Content created: 2024-09-21
File last modified:
2024-09-29
Procursus:
Tales of reanimated corpses are a common genre in Chinese folklore, and in English it is usual to refer to them as zombies, since, like reanimated corpses in Western lore, they are usually quite frightening, retain little of the personalities they had in life, and often seem animated by a good deal of malice. The following “zombie” story, however, shines a somewhat different light on the tradition, since we see a positive side of the zombie as well as a negative one..
The story comes from the brush of YUÁN Méi 袁枚, an XVIIIth-century man of letters with a deep interest in the supernatural. First he tells us the story as he collected it. Then he tries to explain how the zombie’s duality can be explained..
His explanation will hang upon the notion that a living person has at least two souls, a rather ethereal one, called a hún 魂 sometimes associated with the positive, yáng 阳 forces of the universe and a more material one called a pò 魄 associated with the negative, yīn 阴 forces. The ethereal one (often under the name Línghún 灵魂 or “efficacious spirit”) goes on to reincarnation or sometimes hovers for a time among the living as a ghost (guǐ 鬼), while the pò may appear near the grave, especially if the body is not properly buried. It is the pò that is usually responsible for animating zombies, Yuán reasons.
For this on-line version, the English has been slightly edited and romanizations modernized. Traditional characters have been scanned and proofed from printed text. The romanized and simplified versions were computer-generated and not proofed.
See also “A Brief Note on Chinese ‘Zombies’”(link).
DKJ
1. | In the Nánchāng 南昌 district, in the province of Jiāngxī 江西, two gentlemen, one of middle age and the other young, were studying in the Convent of the Northern Orchid (Běilán Sì 北兰寺), and lived on terms of the closest friendship. | 江西南昌县有士人某读书北兰寺。 一长一少。 甚相友善。 Jiāngxī Nánchāng xiàn yǒu shì rén mǒu dú shū Běilán Sì. Yī cháng yī shǎo. Shèn xiāng yǒu shàn. 江西南昌縣有士人某讀書北蘭寺。 一長一少。 甚相友善。 |
2. | The older one went home, and died there suddenly, while the other, ignorant of this calamity, quietly continued his studies in the convent. One day, as it grew dark, he was slumbering, and saw his friend open the gate and enter. Seating himself on the couch, he patted him on his back, saying: | 长者归家暴卒。 少者不知也。 在寺读书如故。 天晩睡矣。见长者披闼入。 登床抚其背。曰: Zhǎng zhě guī jiā pù zú. Shǎo zhě bù zhī yě. Zài sì dú shū rú gù. Tiān wǎn shuì yǐ. Jiàn zhǎng zhě pī tà rù. Dēng chuáng fǔ qí bèi. Yuē: 長者歸家暴卒。 少者不知也。 在寺讀書如故。 天晩睡矣。見長者披闥入。 登床撫其背。曰: |
3. | “Hardly ten days after I took my leave of you, I died suddenly, and now I am a ghost (guǐ 鬼), which, unable to banish its feelings of friendship, comes to bid you farewell.” | 吾别兄不十日竟以暴疾亡。 今我鬼也。 朋友之情不能自割。 特来诀别。 Wú bié xiōng bù shí rì jìng yǐ pù jí wáng. Jīn wǒ guǐ yě. Péng yǒu zhī qíng bù néng zì gē. Tè lái jué bié. 吾別兄不十日竟以暴疾亡。 今我鬼也。 朋友之情不能自割。 特來訣別。 |
