Yu Hua (余华) is for sure my favorite author of Chinese modern lit. He writes the lives of ordinary village people, and like pretty much all great Chinese village-based fiction from the 20th century, the stories are full of vulgar realism, as you will soon see. But Yu Hua’s work is also tinged with bittersweetness, and for anyone with an HSK 5-6 vocabulary, his novels are surprisingly approachable.
这位老人后来和我一起坐在了那棵茂盛的树下,在那个充满阳光的下午,他向我讲述了自己。
四十多年前,我爹常在这里走来走去,他穿着一身黑颜色的绸衣,总是把双手背在身后,他出门时常对我娘说:
“我到自己的地上去走走。”
我爹走在自己的田产上,干活的佃户见了,都要双手握住锄头恭敬地叫一声:
“老爷。”
我爹走到了城里,城里人见了都叫他先生。我爹是很有身份的人,可他拉屎时就像个穷人了。他不爱在屋里床边的马桶上拉屎,跟牲畜似的喜欢到野地里去拉屎。每天到了傍晚的时候,我爹打着饱嗝,那声响和青蛙叫唤差不多,走出屋去,慢吞吞地朝村口的粪缸走去。
走到了粪缸旁,他嫌缸沿脏,就抬脚踩上去蹲在上面。我爹年纪大了,屎也跟着老了,出来不容易,那时候我们全家人都会听到他在村口嗷嗷叫着。
几十年来我爹一直这样拉屎,到了六十多岁还能在粪缸上一蹲就是半晌,那两条腿就和鸟爪一样有劲。我爹喜欢看着天色慢慢黑下来,罩住他的田地。我女儿凤霞到了三、四岁,常跑到村口去看她爷爷拉屎,我爹毕竟年纪大了,蹲在粪缸上腿有些哆嗦,凤霞就问他:
“爷爷,你为什么动呀?”
我爹说:“是风吹的。”
那时候我们家境还没有败落,我们徐家有一百多亩地,从这里一直到那边工厂的烟囱,都是我家的。我爹和我,是远近闻名的阔老爷和阔少爷,我们走路时鞋子的声响,都像是铜钱碰来撞去的。我女人家珍,是城里米行老板的女儿,她也是有钱人家出生的。有钱人嫁给有钱人,就是把钱堆起来,钱在钱上面哗哗地流,这样的声音我有四十年没有听到了。
我是我们徐家的败家子,用我爹的话说,我是他的孽子。
我念过几年私塾,穿长衫的私塾先生叫我念一段书时,是我最高兴的。我站起来,拿着本线装的《千字文》,对私塾先生说:
“好好听着,爹给你念一段。”
年过花甲的私塾先生对我爹说:
“你家少爷长大了准能当个二流子。”
我从小就不可救药,这是我爹的话。私塾先生说我是朽木不可雕也。现在想想他们都说对了,当初我可不这么想,我想我有钱呵,我是徐家仅有的一根香火,我要是灭了,徐家就得断子绝孙。
上私塾时我从来不走路,都是我家一个雇工背着我去,放学时他已经恭恭敬敬地弯腰蹲在那里了,我骑上去后拍拍雇工的脑袋,说一声:
“长根,跑呀。”
雇工长根就跑起来,我在上面一颠一颠的,像是一只在树梢上的麻雀。我说一声:
“飞呀。”
长根就一步一跳,做出一副飞的样子。
我长大以后喜欢往城里跑,常常是十天半月不回家。我穿着白色的丝绸衣衫,头发抹得光滑透亮,往镜子前一站,我看到自己满脑袋的黑油漆,一副有钱人的样子。 Buy it on Amazon
Hover a word for its pinyin & meaning; click to pin it.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 这位 | zhè wèi | this (person) |
| 老人 | lǎo rén | old man or woman; the elderly; one's aged parents or grandparents |
| 后 | Hòu | surname Hou; back; behind; rear; afterwards; after; later; post- |
| 来 | lái | to come; (used as a substitute for a more specific verb); hither (directional complement for motion toward the speaker, as in 回來|回来[hui2 lai5]); ever since (as in 自古以來|自古以来[zi4 gu3… |
| 和 | hé | old variant of 和[he2]; surname He; (literary) harmonious (variant of 和[he2]) |
| 我 | wǒ | I; me; my |
| 一起 | yī qǐ | (in) the same place; together; in company (with); altogether; in total; an instance of; a case of (murder, accident, dispute etc) |
| 坐 | Zuò | surname Zuo |
| 在 | zài | to exist; to be alive; (of sb or sth) to be (located) at; (used before a verb to indicate an action in progress) |
| 了 | le | (completed action marker); (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now); (modal particle intensifying preceding clause); (bound form) clear in one's mind; to understand clearly |
| 那 | Nā | surname Na |
| 棵 | kē | classifier for trees, cabbages, plants etc |
| 茂盛 | mào shèng | lush |
| 的 | de | of; ~'s (possessive particle); (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun); (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis); (used after a noun, verb or adjective to… |
| 树 | shù | tree; CL:棵[ke1]; to cultivate; to set up |
| 下 | xià | down; downwards; below; lower; later; next (week etc); second (of two parts); to decline; to go down; to arrive at (a decision, conclusion etc); measure word to show the frequency … |
| 那个 | nà ge | that one; that thing; that (as opposed to this); (used before a verb or adjective for emphasis); (used to humorously or indirectly refer to sth embarrassing, funny etc, or when one… |
| 充 | chong | sufficient; full; to serve as; to act as |
| 满 | Mǎn | Manchu ethnic group |
| 阳光 | yáng guāng | sunshine; (of personality) upbeat; energetic; transparent (open to public scrutiny) |
| 午 | wǔ | 7th earthly branch: 11 a.m.-1 p.m., noon, 5th solar month (6th June-6th July), year of the Horse; ancient Chinese compass point: 180° (south) |
| 他 | tā | (third-person singular) (since the early 20th century, usu. male) he; him; his; (bound form) other; another; some other (as in 他日[ta1 ri4] and 他人[ta1 ren2]) |
| 向 | Xiàng | surname Xiang; to tend toward; to guide; variant of 向[xiang4]; variant of 向[xiang4]; direction; orientation; to face; to turn toward; to; towards; shortly before; formerly |
