{"id":5033,"date":"2026-04-21T12:21:22","date_gmt":"2026-04-21T12:21:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/gui\/"},"modified":"2026-06-05T14:31:07","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T14:31:07","slug":"gui","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/gui\/","title":{"rendered":"Gui"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-page\" data-elementor-id=\"5033\" class=\"elementor elementor-5033 elementor-1212\" data-elementor-post-type=\"page\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-10fdade e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"10fdade\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-herohlft0 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"herohlft0\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c3ceb64 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"c3ceb64\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-96ae5e1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"96ae5e1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Gui, Spirit of the Chinese Tradition<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e45238a elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"e45238a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Gui is a <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A bodiless being credited with agency in the world.\" tabindex=\"0\">spirit<\/span> of the Chinese <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The passing on of knowledge and narratives across generations.\" tabindex=\"0\">tradition<\/span>.<\/p><p><strong>The diverse Chinese spirit world, from ancestors to avengers.<\/strong><\/p><h2 id=\"dif-gui\">Gui in Chinese <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Veneration of a family's deceased members as continuing protective powers.\" tabindex=\"0\">ancestor veneration<\/span><\/h2><p>Gui (\u9b3c) designates, in <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The era of Greek and Roman culture, roughly 800 BCE to 600 CE.\" tabindex=\"0\">classical<\/span> Chinese <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Religious ideas and customs that are widespread in everyday life.\" tabindex=\"0\">folk belief<\/span>, primarily the <strong>ancestor spirit<\/strong>, the immortal soul of a deceased person who continues to exist after death.<\/p><p>In the Confucian system there are two soul components: <strong>hun<\/strong> (the heavenly, lighter soul that ascends) and <strong>po<\/strong> (the earthly, heavier soul that remains in the grave). When the po soul is unbalanced, through dying without burial, absence of <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An offering to a deity to express gratitude, petition, or veneration.\" tabindex=\"0\">offerings<\/span>, or breach of filial duty, it becomes a <strong>restless Gui<\/strong>.<\/p><p>The most important rites for appeasement: <strong>Qingming Festival<\/strong> (Tomb-Sweeping, 4th\/5th April), <strong>Zhongyuan Festival<\/strong> (Hungry <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An incorporeal being to which effects in the world are attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">Ghost<\/span> Festival, seventh lunar month), and maintenance of ancestor tablets in the family <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A small sacred place of safekeeping or devotion.\" tabindex=\"0\">shrine<\/span>.<\/p><p>The Daoist interpretation extends the schema to include spirit ranks: <em>Tu-di Gui<\/em> (local <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A bodiless being to which agency in the world is attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">spirits<\/span>), <em>Shan-Gui<\/em> (mountain spirits), <em>Shui-Gui<\/em> (water spirits). Related figures: <em>Jiangshi<\/em> (hopping corpse), <em>Diao-si Gui<\/em> (hanged <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A bodiless being credited with agency in the world.\" tabindex=\"0\">spirit<\/span>).<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-klsbdg01 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"klsbdg01\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-klshtm01 elementor-widget elementor-widget-html\" data-id=\"klshtm01\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"html.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"iwg-pill-row\"><span class=\"iwg-klasse-badge\" tabindex=\"0\" data-tooltip=\"Spirit: Incorporeal or semi-corporeal being, deceased persons, nature spirits, household spirits, or threshold guardians. Acts in everyday life, often bound to places or families.\">Spirit<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/china\/\" class=\"iwg-kultur-badge\" tabindex=\"0\" data-tooltip=\"Chinese gods, spirits, and folk religion, Daoist, Buddhist, Confucian.\">China<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/spirits-of-the-dead\/\" class=\"iwg-tradition-badge\" tabindex=\"0\" data-tooltip=\"Deceased persons whose spirits continue to act in the living world, household spirits, ancestors, restless dead.\">Spirit of the Dead<\/a><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3f74855 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"3f74855\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1c30362 elementor-toc--minimized-on-tablet elementor-widget elementor-widget-table-of-contents\" data-id=\"1c30362\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;exclude_headings_by_selector&quot;:[],&quot;no_headings_message&quot;:&quot;Es wurden keine \\u00dcberschriften auf dieser Seite gefunden.