​Ning-xing (佞幸) is a male-identified courtier whom gained his high status in court by winning the favours of the emperor with flattery or affection. The term “ning-xing” is derogatory.

​In the text, while the author, Ban, Gu (班固) criticized the influences of the fawning courtiers on policy-making, he wasn’t intimidated by the homo-romantic intimacy between the men, as he wrote in the concluding paragraph: “the qualities of being gentle, affectionate, and flirtatious are not exclusive to women; men with such traits can also be viewed as beauties desired by other men (原文: 柔曼之傾意, 非獨女德, 蓋亦有男色焉)”.

• The romance between Dong, Xian and Emperor Ai of Han is not the only homo-romantic story mentioned in the Book of Han, but it is the most explicit and detailed description.
• “Ning-xing” is not a sexual orientation. It is not a synonym for a queer person.

Dao (道), is a hanzi (漢字; Han Chinese character) that has different meanings depending on the context. Meanings of Dao (道) includes:

• To speak, to tell, or to talk (when used as a verb)
  • 說：常言道​​​
• Literal paths and passages, such as roads, waterways, and etc.
  • 路：街道、河道
• Metaphoric paths; in other words, the methods or process of achieving a goal
  • 方向，途徑：志同道合、分道揚鑣
• A philosophy relating to the law and order of the natural world and its occurrences, such as the central philosophy of Daoism (Taoism)
  • 傳統思想流派與理念：天道、道家、道教
• Skill sets that are often technical, artistic, and/or ritualistic, such as xiang-dao (香道; incense ceremony), cha-dao (茶道; tea ceremony)
  • 技術或方法：香道、茶道、醫道
• Narrow, linear marks and traces
  • 線條：鉛筆道兒
• A classifier in Chinese
  • 用作量詞 ​

This standard four-character idiom is used to imply the ephemeral, temporary quality of worldly matters and past experiences, such as memories, feelings, as well as personal or collective history.

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​The baoxiang flower or "bao-xiang hua" is a type of fictional, hybrid floral design. Each individual design represents a fusion of plants and motifs originated from different cultures, including South Asia (India), Central Asia (Persia/Sogdia), the Mediterranean (Byzantium & Greece), and Chinese domestic arts. ​

pronounced as:  tone zhi 
(to pronounce zhi, say “jay (j)” without the “ay” sound)

Jia-jie (假借) is one of the “liu shu” (lit. six scripts; 六书; pronunciation: lyou shoo) or the six Chinese hanzi character classifications. Jia-jie characters reflect how the Chinese language has evolved to adapt to socio-cultural changes over time.

• Historically, when a new concept emerged and it couldn’t be expressed with the current vocabulary, an existing character would be assigned to represent this new idea. As a result, an individual hanzi character often have multiple distinctively different definitions.
• Sometimes, the more recent meaning of a certain character can replace its original meaning completely; consequently, a brand new character would be created to represent the abandoned origin meaning.​ ​