Dore, Henry - Research Into Chinese Superstitions Vol 2

l^i^Si^ii^l^CSIIilS INTO

CHINESE

SUPERSTITIONS

By Henry

Dop6, S.J/

\

TRANSLATED FROM THB FRENCH AVITH NOTBS, HISTORICAL AND EXPLANATORY

By M.

Kennelly, S, J.

First Part SUPERSTITIOUS PRACTICES Profusely illustrated

Vol.

n

T'USEWEI PRINTING PRESS

T2.

Shanghai

1915

V.2

/

TOiiSltiA.S^CS' INTO

CHINESE

SIPERSTITIONS

By Henpy Dop6,

S.J.

TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH

WITH NOTES, HISTORICAL AND EXPLANATORY

By M. Kennelly,

S.J.

First Part SUPERSTITIOUS PRACTICES Profusely illustrated

Vol.

II

T'USEWEI PRINTING PRESS Shang'hai

1915



century B. C.

said to have exercised authoritj- over the spirits

him

tsai-tz^e"

upon doors to frighten

away

H

as

>k

having "marshalled the

^^

evil spirits.

ifc,

Kiang T'ai-kung

Giles.

Biographical

— cunning^ devices, they can eat

—

160

a hearty meal"

many

(1).

These documents show that the origin of charms may be traced back to the times of Chung Tao-ling 51 1^ (2), ^vho used them

M

as a

means

The Taoist priesthood has ever followed them to-day to earn a livelihood.

for extorting rice.

in his footsteps,

and trade

in

Buddhist monks, ever eager for gain, seeing that the business Preparing their ink-slabs

brought in money, imitated the Taoists.

as pencils, they began to draw up their own charms, or characters intricate them and tracings caprice prompted fancy with the purpose of less or more entwined, ingeniously (letters)

and cinnibar

;

They then hawked them through towns and hamlets, distributing them to every one exhibiting the supposed efficacy of their wares.

they met, proclaiming aloud their efficacy for warding of evil

The Chinese people, credulous in seriously, and without further consi-

deration accepted their scripts and suspended

Buddhist and Taoist

argument

when they

issue

do not dare resist

representative of the reference

priests,

Tao-shi

them

^

to

The

people, seeing that

as

they

government.

charms.

from such or such

a

They

are

divinity

;

know

it

it

Ts'ing-kia luh

an

local officials

^ S tl. ^

il&

bears the

comes from

The same thing takes given

out as

A ^.

J^ 5l

[^^ ^JT

iS

(3).

^ M t*.

official

lawful

a

place with

emanating

malignant demons and

tremble at the very sight of these divine mandates (1)

as

forth

set

which

proclamation, forbidding something or

a

it,

homes.

in their

i,

in favour of their charms, the example

expounding a point of law. seal,

kinds

influence and misfortune.

the extreme, took these offers

follow,

all

off

officially

evil

genii

Moreover, *fi Ifi

^ ^t- ^

m &.5(,ii m^^mwmn.mmmi^'j^ it m. s- # #• muim^.mt.n

^ dynasty

Charms existed as far back as the Han (2) were thoroughly in vogue in the fourth century Religious System of China. Vol. VI. p. 1035.

^.

(B.C. 20 to A. D. 221), and De Groot. The

of the christian era.

Charms are orders, mandates, injunctions, issued under seal, and (3) painted or written with a cinnabar pencil. They are the principal means of commanding spirits, expelling and killing •'Ktvei" pg. They help to catch, fetter, imprison, torture, drown, behead, kill, burn and roast, all kinds of spectres and ghosts. They call down Gods to receive sacrifices, and bestow De Groot. The Religious System of China. Vol. felicity. VI. p. 1044 (the war against spectres).

Fig.

66

Exorcising charm of marvellous efficacy.

— 161 — who have

they become powerless over families, tection of these

charms,

of the

we

into further details,

pro-

peach-tree, wherewith all

specific for

warding

whole family

off all evil.

may

Beneath

annexed

in the

power, and an

infallible

all-powerful efficacy, the

its

protected from every possible misfortune. The charm

is

hung up over the entrance

house, or

herewith a speci-

give

The charm represented

of one of these scripts.

illustration is of unrivalled anti-demoniacal

is

recourse to the

to flight.

Without going

men

root

has the undisputed efficacy of putting

these seals are made,

demons

the

for

the

to

apartment

principal

of

the

also be placed inside the door-way.

These protective charms are suspended in houses, placed over door- ways, attached to trees (1), and are even sometimes worn on the person, as amulets.

