Zhu Ziqing's prose

Preface

In March 1922, Mr. Hu Shizhi wrote an article "Chinese Literature in the Past Fifty Years"; at the end of the article he discussed the achievements of vernacular literature, Chapter 1 Three things said:

Vernacular prose has made great progress. The progress of long argumentative essays is obvious and can be ignored. In recent years, the most noteworthy development in prose is the "essay prose" advocated by Zhou Zuoren and others. This type of skit uses plain conversation to contain profound meanings; sometimes it looks clumsy, but it's actually funny. The success of this type of works can completely break the superstition that "beautiful writing cannot be written in vernacular".

Mr. Hu *** cited four items. The first category of vernacular poems, he said, "can be considered on the road to success"; the second category of short stories, he said, "has gradually taken shape"; the fourth category of dramas and novels, he said, "has the worst results." . He didn't say which one had the best results; but in terms of tone, the essays were at least as good as the vernacular poems and short stories. Now six years later, the situation is different: although vernacular poetry has made some progress, such as adopting the rhythm of Western poetry, it needs to be slowed down; the literary world is no longer as lively as before. At that time, Mr. Hu predicted that "there will be a bright period in the world of Chinese poetry within ten years." Looking at it now, it seems that he is not sure at all. The situation with short stories is better than before, while with novels the situation is almost the same as before. It is gratifying that noteworthy achievements have been made in both the performance and performance aspects of the drama. The most developed ones are short essays. Various publications that have been booming in the past three or four years have published many essays intentionally or unintentionally, and there have been more such publications in the past year. There are also many collections of essays published in various bookstores. Starting from volume 22 (1925), "Oriental Magazine" added a column called "New Languages", which also contained many short essays. "Article Practice" compiled by Mr. Xia Zunzun and Liu Xunyu has a special chapter on essays in addition to narrative essays, narrative essays, expository essays, and argumentative essays. Last year, the "Creation Issue" (No. 7) of "Novel Monthly" also had a special column for sketches. Short essays became extremely popular for a while. The Sick Man of East Asia, in his "Recovery of Hu Shi's Letters" (No. 12, Volume 1, "Truth, Beauty and Goodness") in March this year, discussed the achievements of literature in recent years: "The first is the short text, which contains satire, psychological analysis, and Naturally, there is often not much ink, but the aftertaste is dull. The second is short stories. The third is poetry.

..." This observation is generally good.

However, it is not enough to cite "laziness" and "desire for haste" as the reasons for the development of essays and short stories. Now let’s leave short stories aside and talk about essays: the so-called “laziness” and “desire for haste” are only one of its essential causes; its historical reasons are actually more important. We know that Chinese literature has always been mostly based on prose; the development of prose is in line with this trend. The system of sketch prose is also found in old prose literature; only the spirit is quite different. Let's take Yao Nai's thirteen categories as the standard. There are many sketches in seven categories, such as prefaces and postscripts, writings, prefaces, biographies, inscriptions, miscellaneous notes, and mourning memorials. The "Ancient and Modern Sketchy" selected by Chen Tianding even includes some sketches. It would be too broad to include edicts and mottos. When I say historical reasons, I only mean the historical background, not to point out the origin of modern prose. Mr. Hu said that the sketch prose advocated by Mr. Zhou and others “can break the superstition that ‘beautiful writing cannot be written in vernacular’”. The positive aspect of the "superstitious" he mentioned is naturally that "beautiful writing can only be done in classical Chinese." This means that beautiful writing has been around since ancient times, and only Mr. Zhou and others advocated using the vernacular. Mr. Zhou himself said in the preface to "Za Mixer":

...The literature, art and art of the Ming Dynasty were relatively more dynamic, and there was quite an innovative atmosphere in literature. The people of the Public Security School were able to ignore the orthodoxy of ancient texts and use All articles were written with a lyrical attitude. Although later generations of critics dismissed it as superficial and empty, it was actually an expression of true personality, and its value was higher than that of the Jingling School. The previous literati’s attitude towards works can be said to be dualistic, while they are unidimensional. In this regard, they are exactly the same as those who write articles in modern times... people in the past believed that writing was "to convey the Tao" Things, but in addition there is another kind of article that can be written for entertainment; now it is unified again. Writing or reading can be said to be for entertainment, but at the same time, it also preaches the truth or hears the truth. .