4. | The young man made an effort to cry for help, but he could not utter a word; on which the other soothed him. “Should I harbour any desire to harm you,” he said, “I should, indeed, not speak so unaffectedly. Do not be afraid. I have come to entrust to you some of my affairs after my death.” | 少者阴暍不能言。 死者慰之。 曰: 我欲害兄岂肯直告。 兄慎弗怖。 吾之所以来此者欲以身后相托也。 Shǎo zhě yīn yē bù néng yán. Sǐ zhě wèi zhī. Yuē: Wǒ yù hài xiōng qǐ kěn zhí gào. Xiōng shèn fú bù. Wú zhī suǒ yǐ lái cǐ zhě yù yǐ shēn hòu xiāng tuō yě. 少者陰暍不能言。 死者慰之。 曰: 我欲害兄豈肯直告。 兄慎弗怖。 吾之所以來此者欲以身後相托也。 |
5. | Thus reassured a little, the young man asked him what these were. | 少者心稍定。 问托何事。 Shǎo zhě xīn shāo dìng. Wèn tuō hé shì. 少者心稍定。 問托何事。 |
6. | “In the first place,” was the reply, “I have an old mother, now upwards of seventy years, and a wife who is not yet thirty; a few bushels of rice will suffice to feed them; I hope you will take care of them in every way. | 曰: 吾有老母年七十余。 妻年未三十。 得数斛米足以养生。 愿兄周恤之。 Yuē: Wú yǒu lǎo mǔ nián qī shí yú. Qī nián wèi sān shí. Dé shǔ hú mǐ zú yǐ yǎng shēng. Yuàn xiōng zhōu xù zhī. 曰: 吾有老母年七十餘。 妻年未三十。 得數斛米足以養生。 願兄周恤之。 |
7. | “Further, I possess an unedited manuscript; please have it printed, lest the little repute I have gained should perish. | 此其 一也。 吾有文稿未梓。 愿兄为镌刻。 俾微名不泯。 此其二也。 Cǐ qí yī yě. Wú yǒu wén gǎo wèi zǐ. Yuàn xiōng wéi juān kè. Bǐ wēi míng bù mǐn. Cǐ qí èr yě. 此其 一也。 吾有文稿未梓。 願兄為鐫刻。 俾微名不泯。 此其二也。 |
8. | “And in the third place, I have an undischarged debt of a few thousand coins to the merchant of writing-brushes; pay this off.” | 吾欠卖笔者钱数千。 未经偿还。 愿兄偿之。 此其三也。 Wú qiàn mài bǐ zhě qián shǔ qiān. Wèi jīng cháng huán. Yuàn xiōng cháng zhī. Cǐ qí sān yě. 吾欠賣筆者錢數千。 未經償還。 願兄償之。 此其三也。 |
9. | The young one promised to fulfil those wishes. Then the dead man rose, and with the words, “Having thus given you those charges, I can depart.” | 少者唯唯。死者起立曰: 既承兄担承吾亦去矣。 Shǎo zhě wěi wěi. Sǐ zhě qǐ lì yuē: Jì chéng xiōng dān chéng wú yì qù yǐ. 少者唯唯。死者起立曰: 既承兄擔承吾亦去矣。 |
10. | He was about to go, when the young man, whose fears had all vanished on hearing him speak so exactly in the tone and the way of an ordinary man, and seeing his features so like those he had while alive, detained him with tears. | 言毕欲走。 少者见其言近人情。 貌如平昔。 渐无怖意。 乃泣留之。 Yán bì yù zǒu. shǎo zhě jiàn qí yán jìn rén qíng. Mào rú píng xī. Jiàn wú bù yì. Nǎi qì liú zhī. 言畢欲走。 少者見其言近人情。 貌如平昔。 漸無怖意。 乃泣留之。 |
11. | “We are going to separate for so long a time”, he said. “Why do not you stay a little longer, why do you go so soon?” And the dead too burst into tears, and sat down on the bed again. For a while they indulged in conversation about the concerns of life, till he rose a second time, with the words: “Now I am going away”. | 曰: 与君长诀。 何不稍缓。须臾去耶。 死者亦泣回坐其床。 更叙平生数语。 复起。 曰: 菩去矣。 Yuē: Yǔ jūn cháng jué. Hé bù shāo huǎn. Xū yú qù yé. Sǐ zhě yì qì huí zuò qí chuáng. Gèng xù píng shēng shǔ yǔ. Fù qǐ. Yuē: Pú qù yǐ. 曰: 與君長訣。 何不稍緩。須臾去耶。 死者亦泣回坐其床。 更敘平生數語。 復起。 曰: 菩去矣。 |
12. | He stood up, but did not go. He gazed hard at him, and became so hideous that the young man, whose fears returned, motioned to him to go. “Now you have had your say, go!” said he. | 立而不行。 两眼瞠视。 貌渐丑败。 少者惧促之。 曰:君言既毕可去矣。 Lì ér bù xíng. Liǎng yǎn chēng shì. Mào jiàn chǒu bài. Shǎo zhě jù cù zhī. Yuē: Jūn yán jì bì kě qù yǐ. 立而不行。 兩眼瞠視。 貌漸醜敗。 少者懼促之。 曰:君言既畢可去矣。 |