Foreigners their

purpose,

walls, or found

doors

probably noticed, without understanding

may have the

huge tridents drawn with lime-water on

on each side of the

and windows

of

private

city

who might

malignant demons,

near peoples' homes.

or even

city

beside the

These white tridents are

houses.

charms endowed with magic power, and all

gates,

efficacious for driving

venture into the

city,

or

away come

Such charms can even everride Nature's laws,

when during prolongued drought, or a cruel epidemic, officials have them traced on walls, thus frustrating all evil influences, and as

restoring tranquillity and happiness

Charms may be divided purpose

for

various

of

Drawings are always in the paper, upon which they are written.

In Chinese philosophy, trees and shrubs possess souls as

mals. Sheji

jjj^

force); iTit'et

according to the

kinds,

which they are employed.

harmony with the colour

(1)

into

the people they govern.

among

trees cure

^ trees

men

inflict evil.

of

much

mental and bodily infirmities

Demons house

in

some

trees

as

men and

(fortifying their

anivital

and emerge frequently;

they are subdued by charms. To this day, the belief in tree-spirits dangerous to strong in China. De Groot. The Religious System of China. Vol. V. p. 663.

man

is

— 162 — ARTICLE

II.

EXORCISIIVG CHARMS. Pi-sieh jg

These are

whom

they put

reputed

all-powerful

to flight.

Annexed

^^ against

are

ghosts

two specimens

and demons, thereof.

Exo7^cising charm.

Buddhist and Taoist

priests,

Tao-shi

^

^,

burn these charms

and the petition written on them, during the ceremony known as Ta-tsiao

Hades

;j=]"

(I),

^^, thanking the

and

also

P'ing-ngan-hsiang cific for

for

the deliverance of souls in

during the ceremony called "Begging for Peace",

^

-^

expelling from

and injure mortals.

Gods

^

It is

(2).

houses

The name

all

deemed an all-powerful

maleficent

of the person for

ceremony has been performed, as well as the date taken place, are written on the space

(1)

(2)

left

spe-

demons, who molest

whose at

benefit the

which

it

has

blank for that purpose.

See this ceremony described above. Vol. I. p. 151. Taoist priests perform this ceremony for the purpose of begging peace and felicity

upon a certain locality or family. It sometimes takes place during a pilgrimage to a famous shrine, as for instance to Kiu-hwa-shan |§ llj, in the Province of Nganhwei, where Ti-ts'ang Wang, the Ruler of Hades, is venerated.

^

S CO

o Ol

o '5

o S

g O

ll

O CO

3

*-

V -t->

o >-<

I

a

IS

g CO

u O

H

M^)^ >a

^

WW

b O

^:^ s" ;q

o 5 ==

crq fD

a

—

3

o '^

c^

^ ^

:.

':-

a'

i

*

;.

03

a^

? •

00

— 163 —

The annexed charm

^.

It is

deemed

to

^

their venerable founder, and

depart without delay. ruler at the time

it is

^

employed by Taoist priests, Tao-shi be an order emanating from Lao-tze •^, is

It

commanding

all

maleficent

demons

to

bears the date of the reigning emperor or

burnt.

I

— 164 — ARTICLE

III.

CHARMS PROTECTING FROM

FIRE.

These charms are employed by Taoist priests,

who

use them for the purpose of informing

God

of Fire (1), that

^

Tao-shi

"Yen-li"

j^

^,

J^;,

the

such a family has suffered from a conflagra-

The person whose house has been burnt must not enter the

tion.

house of others during the three days subsequent to the fire. It is only when the Taoist priests, Tao-shi j^ -J^, have completed the expiatory on

ceremony,

scene of the

the

that the

disaster,

poor sufferers

ma}' resume their usual relations with their neighbours. The

suspend the towards the

following charms,

five five

red towards the

When

priests

colours,

Green towards the East,

^

:

:^

Each sheet bears one

metal, wood, water, ylf^

^

and earth. Kin, muh,

to

pray on the scene of

±.

they frequently write on

character "water", Shui

y^.,

names

of the

fi.re

Buddhist priests are summoned

the disaster,

different

South, yellow towards the West, blue towards the

Elements

shui, hwo, t'u

bearing

directions of the compass.

North, and violet in the Centre. of the Five

five

it

enclosing

walls are generally blackened by the

the

buildings the

charred

within a

circle.

As the

smoke and flames, they employ

lime-water to trace these circles, and write out the characters.

Also styled the "Fiery Ruler of the Southern Regions".

