半生缘

[Fred0]

The Gu family is being forced by Manlu to move to Suzhou.

顾太太再也没想到，今年要到苏州去过年。

How should one interpret 再也 in this sentence?  Mrs. Gu didn’t any longer not expect...?

[Publius]

One should interpret it as 再怎么想也没有想到

 

再

6 [used correlatively with 也, followed by a negative expression] no matter how...still (not)

他再卖力也升不了职。

No matter how hard he works, he'll never get promoted.

你再劝他也没有用。

Try as you may, you will never persuade him.

[Fred0]

Very helpful. Thank you.

Would you give me the reference to this definition #6? Thank you.

[Publius]

It's from Pleco's built-in dictionary.

[Fred0]

弄口有一个小木栅，看弄堂人就住在那里，却有一个女佣立在他的窗外和他谈心。

 

The 弄堂 in which the Gu family lived has a gatehouse which is refered to as a 木栅， which the dictionaries define as a pallisade Is this an abreviation of a longer term such as 木栅门房？

[roddy]

OCR error for 木棚, I think. 

[murrayjames]

@Fred0 how far along in the book are you?

[Fred0]

@murrayjames.I'm most of the way through Chapter 12, but it has taken two years to get here. It's only my second Chinese book. What are you doing in Chengdu?

[murrayjames]

Slow and steady progress, @Fred0! 张爱玲 is difficult compared with the novelists who usually get recommended around here.

 

1 hour ago, Fred0 said:

What are you doing in Chengdu?

 

Preparing for my next adventure ?

[Fred0]

@murrayjames,  一个神秘的回应。?  谢谢你的励志。

[Fred0]

在这傍晚的时候，园子里已经昏黑了，天上倒还很亮，和白天差不多。映着那淡淡的天色，有一钩淡金色的蛾眉月。

 

At twilight, Shijun is being led through a garden with high walls on both sides covered in holly. Shining in the dull light of the sky is a pale gold moon the shape of a beautiful woman's eyebrow.

 

Is 钩 a measure word for 月, or is she saying metaphoically that the golden moon is sewn onto the sky?

 

 

[Wurstmann]

I think it's just literally a hook/crescent (形状像钩子的). Because a 蛾眉月 looks like this:

[Fred0]

Of course, that makes perfect sense. Thank you.

[Fred0]

Ah Bao, Manlu's maid, has run into Shijun and is uneasy (?) about seeing him because he may ask her where the Gu family moved to. She knows but is not supposed to tell him.

 

阿宝一时心虚，怕他和她攀谈起来，要是问起顾家现在搬到什么地方去了，万一倒说得前言不对后语。

 

What does this last clause mean? (if, by any chance the first word she says is wrong, what would she say after that?)

 

What does 心虚 mean in this context?

[陳德聰]

前言不對後語 is when your story doesn't line up, i.e. the first part of what you said 前言 doesn't match 不對 the second part 後語.

 

I'm not really following the storyline here but my read is the maid would lie to him but also is worried she's going to get caught in that lie.

 

心虛 is what you feel when you've done something bad and you feel scared for the consequences

[Fred0]

Very helpful. Thank you.

[Fred0]

The author is pointing out that people are trying to throw Cuizhi and Shijun together, hoping that they will become a couple.  Cuizhi often goes to Amy’s to play tennis: 她常到爱咪那里去打网球，爱咪就常常找世钧去凑一脚。

 

What does this expression 去凑一脚 mean?

[陳德聰]

湊腳 means to put together enough people for a game.

[Fred0]

Yes. Makes sense. Thanks.

 

[Fred0]

Cuizhi has come to Shijun's house very upset because she has just run away from home to avoid a matchmaking meeting with a horrible man. Shijun asks her what's wrong and then goes over and puts his arm around her shoulders to comfort her.

 

世钧微笑着叫了声：“翠芝。”  又道：“你怎么了？”   她不答应。他又呆了一会，便走过来坐在她身边，用手臂围住她的肩膀。

... 翠芝终于挣脱了他的手臂。然后她又好像解释似的低声说了一句：“待会儿给人家看见了。”  那么，如果没有被人看见的危险，就是可以的了。世钧不禁望着她微微一笑，翠芝立刻涨红了脸，站起来就走，道：“我走了。”世钧笑道：“回家去？”翠芝大声道：“谁说的？我才不回去呢？”

 

My question is, in the clause 世钧不禁望着她微微一笑. Is it Shijun who smiles or Cuizhi, and how can one tell? It seems to me that it can be saying that he looked at her and smiled, or that he looked at her and saw a little smile (on her face), which causes her to blush. So, should I read "he gazed at her little smile," or he gazed at her and gave a little smile." The main thing I would like is insight into how to distinguish between these two readings.