Chicago, a major city in the state of Illinois, USA

sesame; sesame seed

a solid food made from fermented animal milk; a loanword from English

Toshiba, a Japanese electronics company

Cecilia Cheung (1980-), Hong Kong actress and pop singer

The glossy ganoderma or reishi mushroom, a type of fungus used in traditional medicine and often associated with immortality in Chinese mythology.

Nyingchi, a prefecture-level city in the Tibet Autonomous Region

A thick paste made from roasted and ground sesame seeds, used as a condiment or seasoning; also called [[麻酱|麻醬|ma2 jiang4]]

Oil extracted from sesame seeds used for cooking and seasoning; also called [[香油|香油|xiang1 you2]] or [[麻油|麻油|ma2 you2]]

Zheng Zhilong (1604–1661), a powerful Chinese maritime merchant and pirate leader of the late Ming dynasty who initially organized settlements in Taiwan; he was the father of [[郑成功|鄭成功|zheng4 cheng2 gong1]]

low-ranking official or petty bureaucrat; often used humorously or to express slight contempt

Zhifu District of [[烟台市|煙臺市|yan1 tai2 shi4]] in Shandong province

Gao Xianzhi (c. 702-756), a prominent Tang dynasty general of [[高句丽|高句麗|gao1 gou1 li2]] descent who was active in Central Asia and led forces in the Battle of Talas.

turkey tail mushroom (Trametes versicolor); a type of bracket fungus used in traditional medicine for treating hepatitis and as an anti-cancer supplement

Heroine of the Han dynasty poem [[孔雀東南飛|孔雀東南飛|kong3 que4 dong1 nan2 fei1]]; the wife of Jiao Zhongqing who committed suicide after being forced to remarry against her will.

Peasant leader during the late Tang Dynasty who initiated a major uprising in 874 alongside [[黄巢|黃巢|huang2 chao2]]; he was killed in battle in 878.

stale topics of conversation; old, trivial matters that are no longer important or relevant

(literary) A mythical field where immortals grow magic herbs; also used as a poetic name for Luoyang

(idiom) a room filled with fragrant orchids; used to describe a good environment or being in the company of virtuous people

Famous Eastern Han calligrapher (died c. 192) known as the "Sage of Cursive Script" who is credited with creating the modern cursive style by refining earlier forms. He famously practiced his writing by a pond until the water turned black with ink, and his work profoundly influenced [[王羲之|王羲之|wang2 xi1 zhi1]] and [[王献之|王獻之|wang2 xian4 zhi1]].

literally "orchids and jade trees"; used to describe exceptional children, worthy disciples, or young people with a bright future; also used as a polite compliment for another person's offspring

Sanzhi or Sanchih township in New Taipei City, Taiwan; formerly a rural township in Taipei County.

Sanzhi district of New Taipei City, Taiwan

To focus on small, trivial gains at the expense of something much more important; literally to pick up a sesame seed while losing a watermelon

Nyingchi, a prefecture-level city in the [[西藏自治区|西藏自治區|xi1 zang4 zi4 zhi4 qu1]]

(literary) good people or scholars who have been harmed, framed, or embroiled in disaster

A type of gill fungus or polypore, often used in traditional medicine; specifically [[灵芝|靈芝|ling2 zhi1]] with a dark brown or purplish-black glossy cap and long stalk.

(honorific) your elegant or noble appearance; used to praise a person's refined looks. This expression refers to the Tang Dynasty figure [[元德秀|元德秀|yuan2 de2 xiu4]], whose presence reportedly inspired others to abandon their pursuit of fame and fortune.

A legendary herb or fungus believed in ancient times to grant immortality to anyone who eats it

(literary) polite way to refer to the face or appearance of the person one is writing to

(literary) irises and orchids, often used metaphorically to describe noble character, virtuous talent, or beautiful surroundings

(literary) a place or social circle that exerts a positive moral influence on a person; literally "a room of irises and orchids"

Refers to a friendship between people of noble character that is as fragrant and beautiful as orchids

(literary) an honorific term for your appearance or countenance, used in letters to show respect and affection; shortened from [[紫芝眉宇|紫芝眉宇|zi3 zhi1 mei2 yu3]]

stuffed crust on a pizza; cheesy crust

(honorific) your elegant demeanor or noble appearance; used in letters to refer to the recipient

lit. when the iris burns the orchid sighs; to have sympathy with a like-minded person in distress or saddened by the loss of a kindred spirit

(literary) A respectful way to refer to someone's face or appearance; see also [[芝宇|芝宇|zhi1 yu3]]

Zhifu District in [[烟台|煙臺|yan1 tai2]] City, Shandong province; also a peninsula and bay in the same area

noble and common people are destroyed together; the destruction of both the virtuous and the wicked

The noble and the lowly alike meet their fate; the good and the bad are destroyed together.

(idiom) Lit. the ganoderma herb has no root; used to mean that a person's greatness or success depends on their own efforts rather than their family background or pedigree

honorific term for someone's presence or countenance; your distinguished appearance

A steamed or baked bun filled with sweetened black sesame paste.

a tiny or trivial matter; something as small as a sesame seed that is not worth worrying about

The empty pods and dried stalks left over after harvesting sesame, traditionally used as fuel or in rituals during festivals to symbolize rising prosperity

sweet black sesame soup or pudding with a thick, pasty consistency