生死場生死shēng sǐ — life or death (HSK 7-9)場chǎng — 1. large place used for a specific purpose 2. stage 3. scene (of a play) 4. classifier for sporting or recreational activities 5. classifier for number of exams (HSK 2) · 生死场

What’s in it

生死場 (The Field of Life and Death) is the novel that made Xiao Hong's reputation, a short, unsparing account of peasant life in a village in Manchuria before and after the Japanese invasion of 1931. Its first half is built from plain, almost clinical scenes of rural existence — farming, childbirth, sickness, the slaughter of animals — described with a bluntness about bodies and suffering that startled readers used to more decorous fiction. Villagers live and die with very little sentimentality attached to either event, and the novel's early chapters are as much about the animals the village depends on as about the people themselves.

The second half turns to what the Japanese occupation does to that same village: forced levies, humiliation, and the slow radicalization of villagers who had previously thought only about their next harvest. The novel ends on a note of scattered, improvised resistance rather than triumph, and it is generally read as one of the earliest and most important pieces of Chinese fiction to deal directly with the occupation of Manchuria, written and published while that occupation was still very much ongoing.

Literary forms

• Classic and Modern Chinese Novels

Key words 关键字

• 她tāHSK 1她tā — she (HSK 1)
• 婆pó婆pó — (bound form) grandmother · (bound form) matron · (bound form) mother-in-law · (slang) femme (in a lesbian relationship)
• 趙zhào趙zhào — to surpass (old)
• 吧bāHSK 1吧bā — bar (loanword) (serving drinks, or providing Internet access etc) · to puff (on a pipe etc) · (onom.) bang · abbr. for 貼吧 (tiē bā) (HSK 1)
• 牠tāHSK 2牠tā — it (pronoun for an animal) (HSK 2)
• 青山qīng shān青山qīng shān — green hills · (the good) life
• 好像hǎo xiàngHSK 2好像hǎo xiàng — as if · to seem like (HSK 2)
• 麥子mài zi麥子mài zi — wheat · classifier: 株 (zhū)
• 日本Rì běn日本Rì běn — Japan
• 姑姑gū guHSK 6姑姑gū gu — paternal aunt · classifier: 個 (gè) (HSK 6)
• 柿子shì ziHSK 7-9柿子shì zi — persimmon · (Northeastern dialect) tomato (HSK 7-9)
• 田間tián jiān田間tián jiān — field · farm · farming area · village
• 山羊shān yáng山羊shān yáng — goat · (gymnastics) small-sized vaulting horse
• 炕kàng炕kàng — kang (a heatable brick bed) · to bake · to dry by the heat of a fire
• 爹爹diē die爹爹diē die — daddy · granddad
• 為著wèi zhe為著wèi zhe — in order to · because of · for the sake of
• 啦lāHSK 6啦lā — (onom.) sound of singing, cheering etc · (phonetic) · (dialect) to chat (HSK 6)
• 羅圈腿luó quān tuǐ羅圈腿luó quān tuǐ — bow-legged · bandy-legged
• 嗎máHSK 1嗎má — (coll.) what? (HSK 1)
• 嬸子shěn zi嬸子shěn zi — (coll.) wife of father's younger brother; aunt
• 麥mài麥mài — wheat; barley; oats · mic (abbr. for 麥克風 (mài kè fēng))
• 面孔miàn kǒng面孔miàn kǒng — face
• 鐮刀lián dāo鐮刀lián dāo — sickle
• 煙袋yān dài煙袋yān dài — tobacco pipe

蕭紅 Xiao Hong

Xiao Hong (蕭紅, 1911–1942) wrote 生死場 in 1934 and published it in 1935 with a preface by Lu Xun, whose support instantly established her within Shanghai's leftist literary circles at the age of twenty-three. The novel's frank treatment of rural violence and its early, urgent response to the Japanese occupation of her home region gave it a political weight that outran its length, and it remains one of the defining works of 1930s Chinese literature on the war.

