Exhalation

by Ted Chiang

Night Shade Books Presents
For your 2009 Hugo Award
"Best Short Story" consideration
Ted Chiang’s "Exhalation"

As Published in

Eclipse Two:
New Science Fiction and Fantasy

Edited by Jonathan Strahan

Genres: Short Stories, Science Fiction, Fiction, Fantasy, School, Science Fiction Fantasy, Speculative Fiction

32 pages, ebook

Published January 1, 2009

About the author

Ted Chiang is an American science fiction writer. His Chinese name is Chiang Feng-nan. He graduated from Brown University with a Computer Science degree. He currently works as a technical writer in the software industry and resides in Bellevue, near Seattle, Washington. He is a graduate of the noted Clarion Writers Workshop (1989) and has been an instructor for it (2012, 2016). Chiang is also a frequent non-fiction contributor to the New Yorker, where he writes on topics related to computing such as artificial intelligence.

Chiang has published 18 short stories, to date, and most of them have won prestigious speculative fiction awards - including multiple Nebula Awards, Locus Awards, Hugo Awards, and British Science Fiction Association Awards, among others. His short story "Story of Your Life" was the basis of the film Arrival (2016). He has never written a novel but is one of the most decorated science fiction writers currently working.

Chiang's first eight stories are collected in "Stories of Your Life, and Others" and the next nine, in "Exhalation: Stories".

Reviews

[HaMiT · Rating 4 out of 5]

داستان‌های تد چیانگ کمی سخت و پیچیده‌ان ولی ذهن رو خوب درگیر می‌کنن
از این لینک می‌تونید بخونید
بازدم - فضای استعاره

[Cecily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exhalation - title story from Chiang's 2019 collection

A dangerously literal sort of introspection.

“Contemplate the marvel that is existence, and rejoice that you are able to do so.”

Self-awareness is a fundamental attribute of intelligent life, but the converse is more unsettling: conscious intelligence that does not fit our usual definition of “life”.

The narrator challenges the assumption that air is the source of life and investigates that, and the mystery of memory, in a shocking, risky, and very personal experiment. This challenges readers’ assumptions about the narrator (who and what they are), as well as the readers themselves (what makes us human).

It’s also a metaphor for pollution and climate change, along with the panic or denial that can arise from realising the inevitability of death (as individuals, or life as we know it). Thus, it leads naturally to the next story in the Exhalation collection, What’s Expected of Us, which also considers the impact of faith in our future on our present.

“Even if a universe's life span is calculable, the variety of life that is generated within it is not… None of them could have been predicted, because none of them was inevitable.”

This story was published in Chiang’s collection, Exhalation. See HERE for my reviews of the other stories.

[Abolfazl Nasri · Rating 4 out of 5]