| 讲 | jiǎng | to speak; to explain; to negotiate; to emphasize; to be particular about; as far as sth is concerned; speech; lecture |
| 述 | shǔ | (bound form) to state; to tell; to narrate; to relate |
| 自己 | zì jǐ | oneself; (attributive) one's own |
| 四十 | sì shí | forty; 40 |
| 多年 | duō nián | many years; for many years; longstanding |
| 前 | qián | front; forward; ahead; first; top (followed by a number); future; ago; before; BC (e.g. 前293年); former; formerly |
| 爹 | diē | dad |
| 常 | Cháng | surname Chang |
| 这里 | zhè lǐ | variant of 這裡|这里[zhe4 li3] |
| 走 | zǒu | to walk; to go; to run; to move (of vehicle); to visit; to leave; to go away; to die (euph.); from; through; away (in compound verbs, such as 撤走[che4 zou3]); to change (shape, form… |
| 走去 | zǒu qù | to walk over (to) |
| 穿着 | chuān zhuó | attire; clothes; dress |
| 一身 | yī shēn | whole body; from head to toe; single person; a suit of clothes |
| 黑 | Hēi | short name for Heilongjiang 黑龍江|黑龙江[Hei1 long2 jiang1] |
| 颜色 | yán sè | color; countenance; appearance; facial expression; pigment; dyestuff |
| 绸 | ||
| 衣 | yī | clothes; CL:件[jian4]; Kangxi radical 145 |
| 总 | zǒng | (bound form) general; overall; to sum up; in every case; always; invariably; anyway; after all; eventually; sooner or later; surely; (after a person's name) abbr. for 總經理|总经理[zong3… |
| 是 | shì | to be (followed by substantives only); correct; right; true; (respectful acknowledgement of a command) very well; (adverb for emphatic assertion); variant of 是[shi4] |
| 把 | bǎ | to hold; to grasp; to hold a baby in position to help it urinate or defecate; handlebar; classifier: handful, bundle, bunch; classifier for things with handles; (used to put the ob… |
| 双手 | shuāng shǒu | both hands |
| 背 | běi | the back; behind (bei4); to recite from memory (bei4); to carry on the back (bei1) |
| 身 | shēn | body; life; oneself; personally; one's morality and conduct; the main part of a structure or body; pregnant; classifier for sets of clothes: suit, twinset; Kangxi radical 158 |
| 出门 | chū mén | to go out; to leave home; to go on a journey; away from home; (of a woman) to get married |
| 时常 | shí cháng | often; frequently |
| 对 | duì | right; correct; towards; at; for; concerning; regarding; to treat (sb a certain way); to face; (bound form) opposite; facing; matching; to match together; to adjust; to fit; to sui… |
| 娘 | niáng | mother; young lady; (coll.) effeminate; variant of 娘[niang2] |
| 说 | shuì | to persuade; variant of 說|说[shuo1] |
| 到 | dào | to reach; to arrive; to leave for; to go to; to (a place); until (a time); up to (a point); (verb complement indicating arriving at a place or reaching a point); considerate; thoug… |
| 地上 | dì shang | on the ground; on the floor |
| 去 | qù | to go; to go to (a place); (of a time etc) last; just passed; to send; to remove; to get rid of; to reduce; to be apart from in space or time; to die (euphemism); to play (a part);… |
| 田产 | tián chǎn | estate; lands |
| 上 | shǎng | used in 上聲|上声[shang3 sheng1] |
| 干 | gān | old variant of 乾|干[gan1]; surname Gan; variant of 乾|干[gan1]; tree trunk; main part of sth; to manage; to work; to do; capable; cadre; to kill (slang); to fuck (vulgar); (coll.) pissed off; annoyed |
| 活 | huó | to live; alive; living; work; workmanship |
| 佃 | ||
| 户 | hù | a household; door; family |
| 见 | jiàn | to see; to meet; to appear (to be sth); to interview; opinion; view |
| 都 | Dū | surname Du |
| 要 | yāo | (bound form) to demand; to coerce |
| 握 | wò | to hold; to grasp; to clench (one's fist); (bound form) to have in one's control; classifier: a handful |
| 住 | zhù | to live; to reside; to stay; to stop; to cease; (result complement indicating firmness or a stable achieved state) |
| 锄 | ||
| 头 | tóu | head; hair style; the top; end; beginning or end; a stub; remnant; chief; boss; side; aspect; first; leading; classifier for pigs or livestock; CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 恭 | gong | respectful |
