As an intellectual in the old society, Kong Yiji was deeply poisoned by the feudal system and the imperial examination system. Mentally pedantic and numb, life is falling apart and poor. He drinks in Xianheng Hotel and always shows off his knowledge to the little ones, such as "there are four ways to write fennel beans".
A group of people, represented by Kong Yiji, can't keep up with the trend of the times and change their thoughts that have been corroded to the root. They are laughed at by the surrounding people, and at the same time they are doomed to be eliminated by society. This is an inevitable result, both pitiful and pathetic.
Anise Bean runs through Kong Yiji's full text;
Kong Yiji is a sad novel with humor. It takes "fennel bean" as a clue and describes it in many details, showing Kong Yiji's kindness and generosity, and even his hopelessness.
What Mr. Lu Xun wants to show is hopelessness, not only in Kong Yiji, but also in the decadent feudal society, which, to a greater extent, destroyed such a naive person as Kong Yiji. The fennel beans covered by Kong Yiji seem to be made of fennel, with a long aftertaste and a fragrant smell.
Reference to the above content: Baidu Encyclopedia-Kong Yiji