Mao Zedong’s Funeral Oration in Honor of His
Mother (October 8,1919)
Alas, mother died suddenly at fifty-three.149 She had given birth to seven children, of
whom only three survived. They are Dong, Min, and Tan.150 The others, two daughters
and two sons, all died. Worn down by the many hardships she had suffered in raising
us, her sons, mother became ill. The heartrending details of her sufferings are too
numerous for me to write down here. Later I will recount them little by little.
Now I will only mention two salient points—her abundant virtues and her hatred of
injustice. The noblest aspect of mother’s character was her impartial love that extended
to all, far or near, related or unrelated. Her motherly kindness moved a great many
people. Wherever her love reached, it was genuine. She never lied or cheated. She was
always neat and meticulous. Everything she took care of would be put in order. She was
clear in thinking, adept in analyzing matters. Nothing was neglected, and nothing was
misplaced. She was well known among her relatives and neighbors for her cleanliness.
Both her outward appearance and her inner being were spotless. The five constant
virtues, all alike remarkable, were her salient points. They fitted her personality, which
was like that of a noble. Her hatred for lack of rectitude resided in the last of the three
bonds.151


She left the world without fulfilling her wishes and completing what she wanted to
do. This was her greatest mental anguish. O Heaven! O men! Now mother is lying in
a corner of the earth. Her next regret was that her children
were just growing up, still like unripe fruit or the new crop only in the blade. During
her illness, she used to hold our hands, heartbroken. She kept calling on us to do good,
and to be kind to all the close relatives and dear ones in the family. Whether out of
simple benevolence, or because they were weary and sick, both young and old, related
or unrelated, deserved their reward. In sum, the radiance of her abundant virtues was
so sincere that its effect will last forever. As for her unaccomplished wishes, we pledge
to fulfill them. As I think of them now, my heart is set and determined. How deep was
mother’s kindness in raising us! It was like the sunshine in spring and the morning
clouds. When can I ever return her love? Alas, mother! You have not died after all!
Although the body is gone, your spirit lasts forever. As long as I live, I will return your
love; as long as I live, I want to accompany you. I have many words to say, yet time is
too short! I have simply mentioned the main points briefly.


149 The Chinese expression shili, which means power, force, or influence, is followed by the English
word “authority” in the original text.
150 In the original Chinese, this whole text, apart from the “mourning couplets” at the end, consists
of four-character lines of blank verse. It would be difficult to produce an English translation in this form
which did not sound like doggerel, so we have preferred to render the funeral oration in prose.
151 I.e., [Mao Ze]dong, the second brother, [Mao Ze]min, and the youngest surviving brother, [Mao
Ze]tan.