A tragic, dreamlike little essay from writer Zhang Ailing (张爱玲, English name Eileen Chang) about love and destiny. This is one of her more well-known works of micro-prose, written in 1944. HSK 5-6.
这是真的。
有个村庄的小康之家的女孩子，生得美，有许多人来做媒，但都没有说成。那年她不过十五六岁吧，是春天的晚上，她立在后门口，手扶着桃树。她记得她穿的是一件月白的衫子。对门住的年轻人同她见过面，可是从来没有打过招呼的，他走了过来，离得不远，站定了，轻轻的说了一声：“噢，你也在这里吗？”她没有说什么，他也没有再说什么，站了一会，各自走开了。
就这样就完了。
后来这女子被亲眷拐子卖到他乡外县去作妾，又几次三番地被转卖，经过无数的惊险的风波，老了的时候她还记得从前那一回事，常常说起，在那春天的晚上，在后门口的桃树下，那年轻人。
于千万人之中遇见你所遇见的人，于千万年之中，时间的无涯的荒野里，没有早一步，也没有晚一步，刚巧赶上了，那也没有别的话可说，惟有轻轻的问一声：“噢，你也在这里吗？”
Hover a word for its pinyin & meaning; click to pin it.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 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) |
| 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] |
| 真的 | zhēn de | really; truly; indeed; real; true; genuine; (math.) proper |
| 有 | yǒu | to have; there is; (bound form) having; with; -ful; -ed; -al (as in 有意[you3 yi4] intentional) |
| 个 | gě | used in 自個兒|自个儿[zi4 ge3 r5]; variant of 個|个[ge4] |
| 村 | cūn | village; (dialect) to scold; rustic; boorish; variant of 村[cun1] |
| 庄 | zhuāng | variant of 莊|庄[zhuang1]; surname Zhuang |
| 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… |
| 小康 | Xiǎo kāng | Xiaokang, a Confucian near-ideal state of society, second only to Datong 大同[Da4 tong2] |
| 之 | zhī | (possessive particle, literary equivalent of 的[de5]); him; her; it |
| 家的 | jiā de | (old) wife |
| 女孩子 | nu:3 hái zi | girl |
| 生 | shēng | to grow; to give birth; to produce; to be born; to arise; to occur; to light (a fire); to live; to be alive; life; raw; uncooked; unprocessed; unfamiliar; strange; (bound form) stu… |
| 得 | dé | to obtain; to get; to gain; to catch (a disease); proper; suitable; proud; contented; to allow; to permit; ready; finished |
| 美 | Měi | (bound form) the Americas (abbr. for 美洲[Mei3 zhou1]); (bound form) USA (abbr. for 美國|美国[Mei3 guo2]) |
| 许多 | xǔ duō | many; a lot of; much |
| 人 | rén | person; people; CL:個|个[ge4],位[wei4],名[ming2] |
| 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… |
| 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… |
| 媒 | mēi | medium; matchmaker; abbr. for 媒體|媒体[mei2 ti3], media, esp. news media |
| 但 | dàn | but; yet; however; still; merely; only; just |
| 都 | Dū | surname Du |
| 没有 | méi yǒu | haven't; hasn't; doesn't exist; to not have; to not be |
| 说 | shuì | to persuade; variant of 說|说[shuo1] |
| 成 | Chéng | surname Cheng; short name for Chengdu 成都[Cheng2 du1] |
| 那 | Nā | surname Na |
| 年 | Nián | surname Nian; grain; harvest (old); variant of 年[nian2] |
| 她 | tā | she |
| 不过 | bù guò | only; merely; no more than; but; however; anyway (to get back to a previous topic); cannot be more (after adjectival) |
| 十五 | shí wǔ | fifteen; 15 |
| 六 | lìu | six; 6 |
| 岁 | suì | variant of 歲|岁[sui4], year; years old; classifier for years (of age); year; year (of crop harvests) |
| 吧 | bā | bar (loanword) (serving drinks, or providing Internet access etc); to puff (on a pipe etc); (onom.) bang; abbr. for 貼吧|贴吧[tie1 ba1] |
| 春天 | chūn tiān | spring (season); CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 晚上 | wǎn shang | evening; night; CL:個|个[ge4]; in the evening |
| 立 | Lì | surname Li |
| 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) |
| 后 | Hòu | surname Hou; back; behind; rear; afterwards; after; later; post- |
| 门口 | mén kǒu | doorway; gate; CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 手 | shǒu | hand; (formal) to hold; person engaged in certain types of work; person skilled in certain types of work; personal(ly); convenient; classifier for skill; CL:雙|双[shuang1],隻|只[zhi1] |
| 扶 | fú | to support with the hand; to help sb up; to support oneself by holding onto something; to help |
| 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 |
| 桃树 | táo shù | peach tree; CL:株[zhu1] |
| 记得 | jì de | to remember |
| 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… |
