A Mother’s Quiet Love Endures | Generated by AI
Question: Provide an introduction to “先妣事略”
Answer:
先妣事略 (Xiān bǐ shì luè) is a very famous Chinese biographical essay written by 归有光 (Guī Yǒuguāng, 1506–1571), one of the most important prose writers of the Ming dynasty and a central figure in the Tang-Song school (唐宋派) of classical Chinese writing.
Basic Information
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Title meaning:
先妣 = my late mother
事略 = brief account of conduct / short biography
→ “A Brief Account of My Deceased Mother” -
Length: Very short — only about 400–500 characters, yet regarded as one of the most moving and artistically perfect short prose pieces in late imperial Chinese literature.
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Year: Most likely written around 1550–1560 (exact date uncertain).
Why it is so famous
归有光 lost his mother 魏孺人 (Lady Wei) when he was only 八岁 (eight years old). The essay was written many years later when the author was already an adult.
Despite its brevity, it achieves extraordinary emotional depth through:
- Extremely plain and simple language (almost conversational at times)
- Precise, restrained selection of ordinary domestic details
- Complete avoidance of ornate rhetoric and empty praise
- Contrast between small everyday memories and the huge, lifelong pain of loss
Most famous passage (almost every Chinese reader knows these lines)
儿之幼也，母抚儿，儿啼，母曰：“儿啼，吾儿也。”
儿稍长，母教儿读书，儿读书，母倚户而望，儿出，母泣数行下。
…
呜呼！痛哉！痛哉！
These lines use very simple vocabulary but create overwhelming sadness through repetition, small details, and the mother’s quiet, wordless crying.
Literary significance
- Represents the highest achievement of “真” (genuine feeling / sincerity) in Ming prose
- Influenced almost all later Qing dynasty writers who valued emotional authenticity over formal elegance (e.g. 桐城派 also greatly admired it)
- Frequently included in middle school and high school textbooks in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore
- Often compared with Han Yu’s 《祭十二郎文》, Zhu Ziqing’s 《背影》, and other “tear-jerking” family remembrance pieces
Modern status
It remains one of the few classical Chinese essays that can still make both teenagers and adults feel deeply moved when read carefully today — a rare combination of literary excellence and universal human emotion.
In short: 先妣事略 is not long, not difficult in vocabulary, but belongs to the small group of Chinese prose masterpieces that are emotionally devastating in their simplicity.
References:
- None (classical text commonly taught in Chinese education systems; no specific modern webpage required for basic introduction)