Superstition of Craftsmen Worshiping the Ghosts

Long, long ago, there were lots of superstitious stories when people built the houses. When they built the houses, people hoped to have the good fortune. So they treat the craftsmen cordially in order to avoid their mischief. There were many stories about the carpenters doing the mischief in the notes of Ming and Qing Dynasties. There were a few notes about this kind of superstition in Yuewei Thatched Cottage Note. For example, the great-grandfather's elder brother of Ji Xiaolan died of the heart disease. Later, one man of his offspring in each generation had the same disease. Their families were very surprised at it and they didn’t know the reason. One year, this family hoped to repair the house and they invited the craftsmen to check. The craftsmen thought there were some troubles in the house. So, they were dispatched to seek for the reason. Finally, the reason was found in a pillar. It was turned out that a square wooden piece was likely embedded in the pillar. And they took out the wood piece and found an earthen light which a charm was under in the hole. The craftsmen said that it was the reason. They destroyed the light and there were not anyone of this family dying of heart disease after this.

There was another story which was told to the gamblers before. It was said that a son of a rich man loved the gamble much more than his life. He lost out all belongings and mortgaged his house to the creditor. But he was still adducted in the gambling. His wife was very virtuous and she tried her best to persuade him. But she worried about him and shed tears secretly. One night, when she was sitting under the light and waiting for his husband, she was uncomfortable and felt sleepy. There was no noise deep late at night. Suddenly, he heard the noise of dice and someone was crying out. In spite of the voice being high, it was very clear. She was roused by it. At first, she thought it was a dream, and she listened carefully. The sound was nearby and she was surprised that it was so late that no one was gambling. So she wanted to know the truth. She sought for the origin of the sound and found the sound came from the girder of the house’s middle hall. She listened carefully to judge the position of the sound. She reached the girder with the ladder and found that four little wooden men are sitting around a table and playing the dice. There were six dices in a small bowl. There were surfaces of “one”, “two”, and “three” existing, and no surfaces of “four”, “five”, and “six”. She became suddenly aware of what happened and changed their surfaces into “four”, “five” and “six”. She slowly went down the ladder and went to sleep. Since then, his husband had the good fortune and must win each gambling. He gradually ransomed his belongings.

Her husband still gambled every day. One night, when he wanted to gamble, she caught him and said, “I will risk my life to fight with you if you dare to go.” She got hold of a big scissors which is used to make the clothes to force him to sit down. He was frightened by her sudden behavior. And he had to sit down and asked her. She said, “Don’t ask the reason and wait for a moment.” They were waiting for a while. She said, “Do you hear the sound of playing dice?” he listened carefully and said, “Why are some men playing dices in my house late at night?” She said, “Follow me.” So they entered the middle hall and climbed the girder. He saw the four wooden men and the dice, and then he asked she to take them off. His wife told him this matter of finding them and how to change the surfaces of the dice. She said, “When I saw the four wooden men, I knew why you was adducted in gambling. The carpenter did it. I changed the surface and hoped you to take back our belongings, not gambling forever and getting others in trouble.” So they burned the four wooden men and the dice into a pile of ash and avoided it to hurt other people. He had abandoned evil and done well since then. Later, they heard a vicious old carpenter who liked to defraud of other’s money died of severe illness. His body looked like burnt by fire. People thought he suffered through his own misdeeds.

The carpenter would play the sorcery and the result was accurate. This opinion had been in circulation. The Lu Ban Jin sold formerly (a book for carpenter written in Ming Dynasty). Lots of carpenters in that book could play the sorcery and there were many incantations to break the sorcery. It was said that no matter the sorcery was, it was no useful that knowing how to paint the incantations but not using the sorcery. It was so-called “Fa Bu Chuan Liu Er”. Before teaching the incantations, the master asked his prentices to take an oath of not teaching others and then impart it to you. So there were no incantations in spite of all kinds of playing sorcery in detail being showed in the book. In fact, they couldn’t be used and just a reference.

Compiled by www.travel-silkroad.com
Translated by Star-Light Translation Center
March 8, 2001

www.travel-silkroad.com