... This can also be said to be related to the new writers of the Ming Dynasty - they are somewhat similar to those of the Ming Dynasty. The writing is very European, and the thinking has naturally changed significantly compared to four hundred years ago.

This section discusses the historical background of modern prose, which is quite concise and very clear. Among the old prose literature, the articles written by celebrities in the Ming Dynasty are indeed the closest to modern prose. But we have to know that the direct influence of modern prose is still foreign influence; Mr. Zhou did not say this clearly. Let's look at Mr. Zhou's own books, such as "Alismatis Collection", etc., and the articles in them, both in terms of ideology and performance, can't be found in those articles of famous scholars? ——At most, the "interest" is somewhat similar. I would rather say that he has received more "foreign influence" than China. As for other writers, sometimes there is more foreign influence, such as Mr. Lu Xun and Mr. Xu Zhimo. The historical background only points us to a trend, and the detailed program is left to each person to decide. Therefore, when it comes to foreign influences, the historical background does not negate it. But you have to ask, if prose has such historical advantages, why were poems, short stories and dramas more popular in the early days of new literature? I thought maybe that was reactionary. This reaction was originally good, but the power of history was too great. You see, they supported it for several years and finally relaxed, allowing prose to resume its original position. This phenomenon is not sound; to understand this level, we must talk about the essential reasons.

Distinguishing literary systems and discussing their value, as Aristotle did in the Poetics, is a major undertaking of criticism, involving all kinds of discussions and conflicts. ; As a simple learner, I dare not give a word of praise. I just think that although the distinction between systems is sometimes difficult to determine, from a general point of view, each entity does have individual characteristics; these characteristics have different values. This difference can be seen when comparing lyrical prose with purely literary poems, novels, and dramas. We can say that the former is more liberal, while the latter is more rigorous: the words and syllables of poetry, the description and structure of novels, and the tailoring and dialogue of dramas all have various laws (in a broad sense, not limited to classical ones) and must be carefully Only by writing can you achieve success. Prose is different. The selection of materials and expression can be more casual; the so-called "gossip" is, in one sense, a good interpretation of it. It cannot be regarded as a pure work of art, and is different from poetry, novels, and dramas. But for "lazy" and "hurried" people, it is indeed a more suitable system. This is another reason for its development. I think that the real development of literature should start from pure literature. Prose literature alone is not enough; therefore, the current phenomenon is unsound. ——I hope this is just a temporary transitional period, and pure literature will soon develop again, at least as well as prose literature! But as far as prose is concerned, the development of prose in the past three or four years is indeed brilliant: there are various styles and schools, which express, criticize and explain all aspects of life. They have evolved and changed with each passing day: there are Chinese celebrities The wind has the style of a foreign gentleman, a hermit, and a traitor, and this is how it is ideologically. It can be descriptive, ironic, tortuous, meticulous, vigorous, beautiful, refined, flowing, or subtle, and this is how it is expressed.

I am a pawn in the great era, an ordinary person. Needless to say, my talent is meager, so I have never been able to write anything good. I have written poems, novels, and essays. Before the age of twenty-five, I liked to write poetry; in recent years, my poetry has dried up and I have stopped writing for a long time. The year before last, a friend read "War" that I accidentally wrote and said that I couldn't write lyric poems, only epic poems. This actually meant that I couldn't write poetry. I felt this way myself, so I became more and more lazy. I have written two short stories. When I read it out now, I see that "The History of Laughter" is just vulgar stuff. The material is crowded, like a shopkeeper with a big belly; "The Farewell" uses words and sentences so coquettishly, like a hemiplegic patient. It's really weird to read. Not comfortable. I think novels are very difficult to write; not to mention long stories, even short stories, that kind of economical and strict structure, I will never be able to learn it in my life! I don't know how to dispose of my materials so that they are in their proper place. As for drama, I have never dared to get involved. Most of what I write is prose. Since I couldn't apply the rules of pure literature, but I couldn't help but have something to say, I had no choice but to speak casually. Whether you call it "lazy" or "rushed", I naturally adopted this system. This small book contains prose written over the past four years.

