「小俄羅斯」底兵 The Soldier of 'Little Russia'

「」The Soldiers of “Little Russia”

，，．，，；Inside a low fence stood a lychee tree, laden with fruit. Its vermilion fruit, cradled by deep-green leaves, looked lovelier still;The own—

短: duǎn — 1. short 2. brief 3. to lack 4. weak point 5. fault (HSK 2)
籬: lí — a fence
裏: lǐ — variant of 裡 (lǐ) (HSK 1)
頭: tóu — 1. head 2. hair style 3. the top 4. end 5. beginning or end 6. a stub 7. remnant 8. chief 9. boss 10. side 11. aspect 12. first 13. leading 14. classifier for pigs or livestock 15. classifier: 個 (gè) (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)
棵: kē — classifier for trees, cabbages, plants etc (HSK 4)
茘: lì — variant of 荔 (lì)
枝: zhī — 1. branch 2. classifier for sticks, rods, pencils etc (HSK 6)
結實: jiē shí — to bear fruit (HSK 3)
纍纍: léi léi — variant of 累累 (léi léi)
那: Nā — surname Na (HSK 1)
朱紅: zhū hóng — vermilion (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)
果實: guǒ shí — 1. fruit (produced by a plant) 2. (fig.) fruits (of success etc) 3. results 4. gains (HSK 4)
被: bèi — 1. quilt 2. to cover (with) 3. (literary) to suffer (a misfortune) 4. used to indicate passive voice (placed before the doer of the action like "by" in English passive-voice sentences, or, if the doer is not mentioned, before the verb) 5. (since c. 2009) (sarcastic or jocular) used to indicate that the following word should be regarded as being in air quotes (as in 被旅遊[bei4 lu : 3 you2] to "go on a trip") (HSK 3)
深綠: shēn lǜ — dark green
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)
葉子: yè zi — 1. leaf (classifier: 片 (piàn)) 2. (slang) marijuana (HSK 4)
托: tuō — 1. to hold up in one's hand; to support with one's palm 2. sth serving as a support: a prop, a rest (e.g. arm rest) 3. (bound form) a shill 4. to ask; to beg; to entrust (variant of 託 (tuō)) 5. torr (unit of pressure) (HSK 6)
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)
更是: gèng shì — even more (so) (HSK 6)
美觀: měi guān — 1. pleasing to the eye 2. beautiful 3. artistic (HSK 7-9)
主: zhǔ — 1. owner 2. master 3. host 4. individual or party concerned 5. God 6. Lord 7. main 8. to indicate or signify 9. trump card (in card games) (HSK 7-9)

，．—er could not bear to pick them, perhaps for this very reason.

，，『，，．』Three or four soldiers came sauntering by and said to one another, “This tree has turned red; the fruit is ripe. Let’s pick some here.” They found it too much trouble—

三兩: sān liǎng — two or three
個: gě — used in 自個兒 (zì gě r) (HSK 1)
漫游: màn yóu — 1. to travel around 2. to roam 3. (mobile telephony) roaming (HSK 7-9)
武: Wǔ — surname Wu
人: rén — 1. person; people 2. classifier: 個 (gè), 位 (wèi), 名 (míng) (HSK 1)
走: zǒu — 1. to walk 2. to go 3. to run 4. to move (of vehicle) 5. to visit 6. to leave 7. to go away 8. to die (euph.) 9. from 10. through 11. away (in compound verbs, such as 撤走 (chè zǒu)) 12. to change (shape, form, meaning) (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)
相對: xiāng duì — 1. relatively 2. opposite 3. to resist 4. to oppose 5. relative 6. vis-a-vis 7. counterpart (HSK 7-9)
說: shuì — to persuade (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)
棵: kē — classifier for trees, cabbages, plants etc (HSK 4)
紅: Hóng — surname Hong (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)
熟: shú — 1. ripe; mature 2. thoroughly cooked; done 3. familiar; acquainted 4. experienced; skilled 5. (of sleep etc) deep; profound 6. also pr. (shóu) (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)
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)
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)
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)
里: Lǐ — surname Li (HSK 1)
摘: zhāi — 1. to take; to pick (flowers, fruit etc); to pluck; to remove; to take off (glasses, hat etc) 2. to select; to pick out 3. to borrow money at a time of urgent need (HSK 5)
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))
罷: bà — 1. to stop 2. to cease 3. to dismiss 4. to suspend 5. to quit 6. to finish
他們: tā men — they; them (HSK 1)
嫌: xián — 1. to dislike 2. suspicion 3. resentment 4. enmity 5. abbr. for 嫌犯 (xián fàn), criminal suspect (HSK 6)

，，．，；—to enter by the front gate, so they tore open the fence and swaggered in. One climbed the tree, while three caught the fruit below;，picking—

