[1] "Chia-Ching." Reign title of Emperor Shih-tsung (R.1522-1566) of China's Ming dynasty.

[2] "Two capitals." Ming dynasty had two capitals: Peking and Nanking.

[3] "Bright day." Spring festival in China whereon people tidy up the graves, clear up the graveyards, and make offerings to the dead.

[4] "Nine Springs." The Nether World.

[5] "Bronze-sparrow Tower." Castle mentioned in the Chinese novel 'The Three Kingdoms," in which Chancellor T'sao T'sao of State Wei intended to house two beautiful women of State Wu as his concubines.

[6] "Lady Phoebe." The moon personified

[7] "Doom Book." Book in which names of people with beauty and/or talent are listed to be doomed to a life of woe.

[8] "Doom Songs." Collection of songs by members of the Doom League.

[9] "Blue Bridge." An idiom from Chinese lore meaning a place where one encounters his or her partner of life. Here it denotes Kieu's residence.

[10] "View of Thuy." Has a dual meaning: 'Contemplation of verdure' or "contemplation of Thuy Kieu."

[11] "Ho-p'u." From the Chinese saying, 'Pearls have come back to Ho-p'u', a town in Kwangtung province renowned for its pearls, meaning what is lost has been returned to its owner.

[12] "Hsiang River." A river in China metaphorically meaning separation, longing, and grief.

[13] "Ladies Pan and Shieh." Two famous women of letters in Chinese history.

[14] "Chung Ch'i." A Chinese famous connoisseur who could understand the music played by his friend Po Ya.

[15] "Han-Ch'u." Two belligerent states in China in 2nd century BC after the downfall of Chin dynasty.

[16] "Tsu-ma's Phoenix Plea." Or "Plea of Phoenix Made to His Mate" by Tsu Ma Hsiang Ju. His playing of this tune captured the heart of Cho Wen-chun, who eloped with him against her family.

[17] "Chi K'ang." Chinese famous lutanist in the Three Kingdom Period (2nd century BC).

[18] "Kwang-ling." Favorite tune of Chi K'ang, said to be taught him by a Taoist immortal.

[19] "Crossing the Border by Chao-chun." Fictionally the tune played by Chao-chun, a lady of Han Emperor's harem who was offered to the Tartars in a diplomatic deal.

[20] "Chang and Ts'ui." Chang Chun-jui and Ts'ui Ying-ying, two lovers in the Chinese masterpiece 'His Hsiang Chi, known in the West as 'The Romance of the Western Chamber.'

[21] "Liao-yang." A town in what is now Liaoning Province in northern China.

[22] "Lin-ching." A district adjacent to Peking. Ma had lied, in fact his hometown is Lin-tzu. This lie causes difficulty and trouble to Kim Trong in his search for Thuy Kieu.

[23] "Miss Ying." Ti-ying presented a petition to Han emperor, offering to be a life-time public bondservant, and saved her father from death.

[24] "Lady Li." Li-chi, to earn money for her poor parents, sold herself to be a human sacrifice to a snake demon. She at last killed the monster and was made queen by the king of Yueh.

[25] "Lin-tzu." A city in Shantung Province, south of Peking.

[26] "Were they still alive or the worst had arrived." Literal meaning of the Vietnamese sentence which figuratively says, "The catalpa trunk would now fit one's embrace."

[27] "Tsong." Sung Yu, a citizen of Ch'u in 3rd century BC, renowned in Chinese history as a womanizer.

[28] "Tchang." Or Tchang Ching, courtesy name of Tsu-ma Hsiang-su, noted for his love affair with Cho Wen-chun (See note 15)

[29] "League of Doom." Association of beautiful and/or talented men and women destined to be doomed to a life of woe.

[30] "Hsi District in Ch'ang County." Wu-hsi District of Changzhou County in Jiangsu Province, South of Lin-tzu.

[31] "Lady Phoebe." The moon personified.

[32] "Black-iron face." Image of Bao Zheng (999-1063), a honest and upright mandarin in China's Sung Dynasty, figuratively meaning a very just and enlightened official.

[33] "High T'ang." A period in China's T'ang Dynasty noted for its thriving of great poets.

[34] "Three Fairy Islands." Taoist mythological islands where dwell the immortals.

[35] "Nine Springs." The nether world.

[36] "Graveyard-cat or field-hen." Vietnamese idioms referring to vagrants of dishonest living or dissolute behavior.

[37] "Void Gate." Or Gate of Buddhism, deriving from its concept of Void.

[38] "Five Nays and three Vows." Five Nays include: no killing, no stealing, no lechery, no lying, and no drinking alcohol. Three Vows include: surrender to Buddha, surrender to Dharma, and surrender to Sangha.

[39] "Drops of Buddhist Willow Branch." According to Buddhist belief, Bodhisattva Kuan Yin used a willow branch to sprinkle drops of water when curing human sufferings.

[40] "T'ai-ch'u." A coastal city in the Zhejiang Province, south of Wu-hsi.

[41] "Yueh-tung." Or Kwangtung, a province on the southern coast of China.

[42] "P'ing-yuan's Story." P'ing-yuan, a prince and general of Ch'ao in the Warring-States Period, led a delegation to seek military assistance from the state of Ch'u to break the Ch'in siege of his state's capital. His diplomatic mission was a success thank to the unique persuasive skill of Mao Sui, an unknown guest he had thought little of before.

[43] "Chin-yang will soon see the dragon in the cloud." Li Yuan, governor of T'ai-yuan in Chin-yang, predicted good omen from a sight of dragon in the cloud, made himself king, took over China, and became the founder of the T'ang Dynasty.

[44] "Huang Ch'ao." A rebellion leader in the T'ang Dynasty.

[45] "Sea Bird's Incarnated Soul." In Chinese mythology, a daughter of Emperor Yen was drowned at sea, and her soul turned into a bird which has tried to fill up the sea with twigs and pebbles.

[46] "Chuang." Chuang-sin, a character in a Taoist classic written by Chuang-tzu, dreamed that he changed into a butterfly, flying to and fro and enjoying itself. When waking up, he wondered if he was a man or a butterfly.

[47] "King of Shu." Or Emperor Wang who died of grief for losing his state. His soul reincarnated into a cuckoo to bewail the loss of his love and throne.

[48] "Lan-t'ien." A mountain in the region of Shansi, renowned for its jade.