Two of them may be a bit like novels; but you'd better just read them as essays, which are mutually beneficial. As for dividing it into two volumes, it's because the writing styles in the two volumes are somewhat different. I think I'll know how different they are after reading them. Regarding these two types of articles, my friends have opposite opinions. Ying had read "Travel Notes" and wrote to me saying that he didn't like me writing this kind of article because I was imitating someone; and imitation is forbidden. This is actually a bit unfair. I really have no intention of imitating anyone. He later watched "The Pilgrim" and wrote another letter saying that it was another side of me from "Back View" and he liked it. But that's not the case with fire. After reading "Traces", he said that he only liked the article "Civilization on Ships"; it was something like "Travel Notes". This is an interesting contrast. I don’t have any opinions myself, I just write how I feel I want to write at the time. I intend to express myself and do my best; the benevolent and wise opinion lies with the readers. Can you give me some points? Well, there are several articles here, please summarize them! ! It doesn’t matter..., hey~~

A different world

——Impressions after reading Zhu Ziqing’s prose

Walking through Mr. Zhu Ziqing’s writings, it feels like I walked into a forest. The sky above my head was tightly covered by the shade of trees, but the forest exuded a lazy and natural and harmonious light. It was not a gorgeous lighting lamp, but a soft color that reflected the author's inner emotions. Red, pink, orange, blue, indigo, cyan, purple... Then I seemed to be in many different worlds.

——Inscription

A. Walking, trotting, striding

“The swallows have gone, but they will come again; the willows have withered, and they will come again. When we are still green; when the peach blossoms have faded, they will bloom again..." I learned this piece of "Hurry" when I was in elementary school. In that young, ignorant and innocent world, we had spent three thousand years in Chinese textbooks with excitement. Condensing multiple days into a number, adding one to that number each day, and finally forgetting about it a month later. It's all like this. But time is still passing by, and the days are still running in the opposite direction to us day by day. Then we passed the fifth grade, passed the sixth grade, and now we are about to enter high school again. Sometimes I really feel that the speed of light is so incredible. No matter whether we are happy or sad, no matter how much we kneel down and pray to God for more time, time continues to run indifferently, and then we suddenly realize that we start to work hard and work hard. Start learning to race against time at the same speed or faster than time.

Sometimes we will win. We have paid a lot more than we should within a limited period of time. At this time, we have a wonderful sense of accomplishment. But this kind of persistence is really difficult. There were many times when I excitedly made a plan before the time came, and kept encouraging and comforting myself, "I have set a plan according to my own ability, and I can definitely complete it!" I felt better. I am also interested in adding beautiful lace to my schedule. But the plan always fails to keep up with the changes, the deadline is over, my mood becomes worse, and there are only a few red ticks on the plan... Is there anything I can do? There are too many things that tempt people, and they are always too good to me. I feel that I cannot wrong myself, so I act according to my will.

Therefore, after I turn 15 in June, my goal in the new year is to learn how to use my time so that I can be proud of my contribution to success! Let’s all race against time together, then run in small steps to exceed the time, then run in long strides to extend the time by a large distance, and look back and enjoy the joy of victory! (Ha)

B. The hidden gray area is changing

The first thing I read in "Selected Prose by Zhu Ziqing" was "Hate". After reading it, there was a long, long feeling I can't help but feel sorry for the society outlined in the text. There are many, many people in our country who come and go in different cities every day and do not know each other, which leads to sinking. Often some unexpected things can break the tranquility. But these things that break the tranquility are often like a glass. If it breaks, it breaks the tranquility and easily cuts many people's hands, so many people will suffer. But for other passers-by, most of them just wanted to tell their families something new after returning home: there was a car accident somewhere and at a certain time. It was really tragic.

There are also people, like the proud Hua Qiao in the article, who can relax their cold black eyes when they see a woman who has fallen, exclaim "Oh-ho!" and then reveal her without hesitation. That precious gold tooth. I feel angry and sad for him at the same time; I never like to say that others are pitiful and I don’t like others to say that I am pitiful, but for that person, I can say that he is really pitiful because he has lost his ability as a human being. The most basic virtue is to consider others. He felt that he was noble and arrogant, but was regarded by Mr. Zhu Ziqing as a negative example of the gray area of ??indifference between people.

