Quote 1
And I too saw Bing trudging wearily at the far end of the beach, his shoes hanging in his hand, his dark head bent over in exhaustion. I could feel what my mother felt. The hunger in our hearts was instantly filled. And then the two of us, before we could even get to our feet, saw him light a cigarette, grow tall, and become a stranger. (II.3.89)
For Rose and her mother, the strength of their desire to see Bing momentarily transforms a strange man into the four-year-old Bing.
Quote 2
I had been talking to too many people, my friends, everybody it seems, except Ted. (III.3.36)
Friends can be easier to talk to than significant others.
Quote 3
Back home, I thought about what she said. And it was true. Lately I had been feeling hulihudu. And everything around me seemed to be heimongmong. These were words I had never thought about in English terms. I suppose the closest in meaning would be "confused" and "dark fog."
But really, the words mean much more than that. Maybe they can’t be easily translated because they refer to a sensation that only Chinese people have, as if you were falling headfirst through Old Mr. Chou’s door, then trying to find your way back. (III.3.34)
Right now, we’re feeling a communication gap with Rose because the inadequacy of translation. Rose can’t explain to the reader the precise feelings of hulihudu and heimongmong, speculating that maybe only Chinese people can feel such things.