| 敬 | jìng | (bound form) respectful; to respect; to offer politely |
| 地 | de | -ly; structural particle: used before a verb or adjective, linking it to preceding modifying adverbial adjunct |
| 叫 | jiào | to shout; to call; to order; to ask; to be called; by (indicates agent in the passive mood); variant of 叫[jiao4] |
| 一声 | yī shēng | first tone in Mandarin (high, level tone) |
| 老爷 | lǎo ye | (respectful) lord; master; (coll.) maternal grandfather |
| 到了 | dào liǎo | at last; finally; in the end |
| 城 | chéng | city walls; city; town; CL:座[zuo4],道[dao4],個|个[ge4] |
| 里 | lǐ | variant of 裡|里[li3]; lining; interior; inside; internal; also written 裏|里[li3]; surname Li |
| 城里人 | chéng lǐ rén | city dweller; townspeople |
| 先生 | xiān sheng | teacher; gentleman; sir; mister (Mr.); husband; (dialect) doctor; CL:位[wei4] |
| 很 | hěn | very; quite; (also, often used before an adjective without intensifying its meaning, i.e. as a meaningless syntactic element) |
| 有 | yǒu | to have; there is; (bound form) having; with; -ful; -ed; -al (as in 有意[you3 yi4] intentional) |
| 份 | fěn | classifier for gifts, newspaper, magazine, papers, reports, contracts etc |
| 人 | rén | person; people; CL:個|个[ge4],位[wei4],名[ming2] |
| 可 | kě | (prefix) can; may; able to; -able; to approve; to permit; to suit; (particle used for emphasis) certainly; very; but; however |
| 拉 | lā | to pull; to play (a bowed instrument); to drag; to draw; to chat; (coll.) to empty one's bowels |
| 屎 | ||
| 时 | shí | old variant of 時|时[shi2]; surname Shi |
| 就 | jìu | (after a suppositional clause) in that case; then; (after a clause of action) as soon as; immediately after; (same as 就是[jiu4 shi4]) merely; nothing else but; simply; just; precise… |
| 像 | xiàng | to resemble; to be like; to look as if; such as; appearance; image; portrait; image under a mapping (math.) |
| 个 | gě | used in 自個兒|自个儿[zi4 ge3 r5]; variant of 個|个[ge4] |
| 穷人 | qíong rén | poor people; the poor |
| 不 | bù | no; not so; (bound form) not; un- |
| 爱 | ài | to love; to be fond of; to like; affection; to be inclined (to do sth); to tend to (happen) |
| 屋 | wū | (bound form) house; (bound form) room |
| 床边 | chuáng biān | bedside |
| 马 | Mǎ | surname Ma; abbr. for Malaysia 馬來西亞|马来西亚[Ma3 lai2 xi1 ya4] |
| 桶 | tóng | bucket; barrel (of oil etc) |
| 跟 | gēn | heel; to follow closely; to go with; (of a woman) to marry sb; with; compared with; to; towards; and (joining two nouns) |
| 牲畜 | shēng chù | farm animal; livestock |
| 似 | shǐ | used in 似的[shi4 de5] |
| 喜欢 | xǐ huan | to like; to be fond of |
| 野地 | yě dì | wilderness |
| 每天 | měi tiān | every day |
| 傍 | bǎng | near; to depend on; Taiwan pr. [pang2], [bang1], [bang4] |
| 晚 | wǎn | evening; night; late |
| 候 | hòu | to wait; to inquire after; to watch; season; climate; (old) period of five days |
| 打 | dá | (loanword) dozen; Taiwan pr. [da3] |
| 着 | zhāo | variant of 著|着[zhao1]; a move in chess (Taiwan pr. [zhuo2]); trick; tactic; (dialect) okay; all right; (dialect) to put in; to add |
| 饱 | bǎo | to eat till full; satisfied |
| 嗝 | ||
| 声响 | shēng xiǎng | sound; noise |
| 青蛙 | qīng wā | frog (CL:隻|只[zhi1]); (old) (slang) ugly guy |
| 唤 | huǎn | to call |
| 差不多 | chà bu duō | almost; nearly; more or less; about the same; good enough; not bad |
| 走出 | zǒu chū | to leave (a room etc); to go out through (a door etc) |
| 慢 | màn | slow |
| 吞 | tun | to swallow |
| 朝 | Cháo | abbr. for 朝鮮|朝鲜[Chao2 xian3] Korea |
| 村 | cūn | village; (dialect) to scold; rustic; boorish; variant of 村[cun1] |
| 口 | kǒu | mouth; classifier for things with mouths (people, domestic animals, cannons, wells etc); classifier for bites or mouthfuls |
| 粪 | ||
| 缸 | gāng | jar; vat; classifier for loads of laundry; CL:口[kou3] |
| 旁 | páng | one side; other; different; lateral component of a Chinese character (such as 刂[dao1], 亻[ren2] etc) |
| 嫌 | xiān | to dislike; resentment; abbr. for 嫌犯[xian2 fan4], criminal suspect |
| 沿 | yán | along; to follow (a line, tradition etc); to carry on; to trim (a border with braid, tape etc); border; edge |
