Chapter 5 of The Chinese Coat is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of The Chinese Coat is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
She held up her hand. “I am going to marry you—because you hold the secret—of the Past.... I cannot live without it.” She caught her breath and half reached out her hands—as if to a blind god who demanded sacrifice. There was a wistful look in her face.
Chapter 5 of The Chinese Coat is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
people who have severe visual impairments, considered as a group
From this reading “She caught her breath and half reached out her hands—as if to a blind god who demanded sacrifice.”
the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing
From this reading “She caught her breath and half reached out her hands—as if to a blind god who demanded sacrifice.”
inflected form of “catch” — discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading “She caught her breath and half reached out her hands—as if to a blind god who demanded sacrifice.”
past form of “demand” — request urgently and forcefully
From this reading “She caught her breath and half reached out her hands—as if to a blind god who demanded sacrifice.”
take in marriage
From this reading ““I am going to marry you—because you hold the secret—of the Past....”
the act of losing or surrendering something as a penalty for a mistake or fault or failure to perform etc.
From this reading “She caught her breath and half reached out her hands—as if to a blind god who demanded sacrifice.”
Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.
From this reading ““I am going to marry you—because you hold the secret—of the Past....”
showing pensive sadness
From this reading “There was a wistful look in her face.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
In this reading “I cannot live without it.””
move forward or upward in order to touch; also in a metaphorical sense
In this reading “She caught her breath and half reached out her hands—as if to a blind god who demanded sacrifice.”
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.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading She caught her breath and half reached out her hands—as if to a blind god who demanded sacrifice.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading “I am going to marry you—because you hold the secret—of the Past....
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She caught her breath and half reached out her hands—as if to a blind god who demanded sacrifice.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading She caught her breath and half reached out her hands—as if to a blind god who demanded sacrifice.
for the reason that
From this reading “I am going to marry you—because you hold the secret—of the Past....
people who have severe visual impairments, considered as a group
From this reading She caught her breath and half reached out her hands—as if to a blind god who demanded sacrifice.
the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing
From this reading She caught her breath and half reached out her hands—as if to a blind god who demanded sacrifice.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I cannot live without it.”
inflected form of “catch” — discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading She caught her breath and half reached out her hands—as if to a blind god who demanded sacrifice.
past form of “demand” — request urgently and forcefully
From this reading She caught her breath and half reached out her hands—as if to a blind god who demanded sacrifice.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading There was a wistful look in her face.
the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
From this reading She caught her breath and half reached out her hands—as if to a blind god who demanded sacrifice.
the act of departing
From this reading “I am going to marry you—because you hold the secret—of the Past....
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading She caught her breath and half reached out her hands—as if to a blind god who demanded sacrifice.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading She held up her hand.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading She caught her breath and half reached out her hands—as if to a blind god who demanded sacrifice.
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading She held up her hand.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She held up her hand.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading “I am going to marry you—because you hold the secret—of the Past....
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I am going to marry you—because you hold the secret—of the Past....
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading She caught her breath and half reached out her hands—as if to a blind god who demanded sacrifice.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading There was a wistful look in her face.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I cannot live without it.”
be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading I cannot live without it.”
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading There was a wistful look in her face.
take in marriage
From this reading “I am going to marry you—because you hold the secret—of the Past....
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “I am going to marry you—because you hold the secret—of the Past....
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading She caught her breath and half reached out her hands—as if to a blind god who demanded sacrifice.
the time that has elapsed
From this reading “I am going to marry you—because you hold the secret—of the Past....
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading She caught her breath and half reached out her hands—as if to a blind god who demanded sacrifice.
the act of losing or surrendering something as a penalty for a mistake or fault or failure to perform etc.
From this reading She caught her breath and half reached out her hands—as if to a blind god who demanded sacrifice.
Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.
From this reading “I am going to marry you—because you hold the secret—of the Past....
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She held up her hand.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “I am going to marry you—because you hold the secret—of the Past....
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was a wistful look in her face.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “I am going to marry you—because you hold the secret—of the Past....
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading She held up her hand.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was a wistful look in her face.
which person or people
From this reading She caught her breath and half reached out her hands—as if to a blind god who demanded sacrifice.
showing pensive sadness
From this reading There was a wistful look in her face.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading I cannot live without it.”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “I am going to marry you—because you hold the secret—of the Past....
Chapter 5 of The Chinese Coat by Jennette Lee holds 416 sentences, grouped into 84 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 5 holds 416 sentences of The Chinese Coat, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of The Chinese Coat by Jennette Lee exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 416 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 5 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 The Chinese Coat by Jennette Lee on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2028 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #52699 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #52699, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 169 minutes of reading across 406 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Chinese Coat section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of The Chinese Coat 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 The Chinese Coat, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