13. | But the corpse remained, and did not even depart when the other, thumping on the couch, set up a loud cry. In a bold, erect attitude the corpse remained where it was, and fright overcame the young student so thoroughly that he jumped up and took to his heels. | 尸竟不去。少者拍床大呼。 亦不去。 屹立如故。 少者愈驰起而奔。 Shī jìng bù qù. Shǎo zhě pāi chuáng dà hū. Yì bù qù. Yì lì rú gù. Shǎo zhě yù chí qǐ ér bēn. 屍竟不去。少者拍床大呼。 亦不去。 屹立如故。 少者愈馳起而奔。 |
14. | The corpse pursued him. He ran faster, but just as close the corpse followed him, till after a number of miles he scaled a wall, and fell flat to the ground on the other side. This obstacle the corpse could not surmount; it stretched out its neck over it, and froth and saliva dribbled down from its mouth on the young man’s face. | 尸随之奔。 少者奔愈急。尸奔亦急。 追逐数里少者踰墙仆地。 尸不能踰墙而垂首墙外。 口中涎沫与少者之面相滴涔涔也。 Shī suí zhī bēn. Shǎo zhě bēn yù jí. Shī bēn yì jí. Zhuī zhú shǔ lǐ shǎo zhě yú qiáng pú dì. Shī bù néng yú qiáng ér chuí shǒu qiáng wài. Kǒu zhōng xián mò yǔ shǎo Zhě zhī miàn xiāng dī cén cén yě. 屍隨之奔。 少者奔愈急。屍奔亦急。 追逐數里少者踰牆仆地。 屍不能踰牆而垂首牆外。 口中涎沫與少者之面相滴涔涔也。 |
15. | In the morning-light wayfarers came by and gave the young man some ginger-essence to drink; and just as he was coming ’round, the owners of the corpse arrived to seek it. So, nothing being told them of the incident, they took it home and completed the coffining. | 天明路人过之饮以姜汁。 少者苏。 尸主家方觅尸。 不得闻信。舁归成殡。 Tiān míng lù rén guò zhī yǐn yǐ jiāng zhī. Shǎo zhě sū. shī zhǔ jiā fāng mì shī. Bù dé wén xìn. Yú guī chéng bìn. 天明路人過之飲以薑汁。 少者蘇。 屍主家方覓屍。 不得聞信。舁歸成殯。 |
16. | Experts in such matters then declared: The hún 魂 of [any] man is good and is his spiritual power and wisdom (líng 靈), but his pò 魄 is bad and stupidly inconsiderate. When this corpse appeared (at the bedside), the spiritual wisdom had not yet vanished from it, and the pò accompanied the hún on this excursion. | 识者曰: 人之魂善而魄恶。 人之魂灵而魄愚。 其始来也一灵不泯。 魄附魂以行。 Shí zhě yuē: Rén zhī hún shàn ér pò è. rén zhī hún líng ér pò yú. Qí shǐ lái yě yī líng bù mǐn. Pò fù hún yǐ xíng. 識者曰: 人之魂善而魄惡。 人之魂靈而魄愚。 其始來也一靈不泯。 魄附魂以行。 |
17. | But no sooner had the hún departed than the affection (cherished towards the student) was finished. The hún totally dispersed, and the pò remained in the corpse. | 其既去也心事既毕。 魂一散而魄滞。 Qí jì qù yě xīn shì jì bì. Hún yī sàn ér pò zhì. 其既去也心事既畢。 魂一散而魄滯。 |
18. | As long as the hún was present in the corpse, this was the very man himself, but as soon as it was gone, the corpse was the man no more. | 魂在则其人也。 魂去则非其人也。 Hún zài zé qí rén yě. Hún qù zé fēi qí rén yě. 魂在則其人也。 魂去則非其人也。 |
19. | Corpses wandering about in this world, and “running shadows” (zǒuyǐng 走影) are all produced by the pò; only men who possess the Dào 道 can dominate this soul. | 世之移尸走影皆魄为之。 惟有道之人为能制魄。 Shì zhī yí shī zǒu yǐng jiē pò wéi zhī. Wéi yǒu dào zhī rén wéi néng zhì pò.. 世之移屍走影皆魄為之。 惟有道之人為能制魄。. |
20. | Source: Yuán Méi 袁枚, “What the Master Didn’t Discuss,” ch. 1. |
袁枚 《子不语》, (第一卷) Yuán Méi Zǐ Bù Yǔ, 1 袁枚 《子不語》, (第一卷) |
Acknowledgements: The traditional Chinese text and the English translation are from J.J.M. de GROOT 1892-1910 The Religious System of China. Leiden: E.J.Brill. Vol. 4, pp. 753-755. Both have been lightly edited. Pinyin and simplified character versions were mechanically created from the traditional character version.