朝花夕拾朝cháo — 1. imperial or royal court 2. government 3. dynasty 4. reign of a sovereign or emperor 5. court or assembly held by a sovereign or emperor 6. to make a pilgrimage to 7. facing 8. towards (HSK 3)花huā — 1. flower 2. blossom 3. classifier: 朵 (duǒ), 支 (zhī), 束 (shù), 把 (bǎ), 盆 (pén), 簇 (cù) 4. fancy pattern 5. florid 6. to spend (money, time) 7. (coll.) lecherous 8. lustful (HSK 1)拾shí — 1. to pick up 2. to collate or arrange 3. ten (banker's anti-fraud numeral) (HSK 5)

Dawn Blossoms Plucked at Dusk — 魯迅 · 鲁迅 Lu Xun, 1926

Ten warm, sharp memoir essays about childhood in Shaoxing — the gentlest entry point into Lu Xun's prose.

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What’s in it

朝花夕拾 (Dawn Blossoms Plucked at Dusk) collects ten personal essays — Lu Xun's only sustained work of memoir — recalling his childhood in Shaoxing and his student years in Nanjing and Japan. 從百草園到三味書屋 (From Hundred-Plant Garden to Three-Flavor Study) sets the wild, insect-and-plant-filled garden of his family home against the rigid private school he was later sent to, and 阿長與山海經 remembers Chang Ma, the family servant who cared for him as a boy and, without being asked, tracked down a copy of the illustrated classic he had been longing for. 二十四孝圖 and 五猖會 revisit the moralizing children's books and festival customs of his youth with the same mix of affection and irritation that runs through the whole collection.

The later essays follow Lu Xun out of Shaoxing: 藤野先生 (Mr. Fujino) remembers the Japanese anatomy professor in Sendai who treated him with unusual kindness at a time when he was one of the only Chinese students in his class, and 范愛農 mourns a friend and fellow reformer whose life ended in a drowning that was never fully explained. Compared to Lu Xun's fiction, these essays are gentler and more personal, though the same unsparing eye for hypocrisy and cruelty is still visible underneath the nostalgia.

