序言 Preface

，，：。This very small collection took what may be called a very long time—from the moment I first set pen to paper until it was compiled: fully thirteen years.

這: zhè — 1. (pronoun) this; these 2. (bound form) this; the (followed by a noun) 3. (bound form) this; these (followed by a classifier) (in this sense, commonly pr. (zhèi), esp. in Beijing) (HSK 1)
一: yī — 1. one 2. single 3. a (article) 4. as soon as 5. entire; whole; all; throughout 6. "one" radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 1) 7. also pr. (yāo) for greater clarity when spelling out numbers digit by digit (HSK 1)
本: běn — 1. (bound form) root; stem 2. (bound form) origin; source 3. (bound form) one's own; this 4. (bound form) this; the current (year etc) 5. (bound form) original 6. (bound form) inherent 7. originally; initially 8. capital; principal 9. classifier for books, periodicals, files etc (HSK 1)
很: hěn — 1. very; quite 2. (also, often used before an adjective without intensifying its meaning, i.e. as a meaningless syntactic element) (HSK 1)
小的: xiǎo de — 1. (coll.) young child; the little one(s) of the family 2. (old) (humble) I; me; my (used by a commoner when speaking to an official)
集子: jí zi — 1. anthology 2. selected writing
從: Cóng — surname Cong (HSK 1)
開: kāi — 1. to open (transitive or intransitive) 2. (of ships, vehicles, troops etc) to start 3. to turn on; to put in operation; to operate; to run 4. to boil 5. to write out (a prescription, check, invoice etc) 6. (directional complement) away; off 7. carat (gold) 8. abbr. for Kelvin, 開爾文 (Kāi ěr wén) 9. abbr. for 開本 (kāi běn), book format (HSK 1)
手寫: shǒu xiě — to write by hand
起到: qǐ dào — (in an expression of the form 起到 (qǐ dào) + … + 作用 (zuò yòng)) to have (a (motivating etc) effect); to play (a (stabilizing etc) role) (HSK 5)
編成: biān chéng — 1. to organize 2. to put together 3. to edit
經過: jīng guò — 1. to pass 2. to go through 3. process 4. course 5. classifier: 個 (gè) (HSK 2)
的: de — 1. of; ~'s (possessive particle) 2. (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun) 3. (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis) 4. (used after a noun, verb or adjective to form a nominal expression, as in 皮革的 (pí gé de) "one made of leather" or 跑堂兒的 (pǎo táng r de) "a waiter (literally, one who runs back and forth in a restaurant)" or 新的 (xīn de) "new one") 5. also pr. (dì) or (di) in poetry and songs (HSK 1)
日子: rì zi — 1. day 2. a (calendar) date 3. days of one's life (HSK 2)
卻: què — 1. but 2. yet 3. however 4. while 5. to go back 6. to decline 7. to retreat 8. nevertheless 9. even though (HSK 4)
可以: kě yǐ — 1. can 2. may 3. possible 4. able to 5. not bad 6. pretty good (HSK 2)
算: suàn — 1. to calculate; to figure out 2. to include; to count in 3. to count; to be valid; to carry weight 4. to regard as; to consider (to be ...) (HSK 2)
得很: de hěn — (after an adjective) very
長久: cháng jiǔ — 1. long-time; long-term 2. lasting; enduring; permanent 3. for a long time (HSK 6)
了: le — 1. (completed action marker) 2. (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now) 3. (modal particle intensifying preceding clause) (HSK 1)
足足: zú zú — 1. fully 2. no less than 3. as much as 4. extremely
有: yǒu — 1. to have; there is 2. (bound form) having; with; -ful; -ed; -al (as in 有意 (yǒu yì) intentional) (HSK 1)
十三: shí sān — 1. thirteen 2. 13
年: Nián — surname Nian (HSK 1)

《》——《》——。The first piece, “Mending Heaven”—originally entitled “Mount Buzhou”—was completed in the winter of 1922.，，，《》「」，。My idea at the time was to draw subjects from both antiquity and the present day and make short stories of them; “Mount Buzhou,” based on the myth of “Nüwa smelting stones to mend the sky,” was my first attempt.，，，————。At first I approached it quite seriously, though all I did was borrow Freud’s theories to explain the origins of creation—the creation of man and of literature.，，，————《》，，。I forget how it happened, but midway through I laid down my pen and turned to the newspaper, where, unfortunately, I came upon a critique by someone—whose name I have now forgotten—of Mr. Wang Jingzhi’s The Wind of the Rue; he said that, with tears in his eyes, he wished to implore young people never again to write such things.，，，，。This pitiful piece of malice struck me as absurd, and when I resumed the story, try as I might, I could not stop a petty little man in ancient cap and gown from appearing between Nüwa’s legs.。That was the beginning of my descent from seriousness into facetiousness.，。Facetiousness is the great enemy of creative writing, and I was deeply dissatisfied with myself.

