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带上她的眼睛

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人类使用地层飞船深入地球内部进行探险,一艘地层飞船在航行中失事,下沉到地心,船上只剩下一名年轻的女领航员,她只能在封闭的地心渡过余生……

15 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 2008

12 people are currently reading
412 people want to read

About the author

Liu Cixin

315 books16k followers
Science Fiction fan and writer.

Author also writes under Cixin Liu

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5 stars
193 (37%)
4 stars
204 (39%)
3 stars
91 (17%)
2 stars
24 (4%)
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4 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
Profile Image for karen.
4,012 reviews172k followers
October 2, 2021
Two months of nonstop work had left me exhausted. I asked my director for a two-day leave of absence so that I could go on a short trip and clear my mind. He agreed, but only on the condition that I take a pair of eyes along with me. I accepted, and he took me to pick them up from the Control Center.


i have never read anything from this author before*, as he always seemed to be too far on the sci side of sci-fi for my mooshy little brain, but this was the free tor short of the week, so i took the plunge and it turns out that my mooshy little brain was up to the task, after all!!

the premise is intriguing, and i'll let him explain it for me:

Millions of people worked year-round on the Moon and the Asteroid Belt. The cost of a vacation back on Earth was astronomical – pardon the pun – which is why the space bureau, in all their stinginess, designed this little gadget. Every astronaut living in space had a corresponding pair of glasses planet-side. Those on Earth lucky enough to go on a real-life vacation would wear these glasses, allowing a homesick space-worker to share the joy of their trip.

People had originally scoffed at these devices. But as those willing to wear them received significant subsidies for their travels they actually became quite popular. These artificial eyes grew increasingly refined through the constant use of the most cutting-edge technology. The current models even transmitted their wearers’ senses of touch and smell by monitoring their brainwaves. Taking a pair of eyes on vacation became an act of public service among terrestrial workers in the space industry. Not everyone was willing take an extra pair of eyes with them on vacation, citing reasons such as invasion of privacy. As for me, I had no problem with them.


so our narrator heads to earth, letting his figurative passenger choose the destination, ending up in china's taklamakan desert, now a vast grassland. the woman whose 'eyes' he is wearing is both grateful and melancholy during their visit—desperate to see and smell and touch everything—the land, water, giving names to all of the flowers, during which the narrator alternates between being charmed and bored by her numerous requests.

there's a poignancy to her appreciation of these simple pleasures that so many take for granted, and the narrator is moved by her reactions even as he feels somewhat trapped by her urgency to experience and absorb every last drop of their surroundings.

and—oh, when he returns home and realizes who and where she is, her sensory hoarding makes so much sense and it's a suckerpunch straight to the feels, my friends.

it's a beautiful story, and while the message could have been facile and trite in a lesser author's hands, it is written with such delicate confidence that it becomes profound and immediate in a way that is very welcome to cynical old me.

if he has more stories like this one, count me right the heck in!



read it for yourself here:

https://www.tor.com/2021/09/22/with-h...

* oh, wait—i DID read another tor short by him, The Weight of Memories, all the way back in TWENTY SIXTEEN and it is still on my 'review pending' shelf, which sucks for me, since i don't remember anything about it. this is what happens when i fall behind in my reviewing; a more-or-less ongoing situation that has become even more shameful these past few weeks and i'm just curled into a ball of shame over it.

come to my blog!
Profile Image for Andria Potter.
Author 2 books95 followers
December 2, 2021
Actual rating 4.5 ⭐. This was very good and I am definitely adding "The Wandering Earth" to my future tbr!
Profile Image for Bill Green.
79 reviews4 followers
September 6, 2016
I read this short story because I simply wanted to experience some of Liu Cixin's writing. I was impressed with this short introduction.
The story is written in the first person, and this person is an overworked space engineer. The time is in the future after the first 150 years of space travel.
Humans are dispersed throughout the solar system, and need time to vacation. But vacations to Earth can be costly and inconvenient, so the major corporations embrace new technology; virtual eyes that can allow a person to piggyback an Earther's vacation. The Earther takes a vacation, that is often subsidized by the eyes, to lower vacation cost; also allowing the corporation to provide virtual vacations to their off-planet employees.
Our space engineer asks for two days off, and his employer says yes; on condition that he wear the eyes for someone to come along. Our engineer meets a young woman, apparently on a space ship, wanting to see some of the Earth that she misses.
His two day journey is sad and heart wrenching as she wants to see and name the flowers, feel the water from the river, experience Earth as if she was never going to again.
His intense close experience stays with him; affects the way he sees and feels his own life on Earth.
And the sad secret at the bottom of this is bittersweet.
I'm looking forward to more of Cixin's work.
Profile Image for Siobhan.
5,035 reviews597 followers
August 18, 2020
I have a complicated relationship with short stories, whereby the shorter they are the harder I find it to enjoy them. Thus, I was uncertain about With Her Eyes. However, this one ended up surprising me and became one of my favourite short stories from Liu Cixin.