(1)

and

feared.

propitiate

him and beg

gration, he is officiate.

is

his aid in preventing tires.

thanked either

is

Vol.

p. 2G0.

performed

When

He

is

much reverenced month to

in the fourth

a building escapes in a confla-

temple or near the place destroyed. are offered to him. The candles, however,

in his

Food, wine and tea, inauspicious, but white, yellow or green.

as this I.

In South China, an annual ceremony

'VWWWV

Taoist priests

may

not be red,

Doolittle. Social Life of the Chinese.

The character "Shui" (wafer) traced with lime-water on charred buildings.

I

t^^^^^'l^Hi^^

til

CO

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5 2 o

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Sit

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ft)

a o

f a

a 1

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^v^

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b a o

4^

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^

.fb

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^

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s

is!r

^^

"^

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=

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i'?

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i

o c

c a 5 c

qT

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a-

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f25

c

n 3

b o

#>

3-

It

^s

^ ^ ^a O a-

1^

Ite

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3~

y^

:^\

m

^

>

^

ii^

^

J^S^

la. v^> /^V

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^ ^ ^ n ^"^ ^

00 00

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\^«

?

o

i;^

.V ^v

^^^

— 167 —

The 12 wonderful (herapeutie charms. The 12 following therapeutic charms form each

sheet

corresponds to

a

series,

which

one of the twelve cyclic animals, that

preside over the Chinese time-division of twelve years.

them Buddhist

of

priests write the

name

of the patient,

the animal, presiding over the year in which he

Upon

each of

and the name

of

was born. Provided

with this script, they come to the house of a sick person, and during the ceremony burn one of these charms.

Thus,

if

the patient

is

born in the year of the "EaC\ Shu

^

^,

charm, writes the name of i\\e."Rat'' in the blank space, and adds the date of the month and The charm is then burnt, and the patient must be infallibly day.

the Buddhist priest takes a

"Tze'

cured.

^/WA/VA.W. VWW\/WN/V

— 168 —

Charm Annexed

is

preserving;

from an epidemict

the fac-simile of a charm, which has been

ded over the door-way of a pagan household, at Hu-o province of

Nganhwei

^

^,

the country

(1)

of evil,

^

j'\],

purpose was to epidemic which then ravaged

in the year 1907.

preserve the inhabitants from a terrible

suspen-

Chow

Its

(1).

Demons and

spectres perform in the Universe the leading part in the distribution

mankind with disease. The medical art also acknowledges them The disastrous influence of demons is never so much felt and feared epidemics. A roai-ing trade is then di-iven in charms, amulets, and demon-

and hence

visit

as authors of illness. as in times of

expelling medicines. in Pathology).

De

Groot.

The Religious System

of

China. Vol. V.

p.

700

(Demonism

Fig.

89

Cliann preserving from an epidemic, 1907

,

M

-^

)^¥^

o

3 CO

1^

a.

— 169 —

Charm This charm

similar to (he preceding one.

fulfils

the

same purpose

hist or Taoist priests, Tao-shi petitioner, also the year,

up.

^

^,

month and

as the preceding one.

Budd-

name

of the

write

day,

when

It is afterwards affixed to a wall in the

Finally

it is

burnt, as this

is

petitions to the nether world.

out the

the general

it

has been drawn

shape of a proclamation.

means

of forwarding all

—

Charm

^

-^.

—

for wardina; off contagious diseases.

The annexed charm Tao-shi

170

is

exclusively employed by Taoist priests,

They suspend

it

in

a

house,

reciting their liturgy, with the purpose of diseases.

and burn

warding

off all

it,

while

contagious

"M^^^^^^s^^

05

o o

5

c

Fig.

Charm

92

curing from cough.

171

—

Cliarm curing from cough. This charm turnips, are

is

burnt, and the ashes, steeped in a decoction of

taken by the sufferer,

thus wonderfully relieving his

cough. All these therapeutic

charms

are fac-similes of drawings obtained

from "superstitious paper shops", Clii-ma-tien

,|g;

^

J^.

Copies

suspended over the door-ways of pagan households, or placed in their homes, have been kindly supplied to the Author, during the twenty years

that he

Several are

pursued his researches into "Chinese superstitions".

communicated only

to relatives or intimate friends, as for

instance the one for hastening the delivery of a

^A/%/X/\AA/\A ^^WW\AAA^

woman

in labour.

172

—

Charin for stopping vomiting:. After the written

charm has been burnt, the ashes

are

mixed

with some native spirits (so-called wine), and administered to the sufferer.

Fig.

Charm

93

for stopping vomiting,

I

4

Fig.

Charm

94

for relietnng excessive throbbing of the heart.

— 173

Cliarni for relieving" excessive tlirobbing of the heart. This charm

is

pasted over the chest.

