This one-page lower-intermediate essay covers the biography of BingXin, a famous authoress from the early 1900’s. The essay writer also chronicles an interview he did with BingXin, and records some parts of their discussion.
冰心是中国现代著名女作家,全国人大代表。 她姓谢,冰心是她的笔名,所以也有人叫她谢冰心。
冰心是南方人,1900年出生,上小学时就已经读了不少中国古代的文学作品。 1914年她到北京一所教会女子中学读书。 五四运动时,她在北京上大学,参加了当时的学生运动。 同时,她也开始写作小说和现代诗。 1921年她参加了当时有名的”文学研究会”。 1923年她到美国去留学。 在美国,她一是研究文学,二是把在国外的见闻写出来, 寄回国内发表, 这就是后来的 《寄小读者》一书。
1926年冰心回国。回国后她在北京大学工作,教中国文学。 1929年到1933年她写有小说《分 》,《姑姑》等,同时还翻译了一些外国作家的作品。 1945年冰心去日本。 1949年到1951年她在东京大学教中国文学,1951年秋回国。 1958年《人民日报》发表了她的《再寄小读者》。 冰心不但是文学家,而且还是个教育家。 她非常爱孩子,爱祖国的后代,她用她的作品来教育孩子们。
在上中学三年级时我就读过她的早年诗作《春水》。 她的诗写得好美,非常感人。 后来,我一直喜欢看冰心的小说。 我大学的毕业论文就是《论冰心小说的美学风格》。大学毕业后我到一家报社工作。 今年夏天的一个上午,我有机会访问了这位还健在的老作家。 那天是阴天,气温不高,下着小雨。 早晨我起得特别早,穿了件浅蓝色的西服,坐公共汽车八点半就到了冰心家。
冰心家里市中心比较远,在新街口附近。 她住的是北京一所老师的院子,院子里种的很多花儿。
冰心是在客厅里会见的我。 客厅不大,很干净,墙上挂着一张山水画。 客厅书架上放着许多书,有中文的,也有外文的。 冰心一头白发,个子不高,瘦瘦的,看上去,不像是九十来岁的人。 一见面,我先问候了一下她的身体。 她说,他很少得病,有时候得了感冒,吃点儿药就好了。 我问她为什么还这么健康时,她说,就是经常锻炼身体。
后来,她回答了我几个有关三十年代文学的问题。 他一边喝茶,一边说。 当她进到当代文学时,我问他, “现在还写东西吗?” 她说,“想写啊! 就是眼睛不好了,写不动了。 每天就是看看报和杂志什么的。“ 当我问她当年为什么去美国留学时,她问我,“你出国了吗?” 我说,“没有。” 她对我说,“有机会要出去看看,在国外工作一两年。 在国外生活过的人就知道什么是爱国了。”
那天回到家,我一直想着她说的那句话,“在国外生活过的人就知道什么是爱国了“。
Hover a word for its pinyin & meaning; click to pin it.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 冰心 | Bīng Xīn | Bing Xin (1900-1999), female poet and children's writer |
| 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] |
| 中国 | Zhōng guó | China |
| 现代 | Xiàn dài | Hyundai, South Korean company |
| 著名 | zhù míng | famous; noted; well-known; celebrated |
| 女 | nu:3 | female; woman; daughter |
| 作家 | zuò jiā | author; CL:個|个[ge4],位[wei4] |
| 全国 | quán guó | whole nation; nationwide; countrywide; national |
| 人大 | Rén dà | Renmin University of China (abbr. for 中國人民大學|中国人民大学[Zhong1 guo2 Ren2 min2 Da4 xue2]) |
| 代表 | dài biǎo | representative; delegate; CL:位[wei4],個|个[ge4],名[ming2]; to represent; to stand for; on behalf of; in the name of |
| 她 | tā | she |
| 姓 | xìng | family name; surname; to be surnamed ... |
| 谢 | Xiè | surname Xie |
| 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… |
| 笔名 | bǐ míng | pen name; pseudonym |
| 所以 | suǒ yǐ | therefore; as a result; so; the reason why |
| 也 | Yě | surname Ye |
| 有人 | yǒu rén | someone; people; anyone; there is someone there; occupied (as in restroom) |
| 叫 | jiào | to shout; to call; to order; to ask; to be called; by (indicates agent in the passive mood); variant of 叫[jiao4] |
| 南方 | nán fāng | south; southern direction; (in China) southern regions, often referring to areas south of the Yangtze River |
| 人 | rén | person; people; CL:個|个[ge4],位[wei4],名[ming2] |
| 年 | Nián | surname Nian; grain; harvest (old); variant of 年[nian2] |
| 出生 | chū shēng | to be born |
| 上 | shǎng | used in 上聲|上声[shang3 sheng1] |
| 小学 | xiǎo xué | elementary school; primary school |
| 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… |
| 已经 | yǐ jīng | already |
| 读 | dòu | comma; phrase marked by pause |
| 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 |
| 不少 | bù shǎo | many; quite a few; a good number of |
| 古代 | gǔ dài | ancient times |
| 文学 | wén xué | literature |
| 作品 | zuò pǐn | work (of art); opus; CL:部[bu4],篇[pian1] |
| 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… |
| 北京 | Běi jīng | Beijing municipality, capital of the People's Republic of China (short name 京[Jing1]) |
| 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 … |
| 所 | suǒ | actually; place; classifier for houses, small buildings, institutions etc; that which; particle introducing a relative clause or passive; CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 教会 | jiāo huì | to show; to teach |
| 女子 | nu:3 zǐ | woman; female |
| 中学 | zhōng xué | middle school |
| 读书 | dú shū | to read a book; to study; to attend school |
| 五四 | wǔ sì | fourth of May, cf 五四運動|五四运动, national renewal movement that started with 4th May 1919 protest against the Treaty of Versailles |