&quot;,&quot;headings_by_tags&quot;:[&quot;h2&quot;,&quot;h3&quot;],&quot;marker_view&quot;:&quot;bullets&quot;,&quot;icon&quot;:{&quot;value&quot;:&quot;fas fa-circle&quot;,&quot;library&quot;:&quot;fa-solid&quot;,&quot;rendered_tag&quot;:&quot;&lt;svg class=\\&quot;e-font-icon-svg e-fas-circle\\&quot; viewBox=\\&quot;0 0 512 512\\&quot; xmlns=\\&quot;http:\\\/\\\/www.w3.org\\\/2000\\\/svg\\&quot;&gt;&lt;path d=\\&quot;M256 8C119 8 8 119 8 256s111 248 248 248 248-111 248-248S393 8 256 8z\\&quot;&gt;&lt;\\\/path&gt;&lt;\\\/svg&gt;&quot;},&quot;minimize_box&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;minimized_on&quot;:&quot;tablet&quot;,&quot;hierarchical_view&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;min_height&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;min_height_tablet&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;min_height_mobile&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]}}\" data-widget_type=\"table-of-contents.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__header\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-toc__header-title\">\n\t\t\t\tTable of Contents\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__toggle-button elementor-toc__toggle-button--expand\" role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-controls=\"elementor-toc__1c30362\" aria-expanded=\"true\" aria-label=\"Open table of contents\"><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-chevron-down\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M207.029 381.476L12.686 187.132c-9.373-9.373-9.373-24.569 0-33.941l22.667-22.667c9.357-9.357 24.522-9.375 33.901-.04L224 284.505l154.745-154.021c9.379-9.335 24.544-9.317 33.901.04l22.667 22.667c9.373 9.373 9.373 24.569 0 33.941L240.971 381.476c-9.373 9.372-24.569 9.372-33.942 0z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__toggle-button elementor-toc__toggle-button--collapse\" role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-controls=\"elementor-toc__1c30362\" aria-expanded=\"true\" aria-label=\"Close table of contents\"><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-chevron-up\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M240.971 130.524l194.343 194.343c9.373 9.373 9.373 24.569 0 33.941l-22.667 22.667c-9.357 9.357-24.522 9.375-33.901.04L224 227.495 69.255 381.516c-9.379 9.335-24.544 9.317-33.901-.04l-22.667-22.667c-9.373-9.373-9.373-24.569 0-33.941L207.03 130.525c9.372-9.373 24.568-9.373 33.941-.001z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-toc__1c30362\" class=\"elementor-toc__body\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__spinner-container\">\n\t\t\t\t<svg class=\"elementor-toc__spinner eicon-animation-spin e-font-icon-svg e-eicon-loading\" aria-hidden=\"true\" viewBox=\"0 0 1000 1000\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M500 975V858C696 858 858 696 858 500S696 142 500 142 142 304 142 500H25C25 237 238 25 500 25S975 237 975 500 763 975 500 975Z\"><\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-herorght0 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"herorght0\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-heroimg00 iwg-hero-image elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"heroimg00\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/geister_china_gui-683x1024.webp\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-5034\" alt=\"Gui - spirits from the Chinese tradition, historically illustrative\" srcset=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/geister_china_gui-683x1024.webp 683w, https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/geister_china_gui-200x300.webp 200w, https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/geister_china_gui-768x1152.webp 768w, https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/geister_china_gui.webp 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-32917199 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"32917199\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-26e916cb e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"26e916cb\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-253a40d4 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"253a40d4\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1200c304 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"1200c304\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Gui<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-11758e7f elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"11758e7f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Gui (\u9b3c) is the foundational term of Chinese demonology. The character originally depicts a head with flowing hair, the soul of a deceased person.<\/p><p>The term is broad: it encompasses ancestor spirits (which are benevolent when the proper <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A fixed, recurring religious act.\" tabindex=\"0\">rite<\/span> is observed), restless dead (which haunt), vengeful souls, and many subcategories. According to yin-yang <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A culture's conception of the structure and order of the world.\" tabindex=\"0\">cosmology<\/span>, Gui belongs to the yin, cold, dark, feminine, dead, and requires <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An ordered sequence of symbolic actions with religious or cultural meaning.\" tabindex=\"0\">ritual<\/span> balance with the yang of the living.<\/p><p>Classical literature recognizes many types. <em>N\u00fcgui<\/em> (\u5973\u9b3c) as a female <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A bodiless being credited with agency in the world.\" tabindex=\"0\">spirit<\/span> is especially prominent in folk tales and operas, the beautiful young woman who returns out of grief or revenge. <em>Shui Gui<\/em> (\u6c34\u9b3c) is the drowned, <em>Diao Si Gui<\/em> (\u540a\u6b7b\u9b3c) the hanged.<\/p><p>Pu Songling&#8217;s masterwork <em>Liaozhai Zhiyi<\/em> (17th century) contains hundreds of Gui narratives and has shaped the modern image, in particular the <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A recurring thematic element in art or narrative.