Author Archives: Ziqi Wang

水滴石穿Water drops and penetrates the stone.

Text: “水滴石穿”. Water drops and penetrates the stone.

Once upon a time, there was an honest Mayer who caught a corrupt manager who took coins from the budget. The manager said, “It’s just a copper coin!” The Mayer said: “One coin per day, a thousand coins on the thousand days. The rope can saw the wood, and drops of water can penetrate the stone.”

Context: The informant heard this story when she was young. She did not want to do her homework because there were so many of them, and she didn’t know how to do it. Her parents used the four-character word to continue working, but she did not know the meaning of the word. Thus, her parents told her the story. Although the story did not convince her, she memorized it.

Analysis: All of the Chinese four-character words came from historical texts. Ancient history books included stories summarized into four-character words that teach a moral. This story also came from a four-character word, which means that small things build up; If people see wood with a rope every day, the wood will break; If water drops on a stone every day, the rocks will also be worn through. The idea that small things will build up and be impactful is present in many Chinese stories. Taoism has a similar saying, “a journey of a thousand miles begins with a step.” This reflects Chinese people’s belief that a small effort will make a big change.

Great-Grandfather’s Acupuncture

Text:

One of the informant’s family members is believed to have a special power. The informant’s great-grandfather has the ability to use acupuncture to kill people. He can tell the “death point” of the human body, and by pointing to the acupoints, he can kill people. However, he stopped using this ability and did not teach anyone about acupoints because it is something immoral to teach. The “sky,” which refers to gods and ancestors, will watch him and disagree with him. It will hurt his luck and his descendants’ luck. Thus, no other member of the family learned the skill.

Context:

The informant learned the story from family members. During family gatherings and festivals, such as the Qingming festival, when people commemorate families, the informant’s parents and grandparents would tell the story of his great-grandfather. Something interesting is that the term “great-grandfather” is somewhat vague. The informant was not sure if the great-grandfather in the story was his grandfather’s father or cousin, or grandfather. It is more like a term that directs to an old and legendary family member.

Analysis:
The story reveals Chinese cultural beliefs and values related to powers and morality. The story of the great-grandfather who could use acupuncture to kill people is a testament to the enduring belief in physical, even a bit mysterious, powers and the fear of their potential misuse. The idea of the acupoint came from Chinese medicine and Kung-fu. Thus, this story reflects Chinese people’s belief in the effectiveness of Chinese medicine and Kung-fu.
The story also highlights the moral dilemma that the great-grandfather faced with his power. By choosing not to teach the skill to anyone else in the family, he was acknowledging that the power to take life was too great to bare as a human being. The ancestors and the “sky” serve as a judge that watches over people’s actions, which reflects the importance of ancestors and descendants in Chinese culture because the ancestors care about their descendants. The great-grandfather was aware that the use of his power would bring harm not only to his own luck but also to his descendants, which reflects the traditional Chinese belief that ancestors and the supernatural world have a significant impact on human life and that their displeasure could bring misfortune.

The ”third-eye”

Text:

Some children can see things that adults can’t see. They have their “sky eye,” a third eye, open, so they can see ghosts and spirits that wonders around us. When my daughter was little, not even one-year old, she would cry every night between 7pm and 8pm. It’s more like screaming rather than crying, and I think she was terrified by something. Ther’s only one thing that could calm her down, which is her aunt. If her aunt hugs her, she would become quieter. When our family visits a master that studies supernatural things (someone that can “calculate fate”), he said that my daughter has a third eye open, and she sees her ancestors who came to see her between 7pm and 8pm. Her aunt has the positive energy that repels the spirits, which is why she can calm her nephew down.

My daughter stopped crying as she grows up, and I guess that’s because her third eye closed as she grew up. Little child always have some special connections with the other world.

Context:

This is the personal anecdote of my informant. The informant would tell the story to her daughter when looking at family photos. When telling the story, the informant didn’t look scared. Rather, she thought it was surprising and interesting. When my informant’s friends and family experience similar things, such as small children crying for no reason, she would tell the story and recommend them to find someone that can “calculate fate,” a direct translation from Chinese. Thus, many of my informant’s family and friends know this story. Although my informant does not have a religion, she tend to believe in supernatural things involving spirits and ghosts. She believed that ghosts exist in some form, despite if we could see it or not, and little children can connect with them somehow.

Analysis:

This story came from a member of Chinese family that touches on the theme of supernatural beliefs and the connection between the living and the dead. The idea of the “third eye” or the ability to see spirits is a common belief in Chinese culture. In traditional Chinese culture, ancestry is important, and heritage is also important. This belief is rooted in the concept of ancestor worship, where ancestors are believed to watch over their descendants.

The story also highlights the importance of family and the role that family members can play in calming and protecting each other. The fact that the daughter was only able to calm down when her aunt hugged her suggests that there may be a special bond between them or that the aunt has a unique ability to soothe her. This emphasis on the importance of family reflect that in Chinese culture, family is viewed as the most important social unit.

The story also reflected the belief in fate and destiny, as the family visits a “master that studies supernatural things” who is able to provide an explanation for the daughter’s behavior. This belief in fate and destiny is also a significant cultural value in Chinese culture, where it is believed that one’s actions and decisions can have a profound impact on their future.

细思极恐

Background: The informant learned this word from the internet. It was prevalent on the internet around 2018. It was the acronym of “仔细想想，非常恐怖。” Variations include alternating the order of the characters.

Context: The phrase is often used to describe a scenario or concept that seems innocuous or even mundane at first glance, but upon closer examination or reflection, it reveals itself to be much more sinister or alarming than people would have initially thought. The informant saw an internet post saying, “the brain is your most important organ—that’s what your brain told you.” People commented on the post with the main piece.

Main Piece:
细思极恐
[something] contemplated carefully and becomes very scary

Analysis
This phrase emerged when the Chinese internet created a lot of acronyms for daily use. The fact that these acronyms are all four characters might be influenced by Chinese Chengyu- an idiomatic expression, most of which consists of four characters and has a story behind it. The Chengyu is from historical or legendary stories and fables. The modern four-character phrases can be applied to a variety of contexts, such as political situations, social issues, or personal experiences, just like what people used to do with Chengyu. The main piece could be a continuation of a long tradition as a result of the habits of the Chinese language.

从前有座山

Background:
This “story” was from my friend; It is commonly told to children, including my informants and myself. Its structure is very simple, And variations were using different sentence structures to tell the same story. People would also connect different stories or sentences after the story to make it surprising. This story is simple, with only a few sentences, but it can be told in a loop.

Context:
When my informant asked her parents and grandparents to tell a story, they sometimes would perfunctorily tell this story and repeat it until my informant was bored. This story is also used between children to bother and tease each other until they are bored.

Main Piece:
从前有座山，山里有座庙，庙里有个老和尚。老和尚在给小和尚讲故事。老和尚说：从前有座山…
Translation: Once upon a time, there was a mountain. Inside the mountain, there was a temple. Inside the temple, there was an old monk. The old monk is telling a story to the little monk. The old monk said: once upon a time, there was a mountain…

Analysis:
This piece of folklore has the interesting nature of being potentially endless. It is interesting that while people consider it to be boring, it is still told by people. One possible explanation of the story is that it imitates the monks praying. When monks prayed, they would read the sacred texts out loud. The texts are obscure, and the monks murmur when speaking, which sounds boring and endless to many listeners. Thus, the old monk in the story is telling a boring story to the old monk.