This section presents terms and phrases that are central to understanding the text and may present a challenge to the reader. Use this list to create a vocabulary quiz or worksheet, to prepare flashcards for a standardized test, or to inspire classroom word games and other group activities.

1. ingots (noun, plural):

oblong blocks of metal, often gold or silver

“The hostess had to serve special dyansyin foods to bring good fortune of all kinds—dumplings shaped like silver money ingots, long rice noodles for long life, boiled peanuts for conceiving sons, and of course, many good-luck oranges for a plentiful, sweet life.” (Chapter 1)

2. halting (adjective):

slow and unsure, especially in speaking

“It is Auntie Ying who finally speaks. ‘I think your mother die with an important thought on her mind,’ she says in halting English.” (Chapter 1)

3. insolent (adjective):

rudely superior, arrogant, disrespectful

“She looked strange, too, like the missionary ladies at our school who were insolent and bossy in their too-tall shoes, foreign clothes, and short hair.” (Chapter 2)

4. concubine (noun):

a woman who lives with a man but does not have the official status of a wife; a sexual servant

“When my brother accused Auntie of frightening our mother away, Auntie shouted that our mother had married a man named Wu Tsing who already had a wife, two concubines, and other bad children.