\" tabindex=\"0\">motif<\/span> of &#8220;Gui as tragic lover,&#8221; in which the living and the dead exist in complex relationships.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-159dcf9a e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"159dcf9a\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-48cee66f elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"48cee66f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Short Profile: Gui<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3f50d82c elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"3f50d82c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>Type:<\/strong> General term for <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A bodiless being credited with agency in the world.\" tabindex=\"0\">spirit<\/span>\/<span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A spiritual being credited with harmful or ambivalent effects.\" tabindex=\"0\">demon<\/span><br>Origin: Souls of the deceased, especially the unredeemed<br>Subtypes: N\u00fcgui (female), Shui Gui (drowned), Diao Si Gui (hanged), many others<br>Texts: Shang <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A site or institution at which a divine pronouncement is sought.\" tabindex=\"0\">oracle<\/span> bones, Zuozhuan, Sou Shen Ji, Liaozhai Zhiyi<br>Period: pre-imperial to the present<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-18613602 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"18613602\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-262b8a9f elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"262b8a9f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Context<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-46dcb7d e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"46dcb7d\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-61d3ab3 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"61d3ab3\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-117c166 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"117c166\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Period of the Texts<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-73997a0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"73997a0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span data-nosnippet>Shang oracle bones (ca. 1600 BCE) with early Gui invocations. <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" tabindex=\"0\" data-tooltip=\"Korean concept of deep-seated, accumulated grief and unresolved injustice; classically drives the Cheonyeo-gwishin motif.\">Han<\/span>-period texts (<em>Shujing<\/em>, <em>Liji<\/em>) systematize the material. Tang-period marvel literature (<em>Sou Shen Ji<\/em>, 4th century) with dense Gui narratives. Qing-period <em>Liaozhai Zhiyi<\/em> (17th century) as the literary high point. Modern film industry and literature continuing the tradition.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d47b156 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"d47b156\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ff38c2b elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"ff38c2b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Geographic Distribution<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4e49fcc elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"4e49fcc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" tabindex=\"0\" data-tooltip=\"Korean concept of deep-seated, accumulated grief and unresolved injustice; drives the Cheonyeo-gwishin motif.\">Han<\/span> Chinese heartland. Worldwide through the diaspora (Taiwan, Hong Kong, Southeast Asia, North America, Europe). Regional diversity: southern Chinese traditions (Hong Kong, Singapore) are particularly dense with Gui belief; ethnic minorities (Hui, Miao) have their own variants.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-db03c39 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"db03c39\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-229a87b e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"229a87b\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1f471fc elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"1f471fc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">State of the Sources<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-36b1201 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"36b1201\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Shang oracle bones, classical Confucian texts (<em>Liji<\/em>, <em>Zuozhuan<\/em>), Daoist <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Ritual expulsion of a spirit or demon understood as harmful.\" tabindex=\"0\">exorcism<\/span> texts (Daozang), Ganbao&#8217;s <em>Sou Shen Ji<\/em>, Pu Songling&#8217;s <em>Liaozhai Zhiyi<\/em>, Yuan Mei&#8217;s <em>Zi Bu Yu<\/em>, modern <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The academic discipline that studies everyday culture, customs, and transmitted beliefs.\" tabindex=\"0\">folklore studies<\/span>, and film.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3ae0637c e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"3ae0637c\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-31d07739 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"31d07739\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Name and Variants<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b7642947 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"b7642947\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a086266 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"a086266\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>Chinese:<\/strong> \u9b3c (<em>gu\u01d0<\/em>).