野草野yě — 1. field 2. plain 3. open space 4. limit 5. boundary 6. rude 7. feral (HSK 6)草cǎo — 1. grass 2. straw 3. manuscript 4. draft (of a document) 5. careless 6. rough 7. classifier: 棵 (kē), 撮 (zuǒ), 株 (zhū), 根 (gēn) (HSK 2)

Wild Grass — 魯迅 · 鲁迅 Lu Xun, 1924–1926

Twenty-three prose poems — short, dark, and strange. The most literary and most challenging collection here.

62% of words ≤ HSK 424% off-list words
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What’s in it

野草 (Wild Grass) collects twenty-three prose poems written between 1924 and 1926, and it is the strangest and most demanding work in this library: short, dense, often surreal pieces closer to symbolist poetry than to conventional prose. 秋夜 (Autumn Night) opens the collection with two jujube trees staring wordlessly at a distant sky; 影的告別 (The Shadow's Farewell) has a shadow announce its intention to disappear into darkness rather than be trapped between light and dark forever; 死火 (Dead Fire) follows a flame frozen in ice that must choose between burning itself out or freezing to death. Very little in the collection resembles a story in the ordinary sense — most pieces are closer to a single sustained image or a philosophical fragment, worked and reworked until the metaphor carries the whole weight of the piece.

Read together, the poems circle around despair, isolation and the temptation of nihilism, but rarely settle into simple hopelessness — figures in these pieces tend to keep walking, keep burning, keep choosing to act even without any promise that it will matter. Scholars generally read 野草 as Lu Xun's most private and most philosophically serious work, shaped by his reading of Nietzsche and by the isolation and illness he was living through in Beijing at the time, and it remains the most purely literary of his books rather than the most polemical.