| 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 … |
| 件 | jiàn | item; component; classifier for events, things, clothes etc |
| 月 | yuè | moon; month; monthly; CL:個|个[ge4],輪|轮[lun2] |
| 白 | Bái | surname Bai; Bai ethnic group |
| 衫 | shān | garment; jacket with open slits in place of sleeves |
| 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… |
| 对门 | duì mén | the building or room opposite |
| 住 | zhù | to live; to reside; to stay; to stop; to cease; (result complement indicating firmness or a stable achieved state) |
| 年轻人 | nián qīng rén | young people; youngster |
| 同 | tóng | like; same; similar; together; alike; with; used in 衚衕|胡同[hu2 tong4] |
| 见 | jiàn | to see; to meet; to appear (to be sth); to interview; opinion; view |
| 过 | Guō | surname Guo |
| 面 | miàn | face; side; surface; aspect; top; classifier for objects with flat surfaces such as drums, mirrors, flags etc; variant of 麵|面[mian4]; flour; noodles; (of food) soft (not crunchy); (slang) (of a person) ineffectual; spineless |
| 可是 | kě shì | but; however; (used for emphasis) indeed |
| 从 | cóng | variant of 從|从[cong2]; surname Cong |
| 打 | dá | (loanword) dozen; Taiwan pr. [da3] |
| 招 | zhao | to recruit; to beckon; to infect; a move (chess); device; to confess |
| 呼 | hu | to call; to shout; to exhale |
| 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]) |
| 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… |
| 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 |
| 离 | chī | mythical beast (archaic); surname Li |
| 不 | bù | no; not so; (bound form) not; un- |
| 远 | yuǎn | far; distant; remote; (intensifier in a comparison) by far; much (lower etc) |
| 站 | zhàn | station; to stand; to halt; to stop; branch of a company or organization; website |
| 定 | dìng | to fix; to set; to make definite; to subscribe to (a newspaper etc); to book (tickets etc); to order (goods etc); to congeal; to coagulate; (literary) definitely |
| 轻轻 | qīng qīng | lightly; softly |
| 一声 | yī shēng | first tone in Mandarin (high, level tone) |
| 噢 | ||
| 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.) |
| 也 | Yě | surname Ye |
| 这里 | zhè lǐ | variant of 這裡|这里[zhe4 li3] |
| 吗 | má | (coll.) what? |
| 什 | shén | what |
| 么 | má | exclamatory final particle; variant of 麼|么[me5] |
| 再 | zài | again; once more; re-; further; beyond this point of time; (before an adjective) more; then (after sth, and not until then); no matter how ... (followed by an adjective or verb, an… |
| 一会 | yī huì | a moment; a while; in a moment; also pr. [yi1 hui3] |
| 各自 | gè zì | each; respective; apiece |
| 走开 | zǒu kāi | to leave; to walk away; to beat it; to move aside |
| 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… |
| 样 | yàng | manner; pattern; way; appearance; shape; classifier: kind, type |
| 完了 | wán le | to be finished; to be done for; ruined; gone to the dogs; oh no |
| 女子 | nu:3 zǐ | woman; female |
| 被 | bèi | quilt; to cover (with); (literary) to suffer (a misfortune); used to indicate passive voice (placed before the doer of the action like "by" in English passive-voice sentences, or, … |
| 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 |
| 眷 | ||
| 拐 | guái | to turn (a corner etc); to swindle; seven (used as a substitute for 七[qi1]) |
| 卖 | mài | to sell; to betray; to spare no effort; to show off or flaunt |
| 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… |
| 乡 | xiang | country or countryside; home village or town |
| 外 | wài | outside; in addition; foreign; external |
| 县 | xiǎn | county |
| 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);… |
| 作 | zuō | (bound form) worker; (bound form) workshop; (slang) troublesome; high-maintenance (person) |
| 妾 | qiè | concubine; I, your servant (deprecatory self-reference for women) |
| 又 | yòu | (once) again; also; both... and...; and yet; (used for emphasis) anyway |
| 几次 | jǐ cì | several times |
| 三 | Sān | surname San |