چهارمین داستان از مجموعه داستان کوتاه بی‌کران:
«بازدم» تد چیانگ داستانی است که با ظرافت علمی‌ـ‌فلسفی‌اش نفس خواننده را در سینه حبس می‌کند و بعد، آهسته و سنجیده، همان «نفس» را به استعاره‌ای از حیات، آگاهی و فرسودگیِ اجتناب‌ناپذیر بدل می‌سازد. روایت از دل جهانی مکانیکی و در عین حال شاعرانه آغاز می‌شود: موجوداتی که با ریه‌های قابل‌تعویض زندگی می‌کنند و ذهنشان به‌جای خون، با جریان هوا می‌تپد. قهرمانِ دانشمند، با جسارتی هولناک به سراغ کالبدشکافیِ خود می‌رود و از خلال مشاهدهٔ «موتور اندیشه» به کشفی می‌رسد که هم‌زمان ساده و کوبنده است: ما چیزی جز الگوهای جریان هوا نیستیم؛ و همان‌گونه که فشارها به تعادل میل می‌کنند، فکر و زندگی نیز به سوی سکون می‌روند. تمثیل ترمودینامیک در این‌جا نه یک نمایش فضل، که استخوانِ داستان است.
قدرت اصلی «بازدم» در دقت مهندسیِ نثر و اقتصاد روایت است. چیانگ با چند جزئیات فنیِ بی‌تکلف، جهانی کامل می‌سازد؛ نه زحمتِ واژگان اضافی را بر دوش مخاطب می‌گذارد و نه گره‌های اندیشه را شتاب‌زده باز می‌کند. بخش خودکالبدشکافی—با آن پریسکوپِ خودنگر و شبکهٔ زرینِ ذهن—هم از حیث تخیل دیداری خیره‌کننده است و هم از حیث پیشبرد مضمون. پایان‌بندی نیز، با آن بدرود نجیبانه و امید باریک به «کاوشگرانِ» جهانی دیگر، میان تلخیِ تعادل نهایی و کرامتِ آگاهی تعادل می‌گیرد.
با این همه، «بازدم» بی‌نقص نیست. گاهی لحن، بیش از اندازه بالینی و رساله‌وار می‌شود و ضربان احساسیِ متن زیر لایه‌ای از توضیحات فنی پنهان می‌ماند. ریتم میانیِ داستان—پس از کشف سازوکار حافظه و پیش از تعمیم کیهانی—کمی کش می‌آید و ممکن است خواننده‌ای که با زبان علمی راحت نیست، برای لحظاتی از روایت فاصله بگیرد. همچنین، جهان‌سازی عمداً خسیس است؛ همین مینیمالیسم اگرچه به تمرکز فلسفی کمک می‌کند، اما ممکن است برای مخاطبی که انتظار بافت اجتماعی پُرملات‌تری دارد، اندکی سرد احساس شود.
«بازدم» نمونهٔ شاخصی از علمی‌ـ‌تخیلیِ ایده‌محور است؛ داستانی که با ذهن می‌درخشد و با وقارِ اندوهگینش در دل می‌ماند. شاید نتوان آن را «گرم‌ترین» داستان چیانگ دانست، اما بی‌گمان از خالص‌ترین‌هاست. چهار ستاره از پنج؛ ستارهٔ پنجم را می‌توان به داستانی بخشید که همین عمق مفهومی را با اندکی تپشِ عاطفیِ بیشتر همراه کند.

[Dennis · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

I liked the idea but not the writing.

Winner of the 2009 Hugo Award for Best Short Story.

You can read it here: http://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fic...

[Connie G · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short story is free online at http://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fic...

This story is set in a world filled with an argon atmosphere encased in solid chromium. The intelligent, social beings in this civilization are machines who recharge their lungs each day with an underground source of argon under higher pressure. The scientist narrator has been investigating how their brains function. The scientist wonders how memories are made as tiny capillaries of pressurized argon go through their brains, so he decides to dissect his own head. As the pressurized argon is used, the atmospheric argon is gradually rising in this closed system. How much longer can their civilization survive with the pressure differential changing, moving into equilibrium? "Exhalation" is an elegant story that provides lots of food for thought.

[Alina · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting premises and a parallel to our own search for answers, and new habitable planets, and extraterrestrial life.

“Because even if the universe is lifespan is calculable, the variety of life that is generated within it is not. The buildings we have erected, the art and music and verse we have composed, the very lives we’ve led: none of them could have been predicted, because none of them was inevitable. Our universe might have slid into equilibrium admitting nothing more than a quiet hiss. The fact that it spawned such plenitude is a miracle [...]
I offer to you a valediction. Contemplate the marvel that is existence, and rejoice that you are able to do so. I feel I have the right to tell you this because, as I am inscribing these words, I am doing the same.”

[Ankit Garg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exhalation by Ted Chiang is the title story of the collection of science fiction short stories.

The story involves the science behind atmospheric pressure, and how, in a fictional setting, the continuous reduction in the said pressure can be fatal for life forms. The symbolism is hard hitting, and makes one really think about the gift that is life.

