彷徨彷páng — used in 彷徨 (páng huáng) and 彷徉 (páng yáng) (HSK 7-9)

What’s in it

彷徨 (Wandering) is Lu Xun's second and final collection of short fiction, eleven stories written in 1924 and 1925 in a noticeably darker, more introspective register than 吶喊. Its title — wandering, or hesitating without direction — sets the tone: these are stories about intellectuals and ordinary people stalled after the early optimism of the May Fourth Movement had curdled into disappointment. 祝福 (New Year's Sacrifice) follows a widow known only as Xianglin's Wife, ground down first by an arranged remarriage and then by village superstition that blames her for her own misfortunes, until she is reduced to begging in the streets during the town's New Year celebrations. 在酒樓上 (In the Wine Shop) is a quieter, conversational piece about two old friends comparing the compromises they have each made since their student days.

傷逝 (Regret for the Past) is Lu Xun's only sustained love story, about a young couple who elope on the strength of May Fourth ideals about free choice in marriage, only to watch their relationship collapse under the ordinary weight of poverty and social disapproval — a deliberate rebuttal to the era's more romantic fiction about liberated love. Other stories in the collection, including 肥皂, 長明燈, 孤獨者 and 離婚, return again and again to isolated, embittered figures who see clearly what is wrong with the society around them but can find no way to act on it.

Literary forms

• Chinese Short Stories

Key words 关键字

• 殳shū殳shū — ancient staff-like weapon made of bamboo or wood · "weapon" radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 79), occurring in 段, 毅, 殺 etc
• 她tāHSK 1她tā — she (HSK 1)
• 沛pèi沛pèi — copious · abundant
• 麽mó麽mó — tiny · insignificant
• 礎chǔ礎chǔ — foundation · base
• 甫fǔ甫fǔ — (classical) barely · just · just now
• 銘míng銘míng — to engrave · inscribed motto
• 祥xiáng祥xiáng — auspicious · propitious
• 客廳kè tīngHSK 5客廳kè tīng — living room; sitting room · classifier: 間 (jiān) (HSK 5)
• 方頭fāng tóu方頭fāng tóu — square headed
• 疹子zhěn zi疹子zhěn zi — rash
• 先前xiān qiánHSK 5先前xiān qián — before; previously (HSK 5)
• 仿佛fǎng fúHSK 6仿佛fǎng fú — to seem; as if; seemingly · alike; similar (HSK 6)
• 君jūn君jūn — monarch · lord · gentleman · ruler
• 油雞yóu jī油雞yóu jī — a variety of chicken
• 嬸shěn嬸shěn — wife of father's younger brother
• 豫yù豫yù — happy · carefree · at one's ease · variant of 預 (yù) · old variant of 與 (yù)
• 良liángHSK 7-9良liáng — good · very · very much (HSK 7-9)
• 肥皂féi zàoHSK 7-9肥皂féi zào — soap · classifier: 塊 (kuài), 條 (tiáo) (HSK 7-9)
• 什麼shén meHSK 1什麼shén me — what? · something; anything (HSK 1)
• 咯gē咯gē — (phonetic)
• 娃wá娃wá — baby · doll
• 道統dào tǒng道統dào tǒng — Confucian orthodoxy
• 忽而hū ér忽而hū ér — suddenly · now (..., now...)

魯迅 Lu Xun

Lu Xun wrote 彷徨 during one of the most unsettled stretches of his own life: a bitter and permanent break with his younger brother Zhou Zuoren, his departure from Beijing for teaching posts in Xiamen and then Guangzhou, and the beginning of his relationship with his student Xu Guangping, who would become his partner. The collection's mood of stalled momentum reflects the broader climate among China's reform-minded writers in the mid-1920s, after the early energy of the 1919 May Fourth protests had run into the harder realities of warlord politics and a society slower to change than its idealists had hoped.

