Lu Xun Complete Works
| 鲁迅全集 | |
| Editor | Martin Woesler |
|---|---|
| Publisher | European University Press |
| Languages | Chinese (original), English, German, French |
| Works | 60 works catalogued |
| Sections | 1,518 text sections |
| Chinese characters | ~5.70 million |
| Translation status | 100% complete (EN/DE/FR) |
| Completion date | April 2026 |
| Dashboard | Translation Dashboard |
| Database | translations_db |
Lu Xun's Complete Works
鲁迅全集
| Translation completed in April 2026. All 1,518 sections of Lu Xun's Complete Works have been translated into English, German, and French -- the first complete trilingual translation of Lu Xun's entire oeuvre in Western languages. |
About Lu Xun
Lu Xun (鲁迅, 1881-1936), born Zhou Shuren (周树人) in Shaoxing, Zhejiang, is widely regarded as the father of modern Chinese literature. Originally trained as a medical student in Japan, he abandoned medicine for literature, believing that the spiritual ills of China required a literary, not a medical, cure. His works -- sharp, satirical, and deeply humanistic -- laid the foundation for modern Chinese prose writing.
Lu Xun's literary output spans short stories, prose poems, essays, literary criticism, and translations. His Diary of a Madman (Kuangren riji 狂人日记, 1918) is generally considered the first modern short story in Chinese literature, and his novella The True Story of Ah Q (A Q zhengzhuan 阿Q正传, 1921-1922) remains one of the most studied works in the Chinese literary canon.
He published two major short story collections -- Call to Arms (Nahan 呐喊, 1923) and Wandering (Panghuang 彷徨, 1926) -- as well as a celebrated collection of prose poems, Wild Grass (Yecao 野草, 1927), and the autobiographical essay collection Dawn Blossoms Plucked at Dusk (Zhaohua xishi 朝花夕拾, 1928). Beyond fiction, he was one of the most prolific and influential essayists of 20th-century China, with more than a dozen essay collections addressing politics, culture, and literature.
This Edition
This project has produced scholarly translations of Lu Xun's complete works into English, German, and French, with parallel Chinese text. The translation is based on the standard Lu Xun quanji (鲁迅全集) edition and draws on the original Chinese texts stored in a structured database with 1,518 text sections totaling approximately 5.70 million Chinese characters.
All 1,518 sections have been translated into English, German, and French as of April 2026.
The project is managed through a dedicated Translation Dashboard and uses the UVU Wiki platform for collaborative editing, version control, and peer review.
Translation principles:
- Fidelity to the original text, with scholarly annotations where needed
- Parallel bilingual presentation (Chinese original alongside translation)
- Consistent terminology maintained via the luxun_glossary database table
- Each work divided into manageable sections for collaborative translation
- Full footnote apparatus for cultural, historical, and linguistic context
Table of Contents
I. Short Story Collections
呐喊 Nahan — Call to Arms (1923)
Lu Xun's first and most famous collection of short stories, written between 1918 and 1922. The title alludes to his desire to "call out" (呐喊) and rouse the Chinese people from their spiritual slumber.
| # | Chinese Title | English Title | German Title | Sections | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 狂人日记 | A Madman's Diary | Tagebuch eines Verrückten | 2 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) |
| 2 | 孔乙己 | Kong Yiji | Kong Yiji | 1 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) |
| 3 | 药 | Medicine | Medizin | 174 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) |
| 4 | 明天 | Tomorrow | Morgen | 18 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) |
| 5 | 一件小事 | A Small Incident | Eine kleine Begebenheit | 26 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) |
| 6 | 头发的故事 | The Story of Hair | Die Geschichte des Haares | 1 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) |
| 7 | 风波 | The Storm | Der Sturm | 14 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) |
| 8 | 故乡 | Hometown | Die Heimat | 51 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) |
| 9 | 阿Q正传 | The True Story of Ah Q | Die wahre Geschichte des Ah Q | 9 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) |
| 10 | 白光 | The White Light | Das weiße Licht | 8 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) |
| 11 | 社戏 | Village Opera | Dorftheater | 4 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) |
| 12 | 端午节 | Dragon Boat Festival | Drachenbootfest | 1 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) |
| 13 | 兔和猫 | Rabbits and Cats | Kaninchen und Katzen | 1 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) |
| 14 | 鸭的喜剧 | A Comedy of Ducks | Eine Entenkomödie | 1 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) |
Collection total: 29 sections in nahan, plus individual story sections above. All complete.
彷徨 Panghuang — Wandering (1926)
Lu Xun's second collection of short stories, written between 1924 and 1925. The title conveys a sense of hesitation and uncertainty.
| # | Chinese Title | English Title | German Title | Sections | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 祝福 | New Year's Sacrifice | Das Neujahrsfest | 21 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) |
| 2 | 肥皂 | Soap | Seife | 22 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) |
| 3 | 伤逝 | Regret for the Past | Trauer um Vergangenes | 1 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) |
| 4 | 长明灯 | The Eternal Lamp | Die ewige Lampe | 1 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) |
| 5 | 幸福的家庭 | The Happy Family | Die glückliche Familie | 8 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) |
| 6 | 孤独者 | The Loner | Der Einsame | 84 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) |
| 7 | 弟兄 | Brothers | Brüder | 16 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) |
| 8 | 示众 | Public Display | Zur Schau gestellt | 4 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) |
Collection total: 25 sections in panghuang. All complete.
