初刻拍案驚奇

Slapping the Table in Amazement (Part I), first of two books of vernacular stories by Ming dynasty novelist Ling Mengchu 凌濛初|凌蒙初[Ling2 Meng2 chu1]

at first / (at the) beginning / first / junior / basic

quarter (hour) / moment / to carve / to engrave / to cut / oppressive / classifier for short time intervals

to pat / to clap / to slap / to swat / to take (a photo) / to shoot (a film) / racket (sports) / beat (music)

lit. to slap the table (in amazement, praise, anger, resentment etc) / fig. astonishing!, wonderful!, dreadful! etc

(legal) case / incident / record / file / table

to startle / to be frightened / to be scared / alarm

to slap the table in amazement (idiom); wonderful! / amazing!

to be amazed / to be surprised / to wonder

odd (number)

strange / odd / weird / wonderful / surprisingly / unusually