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a strange tale, told from what I think is the perspective of some type of robotic scientist in another universe searching to uncover the mysteries of what makes his kind tick, and in doing so probing into the mysteries of the birth and death of the universe and the beauty and purpose of life. Short and highly recommended! Free audio available on Escape Pod.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars, not just for the content and subject but because it managed to get me back to reading after that break.
Thanks to the person who recommended it, the one who insisted, and our lovely bookclub.
July 2025

[Drew · Rating 4 out of 5]

A strange and fascinating story of introspection. Read it here in Lightspeed Magazine: https://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fi...

Btw, this is only the short story called Exhalation, not the book of short stories.

[Bill Muganda · Rating 5 out of 5]

An afternoon rereading this meditative sci-fi story that heightens my breathing awareness. One of my favorites short fiction for sure.

[Lily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the idea!

[Netanella · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this to be an incredible short story, narrated by a robot, who describes their enclosed world where the robotic beings breathe through mechanical lungs that are replaced in filling stations.



In studying the anatomical nature of memory by auto-dissection of his own brain, the narrator realizes that the air pressure that keeps everyone alive is slowing equalizing, and that eventually, many years in the future, he and his robotic people will cease to function.



Chiang's ability to create depth of meaning, insight, to communicate such mind-opening ideas, in short stories is truly incredible. I am awed by the talent of this writer.

[Meagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my second time reading this and I enjoyed just as much (if not more than) the first time I read it 🥰🥰. It's the second person POV that gets me everytime. Love it!

[Melinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

CHARACTERS
🔲 mary-sue party
🔲 mostly 2D
🔲 great main cast, forgettable side characters
🔲 well-written
✅ complex and fascinating
🔲 hard to believe they are fictional

PLOT
🔲 you've already heard this exact story a thousand times
🔲 nothing memorable
🔲 gripping
✅ exceptional
🔲 mind=blown

WORLDBUILDING
🔲 takes place in our world
🔲 incoherent
🔲 OK
🔲 nicely detailed
✅ meticulous
🔲 even the last tree in the forest has its own story

ATMOSPHERE
🔲 nonexistent
🔲 fine
🔲 immersive
✅ you forget you are reading a book

PACING
🔲 dragging
🔲 inconsistent
🔲 picks up with time
🔲 page-turner
✅ impossible to put down

So much told in such a short story.

[Bart · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was conflicted about Stories of Your Life and Others, Ted Chiang's much lauded first collection. There's something about this guy: he can write - but are these really, truly stories?

So at first I decided to skip Exhalation: Stories, his second collection, published in 2019. But then I read a glowing review on Speculiction that dubbed the title story "one of the greatest science fiction stories ever written". As it is available for free on Lightspeed Magazine's site, I decided to read just that.

It turned out to be a typical Chiang story: exquisitely crafted, good prose, convincing atmosphere, smart ideas. But sadly, for my taste, it's also a bit too didactic, for two reasons.

It tries to convey a message - the clichéd 'be thankful for the wonder of existence', but more importantly, because it follows the typical Chiang template: he read some interesting stuff, and tries to mold his newfound wisdom into a story.

This time the main focus is on neuroscience, and the debate on the classic boxological Theory Of Mind: do our brains have representations of their content inside their brains, or not? The Nobel Prize winning research by Kandel and O’Keefe & the Mosers on rats has proven the classic T.o.M. wrong, and Chiang has managed to translate that into a kind of steampunk-ish robot setting. At least, that's my guess, as I haven't read any author notes. I know Chiang included those in this first collection, but I'm not sure if they exist for this particular story. (If they do exist, and somebody could prove or disprove my hypothesis in the comments, that would be great.)

The other focus is a classic cosmology conundrum: is our universe finite, and will it get to a final (dead) state of equilibrium? He cleverly inserts a bit of speculation about possible multiverses too.

What Chiang does absolutely brilliantly is marry these two ingeniously via a subdued steampunk setting, and as such this is a truly great science fiction story indeed. It is really a tour de force.