<br>Subtypes: <em>n\u00fcgui<\/em> \u5973\u9b3c (female), <em>nangui<\/em> \u7537\u9b3c (male), <em>shui gui<\/em> \u6c34\u9b3c (drowned), <em>diao si gui<\/em> \u540a\u6b7b\u9b3c (hanged), <em>yuan gui<\/em> \u51a4\u9b3c (unjustly deceased), <em>e gui<\/em> \u9913\u9b3c (hungry ghost, see <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Handed over to the sacred through a religious act and thereby set apart from the everyday.\" tabindex=\"0\">dedicated<\/span> page).<br>Etymology: Pictogram; already present in the Shang oracle bones as a flowing-hair head form.<br>Japanese: <em>Oni<\/em> (partially adopted), <em>Y\u016brei<\/em> as the counterpart to Gui.<\/p><p>Regional differentiation is enormous. Hong Kong folk belief recognizes, for example, the <em>jiandie gui<\/em> (spy spirit), <em>zanpu gui<\/em> (massacre <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A bodiless being credited with agency in the world.\" tabindex=\"0\">spirit<\/span>), and many others. Taiwanese traditions have their own classes. Unity lies in the basic term; diversity lies in the concrete forms.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-709a44a8 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"709a44a8\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2f585873 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"2f585873\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Characteristics<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-70621c12 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"70621c12\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4296eb49 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"4296eb49\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>Appearance<\/strong><\/p><p>Mostly shadowy or translucent. N\u00fcgui as a beautiful young woman in white garments with long black hair. Shui Gui as a bloated, wet body. Diao Si Gui with a bluish face and protruding tongue. Modern horror aesthetics continue to shape the pictorial tradition (Ring films).<\/p><p><strong>Behavior<\/strong><\/p><p>Dependent on type: ancestor spirits come at festivals and expect <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Gift to a deity to express gratitude, petition, or veneration.\" tabindex=\"0\">offerings<\/span>; vengeful Yuan Gui pursue their murderers or immoral witnesses; Shui Gui attempt to drown others (in order to obtain a replacement and be reborn themselves).<\/p><p><strong>Sphere of Activity<\/strong><\/p><p>The place of death, the family of the deceased, and impure locations. At night and during the ghost hour. Intensified annually during the Hungry Ghost Month (seventh lunar month). Always present at cemeteries and cremation sites.<\/p><p><strong>Mythological Classification<\/strong><\/p><p>Gui belongs to the yin aspect of <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A culture's conception of the structure and order of the world.\" tabindex=\"0\">cosmology<\/span>. In Buddhist-Daoist <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" tabindex=\"0\" data-tooltip=\"Fusion of elements from different religions or cults into new hybrid forms, as in Haitian Vodou (Lwa and Catholic saints).\">syncretism<\/span>, Gui are beings in one of the six states of existence; within the Confucian framework they are ancestors requiring proper ritual maintenance (<em>li<\/em>).<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-44e71476 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"44e71476\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3c1fc3f0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"3c1fc3f0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Profile: Gui<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-84f33b8e e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"84f33b8e\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-hqkdc67p elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"hqkdc67p\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The most important aspects of Gui at a glance.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-pemmx7c5 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"pemmx7c5\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-pemmx7c1 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"pemmx7c1\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-qh9oavvu iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"qh9oavvu\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-awzx8k2k elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"awzx8k2k\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Cultural Context<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-x6rowhv0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"x6rowhv0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Souls of the deceased, ancestors or the unredeemed. The yin side of the world. Ranging far beyond the demonic spectrum, from benevolent to threatening.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8e3o4kxs iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"8e3o4kxs\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-08rkdgov elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"08rkdgov\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Those Affected<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-uwjelx8s elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"uwjelx8s\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Families of the deceased (ancestors), <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Gift to a deity to express gratitude, petition, or veneration.\" tabindex=\"0\">victims<\/span> of murder (Yuan Gui), bathers at Shui Gui sites, people during the seventh lunar month.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-jm2n74ec iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"jm2n74ec\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8vufse4c elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"8vufse4c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Appearance<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-mwb9u015 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"mwb9u015\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Shadowy or translucent. N\u00fcgui with long black hair in white; Shui Gui bloated and wet; Diao Si Gui with a bluish face and protruding tongue.