| 运动 | yùn dòng | to move; to exercise; sports; exercise; motion; movement; campaign; CL:場|场[chang3] |
| 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) |
| 大学 | Dà xué | the Great Learning, one of the Four Books 四書|四书[Si4 shu1] in Confucianism |
| 参加 | cān jiā | to participate; to take part; to join |
| 了当 | liǎo dàng | frank; outspoken; ready; settled; in order; (old) to deal with; to handle |
| 学生 | xué sheng | student; schoolchild |
| 同时 | tóng shí | at the same time; simultaneously |
| 开始 | kāi shǐ | to begin; to start; beginning; start |
| 写作 | xiě zuò | to write; to compose; writing; written works |
| 小说 | xiǎo shuō | novel; fiction; CL:本[ben3],部[bu4] |
| 和 | hé | old variant of 和[he2]; surname He; (literary) harmonious (variant of 和[he2]) |
| 诗 | Shī | abbr. for Shijing 詩經|诗经[Shi1 jing1], the Book of Songs |
| 有名 | yǒu míng | famous; well-known |
| 研究 | yán jīu | research; a study; CL:項|项[xiang4]; to research; to look into |
| 会 | huì | can; to have the skill; to know how to; to be likely to; to be sure to; to meet; to get together; meeting; gathering; (suffix) union; group; association; (bound form) a moment (Tai… |
| 美国 | Měi guó | United States; USA; US |
| 去留 | qù líu | going or staying |
| 学 | xué | to learn; to study; to imitate; science; -ology |
| 二 | èr | two; 2; (Beijing dialect) stupid |
| 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… |
| 国外 | guó wài | abroad; external (affairs); overseas; foreign |
| 见闻 | jiàn wén | what one has seen and heard; knowledge; one's experience |
| 写 | xiě | to write |
| 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) |
| 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… |
| 寄 | jì | to entrust; to place in sb's care; (bound form) to depend on; to attach oneself to; to reside temporarily; (bound form) foster (as in 寄女[ji4 nu : 3] foster daughter); to send by po… |
| 回国 | huí guó | to return to one's home country |
| 内 | nèi | inside; inner; internal; within; interior |
| 发表 | fā biǎo | to issue; to publish |
| 这就 | zhè jìu | immediately; at once |
| 后 | Hòu | surname Hou; back; behind; rear; afterwards; after; later; post- |
| 小 | xiǎo | small; tiny; few; young |
| 读者 | dú zhě | reader |
| 书 | Shū | abbr. for 書經|书经[Shu1 jing1] |
| 工作 | gōng zuò | to work; (of a machine) to operate; job; work; task; CL:個|个[ge4],份[fen4],項|项[xiang4] |
| 教 | Jiào | surname Jiao |
| 有 | yǒu | to have; there is; (bound form) having; with; -ful; -ed; -al (as in 有意[you3 yi4] intentional) |
| 分 | fēn | to divide; to separate; to distribute; to allocate; to distinguish (good and bad); (bound form) branch of (an organization); sub- (as in 分局[fen1 ju2]); fraction; one tenth (of cert… |
| 姑 | gū | paternal aunt; husband's sister; husband's mother (old); nun; for the time being (literary) |
| 等 | děng | to wait for; to await; by the time; when; till; and so on; etc.; et al.; (bound form) class; rank; grade; (bound form) equal to; same as; (used to end an enumeration); (literary) (… |
| 还 | Huán | surname Huan |
| 翻 | fān | to turn over; to flip over; to overturn; to rummage through; to translate; to decode; to double; to climb over or into; to cross; variant of 翻[fan1] |
| 译 | yì | to translate; to interpret |
| 一些 | yī xiē | some; a few; a little; (following an adjective) slightly ...er |
| 外国 | wài guó | foreign country |
| 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);… |
| 日本 | Rì běn | Japan |
| 东 | Dōng | surname Dong |
| 京 | Jīng | surname Jing; short name for Beijing 北京[Bei3 jing1]; Gin or Jing, ethnic minority of China, descendants of ethnic Vietnamese people living mainly in Guangxi; Kinh, the ethnic major… |
| 秋 | Qīu | surname Qiu; old variant of 秋[qiu1]; used in 鞦韆|秋千[qiu1 qian1] |
| 人民 | rén mín | the people |
| 日 | rì | (bound form) sun; day; day of the month; (bound form) Japan (abbr. for 日本[Ri4 ben3]); (vulgar) to fuck; to have sex with |
