Expression: "Women could not remove..."

[Tom]

Hi

Could you please explain to me the lines in red? They have been taken from a Chinese story!

"Women could not remove the binding cloths even when they were adults, as their feet would start growing again. The binding could only be loosened temporarily at night in bed, when they would put on soft-soled shoes. Men rarely saw naked bound feet, which were usually covered in rotting flesh ans stank when the bindings were removed. As a child I can remember my grandmother being in constant pain."

Tom

[Yankee]

Hi Tom

I don't think the sentence is that hard to understand if you are familiar with/have read about the old custom of binding feet.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foot_binding

bound feet = the feet of women whose feet were bound
naked = bare i.e., without the bindings (from the sentence: "when the bindings were removed")

Amy
_________________
"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." ~ Abraham Lincoln

[Tom]

[Conchita]

[Yankee]

Hi Tom

As I understand things, the word bound is used two ways in this case. It is used to describe the fact that there are bindings on the feet or it is used as an adjective for feet that have suffered the practice of foot-binding.

Did you look at my Wikipedia link? There are some lovely pictures of "bound feet" there (but the feet do not have bindings on them).

Amy
_________________
"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." ~ Abraham Lincoln

[FangFang]

Hi, Tom:
Amy is right!!!!!!! I wonder if you have some knowledge about that "terrible" custom , which was very popular and common for ancient Chinese women, even it could be seen before our liberation in 1949. I'd say it is very terrible for women. They had suffered much from that, not only the constant pain but hurt in mind, women must have their feet bound when they were very young. They did that mainly for men's "evil" and "traditional" taste. :evil:
I think the "naked bound feet" in your sentence could be understood that , their feet looked very abnormal, bound feet =boundfeet, like a triangel. Of course, man couldn't see them because the writer said their were still covered with long fleshes.
This sentence was easy to understand , it was the story itself that man can't understand! :!:

[FangFang]

[Yankee]

Hi FangFang

A good illustration for the word irony? ;)

Amy
_________________
"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." ~ Abraham Lincoln

[FangFang]

Hi, Amy! :lol: :lol: I just feel very shocked that you think it "lovely" :!:

[Yankee]

Hi FangFang

I wonder if you'd be even more shocked if you could hear me say that sentence and hear just how emphatically I pronounce the word "lovely". ;) :roll: :lol:

Amy
_________________
"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." ~ Abraham Lincoln