23 A Critical Analysis of Yuan Mei’s “Strange Retribution for Digging Up a Grave”

“Strange Retribution for Digging Up a Grave” is one of the many short tales included in Yuan Mei’s Zibuyu 子不語 (What the Master Would Not Discuss). Born in 1716, Yuan Mei lived during the early Qing Dynasty and was only twenty three years old when he earned the jinshi 進士 title, China’s highest and final imperial examination. Zibuyu also consisted of oral accounts and tales from official newspapers, and this contributed to the realism that can be extracted from his stories. “Strange Retribution for Digging Up a Grave” tells the story of a retired grave digger, Mr. Zhu, who embarked on a final excavation and needed the help of a twisted monk to lift a large coffin. The monk ends up getting eaten by the corpse in that coffin, and because it was known that the protagonist had called the monk away, he was held responsible, spent all his money on the lawsuit, and eventually hung himself in prison. Even though the plot of “A Strange Retribution for Digging Up a Grave” is a seemingly unimaginable situation, the characters, King Yue, Mr. Zhu, and the monk of Jing Temple, along with the vivid imagery demonstrate the realism of unavoidable retribution.

Through the character, King Yue, the story produces elements of foreshadowing and also emphasizes the wrongfulness of the protagonist’s actions. In this tale, King Yue is the figure that threatens the protagonist, Mr. Zhu, to cease his grave digging. Yet, similar to many other Chinese ghost stories, this person is a historical figure. The footnote explains that “King Yue is the famous Song statesman Yue Fei,”^[1] who was a general and is regarded as a hero. King Yue is viewed positively and his words to grave digger Zhu hold great weight and should be interpreted as an earnest warning. In King Yue’s harsh admonishment, he threatens, “If you don’t repent, I will kill you.”^[2] This line, delivered from an honorable and respected historical figure, conveys a promise to see to Zhu’s demise if he does not end his misdeeds. This dialogue serves as foreshadowing because the protagonist’s decision to turn to grave digging once again results in his death. Furthermore, King Yue’s message highlights the seriousness of Zhu’s crimes and of the importance of proper burials. As seen in Mr. Vampire, A Chinese Ghost Story, and in “The Clan of Xingyang,” improper burials result in unrest for the deceased and disturbances in the grave can lead to disastrous consequences. This is why the grave digging that Mr. Zhu commits is much more atrocious than normal robbery and deserving of more severe punishment. King Yue is a pivotal character in this tale because of his role in foreshadowing Zhu’s death and emphasizing the weight of his crimes.

The trajectory of the protagonist, Mr. Zhu, portrays the inevitability of punishment. Mr. Zhu is introduced as a man from Hangzhou who made his money by robbing graves, and this opening sentence clearly informs the reader that the story’s protagonist is a man of bad character. Similar to another Yuan Mei tale, titled “The Corpse Spirit of Shimen,” in which the protagonist is a tax collector, the audience has an indication that these men with despised professions are also not virtuous and will therefore suffer. As mentioned in the previous paragraph, Mr. Zhu does not heed King Yue’s warning and undergoes one last grave robbery, but his evasion of the jiangshi’s 殭屍 jaws does not lead to his evasion of death. Zhu still meets his end as a result of the grave pilfery, and after being imprisoned for the death of the monk who was consumed by the corpse and losing all his money on the lawsuit, he hangs himself in jail. This is remnant of the “Cao Weisi” story, in which the main character, a commissioner who had abused his power and taken the lives of many, was given the chance to stave off his death, but in the end, he could not run from his fate. These two tales share parallels in illustrating the certainty of retribution, and that stalling one’s fate will not result in being saved. Despite avoiding a grisly demise, Mr. Zhu’s deserved punishment manages to inadvertently catch up with him and conveys the inescapability of discipline.

The monk from Jing Temple presents a phenomenon in which personal greed contradicts the teachings of religion. In this tale, the monk character appears in contrast to general preconceptions of what monastics should be. This monk lacks the qualities that are assumed of people of this level of religiosity; he engages with the dark arts, he is materialistic, and he does not respect the dead. As the story goes, the grave robbers presented their offer, and “The monk too was a depraved thief, so he took up their invitation and eagerly went along.”^[3] Being described as a “thief” and as “eagerly” joining their transgression, the story clearly articulates the monk as someone of bad character. This is reminiscent of Pu Songling’s “Living Dead” where the monks do not open the temple doors to help a terrified man in danger. In both of these tales, the monks are in opposition to the virtuosity assumed of them and are portrayed as men who are only concerned about themselves. This lack of selflessness and obsession with material wealth as illustrated in “Strange Retribution for Digging Up a Grave” posits this monk’s character in contrast to Buddhist teachings.