  1. 1《野草》英文譯本序野yě — 1. field 2. plain 3. open space 4. limit 5. boundary 6. rude 7. feral (HSK 6)草cǎo — 1. grass 2. straw 3. manuscript 4. draft (of a document) 5. careless 6. rough 7. classifier: 棵 (kē), 撮 (zuǒ), 株 (zhū), 根 (gēn) (HSK 2)英文Yīng wén — English (language) (HSK 2)譯yì — 1. to translate 2. to interpret (HSK 7-9)本běn — 1. (bound form) root; stem 2. (bound form) origin; source 3. (bound form) one's own; this 4. (bound form) this; the current (year etc) 5. (bound form) original 6. (bound form) inherent 7. originally; initially 8. capital; principal 9. classifier for books, periodicals, files etc (HSK 1)序xù — 1. (bound form) order; sequence 2. (bound form) introductory; initial 3. preface (HSK 7-9) · 《野草》英文译本序65% ≤ HSK 4
  2. 2《野草》題辭野yě — 1. field 2. plain 3. open space 4. limit 5. boundary 6. rude 7. feral (HSK 6)草cǎo — 1. grass 2. straw 3. manuscript 4. draft (of a document) 5. careless 6. rough 7. classifier: 棵 (kē), 撮 (zuǒ), 株 (zhū), 根 (gēn) (HSK 2)題tí — 1. topic 2. problem for discussion 3. exam question 4. subject 5. to inscribe 6. to mention 7. classifier: 個 (gè), 道 (dào) (HSK 2)辭cí — 1. to resign 2. to dismiss 3. to decline 4. (literary) to take leave 5. (archaic poetic genre) ballad 6. variant of 詞 (cí) (HSK 7-9) · 《野草》题辞51% ≤ HSK 4
  3. 3影的告别的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)告别gào bié — 1. to leave; to part from 2. to bid farewell to; to say goodbye to (HSK 3)The Shadow's Farewell71% ≤ HSK 4
  4. 4求乞者求qiú — 1. to seek 2. to look for 3. to request 4. to demand 5. to beseech (HSK 2)者zhě — 1. (after a verb or adjective) one who (is) ... 2. (after a noun) person involved in ... 3. -er 4. -ist 5. (used after a number or 後 (hòu) or 前 (qián) to refer to sth mentioned previously) 6. (used after a term, to mark a pause before defining the term) 7. (old) (used at the end of a command) 8. (old) this (HSK 3)The Beggars55% ≤ HSK 4
  5. 5我的失戀我wǒ — I; me; my (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)失戀shī liàn — 1. to lose one's love 2. to break up (in a romantic relationship) 3. to feel jilted (HSK 7-9) · 我的失恋My Lost Love59% ≤ HSK 4
  6. 6復讎 · 复雠Revenge52% ≤ HSK 4
  7. 7復讎（其二）其qí — 1. his 2. her 3. its 4. their 5. that 6. such 7. it (refers to sth preceding it) (HSK 5)二èr — 1. two 2. 2 3. (Beijing dialect) stupid (HSK 1) · 复雠（其二）Revenge (II)54% ≤ HSK 4
  8. 8希望希望xī wàng — 1. to hope 2. a hope; a wish (HSK 3)Hope62% ≤ HSK 4
  9. 9風筝風fēng — 1. wind 2. news 3. style 4. custom 5. manner 6. classifier: 陣 (zhèn), 絲 (sī) (HSK 1) · 风筝The Kite65% ≤ HSK 4
  10. 10好的故事好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)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)故事gù shi — narrative; story; tale (HSK 2)The Good Story58% ≤ HSK 4
  11. 11過客過guò — 1. to cross 2. to go over 3. to pass (time) 4. to celebrate (a holiday) 5. to live 6. to get along 7. excessively 8. too- (HSK 1) · 过客The Passer-By67% ≤ HSK 4
  12. 12死火死sǐ — 1. to die 2. impassable 3. uncrossable 4. inflexible 5. rigid 6. extremely 7. damned (HSK 3)火huǒ — 1. fire 2. urgent 3. ammunition 4. fiery or flaming 5. internal heat (Chinese medicine) 6. hot (popular) 7. classifier for military units (old) 8. Kangxi radical 86 (HSK 3)Dead Fire67% ≤ HSK 4
  13. 13失掉的好地獄掉diào — 1. to fall 2. to drop 3. to lag behind 4. to lose 5. to go missing 6. to reduce 7. fall (in prices) 8. to lose (value, weight etc) 9. to wag 10. to swing 11. to turn 12. to change 13. to exchange 14. to swap 15. to show off 16. to shed (hair) 17. (used after certain verbs to express completion, fulfillment, removal etc) (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)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)地獄dì yù — 1. hell; underworld; (Buddhism) Naraka 2. (coll.) (of humor, jokes, content etc) extremely dark or morally transgressive (HSK 7-9) · 失掉的好地狱The Good Hell That Was Lost54% ≤ HSK 4
  14. 14墓碣文墓mù — 1. grave 2. tomb 3. mausoleum (HSK 6)文wén — 1. language 2. culture 3. writing 4. formal 5. literary 6. gentle 7. (old) classifier for coins 8. Kangxi radical 67 (HSK 7-9)Epitaph52% ≤ HSK 4
  15. 15頹敗線的顫動敗bài — 1. to defeat 2. to damage 3. to lose (to an opponent) 4. to fail 5. to wither (HSK 4)線xiàn — 1. thread 2. string 3. wire 4. line 5. classifier: 條 (tiáo), 股 (gǔ), 根 (gēn) 6. (after a number) tier (unofficial ranking of a Chinese city) (HSK 3)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)動dòng — 1. (of sth) to move 2. to set in movement 3. to displace 4. to touch 5. to make use of 6. to stir (emotions) 7. to alter 8. abbr. for 動詞 (dòng cí), verb (HSK 1) · 颓败线的颤动Tremors of Degradation59% ≤ HSK 4
  16. 16立論立lì — 1. to stand 2. to set up 3. to establish 4. to lay down 5. to draw up 6. at once 7. immediately (HSK 5) · 立论On Expressing an Opinion73% ≤ HSK 4
  17. 17死後死sǐ — 1. to die 2. impassable 3. uncrossable 4. inflexible 5. rigid 6. extremely 7. damned (HSK 3)後hòu — 1. back 2. behind 3. rear 4. afterwards 5. after 6. later 7. post- (HSK 1) · 死后After Death70% ≤ HSK 4
  18. 18這樣的戰士這樣zhè yàng — 1. this way; like this; so 2. (before a noun) this kind of; such (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)戰士zhàn shì — 1. fighter 2. soldier 3. warrior 4. classifier: 個 (gè) (HSK 4) · 这样的战士Such a Fighter58% ≤ HSK 4
  19. 19聰明人和儍子和奴才聰明cōng ming — 1. intelligent; clever; bright 2. acute (of sight and hearing) (HSK 5)人rén — 1. person; people 2. classifier: 個 (gè), 位 (wèi), 名 (míng) (HSK 1)和hé — 1. (joining two nouns) and; together with; with (Taiwan pr. (hàn)) 2. (math.) sum 3. to make peace 4. (sports) to draw; to tie 5. (bound form) harmonious 6. (bound form) Japan; Japanese (HSK 1)子zi — noun suffix, as in 椅子 (yǐ zi) "chair" (HSK 1)和hé — 1. (joining two nouns) and; together with; with (Taiwan pr. (hàn)) 2. (math.) sum 3. to make peace 4. (sports) to draw; to tie 5. (bound form) harmonious 6. (bound form) Japan; Japanese (HSK 1)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) · 聪明人和儍子和奴才The Wise Man, the Fool and the Slave68% ≤ HSK 4
  20. 20臘葉 · 腊叶The Blighted Leaf63% ≤ HSK 4
  21. 21淡淡的血痕中淡dàn — 1. insipid 2. diluted 3. weak 4. mild 5. light in color 6. tasteless 7. indifferent 8. (variant of 氮 (dàn)) nitrogen (HSK 4)淡dàn — 1. insipid 2. diluted 3. weak 4. mild 5. light in color 6. tasteless 7. indifferent 8. (variant of 氮 (dàn)) nitrogen (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)血xuè — 1. blood 2. colloquial pr. (xiě) 3. classifier: 滴 (dī), 片 (piàn) (HSK 3)中zhōng — 1. within; among; in 2. middle; center 3. while (doing sth); during 4. (dialect) OK; all right (HSK 1)Amid Pale Bloodstains56% ≤ HSK 4
  22. 22一覺一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)覺jiào — 1. a nap 2. a sleep 3. classifier: 場 (cháng) (HSK 6) · 一觉The Awakening64% ≤ HSK 4

