Chen Duxiu’s view of “literature of the nation” in the May4th days was similar to Liang Qichao’s, both belong to the enlightening trend in the late Qing Dynasty. In contrast, Zhou Zuoren’s theory of “literature of men” was actually the real startingpoint of Chinese literature ushering into modern times. The most significant transformations from Chen to Zhou were that of the literary subject from the abstract “nation” to the specific “individual” and that of literary function from “establishing the nation” to “establishing men”. “Literature of men” was a necessary excess and counteraction and an understandable hypercorrection to literary trends since the late Qing Dynasty. However, the current Chinese society compelled it into a more absolute ideological dilemma instead of giving it chance of selfadjustment and correction, which was partly responsible for Zhou’s “falling into the water”. In the course of Chinese modernization, how to resolve the ideological tension between nation and individuals still remains a universal problem to be deeply considered.

May4th literature; national literature; human literature; Chen Duxiu; Zhou Zuoren