| 报 | bào | to report; to inform; to announce; to respond; to reply; to sign up for; to register for (abbr. for 報名|报名[bao4 ming2]); to reward; to recompense; to take revenge; to retaliate; new… |
| 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… |
| 不 | bù | no; not so; (bound form) not; un- |
| 但 | dàn | but; yet; however; still; merely; only; just |
| 文学家 | wén xué jiā | writer; man of letters; CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 而 | ér | and; as well as; and so; but (not); yet (not); (indicates causal relation); (indicates change of state); (indicates contrast) |
| 且 | qiě | and; moreover; yet; for the time being; to be about to; both (... and...) |
| 还是 | hái shi | still (as before); had better; unexpectedly; or |
| 个 | gě | used in 自個兒|自个儿[zi4 ge3 r5]; variant of 個|个[ge4] |
| 育 | yù | to have children; to raise or bring up; to educate |
| 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… |
| 非常 | fēi cháng | very; really; unusual; extraordinary |
| 爱 | ài | to love; to be fond of; to like; affection; to be inclined (to do sth); to tend to (happen) |
| 孩子 | hái zi | child |
| 祖国 | zǔ guó | motherland |
| 代 | dài | to be a substitute for; to act on behalf of; to replace; to substitute; generation; dynasty; age; period; (historical) era; (geological) eon |
| 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… |
| 们 | men | plural marker for pronouns, and nouns referring to individuals |
| 三 | Sān | surname San |
| 年级 | nián jí | grade; year (in school, college etc); CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 我 | wǒ | I; me; my |
| 就读 | jìu dú | to go to school |
| 过 | Guō | surname Guo |
| 早年 | zǎo nián | many years ago; in the past; in one's early years |
| 诗作 | shī zuò | poem; poetic works |
| 春水 | chūn shuǐ | (literary) the water in rivers, lakes etc during spring, esp. after snowmelt or spring rains; (literary) a woman's limpid, glistening eyes |
| 得 | dé | to obtain; to get; to gain; to catch (a disease); proper; suitable; proud; contented; to allow; to permit; ready; finished |
| 好 | hǎo | good; appropriate; proper; all right!; (before a verb) easy to; (before a verb) good to; (before an adjective for exclamatory effect) so; (verb complement indicating completion); (… |
| 美 | Měi | (bound form) the Americas (abbr. for 美洲[Mei3 zhou1]); (bound form) USA (abbr. for 美國|美国[Mei3 guo2]) |
| 感 | gǎn | to feel; to move; to touch; to affect; feeling; emotion; (suffix) sense of ~ |
| 一直 | yī zhí | straight (in a straight line); continuously; always; all the way through |
| 喜欢 | xǐ huan | to like; to be fond of |
| 看 | kān | to look after; to take care of; to watch; to guard |
| 毕 | Bì | surname Bi |
| 业 | Yè | surname Ye |
| 论文 | lùn wén | paper; treatise; thesis; CL:篇[pian1]; to discuss a paper or thesis (old) |
| 就是 | jìu shì | exactly; precisely; only; simply; just; (used correlatively with 也[ye3]) even; even if |
| 论 | Lún | abbr. for 論語|论语[Lun2 yu3], The Analects (of Confucius) |
| 美学 | měi xué | aesthetics |
| 风 | fēng | wind; news; style; custom; manner; CL:陣|阵[zhen4],絲|丝[si1] |
| 格 | gē | used in 格登[ge1 deng1] |
| 一家 | yī jiā | the whole family; the same family; the family ... (when preceded by a family name); group |
| 社工 | shè gōng | social work; social worker; (cybersecurity) social engineering (abbr. for 社會工程學|社会工程学[she4 hui4 gong1 cheng2 xue2]) |
| 作 | zuō | (bound form) worker; (bound form) workshop; (slang) troublesome; high-maintenance (person) |
| 今年 | jīn nián | this year |
| 夏天 | xià tiān | summer; CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 一个 | yī ge | a; an; one; the whole (afternoon, summer vacation etc) |
| 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) |
| 机 | Jī | surname Ji |
| 访问 | fǎng wèn | to visit; to call on (a person or place); (computing) to visit (a website); to access (a network resource etc); (Tw) to interview (e.g. for a report or feature story); CL:次[ci4] |
| 这位 | zhè wèi | this (person) |
| 健 | jiàn | healthy; to invigorate; to strengthen; to be good at; to be strong in |
