Heartfelt thanks also to my many kind and persnickety readers — Dave, Eileen, Jeanne, Neal, Louise, Jayne Anne, Suzanne, Maxine, Camille, Jayne, Ruth, Sam, and Mom. Please note that, as there is no standard transliteration for Shang-hainese, all Chinese phrases in this novel are given in Mandarin. Pinym is used except for surnames, which are romanized as they would have been at the time. "How can you listen with your hands over your ears?" He shrugs. "I'm listening.*' Back and forth. Until finally, irked, she says what his tutor always says, "You listen but don't hear!" — distinguishing, the way the Chinese will, between effort and result. Verbs in English are simple. One listens. After all, why should a listening person not hear? What's taken for granted in English, though, is spelled out in Chinese; there's even a verb construction for this purpose. Ting de jian in Mandarin means, one listens and hears. Ting bu jian means, one listens but fails to hear.