What makes me feel relieved is that there are fewer and fewer such people, and our country is already full of warm feelings. The recent Sichuan earthquake is the best proof. I will never forget the rescue workers working day and night to save lives, and the kind-hearted people who went to the disaster areas to rescue the victims on their own initiative. Earthquake relief, united efforts! There is a boiling emotion in my heart that makes me want to cry, but there is a powerful force that supports me and makes me stronger. This is the great power of our Chinese nation! ! (Two exclamation points are not enough to describe my mood!)

I once felt that 2008 was too important and important for our country. In August, the Olympic flame will arrive in the capital Beijing, setting off The glory of the Olympics has come, but so many natural disasters have happened before that, I can't help but worry. But my friend told me firmly: only in the face of such a disaster can we prove to the world that our nation is qualified to host the Olympic Games! We want the world to see that the Chinese people are united and unyielding!

So I say that the gray area has become very light, because the unity of our nation condenses the sunshine and spreads it over every land in China.

Epilogue: I wrote two parts with ups and downs of mood, and I always felt like I was talking to myself all the time. The feeling brought to me by the flow of Mr. Zhu Ziqing's pen cannot be expressed in a few words. Putting down the pen, I think I will continue to read his words. (Diary on May 18, 2008)

Reading you

Third grade (11) 1135 Ding Wenjing

The first time I came into contact with you was probably from The article "Hurry" that everyone is familiar with. "The swallows have gone and will come again, the willows will wither, they will be green again, the peach blossoms will fade and they will bloom again. But, smart one, tell me, why are our days gone and never to come back? "This sentence inadvertently became an eternal classic in my heart. Perhaps it was at that time that I began to know you and understand you.

You said, "When I wash my hands, the days pass by the basin; when I eat, the days pass by the rice bowl; when I am silent, the days pass by my gaze..." I spit out gently. As I carefully pondered the beauty of each word one by one, I also realized that I must cherish time and not waste it. Thank you.

"Look, it looks like cow hair, like flower needles, like filaments, densely woven diagonally, and there is a thin layer of smoke covering the roof of the house." You tell me like a child . It was the first time I knew that such ordinary rain could be described so beautifully. "Spring" brings me gorgeousness and simplicity, and it also makes me prefer your lyrical prose, because I can always see your freedom and indifference in them, and read your sad mood, ups and downs. mood.

Your article "Moonlight over the Lotus Pond" suddenly drew me to "Above the twists and turns of the lotus pond, what I could see were the fields of leaves. I seemed to see those lotus flowers dressed in white. , "Some are blooming gracefully, some are blooming shyly; just like pearls, and like beauties just emerging from the bath"; I seem to see "the moonlight is like flowing water, quietly flowing over this area" On the leaves and flowers, light and shadow have a harmonious melody, like the famous song played by Fan Weiling; I even heard the sound of cicadas on the trees and frogs in the water. But at this moment, you said, "The excitement is They, I have nothing." For a moment, I seemed to be able to touch the desolation of your heart, because you always reveal your true emotions unknowingly.

Then I want to mention you "Back View" is another article that deeply moved me. I felt like crying when I read it. In "Back View", your language is not as gorgeous as before, but more simple and plain. The tear-jerking scenes and the ordinary and short dialogues can always stir up ripples in my heart. When I saw you and your weather-beaten father when you were a student, I felt the pain coming from his heart.

Fathers rarely talk, and they are not good at expressing themselves, but their unadorned love makes people moved. The saying "Father's love is like a mountain" is absolutely true. You also said in "Winter", "As soon as it was served on the table, I stared at the pot eagerly, waiting for the heat, waiting for the heat to fall from my father's chopsticks." I can clearly feel the father's love that is dense in the heat of the white water tofu. No matter how cold it is, the wind is heavy or the snow is heavy, thinking of this should make your heart warm.

In "Justice" you asked, "Where is justice in the world?" You compared justice to food and clothing. You said, "If two stones of white rice are piled in the house, you must eat them cleanly." Boxes of clothes are piled up in the house, and we always have to take turns to put them on, but a lot of justice is thrown aside without paying attention to it. We are so generous and willing to give up! It seems that justice is so cheap, it is not worth a tip of white rice! Son, a button on your clothes! "I can hear your anger, where is the justice in the world? It's all hidden in our hearts! You made it clear to us that "justice" is not just words, but must be put into action.