第一: dì yī — 1. first 2. most important; primary; foremost
篇: piān — 1. sheet 2. piece of writing 3. bound set of bamboo slips used for record keeping (old) 4. classifier for written items: chapter, article (HSK 2)
補: bǔ — 1. to repair 2. to patch 3. to mend 4. to make up for 5. to fill (a vacancy) 6. to supplement (HSK 3)
天: tiān — 1. day 2. sky 3. heaven (HSK 1)
原先: yuán xiān — 1. originally 2. original 3. former (HSK 5)
題: Tí — surname Ti (HSK 2)
作: zuō — 1. (bound form) worker 2. (bound form) workshop 3. (slang) troublesome; high-maintenance (person) (HSK 6)
不周山: Bù zhōu Shān — Buzhou Mountain, a mountain from Chinese legend
還是: hái shi — 1. still (as before) 2. had better 3. unexpectedly 4. or (HSK 1)
一: yī — 1. one 2. single 3. a (article) 4. as soon as 5. entire; whole; all; throughout 6. "one" radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 1) 7. also pr. (yāo) for greater clarity when spelling out numbers digit by digit (HSK 1)
九: jiǔ — 1. nine 2. 9 (HSK 1)
二: èr — 1. two 2. 2 3. (Beijing dialect) stupid (HSK 1)
二: èr — 1. two 2. 2 3. (Beijing dialect) stupid (HSK 1)
年: Nián — surname Nian (HSK 1)
的: de — 1. of; ~'s (possessive particle) 2. (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun) 3. (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis) 4. (used after a noun, verb or adjective to form a nominal expression, as in 皮革的 (pí gé de) "one made of leather" or 跑堂兒的 (pǎo táng r de) "a waiter (literally, one who runs back and forth in a restaurant)" or 新的 (xīn de) "new one") 5. also pr. (dì) or (di) in poetry and songs (HSK 1)
冬天: dōng tiān — winter (HSK 2)
寫: xiě — to write (HSK 1)
成: Chéng — 1. surname Cheng 2. short name for Chengdu 成都 (Chéng dū) (HSK 2)
的: de — 1. of; ~'s (possessive particle) 2. (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun) 3. (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis) 4. (used after a noun, verb or adjective to form a nominal expression, as in 皮革的 (pí gé de) "one made of leather" or 跑堂兒的 (pǎo táng r de) "a waiter (literally, one who runs back and forth in a restaurant)" or 新的 (xīn de) "new one") 5. also pr. (dì) or (di) in poetry and songs (HSK 1)
那時: nà shí — 1. then 2. at that time 3. in those days (HSK 2)
的: de — 1. of; ~'s (possessive particle) 2. (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun) 3. (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis) 4. (used after a noun, verb or adjective to form a nominal expression, as in 皮革的 (pí gé de) "one made of leather" or 跑堂兒的 (pǎo táng r de) "a waiter (literally, one who runs back and forth in a restaurant)" or 新的 (xīn de) "new one") 5. also pr. (dì) or (di) in poetry and songs (HSK 1)
意見: yì jiàn — 1. idea 2. opinion 3. suggestion 4. objection 5. complaint 6. classifier: 點 (diǎn), 條 (tiáo) (HSK 2)
是: shì — 1. to be (followed by substantives only) 2. correct; right; true 3. (respectful acknowledgement of a command) very well 4. (adverb for emphatic assertion) (HSK 1)
想: xiǎng — 1. to think (about) 2. to think of; to devise 3. to think (that); to believe (that) 4. to desire; to want (to) 5. to miss (feel wistful about the absence of) (HSK 1)
從: Cóng — surname Cong (HSK 1)
古代: gǔ dài — ancient times (HSK 3)
和: Hé — surname He (HSK 1)
現代: Xiàn dài — Hyundai, South Korean company (HSK 3)
都: Dū — surname Du (HSK 1)
採取: cǎi qǔ — 1. to adopt or carry out (measures, policies, course of action) 2. to take (HSK 3)
題材: tí cái — subject matter (HSK 5)
來: lái — 1. to come 2. (used as a substitute for a more specific verb) 3. hither (directional complement for motion toward the speaker, as in 回來 (huí lai)) 4. ever since (as in 自古以來 (zì gǔ yǐ lái)) 5. for the past (amount of time) 6. (prefix) the coming ...; the next ... (as in 來世 (lái shì)) 7. (between two verbs) in order to 8. (after a round number) approximately 9. (used after 得 (dé) to indicate possibility, as in 談得來 (tán de lái), or after 不 (bù) to indicate impossibility, as in 吃不來 (chī bu lái)) (HSK 1)
做: zuò — 1. to make; to produce 2. to write; to compose 3. to do; to engage in; to hold (a party etc) 4. (of a person) to be (an intermediary, a good student etc); to become (husband and wife, friends etc) 5. (of a thing) to serve as; to be used for 6. to assume (an air or manner) (HSK 1)
短篇小說: duǎn piān xiǎo shuō — short story
不周山: Bù zhōu Shān — Buzhou Mountain, a mountain from Chinese legend
便是: biàn shì — 1. (emphasizes that sth is precisely or exactly as stated) 2. precisely 3. exactly 4. even 5. if 6. just like 7. in the same way as (HSK 6)
取: qǔ — 1. to take 2. to get 3. to choose 4. to fetch (HSK 2)
了: le — 1. (completed action marker) 2. (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now) 3. (modal particle intensifying preceding clause) (HSK 1)
女媧: Nǚ wā — Nüwa (creator of humans in Chinese mythology)
煉: liàn — 1. to refine 2. to smelt (HSK 7-9)
石: Shí — 1. surname Shi 2. abbr. for Shijiazhuang 石家莊 (Shí jiā zhuāng), the capital of Hebei
補: bǔ — 1. to repair 2. to patch 3. to mend 4. to make up for 5. to fill (a vacancy) 6. to supplement (HSK 3)
天: tiān — 1. day 2. sky 3. heaven (HSK 1)
的: de — 1. of; ~'s (possessive particle) 2. (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun) 3. (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis) 4. (used after a noun, verb or adjective to form a nominal expression, as in 皮革的 (pí gé de) "one made of leather" or 跑堂兒的 (pǎo táng r de) "a waiter (literally, one who runs back and forth in a restaurant)" or 新的 (xīn de) "new one") 5. also pr. (dì) or (di) in poetry and songs (HSK 1)
神話: shén huà — 1. legend 2. fairy tale 3. myth 4. mythology (HSK 4)
動手: dòng shǒu — 1. to set about (a task) 2. to raise a hand to hit sb 3. to touch; to handle (typically used in cautioning sb *not* to touch sth) (HSK 5)
試作: shì zuò — 1. to attempt 2. test run
的: de — 1. of; ~'s (possessive particle) 2. (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun) 3. (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis) 4. (used after a noun, verb or adjective to form a nominal expression, as in 皮革的 (pí gé de) "one made of leather" or 跑堂兒的 (pǎo táng r de) "a waiter (literally, one who runs back and forth in a restaurant)" or 新的 (xīn de) "new one") 5. also pr. (dì) or (di) in poetry and songs (HSK 1)
第一: dì yī — 1. first 2. most important; primary; foremost
篇: piān — 1. sheet 2. piece of writing 3. bound set of bamboo slips used for record keeping (old) 4. classifier for written items: chapter, article (HSK 2)
首先: shǒu xiān — first of all; in the first place (HSK 3)
是: shì — 1. to be (followed by substantives only) 2. correct; right; true 3. (respectful acknowledgement of a command) very well 4. (adverb for emphatic assertion) (HSK 1)
很: hěn — 1. very; quite 2. (also, often used before an adjective without intensifying its meaning, i.e. as a meaningless syntactic element) (HSK 1)
認真: rèn zhēn — 1. conscientious 2. earnest 3. serious 4. to take seriously 5. to take to heart (HSK 1)
的: de — 1. of; ~'s (possessive particle) 2. (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun) 3. (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis) 4. (used after a noun, verb or adjective to form a nominal expression, as in 皮革的 (pí gé de) "one made of leather" or 跑堂兒的 (pǎo táng r de) "a waiter (literally, one who runs back and forth in a restaurant)" or 新的 (xīn de) "new one") 5. also pr. (dì) or (di) in poetry and songs (HSK 1)
雖然: suī rán — although; even though (often used correlatively with 可是 (kě shì) or 但是 (dàn shì) etc) (HSK 2)
也: Yě — surname Ye (HSK 1)
不過: bù guò — 1. only 2. merely 3. no more than 4. but 5. however 6. anyway (to get back to a previous topic) 7. cannot be more (after adjectival) (HSK 2)
取: qǔ — 1. to take 2. to get 3. to choose 4. to fetch (HSK 2)
了: le — 1. (completed action marker) 2. (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now) 3. (modal particle intensifying preceding clause) (HSK 1)
茀: fú — luxuriant growth
羅: Luó — surname Luo (HSK 7-9)
特: tè — 1. special 2. unique 3. distinguished 4. especially 5. unusual 6. very 7. abbr. for 特克斯 (tè kè sī), tex (HSK 6)
說: shuì — to persuade (HSK 1)
來: lái — 1. to come 2. (used as a substitute for a more specific verb) 3. hither (directional complement for motion toward the speaker, as in 回來 (huí lai)) 4. ever since (as in 自古以來 (zì gǔ yǐ lái)) 5. for the past (amount of time) 6. (prefix) the coming ...; the next ... (as in 來世 (lái shì)) 7. (between two verbs) in order to 8. (after a round number) approximately 9. (used after 得 (dé) to indicate possibility, as in 談得來 (tán de lái), or after 不 (bù) to indicate impossibility, as in 吃不來 (chī bu lái)) (HSK 1)
解釋: jiě shì — 1. explanation 2. to explain 3. to interpret 4. to resolve 5. classifier: 個 (gè) (HSK 4)
創造: chuàng zào — 1. to create 2. to bring about 3. to produce 4. to set (a record) (HSK 3)
人: rén — 1. person; people 2. classifier: 個 (gè), 位 (wèi), 名 (míng) (HSK 1)
和: Hé — surname He (HSK 1)
文學: wén xué — literature (HSK 3)
的: de — 1. of; ~'s (possessive particle) 2. (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun) 3. (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis) 4. (used after a noun, verb or adjective to form a nominal expression, as in 皮革的 (pí gé de) "one made of leather" or 跑堂兒的 (pǎo táng r de) "a waiter (literally, one who runs back and forth in a restaurant)" or 新的 (xīn de) "new one") 5. also pr. (dì) or (di) in poetry and songs (HSK 1)
的: de — 1. of; ~'s (possessive particle) 2. (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun) 3. (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis) 4. (used after a noun, verb or adjective to form a nominal expression, as in 皮革的 (pí gé de) "one made of leather" or 跑堂兒的 (pǎo táng r de) "a waiter (literally, one who runs back and forth in a restaurant)" or 新的 (xīn de) "new one") 5. also pr. (dì) or (di) in poetry and songs (HSK 1)
緣起: yuán qǐ — 1. to originate 2. origin; genesis 3. account of the origins of an endeavor
不: bù — 1. no; not so 2. (bound form) not; un- (HSK 1)
記得: jì de — to remember (HSK 1)
怎麼: zěn me — 1. how? 2. what? 3. why? (HSK 1)
一來: yī lái — firstly, ...
中: Zhōng — 1. (bound form) China; Chinese 2. surname Zhong (HSK 1)
塗: tú — 1. to apply (paint etc) 2. to smear 3. to daub 4. to blot out 5. to scribble 6. to scrawl 7. (literary) mud 8. street (HSK 7-9)
停: tíng — 1. to stop 2. to halt 3. to park (a car) (HSK 2)
了: le — 1. (completed action marker) 2. (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now) 3. (modal particle intensifying preceding clause) (HSK 1)
筆: bǐ — 1. writing brush; writing implement (pen, pencil etc) (classifier: 支 (zhī), 枝 (zhī)) 2. brushstroke; stroke (in painting or calligraphy) 3. (bound form) style of writing; literary manner; technique of brushwork 4. (classifier) stroke of a Chinese character 5. (classifier) sum of money; financial transaction; piece of business 6. (literary) to write (with a brush or pen) (HSK 2)
去: qù — 1. to go 2. to go to (a place) 3. (of a time etc) last 4. just passed 5. to send 6. to remove 7. to get rid of 8. to reduce 9. to be apart from in space or time 10. to die (euphemism) 11. to play (a part) 12. (when used either before or after a verb) to go in order to do sth 13. (after a verb of motion indicates movement away from the speaker) 14. (used after certain verbs to indicate detachment or separation) (HSK 1)
看: kān — 1. to look after 2. to take care of 3. to watch 4. to guard (HSK 1)
日報: rì bào — daily newspaper (HSK 2)
了: le — 1. (completed action marker) 2. (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now) 3. (modal particle intensifying preceding clause) (HSK 1)
不幸: bù xìng — 1. misfortune 2. adversity 3. unfortunate 4. sad 5. unfortunately 6. classifier: 個 (gè) (HSK 5)
正: zhēng — first month of the lunar year (HSK 1)
看見: kàn jiàn — to see; to catch sight of (HSK 1)
