The chapter describes the author's shock and grief at Huang Yan's death, as well as memories of their relationship with Huang Yan over the past forty years.

Huang Yan's early experiences

Huang Yan was born in Qingdao and grew up in Nanjing. His parents are English teachers. He completed his studies at Danyang Middle School and later became an educated youth, serving as a substitute teacher in primary schools. In 1977, he was admitted to the English Department of Nanjing University and published English grammar papers during his university years. After graduation, he continued to pursue a master's degree and was appreciated by Lv Shuxiang, who encouraged him to study Chinese. In 1992, he was hired as a lecturer by the University of Reading in the UK. Lv Shuxiang congratulated and invited him to write an article for "Chinese Language".

An outstanding and diligent scholar

Huang Yan received a full scholarship in 1984 to pursue a doctoral degree at the University of Cambridge under the guidance of Professor Stephen Levinson. After serving as a Fellow at Oxford University, he joined the Department of Theoretical Linguistics at the University of Reading and worked with renowned linguists such as Frank Palmer. With a solid academic foundation and rich research achievements, Huang Yan was quickly promoted to Reader and eventually became a professor in the promotion system of British universities. Around 2010, after the merger of theoretical linguistics at the University of Reading into applied linguistics, Huang Yan considered returning to his home country for development, but was ultimately hired as the head of the Department of Applied Linguistics and Linguistics at the University of Auckland in New Zealand. Huang Yan is a highly influential and accomplished figure among overseas Chinese linguists, known for his diligence and high productivity. He has published several influential books, including "Syntactic and Pragmatic Studies of anaphora", "Cross linguistic Studies of anaphora", "Pragmatics", "Oxford Dictionary of Pragmatics", and "Oxford Handbook of Pragmatics", which have had a wide impact on the international pragmatics community. Huang Yan is proud of these works, especially the Oxford Dictionary of Pragmatics, which he spent over a decade writing alone and is considered a masterpiece.

A transparent 'mortal'

Huang Yan came from a traditional Chinese intellectual family and developed a habit of frugality. Studying in the UK for many years, maintaining a simple lifestyle, opposing waste and excessive entertainment. When giving lectures at Beijing Foreign Studies University, it is required to pack leftovers after a light meal to avoid food waste. Significant academic achievements, but family members are unaware of its international influence. In daily life, he has no pursuit of material life and is regarded as a monotonous "mortal" by his family.

My relationship with Huang Yan

Detailed description of the author's deep friendship with Huang Yan over the past forty years. The two first met in 1983, with Huang Yan pursuing further studies in the English Department of Nanjing University and the author studying at Jiangsu Education Institute. Huang Yan always treats the author with sincerity, whether during his postdoctoral research at the University of Cambridge in the UK or while working at the University of Reading, he warmly welcomes the author's family. Huang Yan not only provides academic guidance to the author, but also offers support in daily life. They have jointly participated in multiple international academic activities, and Huang Yan's research in the field of pragmatics has had a profound impact on the author. Huang Yan has published multiple articles in Foreign Languages magazine, promoting the internationalization of the magazine. Although Huang Yan's life was not materially prosperous, his spiritual world was rich. His academic achievements and care for future generations left valuable spiritual wealth for the world. Unfortunately, Huang Yan passed away suddenly at the age of 67 and did not leave any further inheritance.