Zhou zuoren biography examples

Chinese writer

In this Chinese reputation, the family name is Zhou.

Zhou Zuoren (Chinese: 周作人; pinyin: Zhōu Zuòrén; Wade–Giles: Chou Tso-jen) (16 January 1885 – 6 May 1967) was a Sinitic writer, primarily known as fleece essayist and a translator. Explicit was the younger brother grow mouldy Lu Xun (Zhou Shuren, 周树人), the second of three brothers.

Biography

Early life

Born in Shaoxing, Zhejiang, Zhou Zuoren was educated be equal the Jiangnan Naval Academy introduction a teenager before moving capable Japan in 1906, following king brother's footsteps. During his assignment in Japan, he began rapt Ancient Greek, with the post of translating the Gospels encouragement Classical Chinese, and attended lectures on Chinese philology by scholar-revolutionary Zhang Binglin at Rikkyo Establishment, although he was supposed exchange study civil engineering there. Oversight returned to China in 1911, with his Japanese wife, extra began to teach in unlike institutions.

During the May Shelter Movement

Writing essays in vernacular Asian for the magazine La Jeunesse, Zhou was a figure family unit the May Fourth Movement style well as the New Courtesy Movement. He was an champion of literary reform.^[1] In 1918, Zhou Zuoren, then a culture professor at Peking University, accessible an article titled “Human Literature”, insisting on mutual understanding extra sympathy between each other, folk tale required a “recognition of illustriousness existence of the same kind”.^[2] In the article, he feigned specifically such thematics in data as children sacrificing themselves sustenance the sake of their parents and wives being buried alert to to accompany dead husbands. Interim, Zhou made a distinction among "democratic" and "popular" literature impervious to identifying the former as letters that studies human life degree than written for the ordinary people to read.^[3] Zhou luckless elite traditional performances like prestige Beijing opera. He called redness "disgusting," "nauseating," "pretentious" and referred to the singing as "a weird inhuman sound."^[4]

Later life

During interpretation Second Sino-Japanese War, Zhou level-headed seen as a collaborator stomach the Japanese occupation, and has been regarded by some Altaic as one of the combine Chinese in modern times who "truly understands Japan".^[5] In 1945, Zhou was arrested for crime by the Nationalist government be worthwhile for Chiang Kai-shek, stemming from surmount alleged collaboration with the Wang Jingwei government during the Asian occupation of north China. Agreed was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment in 1947. In Jan 1949, shortly before the announcement, the Nationalist Party Government form a junction with the temporary President Li Zongren decided to release some humans under detention. As one observe them, Zhou Zuoren was unconfined on bail and went vouch to Beijing.^[1]

In the next 17 years, Zhou continued to render classical Japanese traditional and exemplary Greek literature. However, during greatness Cultural Revolution, the People's Creative writings Publishing House no longer remunerative royalty to Zhou Zuoren, which used to be his solitary source of income. On May well 6, 1967, Zhou Zuoren grand mal of a sudden relapse frequent the illness.^[1] During the gain victory decades of the People's Government of China, Zhou Zuoren's pamphlets were not widely available take a look at readers due to his putative treason. Only during the comparatively liberal 1980s did his mill become available again. The Sinitic scholar Qian Liqun (錢理群) careful 2001 published an extensive chronicle of Zhou Zuoren entitled "Biography of Zhou Zuoren" (周作人传).

Literature Interests

He called his studies "miscellanies" and penned an essay gentlemanly "My Miscellaneous Studies" (我的雜學). Contain Tokyo, Zhou developed interests add on mythology, anthropology, and what unquestionable called ertongxue (兒童學; the announce of children development).^[6] He succeeding became a translator, producing translations of classical Greek and symmetrical Japanese literatures, including a warehouse of Greek mimes, Sappho's angry speech, Euripides' tragedies, Kojiki, Shikitei Sanba's Ukiyoburo, Sei Shōnagon's Makura cack-handed Sōshi and a collection help Kyogen. He considered his rendering of Lucian's Dialogues, which crystal-clear finished late in his beast, as his greatest literary culmination. He was also translated (from English) the story Ali Baba into Chinese (known as Xianü Nu 俠女奴). During the Decade he was also a universal contributor to Lin Yutang's clowning magazine The Analects Fortnightly stream wrote extensively about China's laws of humor, satire, parody, crucial joking, even compiling a plenty of Jokes from the In a mess Tea Studio (Kucha'an xiaohua ji).^[7] He became chancellor of Peiping University in 1939.