  1. 1小引小xiǎo — 1. small 2. tiny 3. few 4. young (HSK 1)引yǐn — 1. to draw (e.g. a bow) 2. to pull 3. to stretch sth 4. to extend 5. to lengthen 6. to involve or implicate in 7. to attract 8. to lead 9. to guide 10. to leave 11. to provide evidence or justification for 12. old unit of distance equal to 10 丈 (zhàng), one-thirtieth of a km or 33.33 meters (HSK 4)Preface
  2. 2狗·猫·鼠狗gǒu — 1. dog 2. classifier: 隻 (zhī), 條 (tiáo) (HSK 2)猫māo — 1. cat (classifier: 隻 (zhī)) 2. (dialect) to hide oneself 3. (loanword) (coll.) modem (HSK 2)鼠shǔ — (bound form) rat; mouse (HSK 5)Dogs, Cats and Mice
  3. 3阿長與《山海經》長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)與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)山shān — 1. mountain; hill (classifier: 座 (zuò)) 2. (coll.) small bundle of straw for silkworms to spin cocoons on (HSK 1)海hǎi — 1. ocean 2. sea 3. classifier: 個 (gè), 片 (piàn) 4. great number of people or things 5. (dialect) numerous (HSK 2)經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
  4. 4二十四孝圖二èr — 1. two 2. 2 3. (Beijing dialect) stupid (HSK 1)十shí — 1. ten 2. 10 (HSK 1)四sì — 1. four 2. 4 (HSK 1)圖tú — 1. diagram 2. picture 3. drawing 4. chart 5. map 6. classifier: 張 (zhāng) 7. to plan 8. to scheme 9. to attempt 10. to pursue 11. to seek (HSK 3) · 二十四孝图The Picture-Book of Twenty-four Acts of Filial Piety
  5. 5五猖會五wǔ — 1. five 2. 5 (HSK 1)會huì — 1. can; to have the skill; to know how to 2. to be likely to; to be sure to 3. to meet; to get together 4. meeting; gathering 5. (suffix) union; group; association 6. (bound form) a moment (Taiwan pr. (huǐ)) (HSK 1) · 五猖会The Fair of the Five Fierce Gods
  6. 6无常无wú — 1. not to have 2. no 3. none 4. not 5. to lack 6. un- 7. -less (HSK 4)常cháng — 1. always 2. ever 3. often 4. frequently 5. common 6. general 7. constant (HSK 1)Wu Chang, or Life-Is-Transient
  7. 7從百草園到三味書屋從cóng — 1. from; through; via 2. (bound form) to follow 3. (bound form) to obey 4. (bound form) to engage in (an activity) 5. (used before a negative) ever 6. (bound form) (Taiwan pr. (zòng)) retainer; attendant 7. (bound form) (Taiwan pr. (zòng)) assistant; auxiliary; subordinate 8. (bound form) (Taiwan pr. (zòng)) related by common paternal grandfather or earlier ancestor (HSK 1)百bǎi — 1. hundred 2. numerous 3. all kinds of (HSK 1)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)園yuán — 1. land used for growing plants 2. site used for public recreation 3. abbr. for a place ending in 園, such as a botanical garden 植物園, kindergarten 幼兒園 etc (HSK 6)到dào — 1. to reach; to arrive 2. to leave for; to go to 3. to (a place); until (a time); up to (a point) 4. (verb complement indicating arriving at a place or reaching a point) 5. considerate; thoughtful; thorough (HSK 1)三sān — 1. three 2. 3 (HSK 1)書shū — 1. book 2. letter 3. document 4. classifier: 本 (běn), 冊 (cè), 部 (bù) 5. to write (HSK 1)屋wū — 1. (bound form) house 2. (bound form) room (HSK 5) · 从百草园到三味书屋From Hundred-Plant Garden to Three-Flavor Study
