in condition or form.

如此之大

rúcǐ zhī dà — So great; so enormous; to such a large degree.

看起来

kàn qǐlái — Look; appear; seem to be a certain way.

年轻

niánqīng — Young; youthful; of relatively few years.

整整

zhěngzhěng — A full; a whole; exactly (emphasizing completeness).

二十岁

èrshí suì — Twenty years old; age of twenty.

现在

xiànzài — Now; at present; currently; at this moment.

要

yào — Want; need; will; going to do something.

喝杯

hē bēi — Drink a cup of; have a cup of (beverage).

茶

chá — Tea; the popular hot beverage made from leaves.

还要

hái yào — Also want; in addition; still need something more.

吃

chī — Eat; consume food; take in nourishment.

一份

yī fèn — One portion; one serving; a single helping.

答应

dāying — Promise; agree; say yes to a request.

我的

wǒ de — My; mine; belonging to me.

那种

nà zhǒng — That kind of; that type of; that sort.

美味的

měiwèi de — Delicious; tasty; having a wonderful flavor.

黄瓜

huángguā — Cucumber; a long green salad vegetable.

三明治

sānmíngzhì — Sandwich; food between two slices of bread.

当然

dāngrán — Of course; naturally; certainly; without doubt.

走向

zǒu xiàng — Walk toward; move in the direction of something.

茶桌

chá zhuō — Tea table; small table used for serving tea.

过来

guòlái — Come over; move toward the speaker's location.

坐

zuò — Sit; take a seat; be seated.

这里

zhèlǐ — Here; this place; right here nearby.

谢谢

xièxiè — Thank you; thanks; expressing gratitude.

妈妈

māma — Mom; mother; informal word for one's mother.

舒服

shūfu — Comfortable; at ease; feeling physically pleasant.

惊恐

jīngkǒng — Alarmed; terrified; filled with fear and shock.

地

de — Adverbial particle linking adverb/adjective to verb.

拿起

ná qǐ — Pick up; lift; take hold of something.

空

kōng — Empty; vacant; containing nothing inside.

盘子

pánzi — Plate; dish; flat container for holding food.

为什么

wèishénme — Why; for what reason; what is the cause.

特意

tèyì — Specially; on purpose; deliberately for a reason.

订了

dìng le — Ordered; placed an order for something.

严肃

yánsù — Serious; solemn; grave in manner or expression.

今天

jīntiān — Today; this day; the current day.

早上

zǎoshang — Morning; the early part of the day.

市场

shìchǎng — Market; marketplace; place where goods are sold.

上

shàng — On; above; up; also suffix indicating location.

去了

qù le — Went; have gone (indicating completed action).

两次

liǎng cì — Twice; two times; occurring on two occasions.

是的

shì de — Yes; that's right; affirmative response.

就算

jiùsuàn — Even if; even though; supposing that.

现钱

xiànqián — Cash; ready money; payment in physical currency.

也

yě — Also; too; even; still (adverb).

买不到

mǎi bù dào — Cannot buy; unable to purchase; unavailable for sale.

好了

hǎo le — All right; OK; that's enough; done now.