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The life of a legendary Chinese female writer — Eileen Chang / Zhang Ailing

Eileen Chang (张爱玲 / 張愛玲 / Zhāng Ailíng / Zoeng Oiling) (September 30, 1920 – September 8, 1995), with birth name 张煐 Zhang Ying, was a contemporary Chinese writer. Eileen was born at Shanghai to a renowned family – her paternal grandmother 李菊耦 Li Juou was the eldest daughter of 李鸿章 Li Hongzhang, an influential statesman of 清 Qing dynasty（1644－1911).

Eileen attended a traditional private school when she was 4 years old. When Eileen was very young, her mother 黄素琼 Huang Suqiong （1893-1957) left for the United Kingdom with her aunt 张茂渊 Zhang Maoyuan（1898-1991), and after that, her father 张志沂 Zhang Zhiyi （1896——1953） took in a concubine and became addicted to opium. Eileen’s parents divorced in 1930, and she and her younger brother 張子靜 Zhang Zijing (1921–1997) were raised by their father.

In 1931, her mother arranged her to attend an American Christian school- Saint Maria Girls’ School, and she started reading classic traditional Chinese novel 红楼梦 Hong Lou Meng (Dream of the Red Chamber). In 1932, at age 12, she wrote her debut short novel 不幸的她 (bù xìng de tā , The Ｕnfortunate She) in school’s magazine. In 1934, Eileen’s father remarried, in 1937 she graduated from Saint Maria Girls’ School, and in 1938 due to not getting along well with her stepmother, she moved out to live with her biological mother. In 1939, Eileen was given a full scholarship to attend the University of London, however, she did not go due to the ongoing Second Sino-Japanese War. Instead, she went to Hong Kong and study English Literature at the University of Hong Kong, where she met her lifelong friend, Fatima Mohideen (炎櫻) (died in 1995). Later, one semester before her graduation, Japan invaded Hong kong, thus Eileen moved back to China. She never finished her degree at St. John University at Shanghai because of financial issue.

Eileen later worked as a writer living in Shanghai. She met her first husband 胡蘭成 Hu Lancheng in 1943, when she was 23 and he was 37. They were married the following year in a private ceremony. This is Hu’s fourth marriage. Hu later was labelled a traitor for collaborating with the Japanese during the ongoing World War II. They got divorced in 1947 due to Hu’s unfaithfulness.

In 1952, Eileen went to live in Hong Kong and resume her writing career there. She left for the United States in 1955 where she met her second husband, an American screenwriter Ferdinand Reyher. She ended her pregnancy by an abortion due to Reyher’s unwilling to have children. In 1969, she was invited to teach at University of California, Berkeley. In 1973 she moved to Los Angeles and lived a simple and quiet life all by herself.

Eileen Chang was a celebrity in literature world, however her personal life was filled with many disappointment and tragedy. In 1995, at the age of 74, four days after she died of cardiovascular attack, she was found dead in her apartment at Los Angeles by her landlord.

Chang created a large amount of literary works which includes novels, essays, screenplays, and her letters also were studied as part of her literary writings. Eileen Chang is famous for her novels which describe tensions in love relationships, and she also did a very vivid and deep portray about everyday life in Shanghai and Hong Kong during 1940s. Her most famous works include Lust, Caution (色，戒 Sè Jiè ) and Love in a Fallen City (倾城之恋 qīng chéng zhī liàn ).

Classic quotes from great literature:
Zhang Ailing’s famous, wise and sarcastic quotes about love, men, women, relationship, money, book, life, happiness, suffering, friends and memories ….