II. Prose Poems
野草 Yecao — Wild Grass (1927)
A collection of 23 prose poems plus a preface, written between 1924 and 1926. Considered among Lu Xun's most personal and philosophically profound works.
| Chinese Title | English Title | German Title | Sections | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 野草 | Wild Grass | Wildes Gras | 24 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) |
III. Essays and Reminiscences
朝花夕拾 Zhaohua xishi — Dawn Blossoms Plucked at Dusk (1928)
Ten autobiographical essays recollecting Lu Xun's childhood and youth in Shaoxing and his student years in Nanjing and Japan.
| # | Chinese Title | English Title | German Title | Sections | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 狗·猫·鼠 | Dogs, Cats and Mice | Hunde, Katzen und Mäuse | 1 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) |
| 2 | 阿长与山海经 | A Chang and the Book of Mountains and Seas | A Chang und das Buch der Berge und Meere | 1 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) |
| 3 | 五猖会 | The Fair of Five Fierce Gods | Das Fest der Fünf Wilden Götter | 1 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) |
| 4 | 无常 | Life and Death | Wuchang | 11 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) |
| 5 | 从百草园到三味书屋 | From Herb Garden to Three-Flavor Study | Vom Kräutergarten zum Drei-Geschmäcker-Studierzimmer | 1 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) |
| 6 | 父亲的病 | Father's Illness | Vaters Krankheit | 1 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) |
| 7 | 藤野先生 | Mr. Fujino | Herr Fujino | 1 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) |
| 8 | 范爱农 | Fan Ainong | Fan Ainong | 1 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) |
| 9 | 端午节 | Dragon Boat Festival | Drachenbootfest | 1 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) |
Collection total: All items complete.
故事新编 Gushi xinbian — Old Tales Retold (1936)
Eight stories retelling ancient Chinese myths and legends with modern satirical twists.
| Chinese Title | English Title | German Title | Sections | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 故事新编 | Old Tales Retold | Alte Geschichten neu erzählt | 6 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) |
IV. Essay Collections (杂文)
Lu Xun's zawen (杂文, miscellaneous essays) form the largest part of his oeuvre. Sharp, polemical, and often satirical, they address politics, culture, literature, and society.
| # | Chinese Title | Pinyin | English Title | Year | Sections | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 坟 | Fen | Graves | 1927 | 81 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) |
| 2 | 热风 | Refeng | Hot Wind | 1925 | 15 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) |
| 3 | 华盖集 | Huagaiji | Under the Canopy | 1926 | 35 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) |
| 4 | 华盖集续编 | Huagaiji xubian | Under the Canopy, Continued | 1926 | 28 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) |
| 5 | 而已集 | Eryiji | And That's That | 1928 | 2 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) |
| 6 | 三闲集 | Sanxianji | Three Idle Collections | 1932 | 18 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) |
| 7 | 二心集 | Erxinji | Two Hearts | 1932 | 37 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) |
| 8 | 南腔北调集 | Nanqiang beidiaoji | Southern Tones, Northern Melodies | 1934 | 60 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) |
| 9 | 伪自由书 | Wei ziyoushu | False Liberty | 1933 | 64 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) |
| 10 | 准风月谈 | Zhun fengyuetan | Quasi-Parlor Talk | 1934 | 7 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) |
| 11 | 且介亭杂文 | Qiejieting zawen | Essays from the Semi-Concession | 1935 | 59 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) |
| 12 | 且介亭杂文二集 | Qiejieting zawen er ji | Essays from the Semi-Concession II | 1935 | 47 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) |
| 13 | 且介亭杂文末编 | Qiejieting zawen mobian | Final Essays from the Semi-Concession | 1936 | 14 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) |
| 14 | 花边文学 | Huabian wenxue | Marginal Literature | 1936 | 61 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) |
| 15 | 集外集 | Jiwaiji | Uncollected Works | 1935 | 3 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) |
| 16 | 集外集拾遗 | Jiwaiji shiyi | Uncollected Works, Supplement | -- | 61 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) |
V. Scholarly Works
| Chinese Title | Romanization | Description | Sections | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 中国小说史略 | Zhongguo xiaoshuo shilue | A Brief History of Chinese Fiction | 1 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) |
| 汉文学史纲要 | Han wenxue shi gangyao | Outline History of Chinese Literature | 1 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) |
VI. Other Materials
| Category | Sections | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Diaries (日记) | 33 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) |
| Letters (书信) | 8 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) |
| Dated essays | 85 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) |
| Other collections | 30 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) |
| Other materials | 197 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) |
Translation Statistics
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Total works | 60 |
| Total sections | 1,518 |
| Total Chinese characters | ~5,700,000 |
| Sections translated (EN) | 1,518 (100%) |
| Sections translated (DE) | 1,518 (100%) |
| Sections translated (FR) | 1,518 (100%) |
| Completion date | April 2026 |
| Status | All translations complete |
Technical Information
- Database: PostgreSQL, database translations_db
- Tables: luxun_works (60 works), luxun_sections (1,518 sections), luxun_batches (translation batches), luxun_glossary (terminology)
- Dashboard: universitypress.eu/translations/luxun_dashboard.php
- Source files: PDFs, epub, azw3 formats available
- Wiki platform: MediaWiki 1.35 with Cite and ParserFunctions extensions