| A | B |
| concubine | A women who is a secondary wife to a married Chinese man. |
| foot binding | An old Chinese custom of wrapping a girl's feet so that they would not grow. |
| gentility | "Of gentle birth" and refinement; of upper-class status. |
| lucrative | Producing wealth, profitable |
| mincing | walking or moving with short, affectedly dainty steps. |
| restrictive | confined or kept within limits. |
| lotus shoes | tiny 3-inch-long shoes made of silk and were beautifully embroidered. |
| Lotus of gold | When the women's feet were 3 inches long (about 7.5 centimetres). |
| Lotus of silver | The feet were 4 inches (about 10 centimetres) long. |
| Lotus of iron | The feet were more than 4 inches long. |