More by Lu Xun 同作者

• 吶喊 · 呐喊Call to Arms
• 朝花夕拾Dawn Blossoms Plucked at Dusk
• 野草Wild Grass
• 故事新編 · 故事新编Old Tales Retold

Key vocabulary 词汇

• 一團和氣一團和氣yī tuán hé qì — (idiom) to keep on the right side of everyone (often at the expense of principle)
• 一大早一大早yī dà zǎo — at dawn · at first light · first thing in the morning (HSK 7-9)
• 一日不見，如隔三秋一日不見，如隔三秋yī rì bù jiàn , rú gé sān qiū — one day apart seems like three years (idiom)
• 一準一準yī zhǔn — certainly
• 一無所長一無所長yī wú suǒ cháng — not having any special skill · without any qualifications
• 三角形三角形sān jiǎo xíng — triangle
• 下頦下頦xià kē — chin · Taiwan pr. (xià hái)
• 下顎下顎xià è — mandible (lower jaw)
• 不偏不倚不偏不倚bù piān bù yǐ — (idiom) even-handed; impartial; unbiased
• 不分青紅皂白不分青紅皂白bù fēn qīng hóng zào bái — not distinguishing red-green or black-white (idiom) · not to distinguish between right and wrong
• 不可解不可解bù kě jiě — insoluble (i.e. impossible to solve)
• 不惜不惜bù xī — not stint · not spare · not hesitate (to do sth) · not scruple (to do sth) (HSK 7-9)
• 不盡然不盡然bù jìn rán — not always; not entirely · not necessarily so; not entirely correct
• 不相上下不相上下bù xiāng shàng xià — equally matched · about the same (HSK 7-9)
• 不約而同不約而同bù yuē ér tóng — (idiom) (of two or more people) to take the same action without prior consultation; (usu. used adverbially) all (or both) of them, independently; as if by prior agreement (HSK 7-9)
• 不足道不足道bù zú dào — inconsiderable · of no consequence · not worth mentioning
• 世風世風shì fēng — public morals
• 並重並重bìng zhòng — to give equal emphasis to; to attach equal importance to
• 中層中層zhōng céng — middle-ranking
• 中庸之道中庸之道zhōng yōng zhī dào — doctrine of the mean · moderation in all things
• 中日中日Zhōng Rì — China-Japan
• 中樞中樞zhōng shū — center; hub · the central administration
• 主婦主婦zhǔ fù — housewife · woman of senior authority in a household · the lady of the house · hostess (HSK 7-9)
• 亂成一團亂成一團luàn chéng yī tuán — in a great mess · chaotic
• 互換互換hù huàn — to exchange
• 五體投地五體投地wǔ tǐ tóu dì — to prostrate oneself in admiration (idiom); to adulate sb
• 井井有條井井有條jǐng jǐng yǒu tiáo — everything clear and orderly (idiom); neat and tidy
• 交互交互jiāo hù — mutual · interactive · each other · alternately · in turn · interaction
• 交口交口Jiāo kǒu — see 交口縣 (Jiāo kǒu Xiàn)
• 人情世故人情世故rén qíng shì gù — worldly wisdom · the ways of the world · to know how to get on in the world
• 仙居仙居Xiān jū — see 仙居縣 (Xiān jū Xiàn)
• 伸直伸直shēn zhí — to straighten · to stretch out
• 住所住所zhù suǒ — habitation · dwelling place · residence · classifier: 處 (chù)
• 余者余者yú zhě — the remaining people
• 作古作古zuò gǔ — to die · to pass away
• 依戀依戀yī liàn — to be fondly attached to; to not wish to part with; to cling to
• 依着依着yī zhe — in accordance with
• 信差信差xìn chāi — messenger
• 倒斃倒斃dǎo bì — to fall dead
• 偏勞偏勞piān láo — undue trouble · Thank you for having gone out of your way to help me.
• 偏安偏安piān ān — content to hold a small part of the territory · fig. forced to relinquish the middle ground · forced to move away
• 傢具傢具jiā jù — variant of 家具 (jiā jù)
• 像差像差xiàng chā — (optics) aberration
