used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Surely you will not think the Chinese a wise people, though very _clever_, as you will soon find.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Men in China wear necklaces and use fans.
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The gentlemen are proud of having one long nail on the little finger, to show that they do not labor like the poor, for if they did, the nail would break.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Surely you will not think the Chinese a wise people, though very _clever_, as you will soon find.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading Men and women dress in black, or in dark colors, such as blue and purple; the women sometimes dress in pink or green.
of the color intermediate between green and violet; having a color similar to that of a clear unclouded sky
From this reading Men and women dress in black, or in dark colors, such as blue and purple; the women sometimes dress in pink or green.
terminate
From this reading The gentlemen are proud of having one long nail on the little finger, to show that they do not labor like the poor, for if they did, the nail would break.
ChinanounUS /ˈtʃaɪnə/
a communist nation that covers a vast territory in eastern Asia; the most populous country in the world
From this reading Men in China wear necklaces and use fans.
ChinesenounUS /tʃaɪˈniːz/
any of the Sino-Tibetan languages spoken in China; regarded as dialects of a single language (even though they are mutually unintelligible) because they share an ideographic writing system
From this reading Surely you will not think the Chinese a wise people, though very _clever_, as you will soon find.
showing self-interest and shrewdness in dealing with others
From this reading Surely you will not think the Chinese a wise people, though very _clever_, as you will soon find.
colorsnounUS /ˈkʌlərz/
a flag that shows its nationality
From this reading Men and women dress in black, or in dark colors, such as blue and purple; the women sometimes dress in pink or green.
customsnounUS /ˈkʌstəmz/
money collected under a tariff
From this reading What foolish customs I have described.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading Men and women dress in black, or in dark colors, such as blue and purple; the women sometimes dress in pink or green.
represented in words especially with sharpness and detail
From this reading What foolish customs I have described.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading The gentlemen are proud of having one long nail on the little finger, to show that they do not labor like the poor, for if they did, the nail would break.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading The gentlemen are proud of having one long nail on the little finger, to show that they do not labor like the poor, for if they did, the nail would break.
put on clothes
From this reading Men and women dress in black, or in dark colors, such as blue and purple; the women sometimes dress in pink or green.
fansnounUS /fænz/
plural of “fan” — a device for creating a current of air by movement of a surface or surfaces
From this reading Men in China wear necklaces and use fans.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading Surely you will not think the Chinese a wise people, though very _clever_, as you will soon find.
feel or handle with the fingers
From this reading The gentlemen are proud of having one long nail on the little finger, to show that they do not labor like the poor, for if they did, the nail would break.
devoid of good sense or judgment
From this reading What foolish customs I have described.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The gentlemen are proud of having one long nail on the little finger, to show that they do not labor like the poor, for if they did, the nail would break.
plural of “gentleman” — a man of refinement
From this reading The gentlemen are proud of having one long nail on the little finger, to show that they do not labor like the poor, for if they did, the nail would break.
green color or pigment; resembling the color of growing grass
From this reading Men and women dress in black, or in dark colors, such as blue and purple; the women sometimes dress in pink or green.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading What foolish customs I have described.
havingauxiliary verbUS /ˈhævɪŋ/
the -ing form of “have”
From this reading The gentlemen are proud of having one long nail on the little finger, to show that they do not labor like the poor, for if they did, the nail would break.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading What foolish customs I have described.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading The gentlemen are proud of having one long nail on the little finger, to show that they do not labor like the poor, for if they did, the nail would break.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Men in China wear necklaces and use fans.
a social class comprising those who do manual labor or work for wages
From this reading The gentlemen are proud of having one long nail on the little finger, to show that they do not labor like the poor, for if they did, the nail would break.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading The gentlemen are proud of having one long nail on the little finger, to show that they do not labor like the poor, for if they did, the nail would break.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The gentlemen are proud of having one long nail on the little finger, to show that they do not labor like the poor, for if they did, the nail would break.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading The gentlemen are proud of having one long nail on the little finger, to show that they do not labor like the poor, for if they did, the nail would break.
the force of workers available
From this reading Men in China wear necklaces and use fans.
nailverbUS /neɪl/
attach something somewhere by means of nails
From this reading The gentlemen are proud of having one long nail on the little finger, to show that they do not labor like the poor, for if they did, the nail would break.
necklacesnounUS /ˈnekləsɪz/
plural of “necklace” — jewelry consisting of a cord or chain (often bearing gems) worn about the neck as an ornament (especially by women)
From this reading Men in China wear necklaces and use fans.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The gentlemen are proud of having one long nail on the little finger, to show that they do not labor like the poor, for if they did, the nail would break.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The gentlemen are proud of having one long nail on the little finger, to show that they do not labor like the poor, for if they did, the nail would break.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The gentlemen are proud of having one long nail on the little finger, to show that they do not labor like the poor, for if they did, the nail would break.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading The gentlemen are proud of having one long nail on the little finger, to show that they do not labor like the poor, for if they did, the nail would break.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Men and women dress in black, or in dark colors, such as blue and purple; the women sometimes dress in pink or green.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading Surely you will not think the Chinese a wise people, though very _clever_, as you will soon find.
a light shade of red
From this reading Men and women dress in black, or in dark colors, such as blue and purple; the women sometimes dress in pink or green.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading The gentlemen are proud of having one long nail on the little finger, to show that they do not labor like the poor, for if they did, the nail would break.
feeling self-respect or pleasure in something by which you measure your self-worth; or being a reason for pride
From this reading The gentlemen are proud of having one long nail on the little finger, to show that they do not labor like the poor, for if they did, the nail would break.
a purple color or pigment
From this reading Men and women dress in black, or in dark colors, such as blue and purple; the women sometimes dress in pink or green.
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading The gentlemen are proud of having one long nail on the little finger, to show that they do not labor like the poor, for if they did, the nail would break.
on certain occasions or in certain cases but not always
From this reading Men and women dress in black, or in dark colors, such as blue and purple; the women sometimes dress in pink or green.
in the near future
From this reading Surely you will not think the Chinese a wise people, though very _clever_, as you will soon find.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading Men and women dress in black, or in dark colors, such as blue and purple; the women sometimes dress in pink or green.
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading Surely you will not think the Chinese a wise people, though very _clever_, as you will soon find.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The gentlemen are proud of having one long nail on the little finger, to show that they do not labor like the poor, for if they did, the nail would break.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The gentlemen are proud of having one long nail on the little finger, to show that they do not labor like the poor, for if they did, the nail would break.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The gentlemen are proud of having one long nail on the little finger, to show that they do not labor like the poor, for if they did, the nail would break.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading Surely you will not think the Chinese a wise people, though very _clever_, as you will soon find.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading Surely you will not think the Chinese a wise people, though very _clever_, as you will soon find.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The gentlemen are proud of having one long nail on the little finger, to show that they do not labor like the poor, for if they did, the nail would break.
the act of using
From this reading Men in China wear necklaces and use fans.
precisely as stated
From this reading Surely you will not think the Chinese a wise people, though very _clever_, as you will soon find.
be dressed in
From this reading Men in China wear necklaces and use fans.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What foolish customs I have described.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading Surely you will not think the Chinese a wise people, though very _clever_, as you will soon find.
having or prompted by wisdom or discernment
From this reading Surely you will not think the Chinese a wise people, though very _clever_, as you will soon find.
plural of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading Men and women dress in black, or in dark colors, such as blue and purple; the women sometimes dress in pink or green.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading The gentlemen are proud of having one long nail on the little finger, to show that they do not labor like the poor, for if they did, the nail would break.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Surely you will not think the Chinese a wise people, though very _clever_, as you will soon find.