了: le — 1. (completed action marker) 2. (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now) 3. (modal particle intensifying preceding clause) (HSK 1)
誰: shéi — 1. who 2. also pr. (shuí) (HSK 1)
現在: xiàn zài — now; at present; currently (HSK 1)
忘記: wàng jì — to forget (HSK 1)
了: le — 1. (completed action marker) 2. (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now) 3. (modal particle intensifying preceding clause) (HSK 1)
名字: míng zi — name (of a person or thing) (HSK 1)
的: de — 1. of; ~'s (possessive particle) 2. (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun) 3. (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis) 4. (used after a noun, verb or adjective to form a nominal expression, as in 皮革的 (pí gé de) "one made of leather" or 跑堂兒的 (pǎo táng r de) "a waiter (literally, one who runs back and forth in a restaurant)" or 新的 (xīn de) "new one") 5. also pr. (dì) or (di) in poetry and songs (HSK 1)
對於: duì yú — regarding; as far as (sth) is concerned; with regard to (HSK 4)
汪: Wāng — surname Wang
靜: jìng — 1. still 2. calm 3. quiet 4. not moving (HSK 3)
之: zhī — 1. (possessive particle, literary equivalent of 的 (de)) 2. him 3. her 4. it (HSK 7-9)
君: jūn — 1. monarch 2. lord 3. gentleman 4. ruler
的: de — 1. of; ~'s (possessive particle) 2. (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun) 3. (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis) 4. (used after a noun, verb or adjective to form a nominal expression, as in 皮革的 (pí gé de) "one made of leather" or 跑堂兒的 (pǎo táng r de) "a waiter (literally, one who runs back and forth in a restaurant)" or 新的 (xīn de) "new one") 5. also pr. (dì) or (di) in poetry and songs (HSK 1)
蕙: huì — Coumarouna odorata
的: de — 1. of; ~'s (possessive particle) 2. (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun) 3. (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis) 4. (used after a noun, verb or adjective to form a nominal expression, as in 皮革的 (pí gé de) "one made of leather" or 跑堂兒的 (pǎo táng r de) "a waiter (literally, one who runs back and forth in a restaurant)" or 新的 (xīn de) "new one") 5. also pr. (dì) or (di) in poetry and songs (HSK 1)
風: fēng — 1. wind 2. news 3. style 4. custom 5. manner 6. classifier: 陣 (zhèn), 絲 (sī) (HSK 1)
的: de — 1. of; ~'s (possessive particle) 2. (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun) 3. (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis) 4. (used after a noun, verb or adjective to form a nominal expression, as in 皮革的 (pí gé de) "one made of leather" or 跑堂兒的 (pǎo táng r de) "a waiter (literally, one who runs back and forth in a restaurant)" or 新的 (xīn de) "new one") 5. also pr. (dì) or (di) in poetry and songs (HSK 1)
批評: pī píng — 1. to criticize; criticism 2. classifier: 次 (cì), 番 (fān) (HSK 3)
他: tā — 1. (third-person singular) (since the early 20th century, usu. male) he; him; his 2. (bound form) other; another; some other (as in 他日 (tā rì) and 他人 (tā rén)) (HSK 1)
說: shuì — to persuade (HSK 1)
要: yāo — (bound form) to demand; to coerce (HSK 1)
含淚: hán lèi — 1. tearful 2. tearfully
哀求: āi qiú — 1. to entreat 2. to implore 3. to plead (HSK 7-9)
請: qǐng — 1. to ask 2. to invite 3. please (do sth) 4. to treat (to a meal etc) 5. to request (HSK 1)
青年: qīng nián — 1. youth 2. youthful years 3. young person 4. the young (HSK 2)
不要: bù yào — don't!; must not (HSK 2)
再: zài — 1. again; once more; re- 2. further; beyond this point of time 3. (before an adjective) more 4. then (after sth, and not until then) 5. no matter how ... (followed by an adjective or verb, and then (usually) 也 (yě) or 都 (dōu) for emphasis) 6. (used to introduce additional information, as in 再則 (zài zé), 再就是 (zài jiù shì) etc) 7. (literary) to reappear; to reoccur (HSK 1)
寫: xiě — to write (HSK 1)
這樣: zhè yàng — 1. this way; like this; so 2. (before a noun) this kind of; such (HSK 2)
的: de — 1. of; ~'s (possessive particle) 2. (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun) 3. (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis) 4. (used after a noun, verb or adjective to form a nominal expression, as in 皮革的 (pí gé de) "one made of leather" or 跑堂兒的 (pǎo táng r de) "a waiter (literally, one who runs back and forth in a restaurant)" or 新的 (xīn de) "new one") 5. also pr. (dì) or (di) in poetry and songs (HSK 1)
文字: wén zì — 1. character 2. script 3. writing 4. written language 5. writing style 6. phraseology 7. classifier: 個 (gè) (HSK 3)
這: zhè — 1. (pronoun) this; these 2. (bound form) this; the (followed by a noun) 3. (bound form) this; these (followed by a classifier) (in this sense, commonly pr. (zhèi), esp. in Beijing) (HSK 1)
可憐: kě lián — 1. pitiful 2. pathetic 3. to have pity on (HSK 5)
的: de — 1. of; ~'s (possessive particle) 2. (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun) 3. (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis) 4. (used after a noun, verb or adjective to form a nominal expression, as in 皮革的 (pí gé de) "one made of leather" or 跑堂兒的 (pǎo táng r de) "a waiter (literally, one who runs back and forth in a restaurant)" or 新的 (xīn de) "new one") 5. also pr. (dì) or (di) in poetry and songs (HSK 1)
陰險: yīn xiǎn — 1. treacherous 2. sinister
使: shǐ — 1. to make 2. to cause 3. to enable 4. to use 5. to employ 6. to send 7. to instruct sb to do sth 8. envoy 9. messenger (HSK 3)
我: wǒ — I; me; my (HSK 1)
感到: gǎn dào — to feel; to sense; to perceive (HSK 2)
滑稽: huá jī — 1. comical; funny; amusing (old pr. (gǔ jī)) 2. huaji, a form of comedy performance popular in Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang (HSK 7-9)
當: dāng — 1. to be 2. to act as 3. manage 4. withstand 5. when 6. during 7. ought 8. should 9. match equally 10. equal 11. same 12. obstruct 13. just at (a time or place) 14. on the spot 15. right 16. just at (HSK 2)
再: zài — 1. again; once more; re- 2. further; beyond this point of time 3. (before an adjective) more 4. then (after sth, and not until then) 5. no matter how ... (followed by an adjective or verb, and then (usually) 也 (yě) or 都 (dōu) for emphasis) 6. (used to introduce additional information, as in 再則 (zài zé), 再就是 (zài jiù shì) etc) 7. (literary) to reappear; to reoccur (HSK 1)
寫: xiě — to write (HSK 1)
小說: xiǎo shuō — 1. novel 2. fiction 3. classifier: 本 (běn), 部 (bù) (HSK 2)
時: Shí — surname Shi (HSK 3)
就: jiù — 1. (after a suppositional clause) in that case; then 2. (after a clause of action) as soon as; immediately after 3. (same as 就是 (jiù shì)) merely; nothing else but; simply; just; precisely; exactly 4. only; as little as 5. as much as; as many as 6. to approach; to move towards 7. to undertake; to engage in 8. (often followed by 著 (zhe)) taking advantage of 9. (of food) to go with 10. with regard to; concerning 11. (bound form) to reach; to attain (as in 一蹴而就 (yī cù ér jiù)) 12. (pattern: 就 (jiù) ... 也 (yě) ...) even if ... still ... 13. (pattern: 不 (bù) ... 就 (jiù) ...) if not ... then must be ... (HSK 1)
無論如何: wú lùn rú hé — (idiom) whatever the case; in any event; no matter what; by all possible means (HSK 7-9)
止: zhǐ — 1. to stop 2. to prohibit 3. until 4. only (HSK 6)
不住: bù zhù — 1. (verb complement) unable to firmly or securely (grasp, recall etc) 2. repeatedly; continuously; constantly
有: yǒu — 1. to have; there is 2. (bound form) having; with; -ful; -ed; -al (as in 有意 (yǒu yì) intentional) (HSK 1)
一個: yī ge — 1. a; an; one 2. the whole (afternoon, summer vacation etc)
古: Gǔ — surname Gu (HSK 3)
衣冠: yī guān — 1. hat and clothes 2. attire
的: de — 1. of; ~'s (possessive particle) 2. (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun) 3. (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis) 4. (used after a noun, verb or adjective to form a nominal expression, as in 皮革的 (pí gé de) "one made of leather" or 跑堂兒的 (pǎo táng r de) "a waiter (literally, one who runs back and forth in a restaurant)" or 新的 (xīn de) "new one") 5. also pr. (dì) or (di) in poetry and songs (HSK 1)
小: xiǎo — 1. small 2. tiny 3. few 4. young (HSK 1)
丈夫: zhàng fu — husband (HSK 4)
在: zài — 1. to exist; to be alive 2. (of sb or sth) to be (located) at 3. (used before a verb to indicate an action in progress) (HSK 1)
女媧: Nǚ wā — Nüwa (creator of humans in Chinese mythology)
的: de — 1. of; ~'s (possessive particle) 2. (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun) 3. (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis) 4. (used after a noun, verb or adjective to form a nominal expression, as in 皮革的 (pí gé de) "one made of leather" or 跑堂兒的 (pǎo táng r de) "a waiter (literally, one who runs back and forth in a restaurant)" or 新的 (xīn de) "new one") 5. also pr. (dì) or (di) in poetry and songs (HSK 1)
兩: liǎng — 1. two 2. both 3. some 4. a few 5. tael, unit of weight equal to 50 grams (modern) or 1⁄16 of a catty 斤 (jīn) (old) (HSK 1)
腿: tuǐ — 1. leg 2. classifier: 條 (tiáo) (HSK 2)
之間: zhī jiān — 1. (after a noun) between; among; amid 2. (used after certain bisyllabic words to form expressions indicating a short period of time, e.g. 彈指之間 (tán zhǐ zhī jiān)) (HSK 4)
出現: chū xiàn — 1. to appear 2. to arise 3. to emerge 4. to show up (HSK 2)
了: le — 1. (completed action marker) 2. (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now) 3. (modal particle intensifying preceding clause) (HSK 1)
這就: zhè jiù — 1. immediately 2. at once
是: shì — 1. to be (followed by substantives only) 2. correct; right; true 3. (respectful acknowledgement of a command) very well 4. (adverb for emphatic assertion) (HSK 1)
從: Cóng — surname Cong (HSK 1)
認真: rèn zhēn — 1. conscientious 2. earnest 3. serious 4. to take seriously 5. to take to heart (HSK 1)
陷入: xiàn rù — 1. to sink into 2. to get caught up in 3. to land in (a predicament) (HSK 6)
了: le — 1. (completed action marker) 2. (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now) 3. (modal particle intensifying preceding clause) (HSK 1)
油滑: yóu huá — 1. oily 2. greasy 3. unctuous 4. slippery (character)
的: de — 1. of; ~'s (possessive particle) 2. (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun) 3. (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis) 4. (used after a noun, verb or adjective to form a nominal expression, as in 皮革的 (pí gé de) "one made of leather" or 跑堂兒的 (pǎo táng r de) "a waiter (literally, one who runs back and forth in a restaurant)" or 新的 (xīn de) "new one") 5. also pr. (dì) or (di) in poetry and songs (HSK 1)
開端: kāi duān — 1. start 2. beginning
油滑: yóu huá — 1. oily 2. greasy 3. unctuous 4. slippery (character)
是: shì — 1. to be (followed by substantives only) 2. correct; right; true 3. (respectful acknowledgement of a command) very well 4. (adverb for emphatic assertion) (HSK 1)
創作: chuàng zuò — 1. to create; to produce; to write 2. a creative work; a creation (HSK 3)
的: de — 1. of; ~'s (possessive particle) 2. (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun) 3. (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis) 4. (used after a noun, verb or adjective to form a nominal expression, as in 皮革的 (pí gé de) "one made of leather" or 跑堂兒的 (pǎo táng r de) "a waiter (literally, one who runs back and forth in a restaurant)" or 新的 (xīn de) "new one") 5. also pr. (dì) or (di) in poetry and songs (HSK 1)
大: dà — 1. big; large; great 2. older (than another person) 3. eldest (as in 大姐 (dà jiě)) 4. greatly; freely; fully 5. (dialect) father 6. (dialect) uncle (father's brother) (HSK 1)
敵: dí — 1. (bound form) enemy 2. (bound form) to be a match for; to rival 3. (bound form) to resist; to withstand
我: wǒ — I; me; my (HSK 1)
對於: duì yú — regarding; as far as (sth) is concerned; with regard to (HSK 4)
自己: zì jǐ — oneself; (attributive) one's own (HSK 2)
很: hěn — 1. very; quite 2. (also, often used before an adjective without intensifying its meaning, i.e. as a meaningless syntactic element) (HSK 1)
不滿: bù mǎn — 1. dissatisfied; discontented; resentful 2. (before a number) to be less than (HSK 2)