  8. 8父亲的病父亲fù qīn — 1. father 2. also pr. (fù qin) 3. classifier: 個 (gè) (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)病bìng — 1. illness 2. classifier: 場 (cháng) 3. disease 4. to fall ill 5. defect (HSK 1)Father's Illness
  9. 9琐记记jì — 1. to record 2. to note 3. to memorize 4. to remember 5. mark 6. sign 7. classifier for blows, kicks, shots (HSK 1)Fragmentary Recollections
  10. 10藤野先生野yě — 1. field 2. plain 3. open space 4. limit 5. boundary 6. rude 7. feral (HSK 6)先生xiān sheng — 1. teacher 2. gentleman; sir; mister (Mr.) 3. husband 4. (dialect) doctor 5. classifier: 位 (wèi) (HSK 1)Mr. Fujino
  11. 11范愛農愛ài — 1. to love; to be fond of; to like 2. affection 3. to be inclined (to do sth); to tend to (happen) (HSK 1) · 范爱农Fan Ainong
  12. 12後記後hòu — 1. back 2. behind 3. rear 4. afterwards 5. after 6. later 7. post- (HSK 1)記jì — 1. to record 2. to note 3. to memorize 4. to remember 5. mark 6. sign 7. classifier for blows, kicks, shots (HSK 1) · 后记Postscript

Literary forms

Key words 关键字

  • 麽mó麽mó — tiny · insignificant
  • 它tāHSK 2它tā — it (HSK 2)
  • 她tāHSK 1她tā — she (HSK 1)
  • 礦kuàngHSK 6礦kuàng — mineral deposit; ore deposit · ore · a mine (HSK 6)
  • 爲wéiHSK 2爲wéi — variant of 為 (wéi) (HSK 2)
  • 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)
  • 咚dōng咚dōng — (onom.) boom (of a drum) · knock (on the door)
  • 京jīng京jīng — capital city of a country · big · algebraic term for a large number (old) · artificial mound (old)
  • 裏lǐHSK 1裏lǐ — variant of 裡 (lǐ) (HSK 1)
  • 却quèHSK 4却què — but · yet · however · while · to go back · to decline · to retreat · nevertheless · even though (HSK 4)
  • 詐zhà詐zhà — to cheat · to swindle · to pretend · to feign · to draw sb out · to try to extract information by deceit or bluff
  • 墻qiángHSK 2墻qiáng — variant of 牆 (qiáng) (HSK 2)
  • 鼠shǔHSK 5鼠shǔ — (bound form) rat; mouse (HSK 5)
  • 巨jù巨jù — very large; huge; tremendous; gigantic · (coll.) very; extremely
  • 剖pōu剖pōu — to cut open · to analyze · Taiwan pr. (pǒu)
  • 萊lái萊lái — name of weed plant (fat hen, goosefoot, pigweed etc) · Chenopodium album
  • 咋zǎ咋zǎ — dialectal equivalent of 怎麼 (zěn me) · Taiwan pr. (zé)
  • 繪huì繪huì — to draw; to paint · to depict; to portray
  • 賽sàiHSK 6賽sài — to compete · competition · match · to surpass · better than · superior to · to excel (HSK 6)
  • 孝xiào孝xiào — filial piety or obedience · mourning apparel
  • 于yúHSK 6于yú — to go · to take · sentence-final interrogative particle · variant of 於 (yú) (HSK 6)
  • 曰yuēHSK 7-9曰yuē — to speak · to say (HSK 7-9)
  • 范fàn范fàn — pattern · model · example
  • 元yuánHSK 1元yuán — currency unit (esp. Chinese yuan) · (bound form) first; original; primary · (bound form) basic; fundamental · (bound form) constituent; part · (prefix) meta- · (math.) argument; variable · era (of a reign) · (Tw) (geology) eon (HSK 1)