More by Xiao Hong 同作者

• 呼蘭河傳 · 呼兰河传Tales of Hulan River

Key vocabulary 词汇

• 一小部分一小部分yī xiǎo bù fèn — a small part; a small section
• 三焦三焦sān jiāo — (TCM) the three truncal cavities (thoracic, abdominal and pelvic), known as the "triple heater" or "San Jiao"
• 上崗上崗shàng gǎng — to take up one's post; to go on duty · to take up a job (HSK 7-9)
• 上思上思Shàng sī — see 上思縣 (Shàng sī Xiàn)
• 上揚上揚shàng yáng — (of prices etc) to rise
• 上林上林Shàng lín — see 上林縣 (Shàng lín Xiàn)
• 下腳下腳xià jiǎo — to get a footing
• 不愉快不愉快bù yú kuài — disagreeable · unpleasant
• 不著邊際不著邊際bù zhuó biān jì — not to the point · wide of the mark · neither here nor there · irrelevant
• 丑角丑角chǒu jué — clown role in opera · clown · buffoon
• 中央宣傳部中央宣傳部Zhōng yāng Xuān chuán bù — Central Propaganda Department (abbr. for 中國共產黨中央委員會宣傳部 (Zhōng guó Gòng chǎn dǎng Zhōng yāng Wěi yuán huì Xuān chuán bù))
• 中秋節中秋節Zhōng qiū jié — the Mid-Autumn Festival on 15th of 8th lunar month (HSK 5)
• 中轉中轉zhōng zhuǎn — to change (train or plane) · transfer · correspondence
• 事變事變shì biàn — incident · unforeseen event · events (in general)
• 五角五角wǔ jiǎo — pentagon
• 亡國奴亡國奴wáng guó nú — slave of a foreign conqueror
• 交費交費jiāo fèi — to pay a fee (HSK 3)
• 人行道人行道rén xíng dào — sidewalk (HSK 7-9)
• 代替代替dài tì — to replace; to take the place of (HSK 4)
• 以身作則以身作則yǐ shēn zuò zé — to set an example (idiom); to serve as a model (HSK 7-9)
• 伕伕fū — variant of 夫 (fū)
• 低音低音dī yīn — bass
• 佛龕佛龕fó kān — niche for statue (esp. Buddhist, Christian etc)
• 作坊作坊zuō fang — workshop (of artisan)
• 個位個位gè wèi — the units place (or column) in the decimal system
• 倒流倒流dào liú — to flow backwards · reverse flow
• 倒霉倒霉dǎo méi — to have bad luck · to be out of luck (HSK 7-9)
• 借助借助jiè zhù — to draw support from · with the help of (HSK 7-9)
• 做錯做錯zuò cuò — to make an error
• 傳染病傳染病chuán rǎn bìng — infectious disease; contagious disease; communicable disease (HSK 7-9)
• 傷口傷口shāng kǒu — wound · cut (HSK 6)
• 像樣像樣xiàng yàng — presentable · decent · up to par (HSK 7-9)
• 僵直僵直jiāng zhí — stiff · rigid · inflexible
• 充血充血chōng xuè — hyperemia (increase in blood flow) · blood congestion
• 全麥全麥quán mài — whole wheat
• 兵團兵團bīng tuán — large military unit · formation · corps · army
• 凶暴凶暴xiōng bào — brutal
• 凹洞凹洞āo dòng — cavity · pit
• 切斷切斷qiē duàn — to cut off; to sever (HSK 7-9)
• 初識初識chū shí — to meet (sb) for the first time; to encounter (a place, an idea etc) for the first time
• 刺刀刺刀cì dāo — bayonet
• 刺痛刺痛cì tòng — to tingle; to sting; to have a sudden sharp pain; (fig.) to hurt deeply · tingle; prick; sting; stab of pain
• 前腿前腿qián tuǐ — forelegs
• 剩餘剩餘shèng yú — to remain; to be left over · what remains; what's left (HSK 7-9)
• 剷除剷除chǎn chú — to root out; to eradicate; to sweep away; to abolish