| 脏 | zàng | viscera; (anatomy) organ; dirty; filthy; to get (sth) dirty |
| 抬 | tái | to lift; to raise; (of two or more persons) to carry; variant of 抬[tai2] |
| 脚 | jiǎo | foot; leg (of an animal or an object); base (of an object); CL:雙|双[shuang1],隻|只[zhi1]; classifier for kicks |
| 踩 | cái | to step on; to tread; to stamp |
| 上去 | shàng qù | to go up |
| 蹲 | dun | (dialect) to sprain one's foot or leg due to a sudden impact or landing |
| 上面 | shàng miàn | on top of; above-mentioned; also pr. [shang4 mian5] |
| 年纪 | nián jì | age; CL:把[ba3],個|个[ge4] |
| 大 | dà | big; large; great; older (than another person); eldest (as in 大姐[da4 jie3]); greatly; freely; fully; (dialect) father; (dialect) uncle (father's brother) |
| 也 | Yě | surname Ye |
| 跟着 | gēn zhe | to follow after; immediately afterwards |
| 老 | lǎo | prefix used before the surname of a person or a numeral indicating the order of birth of the children in a family or to indicate affection or familiarity; old (of people); venerabl… |
| 出 | chū | to go out; to come out; to arise; to occur; to produce; to yield; to go beyond; to exceed; (used after a verb to indicate an outward direction or a positive result); classifier for…; variant of 出[chu1] (classifier for plays or chapters of classical novels) |
| 不容 | bù róng | must not; cannot; to not allow; cannot tolerate |
| 易 | Yì | surname Yi; I Ching; Book of Changes (abbr. for 易經|易经[Yi4 jing1]) |
| 那时 | nà shí | then; at that time; in those days |
| 们 | men | plural marker for pronouns, and nouns referring to individuals |
| 全家 | Quán jiā | FamilyMart (convenience store chain) |
| 都会 | dū huì | city; metropolis |
| 听到 | tīng dào | to hear |
| 嗷 | ||
| 几 | jī | small table; (literary) almost |
| 十 | shí | ten; 10 |
| 年 | Nián | surname Nian; grain; harvest (old); variant of 年[nian2] |
| 一直 | yī zhí | straight (in a straight line); continuously; always; all the way through |
| 这 | zhè | (pronoun) this; these; (bound form) this; the (followed by a noun); (bound form) this; these (followed by a classifier) (in this sense, commonly pr. [zhei4], esp. in Beijing) |
| 样 | yàng | manner; pattern; way; appearance; shape; classifier: kind, type |
| 六十 | lìu shí | sixty; 60 |
| 多 | duō | many; much; more; a lot of; too many; in excess; (after a numeral) ... odd; how (to what extent) (Taiwan pr. [duo2]); (bound form) multi-; poly- |
| 岁 | suì | variant of 歲|岁[sui4], year; years old; classifier for years (of age); year; year (of crop harvests) |
| 还 | Huán | surname Huan |
| 能 | Néng | surname Neng |
| 一 | yī | one; single; a (article); as soon as; entire; whole; all; throughout; "one" radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 1); also pr. [yao1] for greater clarity when spelling out … |
| 就是 | jìu shì | exactly; precisely; only; simply; just; (used correlatively with 也[ye3]) even; even if |
| 半 | bàn | half; semi-; incomplete; (after a number) and a half |
| 晌 | ||
| 两 | liǎng | two; both; some; a few; tael, unit of weight equal to 50 grams (modern) or 1⁄16 of a catty 斤[jin1] (old) |
| 条 | tiáo | strip; item; article; clause (of law or treaty); classifier for long thin things (ribbon, river, road, trousers etc) |
| 腿 | tuǐ | leg; CL:條|条[tiao2]; hip bone; old variant of 腿[tui3] |
| 鸟 | diǎo | variant of 屌[diao3]; penis |
| 爪 | zhǎo | foot of a bird or animal; paw; claws; talons |
| 有劲 | yǒu jìn | vigorous; energetic; interesting; amusing |
| 看 | kān | to look after; to take care of; to watch; to guard |
| 天色 | tiān sè | color of the sky; time of day, as indicated by the color of the sky; weather |
| 罩 | zhào | to cover; to spread over; a cover; a shade; a hood; bamboo fish trap; bamboo chicken coop; (Tw) (coll.) to protect; to have sb's back; (Tw) (coll.) awesome; incredible; (Tw) (coll.… |
| 田地 | tián dì | field; farmland; cropland; plight; extent |
| 女儿 | nu:3 ér | daughter |
| 凤 | Fèng | surname Feng |
| 霞 | xiá | rose-tinted sky or clouds at sunrise or sunset |
| 三 | Sān | surname San |
