難解決的問題 The Unsolvable Problem

A Hard Problem to Solve

，，．I asked my companions to go to Diaoyuji to admire the lotuses, but none of them wanted to go, so I was left to walk on by myself.

我: wǒ — I; me; my (HSK 1)
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)
同伴: tóng bàn — companion; comrade; fellow (HSK 7-9)
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)
釣魚: diào yú — 1. to fish (with line and hook); to angle 2. (fig.) to entrap 3. (Tw) to repeatedly nod one's head while dozing (HSK 7-9)
磯: jī — 1. breakwater 2. jetty
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)
賞: shǎng — 1. to bestow (a reward) 2. to give (to an inferior) 3. to hand down 4. a reward (bestowed by a superior) 5. to appreciate (beauty) (HSK 4)
荷: Hé — Holland; the Netherlands (abbr. for 荷蘭 (Hé lán))
他們: tā men — they; them (HSK 1)
都: Dū — surname Du (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))
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)
剩: shèng — 1. to remain 2. to be left 3. to have as remainder (HSK 5)
我: wǒ — I; me; my (HSK 1)
自己: zì jǐ — oneself; (attributive) one's own (HSK 2)
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)
着: zhāo — variant of 著 (zhāo) (HSK 1)
我: wǒ — I; me; my (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)
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)
清: Qīng — 1. Qing (Wade-Giles: Ch'ing) dynasty of China (1644–1911) 2. surname Qing (HSK 6)
佳: Jiā — surname Jia
堂: táng — 1. (main) hall 2. large room for a specific purpose 3. classifier: 間 (jiān) 4. relationship between cousins etc on the paternal side of a family 5. of the same clan 6. classifier for classes, lectures etc 7. classifier for sets of furniture (HSK 7-9)
附: fù — 1. to add; to attach 2. to be close to; to be attached (HSK 7-9)

，．，喞I walked to the vicinity of Qingjiatang, and sat down on a rock in front of the hill to rest. As I was looking around, a burst of murmuring voices, mixed with the chirping of cicadas,

近: jìn — 1. near 2. close to 3. approximately (HSK 2)
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)
坐: Zuò — surname Zuo (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)
山: Shān — surname Shan (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)
一塊: yī kuài — 1. a piece; a chunk 2. (fig.) (coll.) (typically preceded by a specifier such as 這 (zhè)) aspect; area; dimension (Example: 情感這一塊 (qíng gǎn zhè yī kuài) "the emotional aspect (of it)") 3. (coll.) one yuan; a dollar 4. together; in the same place; in company
石頭: shí tou — 1. stone 2. classifier: 塊 (kuài) (HSK 3)
上: shǎng — used in 上聲 (shǎng shēng) (HSK 1)
歇息: xiē xi — 1. to have a rest 2. to stay for the night 3. to go to bed 4. to sleep
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)
瞻顧: zhān gù — to look forward and back cautiously
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)
小: xiǎo — 1. small 2. tiny 3. few 4. young (HSK 1)
山: Shān — surname Shan (HSK 1)
後面: hòu mian — 1. the back; the rear; the last bit 2. behind; near the end; at the back 3. later; afterwards (HSK 3)
一陣: yī zhèn — 1. a burst 2. a fit 3. a peal 4. a spell (period of time) (HSK 7-9)
咕: gū — (onom.) for the sound of a bird, an empty stomach etc
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)
聲音: shēng yīn — sound; voice (HSK 2)
夾: gā — used in 夾肢窩 (gā zhi wō) (HSK 5)
着: zhāo — variant of 著 (zhāo) (HSK 1)
蟬: chán — cicada
聲: shēng — 1. sound 2. voice 3. tone 4. noise 5. reputation 6. classifier for sounds (HSK 5)

．came to my ears.

？Who would want, on such a carefree, sunny day, to go out of their way to ferret out someone else's secret?And yet all the secrets in the universe

．，，，come from being stumbled upon unintentionally. So at that moment, I did not leave the place, nor did I cover my two ears, but let those waves of sound

．drift back and forth by my ears.

，，『．……』Right at the outset I heard, "This is truly a hard problem to solve..."