Although a short and simple story, this one was powerful. It hit harder than anticipated and went in an unexpected direction. It managed to do a lot with very little, and I was hooked throughout.

Without a doubt, this is one of the author’s best short stories.
Profile Image for Amy (Other Amy).
481 reviews102 followers
December 2, 2022
We went from flower to flower in this way, first looking, then smelling and finally naming them. Utterly entranced, she kept at it with no end in sight, all else forgotten. I, however, soon grew bored to death of this silly game, but by the time I insisted that we stop, we had already named over a hundred flowers.

I am wavering between stars here, honestly. It's a beautiful story, but the telling is marred by a certain something I can't name. In honor of Sunset 6 though, I'll go with four. It's one for the buried, and worthy of the read.

2022 Short Story Advent Calendar
Hello December! It's time for the 2022 Advent Calendar. Maybe this year I'll actually manage to finish it. I learned from my experiment last year that reading from multiple collections does not work for me, so I'm trying to clean up some free standing short stories this year, and I have a lot of Tor shorts to go. Perhaps a few other things. One short story every day through Christmas Eve, and I will update links as I go. (I am traveling for Christmas, and I may post a few early right before the holiday. Or late. And I may go through New Year's Eve. Anything could happen!)

12/01/22: Yiwu
12/02/22: With Her Eyes
Profile Image for Peter.
791 reviews66 followers
June 29, 2020
At least this was short because it's once again a basic story with poorly written characters and a convoluted plot that does the simple premise no justice at all. In fact, it was so boring and had such a dull theme that if I had waited any longer to write this review, I probably would have forgotten about it. Yes, people who know they won't be able to see a thing will feel a sense of regret about the fact. If that's a mind-blowing concept to you, then I suspect you'll enjoy this.
Profile Image for Tarik Mahtab.
167 reviews4 followers
January 9, 2022
বিখ্যাত চাইনিজ সাই-ফাই লেখক লিউ সিশিনের ২০ পৃষ্ঠার একটা ছোট গল্প ‘With Her Eyes’. তার অধিকাংশ লেখা হার্ড সাই-ফাই হলেও তাতে মিশে থাকে নানা সময়ে, নানান পরিস্থিতিতে মানবমনের অনুভূতিগুলোর বিশদ রুপ।
আমাদের চারপাশের প্রকৃতি কতো সুন্দর! মাঝে মাঝে কিছু প্রাকৃতিক দৃশ্য থেকে মন ভরে যায়, চোখ জুড়িয়ে যায়, মাঝে মাঝে হতে হয় বিস্ময়াভিভূত। কখনো ভেবে দেখেছেন প্রযুক্তির উৎকর্ষতার সাথে সাথে যে প্রকৃতিকে আমরা ভুলতে বসেছি সেটাই যদি হারিয়ে যায় আমাদের কাছ থেকে? যদি হারিয়ে যায় রাতের আঁধারে মেঘের সাথে লুকোচুরি খেলা চাঁদের আলো? কিংবা সকালের সূর্যোদয়?
প্রকৃত অর্থে, এসব দৃশ্য উপভোগ করার মতো মানুষ খুব কমই আছে বর্তমানে। আর আমরা যারা ভুলে যাচ্ছি প্রকৃতিকে, দেখার ক্ষমতা হারানোর আগে কেউই তার মূল্য বুঝবো না।

সিশিনের এই গল্পটাতে সায়েন্টিফিক ম্যাটারগুলোর পাশাপাশি কিছু সাধারণ বিষয় ফুটে উঠেছে যেগুলো আমাদের ভাবতে বাধ্য করবে।

রেটিং:★★★★
Profile Image for Kam Yung Soh.
956 reviews52 followers
November 17, 2021
An interesting story about an overworked person taking a break. But he does it by bringing along a pair of glasses connected to what he thinks is a worker in space who is also taking a break by virtually visiting the Earth through his glasses.

At first, he is amused by the awe felt by the worker for simple things like a field of flowers. But amusement turns into irritation when she begins to demand him to let her watch a setting sun or a rising moon. Finally, he has had enough and returns the glasses.

But it is only later when he re-examines the clues in their conversations does he begin to suspect that the person is not in space, but may have another reason for being grateful for being able to see the wonders that the surface of the Earth can provide.
Profile Image for Ann Dewar.
873 reviews6 followers
October 3, 2021
A brilliant piece of short fiction with expert world creation in a condensed space (excuse the pun).