| 番 | Pān | surname Pan |
| 地 | de | -ly; structural particle: used before a verb or adjective, linking it to preceding modifying adverbial adjunct |
| 转卖 | zhuǎn mài | to resell |
| 经过 | jīng guò | to pass; to go through; process; course; CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 无数 | wú shù | countless; numberless; innumerable |
| 惊险 | jīng xiǎn | perilous; touch-and-go; nerve-racking; suspenseful |
| 风波 | fēng bō | disturbance; crisis; disputes; restlessness; CL:場|场[chang2] |
| 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… |
| 时 | shí | old variant of 時|时[shi2]; surname Shi |
| 候 | hòu | to wait; to inquire after; to watch; season; climate; (old) period of five days |
| 还 | Huán | surname Huan |
| 从前 | cóng qián | previously; formerly; once upon a time |
| 一回事 | yī huí shì | one and the same (thing); one thing (as distinct from another) |
| 常常 | cháng cháng | frequently; often |
| 说起 | shuō qǐ | to mention; to bring up (a subject); with regard to; as for |
| 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 … |
| 于 | Yú | surname Yu; (of time or place) in; at; on; (indicating any indirect relation) to; toward; vis-à-vis; with regard to; for; (indicating a source) from; out of; (used in comparison) than; (used i… |
| 千万 | qiān wàn | ten million; countless; many; one must by all means |
| 之中 | zhī zhōng | inside; among; in the midst of (doing sth); during |
| 遇 | Yù | surname Yu |
| 所 | suǒ | actually; place; classifier for houses, small buildings, institutions etc; that which; particle introducing a relative clause or passive; CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 时间 | shí jiān | (concept of) time; (duration of) time; (point in) time |
| 无 | mó | used in 南無|南无[na1 mo2] |
| 涯 | yā | border; shore |
| 荒野 | huāng yě | wilderness |
| 里 | lǐ | variant of 裡|里[li3]; lining; interior; inside; internal; also written 裏|里[li3]; surname Li |
| 早 | zǎo | early; morning; Good morning!; long ago; prematurely |
| 步 | Bù | surname Bu |
| 晚 | wǎn | evening; night; late |
| 刚巧 | gāng qiǎo | by chance; by coincidence; by good luck |
| 赶上 | gǎn shàng | to keep up with; to catch up with; to overtake; to chance upon; in time for |
| 别的 | bié de | else; other |
| 话 | huà | dialect; language; spoken words; speech; talk; words; conversation; what sb said; CL:種|种[zhong3],席[xi2],句[ju4],口[kou3],番[fan1]; old variant of 話|话[hua4] |
| 可 | kě | (prefix) can; may; able to; -able; to approve; to permit; to suit; (particle used for emphasis) certainly; very; but; however |
| 惟 | ||
| 问 | wèn | to ask; to inquire |
This is true.
There was a village girl from a middle-class family, she was born a beauty, many people came to play matchmaker, but none [of the negotiations] succeeded. That year she wasn’t more than about 15 or 16 years old, and one spring evening, she stood at the back door, with her hand on the peach tree. She remembers she was wearing a moon-white shirt. [She had seen] the young man across the way but they had never greeted each other, but had never greeted each other, he walked over, no great distance, stood still, and in a soft voice said: “Oh, you’re here too?” She didn’t say anything, and he said nothing else, just stood there a moment, and then each went on their way.
It was over just like that.
Later, this girl was abducted by her relatives and sold as a concubine [to a man] in another county. She was resold again and again. After passing through countless dangers and storms, when she had grown old, she still remembered that one thing, and she often mentioned that spring night, under the peach tree at the back door, and the young man there.
Among all the thousands of people you meet, in all the thousands of years, in the boundless wilderness of time, there is no ‘behind’, and no ‘ahead’, there is only coincidental catching up, [and in such moments] there are no other words to say, only a gentle question: “Oh, you’re here too?”