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-pemmx7c2 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"pemmx7c2\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-37ss2yr6 iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"37ss2yr6\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3v0wp3wx elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"3v0wp3wx\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Activity<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-w3247g2m elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"w3247g2m\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Depending on type: haunting, vengeance, drowning, illness, psychological distress. Ancestor spirits are benevolent when properly tended, threatening when neglected.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0qpjal9w iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"0qpjal9w\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6ndoih0o elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"6ndoih0o\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Warding off Gui<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6684tyh9 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"6684tyh9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Ancestor <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Gift to a deity to express gratitude, petition, or veneration.\" tabindex=\"0\">offerings<\/span> and family rituals (Qingming, Hungry Ghost Festival), Daoist fu <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An object to which a fortune- or success-bringing effect is attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">talismans<\/span>, bagua mirrors, peach-wood swords, rooster blood, recitation of sutras or Daoist texts.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3lfi7x32 iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"3lfi7x32\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0kg99ga1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"0kg99ga1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Parallels<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-n0fum6kp elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"n0fum6kp\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Y\u016brei (Japan), <a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/lemures\/\">Lemures<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/upyr\/\">Upyr<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/edimmu\/\">Edimmu<\/a>, Korean Gwishin.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7533bc7a e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"7533bc7a\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2447d18d elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"2447d18d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Everyday Practice<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d5d0260c e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"d5d0260c\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-341be2ac elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"341be2ac\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>Ancestor Rituals<\/strong><\/p><p>Qingming Festival (April): grave visits, burning of paper food and paper money. Hungry Ghost Festival (seventh lunar month): <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Gift to a deity to express gratitude, petition, or veneration.\" tabindex=\"0\">offering<\/span> gifts at the front door, public rituals. Lunar New Year with ancestor invitation. Without these rituals, ancestors become Yuan Gui.<\/p><p><strong><span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Ritual expulsion of a spirit or demon understood as harmful.\" tabindex=\"0\">Exorcism<\/span> and Warding off<\/strong><\/p><p>Daoist priests (<em>Daoshi<\/em>) with <em>fu<\/em> talismans made from yellow paper with red ink. Rituals using peach-wood swords and bells. Yin-yang compass (<em>luopan<\/em>) for identifying dangerous locations. Feng shui correction as a preventive measure.<\/p><p><strong><span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A worn object to which a protective, misfortune-averting effect is attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">Amulets<\/span> and Household Ritual<\/strong><\/p><p>Bagua mirror above the front door, paired door deities (Menshen, Qin Shubao and Yuchi Jingde), red threads for newborns, jade amulets. House thresholds, roof edges, and entrances receive particular protection.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5a584676 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"5a584676\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6d0757bf elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"6d0757bf\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Reception and Modernity<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-60563f68 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"60563f68\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5a93fdd6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"5a93fdd6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>Literary Tradition<\/strong><\/p><p>Pu Songling&#8217;s <em>Liaozhai Zhiyi<\/em> (17th century) as the high point, nearly 500 narratives featuring Gui, Yaoguai, and Huli Jing. Adapted repeatedly to the present day. Yuan Mei&#8217;s <em>Zi Bu Yu<\/em> (18th century) supplements the tradition. Modern authors (translators of Pu Songling, contemporary Chinese literature) continue the line.