Red Scarf Girl: List 4

by Ji-li Jiang
Ji-li Jiang lived a happy life in China until the Cultural Revolution of 1966. As political unrest and division swept the country, her father was imprisoned and her life was turned upside down. In this memoir, she provides a window into a transformative period in Chinese history.

This list covers "An Educable Child"–"The Rice Harvest."

Here are links to our lists for the book: List 1, List 2, List 3, List 4, List 5
15 words 414 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. reproach
    a mild rebuke or criticism
    She gave me her shy smile and fidgeted with the fringe of her scarf as if expecting a reproach.
  2. sensational
    causing intense interest, curiosity, or emotion
    Suddenly I pictured my teachers and classmates reading the sensational article, passing it around and gossiping about it.
  3. snide
    expressive of contempt
    I heard Pudge’s snide voice again. “Jiang Ji-li, is your family related to Chiang Kai-shek too?”
  4. domineering
    tending to rule in a cruel manner
    When he came into our alley, he held his head high and spoke in domineering tones. He seemed to swagger, and enjoyed having power.
  5. reserved
    marked by self-restraint and reticence
    "...You did a terrific job!” An Yi’s face was glowing.
    “It’s true. You were very good.” Lin-lin was more reserved but just as sincere.
  6. curtly
    in an abrupt and discourteous manner
    He barely glanced at Teacher Li before saying curtly, “Jiang Ji-li, come to our office right away. Someone wants to talk to you.”
  7. animated
    having life or vigor or spirit
    His cold manner became a little more animated.
  8. stance
    a rationalized mental attitude
    The point is that as long as you have the correct class stance, it will be easy to testify.
  9. conviction
    an unshakable belief in something without need for proof
    My voice grew stronger with conviction. “He never said anything against the Party.”
  10. rostrum
    a platform raised above the surrounding level
    A huge poster of Chairman Mao in a green army uniform, waving to the Red Guards from the Tienanmen rostrum, covered almost an entire wall.
  11. sickle
    an edge tool for cutting grass or crops
    We bent over the rice and concentrated on what the farmers had told us: Sickle in the right hand, grab six plants with the left hand, cut them at the roots, take one step forward.
  12. slog
    work doggedly or persistently
    We slogged ahead.
  13. oblivious
    lacking conscious awareness of
    As soon as we finished work, we threw ourselves on our mats and fell fast asleep, oblivious to our sweaty, filthy bodies and crying stomachs.
  14. grievance
    a complaint about a wrong that causes resentment
    I only cried harder. I felt as if I were pouring out the whole year’s grievances.
  15. surmount
    get on top of; deal with successfully
    I repeated Chairman Mao’s quotation, “Be resolute, fear no sacrifice, and surmount every difficulty to win victory.”
Created on Sat Nov 14 21:28:40 EST 2015 (updated Mon Jun 23 10:33:50 EDT 2025)

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