| 四 | sì | four; 4 |
| 跑 | páo | (of an animal) to paw (the ground) |
| 她 | tā | she |
| 爷爷 | yé ye | (coll.) paternal grandfather; grandpa |
| 毕 | Bì | surname Bi |
| 竟 | jǐng | unexpectedly; to go so far as to |
| 有些 | yǒu xiē | some; somewhat; rather; a bit |
| 哆 | ||
| 嗦 | ||
| 问 | wèn | to ask; to inquire |
| 你 | nǐ | you (informal, as opposed to courteous 您[nin2]); you (Note: In Taiwan, 妳 is used to address females, but in mainland China, it is not commonly used. Instead, 你 is used to address both males and females.) |
| 为 | 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); variant of 為|为[wei2] |
| 什 | shén | what |
| 么 | má | exclamatory final particle; variant of 麼|么[me5] |
| 动 | dòng | (of sth) to move; to set in movement; to displace; to touch; to make use of; to stir (emotions); to alter; abbr. for 動詞|动词[dong4 ci2], verb |
| 呀 | yā | ah (used to express surprise); (onom.) creaking |
| 风 | fēng | wind; news; style; custom; manner; CL:陣|阵[zhen4],絲|丝[si1] |
| 吹 | chuī | to blow; to play a wind instrument; to blast; to puff; to boast; to brag; to end in failure; to fall through |
| 家 | jiā | used in 傢伙|家伙[jia1 huo5] and 傢俱|家俱[jia1 ju4]; home; family; (polite) my (sister, uncle etc); classifier for families or businesses; refers to the philosophical schools of pre-Han China; noun suffix for a specialist in some act… |
| 境 | jǐng | border; condition; circumstances |
| 没有 | méi yǒu | haven't; hasn't; doesn't exist; to not have; to not be |
| 败 | bǎi | to defeat; to lose (to an opponent); to wither |
| 落 | là | to leave out; to be missing; to leave behind or forget to bring; to lag or fall behind |
| 徐 | xū | slow; gentle; surname Xu |
| 百 | Bǎi | surname Bai |
| 亩 | mǔ | old variant of 畝|亩[mu3]; classifier for fields; unit of area equal to one fifteenth of a hectare |
| 从 | cóng | variant of 從|从[cong2]; surname Cong |
| 那边 | nà bian | over there; yonder |
| 工厂 | gōng chǎng | factory; CL:家[jia1],座[zuo4] |
| 烟 | yan | cigarette or pipe tobacco; smoke; vapour; tobacco plant |
| 囱 | chuāng | variant of 窗[chuang1] |
| 家的 | jiā de | (old) wife |
| 远近 | yuǎn jìn | far and near; distance |
| 闻名 | wén míng | well-known; famous; renowned; eminent |
| 阔老 | kuò lǎo | variant of 闊佬|阔佬[kuo4 lao3] |
| 爷 | yé | grandpa; old gentleman |
| 阔少 | kuò shào | (derog.) young man from a wealthy family |
| 走路 | zǒu lù | to walk; to go on foot; to leave; to depart; (informal) to clear off; to beat it; (of sb who gets fired or resigns) to leave the job; to get out |
| 鞋子 | xié zi | shoe |
| 铜钱 | tóng qián | copper coin (round with a square hole in the middle, used in former times in China) |
| 碰 | pèng | variant of 碰[peng4]; to touch; to meet with; to bump; old variant of 碰[peng4] |
| 撞 | zhuǎng | to knock against; to run into |
| 女人家 | nu:3 rén jia | women (in general) |
| 珍 | zhēn | precious thing; treasure; culinary delicacy; rare; valuable; to value highly; variant of 珍[zhen1] |
| 米 | Mǐ | surname Mi |
| 行 | háng | (bound form) row; line; (bound form) line of business; trade; profession; (bound form) commercial firm; (bound form) to rank (first, second etc) among one's siblings (by age); (in … |
| 老板 | lǎo bǎn | variant of 老闆|老板[lao3 ban3] |
| 有钱人 | yǒu qián rén | rich person; the rich |
| 出生 | chū shēng | to be born |
| 嫁 | ||
| 给 | gěi | to; for; for the benefit of; to give; to allow; to do sth (for sb); (grammatical equivalent of 被); (grammatical equivalent of 把); (sentence intensifier) |
| 钱 | Qián | surname Qian |
| 堆 | duī | to pile up; to heap up; a mass; pile; heap; stack; large amount |
| 起 | qǐ | to rise; to raise; to get up; to set out; to start; to appear; to launch; to initiate (action); to draft; to establish; to get (from a depot or counter); verb suffix, to start; sta… |
| 哗 | hua | (onom.) bang; sound of gurgling, splashing or flowing water |
| 流 | líu | to flow; to disseminate; to circulate or spread; to move or drift; to degenerate; to banish or send into exile; stream of water or sth resembling one; class, rate or grade |
