1 Translator’s Note: Xiǎo is a diminutive meaning “little” or “young” and is used before a surname when addressing children or to show affection.

2 Translator’s Note: Zhìzi literally “knowledge particle.” The character for “particle” frequently appears in female given names in Japanse, where it is pronounced “ko.”

3 Translator’s Note: Lǎo, meaning “old,” is often used before a surname of those older than the speaker to show respect or familiarity.

4 Translator’s Note: A historical novel attributed to Luo Guanzhong (c. 1330–1400), Romance of the Three Kingdoms describes the contest between three regional powers from the waning days of the Eastern Han Dyansty (184) to the reunification of the empire under the Jin Dynasty (280). It is known for its iconic characters, battle scenes, and political intrigue.

5 Translator’s Note: The insignia of the People’s Liberation Army is a star inscribed with the characters eight and one.

6 Translator’s Note: The Kuiper Belt is a region extending from the orbit of Neptune, at roughly 30 AU, to roughly 50 AU, and is home to Pluto and two other dwarf planets, among other objects.

7 Translator’s Note: Roughly equivalent to $65,000 in early 2015.

8 Translator’s Note: Vast networks of tunnels were built in cities across China beginning in the late 1960s as defensive measures against enemy attack. This slogan, adapted from advice given to the founder of the Ming Dyansty, was promulgated as a directive from Mao Zedong in the People’s Daily’s annual New Year’s Editoral in January 1973.

9 Translator’s Note: Wang Xiaobo (1952-1997) was an influential novelist, essayist, and screenwriter whose work became enormously popular after his untimely death.

10 Translator’s Note: First cosmic velocity is the initial velocity a body needs to achieve orbit, second cosmic velocity the amount needed to leave an object’s gravitational pull, and third cosmic velocity the amount needed to leave the Solar System.

11 Translator’s Note: The Oort Cloud is collection of icy objects in a spherical distribution that surrounds the Solar System at a distance of 50,000 to 100,000 AU and is believed to be the source of long-period comets.

12 Translator’s Note: Yang Wen-li is one of the protagonists of Legend of the Galactic Heroes, a series of Japanese science fiction novels launched in 1982 by Yoshiki Tanaka, and followed by manga and anime adaptations.

13 Translator’s Note: This famous quote about filial piety appears in Mencius, a collection of conversations and anecdotes related to the Confucian philosopher of the same name, who lived in the late fourth century BC.

14 Translator’s Note: “Al-Qaeda” is translated into Chinese rather than transliterated, and is known as Jīdì, the same term used for the title of Asimov’s Foundation novels.