Falling Leaves

The power of language and storytelling extends to Ye Ye’s study of Chinese characters and calligraphy, especially the word ren (endure). As Ye Ye explains:

Divide ren (endure) into its two components, top and bottom. The top component, dao, means knife, but it has a sheath in the center of the rapier. The bottom component, xin means heart. Combined together, the word is telling a story. Though my son is wounding my heart, I shall ensheath the pain and live through it (77).

Thus, the term ren (endure) serves as a metaphor for Adeline’s own process of surviving and persevering through childhood and adulthood: she sheathes her pain and uses it to guide her to happiness and home.

Chinese characters such as ren also serve as a connective tissue between the Yens’ familial pain (and endurance) and the broader historical experience of Chinese people. As Ye Ye further illuminates: “To me, the word ren (endure) represents the epitome of Chinese culture and civilization” (77).

Falling Leaves is organized into thirty-two different Chinese proverbs that serve as both the chapter titles and thematic summaries of each section. Each proverb is written in Chinese characters and phonetic Chinese words, and retranslated into English.