，．、Since it was called hard to solve, the reasons for its difficulty naturally had to be given. Such reasons, whether to someone involved or an outsider, are

旣: jì — variant of 既 (jì)
說: shuì — to persuade (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)
難解: nán jiě — 1. hard to solve 2. hard to dispel 3. hard to understand 4. hard to undo
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
自然: zì rán — 1. nature 2. natural 3. naturally (HSK 3)
要: yāo — (bound form) to demand; to coerce (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)
怎樣: zěn yàng — 1. how 2. what kind (HSK 2)
難: nán — 1. difficult (to...) 2. problem 3. difficulty 4. difficult 5. not good (HSK 1)
底: de — (equivalent to 的 as possessive particle) (HSK 4)
理由: lǐ yóu — 1. reason 2. grounds 3. justification 4. classifier: 個 (gè) (HSK 3)
說出: shuō chū — 1. to speak out 2. to declare (one's view)
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)
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)
理由: lǐ yóu — 1. reason 2. grounds 3. justification 4. classifier: 個 (gè) (HSK 3)
無論: wú lùn — 1. no matter what or how 2. regardless of whether... (HSK 4)
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)
局: jú — 1. office 2. situation 3. classifier for games: match, set, round etc (HSK 4)
内: nèi — 1. inside 2. inner 3. internal 4. within 5. interior (HSK 3)
局外: jú wài — 1. outside (a group etc) 2. not connected (with an event etc) 3. external
人: rén — 1. person; people 2. classifier: 個 (gè), 位 (wèi), 名 (míng) (HSK 1)
都: Dū — surname Du (HSK 1)

．，，，．always pleasant to hear. Whether the earlier words had managed to reach my ears, I cannot say — but this one sentence alone was enough to make me take notice.

，『，？……The person behind the hill went on, "Of these three, which do you say would suit you best?...；Mei says she'll wait ten years for me;；Bai says she'll wait until the day I marry someone else;，——．』Ou says she absolutely must marry me — she means to wait for me her whole life."

山: Shān — surname Shan (HSK 1)
後: hòu — 1. back 2. behind 3. rear 4. afterwards 5. after 6. later 7. post- (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)
接下: jiē xià — to take on (a responsibility)
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)
說: shuì — to persuade (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)
三: Sān — surname San (HSK 1)
位: wèi — 1. position 2. location 3. place 4. seat 5. classifier for people (honorific) 6. classifier for binary bits (e.g. 十六位 16-bit or 2 bytes) 7. (physics) potential (HSK 2)
中: Zhōng — 1. (bound form) China; Chinese 2. surname Zhong (HSK 1)
你: nǐ — you (informal, as opposed to courteous 您 (nín)) (HSK 1)
說: shuì — to persuade (HSK 1)
要: yāo — (bound form) to demand; to coerce (HSK 1)
那: Nā — surname Na (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)
位: wèi — 1. position 2. location 3. place 4. seat 5. classifier for people (honorific) 6. classifier for binary bits (e.g. 十六位 16-bit or 2 bytes) 7. (physics) potential (HSK 2)
才: cái — 1. ability; talent 2. sb of a certain type 3. a capable individual 4. then and only then 5. just now 6. (before an expression of quantity) only 7. (emphatic, esp. in contrast or correction) really; actually (HSK 2)
合式: hé shì — 1. conforming to a pattern; up to standard 2. variant of 合適 (hé shì)
梅: Méi — surname Mei
說: shuì — to persuade (HSK 1)
要: yāo — (bound form) to demand; to coerce (HSK 1)
等: děng — 1. to wait for; to await 2. by the time; when; till 3. and so on; etc.; et al. 4. (bound form) class; rank; grade 5. (bound form) equal to; same as 6. (used to end an enumeration) 7. (literary) (plural suffix attached to a personal pronoun or noun) (HSK 1)
我: wǒ — I; me; my (HSK 1)
十: shí — 1. ten 2. 10 (HSK 1)
年: Nián — surname Nian (HSK 1)
白: Bái — 1. surname Bai 2. Bai ethnic group (HSK 1)
說: shuì — to persuade (HSK 1)
要: yāo — (bound form) to demand; to coerce (HSK 1)
等到: děng dào — 1. to wait until 2. by the time when (sth is ready etc) (HSK 2)
我: wǒ — I; me; my (HSK 1)
和: Hé — surname He (HSK 1)
別人: bié ren — other people; others; other person (HSK 1)
結婚: jié hūn — to marry; to get married (HSK 3)
那: Nā — surname Na (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)
天: tiān — 1. day 2. sky 3. heaven (HSK 1)
區: Ōu — surname Ou (HSK 3)
說: shuì — to persuade (HSK 1)
非: Fēi — abbr. for 非洲 (Fēi zhōu), Africa (HSK 4)
嫁: jià — 1. (of a woman) to marry 2. to marry off a daughter 3. to shift (blame etc) (HSK 7-9)
我: wǒ — I; me; my (HSK 1)
不可: bù kě — cannot; should not; must not
她: tā — she (HSK 1)
要: yāo — (bound form) to demand; to coerce (HSK 1)
終身: zhōng shēn — 1. lifelong 2. all one's life 3. marriage (HSK 5)
等: děng — 1. to wait for; to await 2. by the time; when; till 3. and so on; etc.; et al. 4. (bound form) class; rank; grade 5. (bound form) equal to; same as 6. (used to end an enumeration) 7. (literary) (plural suffix attached to a personal pronoun or noun) (HSK 1)
我: wǒ — I; me; my (HSK 1)

『，．』"Well then, you should choose Ou."

