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)

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.

Literary forms

• Chinese Prose Poetry

Key words 关键字

• 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)
• 靑qīng靑qīng — variant of 青 (qīng)
• 麽mó麽mó — tiny · insignificant
• 于yúHSK 6于yú — to go · to take · sentence-final interrogative particle · variant of 於 (yú) (HSK 6)
• 爲wéiHSK 2爲wéi — variant of 為 (wéi) (HSK 2)
• 卽jí卽jí — variant of 即 (jí) · promptly
• 淸qīng淸qīng — variant of 清 (qīng)
• 箏zhēng箏zhēng — see 古箏 (gǔ zhēng)
• 翁wēng翁wēng — elderly man · father · father-in-law · neck feathers of a bird (old)
• 吿gào吿gào — variant of 告 (gào)
• 戮lù戮lù — to peel with a knife · old variant of 戮 (lù)
• 温wēn温wēn — warm; lukewarm · to warm up · (bound form) temperature · (bound form) mild; soft; tender · to review (a lesson etc) · (TCM) fever · epidemic; pestilence (old variant of 瘟 (wēn))
• 幷bìng幷bìng — variant of 並 (bìng) · variant of 併 (bìng)
• 眞zhēn眞zhēn — variant of 真 (zhēn)
• 燄yàn燄yàn — variant of 焰 (yàn)
• 憫mǐn憫mǐn — to sympathize; to pity; to feel compassion for · (literary) to feel sorrow; to be grieved
• 讎chóu讎chóu — to collate · to proofread
• 她tāHSK 1她tā — she (HSK 1)
• 喫chīHSK 1喫chī — variant of 吃 (chī) (HSK 1)
• 沈shěn沈shěn — (literary) juice
• 碣jié碣jié — stone tablet
• 脣chún脣chún — variant of 唇 (chún)
• 儍shǎ儍shǎ — variant of 傻 (shǎ)
• 尙shàng尙shàng — variant of 尚, still · yet · to value · to esteem

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

• 吶喊 · 呐喊Call to Arms
• 彷徨Wandering
• 朝花夕拾Dawn Blossoms Plucked at Dusk
• 故事新編 · 故事新编Old Tales Retold