What Chiang fails to do, is tell a compelling story about characters. As the story progresses, the clinical, mechanical nature of his modus operandus becomes clear. One could say: it suits this particular story about automatons, and that's definitely true, but for my tastes Exhalation lacks emotion & something resembling a real character - instead of a mouthpiece for ideas. I even dare to claim that 'Exhalation' lacks a real plot, and at times it felt a bit drawn out. As such, it kinda reads as something formulaic, written for a creative writing class - however brilliantly done.

So where does that leave me re: Exhalation: Stories? I might try and source a few of the other recommended stories for free online, but at the moment I'm not buying the collection.

More speculative fiction reviews on Weighig A Pig Doesn't Fatten It

[Camilia Hornstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

The short story “Exhalation” by Ted Chiang examines the consequences to our actions, whether intentional or not, and subtlety explores the idea of taking a stand before it is too late.

The opening of the short story especially helps to establish a prominent tone that follows the narrator throughout his journey: “It has long been said that air (which others call argon) is the source of life. This is not in fact the case, and I engrave these words to describe how I came to understand the true source of life and, as a corollary, the means by which life will one day end.” (Chiang 22). Right from the start, the story disputes a widely known fact, that air is the “source of life”. This well-crafted manipulation intentionally confuses the reader, leaving them wondering and eager to keep reading. In other words, it serves as an extremely efficient hook. Additionally, the narrator’s usage of the phrase, “the means by which life will one day end,” foreshadows the following events and sets up an apprehensive tone. It is also important to note the specific use of diction by using the word “engrave” instead of speak or tell. This means the narrator isn’t directly recounting the story to the reader, rather we are reading a journal or account of what has happened. This leaves the reader wondering if the aforementioned end of life has already happened and helps emphasize the uneasy tone.

Next, comes the core of the story, which has strong ties to the theme of actions having consequences, deliberate or not. The text states, “With every movement of my body, I contribute to the equalization of pressure in our universe. With every thought that I have, I hasten the arrival of that fatal equilibrium.” (Chiang 37). This powerful revelation explains how this is a society doomed from the start, and they will bring about their own demise. Without knowing it, they’re slowly killing themselves. This is actually very similar to our multiple issues with climate change nowadays, leading to the question: are we perhaps bringing about our own end? Although this new bizarre world and our reality appear to be completely different and unrelated to each other, they are actually one and the same. These outlandish descriptions and details only serve as a facade to obscure the truth; that the story is a reflection of the world we live in now. We are facing the consequences to our very own actions just like this dystopian society.

This can be clearly seen in the ending of this rather eventful short story, “I wish you well, explorer, but I wonder: Does the same fate that befell me await you?” (Chiang 43). Now, the narrator directly calls humanity out for their mistakes and issues a warning to do something before it’s too late and we too bring about our own demise. So, the choice is ours, will we turn our backs to reality or will we finally do something about the problems in our world?

[Mason]

Great story, shoutout DJNana for sending me it

[M · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great science fiction in my opinion always says something about the human condition.
Usually, I feel like Ted Chiang is succeeding in that regard, but not this time.
Ironic, considering that the story is very direct with its theme and message but maybe that's the reason why I don't find this story as interesting as the others.
Essentially, Chiang describes a civilization of (seemingly) robot-like beings whose brain mechanisms is an air-like analogue for how computers nowadays store (erasable) memory. Their world is, as it turns out, dictated by an air pressure difference of the world they are inhabiting versus the air reservoir from which they get their in-take of air. That difference is slowly but surely decreasing, similar to how entropy is always increasing in our universe.
The conclusion is similar, the death of all living things is inevitable, and as with humans, the narrator is trying to come to terms with that fact.
My problem with this story is that I don't feel like it gives any new perspective or angle on the question but rather re-hashes old ideas with scientific concepts. Like a mirror that only reflects what is on the surface, I feel that Chiang didn't go deep enough here.

[Tanya · Rating 3 out of 5]

An argon-breathing creature made of aluminum and gold studies its own brain and makes a discovery with high-stakes consequences for its whole universe.