[ca_audio url=”http://www.chinesetolearn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/zhang-ailing.mp3″ width=”500″ height=”27″ css_class=”codeart-google-mp3-player”]

1 死生契阔——与子相悦，执子之手，与子偕老”是一首最悲哀的诗……生与死与离别，都是大事，不由我们支配的。比起外界的力量，我们人是多么小，多么小！可是我们偏要说：‘我永远和你在一起，我们一生一世都别离开’。—— 好象我们自己做得了主似的。
sǐ shēng qì kuò ——yǔ zǐ xiāng yuè , zhí zǐ zhī shǒu , yǔ zǐ xié lǎo “shì yī shǒu zuì bēiāi de shī ……shēng yǔ sǐ yǔ líbié , dōu shì dà shì , bù yóu wǒmen zhīpèi de . bǐqǐ wàijiè de lìliang , wǒmen rén shì duōme xiǎo , duōme xiǎo ! kěshì wǒmen piān yào shuō : ‘Wǒ yǒngyuǎn hé nǐ zài yīqǐ , wǒmen yīshēng yī shì dōu biélí kāi ’. —— hǎoxiàng wǒmén zìjǐ zuò dé le zhǔ shìde .

“In death or life, and no matter how far we might be separated — With you, we together made an agreement: I am holding your hand, together with you, I will grow old.”
This is one of the saddest poems … Life, death and parting all are major, and they are not controlled by us. Compared with the forces of the outside world, we, humans are such small, such small! However, we insist to say: “I will always be with you, and our whole lifetime, we won’t depart”. – As if ourselves could be able to control the whole situation.

2 书是最好的朋友。唯一的缺点是使近视加深，但还是值得的。
shū shì zuì hǎo de péngyou . wéiyī de quēdiǎn shì shǐ jìnshì jiāshēn , dàn hái shì zhíde de .

Books are the best friends. The only drawback is it will deepen myopia, however, still worthwhile.

3 于千百人中，遇到你所要遇到的人，于千百年中，在时间的无垠的荒野中，有两个人，没有早一步，也没有晚一步，就这样相逢了，也没有什么可说的，只有轻轻地道一声：哦，你也在这里吗？
yú yībǎi rén zhōng , yù dào nǐ suǒ yào yù dào de rén , yú yībǎi nián Zhōng , zài shíjiān de wú yín de huāngyě zhōng , yǒu liǎng ge rén , méiyǒu zǎo yī bù , yě méiyǒu wǎn yī bù , jiù zhèyàng xiāngféng le , yě méiyǒu shénme kě shuō de , zhǐyǒu qīngqīngde dào yī shēng : ò , nǐ yě zài zhèlǐ ma ?

Among thousands and hundreds of people, you met the person who you wanted to meet. Among thousands and hundreds years, in the endless wilderness of time, there were two people. None arrived neither one step earlier nor one step later, and then they met this way. However, they did not have much to say, just lightly uttered: oh, you are also here?

4 照片这东西不过是生命的碎壳；纷纷的岁月已过去，瓜子仁一粒粒咽了下去，滋味各人自己知道，留给大家看的惟有那狼籍的黑白的瓜子壳。
zhàopiàn zhè dōngxi búguò shì shēngmìng de suì ké ；fēnfēn de suìyuè yǐ guòqù , guāzǐ rén yī lì lì yānle xiàqù , zīwèi gè rén zìjǐ zhīdào , liúgěidàjiā kàn de Wéi yǒu nà lángjíde hēibái de guāzǐ ké .

Photo, this thing is just the broken shells of life: brilliant years have gone, just like the kernels of melon seeds have been eaten one by one. As for the flavor only the person who ate knew, and the leftover for everyone to see is just those notorious black and white shells of melon seeds.

5 一个知己就好像一面镜子，反映出我们天性中最优美的部分来。
yī ge zhījǐ jiù hǎoxiàng yīmiàn jìngzi , fǎnyìng chū wǒmen tiānxìng zhōng zuì yōuMěi de bùfen lái .

A person who knows us is like a mirror and he or she reflects the most beautiful part of our nature.

6 世界上最大的幸福，是发现自己喜欢的人正好也喜欢自己。
shìjiè shàng zuì dà xìngfú , shì fāxiàn zìjǐ xǐhuān de rén zhènghǎo yě xǐhuān zìjǐ .

The greatest happiness in the world is to discover that the person who you like happens to like you too.

7 这世上没有一样感情不是千疮百孔的。
zhè shìshàng méiyǒu yīyàng gǎnqíng bù shì qiān chuāng bǎi kǒng de .

