Lu Xuns Autumn Night Symbolism Explored | Generated by AI
Question: Provide an introduction to the work “Autumn Night” (《秋夜》).
Answer:
《秋夜》 (Autumn Night) is one of the most famous prose poems (散文诗) written by Lu Xun (鲁迅), first published in 1924 in the collection 《野草》 (Wild Grass / Weeds).
It is widely regarded as one of the most poetic, symbolic, and philosophically dense pieces in modern Chinese literature.
Key Information
- Author: Lu Xun (real name Zhou Shuren 周树人)
- Written: 1924
- First published: December 1, 1924 in 《语丝》 (Threads of Talk) magazine
- Later included in: 《野草》 (1927)
- Length: ≈ 1,200 Chinese characters
- Genre: Prose poetry / symbolic essay / philosophical meditation
Main Content & Structure (very brief)
The piece opens with the famous line:
秋夜，我在后园里踱步。
(I pace in the backyard on an autumn night.)
The narrator observes a very small, very frail 枣树 (jujube tree) that still has a few leaves and some fruit despite the harsh autumn. This tiny, wounded, yet stubbornly surviving tree becomes the central symbol of the whole piece.
Later the narrator looks up at the sky — cold, distant, cruel, beautiful, indifferent, full of bright but heartless stars. The contrast between the suffering yet defiant little tree on earth and the lofty, uncaring heaven runs through the entire text.
The work ends with the repeated image of the枣树 (jujube tree) still standing — wounded, almost bare, but not giving up.
Core Themes & Symbols
| Symbol | Common Interpretation | Emotional tone |
|---|---|---|
| 小枣树 (small jujube tree) | The lonely, injured, yet unyielding individual / progressive intellectuals / Lu Xun himself | Defiant · Tragic · Stubborn |
| 夜空 / 星星 (night sky & stars) | Indifferent nature, cold society, distant ideals, oppressive tradition | Beautiful but cruel · Alienating |
| 秋夜 (autumn night) | Loneliness, desolation, the end of vitality, existential solitude | Melancholy · Cold · Heavy |
| 剩余的果实 (remaining fruit) | Small hope, last resistance, or futile persistence | Bittersweet |
Why It Is So Famous
- Extremely refined and musical Chinese language (considered among the most beautiful modern Chinese prose)
- Deep existential pessimism mixed with stubborn resistance
- Highly personal yet universal — many Chinese readers feel it captures the spiritual state of progressive intellectuals in the 1920s
- The image of the little枣树 fighting against the cold night has become an archetypal symbol in Chinese culture for “silent resistance” and “wounded but unbowed” spirit
It is frequently taught in Chinese high schools (especially in the prose appreciation unit) and is one of the most quoted and analyzed works in Lu Xun’s prose poetry collection 《野草》.
Short memorable quote often cited:
“然而秋夜是最黑暗的，星却最明亮的。”
(However, the autumn night is the darkest, yet the stars are the brightest.)
References: