我本是一个大户人家的家伎
“I was once a courtesan in a household of a wealthy family.”
THE DIALOGUE REEL
我本 是 一个 大户人家 的 家伎
“I was once a courtesan in a household of a wealthy family.”
一朝意外有孕
“I became pregnant by accident”
“I was treated as property with no rights or say in what happened to me.”
In traditional Chinese society, household entertainers (jiaji) belonged to the debased class (jianmin); they were considered chattel without legal rights or agency regarding romance, marriage, and childbirth.
LEARNING CHUNKS & PARTICLES
wealthy, prestigious, or noble family
Standard idiom used to describe affluent, influential lineages, especially in period or historical contexts.
private household singing girl or entertainer
A historical term specifically denoting female performers owned as property by aristocratic households in imperial China.
