郁達夫小說選小說xiǎo shuō — 1. novel 2. fiction 3. classifier: 本 (běn), 部 (bù) (HSK 2)選xuǎn — 1. to choose 2. to pick 3. to select 4. to elect (HSK 2) · 郁达夫小说选

What’s in it

This selection gathers nine of Yu Dafu's early short stories, written between 1921 and 1924 in the confessional, first-person style he helped introduce into modern Chinese fiction. 沉淪 (Sinking), the story that made his name and scandalized readers on its 1921 publication, follows a lonely Chinese student in Japan whose sexual frustration, isolation and sense of national humiliation compound into a downward spiral that ends in his death by drowning — a private despair the story deliberately ties to the weakness of his home country on the world stage. 南遷, 空虛, 茫茫夜 and 蔦蘿行 return to similar territory: young men undone by poverty, thwarted desire and an inability to fit into either Chinese or Japanese society.

Not every story in the collection is quite so bleak. 春風沉醉的晚上 (Intoxicated Spring Nights) is a gentler piece about a struggling writer's tentative, largely unspoken friendship with a poor factory girl living in the room next door, and 薄奠 and 春潮 likewise soften the collection's harsher stories with more restrained sympathy for ordinary hardship. Across all nine, the constant is Yu Dafu's willingness to expose his narrators' self-pity and shame without much protective irony, which was itself a break from the more reserved fiction that had come before him.

Literary forms

• Chinese Short Stories

Key words 关键字

• 伊人yī rén伊人yī rén — (literary) that person (usually female) · she · one's intended
• 裡lǐHSK 1裡lǐ — lining · interior · inside · internal · also written 裏 (lǐ) (HSK 1)
• 她tāHSK 1她tā — she (HSK 1)
• 夫fū夫fū — husband · man · manual worker · conscripted laborer (old)
• 箇gèHSK 1箇gè — variant of 個 (gè) (HSK 1)
• 電車diàn chēHSK 6電車diàn chē — tram; streetcar · trolleybus · electric car · e-bike · (in the context of Japan) electric train (HSK 6)
• 稚zhì稚zhì — infantile · young
• 旅館lǚ guǎnHSK 3旅館lǚ guǎn — hotel · classifier: 家 (jiā) (HSK 3)
• 好像hǎo xiàngHSK 2好像hǎo xiàng — as if · to seem like (HSK 2)
• 東京Dōng jīng東京Dōng jīng — Tokyo, capital of Japan · Tonkin (northern Vietnam during the French colonial period)
• 日本Rì běn日本Rì běn — Japan
• 那裡nà liHSK 1那裡nà li — there; that place (HSK 1)
• 質zhì質zhì — character · nature · quality · plain · to pawn · pledge · hostage · to question · Taiwan pr. (zhí)
• 鐘頭zhōng tóuHSK 6鐘頭zhōng tóu — (coll.) hour (HSK 6)
• 對質duì zhì對質duì zhì — to confront (in court etc) · confrontation
• 詩禮shī lǐ詩禮shī lǐ — the classics a Confucian scholar must read (such as The Book of Songs 詩經 (Shī jīng) and The Book of Rites 禮記 (Lǐ jì))
• 高等學校gāo děng xué xiào高等學校gāo děng xué xiào — colleges and universities
• 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)
• 侍女shì nǚ侍女shì nǚ — maid
• 仲zhòng仲zhòng — second month of a season · middle · intermediate · second amongst brothers
• 同學tóng xuéHSK 1同學tóng xué — to study at the same school · fellow student · classmate · classifier: 位 (wèi), 個 (gè) (HSK 1)
• 長兄zhǎng xiōng長兄zhǎng xiōng — eldest brother
• 病院bìng yuàn病院bìng yuàn — specialized hospital
• 電燈diàn dēngHSK 4電燈diàn dēng — electric light · classifier: 盞 (zhǎn) (HSK 4)

郁達夫 Yu Dafu

Yu Dafu (郁達夫, 1896–1945) was a founding member, alongside Guo Moruo, of the Creation Society (創造社), one of the most influential literary groups of the May Fourth era, and he is generally credited as the pioneer of confessional, autobiographically inflected fiction in modern Chinese literature, drawing on both the Japanese 'I-novel' tradition and European Romanticism from his student years in Japan. His life ended violently: after fleeing to Sumatra during the Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies, he worked in hiding as a translator while secretly helping the local resistance, and was abducted and killed by Japanese military police in 1945, just after the war's end, making him one of modern China's most widely mourned literary martyrs.