Literary forms

Key words 关键字

  • 靑qīng靑qīng — variant of 青 (qīng)
  • 着zhāoHSK 1着zhāo — a move in chess (Taiwan pr. (zhuó)) · trick; tactic · (dialect) okay; all right · (dialect) to put in; to add (HSK 1)
  • 麽mó麽mó — tiny · insignificant
  • 爲wéiHSK 2爲wéi — variant of 為 (wéi) (HSK 2)
  • 翁wēng翁wēng — elderly man · father · father-in-law · neck feathers of a bird (old)
  • 卽jí卽jí — variant of 即 (jí) · promptly
  • 咒詛zhòu zǔ咒詛zhòu zǔ — to curse · to revile
  • 風箏fēng zhengHSK 7-9風箏fēng zheng — kite (lit. "wind zither", traditionally explained as being named after kites fitted with bamboo whistles that produced musical sounds when flown) (HSK 7-9)
  • 于是yú shìHSK 4于是yú shì — thereupon; as a result; consequently; thus; hence (HSK 4)
  • 人類rén lèiHSK 3人類rén lèi — humanity · human race · mankind (HSK 3)
  • 于yúHSK 6于yú — to go · to take · sentence-final interrogative particle · variant of 於 (yú) (HSK 6)
  • 淸qīng淸qīng — variant of 清 (qīng)
  • 什shén什shén — what
  • 布施bù shī布施bù shī — Dana (Buddhist practice of giving)
  • 吿gào吿gào — variant of 告 (gào)
  • 那麽nà meHSK 2那麽nà me — variant of 那麼 (nà me) (HSK 2)
  • 吸取xī qǔHSK 7-9吸取xī qǔ — to absorb · to draw (a lesson, insight etc) · to assimilate (HSK 7-9)
  • 悲憫bēi mǐn悲憫bēi mǐn — to take pity on sb · compassionate
  • 痛楚tòng chǔ痛楚tòng chǔ — pain · anguish · suffering
  • 老丈lǎo zhàng老丈lǎo zhàng — sir (respectful form of address for an old man)
  • 胡蝶hú dié胡蝶hú dié — variant of 蝴蝶 (hú dié)
  • 怎麽zěn meHSK 1怎麽zěn me — variant of 怎麼 (zěn me) (HSK 1)
  • 乾枯gān kū乾枯gān kū — withered; shriveled; dried-up
  • 幷bìng幷bìng — variant of 並 (bìng) · variant of 併 (bìng)

魯迅 Lu Xun

Lu Xun composed 野草 in Beijing during a period of poor health, political danger and personal loneliness, and unlike almost everything else he published, it was not written with an explicit political or reformist purpose — there is no clear didactic target the way there is in 吶喊 or 彷徨. That makes it the entry point favored by readers more interested in Lu Xun as a literary stylist than as a social critic, though its imagery of struggle against darkness has been read politically too, ever since it first appeared.