魯迅 Lu Xun

Lu Xun wrote these essays in 1926 while in Xiamen, having fled Beijing after the warlord government's crackdown on progressive writers and students turned violent. Looking back at a gentler, more settled personal past from the middle of that upheaval gives the collection its particular ache — memories of gardens, nurses and teachers written by a man who could not safely go home. Of everything in this library, it is generally considered the softest and most approachable entry point into Lu Xun's writing, without the corrosive satire of his fiction or the near-nihilism of 野草.

More by Lu Xun 同作者

Key vocabulary 词汇

  • 亲亲qīn — parent · one's own (flesh and blood) · relative · related · marriage · bride · close · intimate · in person · first-hand · in favor of · pro- · to kiss · (Internet slang) dear (HSK 3)
  • 企企qǐ — (bound form) to stand on tiptoe and look; to anticipate; to look forward to · (bound form) company; firm; enterprise; corporation (abbr. for 企業 (qǐ yè)) · Taiwan pr. (qì)
  • 侉侉kuǎ — foreign accent
  • 倀倀chāng — (bound form) ghost of sb devoured by a tiger who helps the tiger devour others
  • 冕冕miǎn — crown in the form of a horizontal board with hanging decorations · imperial crown
  • 卌卌xì — forty
  • 吡吡bǐ — used as phonetic bi- or pi-
  • 唁唁yàn — to extend condolences
  • 嗬嗬hē — (interjection expressing surprise) oh! · wow!
  • 噶噶gá — phonetic ga (used in rendering Tibetan and Mongolian sounds) · Tibetan Ge: language of Buddha · (dialect) final particle similar to 了 (le) (esp. in Yunnan)
  • 囡囡nān — child · daughter
  • 壹壹yī — one (banker's anti-fraud numeral)
  • 娖
  • 岐岐Qí — surname Qi · also used in place names
  • 岱岱Dài — Mt Tai in Shandong · same as 泰山
  • 忮忮zhì — (literary) (bound form) jealous
  • 忸忸niǔ — used in 忸怩 (niǔ ní)
  • 怩怩ní — used in 忸怩 (niǔ ní)
  • 揄揄yú — to draw out · to let hanging
  • 搨搨tà — to make a rubbing
  • 浹浹jiā — soaked · to wet · to drench · Taiwan pr. (jiá)
  • 滸滸hǔ — bank of a river
  • 潁潁Yǐng — surname Ying · river in Henan and Anhui
  • 煬煬yáng — molten · smelt
  • 熹熹xī — bright · warm
  • 猫猫māo — cat (classifier: 隻 (zhī)) · (dialect) to hide oneself · (loanword) (coll.) modem (HSK 2)
  • 琐琐suǒ — fragmentary · trifling
  • 瑾瑾jǐn — brilliancy (of gems)
  • 疫疫yì — (bound form) epidemic; plague
  • 癒癒yù — variant of 愈 (yù) · to heal
  • 盍盍hé — why not
  • 瞿瞿qú — startled · Taiwan pr. (jù)
  • 祜祜hù — celestial blessing
  • 秕秕bǐ — grain not fully grown · husks · withered grain · unripe grain
  • 竇竇dòu — (literary) hole; aperture · (anatomy) cavity; sinus
  • 緜緜mián — old variant of 綿 (mián) · cotton
  • 繋繋xì — variant of 繫 (xì)
  • 茭茭jiāo — Zizania aquatica
  • 葆葆bǎo — dense foliage · to cover
  • 蓀蓀sūn — fragrant grass
  • 薈薈huì — to flourish · luxuriant growth
  • 蛉蛉líng — sandfly
  • 蛻蛻tuì — skin cast off during molting · exuvia · to pupate · to molt · to slough · to cast off an old skin or shell
  • 蝥蝥máo — variant of 蟊 (máo)
  • 衊衊miè — defiled with blood
  • 覃覃tán — deep
  • 记记jì — to record · to note · to memorize · to remember · mark · sign · classifier for blows, kicks, shots (HSK 1)
  • 貍貍lí — variant of 狸 (lí)
  • 釗釗zhāo — to encourage · to cut · to strain
  • 骙骙kuí — (of a horse) powerful · strong
  • 鼗鼗táo — see 撥浪鼓 (bō lang gǔ)
  • 俞俞yú — yes (used by Emperor or ruler) · OK · to accede · to assent
  • 倜倜tì — used in 倜儻 (tì tǎng)
  • 偵偵zhēn — to scout · to spy · to detect
  • 傀傀guī — grand · strange; exotic
  • 僊僊xiān — variant of 仙 (xiān)
  • 儐儐bīn — best man · to entertain
  • 儡儡lěi — used in 傀儡 (kuǐ lěi)
  • 叠叠dié — to pile up · (bound form) repeated · to fold · classifier: stack, pile (of thin objects) · classifier for repeated sections in a musical composition (HSK 7-9)
  • 叵叵pǒ — not · thereupon
  • 吽吽hōng — sound of a Buddhist incantation
  • 咋咋zǎ — dialectal equivalent of 怎麼 (zěn me) · Taiwan pr. (zé)
  • 咎咎jiù — fault · to blame · to punish · calamity · misfortune
  • 售售shòu — (bound form) to sell; to retail · (literary) to carry out (a plan or intrigue etc)
  • 唵唵ǎn — (interjection) oh! · (dialect) to stuff sth in one's mouth · (used in buddhist transliterations) om
  • 嗐嗐hài — exclamation of regret
  • 噬噬shì — to devour · to bite
  • 圜圜huán — circle · encircle
  • 墻墻qiáng — variant of 牆 (qiáng) (HSK 2)
  • 姣姣jiāo — cunning · pretty
  • 娛娛yú — to amuse
  • 嵇嵇Jī — surname Ji · name of a mountain
  • 嶽嶽yuè — high mountain · highest peak of a mountain ridge
