How the death of Li Keqiang is being discussed in the Chinese speaking world
Conversations about the sudden passing of China’s former Premier
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The death of Li Keqiang has dominated discussions in the Chinese speaking world in the last two weeks.
In this week's newsletter we explore how language is used to talk about his death - online, on the streets, and outside of China.
Online commentary inside China was tightly controlled and carefully choreographed.
‘Rest in peace’ (逝者安息 shìzhě ānxī) and other generic expressions such as ‘deep condolences’ (沉痛悼念 chéntòng dàoniàn) and ‘farewell and rest in peace’ (一路走好 yílù zǒuhǎo) were the most popular online comments.
Idioms were also used to pay tribute:
“Just and fair”
大公无私 dà gōng wú sī
And:
“Devote oneself entirely until death”
鞠躬尽瘁 jū gōng jìn cuì
Other comments described Li as a “wall breaker” (破壁者 pòbìzhě), a reference to a 2014 profile by the magazine Boke Tianxia 博客天下.
Mourners celebrated Li’s well-known sayings:
“China's opening up will continue to move forward, just like the Yellow River and Yangtze River will not flow backwards."
中国开放还要继续往前推进，黄河、长江不会倒流。
And:
“Power should not be held without restraint.”
有权不可任性。
An image of a hand-written and powerful message to his fellow student on graduating from Peking University in the 1980's was shared widely online:
"Being innocent yet not uneducated, kind yet strong, raising life above the mundane world yet becoming an integral part of society, this should be the common pursuit of our generation".
“纯真而不欠闻达，善良而不失坚强，把生命高举在尘俗之上，又溶化于社会之中，这应该是我们这一代的共同追求”。[5]
A well-known poem was quoted in the non-state media:
Raising our hands, we wave goodbye, The horses neigh to each other as we depart.
挥手自兹去，萧萧班马鸣 huīshǒu zì zī qù, xiāoxiāo bān mǎ míng
The last line in the Li Bai poem, Seeing off an Old Friend 送友人, which is often quoted when someone dies, and during China's Qingming Festival, in which people remember their relatives who have passed away.
More creative uses of language play on the characters of Li's name in acrostic poems, or ‘hidden head poems’ (藏头诗 cángtóushī), compositions in which the first character of each line conveys a hidden message:
He was hardworking and upright. The autumn wind sends the leaves falling and the terrible news of his death.
He devoted himself to the country and the people. His heroic deeds are everlasting like the evergreen pine tree.
克勤克俭，秋风落叶，是闻悲讯，
强国强民，松柏长青，缘其高功。
Did you spot the ‘hidden head’?
克 kè - ‘restraint’
强 qiáng - ‘strong’
Outside of China, a tweet by Wú Guóguāng 吴国光, a senior research scholar at Stanford University, was shared widely and quoted in international Chinese language media.
In a decade of prudence, he kept himself upright, but lived in frustration;
Being only one step away, he retreated with dignity, yet died in vain.
Title: Resigned in powerlessness
赔十年小心，虽洁身自好，但活得憋屈；
距一步之遥，却急流勇退，竟死得窝囊。
横批：无能为力
This is an “elegiac couplet” (挽联 wǎnlián), a poetic form consisting of two lines created to mark someone's death, and in this case make a political point.
Mourning for Li inside China was also tinged with discontent.
Among the huge crowds gathered in Heife 合肥 in Anhui province where Li grew up, and his ancestral home of Jiǔzǐ 九梓 a village in Dìngyuǎn 定远 county in Anhui, and in cities across the country, hand written messages of condolence hinted at criticism.
Some messages evoked language used to remember China's first Premier, Zhou Enlai 周恩来 when he died in 1976:
Our Premier, who loves the people, is loved by the people.
人民总理人民爱，人民总理爱人民。
This quote is linked to the 1976 Tiananmen Incident (四五运动), a mass gathering and protest that took place on 4 and 5 April, 1976, coinciding with Qingming Festival that year and triggered by the death of Zhou Enlai months before.
It’s a reminder of how the death of a public figure can offer a chance to stage demonstrations.