| 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… |
| 那天 | nà tiān | that day; the other day |
| 阴天 | yīn tiān | cloudy day; overcast sky |
| 气 | qì | gas; air; smell; weather; to make angry; to annoy; to get angry; vital energy; qi |
| 温 | wen | warm; temperate; temperature; to warm up; to review; surname Wen |
| 高 | Gāo | surname Gao |
| 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 … |
| 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 |
| 小雨 | xiǎo yǔ | light rain; drizzle |
| 早晨 | zǎo chén | early morning; also pr. [zao3chen5] |
| 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… |
| 特别 | tè bié | unusual; special; very; especially; particularly; expressly; for a specific purpose; (often followed by 是[shi4]) in particular |
| 早 | zǎo | early; morning; Good morning!; long ago; prematurely |
| 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… |
| 件 | jiàn | item; component; classifier for events, things, clothes etc |
| 浅 | jiān | sound of moving water |
| 蓝色 | lán sè | blue (color) |
| 西服 | xī fú | suit; Western-style clothes (historical usage) |
| 坐 | Zuò | surname Zuo |
| 公共 | gōng gòng | public; common; communal |
| 汽车 | qì chē | car; automobile; bus; CL:輛|辆[liang4] |
| 八 | bā | eight |
| 点 | diǎn | to touch briefly; to tap; to mark with a dot; to check off (on a list); to order (food etc); to select; to mention; to bring up (a topic or person); to hint at; to imply; to admini… |
| 半 | bàn | half; semi-; incomplete; (after a number) and a half |
| 到了 | dào liǎo | at last; finally; in the end |
| 家里 | jiā lǐ | home |
| 市中心 | shì zhōng xīn | city center; downtown |
| 比较 | bǐ jiào | to compare; to contrast; comparatively; relatively; quite; comparison |
| 远 | yuǎn | far; distant; remote; (intensifier in a comparison) by far; much (lower etc) |
| 新 | Xīn | abbr. for Xinjiang 新疆[Xin1 jiang1]; abbr. for Singapore 新加坡[Xin1 jia1 po1]; surname Xin |
| 街 | jiē | street; CL:條|条[tiao2] |
| 口 | kǒu | mouth; classifier for things with mouths (people, domestic animals, cannons, wells etc); classifier for bites or mouthfuls |
| 附近 | fù jìn | nearby; neighboring; (in the) vicinity (of); neighborhood |
| 住 | zhù | to live; to reside; to stay; to stop; to cease; (result complement indicating firmness or a stable achieved state) |
| 师 | Shī | surname Shi |
| 院子 | yuàn zi | courtyard; garden; yard; patio; CL:個|个[ge4]; (old) servant |
| 里 | lǐ | variant of 裡|里[li3]; lining; interior; inside; internal; also written 裏|里[li3]; surname Li |
| 种 | zhǒng | seed; species; kind; type; classifier for types, kinds, sorts |
| 很 | hěn | very; quite; (also, often used before an adjective without intensifying its meaning, i.e. as a meaningless syntactic element) |
| 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- |
| 花儿 | huā ér | style of folk song popular in Gansu, Qinghai and Ningxia; CL:首[shou3] |
| 客厅 | kè tīng | living room; sitting room; CL:間|间[jian1] |
| 会见 | huì jiàn | to meet with (sb who is paying a visit); CL:次[ci4] |
| 不大 | bù dà | not very (clear, far away etc); not too; not often; infrequently |
| 干净 | gān jìng | clean; neat |
| 墙 | qiáng | variant of 牆|墙[qiang2]; wall (CL:面[mian4],堵[du3]); (slang) to block (a website) (usu. in the passive: 被牆|被墙[bei4 qiang2]) |
| 挂 | guà | to hang; to suspend (from a hook etc); to hang up (the phone); (of a line) to be dead; to be worried; to be concerned; (dialect) to make a phone call; to register (at a hospital); … |
| 张 | Zhāng | surname Zhang |
| 山水画 | shān shuǐ huà | landscape painting |
| 架 | jiǎ | to support; rack; classifier for planes, large vehicles, radios etc |
| 放 | fàng | to put; to place; to release; to free; to let go; to let out; to set off (fireworks) |
| 许多 | xǔ duō | many; a lot of; much |
| 中文 | Zhōng wén | Chinese language |
| 外文 | wài wén | foreign language (written) |
| 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] |
| 白发 | bái fà | white or gray hair; CL:根[gen1] |
| 个子 | gè zi | stature; height; size (of a person or object); (agriculture) bundle of cereal stalks tied together |
