Mu Xin

Chinese · 1927–2011

Chinese poet, painter, and writer who spent years in exile and returned to prominence as a literary figure bridging East and West.

Wikipedia ↗

“万头攒动火树银花之处不必找我。如欲相见,我在各种悲喜交集处。”

Chinese

“Do not look for me where crowds surge and fireworks blaze. If you wish to find me, I am where all sorrows and joys converge.”

The Skylark Sang All Day Long

“从前的日色变得慢,车、马、邮件都慢,一生只够爱一个人。”

Chinese

“In the old days, the light of day faded slowly; carriages, horses, and mail were all slow — a lifetime was only enough to love one person.”

"Once Upon a Time, Things Were Slow"

“文学是可爱的。不是做了文学家才可爱,而是可爱了才能做文学家。”

Chinese

“Literature is lovable. It is not that one becomes lovable by becoming a writer, but that one must be lovable to become a writer.”

Literature Memoir (lectures 1989–1994, published 2013)

“岁月不饶人,我亦未曾饶过岁月。”

Chinese

“Time does not spare us, and I have never spared time either.”

Selected Prose of Mu Xin