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
• 銘míng銘míng — to engrave · inscribed motto
• 裡lǐHSK 1裡lǐ — lining · interior · inside · internal · also written 裏 (lǐ) (HSK 1)
• 礎chǔ礎chǔ — foundation · base
• 麼má麼má — exclamatory final particle
• 甫fǔ甫fǔ — (classical) barely · just · just now
• 疹zhěn疹zhěn — measles · rash
• 裏lǐHSK 1裏lǐ — variant of 裡 (lǐ) (HSK 1)
• 靖jìng靖jìng — (bound form) peaceful · (bound form) to pacify; to suppress
• 祥xiáng祥xiáng — auspicious · propitious
• 為wéiHSK 2為wéi — as (in the capacity of) · to take sth as · to act as · to serve as · to behave as · to become · to be · to do · by (in the passive voice) (HSK 2)
• 真zhēnHSK 1真zhēn — really · truly · indeed · real · true · genuine (HSK 1)
• 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)
• 亭tíng亭tíng — pavilion · booth · kiosk · erect
• 倌guān倌guān — keeper of domestic animals · herdsman · (old) hired hand in certain trade
• 咯gē咯gē — (phonetic)
• 娃wá娃wá — baby · doll
• 擡táiHSK 5擡tái — variant of 抬 (tái) (HSK 5)
• 瑤yáo瑤yáo — jade · precious stone · mother-of-pearl · nacre · precious · used a complementary honorific
• 廳tīngHSK 5廳tīng — (reception) hall · living room · office · provincial government department (HSK 5)

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

• 卧卧wò — to lie · to crouch (HSK 7-9)
• 呃呃è — (exclamation) · to hiccup
• 埽埽sào — dike · old variant of 掃 (sào)
• 壕壕háo — moat · (military) trench
• 婊婊biǎo — prostitute
• 崛崛jué — towering as a peak
• 惝惝chǎng — disappointed · listless · frightened · also pr. (tǎng)
• 拓拓tà — to make a rubbing (e.g. of an inscription)
• 擯擯bìn — to reject · to expel · to discard · to exclude · to renounce
• 椏椏yā — forking branch
• 橢橢tuǒ — ellipse
• 歆歆xīn — pleased · moved
• 殳殳shū — ancient staff-like weapon made of bamboo or wood · "weapon" radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 79), occurring in 段, 毅, 殺 etc
• 沛沛pèi — copious · abundant
• 涓涓juān — brook · to select
• 淝淝féi — name of a river
• 澈澈chè — clear (water) · thorough
• 烽烽fēng — beacon fire
• 煢煢qióng — alone · desolate
• 痢痢lì — dysentery
• 癥癥zhēng — abdominal tumor · bowel obstruction · (fig.) sticking point
• 睫睫jié — eyelashes
• 窈窈yǎo — (literary) deep; profound; dim (variant of 杳 (yǎo))
• 絟
• 翱翱áo — see 翱翔 (áo xiáng)
• 胚胚pēi — embryo
• 苧苧zhù — used in 苧麻 (zhù má)
• 苻苻fú — Angelica anomala
• 荸荸bí — used in 荸薺 (bí qí)
• 莓莓méi — (bound form) berry (e.g. strawberry, blackberry, loganberry)
• 薺薺qí — used in 荸薺 (bí qí)
• 蛔蛔huí — roundworm · Ascaris lumbricoides
• 裴裴péi — (of a garment) long and flowing
• 鍵鍵jiàn — key (on a piano or computer keyboard) · button (on a mouse or other device) · chemical bond · linchpin (HSK 5)
• 问问wèn — to ask; to inquire (HSK 1)
• 顎顎è — jaw · palate