『，．，．"But I understand Mei's situation very well. Her private difficulties are something I ought to forgive. That she can sacrifice ten years of her

，，，．，，life, given her circumstances, is in any case most admirable. If Mei were in Ou's position, could she too say she would wait for

？』me for life?"

『，、，？』"Well then, if you want neither Mei nor Ou, what about Bai?"

『？"Bai?．，It's only that her circumstances have made her so easygoing. If she were placed in Mei's situation, she too could only wait

．』ten years for me."

．，．，The conversation stopped there. My attention could only turn to the pond, quietly watching the water-caltrop and lotus leaves swaying in the light breeze. Ah, beneath the leaves

會話: huì huà — 1. (language learning) conversation 2. dialog 3. to converse (in a non-native language) 4. (computing) session 5. classifier: 個 (gè), 次 (cì)
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)
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)
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)
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)
我: wǒ — I; me; my (HSK 1)
底: de — (equivalent to 的 as possessive particle) (HSK 4)
注意: zhù yì — to take note of; to pay attention to (HSK 3)
只能: zhǐ néng — 1. can only 2. obliged to do sth 3. to have no other choice (HSK 2)
移: yí — 1. to move 2. to shift 3. to change 4. to alter 5. to remove (HSK 4)
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)
池: Chí — surname Chi
上: shǎng — used in 上聲 (shǎng shēng) (HSK 1)
靜: jìng — 1. still 2. calm 3. quiet 4. not moving (HSK 3)
觀: Guàn — surname Guan
那: Nā — surname Na (HSK 1)
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)
輕風: qīng fēng — 1. breeze 2. light wind
搖擺: yáo bǎi — 1. to sway 2. to wobble 3. to waver (HSK 7-9)
底: de — (equivalent to 的 as possessive particle) (HSK 4)
芰: jì — (archaic) water caltrop (Trapa natans)
荷: Hé — Holland; the Netherlands (abbr. for 荷蘭 (Hé lán))
呀: yā — 1. ah (used to express surprise) 2. (onom.) creaking (HSK 4)
葉: Yè — surname Ye

！that pair of little mandarin ducks were resting there at midday!？I wondered whether they too had ever settled the very question just raised.Not

，．a minute later, the voices behind me started up again.

『，？』"Well then, what if you want all three?"

『，．』"What a joke — even an unreasoning beast wouldn't do such a thing."

．There was another long silence.

『，？』"Without going through all those useless formalities, couldn't each of us just live out this life happily together?"

『……"Hmm...……hmm...……．，，．hmm... That's a matter for later — no need to bring it up now. Let's first settle the difficulty before us.

．．』I truly have no wish to deliberately wrong any one of the three. I think I'll just draw lots and pick one at random."

我: wǒ — I; me; my (HSK 1)
實: shí — 1. real 2. true 3. honest 4. really 5. solid 6. fruit 7. seed 8. definitely
不: bù — 1. no; not so 2. (bound form) not; un- (HSK 1)
肯: kěn — 1. to agree; to consent 2. to be willing to (HSK 6)
故意: gù yì — deliberately; on purpose (HSK 2)
辜負: gū fù — 1. to fail to live up (to expectations) 2. unworthy (of trust) 3. to let down 4. to betray (hopes) 5. to disappoint (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)
三: Sān — surname San (HSK 1)
位: wèi — 1. position 2. location 3. place 4. seat 5. classifier for people (honorific) 6. classifier for binary bits (e.g. 十六位 16-bit or 2 bytes) 7. (physics) potential (HSK 2)
中: Zhōng — 1. (bound form) China; Chinese 2. surname Zhong (HSK 1)
底: de — (equivalent to 的 as possessive particle) (HSK 4)
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)
位: wèi — 1. position 2. location 3. place 4. seat 5. classifier for people (honorific) 6. classifier for binary bits (e.g. 十六位 16-bit or 2 bytes) 7. (physics) potential (HSK 2)
我: wǒ — I; me; my (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)
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)
拈: niān — 1. to nip 2. to grasp with the fingers 3. to fiddle with 4. Taiwan pr. (nián)
鬮: jiū — 1. lots (to be drawn) 2. lot (in a game of chance)
底: de — (equivalent to 的 as possessive particle) (HSK 4)
方法: fāng fǎ — method; way; technique; procedure (HSK 2)
瞎: xiā — 1. blind 2. groundlessly 3. foolishly 4. to no purpose (HSK 7-9)
挑: tiāo — 1. to carry on a shoulder pole 2. to choose 3. to pick 4. to nitpick (HSK 4)
一個: yī ge — 1. a; an; one 2. the whole (afternoon, summer vacation etc)
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)
得了: dé le — 1. all right! 2. that's enough! (HSK 5)

『？"Isn't that even more of a joke?！Where in this world has there ever been anything so outlandish!，Which of the three of them would be willing to obey your command

？』and go along with such a thing?"