In this world, there is not a kind of feeling that is not riddled with gaping wounds.

8 爱情本来并不复杂，来来去去不过三个字，不是我爱你、我恨你，便是算了吧、你好吗、对不起。
àiqíng běnlái bìngbù fùzá , lái lái qù qù búguò sān ge zì , bù shì Wǒ ài nǐ , Wǒ hèn nǐ , biàn shì suànle ba , nǐ hǎo ma , duìbuqǐ .

Love originally is not complicated. It comes and goes just only three words: if it is not I love you, I hate you, then it is forget about it, how are you, or I’m sorry.

9 男人彻底懂得一个女人之后，是不会爱她的。
nánrén chèdǐ dǒng dé yī ge nǚrén zhī hòu , shì bùhuì ài tā de .

After a man thoroughly understood a woman, he won’t love her.

10 要做的事情总找得出时间和机会；不要做的事情总找得出藉口。
yào zuò de shìqing zǒng zhǎo dé chū shíjiān hé jīhuì ；bùyào zuò de shìqing zǒng zhǎo dé chū jíkǒu .

For those things we want to do, we always will be able to make time and chances for them; for those things we don’t want to do, we always will be able to find excuses.

11 因为爱过，所以慈悲；因为懂得，所以宽容。
yīnwèi ài guò, suǒyǐ cíbēi ；yīnwèi dǒngdé , suǒyǐ kuānróng .

For we loved before, we know to be compassionate; for we understood, we know how to be tolerant.

12 经得起风雨，却经不起平凡；风雨同舟，天晴便各自散了。
jīng děi qǐ fēngyǔ , què jīngbuqǐ píngfán ；fēngyǔ tóng zhōu , tiān qíng biàn gèzì sǎn le .

(Some love or some friendship is able to) withstand wind and rain, but can not stand the ordinary; it was able to stay in the same boat under wind and rain, however, when the sky got clear, they then got scattered.
(风雨同舟 is an idiom literally means in the same boat under wind and rain; figuratively means to stick together in hard times.)

13 可怜之人必有可恨之处。
kělián zhī rén bì yǒu kěhèn zhīchù .

A person who is worth pity must have something (in him or her) to be hateful.

14 你问我爱你值不值得，其实你应该知道，爱就是不问值得不值得。
nǐ wèn Wǒ ài nǐ zhí bù zhíde , qíshí nǐ yīnggāi zhīdào , ài jiùshì bùwèn zhíde bù zhíde .

You asked me loving you is worthwhile or not. Actually you should have known that love this thing never is about worthwhile or not.

15 最讨厌是自以为有学问的女人和自以为生得漂亮的男人。
zuì tǎoyàn shì zì yǐwéi yǒu xuéwèn de nǚrén hé zì yǐwéi shēng de piàoliang de nánrén .

The most annoying woman is the one who thinks herself has a lot of knowledge; the most annoying man is the one who thinks himself was born beautiful.

16 我喜欢钱，因为我没吃过钱的苦，不知道钱的坏处，只知道钱的好处。
Wǒ xǐhuān qián , yīnwèi Wǒ méi chīguò qián de kǔ , bù zhīdào qián de huàichu , zhǐ zhīdào qián de hǎochu .

I like money, for I have never been suffered by it; I don’t know the bad things about money, but only know the benefit of it.

17 你年轻么？不要紧，过两年就老了。
nǐ niánqīng me ? bù yào jǐn , guò liǎng nián jiù lǎo le.

Are you young? It doesn’t matter. After two years you will become old.

18 笑全世界便与你同笑，哭你便独自哭。
xiào quán shìjiè biàn yǔ nǐ tóng xiào , kū nǐ biàn dúzì kū .

When you smile, all the world smile with you; when you cry, you cry alone.

19 对于不会说话的人，衣服是一种语言，随身带着的袖珍戏剧。
duìyú bùhuì shuōhuà de rén , yīfu shì yī zhǒng yǔyán , suíshēn dài zhe de xiù zhēn xìjù .

For those people who don’t know how to talk well, clothes are like a kind of language (as well as) a pocket mini drama which you bring along everywhere.

