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虞美人草

by Natsume Sōseki

Two young men climb Mount Hiei in a story centred on proud Fujio.

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Original language: JapaneseLevel: Advanced3,577 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.

一one
One
随分quite遠いfarねisn't it? (seeking agreement)
"It's quite far, isn't it?
元来originallyどこwhereからfrom登るclimbのだexplanatory/assertive sentence ending
Where do we climb from originally?"
とand / with (quotative particle)一人one personが(subject marker)手巾towelでwith (instrumental particle)額foreheadを(object marker)拭きwipingながらwhile立ち留っstopped / stood stillた(past tense)
said one, stopping and wiping his forehead with a towel.

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About the book

Gubijinsō is a novel by Natsume Sōseki, serialized in the Asahi Shimbun from June 23 to October 29, 1907. The opening section held in the library shows two young men climbing Mount Hiei, as the proud and beautiful Fujio is about to appear.

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.

叡山 Allusion

This refers to Mount Hiei northeast of Kyoto, site of Enryakuji, the head temple of the Tendai school. It is a striking sight when viewed from central Kyoto, which is why the text says “京都へ来て叡山が見えなくなっちゃ大変だ”.

山端の平八茶屋 History

Yamabana is an old place name in today's Sakyo Ward of Kyoto, on the way toward Mount Hiei. Heihachi Chaya is a restaurant-teahouse of long standing; in the Meiji period it served as a resting spot for people touring Mount Hiei and the Ohara area.

千慮の一失 Allusion

“千慮の一失” refers to the saying that even a wise man who thinks a thousand times will slip up once. Munechika uses it here to tease his companion, who is good at planning yet failed to ask about the way back down the mountain.

About the author

Natsume Sōseki (9 February 1867 – 9 December 1916), born Natsume Kinnosuke, was a Japanese novelist, poet, and scholar regarded as one of the greatest writers in modern Japanese history. His major works include I Am a Cat, Botchan, Sanshirō, Kokoro, and his unfinished final novel Light and Dark.

Summary prepared with AI from Wikipedia: 虞美人草 (CC BY-SA)

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.

Do I need to pay or sign up?

Library books are free to read without an account. Other gloss languages and importing your own texts need an account and credits.

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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