The Jade Peony Quotations

The Jade Peony has many wonderful quotations. Some of these quotes make you laugh, some make you think, and others give you insight into the characters, setting, and themes of the novel.

Here are some of the best Jade Peony quotations:


"Stupid boy, Turtle talk to ghosts-all the time, ghost-talk!" 
Poh-Poh
Chapter 4
Poh-Poh responds to Jung-Sum, who believes the turtle is lonely in the shed.  This is an example of Chinese myth in the novel, as Poh-Poh shows the beliefs held about turtles.  It also shows a funny side of Poh-Poh, as she looks down on Jung because he doesn't know the history of the turtle.


"I did not, then, in the days of our royal friendship, understand how bones ust come to rest where they most belong."
Liang
Chapter 3
Liang learns why Won-Suk went back to China at the end of her section of the novel.  This quotation is beautifully written and makes us think about how everyone has a home they will one day rest in.  It is also a good example of how Wayson Choy uses narrative devices through the children.  This quotation is as if Liang is reflecting on the story as an adult.


"At recess, our dialects and accents conflicted, our clothes, heights and handicaps betrayed us, our skin colours and backgrounds clashed, but inside Miss E. Doyle's tightly disciplined kingdom we were all - lions or lambs - equals.  We had glimpsed Paradise."
Sekky 
Chapter 12
Sekky closes the chapter with a reflection on the immigrant classroom of his youth.  Calling it paradise shows the hope and optimism surrounding the immigrant communities of Canada during this time.  It also shows the utopian dream that was a young Canada.


"English words seemed more forthright to me, blunt like road signs. Chinese words were awkward and messy, like quicksand.  I preferred English, but there were no English words to match the Chinese perplexities."
Sekky
Chapter 8
Sekky uses a pair of similes to describe the Chinese and English languages.  His difficulty with the Chinese language and traditions is a humourous part of his section of the novel.


"a man who had aged before his time but never grown wise."
Jung-Sum
Chapter 6
A beautifully written description of Old Yuen, the alcoholic, gambling father of Frnak Yuen.  This phrase makes the reader pity Old Yuen.


"As the years went by, they became part of the darkness at night or, on the brightest day, merely shadows."
Jung-Sum
Chapter 5
Another beautiful phrase to show Jung's reflections on his parents.  This quotation shows the longing and loss he suffered, but also the way he healed as he got older.