One Centimetre
Bi Shu-min | Kaleidoscope Short Stories - Ultimate Study Guide 2025
Introduction to Short Stories - Kaleidoscope
A short story is a prose narrative of limited length. It organises the action and thoughts of its characters into the pattern of a plot. The plot form may be comic, tragic, romantic or satiric. The central incident is selected to manifest, as much as possible, the protagonist’s life and character, and the details contribute to the development of the plot.
The term ‘short story’ covers a great diversity of prose fiction, right from the really short ‘short story’ of about five hundred words to longer and more complex works. The longer ones, with their status of middle length, fall between the tautness of the short narrative and the expansiveness of the novel.
There can be thematic variation too. The stories deal with fantasy, reality, alienation and the problem of choice in personal life. There are three short stories and two long ones in this section representing writers from five cultures.
Key Elements
- Plot Patterns: Comic, tragic, romantic, satiric.
- Length Diversity: 500 words to novella-like.
- Themes: Fantasy, reality, alienation, choice.
- Cultural Representation: Five cultures in section.
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Author: Bi Shu-min (Born 1952)
Bi Shu-min has been serving her country, China, as a doctor for over twenty years. She also has a Master’s degree in literature from the Beijing Teacher’s College. Bi Shu-min is one of the best known writers currently working in China. Her works have been translated into many languages. She has won innumerable literary awards both in China and in Taiwan. ‘One Centimetre’ is a fine example of a mature artist working at the height of her powers.
Major Works
- Works translated into multiple languages
- Awards in China and Taiwan
Key Themes
- Motherhood and responsibility
- Everyday ethics and small injustices
- Personal dignity and family bonds
Style
Realistic with vivid similes; blends humor, pathos, and cultural insight.
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Story Summary: English & Hindi (Detailed Overview)
English Summary (Approx. 1.5 Pages)
Tao Ying, a factory canteen cook, often skips bus tickets to save money but buys them when conductors seem vigilant. With her son Xiao Ye, whose fluffy hair belies his healthy diet, she boards a bus, her jacket catching in the doors. At the height mark (1.10m), Xiao Ye is one centimeter short; Tao Ying promises a ticket next time, teaching him grace despite her thriftiness.
They visit a temple using a gifted ticket from colleague Lao Chiang. Xiao Ye rushes ahead, but the guard insists he's over 110cm, sparking a public dispute. Tao Ying, humiliated before the crowd, slaps down Xiao Ye's hair in vain; measurements confirm he's short, but the guard's arrogance prevails. To preserve dignity, she refuses to buy another ticket, leaving with a sullen son.
An ice-cream vendor's rigged scale shows Xiao Ye as 111cm, shattering his pride. Back home, distrust brews. Distracted at work, Tao Ying measures him at 109cm and writes to the temple, aided by a factory "Writer." Officials visit, measure accurately, offer compensation—but she seeks only vindication: an explanation for Xiao Ye, restoring her flawless motherhood.
हिंदी सारांश (संक्षिप्त)
ताओ यिंग, फैक्ट्री कैंटीन कुक, पैसे बचाने को बस टिकट छोड़ देती है लेकिन सतर्क कंडक्टर पर खरीदती। बेटे शाओ ये के साथ बस में, ऊंचाई 1.10m पर एक सेमी कम; वादा करती अगली बार टिकट का। मंदिर घूमने जातीं, उपहार टिकट से, लेकिन गार्ड 110cm से ऊपर बताता, विवाद। भीड़ में अपमान, टिकट न खरीदकर लौटती, बेटा उदास।
आइसक्रीम विक्रेता की धोखा स्केल पर 111cm दिखा, बेटे का विश्वास टूटा। घर पर माप 109cm, पत्र लिखा। अधिकारी आकर मापते, मुआवजा देते—लेकिन वो सिर्फ सफाई चाहती: बेटे को मां निर्दोष बताना।
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Plot Summary: Key Events & Structure
Overview
The narrative follows Tao Ying's quest for maternal perfection amid petty injustices, from bus thrift to temple humiliation, resolving in quiet vindication. Central conflict: Personal ethics vs. arbitrary rules, emphasizing one centimeter's symbolic weight.
Structure in Phases
- Exposition: Bus ride, height promise, thrift habits (Pages 71-74).
- Rising Action: Temple entry dispute, public shame (Pages 75-80).
- Climax: Refusal to buy ticket, son's distrust (Pages 80-82).
- Resolution: Letter, officials' visit, emotional restoration (Pages 83-87).
Points to Ponder
- Symbolism: One centimeter = fragile pride, growth, injustice.
- Narrative Voice: Third-person omniscient, blending humor and pathos.
- Cultural Insight: Chinese everyday life, motherhood's sacrifices.
Tip: Note recurring motifs: Measurements as metaphors for dignity and change.
Stop and Think Questions
1. What made Tao Ying decide whether to buy a ticket or not when she rode a bus alone?
- She assessed the conductor's responsibility; bought if vigilant, skipped if casual—as minor punishment and saving.
2. Why did she insist on buying tickets both for herself and her son that day?
- Xiao Ye's insistence on ritual and pride; to fulfill promise, buy self-esteem for 20 cents.
