否则险些被净身
“I would have been castrated”
THE DIALOGUE REEL
有副好嗓子
“my good voice,”
否则 险些被净身
“I would have been castrated”
去卖作太监了
“and sold as a eunuch.”
“I had a terrifyingly close call that would have ruined my entire life.”
Poverty often drove families to have sons castrated to serve in the imperial palace for financial survival, which was viewed both as a sacrifice and a loss of lineage.
LEARNING CHUNKS & PARTICLES
otherwise; if not
A common transitional conjunction used to introduce an undesirable alternative consequence.
nearly; almost
Used in spoken and written Chinese to indicate an undesirable event that was narrowly avoided.
castration (specifically for becoming a palace eunuch)
A historical euphemistic term referring to the surgical procedure undergone to enter imperial service.
VOCABULARY & EXPRESSIONS
Parallel Spoken Cinema Scenes (语义近邻切片)
“to keep it from falling into evil hands.”
“fall into the villains' hands.”
“It's very dangerous if we don't eliminate this guy.”
“If we go strictly by the written pledge, he'll basically end up with nothing anyway.”
“One misstep could lead to a trap.”
“Lest it falls into the wrong hands.”