Red Scarf Girl: List 5

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 "The Incriminating Letter"–Epilogue.

Here are links to our lists for the book: List 1, List 2, List 3, List 4, List 5
15 words 370 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. summons
    an order to appear in person at a given place and time
    It was good to be home, in spite of my worry about the summons from the theater.
  2. impulsively
    in a hasty way; without caution or planning
    Impulsively I slipped out of bed and, without even putting on my slippers, tiptoed over to Mom’s bed.
  3. humiliate
    cause to feel shame
    They treated people with nonpolitical problems, like Aunt Wu, as class enemies, and they had humiliated her, shaving half of her head in a yin-yang hairdo.
  4. methodical
    characterized by orderliness
    Thin-Face and his crew were methodical and thorough. They emptied every trunk and every drawer, tore the beds and sofa apart, and even searched the dusty attic carefully.
  5. luxurious
    rich and superior in quality
    One woman found the rags cut from Grandma’s old gowns. “We can piece these together and use them for the Landlord Jiang Xi-reng’s struggle meeting. It is excellent proof of his luxurious lifestyle,” she said excitedly, and the whole box was carried away.
  6. scrutinize
    look at critically or searchingly, or in minute detail
    He scrutinized the book and then looked back at Ji-yong.
  7. grimace
    a contorted facial expression
    He gave a grimace meant to suggest a smile.
  8. haggard
    showing the wearing effects of overwork or care or suffering
    Her face was terribly haggard. She looked as if she were about to faint.
  9. sinister
    wicked, evil, or dishonorable
    Thin-Face dashed into the room, his face lit with a sinister smile of victory.
  10. verdict
    a position or opinion reached after consideration
    So you thought you could reverse the verdict, did you?
  11. devastate
    overwhelm or overpower
    My body was an empty shell, too devastated to feel anything but exhaustion. I could not fight anymore.
  12. manipulate
    influence or control shrewdly or deviously
    Our leader had taken advantage of our trust and loyalty to manipulate the whole country.
  13. contemporary
    a person of nearly the same age as another
    As for the others in my story, in the early 1970s nearly all of my contemporaries were sent to the countryside for “reeducation.” According to Mao, this was supposed to benefit both the young students and the farmers. The students would learn to respect the working masses, and the farmers would learn new technology from the students.
  14. upheaval
    a state of violent disturbance and disorder
    In the recent economic upheavals her factory closed, and the last time I saw her she was still unemployed.
  15. persecute
    cause to suffer
    Those who persecuted others, even beat or tortured them, were victims too, after all. They all believed they were doing it for Chairman Mao. In fact, many were caught on the wrong side in the power struggles and were persecuted in their turn, just as Du Hai’s mother was.
Created on Sat Nov 14 21:42:41 EST 2015 (updated Mon Jun 23 10:45:05 EDT 2025)

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