Key vocabulary 词汇

• 倂倂bìng — variant of 併 (bìng)
• 僇僇lù — to despise · to insult
• 塡塡tián — variant of 填 (tián)
• 彗彗huì — broom
• 徬徬páng — irresolute
• 楡
• 殲殲jiān — to annihilate · abbr. for 殲擊機 (jiān jī jī), fighter plane
• 澒澒hòng — vast · infinite
• 礪礪lì — grind · sandstone
• 穠穠nóng — lush flora
• 窼
• 统统tǒng — to gather · to unite · to unify · whole
• 綜綜zèng — heddle · Taiwan pr. (zòng)
• 繙繙fān — to translate
• 胄胄zhòu — helmet · descendants
• 䑛
• 艦艦jiàn — warship
• 蕾蕾lěi — bud
• 薊薊jì — cirsium · thistle
• 蛀蛀zhù — termite · to bore (of insects)
• 蹰蹰chú — used in 踟躕 (chí chú)
• 銛銛xiān — fish-spear · sharp
• 间间jiān — between · among · within a definite time or space · room · section of a room or lateral space between two pairs of pillars · classifier for rooms (HSK 1)
• 颗颗kē — classifier for small spheres, pearls, corn grains, teeth, hearts, satellites etc (HSK 5)
• 颶颶jù — used in 颶風 (jù fēng)
• 飮飮yǐn — variant of 飲 (yǐn)
• 驁驁ào — a noble steed (literary) · (of a horse) untamed · (fig.) (of a person) headstrong · Taiwan pr. (áo)
• 鯗鯗xiǎng — dried fish
• 麫麫miàn — variant of 麵 (miàn)
• 齼
• 値値zhí — variant of 值 (zhí)
• 偸偸tōu — variant of 偷 (tōu)
• 儍儍shǎ — variant of 傻 (shǎ)
• 冲冲chōng — (of water) to dash against · to mix with water · to infuse · to rinse · to flush · to develop (a film) · to rise in the air · to clash · to collide with (HSK 4)
• 刈刈yì — mow
• 匈匈Xiōng — Hungary · Hungarian · abbr. for 匈牙利 (Xiōng yá lì)
• 吿吿gào — variant of 告 (gào)
• 咤咤zhà — used in 叱咤 (chì zhà)
• 啓啓qǐ — variant of 啟 (qǐ)
• 寃寃yuān — old variant of 冤 (yuān) (HSK 7-9)
• 尙尙shàng — variant of 尚, still · yet · to value · to esteem
• 幷幷bìng — variant of 並 (bìng) · variant of 併 (bìng)
• 抉抉jué — to pick out · to single out
• 抒抒shū — to express · to give expression to · variant of 紓 (shū) · to relieve
• 抛抛pāo — to throw · to toss · to fling · to cast · to abandon (HSK 7-9)
• 拏拏ná — variant of 拿 (ná) (HSK 1)
• 搏搏bó — to fight · to combat · to seize · (of heart) to beat
• 桕桕jiù — Tallow tree · Sapium sebiferum
• 槪槪gài — variant of 概 (gài)
• 毿毿sān — long-haired · shaggy
• 沃沃wò — fertile · rich · to irrigate · to wash (of river)
• 渦渦guō — name of a river
• 溉溉gài — to irrigate
• 溼溼shī — variant of 濕 (shī) (HSK 4)
• 礮礮pào — ancient ballista for throwing heavy stones · variant of 炮 (pào), cannon
• 祺祺qí — (literary) good luck; good fortune · (used in formal letter-ending phrases and in personal names)
• 腴腴yú — fat on belly · fertile · rich
• 覩覩dǔ — old variant of 睹 (dǔ)
• 賸賸shèng — variant of 剩 (shèng) (HSK 5)
• 輻輻fú — spoke of a wheel
• 进进jìn — to go forward · to advance · to go in · to enter · to put in · to submit · to take in · to admit · (math.) base of a number system · classifier for sections in a building or residential compound (HSK 1)
• 鄕鄕xiāng — variant of 鄉 (xiāng) · country · village
• 錶錶biǎo — watch (timepiece) · meter; gauge (HSK 2)
• 鏃鏃zú — arrowhead · sharp
• 閥閥fá — powerful individual, family or group · clique · (loanword) valve
• 鬭鬭dòu — variant of 鬥 (dòu) (HSK 7-9)
• 凌凌líng — to approach · to rise high · thick ice · to insult or maltreat
• 唳唳lì — cry of a crane or wild goose
• 唷唷yō — (interjection expressing surprise) Oh! · My!
• 墟墟xū — ruins · (literary) village · variant of 圩 (xū) · country fair
• 戕戕qiāng — to kill · to injure · Taiwan pr. (qiáng)
• 戮戮lù — to peel with a knife · old variant of 戮 (lù)
• 擴擴kuò — to enlarge (HSK 7-9)
• 攣攣luán — (bound form) (of muscles) to cramp; to spasm
• 敍敍xù — variant of 敘 (xù)
