The Scarlet Letter — Page 15

Vocabulary

这

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

两位

liǎng wèi — Two people (polite measure word for persons).

认真

rènzhēn — Serious, conscientious, earnest in attitude or work.

而

ér — And, yet, but; connecting clauses or contrasting ideas.

精力充沛

jīnglì chōngpèi — Full of energy, vigorous, brimming with vitality.

的

de — Structural particle indicating possession or modification.

人

rén — Person, people, human being.

在

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

这座

zhè zuò — This (used with mountains, buildings, towns).

小镇

xiǎo zhèn — Small town, a minor township or village community.

最早

zuì zǎo — Earliest, at the very first time or beginning.

萌芽

méng yá — To sprout, bud; early beginning or germination of something.

与

yǔ — And, with; connecting nouns or formal conjunction.

童年

tóngnián — Childhood, the early years of one's life.

时期

shíqī — Period, phase, a specific span of time.

便

biàn — Then, thereupon; indicates something follows naturally.

深深

shēnshēn — Deeply, profoundly; to a great depth or degree.

扎下

zhā xià — To take root, sink down, establish firmly below.

了

le — Particle indicating completion or change of state.

根

gēn — Root; foundation, origin, base of a plant or idea.

此后

cǐ hòu — After this, henceforth, from this point onward.

这个

zhège — This, this one; common demonstrative pronoun.

家族

jiāzú — Family clan, extended family lineage or dynasty.

一直

yīzhí — Always, continuously, straight; without interruption.

在此

zài cǐ — Here, in this place, at this location.

繁衍生息

fányǎn shēngxī — To multiply and thrive, propagate and live flourishingly.

始终

shǐzhōng — Always, from beginning to end, consistently throughout.

保持着

bǎochí zhe — Maintaining, keeping up, continuously preserving a state.

体面

tǐmiàn — Respectable, dignified, having good standing or reputation.

声誉

shēngyù — Reputation, fame, public esteem or standing.

据

jù — According to, based on; citing a source or evidence.

我

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

所知

suǒ zhī — What one knows, within one's knowledge.

从未

cóng wèi — Never, not once, at no time ever.

有过

yǒu guò — Has ever had; indicates past experience of something.

任何

rènhé — Any, whatever, whichever; without exception.

一个

yī gè — One, a single (general measure word for persons/things).

不肖子孙

bù xiào zǐsūn — Unworthy descendants who disgrace their family's name.

令

lìng — To cause, make; formal verb meaning to order or cause.

蒙羞

méng xiū — To suffer shame, be disgraced, bring humiliation upon.

然而

rán ér — However, yet, but; formal adversative conjunction.

另一方面

lìng yī fāngmiàn — On the other hand, from another perspective or aspect.

自

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

最初

zuì chū — Initially, at the very beginning, originally.

两代人

liǎng dài rén — Two generations of people, spanning two generational periods.

之后

zhī hòu — After, afterwards, following a certain point in time.

也

yě — Also, too, as well; additive or concessive particle.

鲜少

xiǎn shǎo — Rarely, seldom, very infrequently occurring.

乃至

nǎi zhì — Even, or even, going so far as to include.

有人

yǒu rén — Someone, there are people who, somebody has.

建立过

jiànlì guò — Has ever established or built something of note.

值得

zhídé — Worth, deserving, meriting attention or effort.

铭记

míng jì — To engrave in memory, remember deeply and lastingly.

功绩

gōngjì — Achievement, meritorious deed, contribution or accomplishment.

更

gèng — Even more, further, to a greater degree.

遑论

huáng lùn — Let alone, much less; even less worth mentioning.

博取

bó qǔ — To seek, win over, gain through effort or charm.

公众

gōngzhòng — The public, general public, the broader community.

关注

guānzhù — Attention, concern; to pay attention or follow closely.

渐渐地

jiànjiàn de — Gradually, little by little, slowly over time.

他们

tāmen — They, them; third-person plural pronoun.

几乎

jīhū — Almost, nearly, practically; very close to completely.

淡出

dàn chū — To fade out, gradually disappear from view or memory.

人们

rénmen — People, folks; referring to people in general.

视野

shìyě — Field of vision, view; scope of attention or awareness.

正如

zhèng rú — Just as, exactly like; drawing a comparison.

街道

jiēdào — Street, road; a public thoroughfare in a town.

两旁

liǎng páng — Both sides, either side, flanking left and right.

那些

nàxiē — Those, those ones; plural demonstrative pronoun.

老屋

lǎo wū — Old house, aged dwelling, long-standing building.

被

bèi — Passive particle; indicates the subject is acted upon.

日积月累

rì jī yuè lěi — Accumulated day by day, built up gradually over time.

新土

xīn tǔ — Fresh earth, new soil deposited over time.

掩埋

yǎnmái — To bury, cover up, conceal beneath earth or debris.

直至

zhí zhì — Until, all the way to, up to a certain point.

半壁

bàn bì — Half a wall, half the structure; partial remnant.

一代

yī dài — One generation, a single generational period or era.

又

yòu — Again, also, once more; indicating repetition or addition.

父传子承

fù chuán zǐ chéng — Passed from father to son, hereditary transmission across generations.

