For ordinary people, stories such as "Zhong Kui's Fighting Ghosts" are almost household names. Zhong Kui's belief is deep and widespread among the people. But this is only one aspect of the problem. On the other hand, the identity and origin of Zhong Kui, a god with great supernatural powers, is probably not something that ordinary people can explain clearly. In fact, this issue has been debated by many scholars since the Tang Dynasty. In recent years, with the rise of folk culture craze, issues such as the origin and changes of Zhong Kui's beliefs have also been raised. Many scholars have expressed their own opinions and there are different opinions, but there is no conclusion yet.
The earliest record about Zhong Kui is Lu Zhao's "History of Tang Dynasty" of Tang Dynasty: During the Kaiyuan period (713-741), Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty dreamed that a kid stole the jade flute and embroidered sachet of Concubine Yang. Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty was furious and was about to send warriors to drive out ghosts when he suddenly saw a big ghost running into the palace. This ghost had disheveled hair, a knotted beard, and a hateful face. He had horns on his head, was wearing a green robe, and had his feet wrapped in leather. He had one bare arm. He reached out and grabbed the kid, gouged out his eyes and swallowed them in one gulp. Xuanzong was horrified and asked who? The Japanese paid homage to Xuanzong and called themselves Zhong Kui. Zhong Kui was originally from Zhong Nanshan. During the Wude period of Emperor Gaozu, he failed to fight in Chang'an and returned to his hometown in shame. He stepped on a stone in front of the palace and died. Fortunately, Emperor Gaozu gave him a green robe for burial, so he remembered it in his heart and vowed to eliminate all demons for the Tang Dynasty. When Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty woke up, he had recovered from his illness. Xuanzong asked the painter Wu Daozi to draw a picture of Zhong Kui based on what he saw in his dream. After the painting was completed, Xuanzong wrote on the painting: "In the dream of Ling Ying, the illness has completely healed, and the martyr has exterminated the demons, so he deserves to be commended. Because of the abnormality of the painting, the punishment department was awarded to exorcise evil spirits at the end of the year. It is better for everyone to know it, so as to get rid of the demons." More quiet and demonic atmosphere. Still telling the world, everyone knows about it. "There is an order to publish Wu Daozi's "Zhong Kui's Ghost Hunting Picture" to spread it all over the world, so that the world will know about Zhong Kui's supernatural power.
Lu Zhao was born in the third year of Huichang (843) of Emperor Wuzong of the Tang Dynasty, more than a hundred years after the Kaiyuan period, so what he said may not be true. However, it has indeed been a practice since the Tang Dynasty for the emperor to give a portrait of minister Zhong Kui as a New Year gift. For example, the famous Kaiyuan scholar Zhang Shuo and later Liu Yuxi, etc., all have works of Xie Zhong Kui's portrait and calendar handed down. In addition, people also found that "Dye Zhong Kui Nuo Wen" was written in the Dunhuang version of the Tang Dynasty, which is evidence that Zhong Kui played a leading role in Nuo rituals. All these show that Zhong Kui's belief has become the trend of the entire society since the Tang Dynasty at the latest. Therefore, some people estimate that the origin of Zhong Kui's story may be earlier than the Tang Dynasty.
Amidst the popularity of Zhong Kui’s belief, Shen Kuo of the Northern Song Dynasty first questioned the story of Tang Xuanzong’s dream of Zhong Kui: During the reign of Emperor Renzong of the Song Dynasty (1049-1054), an ancient tomb was discovered in Shangyuan County, Jinling. It is the tomb of Mrs. Zheng Guo, the mother of General Zongci, Renzong of the Southern Song Dynasty. According to the inscription, Zongci had a sister named Zhongkui. In addition, Wei had Li Zhongkui, and Sui had Qiao Zhongkui and Yang Zhongkui. It should be noted that "Zhong Kui's name has never been far away since the early Yuan Dynasty" (Volume 3 of "Mengxi Bi Tan Supplement"). Ming Dynasty masters Lang Ying, Hu Yinglin and others followed this theory, but came to different conclusions. Lang Ying believes that the prototype of Zhong Kui is Yao Xuan of the Northern Dynasty. His real name is Zhong Kui, whose Chinese character is to ward off evil spirits. "Kui" is an incorrect word for "Kui", and because it means "to ward off evil spirits", later generations attached it to "catching ghosts". Ghost hunting story. Hu Yinglin pointed out that the legend of Zhong Kui catching ghosts "has existed since before the Six Dynasties", so Yao Xuan once took Zhong Kui's name to ward off evil spirits. Many people named Zhong Kui in the Southern and Northern Dynasties, which may have originated from this.
Yang Shen of the Ming Dynasty and Gu Yanwu and Zhao Yi of the Qing Dynasty, according to "Zhou Li-Kao Gong Ji" "Big skip, three feet long, with the end of the sunflower head" and "Dialect" "Qi people call the vertebrae for "Kui Zhiduan" and other information, it is believed that the so-called Zhong Kui came from "Kui Zhiduan". The so-called Zhong Kui is said to have evolved from "Zhong Kui".
