Flowers of Shanghai

Flowers of Shanghai 1998

海上花 hǎishàng huā

At the end of the 19th century, Shanghai is divided into several foreign concessions. In the British concession, a number of luxurious “flower houses” are reserved for the male elite of the city. Since Chinese dignitaries are not allowed to frequent brothels, these establishments are the only ones that these men can visit. They form a self-contained world, with its own rites, traditions and even its own language. The men don’t only visit the houses to frequent the courtesans but also to dine, smoke opium, play mahjong and relax. The women working there are known as the “flowers of Shanghai”.

HSK 1
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4.02 Intermediate

Vocabulary

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件 件 jiàn item; component; classifier for events, things, clothes etc HSK 2
场 場 cháng threshing floor; classifier for events and happenings: spell, episode, bout HSK 2
条 條 tiáo strip; item; article; clause (of law or treaty); classifier for long thin things (ribbon, river, road, trousers etc) HSK 2
事情 事情 shì qing affair; matter; thing; business HSK 2
成 成 chéng to succeed; to finish; to complete; to accomplish; to become; to turn into; to be all right; OK!; one tenth HSK 2
不要 不要 bù yào don't!; must not HSK 2
不过 不過 bù guò only; merely; no more than; but; however; anyway (to get back to a previous topic); cannot be more (after adjectival) HSK 2
一直 一直 yī zhí straight (in a straight line); continuously; always; all the way through HSK 2
一定 一定 yī dìng surely; certainly; necessarily; fixed; a certain (extent etc); given; particular; must HSK 2
大家 大家 dà jiā everyone; influential family; great expert HSK 2
带 帶 dài band; belt; girdle; ribbon; tire; area; zone; region; to wear; to carry; to take along; to bear (i.e. to have); to lead; to bring; to look after; to raise HSK 2
位 位 wèi position; location; place; seat; classifier for people (honorific); classifier for binary bits (e.g. 十六位 16-bit or 2 bytes); (physics) potential HSK 2
应该 應該 yīng gāi ought to; should; must HSK 2
这么 這麼 zhè me so much; this much; how much?; this way; like this HSK 2
那么 那麼 nà me like that; in that way; or so; so; so very much; about; in that case HSK 2
当 當 dāng to be; to act as; manage; withstand; when; during; ought; should; match equally; equal; same; obstruct; just at (a time or place); on the spot; right; just at HSK 2
像 像 xiàng to resemble; to be like; to look as if; such as; appearance; image; portrait; image under a mapping (math.) HSK 2
才 才 cái ability; talent; sb of a certain type; a capable individual; then and only then; just now; (before an expression of quantity) only HSK 2
它 它 tā it HSK 2
问题 問題 wèn tí question; problem; issue; topic HSK 2
只 只 zhǐ only; merely; just; but HSK 2
又 又 yòu (once) again; also; both... and...; and yet; (used for emphasis) anyway HSK 2
如果 如果 rú guǒ if; in case; in the event that HSK 2
这样 這樣 zhè yàng this kind of; so; this way; like this; such HSK 2
已经 已經 yǐ jīng already HSK 2
得 得 dé to obtain; to get; to gain; to catch (a disease); proper; suitable; proud; contented; to allow; to permit; ready; finished HSK 2
可以 可以 kě yǐ can; may; possible; able to; not bad; pretty good HSK 2
为 為 wéi as (in the capacity of); to take sth as; to act as; to serve as; to behave as; to become; to be; to do; by (in the passive voice) HSK 2
自己 自己 zì jǐ oneself; one's own HSK 2
但 但 dàn but; yet; however; still; merely; only; just HSK 2
让 讓 ràng to yield; to permit; to let sb do sth; to have sb do sth; to make sb (feel sad etc); by (indicates the agent in a passive clause, like 被) HSK 2
啊 啊 ā interjection of surprise; Ah!; Oh! HSK 2
好手 好手 hǎo shǒu expert; professional Xiehouyu ∼HSK 1
不快 不快 bù kuài unhappy; in low spirits; (of a knife) not sharp Xiehouyu ∼HSK 1
将就 將就 jiāng jiu to accept (a bit reluctantly); to put up with Xiehouyu ∼HSK 1
没关系 沒關係 méi guān xi it doesn't matter Xiehouyu HSK 1
好看 好看 hǎo kàn good-looking; nice-looking; good (of a movie, book, TV show etc); embarrassed; humiliated Xiehouyu HSK 1
干 乾 gān dry; dried food; empty; hollow; taken in to nominal kinship; adoptive; foster; futile; in vain; (dialect) rude; blunt; (dialect) to cold-shoulder Xiehouyu HSK 1
看看 看看 kàn kan to take a look at; to examine; to survey; (coll.) pretty soon Colloquialism ∼HSK 1
真是 真是 zhēn shi indeed; truly; (coll.) (used to express disapproval, annoyance etc) Colloquialism ∼HSK 1
不会 不會 bù huì improbable; unlikely; will not (act, happen etc); not able; not having learned to do sth; (coll.) (Tw) don't mention it; not at all Colloquialism ∼HSK 1
好不好 好不好 hǎo bu hǎo (coll.) all right?; OK? Colloquialism ∼HSK 1
吃的 吃的 chī de (coll.) food Colloquialism ∼HSK 1
这不 這不 zhè bu (coll.) As a matter of fact,... (used to introduce evidence for what one has just asserted) Colloquialism ∼HSK 1
对不对 對不對 duì bù duì right or wrong?; Is it right?; OK, yes? (colloquial) Colloquialism ∼HSK 1
一块 一塊 yī kuài a piece; a chunk; (fig.) (coll.) (typically preceded by a specifier such as) aspect; area; dimension (Example: "the emotional aspect (of it)"); (coll.) one yuan; a dollar; together; in the same Colloquialism ∼HSK 1
了去了 了去了 le qù le (coll.) (after adjectives such as,,,) very; extremely Colloquialism ∼HSK 1
打的 打的 dǎ dī (coll.) to take a taxi; to go by taxi Colloquialism ∼HSK 1
不行了 不行了 bù xíng le (coll.) on the point of death; dying Colloquialism ∼HSK 1
有本事 有本事 yǒu běn shi to have what it takes; (coll.) (often followed by) (used to challenge sb) if you're so clever,..., if she's so tough,... etc; Example: Hit me if you dare! Colloquialism ∼HSK 1