| 声音 | shēng yīn | sound; voice |
| 家子 | jiā zi | household; family |
| 用 | yòng | to use; to make use of; to employ; (coverb) with; using; to need; to have to (usu. used in the negative or in questions); usefulness; utility; (bound form) expense; outlay; (courte… |
| 的话 | de huà | if (coming after a conditional clause) |
| 孽 | ||
| 子 | zǐ | son; child; seed; egg; small thing; 1st earthly branch: 11 p.m.–1 a.m., midnight, 11th solar month (7th December to 5th January), year of the rat; viscount, fourth of five orders o… |
| 念 | niàn | variant of 念[nian4], to read aloud; to read; to study (a subject); to attend (a school); to read aloud; to give (sb) a tongue-lashing (CL:頓|顿[dun4]); to miss (sb); idea; remembrance; twenty (banker's anti-fraud numer… |
| 过 | Guō | surname Guo |
| 几年 | jǐ nián | a few years; several years; how many years? |
| 私 | sī | personal; private; selfish |
| 塾 | ||
| 穿 | chuān | to bore through; to pierce; to perforate; to go through (e.g. a tunnel); to cross (e.g. a street); to thread; to string together; to wear; to put on (clothes, shoes etc.); verb com… |
| 长衫 | cháng shān | long gown; cheongsam; traditional Asian dress for men or (in Hong Kong) women's qipao |
| 段 | Duàn | surname Duan |
| 书 | Shū | abbr. for 書經|书经[Shu1 jing1] |
| 最高 | zuì gāo | tallest; highest; supreme (court etc) |
| 兴 | Xīng | surname Xing |
| 站起 | zhàn qǐ | to get up on hind legs (esp. of horse); to stand; to spring up |
| 拿 | ná | old variant of 拿[na2]; variant of 拿[na2]; to hold; to seize; to catch; to apprehend; to take; (used in the same way as 把[ba3]: to mark the following noun as a direct object) |
| 本 | běn | (bound form) root; stem; (bound form) origin; source; (bound form) one's own; this; (bound form) this; the current (year etc); (bound form) original; (bound form) inherent; origina… |
| 线 | xiàn | variant of 線|线[xian4]; thread; string; wire; line; CL:條|条[tiao2],股[gu3],根[gen1]; (after a number) tier (unofficial ranking of a Chinese city) |
| 装 | zhuāng | adornment; to adorn; dress; clothing; costume (of an actor in a play); to play a role; to pretend; to install; to fix; to wrap (sth in a bag); to load; to pack |
| 千字文 | Qiān zì wén | Thousand Character Classic, 6th century poem used as a traditional reading primer |
| 好好 | hǎo hǎo | in perfectly good condition; perfectly all right; well; thoroughly; carefully; properly |
| 听 | yǐn | smile (archaic); to listen to; to hear; to heed; to obey; a can (loanword from English "tin"); classifier for canned beverages; to let be; to allow (Taiwan pr. [ting4]); (literary) to administer; t… |
| 年过 | nián guò | over (a certain age) |
| 花甲 | huā jiǎ | 60 years (of age); see 花蛤[hua1 ge2] |
| 少爷 | shào ye | son of the boss; young master of the house; your son (honorific) |
| 长大 | zhǎng dà | to grow up |
| 准 | zhǔn | to allow; to grant; in accordance with; in the light of; accurate; standard; definitely; certainly; about to become (bride, son-in-law etc); quasi-; para- |
| 当 | dāng | (onom.) dong; ding dong (bell); to be; to act as; manage; withstand; when; during; ought; should; match equally; equal; same; obstruct; just at (a time or place); on the spot; right; just at |
| 二 | èr | two; 2; (Beijing dialect) stupid |
| 从小 | cóng xiǎo | from childhood; from a young age |
| 不可 | bù kě | cannot; should not; must not |
| 救 | jìu | variant of 救[jiu4]; to save; to assist; to rescue |
| 药 | yào | leaf of the iris; variant of 藥|药[yao4]; medicine; drug; substance used for a specific purpose (e.g. poisoning, explosion, fermenting); CL:種|种[zhong3],服[fu4],味[wei4]; to poison |
| 朽 | ||
| 木 | Mù | surname Mu |
| 雕 | diao | to engrave |
| 现 | xiàn | to appear; present; now; existing; current |
| 想 | xiǎng | to think (about); to think of; to devise; to think (that); to believe (that); to desire; to want (to); to miss (feel wistful about the absence of) |
| 对了 | duì le | Correct!; Oh, that's right, ... (when one suddenly remembers sth one wanted to mention); Oh, by the way, ... |
| 当初 | dāng chū | at that time; originally |