從: Cóng — surname Cong (HSK 1)
正門: zhèng mén — 1. main entrance 2. main gate 3. portal
進去: jìn qù — to go in (HSK 1)
麻煩: má fan — 1. trouble; inconvenience 2. inconvenient; troublesome; annoying 3. to bother sb; to put sb to trouble (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)
把: bǎ — 1. to hold; to grasp 2. to hold a baby in position to help it urinate or defecate 3. handlebar 4. classifier: handful, bundle, bunch 5. classifier for things with handles 6. (used to put the object before the verb: 把 (bǎ) + {noun} + {verb}) (HSK 3)
籬笆: lí ba — fence (esp. of bamboo or wood railings)
拆開: chāi kāi — 1. to dismantle 2. to disassemble 3. to open up (sth sealed) 4. to unpick
大搖大擺: dà yáo dà bǎi — 1. to strut 2. swaggering
地: de — 1. -ly 2. structural particle: used before a verb or adjective, linking it to preceding modifying adverbial adjunct (HSK 1)
進: jìn — 1. to go forward 2. to advance 3. to go in 4. to enter 5. to put in 6. to submit 7. to take in 8. to admit 9. (math.) base of a number system 10. classifier for sections in a building or residential compound (HSK 1)
前: qián — 1. front 2. forward 3. ahead 4. first 5. top (followed by a number) 6. future 7. ago 8. before 9. BC (e.g. 前293年) 10. former 11. formerly (HSK 1)
一個: yī ge — 1. a; an; one 2. the whole (afternoon, summer vacation etc)
上: shǎng — used in 上聲 (shǎng shēng) (HSK 1)
樹: shù — 1. tree 2. classifier: 棵 (kē) 3. to cultivate 4. to set up (HSK 1)
三: Sān — surname San (HSK 1)
個: gě — used in 自個兒 (zì gě r) (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)
底下: dǐ xia — 1. the location below sth 2. afterwards (HSK 3)
接: jiē — 1. to receive 2. to answer (the phone) 3. to meet or welcome sb 4. to connect 5. to catch 6. to join 7. to extend 8. to take one's turn on duty 9. to take over for sb (HSK 2)
一面: yī miàn — 1. one side 2. one aspect 3. simultaneously... (and...) 4. one's whole face (HSK 7-9)
摘: zhāi — 1. to take; to pick (flowers, fruit etc); to pluck; to remove; to take off (glasses, hat etc) 2. to select; to pick out 3. to borrow money at a time of urgent need (HSK 5)

，！—and tasting as they went. What delight!

，，『，；An old woman came running out of the house and pleaded mournfully, “My lords, the lychees on this tree are not ripe yet;please—

，，．』—do not spoil them. Wait until they are ripe, and I will send some for your lordships to taste.”

，『，？The man in the tree said, “Nonsense! Can’t you see that the fruit has already turned red?？』How is it spoiling your property when we eat it?”

『，，．，……』“Alas, my whole year’s livelihood depends on this one tree. But never mind, never…”

『？“You still dare make a sound?；What would it matter if we beat you to death?，，．，．．』Just wait—we’ll chop down this worthless tree of yours and burn it for firewood, and then see what you can do. If your people are so capable, tell them to go to Guangdong to eat lychees. We have fine lychees there too.”

