别说两万两 四万两 八万两
“let alone 20,000 taels, even 40,000 or 80,000 taels,”
THE DIALOGUE REEL
看在姑母的面上
“for my aunt's sake,”
别说 两万 两 四万两 八万两
“let alone 20,000 taels, even 40,000 or 80,000 taels,”
我们都不会 与顾家计较的
“we wouldn't have held it against the Gu family.”
“Money means nothing to us; we are being extraordinarily generous to your family.”
Displaying financial magnanimity towards maternal or affinal kin is a primary vehicle for elite families to showcase status, honor, and filial loyalty.
LEARNING CHUNKS & PARTICLES
let alone / not to mention
Used to introduce a baseline figure before escalating to much larger scenarios.
for the sake of / out of respect for
A vital phrase invoked when extending favors or forgiving debts based on relational connections.
VOCABULARY & EXPRESSIONS
Parallel Spoken Cinema Scenes (语义近邻切片)
“What 20,000 taels of silver?”
“It was nearly 20,000. It was less than 20,000.”
“Don't think 20,000 yuan is a small amount. Many people have that misconception.”
“I heard it's over ten million. Over ten million?”
“8,000 taels... is a lot.”
“Forget twenty-six thousand. Even if you doubled the price, people would still sign up.”