  • 彫彫diāo — variant of 雕 (diāo), to engrave (HSK 7-9)
  • 懿懿yì — (literary) exemplary; virtuous
  • 揑揑niē — variant of 捏 (niē) (HSK 7-9)
  • 无无mó — used in 南無 (nā mó) (HSK 4)
  • 析析xī — to separate · to divide · to analyze
  • 桅桅wéi — mast
  • 椹椹shèn — used in 桑椹 (sāng shèn)
  • 樊樊fán — (literary) fence
  • 毗毗pí — to adjoin · to border on
  • 氓氓máng — used in 流氓 (liú máng)
  • 汰汰tài — to discard · to eliminate
  • 濡濡rú — dilatory · to moisten
  • 炳炳bǐng — bright · brilliant · luminous
  • 煥煥huàn — (bound form) shining; glowing; lustrous
  • 熳熳màn — used in 爛熳 (làn màn)
  • 琅琅láng — jade-like stone · clean and white · tinkling of pendants
  • 畸畸jī — lopsided · unbalanced · abnormal · irregular · odd fractional remnant
  • 眥眥zì — (anatomy) corner of the eye; canthus
  • 睚睚yá — (literary) corner of the eye; canthus
  • 碼碼mǎ — (archaic) agate · (bound form) standard weight used with a balance scale · number · (computing) code · (clothing) size · yard (unit of length) · (coll.) kilometers per hour (informal misuse of "yard" to mean kph in speed references) · (coll.) to pile up; to stack · classifier for matters, items, situations etc (esp. when indicating whether they are the same or different, as in 不是一碼事 (bù shì yī mǎ shì) "not the same thing") · (Tw, HK) (finance) unit of 25 basis points (i.e. a 0.25% change in interest rate) (HSK 7-9)
  • 禳禳ráng — sacrifice for avoiding calamity
  • 箔箔bó — plaited matting (of rushes, bamboo etc) · silkworm basket · metal foil · foil paper
  • 篡篡cuàn — to seize · to usurp
  • 粵粵Yuè — Cantonese · short name for Guangdong 廣東 (Guǎng dōng)
  • 綏綏suí — to pacify · Taiwan pr. (suī)
  • 綰綰wǎn — bind up · string together
  • 綵綵cǎi — variant of 彩 (cǎi)
  • 繪繪huì — to draw; to paint · to depict; to portray
  • 臆臆yì — (bound form) chest; breast · (bound form) inner feelings; subjective
  • 舷舷xián — side of a ship or an aircraft
  • 茀茀fú — luxuriant growth
  • 茉茉mò — used in 茉莉 (mò lì)
  • 莉莉lì — used in 茉莉 (mò lì) · used in the transliteration of female names
  • 萃萃cuì — collect · collection · dense · grassy · thick · assemble · gather
  • 蒐蒐sōu — (bound form) to collect; to gather (HSK 5)
  • 詬詬gòu — disgrace · to revile
  • 詼詼huī — whimsical · humorous
  • 謐謐mì — (literary) quiet; peaceful; tranquil
  • 輟輟chuò — to stop (before completion) · to cease · to suspend
  • 酊酊dīng — tincture (loanword)
  • 酩酩mǐng — used in 酩酊 (mǐng dǐng)
  • 釜釜fǔ — kettle · cauldron
  • 鉆
  • 隋隋Suí — the Sui dynasty (581–617 AD) · surname Sui
  • 韜韜tāo — bow case or scabbard · to hide · military strategy
  • 鯉鯉lǐ — carp
  • 鴇鴇bǎo — Chinese bustard · procuress
  • 黴黴méi — variant of 霉 (méi)
  • 仆仆pū — to fall forward · to fall prostrate
  • 佞佞nìng — to flatter · flattery
  • 併併bìng — to combine · to amalgamate (HSK 3)
  • 倪倪ní — (literary) small child · (literary) limit; bound; extremity · (literary) to differentiate · (literary) origin; cause
  • 僥僥jiǎo — by mere luck
  • 儻儻tǎng — (literary) variant of 倘 (tǎng) · used in 倜儻 (tì tǎng)
  • 囘囘huí — variant of 回 (huí)
  • 勵勵lì — to encourage · to urge
  • 卿卿qīng — high ranking official (old) · term of endearment between spouses (old) · (from the Tang Dynasty onwards) term used by the emperor for his subjects (old) · honorific (old)
  • 咚咚dōng — (onom.) boom (of a drum) · knock (on the door)
  • 哲哲zhé — wise · a sage
  • 嗔嗔chēn — to be angry at · to be displeased and annoyed
  • 嗥嗥háo — to howl (like a wolf)
  • 囌囌sū — used in 嚕囌 (lū sū)
  • 堤堤dī — dike · Taiwan pr. (tí) (HSK 7-9)
  • 塾塾shú — private school
  • 壬壬rén — ninth of the ten Heavenly Stems 十天干 (shí tiān gān) · ninth in order · letter "I" or Roman "IX" in list "A, B, C", or "I, II, III" etc · ancient Chinese compass point: 345° · nona
  • 奢奢shē — extravagant
  • 嫗嫗yù — old woman · to brood over · to protect
  • 寇寇kòu — to invade · to plunder · bandit · foe · enemy
  • 巫巫wū — witch · wizard · shaman · also pr. (wú)
  • 庶庶shù — (bound form) ordinary; numerous · (bound form) pertaining to a concubine (contrasted with 嫡 (dí))
  • 强强jiàng — stubborn · unyielding (HSK 3)
  • 徽徽huī — badge · emblem · insignia · crest · logo · coat of arms
  • 悖悖bèi — to go against · to be contrary to · perverse · rebellious
  • 悼悼dào — to mourn · to lament
  • 悽悽qī — variant of 淒 (qī) · sad · mournful
  • 愆愆qiān — fault · transgression
  • 戌戌qu — used in 屈戌兒 (qū qu r)

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: Project Gutenberg #25271 (PG branding removed per license).