dễ coi easy on the eyes
hiền hậu sweet and gentle
hiếu thảo pious
hoảng hốt terrified
khôi ngô handsome
lẳng lơ flirtatious
ô nhục humiliating
VERBS
cải trang to disguise oneself
chăm sóc to care for
chê cười to ridicule
choàng tỉnh to wake up all of a sudden
chợp mắt to fall asleep
dị nghị to object
đổ vạ to blame
dụ dỗ to seduce
lẩm bẩm to mumble
niệm Phật to pray to Buddha
phân trần to explain oneself
tá túc to stay temporarily
trau dồi to improve
tư thông to have an affair
ứng thí to sit for an exam
xuống tóc to shave off one’s hair
ADVERBS
ân cần thoughtfully
điềm đạm in a composed manner
tần tảo in a contrived manner
thậm tệ very badly
thiu thiu half-asleep
IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS
đến tuổi cập kê to come of age
khai hoa nở nhuỵ to give birth
không chồng mà chửa to be pregnant without being married
nấu sử sôi kinh to study diligently
nương nhờ cửa Phật to take shelter in a Buddhist temple
tâm đầu ý hợp to hit it off
tụng kinh gõ mõ to chant prayers (while beating a wooden bell)
xa lánh sự đời to stay away from worldly matters
Discussion Questions
1 Thi Kinh obeyed her parents’ decision to marry a scholar, considered a good catch for a young woman during that period, rather than marrying for love. What do you think about this?
2 Was Thien Si reasonable in accusing his wife of attempting to kill him in his sleep? Elaborate on your answer.
3 Was the feeling of Thi Mau for Thi Kinh love or lust? Explain your answer.
Princess Lieu Hanh
Earth as Land of Exile
If hell is usually thought of as a place to punish worldly bad people when they die, then Earth, on the other hand, is a land of exile for heavenly people who are guilty. More than once, a disobedient princess in Heaven is sent down to Earth by her angry father, the Jade Emperor. Instead of impatiently living out her exile on Earth to contemplate her wrongdoings, the rebellious princess turns the allotted days into a pleasant opportunity to interact with human beings.
Lieu Hanh was a princess who was the daughter of the Jade Emperor. She was very beautiful but also strong-headed. The Emperor made countless efforts to mold her to the customs of the heavenly home, but she was incorrigible. One day, after Lieu Hanh broke yet another rule, the Emperor went through the roof and decided to banish her to Earth below. Down on Earth, Lieu Hanh set up a small store at the foot of the Ngang mountain pass. The pass, which was previously a deserted place, suddenly became a crowded one, overflowing with people who came just to see the beautiful shopkeeper with their own eyes.
At that time, a prince, a son of King Le Thai To, heard rumors about this beautiful but brassy shopkeeper. The prince was determined to find this store at the foot of that mountain pass. He disguised himself as a wealthy merchant and went there with his entourage. When they arrived, both master and servants were astonished and delighted to see the lovely shopkeeper. Lieu Hanh welcomed the entire group with open arms, preparing them food and drinks, and entertaining everyone until they were all well fed.
When the prince was a little tipsy, he asked the shopkeeper, “I was wondering if my entourage and I could spend the night here in your shop. I will put up a tent in front of your shop so that there will be enough space.”
Lieu Hanh replied, “Yes, my lord and your entourage are welcome to stay. It’s already twilight anyway.”
Past midnight, almost everyone was deep asleep, except for the prince who was feeling full of lust. He couldn’t sleep a wink because the image of the beautiful shopkeeper kept lingering in his head. When he couldn’t stand it anymore, the prince got up and tiptoed into the shop. He crept into the small room where Lieu Hanh was soundly sleeping and attempted to become intimate with her. Unexpectedly, she used her magical powers to disappear, leaving him bewildered in the quiet room. A while later, he returned to his tent alone and lay there wide awake until morning. When the sun rose, the fake merchant and his entourage quickly repacked their tent and quietly left, wasting no time bidding the shopkeeper farewell.
When he returned to the palace, the prince suddenly became a different person. He stopped talking and laughing, and often sat for hours in one place, staring off somewhere. The Emperor and Empress were very worried. When the royal physician couldn’t do anything about his situation, the king invited many renowned physicians one by one to treat his son; yet, no one could figure out what was ailing him. Someone finally suggested that the physicians seek out Bat Bo Kim Cang, the eight generals of the goddess Quan Am, if they were to have any chance of curing the prince. Indeed, the generals’ magical spells helped the prince to slowly recover.
As for Lieu Hanh, a while later she gave birth to a baby boy. At that same time, she had just finished her term of exile on Earth, so she brought her son to a monk in the region to raise him. Returning to the Celestial Court, Lieu Hanh still acted the brassy princess as before, so it did not take long for the Jade Emperor to banish her down to Earth again. This time, she chose to open her shop at the Ba Doi mountain pass, and everyday served passers-by. Whoever was kind and decent, she treated ceremoniously, but whoever was dishonest, she punished mercilessly with different kinds of penalties. Not long afterwards, she gave birth to another child. Just as this final term of exile was coming to an end, Lieu Hanh again brought her second child to a Buddhist nun before returning to the heavens forever.
Both of her children grew up to become decent people. One of her children was none other than Trang Quynh, who became famous far and wide in the south. People of the Thanh-Nghe-Tinh region built a temple on the mountain to honor Princess Lieu Hanh. The temple is solemn and grave. No one dare touch any of the objects there for fear of her revenge.
Công Chúa Liễu Hạnh
Trần Gian Lưu Đày
Nếu địa ngục thường được cho là nơi đày đoạ những người có tội ở dương thế sau khi họ từ giã cõi đời thì ngược lại, trần gian lại là nơi lưu đày đối với những người phạm lỗi trên thiên đình. Một nàng