• 朶朶duǒ — variant of 朵 (duǒ) (HSK 5)
• 杉杉shān — China fir · Cunninghamia lanceolata · also pr. (shā)
• 桀桀jié — (emperor of Xia dynasty) · cruel
• 楓楓fēng — maple (genus Acer)
• 殞殞yǔn — (literary) to perish; to die
• 汙汙wū — variant of 污 (wū)
• 淤淤yū — silt · river sludge · to silt up · choked with silt · variant of 瘀 (yū)
• 淸淸qīng — variant of 清 (qīng)
• 温温wēn — warm; lukewarm · to warm up · (bound form) temperature · (bound form) mild; soft; tender · to review (a lesson etc) · (TCM) fever · epidemic; pestilence (old variant of 瘟 (wēn))
• 濛濛méng — drizzle · mist (HSK 6)
• 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)
• 煨煨wēi — to simmer · to roast in ashes
• 熔熔róng — to smelt · to fuse
• 痙痙jìng — spasm
• 碣碣jié — stone tablet
• 礫礫lì — (bound form) gravel; small stone
• 笠笠lì — bamboo rain hat
• 簑簑suō — variant of 蓑 (suō)
• 脣脣chún — variant of 唇 (chún)
• 菲菲fēi — luxuriant (plant growth) · rich with fragrance · phenanthrene C14H10
• 薔薔qiáng — used in 薔薇 (qiáng wēi)
• 藻藻zǎo — aquatic grasses · elegant
• 蝕蝕shí — to nibble away at sth · to eat into · to erode
• 衾衾qīn — coverlet · quilt
• 詣詣yì — to go (to visit a superior) · one's current attainment in learning or art
• 誚誚qiào — ridicule · to blame
• 豸豸zhì — worm-like invertebrate · mythical animal (see 獬豸 (xiè zhì)) · radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 153)
• 躱躱duǒ — variant of 躲 (duǒ)
• 鎗鎗qiāng — variant of 槍 (qiāng) · rifle · spear (HSK 5)
• 鑪鑪lú — rutherfordium (chemistry)
• 闕闕quē — used in place of 缺 (old) · mistake
• 霆霆tíng — clap of thunder
• 霓霓ní — Japanese cicada · old variant of 霓 (ní)
• 靑靑qīng — variant of 青 (qīng)
• 鞘鞘qiào — scabbard; sheath
• 顚顚diān — variant of 顛 (diān)
• 髁髁kē — condyles
• 魘魘yǎn — to have a nightmare
• 鵑鵑juān — cuckoo
• 伽伽gā — used in the transliteration of Greek letters
• 俸俸fèng — (bound form) salary; stipend
• 倏倏shū — sudden · abrupt · Taiwan pr. (shù)
• 偎偎wēi — to cuddle
• 冉冉rǎn — edge of a tortoiseshell · used in 冉冉 (rǎn rǎn)
• 凈凈jìng — variant of 淨 (jìng) (HSK 6)
• 几几jī — small table (HSK 1)
• 刃刃rèn — edge of blade
• 刊刊kān — to print · to publish · publication · periodical · to peel with a knife · to carve · to amend
• 剌剌là — perverse · unreasonable · absurd
• 卽卽jí — variant of 即 (jí) · promptly
• 厥厥jué — to faint · to lose consciousness · his · her · its · their
• 叛叛pàn — to betray · to rebel · to revolt
• 呻呻shēn — (literary) to recite; to chant; to intone · (bound form) groan
• 喬喬qiáo — tall
• 嚓嚓cā — (onom.) scraping sound · ripping of fabric · screeching of tires
• 娼娼chāng — prostitute
• 屹屹yì — high and steep
• 幟幟zhì — flag
• 弛弛chí — to unstring a bow · to slacken · to relax · to loosen
• 徨徨huáng — used in 彷徨 (páng huáng)
• 循循xún — (bound form) to follow; to act in accordance with
• 悍悍hàn — heroic · intrepid · valiant · dauntless · fierce · ferocious · violent
• 憊憊bèi — exhausted
• 旌旌jīng — banner · make manifest
• 没没méi — (negative prefix for verbs) have not; not (HSK 1)
• 洶洶xiōng — torrential rush · tumultuous
• 濱濱bīn — (bound form) water's edge; bank; shore · (bound form) to border on (a lake, river etc)
• 瀰瀰mí — brimming or overflowing
• 燄燄yàn — variant of 焰 (yàn)
• 牀牀chuáng — variant of 床 (chuáng) (HSK 1)
• 獲獲huò — (literary) to catch; to capture · (literary) to get; to obtain; to win (HSK 4)
• 玫玫méi — (fine jade) · used in 玫瑰 (méi guī)
• 眸眸móu — pupil (of the eye) · eye
• 碾碾niǎn — stone roller · roller and millstone · to grind · to crush · to husk
• 祕祕mì — variant of 秘 (mì)