Key vocabulary 词汇

• 一夕數驚一夕數驚yī xī shù jīng — (lit.) one scare after another in a single night (idiom) · (fig.) to live in fear
• 一点一点yī diǎn — a bit; a little bit · (used in negative expressions) (not) the least bit · (after an adjective, used to form the comparative) a bit more, -er · a point (in a discussion etc) · (calligraphy) dot stroke (、) · one o'clock (abbr. for 一點鍾 (yī diǎn zhōng))
• 一級一級yī jí — first class · category A
• 一覽一覽yī lǎn — at a glance · (in book titles) overview
• 七零八落七零八落qī líng bā luò — (idiom) everything broken and in disorder
• 三元三元sān yuán — (old) first place in civil service examinations at three levels: provincial 解元 (jiè yuán), metropolitan 會元 (huì yuán) and palace 狀元 (zhuàng yuán)
• 三台三台Sān tái — see 三台縣 (Sān tái Xiàn)
• 三弦三弦sān xián — sanxian, large family of 3-stringed plucked musical instruments, with snakeskin covered wooden soundbox and long neck, used in folk music, opera and Chinese orchestra
• 三腳兩步三腳兩步sān jiǎo liǎng bù — hurriedly · just a few steps away
• 上杭上杭Shàng háng — see 上杭縣 (Shàng háng Xiàn)
• 上浮上浮shàng fú — to float up
• 上海市上海市Shàng hǎi Shì — Shanghai municipality (short name 滬 (Hù))
• 上漲上漲shàng zhǎng — to rise · to go up (HSK 5)
• 上級上級shàng jí — higher authorities · superiors · classifier: 個 (gè) (HSK 5)
• 下半年下半年xià bàn nián — second half of the year
• 下同下同xià tóng — similarly hereinafter
• 下工下工xià gōng — to knock off (at the end of a day's work) · to finish work
• 下弦月下弦月xià xián yuè — third quarter moon, aka last quarter moon
• 世紀末世紀末shì jì mò — end of the century
• 中伏中伏zhōng fú — the second of the three annual periods of hot weather (三伏 (sān fú)), which begins in late July and lasts either 10 or 20 days, depending on the Chinese calendar in that year
• 中古中古zhōng gǔ — medieval · Middle Ages · Chinese middle antiquity, 3rd to 9th centuries, including Sui and Tang Dynasties · Middle (of a language, e.g. Middle English) · used · second-hand
• 中朝中朝Zhōng Cháo — Sino-Korean · China and North Korea
• 中產中產zhōng chǎn — middle class · bourgeois
• 中立中立zhōng lì — neutral · neutrality (HSK 7-9)
• 丹麥丹麥Dān mài — Denmark
• 乏味乏味fá wèi — tedious
• 乘客乘客chéng kè — passenger (HSK 5)
• 乘車乘車chéng chē — to ride (in a car or carriage) · to drive · to motor (HSK 5)
• 乙太乙太yǐ tài — variant of 以太 (yǐ tài)
• 乞求乞求qǐ qiú — to beg (HSK 7-9)
• 乞食乞食qǐ shí — to beg for food
• 乳頭乳頭rǔ tóu — nipple
• 乾渴乾渴gān kě — parched · dry mouth
• 乾隆乾隆Qián lóng — the Qianlong era · Qianlong Emperor (1711–1799), sixth Qing emperor, princely title 寶親王 (Bǎo Qīn wáng), personal name 弘曆 (Hóng lì), reigned 1735–1799
• 事蹟事蹟shì jì — notable deeds; exploits (HSK 7-9)
• 二等艙二等艙èr děng cāng — second class cabin
• 二級二級èr jí — grade 2 · second class · category B
• 亢奮亢奮kàng fèn — excited · stimulated
• 交換交換jiāo huàn — to exchange · to swap · to switch (telecom) · commutative (math) · to commute (HSK 4)
• 交響樂交響樂jiāo xiǎng yuè — symphony (HSK 7-9)
• 人力車夫人力車夫rén lì chē fū — rickshaw puller
• 什器什器shí qì — various kinds of everyday utensils
• 介紹信介紹信jiè shào xìn — letter of introduction; recommendation letter; reference
• 付清付清fù qīng — to pay in full · to pay all of a bill · to pay off
• 仞仞rèn — unit of length used in ancient times, equal to 7 or 8 Chinese feet 尺 (chǐ)
• 以北以北yǐ běi — to the north of (suffix)
• 伊人伊人yī rén — (literary) that person (usually female) · she · one's intended
• 伊甸園伊甸園Yī diàn yuán — Garden of Eden