• 功利功利gōng lì — utility
• 加快加快jiā kuài — to accelerate; to speed up; to hasten (HSK 3)
• 勃發勃發bó fā — to sprout up; to flourish; (of war etc) to break out · rapid growth
• 動盪動盪dòng dàng — variant of 動蕩 (dòng dàng) (HSK 7-9)
• 匍匐匍匐pú fú — to crawl; to creep; to lie prostrate
• 化石化石huà shí — fossil (HSK 5)
• 匣槍匣槍xiá qiāng — Mauser pistol (C96 type)
• 千刀萬剮千刀萬剮qiān dāo wàn guǎ — (idiom) to hack (sb) to pieces (punishment in former times)
• 升上升上shēng shàng — (of an employee) to be promoted to (a higher rank) · (of a student) to enter (a higher grade at school)
• 南端南端nán duān — southern end or extremity
• 南部南部nán bù — southern part (HSK 3)
• 叉形叉形chā xíng — forked
• 反覆反覆fǎn fù — repeatedly · over and over · to upend · unstable · to come and go · (of an illness) to return (HSK 3)
• 口腔口腔kǒu qiāng — oral cavity (HSK 7-9)
• 另一半另一半lìng yī bàn — other half · (fig.) spouse · one's better half
• 吃乾飯吃乾飯chī gān fàn — (coll.) to be incompetent · useless · good-for-nothing
• 吃瓜吃瓜chī guā — (neologism c. 2016) (slang) to watch an entertaining spectacle from the sidelines and-or engage in gossip about it
• 吠叫吠叫fèi jiào — to bark · to yelp
• 吵醒吵醒chǎo xǐng — to wake sb up with a noise
• 吹口哨吹口哨chuī kǒu shào — to whistle
• 吼叫吼叫hǒu jiào — to howl; to bellow; to yell
• 咩咩miē — the bleating of sheep · final particle which transforms statements into questions that indicate doubt or surprise (Cantonese)
• 咬嚼咬嚼yǎo jiáo — to chew · to masticate · to ruminate · to mull over
• 哈爾濱哈爾濱Hā ěr bīn — see 哈爾濱市 (Hā ěr bīn Shì)
• 哐啷哐啷kuāng lāng — (onom.) clang; clatter; bang; crash; clank
• 哪怕哪怕nǎ pà — even · even if · even though · no matter how (HSK 4)
• 喉管喉管hóu guǎn — the airway in the throat
• 喪亡喪亡sàng wáng — to die
• 喪盡喪盡sàng jìn — to completely lose (one's dignity, vitality etc)
• 嘩啦啦嘩啦啦huā lā lā — (onom.) crashing sound
• 嘩笑嘩笑huá xiào — uproarious laughter
• 嘶叫嘶叫sī jiào — to whinny (of a horse) · to neigh · to shout
• 嘶鳴嘶鳴sī míng — to whinny (of a horse) · to neigh
• 嚎叫嚎叫háo jiào — to howl · to yell
• 嚴峻嚴峻yán jùn — grim · severe · rigorous (HSK 7-9)
• 回應回應huí yìng — to respond · response (HSK 6)
• 國號國號guó hào — official name of a nation (includes dynastic names of China: 漢 (Hàn), 唐 (Táng) etc)
• 圓白菜圓白菜yuán bái cài — round white cabbage (i.e. Western cabbage)
• 團團轉團團轉tuán tuán zhuàn — to go round and round · running around in circles · fig. frantically busy
• 土堆土堆tǔ duī — mound
• 土豆土豆tǔ dòu — potato · (Tw) peanut (classifier: 顆 (kē)) (HSK 5)
• 地帶地帶dì dài — zone · classifier: 個 (gè) (HSK 5)
• 地接地接dì jiē — local guide · tour escort
• 地洞地洞dì dòng — tunnel; cave; burrow; dugout
• 地鄰地鄰dì lín — neighbor on farmland
• 垂死垂死chuí sǐ — dying
• 垃圾垃圾lā jī — trash · refuse · garbage · (coll.) of poor quality · Taiwan pr. (lè sè) (HSK 4)
• 垃圾桶垃圾桶lā jī tǒng — rubbish bin · trash can · garbage can · Taiwan pr. (lè sè tǒng)
