Lu Xun Complete Works
| 鲁迅全集 | |
| Editor | Martin Woesler |
|---|---|
| Publisher | European University Press |
| Languages | Chinese (original), German, English |
| Works | 55 works catalogued |
| Sections | 1,357 text sections |
| Chinese characters | ~5.66 million |
| Translation status | Not yet begun (0%) |
| Dashboard | Translation Dashboard |
| Database | translations_db |
Lu Xun's Complete Works
鲁迅全集
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 aims to produce scholarly translations of Lu Xun's complete works into German and English, 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 1,357 text sections totaling approximately 5.66 million Chinese characters.
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 Verruckten | 2 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) |
| 2 | 孔乙己 | Kong Yiji | Kong Yiji | 1 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) |
| 3 | 药 | Medicine | Medizin | 171 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) |
| 4 | 明天 | Tomorrow | Morgen | 45 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) |
| 5 | 一件小事 | A Small Incident | 26 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) | |
| 6 | 头发的故事 | The Story of Hair | 1 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) | |
| 7 | 风波 | The Storm | 38 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) | |
| 8 | 故乡 | Hometown | Die Heimat | 46 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) |
| 9 | 阿Q正传 | The True Story of Ah Q | Die wahre Geschichte des Ah Q | 1 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) |
| 10 | 白光 | The White Light | 8 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) | |
| 11 | 社戏 | Village Opera | 4 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) |
The collection also includes Rabbits and Cats (兔和猫) and A Comedy of Ducks (鸭的喜剧), which are catalogued under the Dawn Blossoms Plucked at Dusk collection in the database.
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 | 16 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) |
| 2 | 肥皂 | Soap | Seife | 22 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) |
| 3 | 伤逝 | Regret for the Past | Trauer um Vergangenes | 0 | No text |
| 4 | 长明灯 | The Eternal Lamp | Die ewige Lampe | 0 | No text |
| 5 | 幸福的家庭 | A Happy Family | 8 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) | |
| 6 | 孤独者 | The Loner | 84 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) | |
| 7 | 弟兄 | Brothers | 16 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) | |
| 8 | 示众 | Public Display | 4 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) |
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 | 28 | 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 | 0 | No text | |
| 2 | 阿长与山海经 | A Chang and the Book of Mountains and Seas | 0 | No text | |
| 3 | 五猖会 | The Fair of Five Fierce Gods | 0 | No text | |
| 4 | 无常 | Life and Death | 11 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) | |
| 5 | 从百草园到三味书屋 | From Herb Garden to Three-Flavor Study | 0 | No text | |
| 6 | 父亲的病 | Father's Illness | 0 | No text | |
| 7 | 藤野先生 | Mr. Fujino | 0 | No text | |
| 8 | 范爱农 | Fan Ainong | 1 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) | |
| 9 | 端午节 | Dragon Boat Festival | 1 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) |
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 erzahlt | 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 | Year | Sections | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 坟 | Fen | 1927 | 81 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) |
| 2 | 热风 | Refeng | 1925 | 15 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) |
| 3 | 华盖集 | Huagaiji | 1926 | 35 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) |
| 4 | 而已集 | Eryiji | 1928 | 2 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) |
| 5 | 三闲集 | Sanxianji | 1932 | 18 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) |
| 6 | 南腔北调集 | Nanqiang beidiaoji | 1934 | 60 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) |
| 7 | 伪自由书 | Wei ziyoushu | 1933 | 64 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) |
| 8 | 且介亭杂文 | Qiejieting zawen | 1935 | 59 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) |
| 9 | 花边文学 | Huabian wenxue | 1936 | 61 | Complete (DE/EN/FR) |
| 10 | 集外集 | Jiwaiji | 1935 | 3 | 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 | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Diaries (日记) | 33 | Personal diaries |
| Letters (书信) | 8 | Correspondence |
| Dated essays | 85 | Miscellaneous dated essays |
| Other collections | 30 | Additional collected texts |
Call for Translators
We are seeking qualified translators for this project. Ideal candidates should have:
- Native or near-native proficiency in Chinese and in the target language (German or English)
- Familiarity with early 20th-century Chinese literature and the historical context of the May Fourth Movement
- Experience with literary translation, ideally of modern Chinese prose
- Academic background in sinology, Chinese literature, or comparative literature
How to contribute:
- Request a UVU Wiki account at Special:RequestAccount
- Review the Chinese original text on the relevant chapter page
- Translate assigned sections and enter translations on the wiki
- Coordinate via the Translation Dashboard
Translation progress is tracked per section in the database. Each section can be assigned a translator and a reviewer. Completed translations undergo peer review before publication.
Technical Information
- Database: PostgreSQL, database translations_db
- Tables: luxun_works (55 works), luxun_sections (1,357 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