It is

then burnt, and the

ashes mingled with wine or tea, are given to the suffering person.

*/\A/V\rvrt/VN. V\A^*k/V\/W>*

1

23

174

Charm The

for expelling typhoid fever.

Spirits of the "Five Directions"

in expelling^ the disease.

scare

—

Tlie

mandate

is

are

(1)

first

summoned

hung up

to

help

in order to

away the maleficent demons, who have caused the epidemic. charm has been thus published and promulgated, it is

After the

burnt, and the ashes are administered to the sick person.

(1)

The Five Points

Chinese add the Centre.

remaining continents

lie

or Directions are North, South,

China on

its

itself is

supposed

four borders.

East and West, to which the

to be the centre of the world, while the

Mayers. Chinese Reader's Manual,

p. 312.

Fig.

95

;^

.4 -^

^

-^

^

5^

#

;^

4

V2S7

^

^

^S

:^S

!** it>

1^ \b

^ J- ^ 'ft

Charm

:^

1^

for expelling typhoid fever.

Fig.

Charm

96

for curing persistent stomach-aches.

175

—

Cliarni for curing- persistent stomach-aches.

The ashes boiled

down

of the

to a

charm

are thus administered.

pulp and strained

off.

Turnips are is then

The paper-charm

burnt, and the ashes mingled with the decoction are given to the patient as a medicinal nostrum.

WWVVAA/^ •\/\/V/W\/W\*

—

Charm

curing-

The written-charm must be is

176

—

from dropsy.

first

pasted over the abdomen.

then burnt, and the ashes are administered to the sufferer.

•\/*/WVWV^v WWWi^/V>«

It

Fig.

Charm

97

curing from dropsy-

Fig.

Charm

98

curing all kinds of heart trouble, headaches and dyspepsy.

—

Charm

177

for curing' all kinds of lieart trouble,

headaches, and inveterate dyspepsy. The same method charm. pain

The

is felt.

is

resorted

script is first applied It is

to

as

in

using the preceding

on the part of the body where

then burnt and the ashes mingled with some wine

or tea are given to the poor sufferer.

»

o

3 V3

rO CO I

aOh

Substitute for the hog

and

the

god of the swineherd.

— 209 —

Charm The same

among

swine,

for curing- porcine diseases.

process, as for the ox, tliat

is

to

is

employed

in curing diseases

the disease of the living animal

say,

transmitted to the paper substitute.

This

is

is

then burnt, and the

disease disappears.

Herewith of

Swine

protect.

honour

(1).

is

a picture of a substitute

At his

feet

This latter charm of the

God

is

hog, and that of the God

one of the animals he

is

the more

is

renowned, and

deemed is

to

burnt in

of the swine-herd.

(1) Doolittle, who mentions this God in South China, says that according to some he was a successful pork-butcher. One day he refused a piece of meat on trust to a poor student, who, afterwards on becoming a high official, took vengeance on him. According

he was a swine-raiser, who, seeing his flock carried off by disease, died of grief. very deaf, worshippei-s, when pi-aying to him, rub his ears and pat him on the

to others,

As he

is

back, to

awaken

the usual way.

interest in their petition. Doolittle.

If

they are heard, a thank-offering

Social Life of the Chinese. Vol.

I.

p. 270.

is

made

in

— 210 —

ARTICLE

Charms

V.

bringing- felicity.

Five, specially delivering

from Hades.

Countless are the drawings, more or less phantastic, the meandering and squirming scrolls, invented by

^

all

who, be they

those,

Buddhists or Taoists,

Tao-ahi

minded

easily holds the record for the

China

folks.

J^,

the expense of simple-

live at

number and

absurdity of these magic nostrums.

Herewith

are

five

felicitous

employed by Taoists, Tao-shi

known

as

:

souls from

the

five

^

Ta-tsiao

Hades

(I).

directions

(2),

mony,

all

^,

They

are

exclusively

while performing the ceremony

|i, thanking the

Gods

for the

deliverance of

These paper charms are hung up towards Chinese headings prescribe. Each

as the

sheet contains a prayer to the

they are

^

charms.

Taoist Gods

(3).

burnt, in order to conve}^

During the

cere-

thus the petition

to

the proper divinity.

(1)

(2)

(3)

See this ceremony described and illustrated. Vol.

I.

p. 1-51.

See Note on the Five Chinese points or directions. Supra, p. 174. Principally to the Pearly Emperor, Supreme Euler. He is deemed to be the

Lord

of the physical world and the Saviour of men. In the Taoist Pantheon, he corresponds to the Confucian Shang-ti J; ^, though he is much more humanised; and to the Buddhist Full ^, or Sakyamuni. Edkins. Religion in China, p. 112.