• 休學休學xiū xué — to suspend schooling · to defer study
• 伙食伙食huǒ shí — food · meals (HSK 7-9)
• 估衣估衣gù yi — secondhand clothes · cheap ready-made clothes
• 伸張伸張shēn zhāng — to uphold (e.g. justice or virtue) · to promote (HSK 7-9)
• 位元位元wèi yuán — (Tw) (computing) bit
• 位於位於wèi yú — to be located at · to be situated at · to lie (HSK 4)
• 作客作客zuò kè — to live somewhere as a visitor; to stay with sb as a guest; to sojourn (HSK 7-9)
• 你们你们nǐ men — you (plural) (HSK 1)
• 供物供物gòng wù — offering
• 依賴依賴yī lài — to depend on; to be dependent on (HSK 6)
• 便所便所biàn suǒ — (dialect) toilet · privy
• 便服便服biàn fú — everyday clothes; informal dress; civilian clothes
• 信教信教xìn jiào — religious belief · to practice a faith · to be religious
• 信紙信紙xìn zhǐ — letter paper · writing paper
• 修道院修道院xiū dào yuàn — monastery · convent
• 俯仰俯仰fǔ yǎng — lowering and raising of the head · (fig.) small move · pitch (position angle)
• 俯首俯首fǔ shǒu — to bend one's head (HSK 7-9)
• 候蟲候蟲hòu chóng — seasonal insect (e.g. cicada)
• 倫敦倫敦Lún dūn — London, capital of United Kingdom
• 做手做手zuò shǒu — to put one's hand to sth · to set about · skillful hands · worker · writer
• 做禮拜做禮拜zuò lǐ bài — to worship; to pray (esp. in a regular religious gathering at a church or mosque)
• 停泊停泊tíng bó — to anchor · anchorage · mooring (of a ship) (HSK 7-9)
• 停課停課tíng kè — to stop classes · to close (of school)
• 停車停車tíng chē — to pull up (stop one's vehicle) · to park · (of a machine) to stop working · to stall (HSK 2)
• 停車場停車場tíng chē chǎng — parking lot · car park (HSK 2)
• 偽書偽書wěi shū — forged book · book of dubious authenticity · misattributed book · Apocrypha
• 催眠藥催眠藥cuī mián yào — soporific drug
• 催眠術催眠術cuī mián shù — hypnotism · hypnotherapy · mesmerism
• 傭人傭人yōng rén — servant
• 働働xx — (Japanese kokuji) labor; work
• 僕役僕役pú yì — servant
• 優雅優雅yōu yǎ — grace · graceful (HSK 7-9)
• 先輩先輩xiān bèi — an older generation · ancestors; forefathers
• 免於免於miǎn yú — to be saved from · to be spared (something)
• 入贅入贅rù zhuì — to go and live with one's wife's family, in effect becoming a member of her family
• 內情內情nèi qíng — inside story · inside information
• 全班全班quán bān — the whole class
• 全編全編quán biān — complete edition
• 兩國兩國liǎng guó — both countries; the two countries
• 兩極兩極liǎng jí — the two poles · the north and south poles · both ends of sth · electric or magnetic poles
• 公使公使gōng shǐ — minister · diplomat performing ambassadorial role in Qing times, before regular diplomatic relations
• 公使館公使館gōng shǐ guǎn — embassy (old term) · foreign mission
• 公司公司gōng sī — company; firm; corporation · classifier: 家 (jiā) (HSK 2)
• 公署公署gōng shǔ — government office
• 六合六合liù hé — the six directions (north, south, east, west, up, down) · the whole country · the universe · everything under the sun
• 共和共和gòng hé — republic · republicanism
• 其它其它qí tā — (adjective) other
• 具有具有jù yǒu — to have; to possess (HSK 3)
• 最年長最年長zuì nián zhǎng — eldest
• 冰店冰店bīng diàn — dessert parlor serving mainly cold sweets (esp. shaved ice) (Tw)
• 凋落凋落diāo luò — to wither (and drop off) · to wilt · to pass away
• 凱凱kǎi — (bound form) triumphal music · (Tw) (coll.) generous with money; lavish in spending · chi (Greek letter Χχ)
• 出租出租chū zū — to rent (HSK 2)
• 出言不遜出言不遜chū yán bù xùn — to speak rudely
• 分光分光fēn guāng — (prefix) spectro-
• 分析分析fēn xī — to analyze · analysis · classifier: 個 (gè) (HSK 5)
