Chapter 26 of Hung Lou Meng — Book II is here in full — 509 sentences across 102 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXVI
Chapter 26 of Hung Lou Meng — Book II is here in full — 509 sentences across 102 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
In the Lu Hsüeh pavilion, they vie with each other in pairing verses on the scenery. In the Nuan Hsiang village, they compose, in beautiful style, riddles for the spring lanterns. But to continue. "We should, after all," Pao-ch'ai suggested, "make some distinction as to order. Let me write out what's needful."
Chapter 26 of Hung Lou Meng — Book II is here in full — 509 sentences across 102 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/101 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
form the substance of
From this reading “In the Nuan Hsiang village, they compose, in beautiful style, riddles for the spring lanterns.”
plural of “lantern” — light in a transparent protective case
From this reading “In the Nuan Hsiang village, they compose, in beautiful style, riddles for the spring lanterns.”
necessary for relief or supply
From this reading “Let me write out what's needful."”
the act of pairing a male and female for reproductive purposes
From this reading “In the Lu Hsüeh pavilion, they vie with each other in pairing verses on the scenery.”
large and often sumptuous tent
From this reading “In the Lu Hsüeh pavilion, they vie with each other in pairing verses on the scenery.”
plural of “riddle” — a difficult problem
From this reading “In the Nuan Hsiang village, they compose, in beautiful style, riddles for the spring lanterns.”
the painted structures of a stage set that are intended to suggest a particular locale
From this reading “In the Lu Hsüeh pavilion, they vie with each other in pairing verses on the scenery.”
compete for something; engage in a contest; measure oneself against others
From this reading “In the Lu Hsüeh pavilion, they vie with each other in pairing verses on the scenery.”
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
later than; following
From this reading "We should, after all," Pao-ch'ai suggested, "make some distinction as to order.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading "We should, after all," Pao-ch'ai suggested, "make some distinction as to order.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "We should, after all," Pao-ch'ai suggested, "make some distinction as to order.
delighting the senses or exciting intellectual or emotional admiration
From this reading In the Nuan Hsiang village, they compose, in beautiful style, riddles for the spring lanterns.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But to continue.
form the substance of
From this reading In the Nuan Hsiang village, they compose, in beautiful style, riddles for the spring lanterns.
continue a certain state, condition, or activity
From this reading But to continue.
a discrimination between things as different and distinct on the basis of their characteristics or attributes
From this reading "We should, after all," Pao-ch'ai suggested, "make some distinction as to order.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading In the Lu Hsüeh pavilion, they vie with each other in pairing verses on the scenery.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading In the Nuan Hsiang village, they compose, in beautiful style, riddles for the spring lanterns.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the Nuan Hsiang village, they compose, in beautiful style, riddles for the spring lanterns.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the Lu Hsüeh pavilion, they vie with each other in pairing verses on the scenery.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In the Lu Hsüeh pavilion, they vie with each other in pairing verses on the scenery.
plural of “lantern” — light in a transparent protective case
From this reading In the Nuan Hsiang village, they compose, in beautiful style, riddles for the spring lanterns.
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading Let me write out what's needful."
a trivalent metallic element of the rare earth group; usually occurs in association with yttrium
From this reading In the Lu Hsüeh pavilion, they vie with each other in pairing verses on the scenery.
engage in
From this reading "We should, after all," Pao-ch'ai suggested, "make some distinction as to order.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Let me write out what's needful."
necessary for relief or supply
From this reading Let me write out what's needful."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the Nuan Hsiang village, they compose, in beautiful style, riddles for the spring lanterns.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading In the Lu Hsüeh pavilion, they vie with each other in pairing verses on the scenery.
(often plural) a command given by a superior (e.g., a military or law enforcement officer) that must be obeyed
From this reading "We should, after all," Pao-ch'ai suggested, "make some distinction as to order.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading In the Lu Hsüeh pavilion, they vie with each other in pairing verses on the scenery.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Let me write out what's needful."
the act of pairing a male and female for reproductive purposes
From this reading In the Lu Hsüeh pavilion, they vie with each other in pairing verses on the scenery.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "We should, after all," Pao-ch'ai suggested, "make some distinction as to order.
large and often sumptuous tent
From this reading In the Lu Hsüeh pavilion, they vie with each other in pairing verses on the scenery.
plural of “riddle” — a difficult problem
From this reading In the Nuan Hsiang village, they compose, in beautiful style, riddles for the spring lanterns.
the painted structures of a stage set that are intended to suggest a particular locale
From this reading In the Lu Hsüeh pavilion, they vie with each other in pairing verses on the scenery.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading "We should, after all," Pao-ch'ai suggested, "make some distinction as to order.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading "We should, after all," Pao-ch'ai suggested, "make some distinction as to order.
the season of growth
From this reading In the Nuan Hsiang village, they compose, in beautiful style, riddles for the spring lanterns.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading In the Nuan Hsiang village, they compose, in beautiful style, riddles for the spring lanterns.
past form of “suggest” — make a proposal, declare a plan for something
From this reading "We should, after all," Pao-ch'ai suggested, "make some distinction as to order.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading In the Lu Hsüeh pavilion, they vie with each other in pairing verses on the scenery.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading In the Lu Hsüeh pavilion, they vie with each other in pairing verses on the scenery.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading But to continue.
plural of “verse” — literature in metrical form
From this reading In the Lu Hsüeh pavilion, they vie with each other in pairing verses on the scenery.
compete for something; engage in a contest; measure oneself against others
From this reading In the Lu Hsüeh pavilion, they vie with each other in pairing verses on the scenery.
a community of people smaller than a town
From this reading In the Nuan Hsiang village, they compose, in beautiful style, riddles for the spring lanterns.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "We should, after all," Pao-ch'ai suggested, "make some distinction as to order.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Let me write out what's needful."
in the company of; together with
From this reading In the Lu Hsüeh pavilion, they vie with each other in pairing verses on the scenery.
produce a literary work
From this reading Let me write out what's needful."
Chapter 26 of Hung Lou Meng — Book II by Xueqin Cao holds 509 sentences, grouped into 102 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
Chapter 26 holds 509 sentences of Hung Lou Meng — Book II, unabridged, divided into 102 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 26 of Hung Lou Meng — Book II by Xueqin Cao exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 509 sentences, grouped into 102 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.
Work through the 102 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 102 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 26 can be played aloud in United States English.
Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.
Common questions about reading Hung Lou Meng — Book II by Xueqin Cao on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 14023 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #9604 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #9604, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2805 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Hung Lou Meng — Book II section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 32 chapters of Hung Lou Meng — Book II to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in Hung Lou Meng — Book II, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
