‘Kong Yiji literature’ — Phrase of the Week
A literary character from the early 20th century is a metaphor for how some young graduates seeking employment in China feel today.
Our Phrase of the Week is: Kong Yiji literature (孔乙己文学 kǒng yǐjǐ wénxué).
The context
It’s hiring season in China, known as 金三银四 jīnsān yínsì, or “golden March, silver April.”
Last year saw a record 10.76 million people graduating from Chinese universities. So competition is fierce, with some graduates complaining that their education is holding them back as they begin their careers: Their degrees can’t help them land a decent job, and yet they aren’t willing to do menial work beneath their education.
A new phrase has been invented to explain the phenomenon:
“Kong Yiji literature” became the hottest topic on social media in March. The phrase has gone viral on Weibo, Xiaohongshu, Douban, Douyin, and WeChat.
“孔乙己文学”成了3月最热的全民话题，在微博、小红书、豆瓣、抖音、朋友圈……疯狂刷屏。
Kǒng yǐjǐ wénxué chéngle sānyuè zuì rè de quánmín huàtí, zài wēibó, xiǎohóngshū, dòubàn, dǒuyīn, péngyǒuquān……fēngkuáng shuāpíng.
And with that, we have our Phrase of the Week.
What it means
Kong Yiji literature (孔乙己文学 kǒng yǐjǐ wénxué) is a combination of two phrases. Literature (文学 wénxué) is an internet slang term, which translates as “-ism,” such as in “talking rubbish-ism” (废话文学 fèihuà wénxué).
Kǒng Yǐjǐ 孔乙己 is the name of a character in a short story by China’s most influential writer of the 20th century, Lǔ Xùn 鲁迅. It’s in a collection of 14 short stories in Call to Arms (呐喊 nàhǎn), published in 1923.
The fate of Kong Yiji is a metaphor for the ills of China’s feudal society as Lu Xun saw it. The story is set toward the end of the Qing dynasty in a tavern in the fictional town of Lǔzhèn 鲁镇. By this time, the crumbling Qing had become corrupt and ineffective.
Kong is a highly educated man who frequents the tavern, a self-styled scholar who speaks in literary jargon. He is the only customer who wears a scholar’s long gown (长衫 chángshān), but he drinks yellow rice wine standing up, something that only the poor do.
Despite his education and persona, Kong never passed the imperial exams, so he could not pursue a career in the bureaucracy of the Qing.
Kong Yiji is a contradiction. He is too proud to take another job, so he lives the life of an alcoholic in poverty. His long gown, which he wears to show his status, is torn and dirty; he steals books, but never defaults on payment at the tavern; he is drunk and angry, but wants to share his literary knowledge with punters in the tavern.
Laughed at and ridiculed, Kong is eventually caught stealing books and beaten in punishment, and has his legs broken. Months later, he goes back to the tavern for a final drink and is not seen again, probably having died because of his injuries.
The new phrase Kong Yiji literature is a metaphor for the product of China’s modern education system: university graduates who are not willing to take jobs that are seen as below their university education. They’re trapped by their education and can’t bring themselves to accept jobs that are not for the well educated.
So, for some, a university education is the new “long gown,” or burden, holding them back as they embark on their careers in a highly competitive environment:
Education is not only a stepping stone in my career, but also a high platform that I can’t get off. It’s like the long gown of Kong Yiji that he is unable to take off.
学历不但是敲门砖，也是我下不来的高台，更是孔乙己脱不下的长衫。
Xuélì búdànshì qiāoménzhuān, yěshì wǒ xiàbùlái de gāotái, gèng shì kǒng yǐjǐ tuōbúxià de chángshān.