• 鯰鯰nián — sheatfish (Parasilurus asotus) · oriental catfish · see also 鮎 (nián)
• 鱸鱸lú — common perch · bass
• 倌倌guān — keeper of domestic animals · herdsman · (old) hired hand in certain trade
• 凑凑còu — to gather together, pool or collect · to happen by chance · to move close to · to exploit an opportunity (HSK 7-9)
• 喤喤huáng — sobbing · sound of bell
• 墻墻qiáng — variant of 牆 (qiáng) (HSK 2)
• 壙壙kuàng — tomb
• 姘姘pīn — to be a mistress or lover
• 娃娃wá — baby · doll
• 孛孛bèi — comet
• 屆屆jiè — to arrive at (place or time) · period · to become due · classifier for events, meetings, elections, sporting fixtures, years (of graduation) (HSK 5)
• 弁弁biàn — (old) cap (garment) · military officer of low rank (in former times) · preceding
• 恧恧nǜ — ashamed
• 悌悌tì — to do one's duty as a younger brother
• 愴愴chuàng — mournful · sad · grieved · sorry
• 挲挲sā — used in 摩挲 (mā sa)
• 摶摶tuán — to roll up into a ball with one's hands (variant of 團 (tuán)) · (literary) to circle; to wheel
• 擷擷xié — to collect · Taiwan pr. (jié)
• 朴朴pō — used in 朴刀 (pō dāo)
• 椹椹shèn — used in 桑椹 (sāng shèn)
• 橐橐tuó — sack · tube open at both ends · (onom.) footsteps
• 櫓櫓lǔ — scull (single oar worked from side to side over the stern of a boat)
• 櫥櫥chú — wardrobe · closet · cabinet
• 欞欞líng — variant of 櫺 (líng)
• 洛洛luò — used in transliteration
• 淆淆xiáo — confused and disorderly · mixed · Taiwan pr. (yáo)
• 淩淩líng — variant of 凌 (líng)
• 渦渦guō — name of a river
• 滓滓zǐ — (bound form) dregs; sediment
• 猥猥wěi — humble · rustic · plentiful
• 瑩瑩yíng — luster of gems
• 疚疚jiù — chronic disease · guilt · remorse
• 疹疹zhěn — measles · rash
• 痧痧shā — cholera
• 痹痹bì — paralysis · numbness
• 癟癟biě — deflated · shriveled · sunken · empty
• 皚皚ái — (literary) white as snow
• 磋磋cuō — (old) to polish bones, horns, ivory etc into tools · (bound form) to deliberate; to consult
• 礎礎chǔ — foundation · base
• 籮籮luó — basket
• 籲籲yù — to implore
• 紉紉rèn — to thread (a needle) · (bound form) to sew; to stitch · (literary) very grateful
• 繭繭jiǎn — (bound form) cocoon · (bound form) callus (variant of 趼 (jiǎn))
• 纂纂zuǎn — (literary) to compile; to edit (variant of 纂 (zuǎn))
• 膾膾kuài — chopped meat or fish
• 舵舵duò — helm · rudder
• 茴茴huí — (bound form) fennel
• 蕎蕎qiáo — used in 蕎麥 (qiáo mài)
• 蜒蜒yán — slug · used in 蜿蜒 (wān yán)
• 蜷蜷quán — to curl up (like a scroll) · to huddle · Melania libertina · wriggle (as a worm)
• 蜿蜿wān — used in 蜿蜒 (wān yán)
• 蝗蝗huáng — locust
• 衕衕tòng — used in 衚衕 (hú tòng) (HSK 6)
• 衚衚hú — used in 衚衕 (hú tòng)
• 袁袁yuán — long robe (old)
• 誡誡jiè — commandment · to prohibit
• 謔謔xuè — joy · to joke · to banter · to tease · to mock · Taiwan pr. (nüè)
• 譚譚Tán — surname Tan
• 譴譴qiǎn — to censure · to reprimand
• 蹩蹩bié — to limp · to sprain (an ankle or wrist) · to move carefully, as if evading a danger · to scurry