| 瘦 | shòu | thin; to lose weight; (of clothing) tight; (of meat) lean; (of land) unproductive |
| 看上去 | kàn shang qu | it would appear; it seems (that) |
| 像 | xiàng | to resemble; to be like; to look as if; such as; appearance; image; portrait; image under a mapping (math.) |
| 九十 | jǐu shí | ninety |
| 岁 | suì | variant of 歲|岁[sui4], year; years old; classifier for years (of age); year; year (of crop harvests) |
| 见面 | jiàn miàn | to meet; to see each other; CL:次[ci4] |
| 先 | xiān | beforehand; first; earlier; at first; originally; for the time being; for now; (prefix) my late (in referring to deceased relatives older than oneself) |
| 问 | wèn | to ask; to inquire |
| 候 | hòu | to wait; to inquire after; to watch; season; climate; (old) period of five days |
| 一下 | yī xià | (after a verb) a bit; a little (indicating brief duration, or softening the tone, or suggesting giving sth a try); all at once; suddenly |
| 身体 | shēn tǐ | the body; one's health |
| 说 | shuì | to persuade; variant of 說|说[shuo1] |
| 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]) |
| 少 | shǎo | few; less; to lack; to be missing; to stop (doing sth); seldom |
| 得病 | dé bìng | to fall ill; to contract a disease |
| 有时 | yǒu shí | sometimes; now and then |
| 得了 | dé le | all right!; that's enough! |
| 冒 | mào | old variant of 冒[mao4]; surname Mao |
| 吃 | chī | to eat; to consume; to eat at (a cafeteria etc); to eradicate; to destroy; to absorb; to suffer (shock, injury, defeat etc); variant of 吃[chi1] |
| 点儿 | diǎn r | erhua variant of 點|点[dian3] |
| 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 |
| 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] |
| 这么 | zhè me | so much; this much; how much?; this way; like this |
| 康 | Kāng | surname Kang |
| 经常 | jīng cháng | frequently; constantly; regularly; often; day-to-day; everyday; daily |
| 锻 | duàn | to forge; to discipline; wrought |
| 炼 | liàn | to refine; to smelt; variant of 鏈|链[lian4], chain; variant of 煉|炼[lian4] |
| 回答 | huí dá | to reply; to answer; reply; answer |
| 几个 | jǐ ge | a few; several; how many |
| 关 | Guān | surname Guan |
| 三十 | sān shí | thirty; 30 |
| 年代 | nián dài | a decade of a century (e.g. the Sixties); age; era; period; CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 问题 | wèn tí | question; problem; issue; topic; CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 一边 | yī biān | one side; either side; on the one hand; on the other hand; doing while |
| 喝 | hē | to drink; variant of 嗬[he1] |
| 茶 | chá | tea; tea plant; CL:杯[bei1],壺|壶[hu2] |
| 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 |
| 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 com… |
| 当代 | dāng dài | the present age; the contemporary era |
| 现 | xiàn | to appear; present; now; existing; current |
| 西 | Xī | the West; abbr. for Spain 西班牙[Xi1 ban1 ya2]; Spanish |
| 吗 | má | (coll.) what? |
| 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) |
| 啊 | ā | interjection of surprise; Ah!; Oh! |
| 眼睛 | yǎn jing | eye; CL:隻|只[zhi1],雙|双[shuang1] |
| 不好 | bù hǎo | no good |
| 不动 | bù dòng | motionless |
| 每天 | měi tiān | every day |
| 看看 | kàn kan | to take a look at; to examine; to survey; (coll.) pretty soon |
| 杂 | zá | variant of 雜|杂[za2]; mixed; miscellaneous; various; to mix |
| 志 | zhì | aspiration; ambition; the will; sign; mark; to record; to write a footnote |
| 当年 | dāng nián | in those days; back then; in those years; to be in the prime of life |
| 留学 | líu xué | to study abroad |
| 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.) |
| 出国 | chū guó | to go abroad; to leave the country |
| 没有 | méi yǒu | haven't; hasn't; doesn't exist; to not have; to not be |
| 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… |
| 会要 | huì yào | dynastic records of imperial China |
| 出去 | chū qù | to go out |
| 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) |
| 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… |