More by Lu Xun 同作者

Key vocabulary 词汇

  • 一瞬间一瞬间yī shùn jiān — split second (HSK 7-9)
  • 下發下發xià fā — to issue (a memorandum etc) to lower levels · to distribute (e.g. disaster relief to victims)
  • 主宰主宰zhǔ zǎi — to dominate · to rule · to dictate · master (HSK 7-9)
  • 于是乎于是乎yú shì hū — therefore
  • 交錯交錯jiāo cuò — to crisscross · to intertwine
  • 仗義執言仗義執言zhàng yì zhí yán — to speak out for justice (idiom); to take a stand on a matter of principle
  • 以色列以色列Yǐ sè liè — Israel
  • 以色列人以色列人Yǐ sè liè rén — an Israeli · an Israelite
  • 任何任何rèn hé — any; whatever; whichever (HSK 3)
  • 但願如此但願如此dàn yuàn rú cǐ — if only it were so · I hope so (idiom)
  • 低語低語dī yǔ — mutter
  • 俯看俯看fǔ kàn — to look down at
  • 倂倂bìng — variant of 併 (bìng)
  • 倒敗倒敗dǎo bài — to collapse (of building)
  • 倒空倒空dào kōng — to empty (a bag) · to turn inside out · to turn out
  • 做眼做眼zuò yǎn — (in the game of Go) to make an "eye" · to serve as eyes and ears (i.e. go and seek out information); to be a scout
  • 僇僇lù — to despise · to insult
  • 兀鷹兀鷹wù yīng — griffon vulture
  • 先見之明先見之明xiān jiàn zhī míng — foresight
  • 光潤光潤guāng rùn — glossy · lustrous · sleek
  • 內部內部nèi bù — interior · inside (part, section) · internal (HSK 4)
  • 全面全面quán miàn — all-around · comprehensive · total · overall (HSK 3)
  • 公羊傳公羊傳Gōng yáng Zhuàn — Mr Gongyang's Annals or commentary on 春秋 (Chūn qiū), early history, probably written by multiple authors during Han dynasty, same as 公羊春秋 (Gōng yáng Chūn qiū)
  • 公義公義gōng yì — righteousness
  • 其自身其自身qí zì shēn — one's own (respective) · proprietary
  • 冲淡冲淡chōng dàn — to dilute
  • 凌亂凌亂líng luàn — messy; disarrayed; disheveled
  • 凝血凝血níng xuè — blood clot
  • 創痛創痛chuāng tòng — pain from a wound
  • 勝者勝者shèng zhě — winner
  • 匈牙利匈牙利Xiōng yá lì — Hungary
  • 北京大學北京大學Běi jīng Dà xué — Peking University
  • 原形原形yuán xíng — original shape · true appearance (under the disguise) · true character
  • 叛徒叛徒pàn tú — traitor · turncoat · rebel · renegade · insurgent
  • 叛逆叛逆pàn nì — to rebel · to revolt · a rebel (HSK 7-9)
  • 可言可言kě yán — it may be said
  • 吐棄吐棄tǔ qì — to spurn · to reject
  • 吸取吸取xī qǔ — to absorb · to draw (a lesson, insight etc) · to assimilate (HSK 7-9)
  • 哀樂哀樂āi yuè — funeral music · plaint · dirge
  • 哪里哪里nǎ lǐ — where? · somewhere · anywhere · wherever · nowhere (negative answer to question) · humble expression denying compliment · also written 哪裡 (HSK 1)
  • 喬木喬木qiáo mù — tree, esp. with recognizable trunk (as opposed to 灌木 (guàn mù), bush or shrub)
  • 四旁四旁sì páng — nearby regions
  • 地球地球dì qiú — the earth (HSK 2)
  • 垂老垂老chuí lǎo — approaching old age
  • 塗脂抹粉塗脂抹粉tú zhī mǒ fěn — (idiom) to put on makeup · (idiom) to prettify
  • 塡塡tián — variant of 填 (tián)
  • 夢魘夢魘mèng yǎn — nightmare
  • 大有希望大有希望dà yǒu xī wàng — to stand a good chance; to have great hopes; to be promising
  • 失戀失戀shī liàn — to lose one's love · to break up (in a romantic relationship) · to feel jilted (HSK 7-9)
  • 存有存有cún yǒu — to hold in storage · to retain · to harbor (feelings) · to entertain (sentiments) · (of abstract things) to exist · there is
  • 完工完工wán gōng — to finish work · to complete a project
  • 山陰山陰Shān yīn — see 山陰縣 (Shān yīn Xiàn)
  • 序言序言xù yán — preface; introductory remarks; preamble; prelude
  • 廢墟廢墟fèi xū — ruins (HSK 7-9)
