what would it be like, to be someone without any 牵挂 ? and what is the english for 牵挂 ? not quite ties, nor links, not quite attachment. committment is too dutiful a word. bonds, in the sense cordelia uses it, "in accordance to my bond," and yet for singaporeans that must sound too much like fetters. something nearer to the heart. what words have we in english to do with nostalgia, emotion, hanging on? although thos are closer to 眷戀, or zhí zhuó .