• 價目價目jià mù — (marked) price · tariff (in a restaurant etc)
• 儼然儼然yǎn rán — just like · solemn · dignified · neatly laid out
• 先覺先覺xiān jué — person of foresight
• 光源光源guāng yuán — light source
• 光澤光澤guāng zé — luster · gloss (HSK 7-9)
• 全局全局quán jú — overall situation (HSK 7-9)
• 全市全市quán shì — whole city
• 全盤全盤quán pán — overall · comprehensive
• 八卦拳八卦拳bā guà quán — baguazhang (a form of Chinese boxing)
• 公事公辦公事公辦gōng shì gōng bàn — to do things in a strictly businesslike manner (idiom)
• 公債公債gōng zhài — government bond
• 公寓公寓gōng yù — apartment building; block of flats (may be a public housing block or a condominium etc) (classifier: 套 (tào)) (HSK 7-9)
• 公憤公憤gōng fèn — public anger · popular indignation
• 公民公民gōng mín — citizen (HSK 3)
• 公眾公眾gōng zhòng — public (HSK 6)
• 其余其余qí yú — the rest · the others · remaining · remainder · apart from them (HSK 4)
• 再遷再遷zài qiān — to promote again · reappointed
• 冒瀆冒瀆mào dú — to disrespect · blasphemy
• 冒頭冒頭mào tóu — to emerge · to crop up · a little more than
• 最遠最遠zuì yuǎn — furthest · most distant · at maximum distance
• 冰霜冰霜bīng shuāng — (literary) ice formed in freezing weather as frost or icicles etc (often used as a metaphor for moral uprightness, strictness, sternness or aloofness)
• 冷漠冷漠lěng mò — cold and detached towards sb · lack of regard · indifference · neglect (HSK 7-9)
• 凄苦凄苦qī kǔ — bleak; miserable
• 凍肉凍肉dòng ròu — cold or frozen meat
• 凡庸凡庸fán yōng — ordinary · mediocre
• 出乎意外出乎意外chū hū yì wài — beyond expectation (idiom); unexpected
• 出人意外出人意外chū rén yì wài — turned out other than expected (idiom); unexpected
• 出格出格chū gé — to overstep the bounds of what is proper · to take sth too far · (of a measuring device) to go off the scale
• 出清出清chū qīng — to clear out accumulated items · (retailing) to hold a clearance sale
• 分局分局fēn jú — branch office; sub-bureau
• 刊物刊物kān wù — publication (HSK 7-9)
• 初出茅廬初出茅廬chū chū máo lú — venturing from one's thatched hut for the first time (idiom) · young and inexperienced · novice · greenhorn
• 初夜初夜chū yè — early evening · wedding night · (fig.) first sexual encounter
• 刻毒刻毒kè dú — spiteful · venomous
• 前導前導qián dǎo — to precede · to guide
• 剪頭髮剪頭髮jiǎn tóu fa — (to get a) haircut
• 創傷創傷chuāng shāng — wound; injury; trauma (HSK 7-9)
• 力作力作lì zuò — to put effort into (work, farming, writing etc) · a masterpiece
• 加密加密jiā mì — to encrypt · encryption · to protect with a password
• 勃興勃興bó xīng — to rise suddenly · to grow vigorously
• 勇往直前勇往直前yǒng wǎng zhí qián — to advance bravely (HSK 7-9)
• 包被包被bāo bèi — peridium (envelope or coat of fungi, e.g. puffballs)
• 匯出匯出huì chū — to remit (funds) · (computing) to export (data)
• 半身像半身像bàn shēn xiàng — half-length photo or portrait · bust
• 卧卧wò — to lie · to crouch (HSK 7-9)
• 卧室卧室wò shì — bedroom · classifier: 間 (jiān) (HSK 5)
• 卧床卧床wò chuáng — to lie in bed · bedridden · bed
• 印本印本yìn běn — printed book; printed copy
• 去留去留qù liú — going or staying
• 口琴口琴kǒu qín — harmonica
• 只限於只限於zhǐ xiàn yú — to be limited to
• 可採可採kě cǎi — (mining) recoverable · workable
