American Born Chinese: Pages 1–67

by Gene Luen Yang
Through three interlinked stories, this award-winning graphic novel explores assimilation, racism, and stereotypes.

This list covers vocabulary from pages 1–67.

Here are links to our lists for the work: List 1, List 2, List 3
15 words 7936 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. deity
    a supernatural being worshipped as controlling the world
    Now the monkey king was a deity in his own right.
  2. discipline
    a branch of knowledge
    He quickly mastered thousands of minor disciplines as well as the four major heavenly disciplines, prerequisites to immortality.
  3. fidget
    move restlessly
    He fidgeted this way and that (monkeys just aren't very good at waiting) but forced himself to stay in line.
  4. anticipation
    an expectation
    By the time the monkey king arrived at the front gate, he was beside himself with anticipation.
  5. sovereign
    greatest in status or authority or power
    "I am the sovereign ruler of flower-fruit mountain, where the flowers bloom year-round and the fruits are heavy with nectar!"
  6. parable
    a short moral story
    "My mother once told me an old Chinese parable."
  7. haggle
    wrangle, as over a price or terms of an agreement
    Every day when the son played, he pretended to buy and sell sticks he found on the street, haggling over prices with his friends.
  8. forfeit
    lose the right to or lose by some error, offense, or crime
    "...so long as you're willing to forfeit your soul."
  9. decree
    a legally binding command or decision
    The morning after the dinner party the monkey king issued a decree throughout all of flower-fruit mountain.
  10. fervently
    with strong emotion or zeal
    He locked himself deep down in the inner bowels of his royal chamber, where he studied kung-fu more fervently than ever.
  11. seclusion
    the act of isolating oneself from others
    "Sire, on the first night of your seclusion, the winds carried this down from heaven."
  12. transcend
    be superior or better than some standard
    "This 'monkey king' it speaks of no longer exists, for I have mastered twelve major disciplines of kung-fu and transcended my former title!"
  13. sage
    a mentor in spiritual and philosophical topics
    "I am now the great sage, equal of heaven."
  14. immortality
    the state of eternal life
    The great sage then visited Lao-tzu, patron of immortality...
  15. emissary
    someone sent to represent another's interests
    Soon after, the gods, the goddesses, the demons, and the spirits gathered before the lion, the ox, the human, and the eagle, emissaries of Tze-Yo-Tzuh.
Created on Wed Aug 19 15:40:14 EDT 2015 (updated Mon Jul 14 12:55:04 EDT 2025)

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