Modern Chinese Essays

Explore Chinese essays in the flexible modern vernacular tradition, including personal reflection, parable, memory, philosophy, and observations of everyday life.

Reading list

  1. 有事xīn — 1. heart 2. mind 3. intention 4. center 5. core 6. classifier: 顆 (kē), 個 (gè) (HSK 3)有事yǒu shì — 1. to be occupied with sth 2. to have sth on one's mind 3. there is something the matter (HSK 6)The Heart Has Its Cares

    許地山 · Xu Dishan · 空山靈雨

  2. xiào — old variant of 笑 (xiào) (HSK 1)Laughter

    許地山 · Xu Dishan · 空山靈雨

  3. cháng — 1. long 2. (bound form) length 3. (bound form) strong point; forte 4. (bound form) to be good at 5. (literary) surplus; spare (Taiwan pr. (zhàng)) (HSK 2)yǔ — 1. (formal) and; together with (linking parallel nouns, verbs, or phrases) 2. (formal) with; from (marking the other participant in an interaction, comparison, or contrast, e.g. 與他握手 (yǔ tā wò shǒu) "shake hands with him", 與去年不同 (yǔ qù nián bù tóng) "different from last year") 3. (literary) to give; to grant; to bestow (HSK 6)shān — 1. mountain; hill (classifier: 座 (zuò)) 2. (coll.) small bundle of straw for silkworms to spin cocoons on (HSK 1)hǎi — 1. ocean 2. sea 3. classifier: 個 (gè), 片 (piàn) 4. great number of people or things 5. (dialect) numerous (HSK 2)jīng — 1. classics 2. sacred book 3. scripture 4. to pass through 5. to undergo 6. to bear 7. to endure 8. warp (textile) 9. longitude 10. menstruation 11. channel (TCM) 12. abbr. for economics 經濟 (jīng jì) (HSK 7-9) · 阿长与《山海经》Ah Chang and the Book of Hills and Seas

    魯迅 · Lu Xun · 朝花夕拾