<\/p><p><strong>Film and Popular Culture<\/strong><\/p><p><span data-nosnippet>Hong Kong ghost films (<em>A Chinese Ghost Story<\/em>, 1987) and Taiwanese horror productions (Tigertail, The Rope <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A verbal formula intended to inflict misfortune on a person or thing.\" tabindex=\"0\">Curse<\/span>) shape the modern image. Japanese J-Horror (<em>Ring<\/em>, <em>Ju-on<\/em>) draws heavily on Chinese Gui motifs.<\/span><\/p><p><strong>Diaspora Today:<\/strong> Gui belief is cultivated in Chinese communities worldwide. Hungry Ghost Festival practices in Singapore, Malaysia, and North America. Contemporary Chinese in the People&#8217;s Republic maintain the rituals despite official secularization.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp8ec00ab e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"cp8ec00ab\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp6cf70d3 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"cp6cf70d3\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">The term gui and the Chinese understanding of the soul<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp8a33a4a e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"cp8a33a4a\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp91e4adf elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"cp91e4adf\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The Chinese <em>gui<\/em>, usually translated as ghost or <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A bodiless being credited with agency in the world.\" tabindex=\"0\">spirit<\/span> of a deceased person, can only be understood against the background of the traditional Chinese conception of the soul.<\/p><p>According to a widespread view that developed from the Han period onward, a human being possesses two kinds of soul force: the <em>hun<\/em>, the more spiritual and lighter component, which ascends after death, and the <em>po<\/em>, the body-bound and heavier component, which remains with the corpse in the earth.<\/p><p>In the case of a normal, orderly death and correctly performed funerary rituals, both components find their proper place: the ascending one becomes the venerated ancestor, the earthly one rests in the grave.<\/p><p>The <em>gui<\/em> in the narrower, problematic sense arises where this orderly transition fails. A deceased person whose rites are omitted, who has no descendants, who died violently, far from home, or as a <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A gift to a deity, to express thanks, a request or veneration.\" tabindex=\"0\">victim<\/span> of injustice, may become a restless, wandering <em>gui<\/em>.<\/p><p>Thus, in the Chinese conception, the <em>gui<\/em> is not an independent being from a foreign sphere but a human in the wrong condition. The boundary between the venerated ancestor and the feared ghost runs not through the nature of the being, but through the question of whether it is <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Belonging to a fixed religious sequence of actions.\" tabindex=\"0\">ritually<\/span> provided for and socially integrated.<\/p><p>This understanding has far-reaching consequences. It makes the living responsible for the fate of the dead; it establishes the central importance of ancestor veneration; and it explains why concern for proper burial and regular <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Gift to a deity to express gratitude, petition, or veneration.\" tabindex=\"0\">offerings<\/span> shaped Chinese family life over centuries. The <em>gui<\/em> is the constant reminder of what happens when these duties are neglected.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp21e3814 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"cp21e3814\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp7c64c26 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"cp7c64c26\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Hungry Spirits, Vengeful Spirits, and the Diversity of the Dead<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cpa6ce873 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"cpa6ce873\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cpc7882b2 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"cpc7882b2\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The collective term <em>gui<\/em> encompasses a range of distinctly different manifestations whose common feature is that they are dead persons in an unresolved state. The Chinese <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The transmission of knowledge and narratives across generations.\" tabindex=\"0\">tradition<\/span>, from the early collections of the strange to the later narrative works, has given rich expression to this diversity.<\/p><p>One important group consists of the hungry spirits, <em>egui<\/em>: the dead without descendants or without proper <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Gift to a deity to express gratitude, petition, or veneration.\" tabindex=\"0\">offerings<\/span>, who wander without provision and suffer from hunger.<\/p><p>Through the influence of Buddhism they were connected with the Indian conception of the hungry ghost realm, and they stand at the center of the Ghost Festival of the seventh month, at which the living offer food to the neglected, unknown dead as well, so that these cause no harm.<\/p><p>Another group consists of the vengeful spirits, the <em>yuangui<\/em>: dead persons who suffered injustice, who were murdered, unjustly executed, or driven to suicide. They return to demand retribution or to bring their wrong to light, often pursuing the guilty party directly.<\/p><p>In countless narratives and later in theater, the vengeful spirit who forces justice through a court proceeding or supernatural intervention forms a central <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A recurring thematic element in art or narrative.