  • 廢弛廢弛fèi chí — to fall into disuse (of laws, customs etc) · to neglect
  • 強悍強悍qiáng hàn — tough · strong · formidable · fearsome
  • 彗星彗星huì xīng — comet
  • 徒手徒手tú shǒu — with bare hands · unarmed · fighting hand-to-hand · freehand (drawing)
  • 循着循着xún zhe — to follow
  • 徬徬páng — irresolute
  • 心底心底xīn dǐ — bottom of one's heart
  • 息肩息肩xī jiān — (literary) to put down one's burden · to rest · to stay (at an inn etc)
  • 悲憫悲憫bēi mǐn — to take pity on sb · compassionate
  • 惠而不費惠而不費huì ér bù fèi — a kind act that costs nothing
  • 愛國者愛國者ài guó zhě — patriot
  • 愛憎愛憎ài zēng — love and hate
  • 慰問慰問wèi wèn — to express sympathy, greetings, consolation etc (HSK 5)
  • 戕害戕害qiāng hài — to injure
  • 手勢手勢shǒu shì — gesture; sign; signal (HSK 7-9)
  • 打成一片打成一片dǎ chéng yī piàn — (idiom) to become as one (with a particular group of people); to mix well; to bond
  • 抒情詩抒情詩shū qíng shī — lyric poetry
  • 據我看據我看jù wǒ kàn — in my view · in my opinion · from what I can see
  • 改觀改觀gǎi guān — change of appearance · to revise one's point of view
  • 方格方格fāng gé — checked pattern · square box character (in Chinese text) indicating an illegible character
  • 旅人旅人lǚ rén — (literary) traveler
  • 旋渦旋渦xuán wō — spiral · whirlpool · eddy · vortex (HSK 7-9)
  • 昏厥昏厥hūn jué — to faint
  • 曼陀羅曼陀羅màn tuó luó — (botany) devil's trumpet (Datura stramonium) (loanword from Sanskrit "māndāra") · mandala (loanword from Sanskrit "maṇḍala")
  • 期刊期刊qī kān — periodical
  • 木材木材mù cái — wood (HSK 7-9)
  • 東方文明東方文明Dōng fāng wén míng — Eastern civilization
  • 椅背椅背yǐ bèi — the back of a chair
  • 楓葉楓葉fēng yè — maple leaf
  • 楡
  • 極少極少jí shǎo — very little · very few
  • 極細小極細小jí xì xiǎo — extremely small · infinitesimal
  • 極致極致jí zhì — peak · pinnacle · ultimate
  • 槍擊槍擊qiāng jī — to shoot with a gun · shooting incident
  • 機件機件jī jiàn — component (mechanics)
  • 歸納歸納guī nà — to sum up · to summarize · to conclude from facts · induction (method of deduction in logic) (HSK 7-9)
  • 死傷死傷sǐ shāng — casualties · dead and injured
  • 殲殲jiān — to annihilate · abbr. for 殲擊機 (jiān jī jī), fighter plane
  • 段祺瑞段祺瑞Duàn Qí ruì — Duan Qirui (1864-1936), commander of Beiyang Army under Yuan Shikai, then politician and powerful warlord
  • 毛根毛根máo gēn — a strand of hair · pipe cleaner
  • 民意民意mín yì — public opinion · popular will · public will (HSK 6)
  • 水窪水窪shuǐ wā — puddle
  • 河濱河濱hé bīn — brook · rivulet
  • 沸騰沸騰fèi téng — (of a liquid) to boil · (of sentiments etc) to boil over · to flare up · to be impassioned (HSK 7-9)
  • 洞見洞見dòng jiàn — insight · to see clearly
  • 洪爐洪爐hóng lú — great furnace (metaphor for a place where character is forged)
  • 淤積淤積yū jī — to silt up · silt · sediment · ooze · slurry
  • 深切深切shēn qiè — deeply felt · heartfelt · sincere · honest (HSK 7-9)
  • 深廣深廣shēn guǎng — deep and wide · vast · profound (influence etc)
  • 淺草淺草Qiǎn cǎo — Asakusa (district of Tokyo known for its traditional atmosphere and Sensō-ji, a 7th-century Buddhist temple)
  • 温和温和wēn hé — mild · gentle · moderate (HSK 5)
  • 渺小渺小miǎo xiǎo — minute · tiny · negligible · insignificant (HSK 7-9)
  • 澒澒hòng — vast · infinite
  • 烟烟yān — cigarette or pipe tobacco · classifier: 根 (gēn) · smoke · mist · vapour · classifier: 縷 (lǚ) · tobacco plant · (of the eyes) to be irritated by smoke (HSK 3)