• 分析化學分析化學fēn xī huà xué — analytical chemistry
• 分發分發fēn fā — to distribute · distribution · to assign (sb) to a job
• 分訴分訴fēn sù — to narrate · to explain · to justify oneself
• 列舉列舉liè jǔ — a list · to list · to enumerate (HSK 7-9)
• 列車列車liè chē — (railway) train (HSK 4)
• 初秋初秋chū qiū — early autumn · 7th month of the lunar calendar
• 判決判決pàn jué — judgment (by a court of law) · to pass judgment on · to sentence (HSK 7-9)
• 別莊別莊bié zhuāng — villa
• 别别bié — to leave; to part (from) · (literary) to differentiate; to distinguish · (dialect) to turn away; to turn aside; to avert (one's face, gaze etc) · (bound form) other; another; different · don't ...! · to fasten with a pin or clip · to stick in; to insert (in order to hinder movement) · (noun suffix) category (as in 性別 (xìng bié), 派別 (pài bié)) (HSK 1)
• 别的别的bié de — else · other (HSK 1)
• 刷牙刷牙shuā yá — to brush one's teeth (HSK 4)
• 刹刹chà — Buddhist monastery, temple or shrine (abbr. for 剎多羅 (chà duō luó), Sanskrit "ksetra")
• 創設創設chuàng shè — to establish; to set up · to create (suitable conditions etc)
• 創辦創辦chuàng bàn — to establish; to found (HSK 6)
• 劇烈劇烈jù liè — violent; acute; severe; fierce (HSK 7-9)
• 加深加深jiā shēn — to deepen (HSK 7-9)
• 助長助長zhù zhǎng — to encourage · to foster · to foment
• 勁敵勁敵jìng dí — formidable opponent
• 勞傷勞傷láo shāng — disorder of internal organs caused by overexertion
• 勞動者勞動者láo dòng zhě — worker; laborer
• 包住包住bāo zhù — to envelop · to wrap · to enclose
• 包換包換bāo huàn — to guarantee replacement (of faulty goods) · warranty
• 北市北市Běi Shì — (Tw) Taipei (abbr. for 臺北市 (Tái běi Shì))
• 北面北面běi miàn — northern side · north
• 匯票匯票huì piào — bill of exchange · bank draft
• 十三經十三經Shí sān jīng — the Thirteen Confucian Classics, namely: Book of Songs 詩經 (Shī jīng), Book of History 尚書 (Shàng shū), Rites of Zhou 周禮 (Zhōu lǐ), Rites and Ceremonies 儀禮 (Yí lǐ), Classic of Rites 禮記 (Lǐ jì), Book of Changes 易經 (Yì jīng), Mr Zuo's Annals 左傳 (Zuǒ Zhuàn), Mr Gongyang's Annals 公羊傳 (Gōng yáng Zhuàn), Mr Guliang's Annals 穀梁傳 (Gǔ liáng Zhuàn), The Analects 論語 (Lún yǔ), Erya 爾雅 (Ěr yǎ), Classic of Filial Piety 孝經 (Xiào jīng), Mencius 孟子 (Mèng zǐ)
• 千篇一律千篇一律qiān piān yī lǜ — thousand articles, same rule (idiom); stereotyped and repetitive · once you've seen one, you've seen them all
• 升高升高shēng gāo — to raise · to ascend (HSK 5)
• 半島半島bàn dǎo — peninsula (HSK 7-9)
• 卑污卑污bēi wū — despicable and filthy · foul
• 卑陋卑陋bēi lòu — humble · petty · crude
• 南京路南京路Nán jīng lù — Nanjing St., large commercial street in Shanghai
• 南城南城Nán chéng — see 南城縣 (Nán chéng Xiàn)
• 南歐南歐Nán Ōu — Southern Europe
• 印象派印象派yìn xiàng pài — impressionism
• 危懼危懼wēi jù — afraid · apprehensive
• 原動力原動力yuán dòng lì — motive force · prime mover · first cause · agent
• 去信去信qù xìn — to send a letter to; to write to
• 參考參考cān kǎo — consultation · reference · to consult · to refer (HSK 4)
• 又好氣又好笑又好氣又好笑yòu hǎo qì yòu hǎo xiào — annoyed and amused in equal measure
• 友情友情yǒu qíng — friendly feelings · friendship (HSK 7-9)
• 反射反射fǎn shè — to reflect · reflection (from a mirror etc) · reflex (i.e. automatic reaction of organism)
• 反照反照fǎn zhào — reflection
• 受盡受盡shòu jìn — to suffer enough from · to suffer all kinds of · to have one's fill of
• 受難者受難者shòu nàn zhě — sufferer · a victim of a calamity · a person in distress
• 古城古城gǔ chéng — ancient city