The Fourth Person

Name: The Fourth Person
ISBN: 9787521231649

林格Writers Publishing House · ChinaMar 2026

3.2

Word count: 102K words
Chapters: 145
ISBN: 9787521231649

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Summary

The Fourth Person gathers the author's reflections and records after entering his thirties. While writing the self, he gradually senses within the text a presence that is both self and not-self—like speaking to a mirror, where the whisper from within seems at once soliloquy and dialogue. The book contains 140 pieces in four sections: "The Virtual Image in My Mirror," which explores the relationship among self-perception, identity, memory, and reality; "The Real Image in Your Eyes," which reflects on social phenomena and the complexity of human relations; "The Phantom Image in His Fate," which examines the tension between fate, dreams, and reality; and "The Afterimage in Whose Dream," which probes the philosophical meaning of time, life, and existence.

Editor's review

The Fourth Person is Lin Ge's systematic look back after entering his thirties. Its 140 essays are divided into four sections that unfold layer by layer around the motif of the mirror: from "The Virtual Image in My Mirror," which questions self-perception and memory, to "The Real Image in Your Eyes," which observes social relations and everyday phenomena, then to "The Phantom Image in His Fate," where fate and dreams pull against each other, and finally to "The Afterimage in Whose Dream," a meditation on time and existence. The four sections are not simply parallel but move progressively from inner to outer, from the real to the illusory, forming a path of self-examination. The author's writing does not rely on grand narrative; instead, it enters through mirror-like everyday details and makes the subtle feeling of "self and not-self" concrete and palpable. For readers accustomed to seeking emotional resonance in essays, this book offers an ongoing self-dialogue; for readers who enjoy speculation, the four-part structure is itself a framework of meaning that can be taken apart. It suits slow reading—one or two pieces at a time—allowing the perspective of each section to settle gradually.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers around thirty who are reflecting on themselves and their direction in life
Readers who enjoy essays and introspective writing
Speculative readers interested in themes of identity, memory, and time
Readers who want to build a daily reading habit through short pieces

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer strong plot and fast-paced narrative
Readers expecting systematic philosophical argument or theoretical analysis
Readers unaccustomed to first-person introspective essays

Reading tips

Read through in the order of the four sections, noting the progression of perspective from "mirror" to "you" to "him" to "who."
Read two or three pieces a day, leaving time to digest each piece's self-questioning.
Jot down your own mirror experiences where something strikes you, in dialogue with the author.
After finishing the fourth section, return to the first to appreciate the echo between looking back and self-examination.

About the publisher

Writers Publishing House China · Founded in 1953

Writers Publishing House is a Chinese publisher focused mainly on literary publishing. Its output covers classical literature, foreign literature, folk literature and Eastern philosophy, with some extension into popular reading such as social fiction and parenting books. Its catalogue contains more than 900 titles, including representative works such as Dream of the Red Chamber and its edited editions, Shakespeare's Macbeth and A Midsummer Night's Dream, and foreign literary classics such as The Brothers Karamazov and Lost Illusions. In terms of authors, it includes classical writers such as Cao Xueqin and Gao E, foreign masters such as William Shakespeare, Dostoevsky and Balzac, and translations by translators such as Zhu Shenghao, Geng Jizhi and Fu Lei. Overall, its publishing profile balances Chinese and foreign literary classics, emphasizes quality translations, and serves both academic and general readers; publicly available information on its specific publishing plans is limited.

版权信息
总序
我镜中的虚像
他他
镜内人
拧毛巾
无法吸收
烦恼丝
过云雨
眉心
自画像
嘘
听不到
回声
叩门
听话
电话粥
控制
宅
交换
旧衣
不寐
还是会寂寞
分组
填色
预言书
散心
出门三宝
好天气
虎口
夜跑
献丑
剪指甲
智齿
咬
手足口
半杯温水
你在烦恼什么
醉
你眼中的实像
食得是福
无法穿透
撑
被雨伤透
精明眼
走私
半份夹饼
单选题
相对静止
节日快乐不快乐
红印斑斑
六合彩
最好的安慰奖
犹如游戏
罚
乖顺的孩子叛逆的羊
负担
言不由衷
换季
虚度
冷水
超载
向前走
限速
寄失
后院
最佳位置
自立
木纹
被淘汰以后
通达
同行路上
客观的偶然
断芯
天气预报
海鸥是否真的来过
暗之风景
小星星
他命中的幻象
亲爱的，我们都是追光者
你静止，我却停不了移动
白月光
茧
天黑黑
停电
幸运儿
抬头
捷径
忘记密码
小玩意
暴龙机
百变怪
白
愿
破洞
失联
后会无期
皮囊
副作用
入戏
尽兴
虫害
坏与更坏
答非所问
不回
上不了车的已身在轻轨飞驰
日记
了了有何不了
时间的囚犯
流年
人生大事
谁梦中的后像
最后一次
慢慢
房子
豆捞
岸
老派约会之必要
易碎
海马公园
宝灵街
再一次
上学去
勿念
麻将
苦菜心
风铃
替生命的终站种花
三乡茶果
理发
赖床
最后派对
目送
盐
结局
黑狗
褪黑
痛
呼救
西梅
消失的他
他的小花园
三丫苦
余甘
后记长路漫漫

FAQ

Is this book a novel or an essay collection?

It is an essay collection containing 140 pieces in four sections, centered on self-perception, social relations, fate, and existence. It is not a work of fiction.

What does the title "The Fourth Person" mean?

According to the book, while writing the self the author senses a presence that is "both self and not-self," like the whisper of someone in a mirror, which seems at once soliloquy and dialogue. The fourth person can be understood as the perspective that examines the self beyond "I, you, him."

What distinguishes the four sections?

The first, "The Virtual Image in My Mirror," discusses self-perception and memory; the second, "The Real Image in Your Eyes," observes social phenomena and human relations; the third, "The Phantom Image in His Fate," explores fate and dreams; the fourth, "The Afterimage in Whose Dream," explores time, life, and existence.

I haven't read the author's other works. Can I read this directly?

Yes. This is a standalone collection of essays; each piece is relatively complete and does not depend on prior works, so reading it directly poses no difficulty.

Comments

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About the author

林格 Author

Lin Ge, whose public information is currently limited: his nationality, dates of birth and death, and English name are not clearly recorded, and only one work by him is held in the collection, namely Fourth Person. Judging from the common classification, the book falls under essays and miscellaneous writings, suggesting that his writing tends toward the essay and informal prose genres. The title Fourth Person itself carries a formal, experimental ring, hinting that the author may explore narrative perspective and the use of person, but the available material is insufficient to determine the book's specific content or technique. With little biographical information and few works, it is difficult to sketch the full picture of Lin Ge's writing or to assess his influence and standing in the literary world. Readers interested in the author and his work may begin with Fourth Person to sense the thematic orientation and language style of his essays and miscellaneous writings, and then consult further public information as it becomes available.