| 可不 | kě bu | see 可不是[ke3 bu5 shi4] |
| 这么 | zhè me | so much; this much; how much?; this way; like this |
| 有钱 | yǒu qián | well-off; wealthy |
| 呵 | he | to breathe (out); to scold; (interjection) oh; ha |
| 仅 | jín | barely; merely |
| 有的 | yǒu de | (there are) some (who are...); some (exist) |
| 根 | gēn | root; basis; classifier for long slender objects, e.g. cigarettes, guitar strings; CL:條|条[tiao2]; radical (chemistry) |
| 香火 | xiāng huǒ | incense burning in front of a temple; burning joss sticks |
| 要是 | yào shi | (coll.) if |
| 灭 | miè | to extinguish or put out; to go out (of a fire etc); to exterminate or wipe out; to drown |
| 得 | dé | to obtain; to get; to gain; to catch (a disease); proper; suitable; proud; contented; to allow; to permit; ready; finished |
| 断 | duàn | to break; to snap; to cut off; to give up or abstain from sth; to judge; (usu. used in the negative) absolutely; definitely; decidedly |
| 绝 | jué | to cut short; extinct; to disappear; to vanish; absolutely; by no means; variant of 絕|绝[jue2] |
| 孙 | Sūn | surname Sun |
| 一个 | yī ge | a; an; one; the whole (afternoon, summer vacation etc) |
| 雇 | gù | variant of 雇[gu4]; to employ; to hire; to rent |
| 工 | gōng | work; worker; skill; profession; trade; craft; labor |
| 我去 | wǒ qù | (slang) what the ...!; oh my god!; that's insane! |
| 放学 | fàng xué | to dismiss students at the end of the school day |
| 已经 | yǐ jīng | already |
| 弯 | wān | to bend; bent; a bend; a turn (in a road etc); CL:道[dao4] |
| 腰 | yao | the waist and lower back; the waist of trousers or a skirt; (bound form) the middle section of an upright object (mountain, bottle etc) |
| 那里 | nà li | there; that place |
| 骑 | jì | (Tw) saddle horse; mounted soldier |
| 拍 | pāi | to pat; to clap; to slap; to swat; to take (a photo); to shoot (a film); racket (sports); beat (music) |
| 脑袋 | nǎo dai | head; skull; brains; mental capability; CL:顆|颗[ke1],個|个[ge4] |
| 长 | cháng | long; (bound form) length; (bound form) strong point; forte; (bound form) to be good at; (literary) surplus; spare (Taiwan pr. [zhang4]) |
| 颠 | diān | top (of the head); apex; to fall forwards; inverted; to jolt |
| 只 | zhī | variant of 隻|只[zhi1]; variant of 只[zhi3]; grain that has begun to ripen; classifier for birds and certain animals, one of a pair, some utensils, vessels etc |
| 梢 | shao | tip of branch |
| 麻 | má | hemp (variant of 麻[ma2]); surname Ma |
| 雀 | quě | a freckle |
| 飞 | fēi | to fly |
| 步 | Bù | surname Bu |
| 跳 | tiào | to jump; to hop; to skip over; to bounce; to palpitate |
| 做 | zuò | to make; to produce; to write; to compose; to do; to engage in; to hold (a party etc); (of a person) to be (an intermediary, a good student etc); to become (husband and wife, frien… |
| 副 | fù | secondary; auxiliary; deputy; assistant; vice-; abbr. for 副詞|副词 adverb; classifier for pairs, sets of things & facial expressions |
| 以 | yǐ | old variant of 以[yi3]; abbr. for Israel 以色列[Yi3 se4 lie4] |
| 往 | wǎng | to go (in a direction); to; towards; (of a train) bound for; past; previous; old variant of 往[wang3] |
| 常常 | cháng cháng | frequently; often |
| 天 | tiān | day; sky; heaven |
| 半月 | bàn yuè | half-moon; fortnight |
| 回家 | huí jiā | to return home |
| 白色 | bái sè | white; fig. reactionary; anti-communist |
| 丝 | si | silk; classifier: a trace (of smoke etc), a tiny bit etc |
| 衣衫 | yī shān | clothing; unlined garment |
| 发 | fā | to send out; to show (one's feeling); to issue; to develop; to make a bundle of money; classifier for gunshots (rounds); hair; Taiwan pr. [fa3] |
| 抹 | mó | to wipe |
| 光滑 | guāng huá | glossy; sleek; smooth |
| 透 | tǒu | (bound form) to penetrate; to seep through; thoroughly; through and through |
| 亮 | liàng | bright; light; to shine; to flash; loud and clear; to show (one's passport etc); to make public (one's views etc) |
| 镜子 | jìng zi | mirror; CL:面[mian4],個|个[ge4] |
| 站 | zhàn | station; to stand; to halt; to stop; branch of a company or organization; website |
| 看到 | kàn dào | to see |
