The Mirror and the Lichee

The Mirror and the Lichee 1967

新陈三五娘 xīn chén sānwǔ niáng

Movie queen Ivy Ling Po is ideally cast as a male scholar in this historical Huangmei Opera romance. It’s a tragic love story between the scholar and a local beauty (played by Fang Ying). He polishes mirrors as a pretext to get closer to his love, who signals her approval by tossing him a bunch of lichees. From that point on the course of true love proves operatically rocky, complete with murder and suicide.

HSK 1
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7
5.07 Advanced

Vocabulary

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一表人材 一表人材 yī biǎo rén cái to have an impressive appearance; handsome and dignified in bearing (idiom) Idiom ∼HSK 7
夫荣妻贵 夫榮妻貴 fū róng qī guì lit. the husband prospers and the wife is honored (idiom); fig. a wife shares in her husband's success Idiom ∼HSK 7
相貌堂堂 相貌堂堂 xiàng mào táng táng dignified and impressive in appearance (idiom); of imposing bearing Idiom ∼HSK 7
斯文扫地 斯文掃地 sī wén sǎo dì lit. culture swept to the ground (idiom); fig. a total loss of dignity or moral standing; intellectuals brought low Idiom ∼HSK 7
安安稳稳 安安穩穩 ān ān wěn wěn safe and sound; smooth and steady (idiom) Idiom ∼HSK 7
岂有此理 豈有此理 qǐ yǒu cǐ lǐ how can this be so? (idiom); preposterous; ridiculous; absurd Idiom HSK 7
东张西望 東張西望 dōng zhāng xī wàng to look in all directions (idiom); to glance around Idiom HSK 7
吹了 吹了 chuī le failed; busted; to have not succeeded; to have died; to have parted company; to have chilled (of a relationship) Xiehouyu HSK 7
神气 神氣 shén qì expression; manner; vigorous; impressive; lofty; pretentious Xiehouyu HSK 7
稀奇 稀奇 xī qí rare; strange Xiehouyu HSK 7
小人 小人 xiǎo rén person of low social status (old); I, me (used to refer humbly to oneself); nasty person; vile character Xiehouyu HSK 7
无情 無情 wú qíng pitiless; ruthless; merciless; heartless Xiehouyu HSK 7
现任 現任 xiàn rèn to occupy a post currently; current (president etc); incumbent; (coll.) current boyfriend (girlfriend, spouse) Colloquialism HSK 7
宰 宰 zǎi to slaughter; to butcher; to kill (animals etc); (coll.) to fleece; to rip off; to overcharge; (bound form) to govern; to rule; (bound form) (a title for certain government officials in ancient China) Colloquialism HSK 7
娘 娘 niáng mother; young lady; (coll.) effeminate Colloquialism HSK 7
喜酒 喜酒 xǐ jiǔ wedding feast; liquor drunk at a wedding feast HSK 7
过奖 過獎 guò jiǎng to overpraise; to flatter HSK 7
月初 月初 yuè chū start of month; early in the month HSK 7
师长 師長 shī zhǎng military division level commander; teacher HSK 7
侍候 侍候 shì hòu to serve; to wait upon HSK 7
心病 心病 xīn bìng anxiety; sore point; secret worry; mental disorder; heart disease (medicine) HSK 7
老汉 老漢 lǎo hàn old man; I (an old man referring to himself) HSK 7
佳节 佳節 jiā jié festive day; holiday HSK 7
纵然 縱然 zòng rán even if; even though HSK 7
不难 不難 bù nán Not difficult HSK 7
吃苦 吃苦 chī kǔ to bear hardships HSK 7
受惊 受驚 shòu jīng startled HSK 7
和气 和氣 hé qi friendly; polite; amiable HSK 7
存心 存心 cún xīn deliberately HSK 7
凭证 憑證 píng zhèng proof; certificate; receipt; voucher HSK 7
镶嵌 鑲嵌 xiāng qiàn to inlay; to embed; to set (e.g. a jewel in a ring); tiling; tesselation HSK 7
药方 藥方 yào fāng prescription HSK 7
世代 世代 shì dài for many generations; generation; era; age HSK 7
解围 解圍 jiě wéi to lift a siege; to help sb out of trouble or embarrassment HSK 7
放肆 放肆 fàng sì wanton; unbridled; presumptuous; impudent HSK 7
鞭炮 鞭炮 biān pào firecrackers; string of small firecrackers HSK 7
告辞 告辭 gào cí to say goodbye; to take one's leave HSK 7
连夜 連夜 lián yè that very night; through the night; for several nights in a row HSK 7
念书 念書 niàn shū to read; to study HSK 7
嫌弃 嫌棄 xián qì to regard with disdain; to shun HSK 7
岳父 岳父 yuè fù wife's father, father-in-law HSK 7
子弟 子弟 zǐ dì child; the younger generation HSK 7
取笑 取笑 qǔ xiào to tease; to make fun of HSK 7
昔日 昔日 xī rì former days; in the past HSK 7
少有 少有 shǎo yǒu rare; infrequent HSK 7
与其 與其 yǔ qí rather than...; 与其 A 如 B (rather than A, better to B) HSK 7
胡闹 胡鬧 hú nào to act willfully and make a scene; to make trouble HSK 7
受苦 受苦 shòu kǔ to suffer hardship HSK 7
好在 好在 hǎo zài luckily; fortunately HSK 7
当日 當日 dāng rì on that day HSK 7