Stories/ 子不语/ Two Excellent Ways to Govern a Ghost

Two Excellent Ways to Govern a Ghost

治鬼二妙

SourceZibuyu (What the Master Would Not Discuss)
AuthorYuan Mei
EraQing dynasty · Qianlong era, c. 1736–1798
Writtenc. 1788
GhostImmortal
A bare-chested man blowing a visible stream of breath at a cowering translucent ghost that recoils from it
Illustration generated by AI, based on the ancient Chinese text.

Perfected Man Lu advised people not to fear a ghost when they met one. The method was always to breathe on it — to meet the formless with the formless. Ghosts fear breath more than they fear blades or clubs.

Mr Zhang Qishi said: “When you see a ghost, do not fear it. Simply fight it. Winning is best of all. But if you lose, I am no more than what he is.”

Original classical Chinese text · 原文

娄真人劝人遇鬼勿惧,总以气吹之,以无形敌无形。鬼最畏气,转胜刀棍也。张岂石先生云:「见鬼勿惧,但与之斗,斗胜固佳,斗败,我不过同他一样。」

Complete text of 《治鬼二妙》, Zibuyu juan 9 — a doctrine, two sources, and no story.

Source. From Zibuyu (What the Master Would Not Discuss) (子不语), by Yuan Mei , c. 1788. The original text is in the public domain; this English rendering and the accompanying notes are original work.

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