A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers (2007) (edit title/settings)

Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit

Write a ridiculously simplified synopsis.

Characters/People edit see section history

• Mrs. Margaret: Z's English language teacher in London
• Antonia: Add a description of this character.

Quotes edit see section history

• “A petal is a pessimist. A petal will fade away.An old man's body is a pessimist, things that are rotten and falling apart.A buddhist is a pessimist in his reality, but in the end when he faces his death he is an optimist, because he has prepared his whole life to welcome the peace of death.A farmer is an optimist, because he believes the potatoes will come out underneath the soil.A fishman is an optimist, because he knows whatever how far he fishes, he will come back with his boat full of fish.A pesticide is an optimist. It means sustain the good life by killing bad life.Everyone tries to be an optimist. But being an optimist is a bit boring and not honest. Losers are more interesting than winners.”

• Popular Highlights from Kindle Customers

• human in our country. Is not like order in English sentence, “I,” or “Jake” or “Mary” by front of everything, supposing be most important thing to whole sentence.

  Highlighted by 6 Kindle customers

• “It’s important to be able to live with uncertainty.”

  Highlighted by 5 Kindle customers

• Home is everything. Home is not sex but also about it. Home is not a delicious meal but is also about it. Home is not a lighted bedroom but is also about it. Home is not a hot bath in the winter but it is also about it.

  Highlighted by 5 Kindle customers

• Chinese, we not having grammar. We saying things simple way. No verb-change usage, no tense differences, no gender changes. We bosses of our language. But, English language is boss of English user.

  Highlighted by 4 Kindle customers

• “Love,” this English word: like other English words it has tense. “Loved” or “will love” or “have loved.” All these specific tenses mean Love is time-limited thing. Not infinite. It only exist in particular period of time. In Chinese, Love is “” (ai). It has no tense. No past and future. Love in Chinese means a being, a situation, a circumstance. Love is existence, holding past and future.

  Highlighted by 4 Kindle customers

• It’s the heart afraid of breaking that never learns to dance

  Highlighted by 3 Kindle customers

• “The reality that surrounds us is not real. It is the illusion of life.”

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• “In the West we are used to loneliness. I think it’s good for you to experience loneliness, to explore what it feels like to be on your own. After a while, you will start to enjoy solitude. You won’t be so scared of it anymore.”

  Highlighted by 3 Kindle customers

• You know I like to fight. I am woman warrior. I like to do everything through fighting. I fight for everything. Struggle for everything. We Chinese are used to struggle get everything: food, education, house, freedom, visa, and human rights. If no need struggle then we don’t know how to live anymore.

  Highlighted by 3 Kindle customers

• fun—I need show these embassy officer my bank account to apply my Europe visa. And my bank statements is never qualify for them. You a free man of free world. I am not free, like you.

  Highlighted by 3 Kindle customers

Setting & Locations edit see section history

• Chinatown
• London
• England
• Berlin
• Venice
• Dublin
• Portugal
• Wales
• Europe

First Sentence edit see section history

Series & Lists edit see section history

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

1. Xiaolu Guo (Author)

First Edition edit see section history

Awards edit see section history

• Orange Prize for Fiction (Finalist, 2007)

Classification edit see section history

• Library of Congress: Add the Library of Congress Classification.
• Dewey: 823.92

Subjects edit see section history

• Books › Reference › Dictionaries & Thesauruses › Foreign Language › Chinese
• Books › Literature & Fiction › Contemporary
• Books › Literature & Fiction › Literary