Choh Laahngbaandang: to have a cold reception (lit. to sit on a cool bench)Many emperors in different dynasties honored Confucius. His house was converted into a grand mansion, and his eldest descendants were installed as high officials. During the Ming dynasty, one of the female descendants married the emperor and became queen. At that time, the prime minister Yihm Sung committed a crime. He went to the Confucius mansion hoping to bribe the queen and have her speak well of him. Instead, he got … [Read more...]
All My Thanks
June 10, 2013 4 Comments
Filed Under: acknowledgements, author, bench, book, Cantonese, Chinese, Chinese saying, Confucius, Ming dynasty, novel, thanks, writing
When Do You Call Yourself a Writer?
January 15, 2013 6 Comments
Louhcheut Mahgeuk: to reveal one's secret or fault (lit. to expose Mah's feet)The queen of the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty (A.D. 1328-1399) was surnamed Mah. Once, she was riding by on her sedan chair when a gust of wind blew aside the carriage's curtain. Everyone on the street could see that her feet were not bound, a daring break in the typical foot binding tradition for rich women.Sometimes I'm afraid of exposing my own faults. When confronted with a blank line for my occupation on a … [Read more...]
Filed Under: Cantonese, Chinese saying, flash fiction, foot binding, IdeaGems, identity, magazine, Ming dynasty, rejection, short story, writer
