[352] Literally, “One who would make wild geese alight and fish dive down for shame;” or, as the next line from the same poem has it, “a beauty which would obscure the moon and put flowers to the blush.”
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[353] Slave-girls do not have their feet compressed.
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[354] Wherein resides an old gentleman who ties together with a red cord the feet of those destined to become man and wife. From this bond there is no escape, no matter what distance may separate the affianced pair. The first go-between, Ku Ts‘ê, was originally seen, on ice, arranging matches with some one below:—
“Marriage is not a trifling thing—
The Book and the Vermilion String!
On ice by moonlight may be seen
The wedded couples’ go-between.”
—A Thousand Character Essay for Girls.
Hence the common phrase “to do the ice (business),” i.e., to arrange a marriage.
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[355] This proceeding is highly improper, but is winked at in a large majority of Chinese betrothals.
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