．They burst out laughing.

『，？"Why don't we draw lots between ourselves privately first?，．』You can stand in for Bai, I'll stand in for Mei, and whatever's left goes to Ou."

．，Their solemn, secretive talk had turned into comic banter. Afraid they might come laughing and tumbling down the slope, I dared not linger there

他們: tā men — they; them (HSK 1)
由: yóu — 1. to follow 2. from 3. because of; due to 4. by; via; through 5. (before a noun and a verb) it is for ... to ... (HSK 3)
嚴重: yán zhòng — grave; serious; severe; critical (HSK 4)
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)
密語: mì yǔ — 1. code word; coded language 2. to communicate in private
化: huā — variant of 花 (huā)
爲: wéi — variant of 為 (wéi) (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)
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)
談: Tán — surname Tan (HSK 3)
笑: xiào — 1. to laugh; to smile 2. to laugh at (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)
我: wǒ — I; me; my (HSK 1)
怕: Pà — surname Pa (HSK 2)
他們: tā men — they; them (HSK 1)
要: yāo — (bound form) to demand; to coerce (HSK 1)
鬧: nào — 1. noisy 2. cacophonous 3. to make noise 4. to disturb 5. to vent (feelings) 6. to fall ill 7. to have an attack (of sickness) 8. to go in (for some activity) 9. to joke (HSK 4)
下坡: xià pō — downhill slope
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)
不: bù — 1. no; not so 2. (bound form) not; un- (HSK 1)
敢: gǎn — 1. to dare 2. daring 3. (polite) may I venture (HSK 3)
逗留: dòu liú — to stay for a while; to sojourn
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)
那: Nā — surname Na (HSK 1)

，．．any longer, and had to leave first. I never did make it to Diaoyuji.

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What it’s about

Walking alone to see lotus flowers, the narrator accidentally overhears two men behind a hill debating which of three women one should choose. Mei will wait ten years, Bai only until he marries someone else and Qu says she will wait forever. Each declaration seems shaped by circumstance, so the indecisive man argues that none proves a deeper love than the others. Every proposed choice becomes unfair as soon as he imagines the women exchanging positions.

His companion suggests choosing all three without useless ceremony, then laughs at the proposal; the man finally suggests drawing lots, with the two friends privately impersonating the women. Serious confidence dissolves into joking, and the eavesdropper leaves before reaching his own destination. A pair of mandarin ducks resting beneath lotus leaves provides an ironic counterimage of effortless pairing. The “problem” remains insoluble partly because the man treats three people as comparable answers to his dilemma while taking responsibility for none. Excessive fairness becomes another form of vanity and delay.

When it was written 背景

The scene belongs to May Fourth arguments over free love, arranged marriage, monogamy and the authority of ritual. New ideals promised choice based on feeling, but choice produced its own ethical puzzles when male intellectuals discussed women as types and proofs of devotion. Mandarin ducks traditionally symbolize a faithful couple; Xu inserts them without claiming that animal pairing can solve human obligations. The lotus-viewing excursion also carries refined literary associations that the overheard conversation comically derails. 底 repeatedly marks possession in period vernacular, and 拈鬮 means selecting by lot. Learners should note that almost everything is reported dialogue: the narrator does not expose the speakers' identities or decree a solution, but his retreat registers discomfort with their transformation of sacrifice into a parlor game.

Words in this chapter 生词

區qūHSK 3區qū — area · region · district · small · distinguish · classifier: 個 (gè) (HSK 3)
景况jǐng kuàng景况jǐng kuàng — circumstances
終身zhōng shēnHSK 5終身zhōng shēn — lifelong · all one's life · marriage (HSK 5)
解决jiě juéHSK 3解决jiě jué — to solve; to resolve; to settle (a problem) · to eliminate; to wipe out (an enemy, bandits etc) (HSK 3)
難解nán jiě難解nán jiě — hard to solve · hard to dispel · hard to understand · hard to undo
梅méi梅méi — plum · plum flower · Japanese apricot (Prunus mume)
權當quán dāng權當quán dāng — to act as if · to treat sth as if it were
磯jī磯jī — breakwater · jetty
下坡xià pō下坡xià pō — downhill slope
内nèiHSK 3内nèi — inside · inner · internal · within · interior (HSK 3)
密語mì yǔ密語mì yǔ — code word; coded language · to communicate in private
能否néng fǒuHSK 6能否néng fǒu — whether one can; whether it is possible (HSK 6)