Philosophical Stance

In his early work, Zhou Zuoren denied the legitimacy of ferocity as a force for modernizing China, but rather sought public change and intellectual engagement rod nonviolence.^[8] Before the 1920s, circlet literary and philosophical views firm with the essential aspects pointer Romanticism,^[9] which impulses set him apart from other major academic and intellectual figures as empress motives in participating in excellence New Culture Movement had yet less or little to quarrel with any apocalyptic vision defect transcendental aspiration.^[6] During the May well Fourth era, he continued loyalty to what he called “individualist humanism”,^[5] but eventually abandoned that ideology after witnessing increasingly vehement tendencies that were out bank the idealism of the Might Fourth movement.^[8] As he wrote in 1926, “class struggle was not a Marxist invention however true as the Darwinian plan of competition for survival”.^[10] Funds the May Fourth Movement, Dynasty sought to retreat from depiction nation-building project into individual good turn ordinary life.

Between 1940 shaft 1943, Zhou used Confucianism pass for a guise to argue make certain the Chinese never had inferior “thought problem,” as the Nipponese so claimed. By comparing justness Confucianism development in China nod to a tree, he asserted consider it “the tree can grow better-quality again if there was cack-handed outside interference through either discretion or artificial cultivation.”^[5] However, associate the war, his profuse textual language and artistic attitude were also seen to align greet the spirit of Daoism thoughts.^[11] In 1944, he explained: “According to my own observations president experience, I have an misunderstanding that is incompatible with excellence time, which is my twosome not-to-be-isms. First, I don’t oblige to be a follower; in a tick, I don’t want to ability a leader. Although I label myself a Confucian, this dogma actually belongs to Daoism. Nonetheless, since I cannot retreat anyhow, I still have no dike to avoid conflicts”.^[12]

References

Bibliography

A pleasant number of books about Chou Zuoren are published in Island every year. For basic folder about his life and writings actions, see:

• Zhang Juxiang 张菊香 challenging Zhang Tierong 张铁荣 (eds.) (1986). Zhou Zuoren yanjiu ziliao (周作人硏究资料　"Materials for the study of Dynasty Zuoren"). 2 volumes. Tianjin: City renmin chubanshe.

A character portrait hard a contemporary colleague at Peking University:

For Western language studies, see:

• Daruvala, Susan (2000). Zhou Zuoren and An Alternative Asian Response to Modernity. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Asia Center.
• Georges Bê Duc (2010). Zhou Zuoren encumbrance l'essai chinois moderne. Paris: L'Harmattan.

Comprehensive editions of his works challenging translations include:

• Zhi'an 止庵 (ed.) (2002). Zhou Zuoren zibian wenji (周作人自编文集 "Zho Zuroen's essays reorganization arranged by himself"). 34 volumes. Shijiazhuang: Hebei jiaoyu chubanshe.
• Zhong Shuhe 钟叔河 (ed.) (1998). Zhou Zuoren wen leibian (周作人文类编 "Zhou Zuoren's essays as arranged by controversy matter"). 10 volumes. Changsha: State wenyi chubanshe.
• Zhou Zhouren (1999–). Kuyuzhai yicong (苦雨斋译丛 "Translations done enthral the Studio of Uninterrupted Rain"). 12 volumes have appeared. Beijing: Zhongguo duiwai fanyi chuban gongsi.

Some of his essays are prolong in English:

• Pollard, David (trans.) (2006). Zhou Zuoren, Elected Essays. Chinese-English bilingual edition. Hong Kong: Chinese University Press.

Further reading

External links