Return of the Phoenix 1963
凤还巢
Return Of The Phoenix is yet another masterpiece from prolific director Li Han-hsiang. An imperial minister Cheng Pu (Ching Miao) is faced with a quandary. He's getting old and his daughters are still not married. Elder daughter Shueh-yeh (Elizabeth Chuang) is so ugly no one wants her. Younger daughter Shueh-wu (Li Hsiang-chun) is beautiful but Mrs Cheng refuses to let her marry before her elder sister. The drama unfolds when Cheng decides to marry Shueh-wu off.
Vocabulary
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| 驰骋疆场 馳騁疆場 | to gallop across the battlefield (idiom); to fight bravely in war; to charge into battle | Idiom |
| 一表人才 一表人才 | a man of fine appearance; handsome and impressive in bearing (idiom) | Idiom |
| 一针一线 一針一線 | lit. a needle and a thread (idiom); fig. every little thing; the tiniest item; not even a trifle | Idiom |
| 月里嫦娥 月裡嫦娥 | Chang'e, the goddess in the moon (idiom); fig. a beautiful woman | Idiom |
| 羞人答答 羞人答答 | bashful; shy; coy (idiom) | Idiom |
| 餐风露宿 餐風露宿 | lit. to eat in the wind and sleep in the dew (idiom); fig. to endure the hardships of travel; to rough it | Idiom |
| 乱点鸳鸯 亂點鴛鴦 | lit. to pair off mandarin ducks at random (idiom); fig. to make ill-matched marriages; to pair people up wrongly | Idiom |
| 剥皮抽筋 剝皮抽筋 | lit. to flay the skin and pull out the sinews (idiom); fig. to torture or punish savagely; to vent extreme hatred | Idiom |
| 路柳墙花 路柳牆花 | lit. willows by the road, flowers by the wall (idiom); fig. a prostitute; a loose woman | Idiom |
| 岂有此理 豈有此理 | how can this be so? (idiom); preposterous; ridiculous; absurd | Idiom |
| 门当户对 門當戶對 | the families are well-matched in terms of social status (idiom); (of a prospective marriage partner) an appropriate match | Idiom |
| 面红耳赤 面紅耳赤 | flushed with anger (or excitement) | Idiom |
| 水落石出 水落石出 | as the water recedes, the rocks appear (idiom); the truth comes to light | Idiom |
| 吹了 吹了 | failed; busted; to have not succeeded; to have died; to have parted company; to have chilled (of a relationship) | Xiehouyu |
| 巴不得 巴不得 | (coll.) to be eager for; to long for; to look forward to | Xiehouyu |
| 稳重 穩重 | steady; earnest; staid | Xiehouyu |
| 荒唐 荒唐 | beyond belief; preposterous; absurd; intemperate; dissipated | Xiehouyu |
| 娘 娘 | mother; young lady; (coll.) effeminate | Colloquialism |
| 喜酒 喜酒 | wedding feast; liquor drunk at a wedding feast | |
| 过奖 過獎 | to overpraise; to flatter | |
| 荷花 荷花 | lotus | |
| 喜洋洋 喜洋洋 | radiant with joy | |
| 一个劲儿 一個勁兒 | erhua variant of 一个劲; continuously | |
| 俊俏 俊俏 | attractive and intelligent; charming; elegant | |
| 豪迈 豪邁 | bold; open-minded; heroic | |
| 恩情 恩情 | kindness; affection; grace; favor | |
| 起程 起程 | to set out; to leave | |
| 了却 了卻 | to resolve; to settle | |
| 志气 志氣 | ambition; resolve; backbone; drive; spirit | |
| 苦心 苦心 | painstaking effort; to take a lot of trouble; laborious at pains | |
| 凯歌 凱歌 | triumphal hymn; victory song; paean | |
| 艳丽 艷麗 | gorgeous; garish and beautiful | |
| 嫁妆 嫁妝 | dowry | |
| 拜见 拜見 | to pay a formal visit; to call to pay respects; to meet one's senior or superior | |
| 万万 萬萬 | absolutely; wholly | |
| 相传 相傳 | to pass on; to hand down; tradition has it that ...; according to legend | |
| 投奔 投奔 | to seek shelter; to seek asylum | |
| 何苦 何苦 | why bother?; is it worth the trouble? | |
| 难为情 難為情 | embarrassed | |
| 指教 指教 | to give advice or comments | |
| 流转 流轉 | to be on the move; to roam or wander; to circulate (of goods or capital) | |
| 岳母 岳母 | wife's mother, mother-in-law | |
| 感慨 感慨 | to sigh with sorrow, regret etc; rueful; deeply moved | |
| 怨言 怨言 | complaint | |
| 作对 作對 | to set oneself against; to oppose; to make a pair | |
| 刺绣 刺繡 | to embroider; embroidery | |
| 转眼 轉眼 | in a flash; in the blink of an eye; to glance | |
| 避难 避難 | refuge; to take refuge; to seek asylum (political etc) | |
| 不解 不解 | to not understand; to be puzzled by; indissoluble | |
| 现成 現成 | ready-made; readily available |