Vocabulary in The Joy Luck Club

A social gathering where Chinese immigrant women meet to play mahjong, share food, and tell stories, using the occasion to preserve hope and community amid hardship.

A Chinese tile game played by four players, involving skill and chance, used here as the central ritual of the women's weekly gatherings.

Ingots of pure silver formerly used as currency in China; here a symbol of old-world wealth and the life left behind.

A city in southern China whose name carries deep personal meaning for one of the mothers as the place where the Joy Luck Club originated during wartime.

A woman who lives with a man and has a sexual relationship with him but has a lower social status than a wife; in this text, a fate some mothers narrowly escape or are forced into.

In Chinese custom, a man's secondary wife, who holds formal but subordinate status in the household and can wield cruel authority over others.

A ceremonial candle lit at both ends during a traditional Chinese wedding; the side that burns longer is believed to determine which spouse will outlive and dominate the other.

Formally promised in marriage, often by family arrangement rather than personal choice, as was common in traditional Chinese society.

A figure from Chinese legend, Chang O, who swallowed an immortality pill and was banished to the moon; in the text she grants one secret wish to those who see her on the night of the Moon Festival.

A traditional Chinese harvest celebration held on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month, marked by offerings, lanterns, and the telling of legends.

Dangerous or unlucky thresholds described in a Chinese almanac said to warn children of specific perils tied to their age; the title of the second section of the novel.

The Chinese word for China, literally meaning 'middle kingdom'; used in the text to evoke a sense of cultural identity and origin.

In chess, the final stage of a game when few pieces remain and precise strategy determines the outcome; used here to reflect a daughter's growing mastery and cunning.

A strategy of restraint and concealment taught by a mother to her daughter — winning by not showing your full power or intentions to others.

A child with exceptional, extraordinary talent or ability, here used in the context of a mother's ambition for her daughter to become famous and gifted.

A Chinese character meaning long life or longevity, often used decoratively on objects given as gifts or kept in the home for good fortune.

In this text, the Chinese belief that one's destiny is shaped by forces beyond personal control, including the circumstances of birth, marriage, and the actions of ancestors.

A Chinese term used in the text to refer to a matching or pairing, particularly in the context of marriage compatibility and the forces that bring two people together.

A Chinese word meaning obedient or well-behaved, used to describe the dutiful conduct expected of children and daughters-in-law in traditional Chinese families.

A Chinese astrological or elemental description of a person's character, suggesting someone who lacks inner steadiness or the grounding force needed to resist being shaped by others.

A Chinese concept meaning the ability to do anything one puts one's mind to; an inner power of will and capability passed from mother to daughter.

Birds that in Chinese folklore symbolize joy and good luck when in pairs, but in this text are used ironically to represent false promises and the deceptions of a cruel husband.

The principal, legally recognized wife in a Chinese household who holds the highest domestic status, whose position can be threatened by a husband taking additional wives.

The condition of living between two cultures — Chinese and American — and presenting different aspects of oneself depending on which world one is navigating.

A Chinese proverb meaning 'if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold,' used to express the idea that the fates of two people or things are deeply and inseparably linked.