  • 焦灼焦灼jiāo zhuó — (literary) deeply worried
  • 煙草煙草yān cǎo — tobacco
  • 爆發爆發bào fā — to break out; to erupt; to explode; to burst out (HSK 6)
  • 爛漫爛漫làn màn — unaffected; unpretentious · (literary) brightly colored; vibrant
  • 獨輪車獨輪車dú lún chē — wheelbarrow · unicycle
  • 玩味玩味wán wèi — to ruminate · to ponder subtleties
  • 甲胄甲胄jiǎ zhòu — armor
  • 痛楚痛楚tòng chǔ — pain · anguish · suffering
  • 發汗發汗fā hàn — to sweat
  • 皮面皮面pí miàn — outer skin · surface · leather cover (of a book) · drum skin · leather upper (of a shoe)
  • 皺起皺起zhòu qǐ — to purse · to pucker (up)
  • 盛行盛行shèng xíng — to be in vogue; to be popular; to be prevalent (HSK 6)
  • 盾盾dùn — shield (classifier: 面 (miàn)) · (currency) Vietnamese dong · currency unit of several countries (Indonesian rupiah, Dutch gulden etc)
  • 眸子眸子móu zi — pupil of the eye
  • 着手着手zhuó shǒu — to put one's hand to it · to start out on a task · to set out (HSK 7-9)
  • 着衣着衣zhuó yī — to get dressed
  • 石油石油shí yóu — oil · petroleum (HSK 3)
  • 破敗破敗pò bài — to defeat · to crush (in battle) · beaten · ruined · destroyed · in decline
  • 破獲破獲pò huò — to uncover (a criminal plot) · to break open and capture
  • 磨礪磨礪mó lì — to sharpen on grindstone · to improve oneself by practice
  • 祝願祝願zhù yuàn — to wish (HSK 6)
  • 積壓積壓jī yā — to pile up · to accumulate without being dealt with
  • 穠穠nóng — lush flora
  • 窺見窺見kuī jiàn — to catch a glimpse of
  • 窼
  • 立論立論lì lùn — to set forth one's view; to present one's argument · argument; line of reasoning
  • 糙糙cāo — rough · coarse (in texture)
  • 糾結糾結jiū jié — to intertwine; to band together (with); to link up (with) · twisted; tangled · confused; to be at a loss · to struggle (mentally) with (sth); to overthink; to feel conflicted
  • 紅珊瑚紅珊瑚hóng shān hú — red coral · precious coral (Corallium rubrum and several related species of marine coral)
  • 紫袍紫袍zǐ páo — purple qipao gown, the sign of an official position
  • 給以給以gěi yǐ — to give · to grant
  • 统统tǒng — to gather · to unite · to unify · whole
  • 綠營兵綠營兵Lǜ yíng bīng — Green standard army, standing infantry during Qing dynasty, originally formed from Ming and other Chinese army units
  • 網羅網羅wǎng luó — net for fishing or bird catching · (fig.) fetters · to snare (a valuable new team member etc) · to bring together under the one umbrella
  • 繙繙fān — to translate
  • 老丈老丈lǎo zhàng — sir (respectful form of address for an old man)
  • 老樣子老樣子lǎo yàng zi — old situation · things as they were
  • 耗盡耗盡hào jìn — to exhaust · to use up · to deplete · to drain
  • 肅殺肅殺sù shā — austere · stern · harsh · somber and desolate (autumn or winter)
  • 胡蝶胡蝶hú dié — variant of 蝴蝶 (hú dié)
  • 腳背腳背jiǎo bèi — instep (upper surface of the foot)
  • 䑛

Reading tools

Tap any word while reading to see its pinyin and an English gloss without leaving the page. Every chapter shows pinyin above the Chinese text, and where a graded retelling exists you can switch between it and the original with a single toggle — start with the simplified version and work up to the author’s own words.

Author 魯迅 (Lu Xun) died in 1936: public domain in China (life + 50 years) and in the United States (author died before 1946, so copyright was never restored under the URAA). Source: zh.wikisource.org.