The White Mountain (48 page)
Read The White Mountain Online
Authors: David Wingrove
| sao mu | the âFeast of the Dead' |
| shang | the south |
| shan shui | the literal meaning is âmountains and water', but the term is normally associated with a style of landscape painting that depicts rugged mountain scenery with river valleys in the foreground. It is a highly popular form, first established in the T'ang dynasty, back in the seventh to ninth centuries AD |
| shao lin | specially trained assassins, named after the monks of the shao lin monastery |
| shao nai nai | literally, âlittle grandmother'. A young girl who has been given the responsibility of looking after her siblings |
| she t'ou | a âtongue' or taster, whose task is to safeguard his master from poisoning |
| shen chung | âcaution' |
| shen mu | âshe who stands in the door': a common prostitute |
| shen nu | âgod girls': superior prostitutes |
| shen t'se | special elite force, named after the âpalace armies' of the late T'ang dynasty |
| Shih | âMaster'. Here used as a term of respect somewhat equivalent to our use of âMister'. The term was originally used for the lowest level of civil servants, to distinguish them socially from the run-of-the-mill âMisters' ( hsian sheng ) below them and the gentlemen ( ch'un tzu ) above |
| shou hsing | a peach brandy |
| Shui Hu Chuan | Outlaws of the Marsh , a long historical novel attributed to Lo Kuan-chung but re-cast in the early sixteenth century by âShih Nai-an', a scholar. Set in the eleventh century, it is a saga of bandits, warlords and heroes. Written in pure pai hua â colloquial Chinese â it is the tale of how its heroes became bandits. Its revolutionary nature made it deeply unpopular with both the Ming and Manchu dynasties, but it remains one of the most popular adventures among the Chinese populace |
| siang chi | Chinese chess, a very different game from its Western counterpart |
| Ta | âBeat', here a heavily amplified form of Chinese folk music, popular amongst the young |
| ta lien | an elaborate girdle pouch |
| Ta Ssu Nung | the Superintendency of Agriculture |
| tai | literally âpockets' but here denoting Representatives in the House at Weimar. âOwned' financially by the Seven, historically such tai have served a double function in the House, counterbalancing the strong mercantile tendencies of the House and serving as a conduit for the views of the Seven. Traditionally they had been elderly, well-respected men, but more recently their replacements were young, brash and very corrupt, more like the hoppoes of the Opium Wars period |
| t'ai chi | the Original, or One, from which the duality of all things ( yin and yang ) developed, according to Chinese cosmology. We generally associate the t'ai chi with the Taoist symbol, that swirling circle of dark and light supposedly representing an egg (perhaps the Hun Tun ), the yolk and the white differentiated |
| tai hsiao | a white wool flower, worn in the hair |
| Tai Huo | âGreat Fire' |
| T'ai Shan | Mount T'ai, the highest and most sacred of China's mountains, located in Shantung province. A stone pathway of 6,293 steps leads to the summit and for thousands of years the ruling emperor has made ritual sacrifices at its foot, accompanied by his full retinue, presenting evidence of his virtue. T'ai Shan is one of the five Taoist holy mountains, and symbolizes the very centre of China. It is the mountain of the sun, symbolizing the bright male force ( yang ). âAs safe as T'ai Shan' is a popular saying, denoting the ultimate in solidity and certainty |
| Tai Shih Lung | Court Astrologer, a title that goes back to the Han dynasty |
| T'ang | literally, âbeautiful and imposing'. It is the title chosen by the Seven, who were originally the chief advisors to Tsao Ch'un, the tyrant. Since overthrowing Tsao Ch'un, it has effectively had the meaning of âemperor' |
| Ta Ts'in | the Chinese name for the Roman Empire. They also knew Rome as Li Chien and as âthe land West of the Sea'. The Romans themselves they termed the âBig Ts'in' â the Ts'in being the name the Chinese gave themselves during the Ts'in dynasty ( AD 265â316) |
| te | âspiritual power', âtrue virtue' or âvirtuality', defined by Alan Watts as âthe realization or expression of the Tao in actual living' |
| t'e an tsan | âinnocent westerners'. For âinnocent' perhaps read naive |
| ti tsu | a bamboo flute, used both as a solo instrument and as part of an ensemble, playing traditional Chinese music |
| ti yu | the âearth prison' or underworld of Chinese legend. There are ten main Chinese Hells, the first being the courtroom in which the sinner is sentenced and the last being that place where they are reborn as human beings. In between are a vast number of sub-Hells, each with its own Judge and staff of cruel warders. In Hell, it is always dark, with no differentiation between night and day |
| Tian | âHeaven', also, âthe dome of the sky' |
| tian-fang | literally âto fill the place of the dead wife'; used to signify the upgrading of a concubine to the more respectable position of wife |
| tiao tuo | bracelets of gold and jade |
| T'ieh Lo-han | âIron Goddess of Mercy', a ch'a |
| T'ieh Pi Pu Kai | literally, âthe iron pen changes not', this is the final phrase used at the end of all Chinese government proclamations for the last three thousand years |