，《》，，，。I resolved never again to write such stories, and when I compiled and published Call to Arms, I appended it to the end of the volume, counting it both as a beginning and as an end.

我: wǒ — I; me; my (HSK 1)
決: jué — 1. to decide 2. to determine 3. to execute (sb) 4. (of a dam etc) to breach or burst 5. definitely 6. certainly
計: Jì — surname Ji (HSK 7-9)
不再: bù zài — no more; no longer (HSK 6)
寫: xiě — to write (HSK 1)
這樣: zhè yàng — 1. this way; like this; so 2. (before a noun) this kind of; such (HSK 2)
的: de — 1. of; ~'s (possessive particle) 2. (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun) 3. (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis) 4. (used after a noun, verb or adjective to form a nominal expression, as in 皮革的 (pí gé de) "one made of leather" or 跑堂兒的 (pǎo táng r de) "a waiter (literally, one who runs back and forth in a restaurant)" or 新的 (xīn de) "new one") 5. also pr. (dì) or (di) in poetry and songs (HSK 1)
小說: xiǎo shuō — 1. novel 2. fiction 3. classifier: 本 (běn), 部 (bù) (HSK 2)
當: dāng — 1. to be 2. to act as 3. manage 4. withstand 5. when 6. during 7. ought 8. should 9. match equally 10. equal 11. same 12. obstruct 13. just at (a time or place) 14. on the spot 15. right 16. just at (HSK 2)
編印: biān yìn — 1. to compile and print 2. to publish
吶喊: nà hǎn — 1. shout 2. rallying cry 3. cheering 4. to shout (HSK 7-9)
時: Shí — surname Shi (HSK 3)
便: biàn — 1. plain 2. informal 3. suitable 4. convenient 5. opportune 6. to urinate or defecate 7. equivalent to 就 (jiù): then 8. in that case 9. even if 10. soon afterwards (HSK 6)
將: jiāng — 1. will 2. shall 3. to use 4. to take 5. to checkmate 6. just a short while ago 7. (introduces object of main verb, used in the same way as 把 (bǎ)) (HSK 5)
它: tā — it (HSK 2)
附: fù — 1. to add; to attach 2. to be close to; to be attached (HSK 7-9)
在: zài — 1. to exist; to be alive 2. (of sb or sth) to be (located) at 3. (used before a verb to indicate an action in progress) (HSK 1)
卷: juǎn — 1. to roll up 2. (fig.) to sweep up; to engulf; to drag into (a situation) 3. (slang) to compete to an unhealthy degree; hypercompetitive 4. a roll 5. classifier for small rolled-up things (wad of paper money, movie reel etc) (HSK 4)
末: me — variant of 麼 (me) (HSK 4)
算是: suàn shì — 1. considered to be 2. at last (HSK 6)
一個: yī ge — 1. a; an; one 2. the whole (afternoon, summer vacation etc)
開始: kāi shǐ — 1. to begin 2. beginning 3. to start 4. initial 5. classifier: 個 (gè) (HSK 3)
也就是: yě jiù shì — in other words; i.e.
一個: yī ge — 1. a; an; one 2. the whole (afternoon, summer vacation etc)
收場: shōu chǎng — 1. the end 2. an ending 3. to wind down 4. to conclude

「」。At the time, our critic Mr. Cheng Fangwu was standing at the gates of the Creation Society, beneath the banner of “the soul’s adventures,” brandishing his battle-axe.「」，《》，《》，——。Condemning Call to Arms as “vulgar,” he hacked it to pieces with a few strokes of his axe, praising only “Mount Buzhou” as a fine work—though naturally even it still had its faults.，，。To speak frankly, this was why, far from being convinced, I actually came to despise this valiant warrior.「」，「」；I do not disdain the “vulgar,” and am quite content to be “vulgar” myself;，，，「」，，，，，；As for historical fiction, I believe that works based on extensive study of the sources, in which every statement has evidence behind it, are in fact extremely difficult to construct, even if some mock them as “professorial fiction”; whereas merely taking some slight pretext, embellishing it at will, and spinning it out into a story requires no great skill at all.「，」，，「」；《》，。Besides, “as fish know the water they drink, whether it is cold or warm,” or, to put it vulgarly, “each man knows his own ailments”; the latter half of “Mount Buzhou” was written very carelessly and could never be a fine work.，，，《》，；If readers believed this adventurer’s words, they would surely mislead themselves, while I too would become one who misled others; so when the second edition of Call to Arms was published, I removed the piece.「」——，「」。Thus I dealt this “soul” a blow squarely on the head—in my collection, nothing but “vulgarity” remained to run rampant.