\" tabindex=\"0\">motif<\/span>.<\/p><p>Beyond these, the <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The transmission of knowledge and narratives across generations.\" tabindex=\"0\">tradition<\/span> recognizes spirits that arise from particular circumstances of death: the drowned, for example, who seek a replacement in order to be released themselves, or spirits that remain bound to a specific place.<\/p><p>This differentiation shows that the <em>gui<\/em> was not conceived as a uniform figure of terror. It is, rather, an entire field of dead persons whose individual histories, their manner of death, their injustice, their neglect, determine in what form they return and what they demand of the living.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp5ef8550 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"cp5ef8550\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp454f224 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"cp454f224\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">The Just Spirit and the Moral Order of the Narratives<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp82b4a5d e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"cp82b4a5d\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp9020cc2 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"cp9020cc2\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>In Chinese narrative literature, the <em>gui<\/em> is frequently not a mere figure of terror but a bearer of moral order.<\/p><p>Especially in the collections from the early medieval period and in the classical works of the Qing period, notably in the <em>Liaozhai zhiyi<\/em> of Pu Songling, the <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A bodiless being credited with agency in the world.\" tabindex=\"0\">spirit<\/span> takes on a function that supplements or corrects human justice.<\/p><p>A common pattern is the <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A bodiless being credited with agency in the world.\" tabindex=\"0\">spirit<\/span> that reveals a concealed crime. A murder victim appears to an official in a dream, points to the body or to the perpetrator, and thereby enables the punishment of the guilty.<\/p><p>Here the <em>gui<\/em> acts as an instrument of a cosmic order that does not permit injustice to go unatoned. The bureaucracy of the beyond, the underworld courts with their registers and judges, forms the framework within which such spirits act.<\/p><p>Equally common is the grateful <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A bodiless being credited with agency in the world.\" tabindex=\"0\">spirit<\/span>. A dead person to whom a living person has done a kindness, for example by burying their bones, settling their debts, or making <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Gift to a deity to express gratitude, petition, or veneration.\" tabindex=\"0\">offerings<\/span>, returns in order to reciprocate, through counsel, through protection, or through assistance in time of need.<\/p><p>These narratives affirm the norm that care for the dead is worthwhile and that a relationship of giving and receiving continues even beyond death.<\/p><p>This moral dimension distinguishes the Chinese <em>gui<\/em> from a purely terrifying ghost. It is embedded in a worldview in which the boundary between the living and the dead is permeable and in which both sides bear obligations toward each other.<\/p><p>The ghost story thereby becomes an instrument of ethics: it demonstrates that injustice is pursued and good deeds are repaid, even across the boundary of death.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-36dd7469 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"36dd7469\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-13760ab4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"13760ab4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Further Links<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-28c87796 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"28c87796\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5d6538df elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"5d6538df\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Recommended internal links:<\/p><ul><li><a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/china\/\">China (Daoism and Folk Religion)<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"\/en\/yaoguai\/\">Yaoguai<\/a>, <a href=\"\/en\/jiangshi\/\">Jiangshi<\/a>, <a href=\"\/en\/e-gui\/\">E Gui<\/a>, <a href=\"\/en\/huli-jing\/\">Huli Jing<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/lemures\/\">Lemures<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/upyr\/\">Upyr<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/edimmu\/\">Edimmu<\/a> (parallels)<\/li><li>Qingming and Hungry Ghost Festival<\/li><li>Daoist fu talismans<\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-grl4kl40 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"grl4kl40\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-bzsbfrmh elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"bzsbfrmh\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Bibliography (Selection)<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2c13224a e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"2c13224a\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0eymh9ub elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"0eymh9ub\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<footer class=\"iwg-literatur\"><p>A selection of key works on Gui:<\/p><ul><li>Pu Songling: <em>Liaozhai Zhiyi<\/em>. Translated into many languages.<\/li><li><span data-nosnippet>Yu, Anthony C.: <em>State and <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The academic discipline that studies religions comparatively and without confessional commitment.