An astronaut visits Earth on a short holiday, affordable only because he takes the ‘eyes’ of another person with him, allowing them to share the sensory experiences with him.

Liu Cixin manages to convey so much about how unmindful we are of what we see, smell and hear in such a concise but moving way. Deft and touching.

With Her Eyes
Profile Image for Netanella.
4,744 reviews41 followers
February 13, 2022
Two months of nonstop work had left me exhausted. I asked my director for a two-day leave of absence so that I could go on a short trip and clear my mind. He agreed, but only on the condition that I take a pair of eyes along with me. I accepted, and he took me to pick them up from the Control Center.

With that jarring opening line, "With Her Eyes" takes the reader on a splendid and poignant tale of the near future, where penniless, common workers can go on a virtual vacation by accompanying the more wealthy on their real, Earth-bound adventures, through a pair of lenses. The "eyes" that the narrator of this story picks up for his two-day journey, however, reveal more than he bargained for. This is well done and recommended.
Profile Image for Sam.
98 reviews
October 31, 2025
Cliché premise with a creative sci-fi angle that I enjoyed despite, as usual, some recycled ideas from his other stories. I'll also cut some slack for what I think is one of the most glaring plot holes in any book I can think of because the message was poignant and made me appreciate my life, which is hard to do in 20 pages.
Profile Image for Megan.
365 reviews44 followers
October 26, 2021
Really touching sci-fi story about a man going on vacation who agrees to where VR sort of glasses that allow him to share what he sees with an astronaut in a confined environment—astronauts are generally stuck on missions for a long time and miss seeing earthly things, so people have come up with this glasses sharing gig as a way for them to have eyes on Earth.

The guy is initially sort of annoyed by his astronaut’s need to see everything, at all hours, but he starts to appreciate things like sunrises and full moons that he took a bit for granted. There’s a little plot twist about the kind of mission she’s on, which adds some melancholy.

Beautifully and evocatively written.
Profile Image for Thaddeus Tuffentsamer.
Author 23 books3 followers
December 31, 2023
This is the shortest story in the book. A woman’s destiny is set, unchanging and alone.

One man gives her, her last opportunity to see the world through his eyes, which must sustain her for the next 40+ years of complete isolation.

A new understanding of what it means to “see through someone else’s eyes” and the empathy it induces.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Kathryn.
16 reviews3 followers
December 30, 2021
This is beautiful and interesting and intricate, and of course very well written, and of course I cried.
Profile Image for Storm.
2,324 reviews6 followers
February 24, 2023
Collected in The Wandering Earth: Classic Science Fiction Collection, this short story which is can also be read free on Tor.com here won the 1999 China Galaxy Science Fiction Award. It begins innocuously enough with an overworked person asking for a short vacation. His director agrees as long as he takes a pair of eyes along with him. These are built for those working out in the isolation and loneliness of space, so they can view the earth so in time taking a pair of eyes while going on vacation resulted in subsidies and was also considered a humanitarian virtue / civic duty.


Our protagonist asks the girl where she wants to go, and she struggles, claiming ‘Oh, this isn’t easy for me. Have you read the book by Helen Keller Three Days to See? If you have, you’ll understand what I’m talking about!’

Eventually she decides on the last place she visited before leaving, so they set off. The girl is excited over the smallest things which initially charms him, but that gets old fast and he is soon annoyed. The way these are described is beautiful and poetic, making me wish I had the talent to wax lyrical with phrases like these:-

‘Watching the evening sky gradually lose its glow as night falls over the forest – it’s like listening to the most beautiful symphony in the universe.’

Her voice swelled with rapture. I dragged my leaden feet outside, silently cursing my misfortune.

‘You really do cherish these common things,’ I told her on our way back to the cabin. Night had already fallen, and stars shone in the sky.

‘Why don’t you?’ she asked. ‘That’s what it means to truly be alive.’

‘I can’t really find any satisfaction in those things. Nor can most other people. It’s too easy to get what you want these days. I’m not just talking about material things. You can surround yourself with blue skies and crystal-clear waters just like that. If you want the peace and tranquility of the countryside or a remote island, you barely even need to snap your fingers. Even love. Think of how elusive that was for previous generations and how desperately they chased it, and now it can be experienced through virtual reality, at least for a few moments at a time.

‘People don’t cherish anything now. They see a platter of fruit an arm’s length away, only to take a bite out of each piece before throwing the rest away.’

‘But not everyone has such fruits within reach,’ she said quietly.



Somehow the eyes device ends up connecting them both till he thinks he sees her in his dreams, but eventually vacation is over and she never got to see the sun rise. He returns to his drab existence but cannot forget her. Eventually he goes to the director and finds out who the woman is. And as the story unfolds, it gets even more tragic.


