Hateful Things Sei Shonagon Pdf -
The most famous section is “Hateful Things” (Nikuki mono). It’s a scroll of micro-annoyances that feels like a very old, very aristocratic Twitter thread.
Here are a few classics (paraphrased from the Meredith McKinney or Ivan Morris translations, available in that PDF you’re hunting for):
But her most famous entry? A man who returns home late from an affair, then falls deeply asleep, snoring loudly, leaving the woman to stare at the dawn ceiling. Sei Shonagon did not forgive, and she did not forget.
If you are looking for the text, it is important to note that "Hateful Things" is not a standalone book; it is a specific section (list) found within Sei Shōnagon's famous memoir, The Pillow Book (Makura no Sōshi).
To find the PDF: Search for "The Pillow Book Sei Shonagon PDF" rather than just the chapter title. This will yield the full text, which includes the famous "Hateful Things" list (often categorized under the section "Things that make one's heart beat faster" or simply as "Hateful Things").
Recommended Translation: The most highly regarded English translation is by Ivan Morris. If you find a PDF, check if it is the Morris translation for the most accurate and annotated version of the text.
"Hateful Things" by Sei Shōnagon – PDF Excerpt from The Pillow Book hateful things sei shonagon pdf
“Hateful Things” functions as a negative space drawing of courtly etiquette. By stating what she hates, Shōnagon reveals what she values:
| Hated Thing | Valued Opposite | |-------------|----------------| | A messenger who dawdles | Efficiency and clarity | | A letter that arrives misspelled | Careful calligraphy | | A woman who pretends not to see you | Acknowledgment of rank | | A man who leaves his robe untucked | Proper dress | | A mosquito net with a gap | Perfect enclosure |
Each hateful thing is a micro-violation of miyabi (courtly refinement). Miyabi meant not just beauty but absence of roughness—emotional, physical, and social smoothness. A gap in a mosquito net is hateful not because mosquitoes bite, but because the net’s purpose (enclosure) has been defeated by a tiny, visible flaw. Similarly, a person who talks too loudly or sneezes thunderously introduces roughness into the polished surface of court life.
A word of warning: Do not go looking for a modern, perfectly formatted PDF called “Hateful Things.” That is a section, not a book.
Instead, search for:
When you open the PDF, you’ll find that “Hateful Things” is only two pages long. You’ll read it, laugh, close the file—and then spend the rest of the day mentally writing your own list. The most famous section is “Hateful Things” (
Before we dive into the search for the PDF, let’s understand what makes this work endure. “Hateful Things” (nikuki mono) is not a manifesto of true hatred. It is not about war, injustice, or cruelty. Instead, Sei Shonagon catalogues the tiny, everyday disgusts that only a highly observant and slightly irritable person would notice.
She hates:
These are not moral failings but aesthetic and social annoyances. In this way, Sei Shonagon invented a genre: the list of petty grievances. Every modern tweet about “things that ruin my day” or Reddit thread on “unpopular pet peeves” owes a debt to this Heian courtier.
But the brilliance lies in her specificity. She does not just say “I hate loud people.” She describes a precise scene:
“A man who has nothing in particular to recommend him discusses one problem after another, all the while puffing himself up as though he were someone of consequence.”
This is not hatred; it is social satire wrapped in silk. But her most famous entry
If you manage to obtain a legitimate PDF (or scan a physical copy), you will need to cite it properly. Here is an example using MLA style:
Sei Shonagon. The Pillow Book. Translated by Ivan Morris, Columbia University Press, 1967. PDF file.
For the specific section: (Sei Shonagon, sec. 39).
If you use the public domain 1911 translation:
Sei Shonagon. The Pillow Book. Translated by Annie Shepley Omori and Kochi Doi, 1911. Project Gutenberg, 2020. PDF.
Modern readers laugh at “Hateful Things” because they recognize the feelings: the irritation of someone chewing noisily, the annoyance of a door that squeaks. But we must be careful not to universalize too quickly. Shōnagon’s hates are aristocratic hates. She never mentions hunger, cold, or real danger. Her world is one where the worst possible fate is to be awkward or unseemly. A commoner of the same era would have written a very different list (hunger, bandits, crop failure). Thus, the text is also a document of privilege—the freedom to be annoyed by mosquitoes rather than terrified of starvation.