Ascetic Practice

缪崇群May 2017

Rating 3.5

Word count: 1.6K words
Chapters: 3

Summary

They are all enemies, all enemies of our life; if we stand with the enemy or yield to the enemy, we have no life—that is, we do not want life. This is not a riddle, nor a riddle solved: to reach the homeland of truth, we have only to conquer those enemies along the way!

Editor's review

"Asceticism" is one of Miao Chongqun's prose pieces that leans toward spiritual inquiry. It is short, yet it thrusts before the reader the tension-filled image of "walking with the enemy." The "enemy" here is not a specific person or camp, but rather those factors within life that consume the will and dissolve meaning—inertia, fear, compromise, nihilism. In short sentences close to aphorism, the author repeatedly declares: to be with the enemy or to submit to the enemy is to have no life; to reach the "homeland of truth," one can only conquer along the way. This approach does not rely on story or elaboration; instead, rhythm and repetition create a sense of pressure and momentum, reading like a march under a heavy load. Its value lies in offering a spiritual stance that does not evade difficulty, rather than cheap consolation. It suits reading when one's personal state is low and one needs to restore inner order, and it also serves as a contrast text in modern prose anthologies discussing the theme of "resistance and self-examination." Readers should note its historical context and rhetorical mode, and need not take the "enemy" as a concrete object; instead, they should appreciate its symbolic universality.

Who it's for

A good fit for

General readers interested in modern prose and themes of spiritual self-examination
People in a low period who need to rebuild inner order
Chinese majors studying the rhetoric and themes of modern prose
Readers who like short, aphoristic texts and are willing to savor them repeatedly

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting full narrative and character plot
Readers who prefer light entertainment and reject abstract argument
Those sensitive to declarative tones bearing the marks of their era

Reading tips

Read through once to feel the rhythm, then circle the recurring word "enemy" paragraph by paragraph and observe how its meaning shifts.
Replace "homeland of truth" with your own current goal, write a hundred-word response, and test the text's connection to yourself.
Read alongside other prose by Miao Chongqun to observe similarities and differences in his lyricism and argumentation.
After finishing, reread it a few days later and record new details noticed on the second reading.

版权信息
苦行1
苦行2

FAQ

What exactly does "the enemy" refer to in this work?

The text does not specify a concrete object; it is closer to a symbolic expression and can be understood as internal or external factors that consume the will to live, such as fear, compromise, and inertia. Readers need not take it as a particular group, but should consider its universal spiritual orientation in context.

I haven't read other works by Miao Chongqun. Can I read this one directly?

Yes. This piece is short and its language condensed; it does not depend on prior plot or character relationships, so it can be read independently without difficulty. Knowing the author's historical background will make it easier to understand the origin of his tone, but this is not a necessary condition for understanding it.

Why does the writing read like a slogan or manifesto?

This is related to the author's aphoristic rhetoric of repetition and advance; short sentences and refrains create a sense of urgency in service of the theme of "conquering along the way." Readers can view it as a stylistic choice and focus on its rhythm and force, rather than measuring it by the standards of narrative prose.

Related on WeRead

苦行记马克·吐温甘地：苦行的圣雄莫·卡·甘地 DNF之剑术大师我是苦行僧无敌逍遥神我是苦行僧苦行渡烟雨听花

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

缪崇群 Author

Miao Chongqun is an author known for his essays and miscellaneous writings, whose creative output is chiefly represented by the twenty works collected here. Representative titles include Juan Juan Cao, Shou Sui Zhu, Ai Le, The Passing of Spring, Miss Manqing, Fengzi Enters the City, Nomura-kun, and the volume Southward Travel Notes from the Republican Masters Collection series. Judging from these titles and their categorization, his writing often centers on everyday people and events, seasonal changes, and travel observations, with a lyrical essayistic touch and a restrained, quiet emotional tone that reflects his attention to life's small details. Works such as Southward Travel Notes indicate that he also wrote travelogue-style pieces, combining journey impressions with personal reflection. Public information about Miao Chongqun's birthplace, dates of birth and death, education, and career is limited, and no such records are available here, making it difficult to sketch a complete biography. The existing works nonetheless show that he left a body of writing in the field of essays and miscellaneous prose, allowing readers to appreciate his style and thematic interests through the texts themselves.