\" tabindex=\"0\">Religion<\/span> in China<\/em>. Chicago 2005.<\/span><\/li><li><span data-nosnippet>Poo, Mu-chou: <em>In Search of Personal Welfare. A View of <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Epoch of Greek and Roman culture, roughly 800 BC to 600 AD.\" tabindex=\"0\">Ancient<\/span> Chinese Religion<\/em>. Albany 1998.<\/span><\/li><li><span data-nosnippet>Sutton, Donald S.: <em>Steps of Perfection. Exorcistic Performers and Chinese Religion<\/em>. Cambridge, MA 2003.<\/span><\/li><\/ul><div data-nosnippet=\"true\" class=\"iwg-litliste\"><\/div><\/footer>\n<p class=\"iwg-bib-more\"><span data-nosnippet>Further standard works in the <a href=\"\/en\/literature\/\">literature index<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-iwgca-gui-sec e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"iwgca-gui-sec\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\" id=\"iwg-ca-gui\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-iwgca-gui-te iwg-ca-textwrap elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"iwgca-gui-te\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div data-nosnippet=\"true\"><p class=\"iwg-ca-bridge\">The protective practice described here represents a religious-studies classification of historical traditions. iWell Guard connects to this cultural-historical line of wearable protective objects and represents a contemporary form of it. <a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/about-iwell-guard-the-protective-pendant-in-detail\/?utm_source=iwell-guard.com&#038;utm_medium=text-link&#038;utm_campaign=schadwesen-tradition\">Learn more about the iWell Guard &#x2192;<\/a><\/p><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-888764c e-con-boxed e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"888764c\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-bb7834c elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"bb7834c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2>Frequently Asked Questions about Gui<\/h2><div class=\"iwg-faq-q\"><h3>What are Gui in Chinese folk religion?<\/h3><p>Gui (\u9b3c) are, in Chinese folk religion and in <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Chinese religious-philosophical tradition oriented toward the Dao, the Way.\" tabindex=\"0\">Daoism<\/span>, the spirits of deceased persons, typically those who suffered a violent, unatoned, or improperly handled death.<\/p><p>They hover between worlds because they lack the proper funerary rites or their need for vengeance remains unresolved. In Buddhism this becomes the class of hungry ghosts (E Gui); in folk religion, Gui are the most common cause of illness, misfortune, and haunting phenomena.<\/p><\/div><div class=\"iwg-faq-q\"><h3>What is the Ghost Festival in the Chinese tradition?<\/h3><p>The Hungry Ghost Festival (Yu Lan Pen Jie, in the seventh lunar month) is the most important <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A regulated sequence of symbolic actions with religious or cultural significance.\" tabindex=\"0\">ritual<\/span> for dealing with Gui. During the &#8220;ghost month&#8221; (seventh month), the separation between worlds is considered permeable.<\/p><p>Families set out food and offerings, burn paper money, and thereby provide for the returning deceased. Those who no longer have a family are provided for by the community, which prevents the Gui from causing harm out of hunger.<\/p><\/div><script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"FAQPage\",\"mainEntity\":[{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What are Gui in Chinese folk religion?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Gui (\\u9b3c) are, in Chinese folk religion and in <span class=\\\"iwg-fachbegriff\\\" data-tooltip=\\\"Chinese religious-philosophical tradition oriented toward the Dao, the Way.\\\" tabindex=\\\"0\\\">Daoism<\\\/span>, the spirits of deceased persons, typically those who suffered a violent, unatoned, or improperly handled death. They hover between worlds because they lack the proper funerary rites or their need for vengeance remains unresolved. 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Those who no longer have a family are provided for by the community, which prevents the Gui from causing harm out of hunger.\"}}]}<\\\/script>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Gui, Spirit of the Chinese Tradition Gui is a spirit of the Chinese tradition. The diverse Chinese spirit world, from ancestors to avengers. Gui in Chinese ancestor veneration Gui (\u9b3c) designates, in classical Chinese folk belief, primarily the ancestor spirit, the immortal soul of a deceased person who continues to exist after death. In the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":5034,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"elementor_header_footer","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":"Gui Chinese ancestor spirits","_yoast_wpseo_title":"Gui, Spirit of the Chinese Tradition","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Gui: the diverse Chinese spirit world, from venerable ancestors to hungry avengers. Spirit classes, ancestor veneration, and folk religion in overview.","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_angie_page":false,"gefaehrdungsstufe":"","wesen_kultur":"","wesen_klasse":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[112,79,93],"class_list":["post-5033","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-china","category-cultures","category-spirits"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.7 (Yoast SEO v27.7) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Gui, Spirit of the Chinese Tradition<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Gui: the diverse Chinese spirit world, from venerable ancestors to hungry avengers. 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