這時: zhè shí — 1. at this time 2. at this moment (HSK 2)
我們: wǒ men — we; us; ourselves; our (HSK 1)
的: de — 1. of; ~'s (possessive particle) 2. (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun) 3. (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis) 4. (used after a noun, verb or adjective to form a nominal expression, as in 皮革的 (pí gé de) "one made of leather" or 跑堂兒的 (pǎo táng r de) "a waiter (literally, one who runs back and forth in a restaurant)" or 新的 (xīn de) "new one") 5. also pr. (dì) or (di) in poetry and songs (HSK 1)
批評家: pī píng jiā — critic
成: Chéng — 1. surname Cheng 2. short name for Chengdu 成都 (Chéng dū) (HSK 2)
仿: fǎng — 1. to imitate 2. to copy (HSK 7-9)
吾: Wú — surname Wu
先生: xiān sheng — 1. teacher 2. gentleman; sir; mister (Mr.) 3. husband 4. (dialect) doctor 5. classifier: 位 (wèi) (HSK 1)
正在: zhèng zài — to be in the process of (doing sth); to be currently ...-ing (HSK 1)
創造: chuàng zào — 1. to create 2. to bring about 3. to produce 4. to set (a record) (HSK 3)
社: shè — 1. (bound form) society; organization; agency 2. (old) god of the land (HSK 5)
門口: mén kǒu — 1. doorway 2. gate 3. classifier: 個 (gè) (HSK 1)
的: de — 1. of; ~'s (possessive particle) 2. (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun) 3. (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis) 4. (used after a noun, verb or adjective to form a nominal expression, as in 皮革的 (pí gé de) "one made of leather" or 跑堂兒的 (pǎo táng r de) "a waiter (literally, one who runs back and forth in a restaurant)" or 新的 (xīn de) "new one") 5. also pr. (dì) or (di) in poetry and songs (HSK 1)
靈魂: líng hún — 1. soul 2. spirit (HSK 7-9)
的: de — 1. of; ~'s (possessive particle) 2. (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun) 3. (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis) 4. (used after a noun, verb or adjective to form a nominal expression, as in 皮革的 (pí gé de) "one made of leather" or 跑堂兒的 (pǎo táng r de) "a waiter (literally, one who runs back and forth in a restaurant)" or 新的 (xīn de) "new one") 5. also pr. (dì) or (di) in poetry and songs (HSK 1)
冒險: mào xiǎn — 1. to take risks 2. to take chances 3. foray 4. adventure (HSK 7-9)
的: de — 1. of; ~'s (possessive particle) 2. (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun) 3. (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis) 4. (used after a noun, verb or adjective to form a nominal expression, as in 皮革的 (pí gé de) "one made of leather" or 跑堂兒的 (pǎo táng r de) "a waiter (literally, one who runs back and forth in a restaurant)" or 新的 (xīn de) "new one") 5. also pr. (dì) or (di) in poetry and songs (HSK 1)
旗子: qí zi — 1. flag 2. banner 3. classifier: 面 (miàn)
底下: dǐ xia — 1. the location below sth 2. afterwards (HSK 3)
掄: lūn — 1. to swing (one's arms, a heavy object) 2. to wave (a sword, one's fists) 3. to fling (money) (HSK 7-9)
板斧: bǎn fǔ — broad axe
他: tā — 1. (third-person singular) (since the early 20th century, usu. male) he; him; his 2. (bound form) other; another; some other (as in 他日 (tā rì) and 他人 (tā rén)) (HSK 1)
以: Yǐ — abbr. for Israel 以色列 (Yǐ sè liè) (HSK 7-9)
庸俗: yōng sú — 1. vulgar 2. tacky 3. tawdry (HSK 7-9)
的: de — 1. of; ~'s (possessive particle) 2. (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun) 3. (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis) 4. (used after a noun, verb or adjective to form a nominal expression, as in 皮革的 (pí gé de) "one made of leather" or 跑堂兒的 (pǎo táng r de) "a waiter (literally, one who runs back and forth in a restaurant)" or 新的 (xīn de) "new one") 5. also pr. (dì) or (di) in poetry and songs (HSK 1)
罪名: zuì míng — 1. charge; accusation 2. stigma; bad name; stained reputation
幾: jī — (literary) almost (HSK 1)
斧: fǔ — hatchet
砍殺: kǎn shā — to attack with a bladed weapon
了: le — 1. (completed action marker) 2. (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now) 3. (modal particle intensifying preceding clause) (HSK 1)
吶喊: nà hǎn — 1. shout 2. rallying cry 3. cheering 4. to shout (HSK 7-9)
只: zhī — variant of 隻 (zhī) (HSK 2)
推: tuī — 1. to push 2. to cut 3. to refuse 4. to reject 5. to decline 6. to shirk (responsibility) 7. to put off 8. to delay 9. to push forward 10. to nominate 11. to elect 12. massage (HSK 2)
不周山: Bù zhōu Shān — Buzhou Mountain, a mountain from Chinese legend
為: wéi — 1. as (in the capacity of) 2. to take sth as 3. to act as 4. to serve as 5. to behave as 6. to become 7. to be 8. to do 9. by (in the passive voice) (HSK 2)
佳作: jiā zuò — 1. masterpiece 2. fine piece of writing
自然: zì rán — 1. nature 2. natural 3. naturally (HSK 3)
也: Yě — surname Ye (HSK 1)
仍: réng — 1. still; yet 2. to remain 3. (literary) frequently; often (HSK 3)
有: yǒu — 1. to have; there is 2. (bound form) having; with; -ful; -ed; -al (as in 有意 (yǒu yì) intentional) (HSK 1)
不好: bù hǎo — no good
的: de — 1. of; ~'s (possessive particle) 2. (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun) 3. (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis) 4. (used after a noun, verb or adjective to form a nominal expression, as in 皮革的 (pí gé de) "one made of leather" or 跑堂兒的 (pǎo táng r de) "a waiter (literally, one who runs back and forth in a restaurant)" or 新的 (xīn de) "new one") 5. also pr. (dì) or (di) in poetry and songs (HSK 1)
地方: dì fāng — 1. region 2. regional (away from the central administration) 3. local (HSK 1)
坦白: tǎn bái — 1. honest 2. forthcoming 3. to confess (HSK 7-9)
的: de — 1. of; ~'s (possessive particle) 2. (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun) 3. (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis) 4. (used after a noun, verb or adjective to form a nominal expression, as in 皮革的 (pí gé de) "one made of leather" or 跑堂兒的 (pǎo táng r de) "a waiter (literally, one who runs back and forth in a restaurant)" or 新的 (xīn de) "new one") 5. also pr. (dì) or (di) in poetry and songs (HSK 1)
說: shuì — to persuade (HSK 1)
罷: bà — 1. to stop 2. to cease 3. to dismiss 4. to suspend 5. to quit 6. to finish
這就: zhè jiù — 1. immediately 2. at once
是: shì — 1. to be (followed by substantives only) 2. correct; right; true 3. (respectful acknowledgement of a command) very well 4. (adverb for emphatic assertion) (HSK 1)
使: shǐ — 1. to make 2. to cause 3. to enable 4. to use 5. to employ 6. to send 7. to instruct sb to do sth 8. envoy 9. messenger (HSK 3)
我: wǒ — I; me; my (HSK 1)
不但: bù dàn — not only (... but also ...) (HSK 2)
不能: bù néng — 1. cannot 2. must not 3. should not
心服: xīn fú — 1. to accept wholeheartedly 2. to embrace 3. to be won over
而且: ér qiě — 1. (not only ...) but also 2. moreover; in addition; furthermore (HSK 2)
還: Huán — surname Huan (HSK 1)
輕視: qīng shì — 1. contempt 2. contemptuous 3. to despise 4. to scorn 5. scornful
了: le — 1. (completed action marker) 2. (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now) 3. (modal particle intensifying preceding clause) (HSK 1)
這位: zhè wèi — this (person)
勇士: yǒng shì — 1. a warrior 2. a brave person
的: de — 1. of; ~'s (possessive particle) 2. (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun) 3. (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis) 4. (used after a noun, verb or adjective to form a nominal expression, as in 皮革的 (pí gé de) "one made of leather" or 跑堂兒的 (pǎo táng r de) "a waiter (literally, one who runs back and forth in a restaurant)" or 新的 (xīn de) "new one") 5. also pr. (dì) or (di) in poetry and songs (HSK 1)
原因: yuán yīn — 1. cause 2. origin 3. root cause 4. reason 5. classifier: 個 (gè) (HSK 2)
我: wǒ — I; me; my (HSK 1)
是: shì — 1. to be (followed by substantives only) 2. correct; right; true 3. (respectful acknowledgement of a command) very well 4. (adverb for emphatic assertion) (HSK 1)
不: bù — 1. no; not so 2. (bound form) not; un- (HSK 1)
簿: bù — 1. a book 2. a register 3. account-book
庸俗: yōng sú — 1. vulgar 2. tacky 3. tawdry (HSK 7-9)
也: Yě — surname Ye (HSK 1)
自: zì — 1. (bound form) self; oneself 2. from; since 3. naturally; as a matter of course (HSK 4)
甘: Gān — 1. surname Gan 2. short name for Gansu 甘肅 (Gān sù)
庸俗: yōng sú — 1. vulgar 2. tacky 3. tawdry (HSK 7-9)
的: de — 1. of; ~'s (possessive particle) 2. (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun) 3. (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis) 4. (used after a noun, verb or adjective to form a nominal expression, as in 皮革的 (pí gé de) "one made of leather" or 跑堂兒的 (pǎo táng r de) "a waiter (literally, one who runs back and forth in a restaurant)" or 新的 (xīn de) "new one") 5. also pr. (dì) or (di) in poetry and songs (HSK 1)
對於: duì yú — regarding; as far as (sth) is concerned; with regard to (HSK 4)
歷史: lì shǐ — 1. history 2. classifier: 門 (mén), 段 (duàn) (HSK 4)
小說: xiǎo shuō — 1. novel 2. fiction 3. classifier: 本 (běn), 部 (bù) (HSK 2)
則: zé — 1. (literary) (conjunction used to express contrast with a previous clause) but; then 2. (bound form) standard; norm 3. (bound form) principle 4. (literary) to imitate; to follow 5. classifier for written items (HSK 7-9)
以為: yǐ wéi — to think; to believe (often with the implication that the belief is mistaken – unless referring to one's own current belief) (HSK 2)
博: bó — 1. (bound form) abundant; plentiful; extensive; wide 2. to win; to gain 3. to play; to gamble 4. learned; well-read 5. (bound form) doctoral degree (abbr. for 博士 (bó shì)) 6. (bound form) blog (abbr. for 博客 (bó kè))
考: kǎo — 1. to check 2. to verify 3. to test 4. to examine 5. to take an exam 6. to take an entrance exam for 7. deceased father (HSK 1)
文獻: wén xiàn — reference material (used in scholarly study) (HSK 7-9)
言: yán — 1. words 2. speech 3. to say 4. to talk
必: bì — 1. certainly 2. must 3. will 4. necessarily (HSK 5)
有: yǒu — 1. to have; there is 2. (bound form) having; with; -ful; -ed; -al (as in 有意 (yǒu yì) intentional) (HSK 1)
據: jù — 1. according to 2. to act in accordance with 3. to depend on 4. to seize 5. to occupy (HSK 6)
者: zhě — 1. (after a verb or adjective) one who (is) ... 2. (after a noun) person involved in ... 3. -er 4. -ist 5. (used after a number or 後 (hòu) or 前 (qián) to refer to sth mentioned previously) 6. (used after a term, to mark a pause before defining the term) 7. (old) (used at the end of a command) 8. (old) this
縱使: zòng shǐ — 1. even if 2. even though
有人: yǒu rén — 1. someone 2. people 3. anyone 4. there is someone there 5. occupied (as in restroom) (HSK 2)
譏: jī — to ridicule
為: wéi — 1. as (in the capacity of) 2. to take sth as 3. to act as 4. to serve as 5. to behave as 6. to become 7. to be 8. to do 9. by (in the passive voice) (HSK 2)
