"Lately I have been feeling hulihudu. And everything around me seemed to be heimongmong. These were words I had never thought about in English terms.… - Amy Tan

"Lately I have 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 [Mr. Sandman's] door, then trying to find your way back. But you're so scared you can't open your eyes, so you get on your hands and knees and grope in the dark, listening for voices to tell you which way to go.
I had been talking to too may people...to each person I told a different story. Yet each version was true, I was certain of it, at least at the moment I told it. "