1. Did Tao Ying really intend to cheat at the temple?
- No; ticket exempted under-110cm children, and Xiao Ye was short—guard's error sparked conflict.
2. Why did Tao Ying change her intention to buy another ticket?
- To avoid lying/explaining to son; preserve ideal motherhood, dignity over entry.
1. Were the old lady’s scales a reliable measure of height and weight? What convoluted logic were her measurements based on?
- No; adjusted to flatter—lighter weight, taller height for customer happiness ("flattering scales"). Logic: Tall sons mean old mothers; promote "long and lean" fashion.
2. What was the conflict between the mother and son?
- Xiao Ye's shattered trust—believes mother lied to avoid ticket; Tao Ying's guilt over perceived deceit eroding bond.
Understanding the Text
1. How did Tao Ying’s son influence the way she led her life?
- Motivated perfection: Gentle speech, honest examples (e.g., watermelon eating), focused life like "shooting down aeroplanes with a small gun"—to raise him cultured.
2. Pick out instances from the story to show that official rules are often arbitrary.
- Temple height mark inaccurate (earthworm line); guard's insistence despite proof; bus height painted casually; officials later admit error via compensation.
3. Tao Ying was very careful about spending money. What were her reasons for refusing the compensation offered by the temple officials?
- Money/tickets couldn't buy lost day's happiness; sought vindication—explanation to son, restoring trust over material redress.
4. Why was her final vindication important to Tao Ying?
- Affirmed flawless motherhood; melted "ice in son’s eyes," healed rift—her universe centered on being perfect for him.
Talking about the Text - Discussion Prompts
Discuss in pairs or small groups
1. The way a child looks at the world is very different from that of an adult.
- Children ritualize (tickets as "proper ride"); adults pragmatic (savings vs. pride). Link to Xiao Ye's innocence vs. Tao Ying's thrift.
- Real-life: Kids' black-white ethics vs. adult compromises.
- Story's lens: Child's view amplifies mother's responsibility.
2. There is always a gap between what we really are and what we wish to appear to be to others.
- Tao Ying's thrift vs. aristocratic grace for son. Explore facades in family/professional life.
- Cultural pressure: Chinese emphasis on maternal perfection.
- Consequences: Stress of performance, but love's tenderness.
Appreciation & Analysis
1. Comment on the significance of the first sentence of the story to its theme.
- "When Tao Ying rides on the bus alone, quite often she does not bother to buy a ticket." Sets thrift vs. ethics; foreshadows "one centimeter" as pivotal moral line—small acts define dignity.
2. Would you describe the author’s portrayal of Tao Ying’s character in the story as sympathetic, critical or realistic?
- Realistic & sympathetic: Flaws (cheating) humanized by love-driven perfection; critiques not her, but systemic pettiness.
3. Identify the episodes that bring out the ambivalent attitude to ethics commonly seen in human life?
- Bus skipping (saving vs. fairness); temple refusal (dignity vs. compliance); letter-writing (justice vs. futility). Balances pragmatism with idealism.
4. How effectively does the narrative technique adopted in this story illustrate ‘unity of thought’?
- Cohesive via motifs (measurement, motherhood); episodic yet threaded by Tao Ying's inner growth—unifies humor, pathos into maternal epiphany.
Language Work
A. Figures of Speech
a. Simile: Notice the underlined phrases in the following sentences
(i) As the doors shut her jacket is caught, ballooning up like a tent behind her.
(ii) The white of the wall looks like a virgin canvas and Xiao Ye a painting filling up the space.
Such explicit comparisons are called similes.
b. Metaphor: But in order to melt the ice in her son’s eyes, she must do something.
Here the ice stands for the coldness and distance in her son’s eyes.
TASK
Pick out examples of simile and metaphor from the story and state the two elements or concepts that are compared and the manner of comparison.
- Simile: "His hair looks as fluffy as a bundle of straw" (hair vs. straw—explicit 'as').
- Metaphor: "The yellow tape... has turned into a poisonous viper" (tape as distrust—implied).
B. Pronunciation
Look at the word ‘object’... (Explanation as in PDF)
TASK
The following words can be used as both a noun and a verb: conduct, protest, permit, progress, desert.
Where would the stress fall? Mark the stress when the word is used (i) as a noun (ii) as a verb. Is there a change in the pronunciation of the first syllable? Form words that rhyme with the pronunciation of the first syllable.
| Word | Noun Stress | Verb Stress | Rhyme Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| conduct | CON-duct | con-DUCT | hub (verb first syl) |
| protest | PRO-test | pro-TEST | bob (noun first syl) |
| permit | PER-mit | per-MIT | hub (verb first syl) |
| progress | PRO-gress | pro-GRESS | bob (noun first syl) |
| desert | DE-sert | de-SERT | hub (verb first syl) |
Interactive Quiz - Test Your Understanding
10 MCQs on plot, themes, and language. Aim for 80%+.
Suggested Reading
- The Vintage Book of Contemporary Chinese Fiction ed. by Carolyn Choa and David Su Li-qun.
- This Kind of Woman: Ten Stories by Japanese Women Writers 1960-1976 ed. by Yukiko Tanaka and Elizabeth Hansen.
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