| 油 | yóu | oil; fat; grease; petroleum; to apply tung oil, paint or varnish; oily; greasy; glib; cunning |
| 漆 |
Later, this old man sat down with me beneath the verdant trees, and on that sunlit afternoon, he told me of himself.
Forty-odd years ago, my father would often walk around out here, wearing a black silk robe, always with both hands behind his back, and whenever he went out he would say to my mother:
“I’m going to walk around my place.”
My father would walk on his estate, and when the tenant farmers saw him, they would hold their shovels still in between two hands and say respectfully:
“Master.”
Whenever my father walked into town, the townsfolk called him “Mister”. My father was a personage of some repute, but when he moved his bowels, he did it like a poor man. He didn’t like to relieve himself in the toilet by the bed, and preferred to shit in the wilds like a farm animal. Every evening, my father let out a belch, a sound like a croaking frog, and left the house, walking sluggishly towards the manure vat at the mouth of the village.
He’d arrive at the manure vat, and finding the filth around its edges distasteful, he’d go up on tiptoe and squat above it. My father was old, and his feces were as old as he was, they didn’t come out easily, and everyone in the house could hear him grunting.
For many years this is how my father moved his bowels, at 60 years old he could still squat over the manure pit for half the day, his two legs had the strength of a bird’s claws. My father like to watch the sky slowly fade to black, covering his fields. When my daughter Feng Xia was three or four, she would often run to the mouth of the village to watch grandpa poop, after all my father was getting on in years, and as he was squatting there his legs would tremble a bit, and Feng Xia would ask:
“Grandpa, why are you moving?”
And my dad would say: “It’s the wind.”
At that time our family’s situation hadn’t yet deteriorated, the Xu’s had 100-plus mu of land, from here all the way to that factory’s smokestack, all of it was our family’s. My dad and I, were famous near and far as the Rich Old Master and the Rich Young Master, when we walked on the road, the sound of our shoes was like the sound of copper cash striking. My wife Jia Zhen, was the daughter of a rice industry bigwig in town, she also came from a wealthy family. A wealthy woman marrying a wealthy man, money piled on money, swishing in a great stream, I haven’t heard that sound in 40 years.
I was the Xu family wastrel, or in my father’s words, I was his unfilial son.
I went to private school for a couple of years, and when the school master in his long silk gown called on me to read a passage aloud, that’s when I was happiest. I would stand up, holding a string-bound copy of Qianzi Wen, and say to him:
“Listen up, your elder is going to read you a passage.”
The schoolmaster, who was over sixty, would say to my father:
“Your family’s young master is going to be a loafer when he grows up.”
Ever since I was little, I’ve been incorrigable, that’s what my father said. The schoolmaster said I was “rotten wood that couldn’t be carved”. Now that I think on it they were both right, but at the time I didn’t think this was so, I thought I had money, I was the Xu family’s only son, if something happened to me, the family would be without heirs.
When I went to school I never walked, it was always our hired worker that carried me there on his back, and when I got off, he always respectfully crouched over there, and when I jumped on I patted his head and said:
“Run, Changgen!”
The worker Changgen would run, and I would bounce along, like a sparrow sitting on a tree branch. I’d say:
“Fly.”
And Changgun would walk one step and jump one step, and make as if he was flying.
After I grew up I like to go into the city, and often wouldn’t come back for 10 days or half a month. I’d wear a white silk shirt, my hair sleek and shiny, standing in front of the mirror, I’d see the black oil in my hair, the picture of a wealthy man.