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秋山図

by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa

Two painters recall a lost landscape scroll, each differently.

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Original language: JapaneseLevel: Advanced3,581 characters · ≈ 14 minSource: 青空文库

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Sample: three-line reading

Each word has its meaning in this sentence underneath, and each sentence has a full translation. Read the original and glance down only when you need to.

黄大癡Huang Dachi (name)といえばspeaking of大癡Dachiの's (possessive)秋山図Autumn Mountain Pictureを(object marker)ご覧になったことthe experience of having seenが(subject marker)ありますかhave (you)? / is there? (polite question)
"Speaking of Huang Dachi, have you ever seen Dachi's Autumn Mountain Picture?"
ある秋の夜one autumn night甌香閣を訪ねたvisited Ouxiang Pavilion王石谷はWang Shigu (topic)主人の惲南田とwith his host Yun Nantian茶を啜りながらwhile sipping tea話のついでにin the course of conversationこんな問を発したposed this question
One autumn night, Wang Shigu visited Ouxiang Pavilion, and while sipping tea with his host Yun Nantian, he asked this question in the course of conversation.
いやNo見たことはありませんhave never seen
"No, I have never seen it.
あなたはyou (topic)ご覧になったのですかdid (you) see it? (polite past question)
Have you seen it?"

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About the book

The text opens with an evening conversation between the early Qing painters Wang Shigu and Yun Nantian, which brings up a lost masterpiece, Autumn Mountains, by Huang Gongwang—a painting that everyone who has seen it describes differently. The prose unfolds like a handscroll, layering anecdote upon anecdote to build a lingering mystery.

Cultural notes (selection)

Background a translation can’t carry: social roles, history and allusions. While reading, tap “Note” at the end of a sentence to see them all.

梅道人や黄鶴山樵とともに、元朝の画の神手 Allusion

Huang Gongwang (Dachi), Wu Zhen (Baidōjin, 'Plum Daoist'), Wang Meng (Kōkaku-sanrō, 'Recluse of Yellow Crane Mountain'), and Ni Zan are together known as the 'Four Masters of the Yuan', the supreme models of literati landscape painting. In the text these figures address one another by their art names, a courteous custom among literati.

煙客先生（王時敏）や廉州先生（王鑑） Social role

Wang Shimin (Yanke), Wang Jian (Lianzhou), Wang Hui (Shigu), and Wang Yuanqi are together known as the 'Four Wangs', representatives of the orthodox school of early Qing landscape painting. They followed Dong Qichang's methods and took Huang Gongwang as their model.

銅檠 Customs

A bronze lamp stand or candlestick; 檠 (qíng) refers to the upright post that holds the candle.

About the author

Ryūnosuke Akutagawa (1 March 1892 – 24 July 1927), also known by his art name Chōkōdō Shujin, was a Japanese writer active in the Taishō period who is regarded as the "father of the Japanese short story". He died by suicide at the age of 35 through an overdose of barbital, and Japan's premier literary award, the Akutagawa Prize, is named after him.

How the glosses are made

Word glosses and sentence translations are generated in context by AI models (DeepSeek and Zhipu GLM), and every word is checked to have a gloss. AI can make mistakes; you can report problems from the book page.

FAQ

Is this the original text?

Yes. The library holds the opening section of the public-domain original, taken from 青空文库.

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What level is it?

This one is marked “Advanced”. Every word is glossed, so you can keep reading even with a small vocabulary.

Can I use another gloss language?

English and Chinese glosses are prepared in advance; signed-in readers can generate other languages.

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