"Zhongkui" is a kind of sharp weapon - vertebrae. "Dagui" is a ritual vessel for the emperor in ancient times. The upper end is shaped like a vertebrae, so it is said that "Dagui" is shaped like a vertebrae. Zhongkui's head is called "Dagui is shaped like a vertebrae". Qi people speak slowly and use the word "Zhongkui" as a weapon. The pronunciation of "Zhui" became two syllables, which became "Zhongkui". The ancients used the vertebrae as a weapon in combat, so the "Book of the Later Han Dynasty - Ma Rong Biography" has a description of "Zhongkui, Yangguan Ax". The ancients used vertebrae to drive away ghosts, just like Nuo ears" ("Zhongkui" in Volume 32 of "Rizhilu"). During the Southern and Northern Dynasties, many people were named Zhongkui or Zhongkui in the hope that the ancients would use the weapon Kuimo (i.e. sharp knife) to stab ghosts. Vertebrae), making all ghosts and gods fearful. This meaning eventually became the incarnation of "Zhong Kui" in the Tang Dynasty. In recent years, with the unearthing of a large number of Qin and Han bamboo slips, the fact that vertebrae were popular in ancient times has been confirmed. For example, Qin bamboo slips. "Book of Heaven - Interrogation Chapter" says that if a person is haunted by ghosts and is in grief, he can "tap his heart with the Vertebrae and Tao Sutra (handle), and then he will not come back"; the anecdote of the Western Han Dynasty "Fifty-two Prescriptions for Diseases" also records the use of iron vertebrae. The magic of killing ghosts and curing diseases. Therefore, some people think that Gu Yanwu's explanation of Zhong Kui's origin is credible. Today's ordinary people and Ma Yong have written articles and researched Zhong Kui, each expressing their own opinions, but their arguments have not departed from the Ming and Qing Dynasties. People's prejudices. Only He Xin and Wang Zhengshu came up with a new theory.
He Xin believed that Zhong Kui was originally a personal name and had nothing to do with the so-called "Shi Ming" or "Kui Wei". The witch Zhong Gui is also called Zhong Pi, Zhong Jiu and Zhong Bi in "Shang Shu", "Zuo Zhuan" and "Xun Zi". Businessmen are worried about ghosts, and officials are all witches. Zhong Yu is a witch and is also the prime minister who can drive away ghosts. Puppet is a mask, and you need to wear a mask to exorcise ghosts. There are many masks, so there is a legend that Zhong Puppet has many heads. The giant snake "Xiongbo" ("Tianwen"), the "Xiongbo" who eats evil spirits ("Book of the Later Han Dynasty - Etiquette"), and even the "jade bi that attracts many ghosts" read by an unknown person in "The Classic of Mountains and Seas" (see "The Myth of the Thorny God Gate and the Duxiu Mountain") is actually another transformation of the legend of Zhong Gong and the Viper. Jade Bi is the name of the mutated foundation. When the time comes, the real person Zhong Fu, who is a witch who exorcises ghosts, becomes. The ghost-eating monster Zhong Kui becomes more and more complex in his deformation, and further away from the truth, but he also leaves traces: the ancients often used words to interpret names, and Zhong Kui's "Kui" is the text in the "Nine Heads Sutra" and "Heavenly Questions": "xiong" "Nine Songs of Hui", then Zhonghui is named after "発", and "Kui"-Nine Songs, may be the original character of this person! (General Meanings of Literature and History - Zhong Kui Kao).
Someone Some people agree with this view, but some people question it, thinking that businessmen can't exorcise ghosts, and they have never heard of Zhong Kui and Zhong Ke's performance in exorcising ghosts.
Wang Zhengshu believes that Zhong Kui and his predecessors have been able to exorcise ghosts and ward off evil spirits. The concept actually originated from ancient witchcraft. It was derived from Chongli, the first generation of Zhurong. In ancient history, there were Chongli, Chonghui, Jumang, etc. In the legend, Jumang was described as being between heaven and earth. , a person who shoulders a special mission between humans and gods and is born with a special appearance. One of his missions is to be a witch. There is a record in "Historical Records-Tianguan Shu" as evidence. In the Shang Dynasty, he was named Zhongxu in accordance with his duties. , in fact Zhongxu is the transliteration of Chonghui (Chongli). As for "Kui Zhiduan", this refers to a vertebra-shaped body. Since the feather crown worn by Chongli when he was engaged in the function of witches was derived from this shape, it was customary in the Shang Dynasty to work as a symbol of witches. In the Shang Dynasty, the clan formed by Zhongwei was also called the "Zhongkui clan" because in the Shang Dynasty, people generally referred to clans by their positions. In the Zhou Dynasty, this priest group was renamed "Fang Xiangshi". The name of Fang Xiang's family is the same as that of Zhong Kui's, both originating from the headdress of ancient shamans. The difference is that "Zhong Kui" comes from the feather crown, while "Fang Xiang" comes from the mask. This custom of exorcising ghosts centered on Fang Xiangshi continued into the Tang Dynasty. To sum up, from the ancient shamans to Zhong Xu in the Shang and Zhou dynasties, the Mo Kui family and the Fang Xiang family are all the prototypes of Zhong Kui, both in nature and title (Explanation of Zhong Kui).
This statement is consistent with He Xin's point of view, but it traces the origin of Zhong Kui further back to Chongli. However, some people believe that Chongli or Jumang are images in mythology, which may not prove the existence of Zhong Kui.
Moreover, if from Chongli to Zhongli, Zhongkui, and Fang Xiang, there is no record of "Kui Mo" in the Han and Jin Dynasties, but it was not until the Southern and Northern Dynasties that a large number of "Kui Mo" or "Zhong Kui" suddenly appeared. "Zhong? Or Zhong Kui" or "Zhong Kui". This gap of hundreds of years is difficult to explain.
To sum up the opinions of ancient and modern sages, it should be said that they each have their own reasons, and skeptics also have good reasons to hold on to them. All illustrate from the side that the origin of Zhong Kui is still a big mystery in the history of Chinese folk culture.