| ting | an open-sided pavilion in a Chinese garden. Designed as a focal point in a garden, it is said to symbolize man's essential place in the natural order of things |
| T'ing Wei | the Superintendency of Trials, an institution that dates back to the T'ang dynasty. See Book Eight, The White Mountain , for an instance of how this department of government â responsible for black propaganda â functions |
| T'o | âcamel-backed', a Chinese term for âhunch-backed' |
| tong | a gang. In China and Europe these are usually smaller and thus subsidiary to the Triads, but in North America the term has generally taken the place of Triad |
| tou chi | Glycine Max, or the black soybean, used in Chinese herbal medicine to cure insomnia |
| Tsai Chien! | âUntil we meet again!' |
| Tsou Tsai Hei | âthe Walker in the Darkness' |
| tsu | the north |
| tsu kuo | the motherland |
| ts'un | a Chinese âinch' of approximately 1.4 Western inches. Ten ts'un form one ch'i |
| Tu | Earth |
| tzu | âElder Sister' |
| wan wu | literally âthe ten thousand things'; used generally to include everything in creation, or, as the Chinese say, âall things in Heaven and Earth' |
| Wei | Commandant of Security |
| wei chi | âthe surrounding game', known more commonly in the West by its Japanese name of Go . It is said that the game was invented by the legendary Chinese Emperor Yao in the year 2350 BC to train the mind of his son, Tan Chu, and teach him to think like an emperor |
| wen ming | a term used to denote civilization, or written culture |
| wen ren | the scholar-artist; very much an ideal state, striven for by all creative Chinese |
| weng | âOld man'. Usually a term of respect |
| Wu | a diviner; traditionally, these were âmediums' who claimed to have special psychic powers. Wu could be either male or female |
| Wu | ânon-being'. As Lao Tzu says: âOnce the block is carved, there are names.' But the Tao is unnameable ( wu-ming ) and before Being ( yu ) is Non-Being ( wu ). Not to have existence, or form, or a name, that is wu |
| Wu ching | the âFive Classics' studied by all Confucian scholars, comprising the Shu Ching ( Book of History ), the Shih Ching ( Book of Songs ), the I Ching ( Book of Changes ), the Li Ching ( Book of Rites , actually three books in all), and the Ch'un Chui ( The Spring and Autumn Annals of the State of Lu ) |
| wu fu | the five gods of good luck |
| wu tu | the âfive noxious creatures' â which are toad, scorpion, snake, centipede and gecko (wall lizard) |
| Wushu | the Chinese word for Martial Arts. It refers to any of several hundred schools. Kung fu is a school within this, meaning âskill that transcends mere surface beauty' |
| wuwei | non-action, an old Taoist concept. It means keeping harmony with the flow of things â doing nothing to break the flow |
| ya | homosexual. Sometimes the term âa yellow eel' is used |
| yamen | the official building in a Chinese community |
| yang | the âmale principle' of Chinese cosmology, which, with its complementary opposite, the female yin , forms the t'ai ch'i , derived from the Primeval One. From the union of yin and yang arise the âfive elements' (water, fire, earth, metal, wood) from which the âten thousand things' (the wan wu ) are generated. Yang signifies Heaven and the South, the Sun and Warmth, Light, Vigor, Maleness, Penetration, odd numbers and the Dragon. Mountains are yang |
| yang kuei tzu | Chinese name for foreigners, âOcean Devils'. It is also synonymous with âBarbarians' |
| yang mei ping | âwillow plum sickness', the Chinese term for syphilis, provides an apt description of the male sexual organ in the extreme of this sickness |
| yi | the number one |
| yin | the âfemale principle' of Chinese cosmology (see yang ). Yin signifies Earth and the North, the Moon and Cold, Darkness, Quiescence, Femaleness, Absorption, even numbers and the Tiger. The yin lies in the shadow of the mountain |
| yin mao | pubic hair |
| Ying kuo | English, the language |
| ying tao | âbaby peach', a term of endearment here |
| ying tzu | âshadows' â trained specialists of various kinds, contracted out to gangland bosses |
| yu | literally âfish', but, because of its phonetic equivalence to the word for âabundance', the fish symbolizes wealth. Yet there is also a saying that when the fish swim upriver it is a portent of social unrest and rebellion |
| yu ko | a âJade Barge', here a type of luxury sedan |
| Yu Kung | âFoolish Old Man!' |
| yu ya | deep elegance |
| yuan | the basic currency of Chung Kuo (and modern-day China). Colloquially (though not here) it can also be termed kuai â âpiece' or âlump'. Ten mao (or, formally, jiao ) make up one yuan , while 100 fen (or âcents') comprise one yuan |
| yueh ch'in | a Chinese dulcimer, one of the principal instruments of the Chinese orchestra |
| Ywe Lung | literally âThe Moon Dragon', the wheel of seven dragons that is the symbol of the ruling Seven throughout Chung Kuo: âAt its centre the snouts of the regal beasts met, forming a rose-like hub, huge rubies burning fiercely in each eye. Their lithe, powerful bodies curved outward like the spokes of a giant wheel while at the edge their tails were intertwined to form the rim.' (Chapter 29 of The Middle Kingdom ) |
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