你: nǐ — you (informal, as opposed to courteous 您 (nín)) (HSK 1)
還: Huán — surname Huan (HSK 1)
敢: gǎn — 1. to dare 2. daring 3. (polite) may I venture (HSK 3)
出聲: chū shēng — 1. to make a sound 2. to speak 3. to cry out
麽: me — variant of 麼 (me)
打死: dǎ sǐ — 1. to kill 2. to beat to death
你: nǐ — you (informal, as opposed to courteous 您 (nín)) (HSK 1)
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: 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)
什: shén — what
麽: me — variant of 麼 (me)
待: dāi — to stay; to remain (HSK 5)
一會: yī huì — 1. a moment 2. a while 3. in a moment 4. also pr. (yī huǐ)
看: kān — 1. to look after 2. to take care of 3. to watch 4. to guard (HSK 1)
把: bǎ — 1. to hold; to grasp 2. to hold a baby in position to help it urinate or defecate 3. handlebar 4. classifier: handful, bundle, bunch 5. classifier for things with handles 6. (used to put the object before the verb: 把 (bǎ) + {noun} + {verb}) (HSK 3)
你: nǐ — you (informal, as opposed to courteous 您 (nín)) (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)
棵: kē — classifier for trees, cabbages, plants etc (HSK 4)
不: bù — 1. no; not so 2. (bound form) not; un- (HSK 1)
中: Zhōng — 1. (bound form) China; Chinese 2. surname Zhong (HSK 1)
吃: chī — 1. to eat; to consume 2. to eat at (a cafeteria etc) 3. to eradicate; to destroy 4. to absorb 5. to suffer (shock, injury, defeat etc) (HSK 1)
底: de — (equivalent to 的 as possessive particle) (HSK 4)
樹: shù — 1. tree 2. classifier: 棵 (kē) 3. to cultivate 4. to set up (HSK 1)
砍: kǎn — 1. to chop 2. to cut down 3. to throw sth at sb (HSK 7-9)
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)
柴火: chái huo — plant material used as fuel (firewood, straw, leaves etc)
燒: shāo — 1. to burn; to set on fire 2. to heat (over a fire); to boil (water, tea etc) 3. to braise 4. to cook; to prepare food 5. to run a fever 6. fever 7. (coll.) to become full of oneself; to get carried away (HSK 4)
看: kān — 1. to look after 2. to take care of 3. to watch 4. to guard (HSK 1)
你: nǐ — you (informal, as opposed to courteous 您 (nín)) (HSK 1)
怎樣: zěn yàng — 1. how 2. what kind (HSK 2)
有: yǒu — 1. to have; there is 2. (bound form) having; with; -ful; -ed; -al (as in 有意 (yǒu yì) intentional) (HSK 1)
能幹: néng gàn — 1. capable 2. competent (HSK 4)
可以: kě yǐ — 1. can 2. may 3. possible 4. able to 5. not bad 6. pretty good (HSK 2)
叫: jiào — 1. to shout 2. to call 3. to order 4. to ask 5. to be called 6. by (indicates agent in the passive mood) (HSK 1)
你們: nǐ men — you (plural) (HSK 1)
底: de — (equivalent to 的 as possessive particle) (HSK 4)
人: rén — 1. person; people 2. classifier: 個 (gè), 位 (wèi), 名 (míng) (HSK 1)
到: dào — 1. to reach; to arrive 2. to leave for; to go to 3. to (a place); until (a time); up to (a point) 4. (verb complement indicating arriving at a place or reaching a point) 5. considerate; thoughtful; thorough (HSK 1)
廣東: Guǎng dōng — see 廣東省 (Guǎng dōng Shěng)
吃: chī — 1. to eat; to consume 2. to eat at (a cafeteria etc) 3. to eradicate; to destroy 4. to absorb 5. to suffer (shock, injury, defeat etc) (HSK 1)
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)
我們: wǒ men — we; us; ourselves; our (HSK 1)
那里: nà li — there; that place (HSK 1)
也: Yě — surname Ye (HSK 1)
有: yǒu — 1. to have; there is 2. (bound form) having; with; -ful; -ed; -al (as in 有意 (yǒu yì) intentional) (HSK 1)
好: hǎo — 1. good 2. appropriate; proper 3. all right! 4. (before a verb) easy to 5. (before a verb) good to 6. (before an adjective for exclamatory effect) so 7. (verb complement indicating completion) 8. (of two people) close; on intimate terms 9. (after a personal pronoun) hello (HSK 1)
荔枝: lì zhī — litchi or lychee fruit (Litchi chinensis Sonn.)

，，？Alas, is this too the right of the victor, the strong?

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What it’s about

Several roaming soldiers see a lychee tree heavy with red fruit behind a low fence. Rather than enter by the gate, they dismantle the fence, climb the tree and eat as they pick. An old woman begs them to stop: the fruit is not ripe, and her entire year's livelihood depends on this one tree. The soldiers answer that redness proves ripeness, treat her protest as insolence and threaten both to kill her and to cut the tree down for firewood.

Their last taunt tells her to send her own people to Guangdong if they are capable, since good lychees grow there too. The story closes by asking whether this is the right of victors and the strong. Military conquest appears at the scale of a damaged fence and a widow's precarious income, not a battlefield. The occupiers rename theft as tasting and economic ruin as the exercise of strength. By keeping the old woman's unfinished “never mind” in the exchange, Xu records how violence suppresses speech before it needs to carry out its largest threat.

When it was written 背景

“Little Russia” was an imperial-era name for Ukraine, and the quoted label in the title marks the soldiers through a contested Russian geographical vocabulary rather than presenting it as Xu's own timeless term. The episode reflects the foreign military presence and uneven power that Chinese observers encountered in the era of imperial expansion and civil conflict; its exact location matters less than the colonial pattern it stages. Lychees also point toward Xu's southern world and make the soldiers' Guangdong insult especially cutting: a local crop and livelihood become theirs by asserted force. The final rhetorical question belongs to contemporary debates over power politics after the First World War. Learners can follow the simple action verbs—拆, 摘, 嘗, 砍—while noticing how euphemism accompanies each escalation.

Words in this chapter 生词

茘lì茘lì — variant of 荔 (lì)
棵kēHSK 4棵kē — classifier for trees, cabbages, plants etc (HSK 4)
作踐zuò jiàn作踐zuò jiàn — to ill-use · to humiliate · to degrade · to ruin · also pr. (zuó jiàn)
麽mó麽mó — tiny · insignificant
大搖大擺dà yáo dà bǎi大搖大擺dà yáo dà bǎi — to strut · swaggering
權力quán lìHSK 6權力quán lì — power · authority (HSK 6)
深綠shēn lǜ深綠shēn lǜ — dark green
漫游màn yóuHSK 7-9漫游màn yóu — to travel around · to roam · (mobile telephony) roaming (HSK 7-9)
纍纍léi léi纍纍léi léi — variant of 累累 (léi léi)
美觀měi guānHSK 7-9美觀měi guān — pleasing to the eye · beautiful · artistic (HSK 7-9)
廣東Guǎng dōng廣東Guǎng dōng — see 廣東省 (Guǎng dōng Shěng)
强jiàngHSK 3强jiàng — stubborn · unyielding (HSK 3)