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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7
4.02 Intermediate

Vocabulary

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担 擔 dān to undertake; to carry; to shoulder; to take responsibility HSK 7
规矩 規矩 guī ju lit. compass and set square; fig. established standard; rule; customs; practices; fig. upright and honest; well-behaved HSK 7
傻瓜 傻瓜 shǎ guā idiot; fool HSK 7
功 功 gōng meritorious deed or service; achievement; result; service; accomplishment; work (physics) HSK 7
哎呀 哎呀 āi yā interjection of wonder, shock or admiration HSK 7
敬 敬 jìng (bound form) respectful; to respect; to offer politely HSK 7
穿过 穿過 chuān guò to pass through HSK 7
桩 樁 zhuāng stump; stake; pile; classifier for items HSK 7
讨 討 tǎo to invite; to provoke; to demand or ask for; to send armed forces to suppress; to denounce or condemn; to marry (a woman); to discuss or study HSK 7
瞎 瞎 xiā blind; groundlessly; foolishly; to no purpose HSK 7
要不 要不 yào bù otherwise; or else; how about...?; either... (or...) HSK 7
尚 尚 shàng still; yet; to value; to esteem HSK 7
娶 娶 qǔ to take a wife; to marry (a woman) HSK 7
依 依 yī to depend on; to comply with or listen to sb; according to; in the light of HSK 7
粘 粘 zhān to glue; to paste; to adhere; to stick to HSK 7
寻 尋 xún to search; to look for; to seek HSK 7
堂 堂 táng (main) hall; large room for a specific purpose; relationship between cousins etc on the paternal side of a family; of the same clan; classifier for classes, lectures etc; classifier for sets of furniture HSK 7
蛮 蠻 mán barbarian; bullying; very; quite; rough; reckless HSK 7
拳 拳 quán fist; boxing HSK 7
望 望 wàng full moon; to hope; to expect; to visit; to gaze (into the distance); to look towards; towards HSK 7
唉 唉 āi interjection or grunt of agreement or recognition (e.g. yes, it's me!); to sigh HSK 7
恭喜 恭喜 gōng xǐ to congratulate; (interj.) congratulations! HSK 7
嫁 嫁 jià (of a woman) to marry; to marry off a daughter; to shift (blame etc) HSK 7
灵 靈 líng quick; alert; efficacious; effective; to come true; spirit; departed soul; coffin HSK 7
罗 羅 luó gauze; to collect; to gather; to catch; to sift HSK 7
丝 絲 sī silk; thread; trace; (cuisine) shreds or julienne strips; classifier: a thread (of cloud, smoke etc), a bit, an iota, a hint (of sth) etc HSK 7
不知 不知 bù zhī not to know; unaware; unknowingly; fig. not to admit (defeat, hardships, tiredness etc) HSK 7
文 文 wén language; culture; writing; formal; literary; gentle; (old) classifier for coins; Kangxi radical 67 HSK 7
情 情 qíng feeling; emotion; passion; situation HSK 7
则 則 zé (literary) (conjunction used to express contrast with a previous clause) but; then; (bound form) standard; norm; (bound form) principle; (literary) to imitate; to follow; classifier for written items HSK 7
主 主 zhǔ owner; master; host; individual or party concerned; God; Lord; main; to indicate or signify; trump card (in card games) HSK 7
哦 哦 é to chant HSK 7
乌七八糟 烏七八糟 wū qī bā zāo everything in disorder (idiom); in a hideous mess; obscene; dirty; filthy Idiom ∼HSK 6
犯不着 犯不著 fàn bu zháo not worthwhile Xiehouyu ∼HSK 6
拍马屁 拍馬屁 pāi mǎ pì to flatter; to fawn on; to butter sb up; toadying; bootlicking Xiehouyu ∼HSK 6
睁只眼闭只眼 睜隻眼閉隻眼 zhēng zhī yǎn bì zhī yǎn to turn a blind eye Xiehouyu ∼HSK 6
寻开心 尋開心 xún kāi xīn to make fun of; to seek diversion Xiehouyu ∼HSK 6
不成 不成 bù chéng won't do; unable to; (at the end of a rhetorical question) can that be? Xiehouyu HSK 6
就算 就算 jiù suàn (coll.) even if Colloquialism HSK 6
嘛 嘛 má used in 吽; (Tw) (coll.) what? Colloquialism HSK 6
今朝 今朝 jīn zhāo today (literary) ∼HSK 6
讨人 討人 tǎo rén (old) girl trafficked into a brothel to work as prostitute ∼HSK 6
还债 還債 huán zhài to settle a debt ∼HSK 6
爹娘 爹孃 diē niáng (dialect) parents ∼HSK 6
枝节 枝節 zhī jié branches and knots; fig. side issue; minor peripheral problem ∼HSK 6
洋钱 洋錢 yáng qián foreign money; flat silver (former coinage); also written 銀元|银元 ∼HSK 6
弄堂 弄堂 lòng táng (dialect) alley; lane ∼HSK 6
嫁人 嫁人 jià rén (of a woman) to get married; to take a husband ∼HSK 6
作孽 作孽 zuò niè to sin ∼HSK 6
野鸡 野雞 yě jī pheasant; unregistered and operating illegally (business); (slang) prostitute ∼HSK 6