Your prose is beautiful, really beautiful, just like your name. Some people say they are "beautiful", some say they are "delicate", and some say they are "quiet", but they are all inseparable from the word "qing", Zhu Ziqing's "qing". In the hot summer, I am happy to sit in a quiet book bar, sip a cold drink, listen to beautiful classical music, read your words softly, savor the charm between the lines, read you carefully, and read a free and easy poem. You, the indifferent you.

It is such a pleasure to read you.

Worship of literature

Wang Yun, Class 1104, Grade 3 (11), Xiamen Foreign Languages ??School

In our impression, we can see two distinct A different Zhu Ziqing. One is a scholar strolling by the lotus pond, quietly enjoying the fresh tranquility of the summer night; the other is a democratic fighter who always cares about the motherland and uses the pen in his hand to run and shout for the rebirth of the motherland. No matter what our impression of Zhu Ziqing is, all we know about him comes from articles he wrote in different periods.

Reading "Back", we can see the image of a father who gives his son everything with his heart from the simple words, and feel what "father's love is like a mountain" means; reading "Hurry", we can see from the clear and beautiful words In the writing, we can read an author who observes life carefully and laments the helplessness of time gone forever; reading "White People-God's Proud Son", we can hear the author's hope for the future of the motherland from the unexpected experience on the tram. Worry... From different articles, we can read Zhu Ziqing's life and thoughts from different aspects.

I have always found Lu Xun’s articles difficult to understand, not only because of the gap between the written expression and the current situation, but also because I cannot deeply explore what connotations are hidden under the sharp pen? Is it a criticism of the dark society or dissatisfaction with the warlord rule? He hid too many things. When I finished reading Zhu Ziqing's essay "On Never Getting Tired of Reading a Hundred Readings," I discovered that it was difficult to understand because I had not read enough and not tasted enough. Classics are worth reading and savoring more. The literal image is only the surface, but the real essence is hidden. Only by reading the article into your heart can you have a dialogue with celebrities.

As Zhu Ziqing said in the article, "The difference between new literature and the poetry and novels of the past is that it takes its mission seriously. Whether it was feudalism in the early days or anti-imperialism later. Regardless of whether they are realistic, romantic or sentimental, literary works always express and criticize life seriously. In this way, literature abandons the atmosphere of entertainment and returns to seriousness. "We should have a kind of admiration for literature. A kind of respect should be taken to treat this kind of seriousness with the attitude of reading, rather than treating it as a kind of entertainment. Zhu Ziqing also told us that "reading a hundred times without getting tired of" should be based on fun, but this kind of fun can only be said to be pure fun. It does not cater to vulgar tastes, nor does it only require temporary pleasure.

So what am I reading now? How to read it? Why do you read it?

I have been studying since I entered the school. What I read is not any other book, but a textbook, or a teaching material. Because the school and the Ministry of Education require us to read, and use various large and small tests to test how well we read and to what extent we have read. After studying for so many years, I have become accustomed to this kind of reading mode, a kind of reading mode that is eager to cope with exams.

What I should read, how I should read it, and to what extent I should read it all seem to be planned, and the amount of literature I have actually come into contact with is pitiful. Instead, I read mostly recreational stuff like magazines. So, I discovered that for our generation, fashion seems to have quietly gradually replaced classics. I have read too little of those classics. Literature seems to be going further and further away from me.

Leaving aside the books we read for the moment, let’s take the school curriculum as an example. Chinese language no longer seems to occupy as important a position as it did in the past, and mathematics, physics and chemistry have gradually become part of all subjects. The most important thing. In the ancient imperial examination system, one person was determined for life, but now it seems that mathematics, physics and chemistry are everything that controls destiny. In a country like China with a cultural heritage of more than 5,000 years, this situation is indeed embarrassing. For Confucius, the great sage thousands of years ago, we should also feel deeply sorry today, right?

Everyone knows that reading is important, but in the process of reading, we gradually deviate from the track of how to read. Regaining classics, re-understanding human culture, re-taste and feel, and paying solemn worship to literature is what we urgently need to do now. Pick