Yincha

Yincha (Chinese: 陰差; lit. 'underworld messenger or ghost officer') are servants of the underworld, Diyu, often tasked with escorting souls to th

Yincha

Yincha (Chinese: 陰差; lit. 'underworld messenger or ghost officer') are servants of the underworld, Diyu, often tasked with escorting souls to the afterlife or carrying out the decrees of underworld deities. They are usually subordinate to Yanluo Wang (閻羅王), the King of Hell, and help maintain order in the realm of the dead.[1][2]

Concept and role

Both yincha (underworld messengers) and guicha (ghost messengers) are long-standing concepts in ancient Chinese zhiguai (strange tales) literature. Within the Daoist mythological framework, a distinction is made between the two: Yincha specifically refers to living human beings who act as agents or bailiffs for the Underworld (阴司; Yinsi). These living agents are primarily tasked with capturing the souls of the deceased and guiding them to the afterlife.

The concept of yincha also appears in the traditional soul-worship practices of the Qiang people. In some Qiang communities, yincha refers to local shamans (巫师; wushi) who are believed to communicate between the worlds of the living and the dead. According to the Dictionary of Chinese Ethnic Minority Cultures, these shamans are described as people who communicate with the yang realm of the living by day and the yin realm of the dead by night, connecting with the living world while awake and the spirit world while dreaming.[3]

Legend

In Chinese folk religion, the best-known yincha are Heibai Wuchang (Black and White Impermanence). Other underworld figures, such as General Xie and General Fan [zh], General Ox and General Horse, and General Chains and Shackles, are also associated with apprehending the souls of the dead.[4]

A specific type of yincha, known as juhun gui (拘魂鬼; "soul-restraining ghosts"), are ghost officers responsible for apprehending and retrieving souls. They are said to escort the recently deceased to the underworld. In folk descriptions, they often appear in pairs, wear purple clothing, and may look like ordinary people. They carry a register listing the names and appointed death times of those whose lives are ending. When the appointed time arrives, they approach the dying person and call their name in a voice heard only by that person. After the call is heard, the person's soul leaves the body, causing death. The juhun gui then binds the soul with a chain to prevent it from remaining in the human world and escorts it to the underworld.[5][6]

A similar underworld-messenger motif appears in later retellings of a zhiguai tale set during the Yuanhe era (806–820) in Chang'an. In the story, a man named Li Hezi, who enjoyed eating cat and dog meat, encounters two men in purple robes while traveling. The men tell him that 460 cats and dogs have brought a case against him in the underworld and that he is about to die. Frightened, Li offers them wine. After he agrees to burn 400,000 coins as an offering to the afterlife, the men grant him three more years of life. Li follows their instructions, but dies three days later, showing that three years in the underworld correspond to only three days in the human world.[7][8]

In Korean shamanism, Yin Cha are referred to as Jeoseung Saja (저승사자) or Chasa (차사), with their leader known as Gangrim Doryeong (강림도령). The Korean manhwa Along with the Gods is based on this folklore.[9]

References

  1. ^ 地狱游记（简体） (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 回真復我.
  2. ^ 冥界百鬼 [Ghosts of the Underworld] (in Chinese). 香港中和出版有限公司. 8 January 2020. ISBN 978-988-8570-87-4.
  3. ^ Dawamat, Tomur, ed. (August 1998). 中国少数民族文化大辞典 西南地区卷 [Dictionary of Chinese Ethnic Minority Cultures: Southwest Region Volume] (in Chinese). Nationalities Publishing House.
  4. ^ 城隍神的角色與職能——從陪祀神的角度觀察 (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 元華文創股份有限公司. 1 May 2024. ISBN 978-957-711-369-6.
  5. ^ 人间 (in Chinese). 湖北人民出版社. 2000. ISBN 978-7-216-02737-3.
  6. ^ 中國民間信仰論集 (in Chinese). 中央硏究院民族學硏究所. 1974.
  7. ^ 中國妖怪傳奇 [Chinese Monster Legend] (in Chinese). 星光出版社. 1992. ISBN 978-957-677-071-5.
  8. ^ 百鬼传奇 [Legend of a Hundred Ghosts] (in Chinese). 辽宁人民出版社. 1993. ISBN 978-7-205-02637-0.
  9. ^ "The Korean National Encyclopedia of Ethnic Practices (Page in Korean)". 210.204.213.131. Archived from the original on 10 June 2015. Retrieved 2013-11-16.


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