山響 Mountain Echo

Mountain Echoes

．，．The clustered peaks talked among themselves with a great whooshing din. I guessed what they were saying.

：『，．』One peak said, “Our clothes are worn out; it is time we changed them.”

：『，，Another peak said, “Not so fast. Look how my clothes, after so much trouble, have changed from ash-white to emerald green, and then from emerald green

，——，．．』to coral and gold—the fabric may be old, but its form and color are not old yet. Let us wear them a while longer.”

，，，『，．While they were still discussing the matter, the garments they wore all cried out in supplication: “Spare us, and let us rest. Our

．．』forms have changed beyond recognition. We can no longer help you keep up appearances.”

『，，．．』“Go, then, go! Even without you, it will hardly matter. In any case, before long we shall have new clothes to wear.” The clustered peaks all sighed

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)
罷: bà — 1. to stop 2. to cease 3. to dismiss 4. to suspend 5. to quit 6. to finish
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)
罷: bà — 1. to stop 2. to cease 3. to dismiss 4. to suspend 5. to quit 6. to finish
不: bù — 1. no; not so 2. (bound form) not; un- (HSK 1)
穿: chuān — 1. to bore through; to pierce; to perforate 2. to go through (e.g. a tunnel); to cross (e.g. a street) 3. to thread; to string together 4. to wear; to put on (clothes, shoes etc.) 5. verb complement indicating thoroughness or completion (HSK 1)
你們: nǐ men — you (plural) (HSK 1)
也: Yě — surname Ye (HSK 1)
算不得: suàn bù dé — not count as
什麼: shén me — 1. what? 2. something; anything (HSK 1)
橫豎: héng shu — anyway
不久: bù jiǔ — 1. not long (after) 2. before too long 3. soon 4. soon after (HSK 2)
我們: wǒ men — we; us; ourselves; our (HSK 1)
又: yòu — 1. (once) again 2. also 3. both... and... 4. and yet 5. (used for emphasis) anyway (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)
新: Xīn — 1. abbr. for Xinjiang 新疆 (Xīn jiāng) 2. abbr. for Singapore 新加坡 (Xīn jiā pō) 3. surname Xin (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)
穿: chuān — 1. to bore through; to pierce; to perforate 2. to go through (e.g. a tunnel); to cross (e.g. a street) 3. to thread; to string together 4. to wear; to put on (clothes, shoes etc.) 5. verb complement indicating thoroughness or completion (HSK 1)
羣: qún — variant of 群 (qún) (HSK 3)
峯: fēng — variant of 峰 (fēng)
都: Dū — surname Du (HSK 1)
出: chū — 1. to go out; to come out 2. to arise; to occur 3. to produce; to yield 4. to go beyond; to exceed 5. (used after a verb to indicate an outward direction or a positive result) 6. classifier for dramas, plays, operas etc (HSK 1)

．，、．as they spoke. When they had finished, their bright robes of red and yellow slipped off one after another.

着: zhāo — variant of 著 (zhāo) (HSK 1)
氣: qì — 1. gas; air 2. smell 3. weather 4. to make angry; to annoy; to get angry 5. vital energy; qi (HSK 2)
這樣: zhè yàng — 1. this way; like this; so 2. (before a noun) this kind of; such (HSK 2)
說: shuì — to persuade (HSK 1)
說: shuì — to persuade (HSK 1)
完: wán — 1. to finish 2. to be over 3. whole 4. complete 5. entire (HSK 2)
之後: zhī hòu — 1. after; behind 2. (at the beginning of a sentence) afterwards; since then (HSK 4)
那: Nā — surname Na (HSK 1)
紅: Hóng — surname Hong (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)
黃: Huáng — surname Huang or Hwang (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)
彩衣: cǎi yī — 1. colored clothes 2. motley attire
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)
陸續: lù xù — 1. in turn 2. successively 3. one after the other 4. bit by bit (HSK 4)
褪下: tùn xià — 1. to take off (trousers) 2. to drop one's pants
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)

，，，We are all celestial garments. That ineffable spirit—who knows when he will wear us utterly threadbare before putting

．，，．us away in heaven’s wardrobe? May he exert himself a little more and make timely use of us, so that we may come sooner to our rest.

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What it’s about

The speaker hears a group of mountain peaks talking as their colors change. One wants new clothes; another argues that the old garment has only just shifted from gray-white to green, coral and gold and should be worn longer. Then the garments themselves beg to rest because their forms have been exhausted in displaying the mountains. The peaks dismiss them: stripped or dressed makes little difference, and new clothes will soon arrive as red and yellow layers fall away.

The final paragraph abruptly moves the analogy outward. Human beings too are heavenly garments worn by an inconceivable spirit, and the speaker hopes that spirit will use them vigorously and wear them ragged soon enough to put them away. Seasonal color becomes a meditation on bodily service, exhaustion and death. The wish for early rest sounds bleak, but it also denies that the garment is the wearer or that decay is meaningless. Xu holds together delight in changing appearances and impatience with attachment to them; even mountains, which seem permanent, participate in exchange and relinquishment.

When it was written 背景

Personified landscape is an old resource of Chinese prose and poetry, but Xu gives it the conversational movement of a modern prose poem. Gray, green, coral and gold suggest clouds, vegetation and sunset passing over peaks rather than literal clothing. The closing “inconceivable spirit” is not assigned to one religion. Heavenly garments and a life used by a larger power can recall both Buddhist transformation and theistic vocation, a productive ambiguity throughout 空山靈雨. The title may mean mountain echoes or mountain sounds: what the narrator hears is also what imagination supplies. Learners should follow the pronouns carefully, since 峯, 衣服 and 我們 repeatedly exchange grammatical positions. The joke about fashion gradually becomes a serious wish that one's finite form be fully spent.

Words in this chapter 生词

峯fēng峯fēng — variant of 峰 (fēng)
青綠qīng lǜ青綠qīng lǜ — lush green · dark green · turquoise
橱chú橱chú — wardrobe · closet · cabinet
猜着cāi zháo猜着cāi zháo — to guess correctly
羣qúnHSK 3羣qún — variant of 群 (qún) (HSK 3)
不可思議bù kě sī yìHSK 7-9不可思議bù kě sī yì — (idiom) inconceivable; unimaginable; unfathomable (HSK 7-9)
呼呼hū hū呼呼hū hū — (onom.) sound of the wind or the breathing of sb who is sound asleep
形態xíng tàiHSK 5形態xíng tài — shape · form · pattern · morphology (HSK 5)
及時jí shíHSK 3及時jí shí — timely; at the right time · promptly; without delay (HSK 3)
山響shān xiǎng山響shān xiǎng — very loud · very noisy
形色xíng sè形色xíng sè — shape and color · appearance · facial expression
彩衣cǎi yī彩衣cǎi yī — colored clothes · motley attire