20 教书很难——又要做戏，又要做人。
jiāoshū hěn nán ——yòu yào zuò xì , yòu yào zuò rén .

Teaching is very difficult – has to put on a show, also has to behalf with integrity.

21 牵手是一个很伤感的过程，因为牵手过后是放手！
qiān shǒu shì yī ge hěn shānggǎn de guòchéng , yīnwèi qiān shǒu guò hòu shì fàngshǒu !

Holding hand is a very sentimental process, for after holding hands is letting go of the hand.

22 短的是生命，长的是磨难。
duǎn de shì shēngmìng , cháng de shì mó nán

What is short is life; what is long is suffering.

23 你死了，我的故事就结束了，而我死了，你的故事还长得很。
nǐ sǐ le , wǒ de gùshi jiù jiéshù le , ér wǒ sǐ le , nǐ de gùshi hái cháng de hěn .
When you died, my story then will end; however, when I died, your story will still be pretty long.

24 每一个蝴蝶都是从前的一朵花的鬼魂，回来寻找它自己。
měi yī ge húdié dōu shì cóngqián de yī duǒ huā de guǐhún , huílai xúnzhǎo tā zìjǐ .
Each butterfly is the ghostly soul of a flower in the past life – comes back to find itself.

25 善良的人永远是受苦的，那忧苦的重担似乎是与生俱来的，因此只有忍耐.
shànliáng de rén yǒngyuǎn shì shòukǔ de , Nā yōukǔ de Zhòngdān shì hū shì yǔ shēng jù lái de , yīncǐ zhǐyǒu rěnnài .
Kind-hearted people forever have to suffer. That burden of worrying about hardship seems to be innate, so they have to be patient and tolerant.

26 人因為心裡不快樂，才浪費，是一種補償作用。
rén yīnwèi xīnli bù kuài lè , cái làngfèi , shì yī zhǒng bǔcháng zuòyòng .
Due to the unhappiness in the heart, people tend to waste (money); it is a compensation effect.

27 生命是一襲華美的袍，爬滿了蚤子。
shēngmìng shì yī xí měidepáo , pá mǎn le zǎo zǐ .
Life is a beautiful gown that is crawled all over by fleas.
( 襲: classifier for suits, esp. of funeral robes)

28 如果你不調戲女人，她說你不是一個男人；如果你調戲她，她說你不是一個上等人。
rúguǒ nǐ bù tiáoxì nǚrén , tā shuō nǐ bù shì yī ge nánrén ；rúguǒ nǐ tiáoxì tā , tā shuō nǐ bù shì yī ge shàngděng rén .
If you do not take liberties with the woman, she said, you are not a man; if you dallied with her, she said you’re not a gentleman.
(上等: highest quality / top-notch )

29 一個人在戀愛時最能表現出天性中崇高的品質。這就是為什麼愛情小說永遠受人歡迎——不論古今中外都一樣。
yī gè rén zài liànài shí zuì néng biǎo xiàn chū tiānxìng zhōng chónggāo de pǐn zhì . zhè jiùshì wèi shě nme àiqíng xiǎoshuō yǒngyuǎn shòu rén huānyíng ——bù lún gǔjīn zhōngwài dōu yīyàng .

When one is in love, he or she can best demonstrate sublime quality of (his or her) nature. This is why romance novels always are popular – no matter at what times or in what places, all the same.
(古今中外 literally means old times, modern time, in China or in foreign countries, thus this idiom refers to – at all times and in all places.)

30 回憶永遠是惆悵。愉快的使人覺得：可惜已經完了，不愉快的想起來還是傷心。
huí yì yǒngyuǎn shì chóuchàng . yúkuài de shǐ rén juéde : kěxī yǐjīng wán le , bù yúkuài de xiǎng qǐ lái hái shì shāngxīn .
Memories are forever melancholies. Pleasant (memory) makes people think: what a pity, it is over, for unpleasant one, whenever we think of it, we still feel sad….

Translated by Shu

作家身影：張愛玲 A video will help you understand Eileen Chang’s life and work
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