Another quote from that 1976 demonstration was seen in messages on- and offline this week:
"Saying Farewell to the Premier on the long Chang’an Street."
十里长街送总理
“Saying farewell to the Premier” describes the scenes of thousands of mourners on Chang'an Street, which adjoins Tiananmen Square, who had gathered to say farewell to Zhou Enlai at that time, and show their disapproval of the removing of displays of mourning.
This week, that same quote was used to hint at the perceived diminishing of Li's death in China's state media.
So, that's what we explore this week!
**With a special thanks to Geremie R. Barmé, eminent Sinologist and reader of this newsletter, who set me the challenge of discussing this topic.
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Favourite Five
1. 逝世 shì shì
pass away
他的逝世所引发的悲痛反映了公众对一个已被抛弃的改革与增长时代的失落情绪 - The outpouring of grief for his passing reflects the public's sense of loss for an era of reforms and growth that has been abandoned. [1]
Related:
走了 zǒu le - departed
去世 qù shì - passed away
离世 lí shì - departed from this world
离别 lí bié - parted ways
2. 低调处理 dī diào chǔ lǐ
low-key handling
这样的低调处理引发了网民热议，因为它反应了他们眼中习近平对李克强一贯的羞辱和蔑视，哪怕在他去世后也是如此 - This low-key handling has sparked discussion among netizens because it reflects what they see as Xi Jinping's consistent humiliation and contempt towards Li Keqiang, even after his death. [1]
3. 鞠躬尽瘁 jū gōng jìn cuì
to devote oneself to the utmost
长时间的辛苦劳动，一定对身体不好。是以，我们又一次看到了鞠躬尽瘁 - Prolonged and strenuous labor must be detrimental to one's health. Therefore, once again, we witness someone devoting themselves to the utmost. [3]
More: The second half of this idiom is: 死而后已 sǐ ér hòu yǐ. Together, it translates as “Be loyal and devoted to the last. Give one's best until one's heart ceases”
Related:
呕心沥血 ǒu xīn lì xiě - to devote one's heart and soul
4. 知我罪我，其惟春秋 zhī wǒ zuì wǒ, qí wéi chūn qiū
Judge me as you will, I will do what I think is right
那么，就让我们用这些珍贵的镜头来告别吧，一个时代结束了。知我罪我，其惟春秋 - So, let's bid farewell with these precious moments; an era has come to an end. "Judge him as you will, he has done his job." [4]
5. 活得郁闷，死得憋屈 huó de yùmen, sǐ de biēqū
Live in frustration, die in vain
“活得郁闷，死得憋屈，”一位中国记者告诉我。“我们不都这样吗？” - "Live in frustration, die in vain," a Chinese journalist told me. "Aren't we all like this?" [1]
More: An elegiac couplet (挽联 wǎnlián) we discuss more in this week's The China Project Phrase of the Week.
Consuming the Conversation
Useful words
6. 哀悼 āi dào
mourn
周五，68岁的李克强去世，引起了网民的自发哀悼 - On Friday, the passing of 68-year-old Li Keqiang led to spontaneous mourning among netizens. [1]
Related:
悼念 dào niàn - to mourn
追悼 zhuī dào - to memorialise
7. 悲痛 bēi tòng
grief
他的逝世所引发的悲痛反映了公众对一个已被抛弃的改革与增长时代的失落情绪 - His passing triggered grief among the public, reflecting their sense of loss for an era of reforms and growth that has been abandoned. [1]
8. 安息 ān xī
rest in peace
被允许发表的评论基本都是“安息吧” - The comments that were allowed to be posted were mostly "rest in peace". [1]
9. 死讯 sǐ xùn
news of death
中国官方媒体起初淡化了李克强的死讯 - Initially, the official Chinese media downplayed the news of Li Keqiang's death. [1]
Related:
讣告 fù gào - obituary notice
10. 噩耗 è hào
dreadful news
克强总理走了!噩耗传来，先是不信，继而震惊 - Premier Keqiang has passed away! When the dreadful news came, disbelief was followed by shock. [2]
11. 缅怀 miǎn huái
to remember and honour
他的突然离世，人民无限缅怀 - With his sudden passing, the people will remember and honour him forever. [2]
Related:
怀念 huái niàn - to cherish the memory of
12. 吊唁 diào yàn
to offer condolences
李克强总理去世时，他专程前往吊唁 - When Li Keqiang passed away, he went out of his way to offer condolences. [2]
Related:
祭奠 jì diàn - to mourn or pay tribute
13. 哽咽 gěng yè
choked with sobs
我从来没哭过，不是我不想哭，是眼泪水挤不出来。”在小吃店里，一位大娘哽咽 - "I've never cried. It's not that I don't want to cry, but the tears just won't come out," a lady choked with sobs in a small restaurant. [5]
Three-character phrases
14. 务实派 wù shí pài
pragmatist
李克强代表了上世纪90年代和本世纪初带领国家走出贫困的务实派技术官僚 - Li Keqiang represented the pragmatic technocrat who led the nation out of poverty in the 1990s and early 21st century. [1]
15. 破壁者 pò bì zhě
wall breaker
他很像是一个冷静而坚硬的破壁者、拆墙人 - He is very much like a calm and tough wall breaker and wall demolisher.