• 可掬可掬kě jū — conspicuous · plain to see
• 叱罵叱罵chì mà — to curse · to berate angrily
• 史記史記Shǐ jì — Records of the Grand Historian, by 司馬遷 (Sī mǎ Qiān), first of the 24 dynastic histories 二十四史 (Èr shí sì Shǐ)
• 合唱合唱hé chàng — chorus · to chorus (HSK 7-9)
• 吉兆吉兆jí zhào — lucky omen
• 吉林吉林Jí lín — see 吉林省 (Jí lín Shěng) · see 吉林市 (Jí lín Shì)
• 吊慰吊慰diào wèi — to offer condolences · to console the bereaved
• 名位名位míng wèi — fame and position · official rank
• 名產名產míng chǎn — staple · name-brand product
• 吹哨吹哨chuī shào — to blow a whistle · to whistle
• 呃呃è — (exclamation) · to hiccup
• 告終告終gào zhōng — to end · to reach an end
• 告誡告誡gào jiè — to warn · to admonish (HSK 7-9)
• 周刊周刊zhōu kān — weekly publication · weekly
• 周報周報zhōu bào — weekly publication
• 周瑜周瑜Zhōu Yú — Zhou Yu (175-210), famous general of the southern Wu kingdom and victor of the battle of Redcliff · in Romance of the Three Kingdoms 三國演義 (Sān guó Yǎn yì), absolutely no match for Zhuge Liang 諸葛亮 (Zhū gě Liàng)
• 呼嘯呼嘯hū xiào — to whistle; to scream; to whiz
• 呼朋引類呼朋引類hū péng yǐn lèi — to call up all one's associates · rent-a-crowd
• 和氣生財和氣生財hé qì shēng cái — (idiom) amiability makes you rich
• 唉聲嘆氣唉聲嘆氣āi shēng tàn qì — sighing voice, wailing breath (idiom) · to heave deep sighs · to sigh in despair
• 唯唯諾諾唯唯諾諾wéi wéi nuò nuò — (idiom) to be a yes-man
• 唾棄唾棄tuò qì — to spurn · to disdain
• 商定商定shāng dìng — to agree · to decide after consultation · to come to a compromise
• 善本善本shàn běn — old book · good book · reliable book · rare book
• 喪葬喪葬sāng zàng — funeral and interment
• 嘰嘰咕咕嘰嘰咕咕jī ji gū gū — (onom.) to mutter · to mumble · to whisper
• 四川四川Sì chuān — see 四川省 (Sì chuān Shěng)
• 回味回味huí wèi — to call to mind and ponder over · aftertaste (HSK 7-9)
• 回血回血huí xuè — (medicine) (of blood) to flow back into the IV tube · (gaming) to restore health points; (fig.) to recover (to some extent)
• 圓桌圓桌yuán zhuō — round table
• 圖謀圖謀tú móu — to conspire
• 地推地推dì tuī — on-the-ground promotion (abbr. for 地面推廣 (dì miàn tuī guǎng))
• 地熱地熱dì rè — geothermal heat
• 地球儀地球儀dì qiú yí — globe
• 培土培土péi tǔ — to earth up
• 埽埽sào — dike · old variant of 掃 (sào)
• 堂兄弟堂兄弟táng xiōng dì — father's brother's sons · paternal male cousin
• 堅定堅定jiān dìng — firm · steady · staunch · resolute (HSK 5)
• 堅忍堅忍jiān rěn — persevering · tenacious
• 堅持下去堅持下去jiān chí xià qù — to press on
• 墓碑墓碑mù bēi — gravestone · tombstone (HSK 7-9)
• 增補增補zēng bǔ — to augment · to supplement · to add
• 壕溝壕溝háo gōu — trench · moat
• 壞種壞種huài zhǒng — bad kind · scoundrel
• 壯大壯大zhuàng dà — to strengthen; to build up · to grow strong and large (HSK 7-9)
• 壽材壽材shòu cái — coffin
• 壽衣壽衣shòu yī — burial clothes
• 夏侯夏侯Xià hóu — two-character surname Xiahou
• 外衣外衣wài yī — outer clothing · semblance · appearance (HSK 6)
• 外院外院wài yuàn — outer courtyard
• 多次多次duō cì — many times · repeatedly (HSK 4)
• 夜闌人靜夜闌人靜yè lán rén jìng — the still of the night (idiom) · late at night
• 大典大典dà diǎn — ceremony · collection of classical writings
• 大可不必大可不必dà kě bù bì — need not · unnecessary
• 大無畏大無畏dà wú wèi — utterly fearless