More Anecdotes of Martial Arts

Lin ShuZhonghua Book Company · ChinaJul 2024

3.6

Word count: 19K words
Chapters: 47

Summary

The first edition of Ji Ji Yu Wen is unknown; the edition now seen is the Commercial Press edition of June 1913. It is a work in the classical-language note style, and what it records are mostly anecdotes and trifles about boxers from Fujian. Lin Shu had practiced boxing and swordsmanship since childhood and was skilled in these arts, so he writes with verve.

Editor's review

Ji Ji Yu Wen is a collection of note-style fiction by the late Qing translator and man of letters Lin Shu, first published in 1914. It is not Lin Shu's well-known translated work but a collection of classical-language short stories of his own creation, focused on the theme of "jiji," or martial-arts skill. The book contains forty-six brief, pithy stories, mostly drawn from folk rumor or historical anecdote, which sketch, in concise and vivid classical Chinese, the figures of knights, martial masters, and extraordinary people with unique skills. These stories do not merely play up fight scenes; they bind "skill" closely to "virtue" and "martial prowess" to "chivalry," and while displaying the charm of traditional Chinese martial-arts culture they attend more to portraying character, integrity, wisdom, and moral responsibility, reflecting Lin Shu's values and aesthetic taste as a traditional man of letters.

In literary terms, the book is an important text for studying the full range of Lin Shu's work and the evolution of late Qing classical-language fiction. Its style inherits the lingering resonance of Records of the Grand Historian and Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio; the narration is terse, and characters are often brought fully to life in a few strokes, showing Lin Shu's deep grounding in classical prose. As a cultural product of a particular historical period, the stories also reflect the ways people in the social turmoil of the late Qing and early Republic invested hope in and imagined chivalric spirit and individual martial power. This Zhonghua Book Company edition has been carefully collated, clearing away some obstacles for modern readers and allowing them a glimpse of the flavor of classical note-style fiction and another side of Lin Shu's literary world. For readers who enjoy classical literature, the origins of martial-arts culture, or the social atmosphere of the late Qing, this is a work worth savoring.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in traditional Chinese martial-arts culture and the origins of chivalric spirit
Literature lovers who enjoy classical-language note-style fiction in the manner of Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio
Readers who want to know Lin Shu as a creative writer, not only as a translator
Scholars or students of late Qing and early Republican literature and culture

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking the long plots and complex character relationships of modern martial-arts fiction
Readers who face major obstacles in reading classical Chinese and want light vernacular narrative

Reading tips

Read in the spirit of enjoying classical vignettes; do not seek a continuous plot, and savor a few pieces a day.
Pay some attention to Lin Shu's brief comments at the end of each piece, which often strike the key point and reveal his intent.
Understanding the stories' worldly observations and values in the context of late Qing history will deepen the reading.

About the publisher

Zhonghua Book Company China · Founded in 1912

Zhonghua Book Company is a publisher known for collating ancient texts and academic publishing, with its output centered on Eastern philosophy, culture, classic works, art, and historical reading. Its library contains 532 titles, including Chen Shou's Records of the Three Kingdoms, Guo Qingfan's Collected Commentaries on Zhuangzi, the four-volume Chinese Literature: Four Great Classical Novels, and the two-volume Table of Seal and Clerical Script Forms from Qin, Han, Wei, and Jin. These titles span historical classics, commentaries on the philosophers, classical novels, and philological reference works. Representative authors include Chen Shou, Guo Qingfan, Wu Cheng'en, Shi Nai'an, Cao Xueqin, Luo Guanzhong, Xu Wenwu, and the Hanyu Dazidian character-form group, reflecting a focus on primary sources and scholarly editors. Its publishing character lies in combining authoritative editions and annotated texts with both accessible classics and specialized research. Public information on its fuller catalog is limited; this note describes only the directions evident in the library's holdings.

方先生
郭联元
破钵
林植斋
洪崖二郎
周伯
陈孝廉
叶三伯爷
鹿鹿
瘿叟
横山二老
大腹盗
蔡宗贵
吴长生
苏士德
伏虎
洞箫徐五
铁人
侏儒
徐安卿
浮水僧
黄长铭
郑七
象
舵工
欧三
石六郎
刘君瑕
李梅
盗侠
逆旅老人
德州行客
村店小儿
康小八
华山道士
王宇
铁屐和尚
汤教师
穿山甲
祖塔院石桃
刘彭生
太湖盗
严瓣
张李成
牛三
巴黎力人
巴黎技师

FAQ

How does this book differ from modern martial-arts fiction?

This book is in the classical-language note style; the stories are brief and pithy, emphasizing character and the recording of strange deeds, with an archaic literary atmosphere. Modern martial-arts fiction is mostly long vernacular narrative, emphasizing plot structure, world-building, and character growth—different literary genres and modes of presentation.

Isn't Lin Shu famous for translation? How good is his fiction?

Lin Shu is famous for "Lin's translations," but his mastery of classical prose was very high and his own creative work is accomplished too. Ji Ji Yu Wen shows his command of classical narrative; the writing is concise and vivid, and it holds a distinctive place among late Qing classical-language fiction, an important window on his full literary achievement.

Are the stories in the book all true?

The book belongs to the category of note-style fiction; its contents mostly come from folk legend and miscellaneous anecdote, and it is not strict historical record. Lin Shu processed and re-created them literarily, aiming to convey a particular spiritual tone and cultural outlook; it should be read as literature, not as historical source material.

Related on WeRead

Comments

Find this book

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Lin Shu Author · Chinese · 1852–1924

Lin Shu (1852–1924), originally named Qunyu, courtesy name Qinnan, styled Weilu, was a native of Minxian, Fujian, and a late Qing and early Republican man of letters and translator who earned the juren degree in the Guangxu era. Though he knew no foreign languages, he relied on oral renditions by others and translated more than 180 European and American novels in classical Chinese prose. Among the most widely circulated are The Lady of the Camellias, Uncle Tom's Cabin, David Copperfield, and Ivanhoe, which profoundly shaped modern Chinese readers' acquaintance with foreign literature. His translations are elegant and concise, combining classical cadence with narrative force. He was also skilled in poetry and painting, and wrote the Weilu Collected Prose, Weilu Collected Poems, and the notebook Jiji Yuwen. The library holds 25 of his works, mostly translations of foreign literature, also touching on social fiction, mystery and detective stories, social science, and Eastern philosophy, reflecting the breadth of his translating interests.