逾

yú — Over, exceeding, surpassing a certain number or limit.

百年

bǎi nián — A hundred years, a century; a long span of time.

间

jiān — Within, between, during; a span of time or space.

大海

dàhǎi — The sea, the ocean; vast open body of water.

为伴

wéi bàn — As companion, as company; to accompany or go alongside.

每一代

měi yī dài — Every generation, each successive generational period.

都有

dōu yǒu — All have, each one has; universal possession or presence.

一位

yī wèi — One person (polite measure word); a single individual.

白发苍苍

bái fà cāngcāng — White-haired, describing an elderly person with grey hair.

船长

chuánzhǎng — Ship captain, commander of a seafaring vessel.

从

cóng — From; indicating starting point in time, place, or source.

故居

gùjū — Former home, ancestral residence, one's old dwelling.

十四岁

shísì suì — Fourteen years old, age fourteen.

少年

shàonián — Youth, young boy, teenager in early adolescence.

则

zé — Then, in turn; indicating a contrasting or sequential result.

接过

jiē guò — To take over, receive and inherit a role or object.

世代相传

shìdài xiāng chuán — Passed down through generations, handed on hereditarily.

位置

wèizhi — Position, place, location; one's role or spot.

站到

zhàn dào — To stand at, to take one's place at a position.

前

qián — Front, before, ahead; in front of something.

曾经

céngjīng — Once, formerly, at some point in the past.

拍打过

pāidǎ guò — Has beaten, slapped, or struck repeatedly against something.

他

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

父亲

fùqīn — Father; formal term for one's male parent.

祖父

zǔfù — Paternal grandfather, father's father.

浪花

lànghuā — Spray, sea foam, splashing waves breaking at shore.

和

hé — And, with; connecting nouns or clauses together.

呼啸

hūxiào — To howl, whistle, roar; sound of fast wind or motion.

狂风

kuángfēng — Fierce wind, gale, violently strong gusting wind.

那

nà — That, those; demonstrative pronoun pointing to something distant.

岁月

suìyuè — Years, time, the passage of time; years gone by.

流逝

liúshì — To pass, flow away; time slipping by irreversibly.

中

zhōng — In, within, among, middle; inside a period or space.

船头

chuán tóu — Bow of a ship, the front part of a vessel.

升至

shēng zhì — Rose to, ascended to, climbed up to a higher position.

度过

dùguò — To spend time, pass through a period of life.

一段

yī duàn — A period, a stretch, a segment of time or distance.

壮年

zhuàngnián — Prime of life, the vigorous middle years of adulthood.

而后

ér hòu — And then, after that, subsequently following.

漂泊四海

piāobó sì hǎi — Drifting across the four seas, wandering the whole world.

生涯

shēngyá — Career, life course, one's professional or life journey.

归来

guīlái — To return, come back, arrive home after being away.

故土

gùtǔ — Homeland, native land, the place where one was born.

慢慢

mànmàn — Slowly, gradually, at a leisurely unhurried pace.

老去

lǎo qù — To grow old, age gradually, become elderly over time.

离世

lí shì — To pass away, leave the world, depart from life.

将

jiāng — Will, shall; also used to introduce an object formally.

自己

zìjǐ — Oneself, self; reflexive pronoun referring to the subject.

融入

róng rù — To merge into, blend into, become part of something.

这片

zhè piàn — This expanse of, this patch of (land, water, etc.).

生养

shēng yǎng — To give birth to and raise, nurture and sustain life.

泥土

nítǔ — Soil, earth, dirt; the ground or clay of the land.

某一处

mǒu yī chù — A certain place, some particular location or spot.

地方

dìfang — Place, location, area, a particular spot or region.

长久

chángjiǔ — Long-lasting, enduring, for a prolonged period of time.

联结

liánjié — To connect, link, bond; form a lasting connection.

既是

jì shì — Both is, at the same time being; dual identification.

出生之地

chūshēng zhī dì — Birthplace, the land where one was born.

也是

yě shì — Also is, is also; adding another identity or quality.

长眠之所

cháng mián zhī suǒ — Final resting place, where one eternally sleeps in death.

土地

tǔdì — Land, soil, earth; territory or ground one belongs to.

之间

zhījiān — Between, among, in the midst of two or more things.

一种

yī zhǒng — A kind of, a type of, a certain sort of something.

亲缘

qīnyuán — Kinship, family ties, bond of blood or belonging.

这种

zhè zhǒng — This kind of, this type of, this sort of.

周遭

zhōuzāo — Surroundings, the area all around, one's environment.

风景

fēngjǐng — Scenery, landscape, natural views or scenic beauty.

迷人之处

mírén zhī chù — Charming aspect, the captivating or enchanting quality.

或

huò — Or, either; presenting an alternative option or possibility.

道德环境

dàodé huánjìng — Moral environment, the ethical atmosphere of a place.

毫无关联

háo wú guānlián — Completely unrelated, having absolutely no connection whatsoever.

不是

bù shì — Is not, are not; negation of identity or state.

爱

ài — Love, affection; deep emotional attachment to someone or something.

而是

ér shì — But rather, instead it is; correcting with the true answer.

本能

běnnéng — Instinct, innate drive; natural impulse not based on reason.