The existence of both Chinese folk religion and Buddhism in “Strange Retribution for Digging Up a Grave” as legitimate, alongside the deaths of the monk and Mr. Zhu, depicts determined retribution as the only ultimate certainty. As mentioned above, the monk in this story has characteristics that rival the expectations of the religious, and even with this, he still has the ability to successfully employ the “‘flying pestle’ incantation.” This story also includes elements of Chinese folk religion, exhibited by Mr. Zhu’s use of a planchette to cast divinations and his ability to communicate with spirits. Both the Buddhist monk and Mr. Zhu exist in this story and they both successfully harness abilities only made possible by cultivation, something strongly aligned with faith. Both characters also engage in sinful activities and they each meet gruesome ends as a result of the immoral lives they led. The religions in this tale are portrayed as legitimate, and because of the effectiveness of the divinations and incantations they cast, the wickedness of the monk and Mr. Zhu does not diminish the validity of these two theologies. Furthermore, this tale bypasses an argument for which religion is right, and instead focuses on the absoluteness of retribution. Whether one is Buddhist or follows a Chinese folk faith holds no regard, what is important in this tale is the certainty of punishment, should one’s life require it.

The imagery of the story brings with it a perception of realism that confronts its extraordinary events. Most of the imagery in this short story surrounds the descriptions of the corpses, and the first instance of this occurs as the monk gets devoured, pulled in by a blue and nearly eleven foot long arm. The actual deed is described vividly: “Not only were his flesh and blood sprayed about everywhere, but his bones clanked to the ground as well.”^[4] This visualization of this horrifying scene combined with the implementation of auditory imagery builds up the authenticity of this affair. Yuan Mei makes additional efforts to play up the realism of this tale by including a long passage at the end of an account of the various corpses that Mr. Zhu had encountered. The grave that contained the king-like corpse is recounted in great detail, and the coffin is described in size as “several zhang wide,” in color as “red gold adorned,” in positioning as “suspended in the air by iron chains,” and in material as “made not of wood but of rhinoceros skin.”^[5] The extent to which this grave is pictured imparts a visual into the mind of the audience and is substantial in persuading readers of this story’s validity. The literary imagery is vital to the message in ensuring that the theme of retribution and the inescapability of rightful punishment is not taken lightly.

The final passage begins with “Zhu once said”^[6] and this inclusion of an anecdotal paragraph uplifts the realism in this story. But what is this realism for? To convince the reader of the existence of purple, green, or hairy corpses? Instead, this tale strives to inform the reader of the truth that is certain retribution. Through King Yue, a historical figure viewed as a hero, the author highlights the enormity of Zhu’s crimes and foreshadows his eventual punishment. The protagonist’s role in the tale is to convey how for individuals who commit evil deeds, punishment is deserving and unescapable. The monk is a depiction of a character who’s morals conflict with their appearance. Furthermore, the existence and ambiguity of the faiths in the story emphasize the author’s claims to definite retribution. Additionally, Yuan Mei includes detailed imagery to bolster the realism of the story to stress the validity of ensuing punishment. Through the characters, King Yue, Mr. Zhu, and the monk, alongside the tale’s imagery, “Strange Retribution for Digging Up a Grave” conveys the inescapability of retribution even in an unbelievable situation.

Bibliography

Yuan Mei 袁枚, “Strange Retribution for Digging Up a Grave,” in Zibuyu 子不語 (What the Master Would Not Discuss). Translated by Paolo Santangelo. Brill, 2013. 514-516.

Yuan Mei 袁枚, “The Corpse Spirit of Shimen,” in Zibuyu 子不語 (What the Master Would Not Discuss). Translated by Paolo Santangelo. Brill, 2013. 357-360.

Allen, Sarah, Choo, Jessey, and Ditter, Alexei. Tales from Tang Dynasty China: Selections from the Taiping Guangji. Hackett Publishing Company, Inc., 2017.

Pu, Songling 蒲松齡, “Living Dead,” in Liaozhai zhiyi 聊齋誌異 (Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio). Translated by John Minford. Penguin Classics, 2006. 10-14.