Idioms
16. 突如其来 tū rú qí lái
suddenly and unexpectedly
他走了，就这样突如其来。他甚至没有过一下老同志退休后的春节 - He left so suddenly and unexpectedly. He didn't even enjoy the first Spring Festival after retirement. [3]
17. 数以千计 shù yǐ qiān jì
in the thousands
当时许多城市里数以千计的中国人走上街头 - At that time, thousands of Chinese people took to the streets in many cities. [1]
Related:
望不到边 wàng bú dào biān - as far as the eye can see
一镜到底 yī jìng dào dǐ - long take (continuous shot without interruption)
18. 失声痛哭 shī shēng tòng kū
to sob uncontrollably
也有民众在悼念时突然失声痛哭 - Some people suddenly sobbed uncontrollably when mourning. [5]
19. 英年早逝 yīng nián zǎo shì
to die young
也有民众在悼念时突然失声痛哭，惋惜李克强英年早逝 - Some people suddenly sobbed uncontrollably, lamenting the young age at which Li Keqiang passed away. [5]
20. 挑灯夜战 tiāo dēng yè zhàn
to work late into the night
到了凌晨，“集市”散场，地上留下了大量茎叶垃圾，而一些花贩仍坚持挑灯夜战 - By midnight, the "market" had disbanded, leaving a large amount of stems and leaves littered on the ground, yet some flower vendors continued to work late into the night. [5]
Phrases
21. 发国难财 fā guó nàn cái
to profit from a national disaster or crisis
我曾看到一位花贩在宿州路上被群众包围，斥责其“发国难财”，还有群众给出了他们认为合理的指导定价 - I once saw a flower vendor on Suzhou Road surrounded by the crowd, who accused him of "profiting from a national crisis", and others even proposed what they believed to be a fair price. [5]
22. 情绪宣泄 qíng xù xuān xiè
emotional release
公众在周五的反应是自去年11月的“白纸运动”以来最为激烈的情绪宣泄 - The public's reaction on Friday was the most intense emotional release since the "White Paper Movement" of November last year. [1]
23. 全靠同行衬托 quán kào tóng háng chèn tuō
to rely entirely on comparison with one's peers
李之所以“好”，靠的完全是“同行衬托” - The reason Li is considered "good" is entirely relying on comparison with his peers. [5]
Note: This is a subtle criticism of Xi - in comparison to Xi, Li can only be considered a "good" person.
24. 人人心里都有一杆秤 rén rén xīn lǐ dōu yǒu yì gǎn chèng
everyone has their own standards of judgement; the people know who is good and who is bad
不止一人拿官方大操大办的江泽民葬礼与民众对李克强的自发悼念作对比，以此强调“老百姓心中自有一杆秤” - Quite a few people compared the spontaneous mourning of the people for Li Keqiang with the grand state funeral of Jiang Zemin to highlight the notion that "everyone has their own standards of judgment in their hearts". [5]
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