To Tell the Truth

杨振声Sep 2026

3.6

Word count: 44K words
Chapters: 18

Summary

This collection includes such notable essays as "Tell the Truth," "Ritual Propriety and Art," and "The Chinese Language and Chinese Drama." Writing from within his own era, the author discusses literary language, dramatic reform, the art of poetry, and biographical writing, analyzing how ritual propriety constrains literature and the arts, and reflecting on the direction of the new literature and the responsibilities of writers. The book offers incisive assessments of contemporaries such as Yu Dafu and Zhu Ziqing, while advocating a literary ideal of sincerity and empathy. The prose is earnest and plain, combining rational inquiry with a man of letters' sensibilities, making it an important text for understanding the development of modern Chinese literature.

Editor's review

These essays by Yang Zhensheng are not lofty treatises but literary criticism and cultural observation with a sense of immediacy. The book discusses literary language, theatrical reform, the art of poetry, and biographical writing, with a clear sense of the questions involved: how ritual propriety constrained literature and art, where the new literature should go, and what responsibilities writers should bear. His assessments of contemporaries such as Yu Dafu and Zhu Ziqing are concrete and restrained, showing both insight and judgment. The writing is sincere and plain, and rational reflection does not lose the scholar's feeling, so it does not feel remote. The book's value lies in returning literary issues to their historical moment, letting readers see how a generation of scholars responded with sincerity to the real dilemmas of language and art. It is suitable for readers interested in the history of modern Chinese literature, theatrical reform, and critical writing, and also as a supplementary reader for understanding the development of new literature.

Who it's for

A good fit for

University students studying the history of modern Chinese literature who need a supplementary reader
Researchers concerned with literary language, theatrical reform, and critical writing
General readers who like plain argumentative prose and are interested in literati debates

Not a good fit for

Readers who only want literary works and lack patience for theoretical criticism
Readers expecting a systematic monograph rather than a collection of essays
Those completely unfamiliar with the context of Republican-era literary debates who do not wish to fill in the background

Reading tips

Read *说实话* first to grasp the author's basic stance of advocating sincere literature.
When reading the essays on Yu Dafu and Zhu Ziqing, compare them with the original works to appreciate the restraint of the assessments.
Separate the theatrical and linguistic issues and take brief notes for easy review of the arguments.
There is no need to read it all at once; choose pieces by interest and, after each, summarize the core argument in one sentence.

版权信息
说实话
礼教与艺术
中国语言与中国戏剧
《诗经》里面的描写
新文学的将来
迷羊
今日中国文学的责任
乞雨
情感腼腆
了解与同情之于文艺
说不出
诗歌与图画
诗与近代生活
我们要打开一条生路
传记文学的歧途
朱自清先生与现代散文
“五四”与新文学

FAQ

What do these essays have to do with readers today?

The literary language, theatrical reform, and writerly responsibility discussed in the book have not receded with time. Today's debates about sincerity of expression and the relationship between literature and society can still find reference points here. Yang Zhensheng's manner of assessment also offers a model of plain argumentative criticism and is helpful for learning how to discuss literary questions. Readers need not agree with all the views, but can use his sense of the questions to reflect on contemporary writing and criticism.

Can I understand it without a background in Republican-era literature?

Broadly speaking, yes, but some pieces involve contemporaneous writers' works and specific debates, and without background they may feel disjointed. It is advisable first to understand the basic outline of the New Literature movement, and when reading assessments of Yu Dafu, Zhu Ziqing, and others, to read alongside the relevant original works or brief introductions for smoother comprehension.

Do the discussions of theater and language still have reference value today?

They have reference value, but need to be viewed historically. The author was addressing the concrete problems of establishing vernacular Chinese and reforming theater, and some proposals bear the mark of their time. Today one can focus on his paths of thought: how language can stay close to sincere expression, how theater can break free of constraints, and how criticism can remain sincere. The way these questions are posed remains illuminating.

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About the author

杨振声 Author

Yang Zhensheng is a modern Chinese writer about whom relatively little biographical information is publicly available; his birthplace, dates of birth and death, and educational background are not clearly documented, and what can be examined today is chiefly his surviving literary work. Four of his works are included here: Selected Stories of Yang Zhensheng (unannotated edition), Telling the Truth, Old Wang the Miller, and Selected Literary Essays of Yang Zhensheng (unannotated edition), which shows that his writing spans both fiction and literary criticism. His stories are generally classified as social fiction and classic works, with themes close to social reality and everyday life, written in a plain style that focuses on portraying his characters' circumstances. His essays reflect his thinking on literary questions and his critical judgment. Overall, Yang Zhensheng's output is modest, but the combination of fiction and criticism in his writing offers readers useful texts for understanding his literary interests.