Chinese Ghost Fables 1
Read Chinese Ghost Fables 1 Online
Authors: Yun Ji
Copyright © 2013 by Walton Lee. All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the United States
Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by
any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the
publisher.
Chinese Ghost Fables 1Translated
By
Walton Lee
i
CONTENTS
PREFACE
PREFACE
My lifetime goal has always been to usher in traditional Chinese wisdom to
the English-speaking world. By learning from each other, the East and the West
could reduce alienation, avoid confrontation and promote cooperation for the
ultimate welfare of mankind.
By
utilizing
your
intelligence, you
will
be
able
to
enhance
your
own
sophistication and your chances at finding success in life. The traditional Chinese
wisdom
provides
sagacious
methods
and new
perceptions
in
dealing
with
conflicts and resolving issues, which also can be applied to our day-to-day
problems.
Ji Yun (aka Ji Xiao-Lan, 1724-1805) was the editor-in-chief of the famous
Four Encyclopedic
libraries, which consisted of 3503 categories, 79337 volumes,
and 36304 books which took him 15 years, from 1773 to 1788, to complete. After
the completion of supervising this massive editorial task, he started writing ghost
fables. In total, within ten years, from 1789 to 1798, he finished five books:
1) "Summertime in Ruan-Yan" (Chengde, Hebei providence, China ), located on
the North-East of and 158 miles away from Beijing.
2) "That is What I Heard"
3) "Sketchbooks from Hwai-Xi" (Shi-Jia-zhuang, capital city of Hebei providence,
China), located on the South-West of and 176 miles away from Beijing.
4) "Take It with a Grain of Salt"
5) "Another Summertime in Ruan-Yan"
This is the gem of the first book and I hope you will enjoy reading it.
indebted for many improvements.
Books are the media of conveying intelligence. A scholar shouldn't have
taboos
when
he
expresses
his
opinions.
How
could
intelligence
be
too
unfathomable to grasp and too secretive to express, like the Buda's incantation or
the Taoist's spell? In short, it's mere common sense. Common sense is the path
towards intelligence and eventually, to wisdom-after all, it's all around you.
Having intelligence is like mercury: every drop of it is rounded and glaring.
Like the moon's reflection on the water, you could notice it everywhere.
From
ruling a huge country down to dealing with a trivial issue, your every move reflects
your intelligence. Writing a book is the most salient accomplishment.
These
most supreme books are the six holy scrolls. They are sparkled with wisdom.
Secondly, those official history books of each dynasty. Numerous scholars’
volumes can be lined up behind them. On the bottom of this hierarchy of
knowledge, fiction and short stories can be located. Their existence seems to be
"for entertainment only."
Nevertheless, over one thousand years ago, during the West Han dynasty
(206BC-26AD), the official history books list arts and fiction. Every dynasty's
official records also have art and fiction sections. Don't look down on creative
writing, especially writing that mentions ghosts, fox spirits and such monsters.
Compared with dried and monotonous holy books; fiction, in reality, is always very
colorful and dramatic. Some of the best ones can also convey wisdom in the most
mundane method. The authors of such works sugar-coated their intelligence for
better distribution and so that people could easily digest the books that were read.
This method also helps to sharpen readers' wits and advance the corporate moral
standard in a casual way.
My teacher's writing is well-known, straight-forward and high-minded, he
didn’t like to preach. He never even mingled with other scholars, who were
especially famous for drinking and writing impromptu poems. After dinner, he
enjoyed reading books and writing down notes. These five books are from his
collection. It seems odd for my teacher to have written such low-level fables, from
wandering ghosts to fox spirits, however, there is often a motto behind each fable.
Fables are also easy to read and easy to understand. Nobody will be bored. I
hope that readers can learn something from these short ghost fables.
Xen, Shi-Yan (his student)
Peking, China
August 1800
AN OBSERVANT FOX SPIRIT
We were taught that the wicked could never subjugate and that they were afraid of the
upright. A phony, who could easily fool an ordinary dolt, couldn't defraud God, ghosts or
any of the otherworldly creatures.
