Elegiac Couplet for Madam Zhong[1]

(April 10, 1944)

I

Meritorious service in the Eighth Route Army, great filial devotion to the nation;

A lifetime of labor, glory to our Party.

II

As a mother, one should learn from the worthy mother of a national hero;

This person is worthy of being called a perfect exemplar of the laboring class.

--- Notes

[1] On February 15, 1944, Zhu De's mother, Madam Zhong, passed away at the age of 86. At the meeting in Yan'an commemorating International Women's Day on March 8, Cai Chang announced this news and called on women to learn from Madam Zhong's lifelong spirit of labor, diligence, and frugality in managing the household. On April 10, 1944, more than 1,000 people from all walks of life in Yan'an held a memorial service at the Central Auditorium in Yangjialing. Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, Liu Shaoqi, and other central leaders attended the memorial service. The first couplet was written by Mao Zedong on behalf of the Central Committee; the second couplet was written by Mao Zedong in his personal capacity.