I really liked the ending of this, it was bittersweet and affirming, and the story as a whole held up a mirror to humanity and our own strive for knowledge and self-discovery—and implies that perhaps all science is limited by us being human, with all its implications—in a really original way. There were just so many things left untold though, the story brought up more questions than it answered: Where are we? When are we? How did it all come to be? Who are they? Who built them?—unimportant details for the intention and scope of this short story, but I found them distracting omissions.

—————

This story is also published in Ted Chiang's collection Exhalation: Stories. You can read my full review here.

[Ren - Soren - Aro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting, thought provoking, stories to devour then ponder for months.

[RatGrrrl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Chiang and the way he marries science and wild ideas with fiction, which is why I always adore his author's notes.

Sometimes I enjoy his authors notes significantly more than his stories, but I always appreciate reading them all.

This one was just a little too mechanical and literal in its metaphor for me.

As a concept, I love it!

As a way of explaining the theory, I'm not sure...but that could be my lack of scientific understanding.

As a story, it's not for me. I am not a fan of a story being solely a vehicle for the idea without as much thought to the vehicle itself beyond the aesthetics.

[Mark Gallagher · Rating 4 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed this journey to the inventive fiction of Ted Chiang. Polished prose and facile storytelling and extraordinary imagination. I had to rate this book four stars, however, because the one story that didn't work for me on any level, The Lifecycle of Software Objects, sprawls across a third of the total pages of the volume. The last story, on the other hand, Anxiety is the Dizziness of Freedom, with a strong narrative (despite resting on a foundation of physics I had trouble grasping) and engaging characters, delivers a beautifully satisfying experience.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the first story I ever read by Ted Chiang, years ago, and it blew my mind. Still one of my favorite pieces of writing, period.

"The universe began as an enormous breath being held. Who knows why, but whatever the reason, I am glad that it did, because I owe my existence to that fact. All my desires and ruminations are no more and no less than eddy currents generated by the gradual exhalation of our universe. And until this great exhalation is finished, my thoughts live on."

[Suzy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Intriguing, but ultimately a bit too science-heavy for my right-sided brain. A very interesting concept though, and a short story that I'd recommend for anyone who enjoys hard sci fi with an existential twist.

Full review to come... one day. If sheets of gold foil and copper stylus' allow.

Available for free online at: http://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fic...

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a wonderful book. It made me think while I was reading it and I thought about it for days afterward. He is a wonderfully creative and imaginative writer. I don’t usually like books of short stories but I enjoyed every one of the stories.

[Brandon Hartshorn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Impossible to forget.

[Kalpak NB · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant

[Will · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some stories are simply brilliant, others ever so slightly less so, but all are worth reading!

[Shreyas · Rating 3 out of 5]

'Exhalation' by Ted Chiang.

Contemplate the marvel that is existence, and rejoice that you are able to do so. I feel I have the right to tell you this because, as I am inscribing these words, I am doing the same.

Rating: 3.25/5.




Review:
Do note that this is a review of the short story 'Exhalation' and not a review of the short story collection having the same name. Having read only one short story by Ted Chiang before this, I must admit that I'm relatively new to his works.

At first, I was baffled by the tale. It didn't pull me in like the earlier story (The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate). And I was worried that I might end up disliking this story. However, as the story unfolded, I got more curious. As a physician, I was fascinated with the introduction of anatomists. Slowly, I started to connect the dots and realized that the so-called humans are robots. When the unnamed protagonist started the auto-dissection of his brain, it was truly a mind-blowing moment for me.

Most of what followed during the auto-dissection was technological mumbo-jumbo, so I was a bit pulled out of the story during those sections. However, when the protagonist had his revelation regarding the trouble with the turret clocks, I was sucked right into the story. The inclusion of the laws of thermodynamics and the metal gears veered the story off to the hard sci-fi territory, but soon it changed course, and the third act ended up being a monologue that was a quasi-philosophical take on existentialism.

Overall, it was a decent story, with certain compelling ideas and some thought-provoking sections. I wasn't wholly captivated by this short story, but there was enough going on to make it an enjoyable experience in the end.