教授: jiào shòu — 1. professor 2. to instruct 3. to lecture on 4. classifier: 個 (gè), 位 (wèi) (HSK 4)
小說: xiǎo shuō — 1. novel 2. fiction 3. classifier: 本 (běn), 部 (bù) (HSK 2)
其實: qí shí — actually; in fact; really (HSK 3)
是: shì — 1. to be (followed by substantives only) 2. correct; right; true 3. (respectful acknowledgement of a command) very well 4. (adverb for emphatic assertion) (HSK 1)
很: hěn — 1. very; quite 2. (also, often used before an adjective without intensifying its meaning, i.e. as a meaningless syntactic element) (HSK 1)
難: nán — 1. difficult (to...) 2. problem 3. difficulty 4. difficult 5. not good (HSK 1)
組織: zǔ zhī — 1. to organize 2. organization 3. (biology) tissue 4. (textiles) weave 5. classifier: 個 (gè) (HSK 5)
之: zhī — 1. (possessive particle, literary equivalent of 的 (de)) 2. him 3. her 4. it (HSK 7-9)
作: zuō — 1. (bound form) worker 2. (bound form) workshop 3. (slang) troublesome; high-maintenance (person) (HSK 6)
至於: zhì yú — 1. as for 2. as to 3. to go so far as to (HSK 6)
只: zhī — variant of 隻 (zhī) (HSK 2)
取: qǔ — 1. to take 2. to get 3. to choose 4. to fetch (HSK 2)
一點: yī diǎn — 1. a bit; a little bit 2. (used in negative expressions) (not) the least bit 3. (after an adjective, used to form the comparative) a bit more, -er 4. a point (in a discussion etc) 5. (calligraphy) dot stroke (、) 6. one o'clock (abbr. for 一點鍾 (yī diǎn zhōng))
因由: yīn yóu — 1. reason 2. cause 3. predestined relationship (Buddhism)
隨意: suí yì — 1. as one wishes 2. according to one's wishes 3. at will 4. voluntary 5. conscious (HSK 5)
點染: diǎn rǎn — 1. to touch up (a piece of writing) 2. to add details (to a painting)
鋪: pū — 1. to spread 2. to display 3. to set up 4. (old) holder for door-knocker (HSK 6)
成: Chéng — 1. surname Cheng 2. short name for Chengdu 成都 (Chéng dū) (HSK 2)
一: yī — 1. one 2. single 3. a (article) 4. as soon as 5. entire; whole; all; throughout 6. "one" radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 1) 7. also pr. (yāo) for greater clarity when spelling out numbers digit by digit (HSK 1)
篇: piān — 1. sheet 2. piece of writing 3. bound set of bamboo slips used for record keeping (old) 4. classifier for written items: chapter, article (HSK 2)
倒: dǎo — 1. to fall; to collapse; to lie horizontally 2. to fail; to go bankrupt 3. to overthrow 4. to change (trains or buses) 5. to move around 6. to resell at a profit (HSK 2)
無需: wú xū — needless
怎樣: zěn yàng — 1. how 2. what kind (HSK 2)
的: de — 1. of; ~'s (possessive particle) 2. (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun) 3. (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis) 4. (used after a noun, verb or adjective to form a nominal expression, as in 皮革的 (pí gé de) "one made of leather" or 跑堂兒的 (pǎo táng r de) "a waiter (literally, one who runs back and forth in a restaurant)" or 新的 (xīn de) "new one") 5. also pr. (dì) or (di) in poetry and songs (HSK 1)
手腕: shǒu wàn — 1. wrist 2. trickery 3. finesse 4. ability 5. skill (HSK 7-9)
況且: kuàng qiě — 1. moreover 2. besides 3. in addition 4. furthermore (HSK 7-9)
如: rú — 1. as 2. as if 3. such as (HSK 6)
魚: Yú — surname Yu (HSK 2)
飲水: yǐn shuǐ — 1. to drink water 2. drinking water (HSK 7-9)
冷暖自知: lěng nuǎn zì zhī — see 如人飲水，冷暖自知 (rú rén yǐn shuǐ, lěng nuǎn zì zhī)
用: yòng — 1. to use; to make use of; to employ 2. (coverb) with; using 3. to need; to have to (usu. used in the negative or in questions) 4. usefulness; utility 5. (bound form) expense; outlay 6. (courteous) to eat; to drink 7. (literary) hence; therefore (HSK 1)
庸俗: yōng sú — 1. vulgar 2. tacky 3. tawdry (HSK 7-9)
的話: de huà — if (coming after a conditional clause) (HSK 2)
來: lái — 1. to come 2. (used as a substitute for a more specific verb) 3. hither (directional complement for motion toward the speaker, as in 回來 (huí lai)) 4. ever since (as in 自古以來 (zì gǔ yǐ lái)) 5. for the past (amount of time) 6. (prefix) the coming ...; the next ... (as in 來世 (lái shì)) 7. (between two verbs) in order to 8. (after a round number) approximately 9. (used after 得 (dé) to indicate possibility, as in 談得來 (tán de lái), or after 不 (bù) to indicate impossibility, as in 吃不來 (chī bu lái)) (HSK 1)
說: shuì — to persuade (HSK 1)
就是: jiù shì — 1. exactly; precisely 2. only; simply; just 3. (used correlatively with 也 (yě)) even; even if (HSK 3)
自家: zì jiā — 1. oneself 2. one's own family
有病: yǒu bìng — 1. to be ill 2. (coll.) to be not right in the head
自家: zì jiā — 1. oneself 2. one's own family
知: zhī — 1. to know 2. to be aware
罷: bà — 1. to stop 2. to cease 3. to dismiss 4. to suspend 5. to quit 6. to finish
不周山: Bù zhōu Shān — Buzhou Mountain, a mountain from Chinese legend
的: de — 1. of; ~'s (possessive particle) 2. (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun) 3. (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis) 4. (used after a noun, verb or adjective to form a nominal expression, as in 皮革的 (pí gé de) "one made of leather" or 跑堂兒的 (pǎo táng r de) "a waiter (literally, one who runs back and forth in a restaurant)" or 新的 (xīn de) "new one") 5. also pr. (dì) or (di) in poetry and songs (HSK 1)
後半: hòu bàn — latter half
是: shì — 1. to be (followed by substantives only) 2. correct; right; true 3. (respectful acknowledgement of a command) very well 4. (adverb for emphatic assertion) (HSK 1)
很: hěn — 1. very; quite 2. (also, often used before an adjective without intensifying its meaning, i.e. as a meaningless syntactic element) (HSK 1)
草率: cǎo shuài — 1. careless 2. negligent 3. sloppy 4. not serious
的: de — 1. of; ~'s (possessive particle) 2. (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun) 3. (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis) 4. (used after a noun, verb or adjective to form a nominal expression, as in 皮革的 (pí gé de) "one made of leather" or 跑堂兒的 (pǎo táng r de) "a waiter (literally, one who runs back and forth in a restaurant)" or 新的 (xīn de) "new one") 5. also pr. (dì) or (di) in poetry and songs (HSK 1)
決不: jué bù — 1. not at all 2. simply (can) not (HSK 5)
能: Néng — surname Neng (HSK 1)
成為: chéng wéi — to become; to turn into (HSK 2)
佳作: jiā zuò — 1. masterpiece 2. fine piece of writing
倘: cháng — used in 倘佯 (cháng yáng)
使: shǐ — 1. to make 2. to cause 3. to enable 4. to use 5. to employ 6. to send 7. to instruct sb to do sth 8. envoy 9. messenger (HSK 3)
讀者: dú zhě — reader (HSK 3)
相信: xiāng xìn — to believe; to be convinced; to accept as true (HSK 2)
了: le — 1. (completed action marker) 2. (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now) 3. (modal particle intensifying preceding clause) (HSK 1)
這: zhè — 1. (pronoun) this; these 2. (bound form) this; the (followed by a noun) 3. (bound form) this; these (followed by a classifier) (in this sense, commonly pr. (zhèi), esp. in Beijing) (HSK 1)
冒險家: mào xiǎn jiā — adventurer
的話: de huà — if (coming after a conditional clause) (HSK 2)
一定: yī dìng — 1. surely; certainly; definitely 2. fixed; settled 3. a certain ...; a given ... (HSK 2)
自: zì — 1. (bound form) self; oneself 2. from; since 3. naturally; as a matter of course (HSK 4)
誤: wù — 1. mistake 2. error 3. to miss 4. to harm 5. to delay 6. to neglect 7. mistakenly (HSK 6)
而: ér — 1. and 2. as well as 3. and so 4. but (not) 5. yet (not) 6. (indicates causal relation) 7. (indicates change of state) 8. (indicates contrast) (HSK 4)
我: wǒ — I; me; my (HSK 1)
也: Yě — surname Ye (HSK 1)
成了: chéng le — 1. to be done 2. to be ready 3. that's enough! 4. that will do!
誤: wù — 1. mistake 2. error 3. to miss 4. to harm 5. to delay 6. to neglect 7. mistakenly (HSK 6)
人: rén — 1. person; people 2. classifier: 個 (gè), 位 (wèi), 名 (míng) (HSK 1)
於是: yú shì — thereupon; as a result; consequently; thus; hence (HSK 4)
當: dāng — 1. to be 2. to act as 3. manage 4. withstand 5. when 6. during 7. ought 8. should 9. match equally 10. equal 11. same 12. obstruct 13. just at (a time or place) 14. on the spot 15. right 16. just at (HSK 2)
吶喊: nà hǎn — 1. shout 2. rallying cry 3. cheering 4. to shout (HSK 7-9)
印行: yìn xíng — 1. to print and distribute 2. to publish
第二: dì èr — 1. second 2. number two 3. next 4. secondary
版: bǎn — 1. a register 2. block of printing 3. edition 4. version 5. page (HSK 5)
時: Shí — surname Shi (HSK 3)
即將: jí jiāng — about to; on the point of; soon (HSK 4)
這: zhè — 1. (pronoun) this; these 2. (bound form) this; the (followed by a noun) 3. (bound form) this; these (followed by a classifier) (in this sense, commonly pr. (zhèi), esp. in Beijing) (HSK 1)
一: yī — 1. one 2. single 3. a (article) 4. as soon as 5. entire; whole; all; throughout 6. "one" radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 1) 7. also pr. (yāo) for greater clarity when spelling out numbers digit by digit (HSK 1)
篇: piān — 1. sheet 2. piece of writing 3. bound set of bamboo slips used for record keeping (old) 4. classifier for written items: chapter, article (HSK 2)
刪除: shān chú — 1. to delete 2. to cancel (HSK 7-9)
向: Xiàng — surname Xiang (HSK 2)
這位: zhè wèi — this (person)
魂靈: hún líng — 1. soul 2. mind 3. idea
回敬: huí jìng — 1. to return a compliment 2. to give sth in return
了當: liǎo dàng — 1. frank; outspoken 2. ready; settled; in order 3. (old) to deal with; to handle
頭一: tóu yī — the first
捧: pěng — 1. to hold or offer with both hands 2. to sing the praises of 3. classifier for what can be held in both hands (HSK 7-9)
我: wǒ — I; me; my (HSK 1)
的: de — 1. of; ~'s (possessive particle) 2. (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun) 3. (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis) 4. (used after a noun, verb or adjective to form a nominal expression, as in 皮革的 (pí gé de) "one made of leather" or 跑堂兒的 (pǎo táng r de) "a waiter (literally, one who runs back and forth in a restaurant)" or 新的 (xīn de) "new one") 5. also pr. (dì) or (di) in poetry and songs (HSK 1)
集子: jí zi — 1. anthology 2. selected writing
裡: lǐ — 1. lining 2. interior 3. inside 4. internal 5. also written 裏 (lǐ) (HSK 1)
只: zhī — variant of 隻 (zhī) (HSK 2)
剩: shèng — 1. to remain 2. to be left 3. to have as remainder (HSK 5)
著: zhāo — 1. a move in chess (Taiwan pr. (zhuó)) 2. trick; tactic 3. (dialect) okay; all right 4. (dialect) to put in; to add (HSK 1)
庸俗: yōng sú — 1. vulgar 2. tacky 3. tawdry (HSK 7-9)
在: zài — 1. to exist; to be alive 2. (of sb or sth) to be (located) at 3. (used before a verb to indicate an action in progress) (HSK 1)
跋扈: bá hù — 1. domineering 2. bossy
了: le — 1. (completed action marker) 2. (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now) 3. (modal particle intensifying preceding clause) (HSK 1)

