Chapter 4 of The tale of Genji is here in full — 181 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The tale of Genji is here in full — 181 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
UTSUSEMI Genji was still sleepless. ‘No one has ever disliked me before’ he whispered to the boy. ‘It is more than I can bear. I am sick of myself and of the world, and do not want to go on living any more.’ This sounded so tragic that the boy began to weep.
Chapter 4 of The tale of Genji is here in full — 181 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/36 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
regarded with aversion
From this reading “‘No one has ever disliked me before’ he whispered to the boy.”
the experience of being alive; the course of human events and activities
From this reading “I am sick of myself and of the world, and do not want to go on living any more.’”
affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function
From this reading “I am sick of myself and of the world, and do not want to go on living any more.’”
experiencing or accompanied by sleeplessness
From this reading “UTSUSEMI Genji was still sleepless.”
past form of “sound” — appear in a certain way
From this reading “This sounded so tragic that the boy began to weep.”
very sad; especially involving grief or death or destruction
From this reading “This sounded so tragic that the boy began to weep.”
shed tears because of sadness, rage, or pain
From this reading “This sounded so tragic that the boy began to weep.”
spoken in soft hushed tones without vibrations of the vocal cords
From this reading “‘No one has ever disliked me before’ he whispered to the boy.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
continue a certain state, condition, or activity
In this reading “I am sick of myself and of the world, and do not want to go on living any more.’”
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading I am sick of myself and of the world, and do not want to go on living any more.’
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I am sick of myself and of the world, and do not want to go on living any more.’
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading I am sick of myself and of the world, and do not want to go on living any more.’
have
From this reading ‘It is more than I can bear.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading ‘No one has ever disliked me before’ he whispered to the boy.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading This sounded so tragic that the boy began to weep.
a youthful male person
From this reading ‘No one has ever disliked me before’ he whispered to the boy.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading ‘It is more than I can bear.
regarded with aversion
From this reading ‘No one has ever disliked me before’ he whispered to the boy.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading I am sick of myself and of the world, and do not want to go on living any more.’
at any time
From this reading ‘No one has ever disliked me before’ he whispered to the boy.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading UTSUSEMI Genji was still sleepless.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading I am sick of myself and of the world, and do not want to go on living any more.’
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading ‘No one has ever disliked me before’ he whispered to the boy.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading ‘No one has ever disliked me before’ he whispered to the boy.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading ‘It is more than I can bear.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading ‘It is more than I can bear.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading ‘It is more than I can bear.
the experience of being alive; the course of human events and activities
From this reading I am sick of myself and of the world, and do not want to go on living any more.’
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading ‘No one has ever disliked me before’ he whispered to the boy.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading ‘It is more than I can bear.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading I am sick of myself and of the world, and do not want to go on living any more.’
not any; not one
From this reading ‘No one has ever disliked me before’ he whispered to the boy.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I am sick of myself and of the world, and do not want to go on living any more.’
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I am sick of myself and of the world, and do not want to go on living any more.’
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading I am sick of myself and of the world, and do not want to go on living any more.’
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading ‘No one has ever disliked me before’ he whispered to the boy.
affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function
From this reading I am sick of myself and of the world, and do not want to go on living any more.’
experiencing or accompanied by sleeplessness
From this reading UTSUSEMI Genji was still sleepless.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading This sounded so tragic that the boy began to weep.
past form of “sound” — appear in a certain way
From this reading This sounded so tragic that the boy began to weep.
not in physical motion
From this reading UTSUSEMI Genji was still sleepless.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading ‘It is more than I can bear.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading This sounded so tragic that the boy began to weep.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading ‘No one has ever disliked me before’ he whispered to the boy.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This sounded so tragic that the boy began to weep.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading ‘No one has ever disliked me before’ he whispered to the boy.
very sad; especially involving grief or death or destruction
From this reading This sounded so tragic that the boy began to weep.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading UTSUSEMI Genji was still sleepless.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading I am sick of myself and of the world, and do not want to go on living any more.’
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading UTSUSEMI Genji was still sleepless.
shed tears because of sadness, rage, or pain
From this reading This sounded so tragic that the boy began to weep.
spoken in soft hushed tones without vibrations of the vocal cords
From this reading ‘No one has ever disliked me before’ he whispered to the boy.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading I am sick of myself and of the world, and do not want to go on living any more.’
Chapter 4 of The tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu holds 181 sentences, grouped into 37 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
Chapter 4 holds 181 sentences of The tale of Genji, unabridged, divided into 37 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 181 sentences, grouped into 37 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.
Work through the 37 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 37 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 4 can be played aloud in United States English.
Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.
Common questions about reading The tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4491 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #66057 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #66057, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 374 minutes of reading across 899 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The tale of Genji section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of The tale of Genji to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in The tale of Genji, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