'WVAA/W\AyW\A/W%/W^>

V5 f

s

V5

o

s o

CO

o

/\.

WWV\ft/^^

Fig.

Charm known

149

as the "Five Poisons''

Fig.

150

Luck-hearing charin purchased at Kiu-hwa-shan.

— 225 —

Faaious chai'in pui'chased at liiii-liwa-slian

A^

The annexed charm was purchased

lil«

at Kiu-lnva-stia7i

the famous pilgrim-resort in honour of Ti-ls'ang-wang

(1),

On

the top

may

Buddhist priests

the

be seen the seal of the God, of the temple, a fact

A.

iJj

(2).

stamped on

which imparts

^ it

by

to it the

highest value.

The

priests

drive a roaring trade in these magic

thousands of pilgrims purchase them

(1)

fu

}tfc

!''N

Situated South of the Yangtze, in fff-

The land was donated

Chinese Buddhism,

charms, and

at the shrine.

Nganbwei province, a little West of CJi'i-choivmonks by the Chinese Min-kung. Edkins.

to Kuddhisi;

p. 247.

well-known Bodhiaattvufi (illuminating and merciful beings, representing the saving principle of Buddhism), who seeks to save mankind from the punishments of Hades, over which he presides as ruler. Edkins. Ibid. p. 2-J2. (•J)

One

of the five

'\/WV\A/WV'\AA/\/\AA/\^

— 226

ARTICLE

VI.

Stellar Charnis.

According

to

Taoist teaching',

incarnation of some stellar orb.

every

human

being

Cann}' speculators in

is a

living

human

folly

discovered here a source of unparalleled profit.

Should a person

fall

entitled

there

nothing better than

is

Hence countless

begging favours,

affording protection,

work

ill,

within him.

the star incarnated

healing

"Ts'ii-hili-pi-hi^iung tsUlen-shu'

to

stellar

invoke

charms,

The Chinese

etc...

M^M

[^

^

^^

contains a valuable collection of them.

This kind of charm Clii-ma

|g;

^,

that

The annexed charms.

is

belongs to the class generally

as

paper charms, which are burnt.

illustrations

will

They are luck-bearing

happy marriage.

known

convey a general idea of such

scripts, reputed for

conducing

to a

Fig.

Stellar

150^'*

charm conducing

to

a happy hymen.

HgJ^ijig^^-n^fatrfHt^

c -< 05

s

to CO

CO

o

K:?5^^it:^&C^

— 227 — How

the Authoi* secured

all lliese

marvellous ehai'ms. 1".

friends

Pagan

and acquaintances, knowing- that he took interest him with a good number of them.

in the subject, supplied 2".

visits to

Frequent

ma-iieri" |g

,1|

shops dealing in superstitious objects,

}^, helped him

The greater part have been purchased

^

ctiow-fu

Kao-yiu-chow "^

}^,

>}\\

some very

to discover

"Chi-

rare ones.

such shops at Yang and Nanking p| ')>[\,

in

^

Kiangsu province; at Wuliu |ffi fj^, Hwo Chow 7^ f\], Hanshan-hsien Yun-tsao, and Wu-\vei-chow 4it f^ [Jj l||, ffi,

in

j]],

in

^

3°.

Nganhwei

province.

Several have been copied faithfully from

models found in Bud-

dhist or Taoist works. i°.

Some have been Tao-shi jg -^.

5°.

A

very

given to him by Buddhist and Taoist priests,

when

visiting their temples.

complete work in 4 volumes, entitled

chwen wan-fah kwei-tsung" charms, and contains a kinds of subjects,

M^M^M

fine

"Tseng-pu pi-

:

iS 11

^.

treats of

collection of them, relating to all

even some rather risky ones, such as those

exciting to unlawful love and intrigues. 6".

The work [X]

^

^,

entitled

"Ts'u-kih-pi-hsiiwg

contains

many

fine

ts'iien-

specimens of

shu"

stellar

^

"n

jflf

charms.

The purpose principally intended in this work has been to exhibit popular charms generally used by the people in the two provinces of Kiangsu and Nganhwei. The Author has been compelled to

discard

several

curious specimens.

have been required, in order in several

large albums.

A

big

very

to publish all those

now

volume would collected by

and interesting ones from each kind. may be found in the Sicawei library (Chinese

selecting only important

The

full collection

him

He has therefore contented himself with

department), and at the T'usewei Printing Press.

-^I"^-I^

.

— 228

Dore, Henri Researches into Chinese superstitions. V.2

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