，，，，，。It was not until the autumn of 1926, when I was living alone in a stone house in Xiamen, facing the sea and leafing through old books, with no sign of human life nearby and an utter emptiness in my heart, that things changed.，，。Meanwhile, the Weiming Society in Beijing kept writing to press me for contributions to its journal.；At the time I did not wish to think about the present;，《》；and so memories were unearthed within me, and I wrote the ten pieces of Dawn Blossoms Plucked at Dusk;，《》。I also returned to gathering ancient legends and the like, intending to make up eight Tales Retold.《》《》——《》，——，。But no sooner had I written “Flight to the Moon” and “Forging the Swords”—which was entitled “Meijianchi” when first published—than I rushed off to Guangzhou, and the project was once again completely laid aside.，，。Although I later chanced now and then upon a bit of material and made a rough sketch of it, I never set about putting any of it in order.

直到: zhí dào — until (HSK 3)
一: yī — 1. one 2. single 3. a (article) 4. as soon as 5. entire; whole; all; throughout 6. "one" radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 1) 7. also pr. (yāo) for greater clarity when spelling out numbers digit by digit (HSK 1)
九: jiǔ — 1. nine 2. 9 (HSK 1)
二: èr — 1. two 2. 2 3. (Beijing dialect) stupid (HSK 1)
六: liù — 1. six 2. 6 (HSK 1)
年: Nián — surname Nian (HSK 1)
的: de — 1. of; ~'s (possessive particle) 2. (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun) 3. (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis) 4. (used after a noun, verb or adjective to form a nominal expression, as in 皮革的 (pí gé de) "one made of leather" or 跑堂兒的 (pǎo táng r de) "a waiter (literally, one who runs back and forth in a restaurant)" or 新的 (xīn de) "new one") 5. also pr. (dì) or (di) in poetry and songs (HSK 1)
秋天: qiū tiān — 1. autumn 2. classifier: 個 (gè) (HSK 2)
一個人: yī gè rén — 1. by oneself (without assistance) 2. alone (without company)
住: zhù — 1. to live; to reside; to stay 2. to stop; to cease 3. (result complement indicating firmness or a stable achieved state) (HSK 1)
在: zài — 1. to exist; to be alive 2. (of sb or sth) to be (located) at 3. (used before a verb to indicate an action in progress) (HSK 1)
廈門: Xià mén — see 廈門市 (Xià mén Shì)
的: de — 1. of; ~'s (possessive particle) 2. (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun) 3. (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis) 4. (used after a noun, verb or adjective to form a nominal expression, as in 皮革的 (pí gé de) "one made of leather" or 跑堂兒的 (pǎo táng r de) "a waiter (literally, one who runs back and forth in a restaurant)" or 新的 (xīn de) "new one") 5. also pr. (dì) or (di) in poetry and songs (HSK 1)
石: Shí — 1. surname Shi 2. abbr. for Shijiazhuang 石家莊 (Shí jiā zhuāng), the capital of Hebei
屋: wū — 1. (bound form) house 2. (bound form) room (HSK 5)
裡: lǐ — 1. lining 2. interior 3. inside 4. internal 5. also written 裏 (lǐ) (HSK 1)
對: duì — 1. right; correct 2. towards; at; for 3. concerning; regarding 4. to treat (sb a certain way) 5. to face 6. (bound form) opposite; facing; matching 7. to match together; to adjust 8. to fit; to suit 9. to answer; to reply 10. to add; to pour in (a fluid) 11. to check; to compare 12. classifier: couple; pair (HSK 1)
著: zhāo — 1. a move in chess (Taiwan pr. (zhuó)) 2. trick; tactic 3. (dialect) okay; all right 4. (dialect) to put in; to add (HSK 1)
大海: dà hǎi — 1. sea 2. ocean (HSK 2)
翻: fān — 1. to turn over 2. to flip over 3. to overturn 4. to rummage through 5. to translate 6. to decode 7. to double 8. to climb over or into 9. to cross (HSK 4)
著: zhāo — 1. a move in chess (Taiwan pr. (zhuó)) 2. trick; tactic 3. (dialect) okay; all right 4. (dialect) to put in; to add (HSK 1)
古書: gǔ shū — 1. ancient book 2. old book
四近: sì jìn — nearby
無: mó — used in 南無 (nā mó) (HSK 4)
生人: shēng rén — 1. stranger 2. living person 3. to give birth 4. to be born (in a certain time or place)
氣: qì — 1. gas; air 2. smell 3. weather 4. to make angry; to annoy; to get angry 5. vital energy; qi (HSK 2)
心裡: xīn li — 1. chest 2. heart; mind (HSK 2)
空空洞洞: kōng kōng dòng dòng — 1. empty 2. hollow 3. lacking in substance
而: ér — 1. and 2. as well as 3. and so 4. but (not) 5. yet (not) 6. (indicates causal relation) 7. (indicates change of state) 8. (indicates contrast) (HSK 4)
北京: Běi jīng — Beijing municipality, capital of the People's Republic of China (short name 京 (Jīng)) (HSK 1)
的: de — 1. of; ~'s (possessive particle) 2. (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun) 3. (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis) 4. (used after a noun, verb or adjective to form a nominal expression, as in 皮革的 (pí gé de) "one made of leather" or 跑堂兒的 (pǎo táng r de) "a waiter (literally, one who runs back and forth in a restaurant)" or 新的 (xīn de) "new one") 5. also pr. (dì) or (di) in poetry and songs (HSK 1)
未名: wèi míng — 1. unnamed 2. unidentified
社: shè — 1. (bound form) society; organization; agency 2. (old) god of the land (HSK 5)
卻: què — 1. but 2. yet 3. however 4. while 5. to go back 6. to decline 7. to retreat 8. nevertheless 9. even though (HSK 4)
不絕: bù jué — 1. unending 2. uninterrupted
的: de — 1. of; ~'s (possessive particle) 2. (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun) 3. (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis) 4. (used after a noun, verb or adjective to form a nominal expression, as in 皮革的 (pí gé de) "one made of leather" or 跑堂兒的 (pǎo táng r de) "a waiter (literally, one who runs back and forth in a restaurant)" or 新的 (xīn de) "new one") 5. also pr. (dì) or (di) in poetry and songs (HSK 1)
來信: lái xìn — 1. incoming letter 2. to send us a letter (HSK 5)
催促: cuī cù — to urge (HSK 7-9)
雜誌: zá zhì — 1. magazine 2. classifier: 本 (běn), 份 (fèn), 期 (qī) (HSK 3)
的: de — 1. of; ~'s (possessive particle) 2. (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun) 3. (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis) 4. (used after a noun, verb or adjective to form a nominal expression, as in 皮革的 (pí gé de) "one made of leather" or 跑堂兒的 (pǎo táng r de) "a waiter (literally, one who runs back and forth in a restaurant)" or 新的 (xīn de) "new one") 5. also pr. (dì) or (di) in poetry and songs (HSK 1)
文章: wén zhāng — 1. article 2. essay 3. literary works 4. writings 5. hidden meaning 6. classifier: 篇 (piān), 段 (duàn), 頁 (yè) (HSK 3)
這時: zhè shí — 1. at this time 2. at this moment (HSK 2)
我: wǒ — I; me; my (HSK 1)
不願: bù yuàn — unwilling
意: yì — 1. (bound form) idea; thought; meaning; sense 2. (bound form) intention; feeling; inclination; state of mind 3. (bound form) Italy (abbr. for 意大利 (Yì dà lì))
想到: xiǎng dào — 1. to think of 2. to call to mind 3. to anticipate (HSK 2)
目前: mù qián — 1. at the present time 2. currently (HSK 3)
於是: yú shì — thereupon; as a result; consequently; thus; hence (HSK 4)
回憶: huí yì — 1. to recall 2. memories 3. classifier: 個 (gè) (HSK 5)
在: zài — 1. to exist; to be alive 2. (of sb or sth) to be (located) at 3. (used before a verb to indicate an action in progress) (HSK 1)
心中: xīn zhōng — 1. central point 2. in one's thoughts 3. in one's heart (HSK 2)
出土: chū tǔ — 1. to dig up 2. to appear in an excavation 3. unearthed 4. to come up out of the ground (HSK 7-9)
了: le — 1. (completed action marker) 2. (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now) 3. (modal particle intensifying preceding clause) (HSK 1)
寫: xiě — to write (HSK 1)
了: le — 1. (completed action marker) 2. (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now) 3. (modal particle intensifying preceding clause) (HSK 1)
十: shí — 1. ten 2. 10 (HSK 1)
篇: piān — 1. sheet 2. piece of writing 3. bound set of bamboo slips used for record keeping (old) 4. classifier for written items: chapter, article (HSK 2)
朝: Cháo — abbr. for 朝鮮 (Cháo xiǎn) Korea (HSK 3)
華: Huá — abbr. for China
夕: xī — 1. (bound form) sunset; dusk 2. (bound form) evening; night 3. Taiwan pr. (xì)
拾: shè — to ascend in light steps (HSK 5)
並且: bìng qiě — and; besides; moreover; furthermore; in addition (HSK 3)
仍舊: réng jiù — 1. still (remaining) 2. to remain (the same) 3. yet (HSK 5)
拾取: shí qǔ — 1. to pick up 2. to collect
古代: gǔ dài — ancient times (HSK 3)
的: de — 1. of; ~'s (possessive particle) 2. (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun) 3. (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis) 4. (used after a noun, verb or adjective to form a nominal expression, as in 皮革的 (pí gé de) "one made of leather" or 跑堂兒的 (pǎo táng r de) "a waiter (literally, one who runs back and forth in a restaurant)" or 新的 (xīn de) "new one") 5. also pr. (dì) or (di) in poetry and songs (HSK 1)
傳說: chuán shuō — 1. legend; folk tale 2. to repeat from mouth to mouth; they say that... (HSK 3)
之類: zhī lèi — 1. and so on 2. and such (HSK 6)
預備: yù bèi — 1. to prepare 2. to make ready 3. preparation 4. preparatory (HSK 5)
足: jù — excessive (HSK 6)
成: Chéng — 1. surname Cheng 2. short name for Chengdu 成都 (Chéng dū) (HSK 2)
八: bā — eight (HSK 1)
則: zé — 1. (literary) (conjunction used to express contrast with a previous clause) but; then 2. (bound form) standard; norm 3. (bound form) principle 4. (literary) to imitate; to follow 5. classifier for written items (HSK 7-9)
故事: gù shì — old practice (HSK 2)
新編: xīn biān — 1. to compile anew; new (version) 2. newly set up (part of an organization)
但: dàn — 1. but; yet; however; still 2. merely; only; just (HSK 2)
剛: gāng — 1. (literary) hard; firm; strong 2. exactly; precisely 3. barely; only just 4. just; only a short while ago (HSK 2)
寫: xiě — to write (HSK 1)
了: le — 1. (completed action marker) 2. (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now) 3. (modal particle intensifying preceding clause) (HSK 1)
奔月: bèn yuè — to fly to the moon
和: Hé — surname He (HSK 1)
鑄: zhù — to cast or found metals
劍: jiàn — 1. double-edged sword 2. classifier: 口 (kǒu), 把 (bǎ) 3. classifier for blows of a sword (HSK 6)
發表: fā biǎo — 1. to issue 2. to publish (HSK 3)
的: de — 1. of; ~'s (possessive particle) 2. (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun) 3. (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis) 4. (used after a noun, verb or adjective to form a nominal expression, as in 皮革的 (pí gé de) "one made of leather" or 跑堂兒的 (pǎo táng r de) "a waiter (literally, one who runs back and forth in a restaurant)" or 新的 (xīn de) "new one") 5. also pr. (dì) or (di) in poetry and songs (HSK 1)
那時: nà shí — 1. then 2. at that time 3. in those days (HSK 2)
題: Tí — surname Ti (HSK 2)
為: wéi — 1. as (in the capacity of) 2. to take sth as 3. to act as 4. to serve as 5. to behave as 6. to become 7. to be 8. to do 9. by (in the passive voice) (HSK 2)
眉間: méi jiān — 1. the flat area of forehead between the eyebrows 2. glabella
尺: chě — one of the characters used to represent a musical note in gongche notation, 工尺譜 (gōng chě pǔ) (HSK 4)
我: wǒ — I; me; my (HSK 1)
便: biàn — 1. plain 2. informal 3. suitable 4. convenient 5. opportune 6. to urinate or defecate 7. equivalent to 就 (jiù): then 8. in that case 9. even if 10. soon afterwards (HSK 6)
奔: bēn — 1. to hurry 2. to rush 3. to run quickly 4. to elope (HSK 7-9)
向: Xiàng — surname Xiang (HSK 2)
廣州: Guǎng zhōu — see 廣州市 (Guǎng zhōu Shì)
這: zhè — 1. (pronoun) this; these 2. (bound form) this; the (followed by a noun) 3. (bound form) this; these (followed by a classifier) (in this sense, commonly pr. (zhèi), esp. in Beijing) (HSK 1)
事: shì — 1. matter 2. thing 3. item 4. work 5. affair 6. classifier: 件 (jiàn), 樁 (zhuāng), 回 (huí) (HSK 1)
就: jiù — 1. (after a suppositional clause) in that case; then 2. (after a clause of action) as soon as; immediately after 3. (same as 就是 (jiù shì)) merely; nothing else but; simply; just; precisely; exactly 4. only; as little as 5. as much as; as many as 6. to approach; to move towards 7. to undertake; to engage in 8. (often followed by 著 (zhe)) taking advantage of 9. (of food) to go with 10. with regard to; concerning 11. (bound form) to reach; to attain (as in 一蹴而就 (yī cù ér jiù)) 12. (pattern: 就 (jiù) ... 也 (yě) ...) even if ... still ... 13. (pattern: 不 (bù) ... 就 (jiù) ...) if not ... then must be ... (HSK 1)
又: yòu — 1. (once) again 2. also 3. both... and... 4. and yet 5. (used for emphasis) anyway (HSK 2)
完全: wán quán — 1. complete; whole 2. totally; entirely (HSK 2)
擱: gē — 1. to place 2. to put aside 3. to shelve (HSK 7-9)
起: qǐ — 1. to rise 2. to raise 3. to get up 4. to set out 5. to start 6. to appear 7. to launch 8. to initiate (action) 9. to draft 10. to establish 11. to get (from a depot or counter) 12. verb suffix, to start 13. starting from (a time, place, price etc) 14. classifier for occurrences or unpredictable events: case, instance 15. classifier for groups: batch, group (HSK 1)
了: le — 1. (completed action marker) 2. (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now) 3. (modal particle intensifying preceding clause) (HSK 1)
後來: hòu lái — 1. afterwards; later 2. newly arrived (HSK 2)
雖然: suī rán — although; even though (often used correlatively with 可是 (kě shì) or 但是 (dàn shì) etc) (HSK 2)
偶爾: ǒu ěr — 1. occasionally 2. once in a while 3. sometimes (HSK 5)
得到: dé dào — to get; to obtain; to receive (HSK 1)
一點: yī diǎn — 1. a bit; a little bit 2. (used in negative expressions) (not) the least bit 3. (after an adjective, used to form the comparative) a bit more, -er 4. a point (in a discussion etc) 5. (calligraphy) dot stroke (、) 6. one o'clock (abbr. for 一點鍾 (yī diǎn zhōng))
題材: tí cái — subject matter (HSK 5)
作: zuō — 1. (bound form) worker 2. (bound form) workshop 3. (slang) troublesome; high-maintenance (person) (HSK 6)
一: yī — 1. one 2. single 3. a (article) 4. as soon as 5. entire; whole; all; throughout 6. "one" radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 1) 7. also pr. (yāo) for greater clarity when spelling out numbers digit by digit (HSK 1)
段: Duàn — surname Duan (HSK 2)
速寫: sù xiě — quick sketch
卻: què — 1. but 2. yet 3. however 4. while 5. to go back 6. to decline 7. to retreat 8. nevertheless 9. even though (HSK 4)
一向: yī xiàng — 1. a period of time in the recent past 2. (indicating a period of time up to the present) all along; the whole time (HSK 5)
不加: bù jiā — 1. without 2. not 3. un-
整理: zhěng lǐ — 1. to arrange 2. to tidy up 3. to sort out 4. to straighten out 5. to list systematically 6. to collate (data, files) 7. to pack (luggage) (HSK 3)

