孔乙己 (1982)

《孔乙己》是鲁迅小说集《呐喊》中的一篇小说，也是该篇小说的主人公。小说写于1919年3月，是鲁迅在五四运动前继《狂人日记》之后写的第二篇白话小说。这篇小说描写孔乙己作为一个没有考上秀才的读书人，缺乏实际技能，只会诸如“‘茴’下面的‘回’字有几种写法”这样的迂腐“知识”。他丧失了做人的尊严，沦落为小酒馆里人们嘲笑的对象，后来因为偷书而被打断了腿。根据小说的内容，因为他姓孔，别人便从描红纸《上大人》上的“上大人孔乙己”这半懂不懂的话里，替他取下一个绰号，叫作“孔乙己”。小说暴露了当时的一些社会问题——科举制度制造了大量只懂钻故纸堆，没有实际营生技能的读书人。小说塑造了孔乙己这样一个可笑又可悲的底层人物形象，揭露了人与人之间的冷漠无情。

人物

孔乙己：一个没有考上秀才的读书人，丧失了做人的尊严，沦落为小酒馆里人们嘲笑的对象，最后下场不明。

掌柜：孔乙己经常来喝酒的“咸亨酒店”的老板。

丁举人：因为孔乙己偷了自己的书，把他吊起来打断了腿。

“我”：小说的叙述者，人物身份是咸亨酒馆的伙计。

文化影响

教材

这部小说长时间来都是中国大陆高中或初中语文教材的课文之一。该作品也曾在1993年至2006年度纳入香港中学会考中文科的读本教材中。由于鲁迅的左派色彩，台湾于白色恐怖时期长期禁止其作品，然而 1999 年后，台湾亦将孔乙己列入高中语文教材中。

代称

以下段落经常被用于改编社会热点新闻，以起到搞笑或讽刺的作用：

此外，因为在小说中多次偷书并被打，孔乙己在中国也常用于代称书店或图书馆内偷书的贼。

流行文化

2023年，中国大陆互联网流行“孔乙己文学”。年轻人以“学历是孔乙己脱不掉的长衫”等语句自嘲、发泄，表露自己大学“毕业即失业”的低落与迷茫。

"Kong Yiji" (Chinese: 孔乙己; pinyin: Kǒng Yǐjǐ) is a short-story by Lu Xun, a leading figure in modern Chinese literature. The story was originally published in the journal New Youth (Chinese: 新青年) in April 1919 and was later included in Lu Xun's first collection of short stories, Call to Arms (Chinese: 吶喊). The story's narrator reminisces about Kong Yiji, a pedantic scholar who became the laughing-stock of the tavern where the narrator worked. His character embodies the plight of many low-class scholars, who, despite being members of the upper-class, studied the classics for many years but continuously failed to pass the civil service examination. Like Kong Yiji, these scholars were subjected to other people’s indifference and ridicule. The story critiques pre-modern China’s imperial examination system which produced people like Kong Yiji. In March 2023, the song “Happy Sunshine Kong Yiji” was produced by Chinese netizens to satirize the issue of unemployment faced by many Chinese youth. The song, which was based on the story, has been used as a meme by unemployed Chinese youth, who see themselves as modern versions of Kong Yiji.

Plot

The story takes place towards the end of the 19th century, in at the Xianheng Inn in Luzhen (Chinese: 鲁镇), a fictional town where many of Lu Xun’s stories are set. The story’s narrator reminisces about the time he worked in the Xianheng Inn, and his memories of Kong Yiji.

In the story, Xianheng Inn was a social hub where workers went to grab a drink after work. Those who frequented the bar were split into two social groups, identifiable by their clothes. Customers wearing long gowns were of the upper-class and sat down to drink, while those wearing short gowns were of the lower-class and were only able stand and drink outside.

Kong Yiji wore a long gown which was dirty and tattered. Although a member of the upper-class, Kong Yiji drank his wine standing, which contradicted with the social norms of the inn. In the beginning of the story, Kong Yiji is described as tall, with a pale complexion and a shaggy gray beard. He spoke sophisticatedly, and his speech was filled with literary jargon, which others were unable to completely understand. Since his surname was Kong, people gave him a nickname mockingly from the copybooks for calligraphy called Kong Yiji.

As a member of the upper-class, Kong Yiji studied Chinese classics, but due to low acceptance rates, failed to pass the academic examination, thus also failing to obtain an official post. As a result, he could not make a living, so he supported himself by begging, and using his calligraphy skills to copy books for others. However, he liked to drink and had a track record of being lazy. Within a few days, he would disappear, taking books, paper, brushes and inkstone with him, eventually making people reluctant to seek his copying services, and giving him no choice but to steal occasionally. This also led to frequent accusations of theft.

Despite being low on funds, Kong Yiji never failed to pay and even shared his peas flavored with aniseed with the children. When he did not have money ready to pay, his name would be written up on the board which recorded debtors and their debts. When this happened, he would settle his debts within a month and have his name taken off the board.