Lu Xun's "Diary of a Madman" was first published in China in 1918, during a period of significant cultural and political upheaval in the country. The Qin dynasty, in power since 1644, had recently collapsed from internal and external pressures in the 1912 Xinhai Revolution, marking a dramatic break from the past. New ideas about government, philosophy, and science prompted many Chinese intellectuals to reflect on long-held traditions and look toward a rebirth of the Chinese nation. Lu Xun was a central writer, teacher, and intellectual in this movement.

Lu Xun was inspired to write "Diary of a Madman” by a short story of the same name by Ukrainian-born writer Nikolay Gogol. In Gogol’s story, the protagonist becomes obsessed with his employer’s daughter and begins to experience delusions, including talking dogs and believing that he is the king of Spain. Whereas Gogol’s narrative focuses on the personal, Lu Xun’s telling reflects a wider criticism of Chinese society and culture.

This guide uses the 1990 translation by William Lyell. For accessibility, citations refer to the numbered diary entries rather than pages.

Content Warning: This guide discusses and reproduces biased language surrounding mental health. In "Diary of a Madman," Lu Xun engages with literary traditions that rely on poetic (i.e., unscientific) models of the mind to present a concept of “madness” that is stigmatizing and inappropriate for describing psychiatric conditions. Lu Xun also employs the corresponding archetypal figure of the “madman.” Any references to “madness” or the “madman” are contained within scare quotes.

The story begins with an unnamed narrator who returns to his hometown to visit a pair of brothers he knew as a youth. He has heard that the younger brother has been struck by a “dread disease,” and seeks to pay him a visit. He is met by the elder brother, who informs him that the younger, a government official, has recovered from his illness and is not present. The elder brother presents the narrator with the younger brother’s diary. It chronicles his experience of his worsening mental health, which ultimately results in a psychological crisis. The rest of the story comprises entries from the diary.

The “madman’s” diary begins with musings about seeing the moon, and he comments that he has not seen it “for more than 30 years” (I). The “madman” confides that he must be careful; he suspects that some of the villagers wish him ill. As the “madman” goes about his day, he notices “strange looks” from people. Villagers huddle in whispered conversations with looks of fear on their faces. It is unclear whether the “madman’s” observations are imagined, as he even interprets children smiling as a veiled threat (II). The “madman” considers why the villagers might harbor resentment, thinking of when he exploited one villager, Mr. Gu, although none of the children were born at that time, and he can’t figure out why they would hold any resentment toward him. He concludes that they must have learned their hatred from their parents.

The “madman” cannot sleep. He ponders the villagers’ apparent hostility toward him. In all his time observing the exploitation of the villagers at the hands of government officials and nobles, he has never seen such looks on their faces. He recalls the day before, when a woman admonishing her child said she would “take a good bite right out of [the child’s] hide!” (III). The “madman” began to shake, and Old Fifth Chen, an attendant to the “madman’s” family, escorted him away. Unspecified people with whom the “madman” lives then locked him in his room like livestock.

The “madman” hears reports from a neighboring town, Wolf Cub Village, which is suffering from famine. The villagers attacked, killed, and ate a “bad man” (III). It is in this moment that the “madman” decides that the villagers are thinking about killing and eating him, perhaps for his past exploitation of Mr. Gu. The “madman” believes that the villagers can always find a reason to condemn a man, regardless of his righteousness, and find some flaw to justify eating him. The “madman” consults his history books, which are full of notions of justice, righteousness, and morality. However, upon closer inspection, he notices the words “eat people” scrawled in the margins (III).

The “madman” begins to see conspiracy to cannibalism everywhere. When he is served a dish of vegetables and fish, he suspects that the fish is actually human flesh, and vomits up the meal. When a doctor arrives to examine him, he questions the doctor’s intentions. He overhears the doctor telling his elder brother that something has “to be eaten as soon as possible” (IV). The “madman” concludes that even his family is conspiring against him, despite his righteousness. He again reflects on history and how children and evil men were once eaten. His elder brother is strangely unphased by this fact, which further bolsters the “madman’s” suspicion.

The “madman” wonders whether the townsfolk are attempting to coerce him to die by suicide so that they may eat his corpse without having to kill him themselves. Even the dogs in the village look at him with hunger. The “madman” considers the hyena, which feasts on carrion, and points out that hyenas, wolves, and dogs are all closely related. He thinks that if hyenas can eat dead flesh, then dogs must be able to as well. His musings on the evolution of species lead him to conclude that if man can become a cannibal, then perhaps he can also be convinced to cease his evil ways.

The “madman” runs into a young stranger. He cannot see the stranger’s face clearly, but he questions him about the morality of cannibalism. The stranger dismisses the question and replies that “except perhaps in a famine year, how could anyone get eaten?” (VIII). The “madman” recounts the story of Wolf Cub Village, where he has heard that cannibalism is being practiced. The stranger again demurs, saying that cannibalism has always happened; he refuses to elaborate further. The “madman” believes his suspicions to be confirmed and that he is in danger of being eaten, as is everyone in the village. He believes that the villagers must all live in constant fear of cannibalism. Rather than band together and ensure that they remain safe, they would prefer to live in cowardice.

The “madman” confronts his elder brother and argues that long ago, everyone was a cannibal and preyed upon one another. However, as time went by and man became more “civilized,” the practice died out except for “primitive” people, who continued the savage practice. The “madman” cites the process of evolution, where species grow and develop into higher life forms, improving themselves. However, some remain as before, like “reptiles” (X). Likewise, humans must improve themselves and leave behind their evil ways. His elder brother only smiles at him.

The “madman” notices a crowd around the gate, including some villagers and a dog: They are all looking at him. He suspects that many are cannibals who think that cannibalism has always existed and see nothing wrong with eating human flesh. Others, he says, know it is wrong but will not outgrow their ways. At this point, Old Fifth Chen angrily intervenes and tries to lead the “madman” away. The “madman” exhorts the crowd to change, saying that if they don’t change their ways, then “real humans” will come along and eradicate them like wild animals (X). The “madman” is led away by Old Fifth Chen and locked away. He continues his pleading: “Change from the bottom of your hearts!” (X).

Locked away, the “madman” thinks about his own family’s history and the death of his younger sister—he believes that his elder brother ate her. He remembers a time when his elder brother said that if a parent is ill, the child should cut off his own flesh for them to eat. The “madman” interprets this to mean that his elder brother believes that the young should sacrifice themselves to sustain their elders. He feels defeated and realizes that he lives in a society that has eaten its vulnerable members for thousands of years. He wonders if it is possible that his elder brother fed him his younger sister without him knowing. The “madman” considers his own role in this system of cannibalism. The story ends with the “madman” thinking of the children who have not yet eaten human flesh. He believes it is both possible and imperative to “save the children” (13).