used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading You must know that in China the smaller the feet the more a woman is admired.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading When I was about four my feet were bound.
admiredadjectiveUS /ədˈmaɪərd/
regarded with admiration
From this reading You must know that in China the smaller the feet the more a woman is admired.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading For over a thousand years the custom has been observed, and only a few give it up, even though, as the common saying has it, “For every pair of small feet there has been shed a bucket of tears.”
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading For over a thousand years the custom has been observed, and only a few give it up, even though, as the common saying has it, “For every pair of small feet there has been shed a bucket of tears.”
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading For over a thousand years the custom has been observed, and only a few give it up, even though, as the common saying has it, “For every pair of small feet there has been shed a bucket of tears.”
bindverbUS /baɪnd/
stick to firmly
From this reading So as my mother wished me to have “little golden lilies,” as they were called, she commenced to bind my feet early.
confined by bonds
From this reading When I was about four my feet were bound.
bucketnounUS /ˈbʌkət/
a roughly cylindrical vessel that is open at the top
From this reading For over a thousand years the custom has been observed, and only a few give it up, even though, as the common saying has it, “For every pair of small feet there has been shed a bucket of tears.”
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading So as my mother wished me to have “little golden lilies,” as they were called, she commenced to bind my feet early.
ChinanounUS /ˈtʃaɪnə/
a communist nation that covers a vast territory in eastern Asia; the most populous country in the world
From this reading You must know that in China the smaller the feet the more a woman is admired.
past form of “commence” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading So as my mother wished me to have “little golden lilies,” as they were called, she commenced to bind my feet early.
belonging to or participated in by a community as a whole; public
From this reading For over a thousand years the custom has been observed, and only a few give it up, even though, as the common saying has it, “For every pair of small feet there has been shed a bucket of tears.”
accepted or habitual practice
From this reading For over a thousand years the custom has been observed, and only a few give it up, even though, as the common saying has it, “For every pair of small feet there has been shed a bucket of tears.”
earlyadjectiveUS /ˈɜːrli/
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading So as my mother wished me to have “little golden lilies,” as they were called, she commenced to bind my feet early.
divisible by two
From this reading For over a thousand years the custom has been observed, and only a few give it up, even though, as the common saying has it, “For every pair of small feet there has been shed a bucket of tears.”
everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading For over a thousand years the custom has been observed, and only a few give it up, even though, as the common saying has it, “For every pair of small feet there has been shed a bucket of tears.”
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading When I was about four my feet were bound.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading For over a thousand years the custom has been observed, and only a few give it up, even though, as the common saying has it, “For every pair of small feet there has been shed a bucket of tears.”
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For over a thousand years the custom has been observed, and only a few give it up, even though, as the common saying has it, “For every pair of small feet there has been shed a bucket of tears.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading When I was about four my feet were bound.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading For over a thousand years the custom has been observed, and only a few give it up, even though, as the common saying has it, “For every pair of small feet there has been shed a bucket of tears.”
having the deep slightly brownish color of gold
From this reading LITTLE GOLDEN LILIES.
hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading For over a thousand years the custom has been observed, and only a few give it up, even though, as the common saying has it, “For every pair of small feet there has been shed a bucket of tears.”
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading So as my mother wished me to have “little golden lilies,” as they were called, she commenced to bind my feet early.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading When I was about four my feet were bound.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading You must know that in China the smaller the feet the more a woman is admired.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading You must know that in China the smaller the feet the more a woman is admired.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading For over a thousand years the custom has been observed, and only a few give it up, even though, as the common saying has it, “For every pair of small feet there has been shed a bucket of tears.”
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading You must know that in China the smaller the feet the more a woman is admired.
LILIESnounUS /ˈlɪliz/
plural of “lily” — any liliaceous plant of the genus Lilium having showy pendulous flowers
From this reading LITTLE GOLDEN LILIES.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading LITTLE GOLDEN LILIES.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading So as my mother wished me to have “little golden lilies,” as they were called, she commenced to bind my feet early.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading You must know that in China the smaller the feet the more a woman is admired.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading So as my mother wished me to have “little golden lilies,” as they were called, she commenced to bind my feet early.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading You must know that in China the smaller the feet the more a woman is admired.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading When I was about four my feet were bound.
discovered or determined by scientific observation
From this reading For over a thousand years the custom has been observed, and only a few give it up, even though, as the common saying has it, “For every pair of small feet there has been shed a bucket of tears.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading For over a thousand years the custom has been observed, and only a few give it up, even though, as the common saying has it, “For every pair of small feet there has been shed a bucket of tears.”
and nothing more
From this reading For over a thousand years the custom has been observed, and only a few give it up, even though, as the common saying has it, “For every pair of small feet there has been shed a bucket of tears.”
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading For over a thousand years the custom has been observed, and only a few give it up, even though, as the common saying has it, “For every pair of small feet there has been shed a bucket of tears.”
a set of two similar things considered as a unit
From this reading For over a thousand years the custom has been observed, and only a few give it up, even though, as the common saying has it, “For every pair of small feet there has been shed a bucket of tears.”
a word or phrase that particular people use in particular situations
From this reading For over a thousand years the custom has been observed, and only a few give it up, even though, as the common saying has it, “For every pair of small feet there has been shed a bucket of tears.”
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading So as my mother wished me to have “little golden lilies,” as they were called, she commenced to bind my feet early.
get rid of
From this reading For over a thousand years the custom has been observed, and only a few give it up, even though, as the common saying has it, “For every pair of small feet there has been shed a bucket of tears.”
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading For over a thousand years the custom has been observed, and only a few give it up, even though, as the common saying has it, “For every pair of small feet there has been shed a bucket of tears.”
small or little relative to something else
From this reading You must know that in China the smaller the feet the more a woman is admired.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading So as my mother wished me to have “little golden lilies,” as they were called, she commenced to bind my feet early.
the process of shedding tears (usually accompanied by sobs or other inarticulate sounds)
From this reading For over a thousand years the custom has been observed, and only a few give it up, even though, as the common saying has it, “For every pair of small feet there has been shed a bucket of tears.”
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading You must know that in China the smaller the feet the more a woman is admired.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading You must know that in China the smaller the feet the more a woman is admired.
in or at that place or location
From this reading For over a thousand years the custom has been observed, and only a few give it up, even though, as the common saying has it, “For every pair of small feet there has been shed a bucket of tears.”
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading So as my mother wished me to have “little golden lilies,” as they were called, she commenced to bind my feet early.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading For over a thousand years the custom has been observed, and only a few give it up, even though, as the common saying has it, “For every pair of small feet there has been shed a bucket of tears.”
the cardinal number that is the product of 10 and 100
From this reading For over a thousand years the custom has been observed, and only a few give it up, even though, as the common saying has it, “For every pair of small feet there has been shed a bucket of tears.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading So as my mother wished me to have “little golden lilies,” as they were called, she commenced to bind my feet early.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading For over a thousand years the custom has been observed, and only a few give it up, even though, as the common saying has it, “For every pair of small feet there has been shed a bucket of tears.”
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading When I was about four my feet were bound.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading When I was about four my feet were bound.
at the time that
From this reading When I was about four my feet were bound.
past form of “wish” — hope for; have a wish
From this reading So as my mother wished me to have “little golden lilies,” as they were called, she commenced to bind my feet early.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading You must know that in China the smaller the feet the more a woman is admired.
a late time of life
From this reading For over a thousand years the custom has been observed, and only a few give it up, even though, as the common saying has it, “For every pair of small feet there has been shed a bucket of tears.”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You must know that in China the smaller the feet the more a woman is admired.