。Only now, at last, has it been compiled into a book.，「」。Most of the pieces in it are still no more than sketches, unworthy of being called what primers of literature term “short stories.”，。The narratives sometimes have some basis in old books, and sometimes are simply wild flights of fancy.，，。Moreover, since my reverence for the ancients falls short of my reverence for people of the present, I have still been unable to avoid occasional lapses into facetiousness.，，「《》」；Thirteen years have passed without the slightest improvement; it seems they truly are “nothing but more works in the vein of ‘Mount Buzhou.’”，。Still, I have not made the ancients any deader than they already were, so perhaps these pieces may for the time being have some right to exist.

現在: xiàn zài — now; at present; currently (HSK 1)
纔: cái — 1. (variant of 才 (cái)) just now 2. (variant of 才 (cái)) (before an expression of quantity) only (HSK 2)
總算: zǒng suàn — 1. at long last 2. finally 3. on the whole (HSK 5)
編成: biān chéng — 1. to organize 2. to put together 3. to edit
了: le — 1. (completed action marker) 2. (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now) 3. (modal particle intensifying preceding clause) (HSK 1)
一: yī — 1. one 2. single 3. a (article) 4. as soon as 5. entire; whole; all; throughout 6. "one" radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 1) 7. also pr. (yāo) for greater clarity when spelling out numbers digit by digit (HSK 1)
本: běn — 1. (bound form) root; stem 2. (bound form) origin; source 3. (bound form) one's own; this 4. (bound form) this; the current (year etc) 5. (bound form) original 6. (bound form) inherent 7. originally; initially 8. capital; principal 9. classifier for books, periodicals, files etc (HSK 1)
書: Shū — abbr. for 書經 (Shū jīng) (HSK 1)
其中: qí zhōng — 1. among 2. in 3. included among these (HSK 2)
也: Yě — surname Ye (HSK 1)
還是: hái shi — 1. still (as before) 2. had better 3. unexpectedly 4. or (HSK 1)
速寫: sù xiě — quick sketch
居多: jū duō — to be in the majority
不足: bù zú — 1. insufficient 2. lacking 3. deficiency 4. not enough 5. inadequate 6. not worth 7. cannot 8. should not (HSK 5)
稱為: chēng wéi — to be called; to be known as; to call it "..." (HSK 3)
文學: wén xué — literature (HSK 3)
概論: gài lùn — 1. outline 2. introduction 3. survey 4. general discussion (HSK 7-9)
之: zhī — 1. (possessive particle, literary equivalent of 的 (de)) 2. him 3. her 4. it (HSK 7-9)
所謂: suǒ wèi — 1. what is meant by the expression ...; what is referred to as ... 2. (derog.) so-called (HSK 7-9)
小說: xiǎo shuō — 1. novel 2. fiction 3. classifier: 本 (běn), 部 (bù) (HSK 2)
敍: xù — variant of 敘 (xù)
事: shì — 1. matter 2. thing 3. item 4. work 5. affair 6. classifier: 件 (jiàn), 樁 (zhuāng), 回 (huí) (HSK 1)
有時: yǒu shí — 1. sometimes 2. now and then (HSK 1)
也: Yě — surname Ye (HSK 1)
有一點: yǒu yī diǎn — a little; somewhat
舊書: jiù shū — 1. second-hand book 2. old book 3. ancient book
上: shǎng — used in 上聲 (shǎng shēng) (HSK 1)
的: de — 1. of; ~'s (possessive particle) 2. (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun) 3. (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis) 4. (used after a noun, verb or adjective to form a nominal expression, as in 皮革的 (pí gé de) "one made of leather" or 跑堂兒的 (pǎo táng r de) "a waiter (literally, one who runs back and forth in a restaurant)" or 新的 (xīn de) "new one") 5. also pr. (dì) or (di) in poetry and songs (HSK 1)
根據: gēn jù — 1. according to 2. based on 3. basis 4. foundation 5. classifier: 個 (gè) (HSK 4)
有時: yǒu shí — 1. sometimes 2. now and then (HSK 1)
斧: fǔ — hatchet
不過: bù guò — 1. only 2. merely 3. no more than 4. but 5. however 6. anyway (to get back to a previous topic) 7. cannot be more (after adjectival) (HSK 2)
信口開河: xìn kǒu kāi hé — 1. to speak without thinking (idiom) 2. to blurt sth out
而且: ér qiě — 1. (not only ...) but also 2. moreover; in addition; furthermore (HSK 2)
因為: yīn wèi — because; owing to; on account of (HSK 2)
自己: zì jǐ — oneself; (attributive) one's own (HSK 2)
的: de — 1. of; ~'s (possessive particle) 2. (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun) 3. (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis) 4. (used after a noun, verb or adjective to form a nominal expression, as in 皮革的 (pí gé de) "one made of leather" or 跑堂兒的 (pǎo táng r de) "a waiter (literally, one who runs back and forth in a restaurant)" or 新的 (xīn de) "new one") 5. also pr. (dì) or (di) in poetry and songs (HSK 1)
對於: duì yú — regarding; as far as (sth) is concerned; with regard to (HSK 4)
古人: gǔ rén — 1. people of ancient times 2. the ancients 3. extinct human species such as Homo erectus or Homo neanderthalensis 4. (literary) deceased person (HSK 7-9)
不及: bù jí — 1. to fall short of 2. not as good as 3. too late
對於: duì yú — regarding; as far as (sth) is concerned; with regard to (HSK 4)
今人: jīn rén — modern people
的: de — 1. of; ~'s (possessive particle) 2. (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun) 3. (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis) 4. (used after a noun, verb or adjective to form a nominal expression, as in 皮革的 (pí gé de) "one made of leather" or 跑堂兒的 (pǎo táng r de) "a waiter (literally, one who runs back and forth in a restaurant)" or 新的 (xīn de) "new one") 5. also pr. (dì) or (di) in poetry and songs (HSK 1)
誠: chéng — 1. (bound form) sincere; authentic 2. (literary) really; truly
敬: jìng — 1. (bound form) respectful; to respect 2. to offer politely (HSK 7-9)
所以: suǒ yǐ — 1. therefore 2. as a result 3. so 4. the reason why (HSK 2)
仍: réng — 1. still; yet 2. to remain 3. (literary) frequently; often (HSK 3)
不免: bù miǎn — inevitably (HSK 5)
時: Shí — surname Shi (HSK 3)
有: yǒu — 1. to have; there is 2. (bound form) having; with; -ful; -ed; -al (as in 有意 (yǒu yì) intentional) (HSK 1)
油滑: yóu huá — 1. oily 2. greasy 3. unctuous 4. slippery (character)
之: zhī — 1. (possessive particle, literary equivalent of 的 (de)) 2. him 3. her 4. it (HSK 7-9)
處: chǔ — 1. to reside 2. to live 3. to dwell 4. to be in 5. to be situated at 6. to stay 7. to get along with 8. to be in a position of 9. to deal with 10. to discipline 11. to punish (HSK 4)
過: Guō — surname Guo (HSK 1)
了: le — 1. (completed action marker) 2. (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now) 3. (modal particle intensifying preceding clause) (HSK 1)
十三: shí sān — 1. thirteen 2. 13
年: Nián — surname Nian (HSK 1)
依然: yī rán — still; as before (HSK 4)
並: bìng — 1. and 2. furthermore 3. also 4. together with 5. (not) at all 6. simultaneously 7. to combine 8. to join 9. to merge (HSK 3)
無: mó — used in 南無 (nā mó) (HSK 4)
長進: zhǎng jìn — 1. to make progress 2. progress
看起來: kàn qǐ lai — seemingly; apparently; looks as if; appears to be; gives the impression that; seems on the face of it to be (HSK 3)
真: zhēn — 1. really 2. truly 3. indeed 4. real 5. true 6. genuine (HSK 1)
也: Yě — surname Ye (HSK 1)
是: shì — 1. to be (followed by substantives only) 2. correct; right; true 3. (respectful acknowledgement of a command) very well 4. (adverb for emphatic assertion) (HSK 1)
無非: wú fēi — 1. only 2. nothing else (HSK 7-9)
不周山: Bù zhōu Shān — Buzhou Mountain, a mountain from Chinese legend
之: zhī — 1. (possessive particle, literary equivalent of 的 (de)) 2. him 3. her 4. it (HSK 7-9)
流: liú — 1. to flow 2. to disseminate 3. to circulate or spread 4. to move or drift 5. to degenerate 6. to banish or send into exile 7. stream of water or sth resembling one 8. class, rate or grade (HSK 2)
不過: bù guò — 1. only 2. merely 3. no more than 4. but 5. however 6. anyway (to get back to a previous topic) 7. cannot be more (after adjectival) (HSK 2)
並: bìng — 1. and 2. furthermore 3. also 4. together with 5. (not) at all 6. simultaneously 7. to combine 8. to join 9. to merge (HSK 3)
沒有: méi yǒu — 1. haven't 2. hasn't 3. doesn't exist 4. to not have 5. to not be (HSK 1)
將: jiāng — 1. will 2. shall 3. to use 4. to take 5. to checkmate 6. just a short while ago 7. (introduces object of main verb, used in the same way as 把 (bǎ)) (HSK 5)
古人: gǔ rén — 1. people of ancient times 2. the ancients 3. extinct human species such as Homo erectus or Homo neanderthalensis 4. (literary) deceased person (HSK 7-9)
寫: xiě — to write (HSK 1)
得: dé — 1. to obtain 2. to get 3. to gain 4. to catch (a disease) 5. proper 6. suitable 7. proud 8. contented 9. to allow 10. to permit 11. ready 12. finished (HSK 2)
更: gēng — 1. to change or replace 2. to experience 3. one of the five two-hour periods into which the night was formerly divided 4. watch (e.g. of a sentry or guard) (HSK 2)
死: sǐ — 1. to die 2. impassable 3. uncrossable 4. inflexible 5. rigid 6. extremely 7. damned (HSK 3)
卻: què — 1. but 2. yet 3. however 4. while 5. to go back 6. to decline 7. to retreat 8. nevertheless 9. even though (HSK 4)
也許: yě xǔ — perhaps; maybe (HSK 2)
暫時: zàn shí — temporary; provisional; for the time being (HSK 5)
還有: hái yǒu — 1. there still remain(s); there is (or are) still 2. in addition (HSK 1)
存在: cún zài — 1. to exist 2. to be 3. existence (HSK 3)
的: de — 1. of; ~'s (possessive particle) 2. (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun) 3. (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis) 4. (used after a noun, verb or adjective to form a nominal expression, as in 皮革的 (pí gé de) "one made of leather" or 跑堂兒的 (pǎo táng r de) "a waiter (literally, one who runs back and forth in a restaurant)" or 新的 (xīn de) "new one") 5. also pr. (dì) or (di) in poetry and songs (HSK 1)
餘地: yú dì — 1. margin 2. leeway (HSK 7-9)
的: de — 1. of; ~'s (possessive particle) 2. (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun) 3. (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis) 4. (used after a noun, verb or adjective to form a nominal expression, as in 皮革的 (pí gé de) "one made of leather" or 跑堂兒的 (pǎo táng r de) "a waiter (literally, one who runs back and forth in a restaurant)" or 新的 (xīn de) "new one") 5. also pr. (dì) or (di) in poetry and songs (HSK 1)
罷: bà — 1. to stop 2. to cease 3. to dismiss 4. to suspend 5. to quit 6. to finish

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What it’s about

Thirteen years, Lu Xun begins, separate the first page of this very small book from the day it was finished. 補天 — printed in 1922 under the title 不周山 — came out of a plan to take subject matter from antiquity as well as from the present, and out of 茀羅特, Freud, as an explanation of where creation, of people and of literature, begins. Halfway through the writing he broke off to read the newspaper, found a critic tearfully begging the young never again to write anything like 汪靜之's 《蕙的風》, and when he went back to his page a little gentleman in ancient cap and gown had installed himself between 女媧's legs. That, he says, was the beginning of the slide from earnestness into 油滑 — glibness, facetiousness, playing to the gallery — and 油滑 is the great enemy of creation; he was thoroughly dissatisfied with himself, and decided to write no more such stories.

The rest is a grudge and a chronology. 成仿吾 of the 創造社 had swung his axe at 吶喊 for vulgarity while singling out 不周山 as its one good piece, which is exactly why Lu Xun could neither accept the verdict nor respect the man; he cut the story out when 吶喊 went into its second printing, and left vulgarity in sole possession of his collection. Then autumn 1926, alone in a stone house in Xiamen with the sea in front of him and old books open in his lap and no living soul nearby, letters from the 未名社 in Beijing pressing him for copy: he wrote the ten pieces of 朝華夕拾 and planned eight retold tales, got as far as 奔月 and 鑄劍 — which appeared then as 眉間尺 — and rushed off to Guangzhou, after which the thing was shelved for years. Now it is a book at last, mostly sketches, its narration sometimes founded on old texts and sometimes made up on the spot, and glib in places still, because he holds the ancients in less reverence than the living. Thirteen years and no improvement, he says: nothing but more of the same 不周山. But at least he has not made the ancients any deader, so perhaps the thing may be allowed to exist a while yet.

When it was written 背景

Dated 26 December 1935 in Shanghai, written to close a book that 文化生活出版社 brought out a few weeks later, in January 1936, as the opening volume of 巴金's 文學叢刊 — the last book of fiction Lu Xun assembled, and the last he lived to see printed. It is the right place to begin: short, plainly expository, first person, and it hands you everything the eight tales after it keep circling back to — the two dates, 1922 and 1935, the two words, 認真 and 油滑, and the standing joke about 不周山. The one difficulty is that it argues with people you have not met, 成仿吾 and 汪靜之 among them, in the compressed and sarcastic register Lu Xun kept for literary quarrels; the names matter less than the tone.

Words in this chapter 生词

不周山Bù zhōu Shān不周山Bù zhōu Shān — Buzhou Mountain, a mountain from Chinese legend
庸俗yōng súHSK 7-9庸俗yōng sú — vulgar · tacky · tawdry (HSK 7-9)
油滑yóu huá油滑yóu huá — oily · greasy · unctuous · slippery (character)
速寫sù xiě速寫sù xiě — quick sketch
集子jí zi集子jí zi — anthology · selected writing
題材tí cáiHSK 5題材tí cái — subject matter (HSK 5)
吶喊nà hǎnHSK 7-9吶喊nà hǎn — shout · rallying cry · cheering · to shout (HSK 7-9)
佳作jiā zuò佳作jiā zuò — masterpiece · fine piece of writing
創造chuàng zàoHSK 3創造chuàng zào — to create · to bring about · to produce · to set (a record) (HSK 3)
古代gǔ dàiHSK 3古代gǔ dài — ancient times (HSK 3)
女媧Nǚ wā女媧Nǚ wā — Nüwa (creator of humans in Chinese mythology)
斧fǔ斧fǔ — hatchet