• 境況境況jìng kuàng — circumstances
• 墳場墳場fén chǎng — cemetery
• 夏季夏季xià jì — summer (HSK 4)
• 外牆外牆wài qiáng — facade · external wall
• 外露外露wài lù — exposed · appearing on the outside
• 多咱多咱duō zan — (dialect) when? · what time? · whenever
• 多樣多樣duō yàng — diverse · diversity · manifold (HSK 4)
• 多角形多角形duō jiǎo xíng — polygon · same as 多邊形
• 多雲多雲duō yún — (meteorology) cloudy (HSK 2)
• 夜空夜空yè kōng — night sky
• 夥伴夥伴huǒ bàn — companion; pal · partner; business associate (HSK 4)
• 大一些大一些dà yī xiē — a bit bigger
• 大型大型dà xíng — large · large-scale (HSK 4)
• 大清大清Dà Qīng — Great Qing dynasty (1644-1911)
• 大獄大獄dà yù — jail · prison
• 失常失常shī cháng — not normal · an aberration
• 奇蹟奇蹟qí jì — miracle; wonder; marvel (HSK 7-9)
• 奪走奪走duó zǒu — to snatch away
• 好險好險hǎo xiǎn — to have a close call · to have a narrow escape
• 姘婦姘婦pīn fù — mistress · concubine · kept woman
• 姿態姿態zī tài — attitude · posture · stance (HSK 7-9)
• 媚笑媚笑mèi xiào — enchanting smile
• 子彈子彈zǐ dàn — bullet · classifier: 粒 (lì), 顆 (kē), 發 (fā) (HSK 5)
• 孵孵fū — breeding · to incubate · to hatch
• 守望守望shǒu wàng — to keep watch
• 完整完整wán zhěng — complete · intact (HSK 3)
• 完蛋完蛋wán dàn — (coll.) to be done for (HSK 7-9)
• 官樣文章官樣文章guān yàng wén zhāng — officialese · red tape
• 宣誓宣誓xuān shì — to swear an oath (of office) · to make a vow (HSK 7-9)
• 專賣專賣zhuān mài — monopoly · exclusive right to trade
• 對準對準duì zhǔn — to aim at · to target · to point at · to be directed at · registration · alignment (mechanical engineering) (HSK 7-9)
• 小偷小偷xiǎo tōu — thief
• 小夥子小夥子xiǎo huǒ zi — (coll.) young man; young fellow; lad (HSK 4)
• 小日本小日本xiǎo Rì běn — (derog.) Japanese person · Jap
• 小樹林小樹林xiǎo shù lín — grove
• 小牛小牛xiǎo niú — calf · (coll.) lower-priced model of Lamborghini
• 小羊小羊xiǎo yáng — lamb
• 小腸小腸xiǎo cháng — small intestine
• 小飯館小飯館xiǎo fàn guǎn — tearoom · canteen · cafeteria
• 少東家少東家shào dōng jiā — boss's son
• 尖叫尖叫jiān jiào — to screech; to shriek
• 屠刀屠刀tú dāo — butcher's knife · abattoir hatchet
• 屠場屠場tú chǎng — slaughterhouse · abattoir
• 屯子屯子tún zi — village
• 崗子崗子gǎng zi — mound; hillock · welt (on the skin); ridge (on the road surface etc)
• 布巾布巾bù jīn — a cloth
• 帳幕帳幕zhàng mù — tent
• 平衡平衡píng héng — balance · equilibrium (HSK 6)
• 幽邃幽邃yōu suì — profound and unfathomable
• 幽默幽默yōu mò — (loanword) humor · humorous (HSK 5)
• 廟堂廟堂miào táng — imperial ancestral temple · imperial court · temple
• 龐大龐大páng dà — huge; enormous; tremendous (HSK 7-9)
• 延展延展yán zhǎn — to extend; to stretch out
• 式子式子shì zi — posture · (math.) expression; formula
• 強行強行qiáng xíng — to do sth by force · Taiwan pr. (qiǎng xíng) (HSK 7-9)
• 彈力彈力tán lì — elasticity · elastic force · spring · rebound · bounce
• 彎月彎月wān yuè — crescent moon · crescent shape