| 活 | huó | to live; alive; living; work; workmanship |
| 知道 | zhī dào | to know; to become aware of; also pr. [zhi1dao5] |
| 爱国 | ài guó | to love one's country; patriotic |
| 回到 | huí dào | to return to |
| 那 | Nā | surname Na |
| 句 | gōu | variant of 勾[gou1] |
| 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] |
Bing Xin is a famous modern Chinese writer who represents all her countrymen. Her last name is Xie, BingXin is her pen name, so there are still some people that call her Xie BingXin.
BingXin is a southerner. She was born in the year 1900, and by the time she began primary school, she’d already read quite a few works of ancient Chinese literature. In 1914, she attended a Christian girl’s high school in Beijing. During the May 4th Movement, she was attending college in Beijing, and she participated in the student movement of that time. At the same time, she also began writing novels and modern poetry. In 1921, she participated in the famous “Literature Research Conference”. In 1923, she left to study abroad in America. In America, she researched literature, and at the same time wrote down the things she saw and heard overseas, sending them back to China. These works later became the basis of the book “To Young Readers”.
In 1926, BingXin returned from abroad. After she returned, she worked at Beijing University teaching Chinese literature. From 1929 to 1933 she wrote the novels “Segregation”, “Aunt”, etc., and at the same time translated the works of a few foreign writers. In 1945, BingXin went to Japan. From 1949 to 1951, she taught Chinese literature at Tokyo University, returning home in autumn of 1951. In 1958, the “People’s Daily” published her work “To Young Readers 2”. BingXin wasn’t only a literature expert, she was also a teacher. She loved children, she loved the offspring of her motherland, and she used her writings to teach children.
In my third year of high school, I read her early poem “Spring Water”. It was written beautifully and was very moving. After that, I always loved to read BingXin’s novels. My college thesis was “On the Aesthetic Style of BingXin’s Novels”. After I graduated college, I went to work for a publishing company. One summer morning this year, I got the opportunity to interview this master writer who is still with us today. That day was cloudy, cold, and rainy. I got up extremely early, put on a light blue suit, got on the bus and at 8:30 arrived at BingXin’s house.
BingXin’s house was fairly far from the city center, near XinJieKou [a subdivision of Beijing]. She lived in a Beijing retirement community. There were many flowers in the yard.
BingXin met me in the living room. The living room wasn’t big, was very clean, and a landscape painting was hanging on the wall. The living room bookshelf held all kinds of books, some were in Chinese, and some were in foreign languages. BingXin had white hair, was short of stature and very thin, but looking at her she didn’t seem like someone who was in her nineties. After we met, I first enquired after her health. She said that she was rarely sick, and though sometimes she caught cold, a little medicine fixed her right up. When I asked her why she was still so healthy, she said it’s because of frequent exercise.
Later, she answered a few of my questions about literature in the thirties. She drank tea as she spoke. When she touched on the topic of modern literature, I asked her, “Do you still write?” She said, “I want to! It’s just that my eyes aren’t so good, I can’t write anymore. Every day I just read the paper or a magazine or something.” When I asked her why she had gone abroad to study, she asked me, “Have you been abroad?” I said, “No.” She said to me, “Go have a look if you have the opportunity, work for a year or two in another country. People who’ve lived abroad know what patriotism means.”
That day, when I got back to my house, I kept thinking about that one thing she’d said: “People who’ve lived aborad know what patriotism means.”