Spring

Zhu ZiqingMay 2017

4.3

Word count: 56K words
Chapters: 16

Summary

"Spring" is a work by the modern essayist Zhu Ziqing. In this "song of praise to spring," "brimming with poetry," the author in fact imbues the piece with the moods of a particular period, his pursuit of life and of character, revealing the traditional culture ingrained in him and his longing for a realm of freedom.

Editor's review

Though brief, Zhu Ziqing's "Spring" is a modern prose classic that rewards repeated reading. It depicts the many faces of spring's return with a poet's touch; plants, wind and rain, and human voices interweave into a clearly layered picture of the season, brisk in rhythm and fresh in imagery. Notably, this "song of praise to spring" is not merely scenery writing: between the lines lie the author's mood at a particular time and his pursuit of life and character, revealing a traditional cultural grounding and a longing for freedom. It can thus be read both as a model of scenery writing and as an entry point for understanding Zhu Ziqing's prose style and spiritual temperament. For middle school students it is a fine text for learning metaphor, parallelism, personification, and the blending of feeling and scene; for adult readers it suits casual reading at the turn of the seasons, reawakening sensitivity to nature and life through words. Its brevity makes it suited to close reading rather than skimming.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Middle school students who need to learn the craft of scenery prose and the use of rhetoric
General readers who wish to read a modern prose classic closely and savor its language
Teachers of Chinese who need a model text for instruction and analysis
Readers who enjoy short nature writing at the change of seasons

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer plot and story and want narrative
Readers seeking long systematic exposition or in-depth academic scholarship

Reading tips

Read it aloud once to feel the rhythm of the sentences and the momentum of the parallelism
On a second reading, mark the observational angles and rhetorical devices in the scenery writing and make brief notes
Consider the feeling behind the scenery in light of the writing context, then write a short response of your own
Compare with other spring poems and essays on the same theme to appreciate the clarity and restraint of Zhu's language

版权信息
春
《吴稚晖先生文存》
执政府大屠杀记
现代生活的学术价值
翻译事业与清华学生
悼何一公君
新诗
唱新诗等等
那里走
近来的几篇小说
悼王善瑾君
白马湖
论中国诗的出路
《文艺心理学》序
刹那

FAQ

Is "Spring" suitable for primary and middle school students?

Yes. The piece is short and its language fresh; metaphor, personification, and parallelism are dense, making it a common model text for learning scenery prose. Younger students should focus on reading aloud and accumulating vocabulary; older students can analyze the blending of feeling and scene under a teacher's guidance, without needing to grasp all the intellectual background.

What does this essay mainly describe?

Taking spring as its thread, the essay depicts plants, wind and rain, and human activity as spring returns, forming a clearly layered picture of the season, and weaves the author's mood and his pursuit of life and character into the scenery, functioning as both scenery writing and lyric expression.

Do I need to know the author's life to read "Spring"?

Not systematically, but knowing that Zhu Ziqing is a master of modern prose with plain, lucid language helps in grasping the style. To understand the feeling behind the scenery, a brief acquaintance with the cultural background of the period suffices; no deep research is needed, and the focus should remain on the language and imagery of the text.

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About the author

Zhu Ziqing Author · Chinese · 1898–1948

Zhu Ziqing (1898–1948), originally named Zihua and styled Peixian, was a modern Chinese essayist, poet and scholar. His ancestral home was Shaoxing, Zhejiang, and he was born in Donghai, Jiangsu. He taught for many years at Tsinghua University, where he served as professor and chair of the Department of Chinese. His essays often draw on everyday observations and personal experience; written in clear, refined language with sincere and restrained feeling, they convey deep reflection through plain narration. Pieces such as "Back View," "Moonlight over the Lotus Pond" and "Hurry" are widely read. Beyond creative writing, he devoted himself to the study and popularization of classical literature, notably in Common Talks on Classics, which surveys traditional texts in an accessible style. This collection holds more than 219 of his works, covering essays, literary appreciation and classic works. He died in Beiping in 1948.