To say this story moved me is an understatement. I cried, then went outside to look at the flowers that will soon be appearing to herald the onset of spring. And yes, I will give some of them names.
Profile Image for Michelle.
82 reviews2 followers
May 5, 2025
I wasn't expecting to be sad today, but alas.

Liu Cixin is now a favorite author of mine. I wish technology like this existed.

An overworked space engineer takes a vacation, but before he can go, he is asked to take a pair of eyes with him. The eyes of a terranaut aboard the Sunset 6 terracraft. The multi-sensory glasses allows the wearer to transmit what he sees and feels to the terranaut.

The terranaut requests that he take her eyes to the last place she went on earth's surface do simplistic things like traverse a flower field while she names as many flowers as she can. Although he is a bit of a jerk to her during this process, she leaves a lasting impression on him.

It's Chapter 2 that really tugs at my heart strings...whew.

This short story is a part of a larger body of work called The Wandering Earth. I plan to borrow that from my library as soon as humanly possible.

Profile Image for Quỳnh.
261 reviews152 followers
December 2, 2021
With Her Eyes (Qua đôi mắt cô ấy): Trong tương lai, mỗi khi có người ở Trái Đất đi du lịch, họ sẽ mang theo một cặp mắt điện tử để chia sẻ trải nghiệm với một người đang làm việc ở ngoài vũ trụ. Trong chuyến đi nghỉ của mình, nhân vật chính được ghép cặp với "đôi mắt" của một cô gái kì lạ.

Ai đó bảo giùm tác giả Lưu Từ Hân rằng không phải cứ "cắm" khoa học vào truyện là thành truyện khoa học viễn tưởng đâu. Vấn đề chính của mình với "With Her Eyes"? Phong cách kể chuyện rời rạc và cũ kĩ. Phân đoạn khoa học rất hay nhưng méo ăn nhập về giọng văn so với phần còn lại, khiến mình cảm thấy như đang đọc truyện do hai người viết.

Ngoài ra, chủ đề "cảm nhận vẻ đẹp của thế giới khi còn có thể" đã được khai thác nhẵn rồi, mình cần cách kể chuyện mới mẻ hơn. Nội dung "nhìn đời qua đôi mắt nhau" thú vị song chưa được khai thác hết tiềm năng. Tuy rằng đoạn kết có làm mình xúc động, nhưng là vì chiêu melodramatic hóa nội dung mà mấy phim Hàn Quốc hay xài. Mình muốn cảm xúc dâng trào một cách tự nhiên thay vì bị chi phối. Việc giữ bí mật danh tính của cô gái khá vô lí, nó chỉ tồn tại để tạo cảm giác bí ẩn và phục vụ cú "quay xe" cuối truyện.

Vậy "With Her Eyes" có điểm gì tốt? Mình khẳng định lại là phân đoạn khoa học rất ổn, ý tưởng xung quanh nó sáng tạo, cách tác giả sử dụng chi tiết "cây bút chì" khá thông minh. Dù chưa đọc "Tam Thể" (sau vụ này mình càng ngại đọc truyện của Lưu tiên sinh), nhưng mình có cảm giác những ai thích (hay chịu đựng nổi) "Tam Thể" thì cũng sẽ đọc được truyện này.
Profile Image for Beatriz.
409 reviews8 followers
April 20, 2025
"She continued humming, seemingly forgetting that I was still listening on the other end – or that I even existed. From orbit, melody and moonlight descended upon the prairie in unison. I pictured that delicate girl in outer space: the silvery Moon shining from above, the blue Earth below. She flew between the two, smaller than a pinpoint, her song dissolving into moonlight…"

"One thought comforted me: even if I traveled to the most distant corner of the Earth, I would never be any farther from her."
Profile Image for Sheity Williams.
218 reviews3 followers
January 16, 2018
I loved it.

I am astonished to find such a simple idea so fascinating. The ending was too bittersweet. I hate that I love how much this story made me wonder about the main character after her fate is sealed (see what I did there? A reference you will only understand if you read this). Anyway, not much else to say, other than this was a story that clenched my heart.
Profile Image for hana.
308 reviews41 followers
September 24, 2022
read for eng102

I FEEL LIKE CRYING

"when it comes to time, modern-day folk are dirt-poor."

"one thought comforted me: even if i traveled to the most distant corner of the earth, i would never be any farther from her."
Profile Image for Angelica.
645 reviews6 followers
June 1, 2019
What a bittersweet story! A reminder to never take things for granted.
Profile Image for Jennifer.
1,167 reviews14 followers
October 24, 2021
An incredible short story. What if this were your last chance to store memories of earth? How much of our surroundings do we take for granted and not actually experience? Cherish.
Profile Image for Alta.
245 reviews5 followers
March 15, 2022
would not recommend reading this one in Chinese.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews

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