It'll do. At least breakfast is free.Turning Red · 2022 — Chapter 8 of 13 · 3'46" · B1
Mei Chooses 4*Town Over the Ritual, Explained: pin one's hopes on someone
The ritual to seal her panda falls on the same night as the 4*Town concert, and Mei is torn between duty and herself. "All her hopes and dreams are pinned on me," she says of her mother, while her friends promise the payoff: "Tomorrow we are walking into that concert girls and coming out women."
What happens
The ritual that will seal Mei's red panda is set for the same night as the 4*Town concert. She cannot have both. Feeling the weight of her family's expectations, she admits she cannot live like this forever, and her friends talk her through the risk: the night, they insist, will be worth it.
Listen for
pin one's hopes on someoneget rid ofworth itgoosebumps
00:00 / 03:46Space play · ← → lines · R repeat
Now
Phrase of the scene
pin one's hopes on someone
to place all one's hopes on someone
外婆提醒美美，妈妈的希望和梦想全都压在她一个人身上。
The whole town pinned its hopes on the young team.
Also in this scene
- get rid of
to remove or dispose of something
- worth it
worth the effort or cost
- goosebumps
鸡皮疙瘩
Everything marked in this scene
26 notes across 66 lines
It'll do. At least breakfast is free.Ming, this is a critical time.Mei Mei needs a strong hand now more than ever.comparative with than ever
Mei Mei needs a strong hand now more than ever.Don't let her out of your sight.liaison
Don't let her out of your sight.Hey, has anyone seen Mei?What a diva.worth the effort or cost
It'll all be worth it.flap
It'll all be worth it.Tomorrow we are walking into that concert, girls, and coming out women.Hmm. What do you think Jesse smells like?weak form
Hmm. What do you think Jesse smells like?Mei, what if you didn't do the ritual?You're not the same feather-dustin', straight-A goody-goody.My whole family would freak.to place all one's hopes on someone
All her hopes and dreams are pinned on me.passive voice
All her hopes and dreams are pinned on me.I know. But you've really changed, and I'm proud of you.to remove or dispose of something
Just don't get rid of all of it, you know. Yeah. If it weren't for you...Just don't get rid of all of it, you know. Yeah. If it weren't for you...subjunctive with if it weren't for
Just don't get rid of all of it, you know. Yeah. If it weren't for you...You the bomb. Word. You da bomb, Mei.What the heck is Toledo?The same night.Mei Chooses 4*Town Over the Ritual, explained
What's really going on
The scene sets two kinds of growing up against each other. One is the family ritual, where Mei is expected to give up the panda and become the daughter everyone counts on — the one all those expectations rest on, the “pin one's hopes on someone” child. The other is the concert, where her friends keep insisting it will all be “worth it” and greeting the plan with “goosebumps.” Mei's own refusal to stay the same is the hinge: not a wish to party, but the recognition that staying as she is would mean staying small. The jokes do not dissolve the guilt so much as make it bearable, letting her name what she wants out loud while the ritual waits.
Theme
Coming of ageMei weighs a family ritual against a night with friends, two versions of the same step into adulthood.
IdentityShe admits she cannot stay as she is, and the choice forces her to decide who she wants to become.
What you'll learn
- Use pin one's hopes on someone in a comparable exchange.
- Listen for the attitude around pin one's hopes on someone.
- Notice how the reply changes the scene.
Listen for
- out of your sight — liaison
- worth it — flap
- What do you think — weak form
Tomorrow we are walking into that concert girls and coming out womenThe friends' rallying cry: the concert is staged as a rite of passage, a single night that will make them adults.
All her hopes and dreams are pinned on meMei on her mother: every expectation the family has is resting on her, which is exactly the weight she is trying to escape.
Guys I can t be like this foreverMei's admission that she cannot stay the good, obedient girl indefinitely, even if it frightens her family.
My whole family would freakMei's fear of the consequences, spoken plainly: choosing the concert would send her whole family into a panic.
Questions about this scene
Why is the concert such a hard choice for Mei?
It falls on the same night as the family ritual that would seal her panda. Going means letting her family down; skipping it means giving up the one night she wants for herself.
What does "All her hopes and dreams are pinned on me" mean?
Mei is describing her mother: every expectation the family has is resting on her. It is the pressure that makes the ritual and the concert feel like opposite futures.
Do the girls go to the concert?
The plan is to go together, and the friends frame the night as the moment they stop being girls. Whether Mei gets there is the question the scene leaves hanging.
Why does Mei say she can t be like this forever?
Because staying the obedient, reliable daughter would mean never choosing anything for herself. The line marks the point where she stops treating the ritual as her only option.
Turning Red · 13 chapters
All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 9take advantage of someoneMei Attacks Tyler at the Party
Chapter 1take advantage ofMei Turns Into a Red Panda
Chapter 2watch someone like a hawkMei Turns into a Red Panda
Chapter 3once in a lifetimeMei's Friends Have Her Back
Chapter 4in the bagMing Refuses the 4*Town Concert
Chapter 5fight the powerThe Girls Plot Their Concert Escape
Chapter 6keep one's mouth shutTyler Blackmails Mei for a Party
Chapter 7have a word with someoneMei's Family Takes Over
Watching · Chapter 8pin one's hopes on someoneMei Chooses 4*Town Over the Ritual
Chapter 9take advantage of someoneMei Attacks Tyler at the Party
Chapter 10make room forJin Explains the Panda to Mei
Chapter 11too good to be trueMei Refuses the Ritual and Bolts
Chapter 12it was all meMei Confesses to Ming
Chapter 13ride or dieMei Reconciles With MingChapter 8 of 13 · about 18 min to go