• 躄躄bì — both feet crippled · lame
• 輓輓wǎn — variant of 挽 (wǎn) · to draw (a cart) · to lament the dead (HSK 7-9)
• 鉆
• 銹銹xiù — variant of 鏽 (xiù) (HSK 7-9)
• 錶錶biǎo — watch (timepiece) · meter; gauge (HSK 2)
• 鞠鞠jū — to incline (one's torso); to bow · leather ball used in ancient times · (literary) to bring up; to rear · Taiwan pr. (jú)
• 饋饋kuì — (bound form) to present (a gift) · (bound form) to send; to transmit
• 馗馗kuí — cheekbone · crossroads · high
• 骼骼gé — used in 骨骼 (gǔ gé)
• 鮎鮎nián — sheatfish (Parasilurus asotus) · oriental catfish · see also 鯰 (nián)
• 鴒鴒líng — used in 鶺鴒 (jí líng)
• 鶺鶺jí — used in 鶺鴒 (jí líng)
• 鶻鶻gǔ — used in 鶻鵃 (gǔ zhōu)
• 乩乩jī — to divine
• 佑佑yòu — (bound form) to bless; to protect
• 傑傑jié — (bound form) hero · heroic · outstanding person · prominent · distinguished
• 儼儼yǎn — majestic · dignified
• 劄劄zhā — to prick with a needle
• 卜卜bǔ — (bound form) to divine
• 叩叩kòu — to knock · to kowtow
• 呷呷gā — used in 呷呷 (gā gā)
• 嗥嗥háo — to howl (like a wolf)
• 噲噲kuài — throat · to swallow
• 囌囌sū — used in 嚕囌 (lū sū)
• 坳坳ào — depression; cavity; hollow · Taiwan pr. (āo)
• 堵堵dǔ — to block up (a road, pipe etc) · to stop up (a hole) · (fig.) (of a person) choked up with anxiety or stress · wall (literary) · (classifier for walls) (HSK 4)
• 墩墩dūn — block · gate pillar · pier · classifier for clusters of plants · classifier for rounds in a card game: trick · (archaic) watchtower
• 孰孰shú — who · which · what
• 岔岔chà — fork in road · bifurcation · branch in road, river, mountain range etc · to branch off · to turn off · to diverge · to stray (from the path) · to change the subject · to interrupt · to stagger (times)
• 帆帆fān — sail · Taiwan pr. (fán), except 帆布 (fān bù) canvas (HSK 7-9)
• 廬廬lú — hut
• 彰彰zhāng — clear · conspicuous · manifest
• 惘惘wǎng — disappointed · perplexed
• 懺懺chàn — (bound form) to feel remorse · (bound form) scripture read to atone for sb's sins (from Sanskrit "ksama")
• 技技jì — skill
• 搽搽chá — to apply (ointment, powder) · to smear · to paint on
• 撅撅juē — to protrude · to stick out · to pout (also written 噘) · to embarrass (people)
• 擴擴kuò — to enlarge (HSK 7-9)
• 昭昭zhāo — bright · clear · manifest · to show clearly
• 晉晉jìn — to move forward · to promote · to advance
• 暄暄xuān — genial and warm
• 梭梭suō — (textiles) shuttle
• 樞樞shū — (bound form) hinge; pivot (usu. fig.)
• 橄橄gǎn — used in 橄欖 (gǎn lǎn)
• 欖欖lǎn — (bound form) olive
• 殖殖zhí — to grow · to reproduce
• 沓沓dá — classifier for sheets of papers etc: pile, pad · Taiwan pr. (tà)
• 涌涌chōng — (used in place names) (HSK 7-9)
• 涸涸hé — to dry · to dry up
• 渣渣zhā — slag (in mining or smelting) · dregs
• 潦潦lǎo — flooded · heavy rain
• 瀆瀆dú — disrespectful · (literary) ditch
• 玳玳dài — tortoise shell · turtle
• 瑁瑁mào — (jade)