Mr. Liu, who was an educated man, noticed a fox spirit that was occupying the attic of
his study room. The invisible creature, that often threw shingles and stones at bystanders,
has begun to irritate residents. A popular mayor, learning this incident, was pretty excited.
He dressed himself up, enthusiastically visited Mr. Liu's home, and offered to evict this
nuisance. By doing this voluntary service for them, this official has proven once and for all
that his honor is genuine and that his reputation is well-deserved: after all, even the wicked
have to tug their tails and make way for the scrupulous.
They suddenly heard a voice, with a tone of sarcasm mixed with reproof, shouting from the
attic, "Give me a fat break, Your Highness. People think that you are an honorable
gentleman and that you treat them with decency and decorum. That's the only reason that I
wouldn't welcome you with flying shingles.
However, your mild temper is your disguise for
quick promotions. And your lame deed was merely so that you could avoid trouble. In the
bottom of your heart, you are calculating and selfish. Because of that, I am not afraid of you.
Save your breath and beat it or you will soon regret!" With embarrassment, the mayor
made an excuse, fled home, got a high fever, and stayed in bed for weeks.
Another day, a kitchen maid; who was illiterate, shabbily-dressed, and in her late fifties;
passed by and nothing happened. People were flabbergasted by this unusual treatment.
"What has happened?" With eyes widely opened, one servant curiously asked the
otherworldly creature, with perplexity.
"This woman is honest and upright. Her integrity will earn the respect from heaven to hell.
Whom do I dare to offend such an honorable person?" The spirit proclaimed.
Mr. Liu let the old maid move into his study room and, after a few months, the fox spirit
quietly relocated itself elsewhere.
Fame is ephemeral and honor is earned.
02
AN ARCHAIC BOOKWORM
In traditional China, educated people belonged to the first of the four social castes.
Their future would be secured only by passing imperial examinations. After that, they would
be assigned to minor government positions. However, the majority of those whom were
learned, those who couldn't pass those examinations, could work as tutors. With a meager
income, as a temporary occupation, they earned a living and, in the meantime, they were
preparing for the next examination. After years of fruitless attempts, they would give up and
seek clerical jobs, while quietly merging themselves into society through connections or
talent. The worst of them would become tutors for their entire lives. They were the dregs of
the educated caste. An old tutor is a synonym of an adamant bookworm or an unsociable
individual. The following story is a mockery of an old tutor:
recognized that an acquaintance of his, whom had died years ago, was approaching him.
"Where are you going," The tutor, considering himself as an honorable gentleman, who
would be respected by all dark creatures, inquired. With confidence, he, fearlessly and
curiously, inquired.
to the South Village to collect a newly-born soul."
They traveled together. A weather-beaten, deteriorated bungalow stood on the distance
and the ghost ecstatically revered. "Look at that! An honest and well-educated gentleman
lives there."
"How could you tell?" Under this pitch-dark night, with starlight sprinkling at sky, the old
tutor, who could not detect anything at all, raised his eyebrow in a supercilious manner, was
bewildered, and questioned the ghost.
"Well, it is simple," The ghost cordially explained. "When people labor in daytime, their
spirits are buried underneath mundane dust. But, at night, after they sleep, their spirits
became live and visible. Their intelligence will clearly display itself in the form of a colorful
column of light beam over their heads. Its shape, size, transparency and the colors of light
will be in reflection of their knowledge. Take a look at that person, for example. His spirit is
similar to five-color torch blazing in the darkness. Like fire crackers, all his study is
sparkling. How could I fail to notice this marvel before? Such a well-learned person! In
matter of degrees, the supreme scholar's light beam is as glaring as the sunshine. The
second-best is as bright as moonlight and as so on. On the other end of the spectrum, the
beams are like candlelight, flickering and drudging only inches. Observing the miracle from
afar, I firmly believe that he is well-educated."
