Old Man Sun was the paternal uncle of Qingfu, who was a relative by marriage of mine. He had always been a man of great courage. One day, while napping in the daytime, he felt something climb onto his bed, and soon his whole body began to sway as if riding on clouds and mist. He thought to himself: Could this be a fox‑spirit pressing me down? Peering secretly, he saw a creature about the size of a cat, with yellow fur and a greenish beak, creeping in from the foot of the bed. It crawled along slowly, as if afraid of waking him.
When it reached his feet, his feet went limp; when it touched his thighs, his thighs became weak. Just as it reached his abdomen, Old Man Sun suddenly sat up, grabbed it, and caught it by the neck. The creature squealed in panic but could not break free. He quickly called his wife to bring a sash and tied it around the creature’s waist. Holding both ends of the sash, he laughed and said: “I have heard that you are good at transformation. Now my eyes are fixed on you – let me see how you can change!”
As he spoke, the creature suddenly contracted its belly until it was as thin as a pipe, nearly slipping out of the knot. Startled, Old Man Sun pulled the sash tight again – but then the creature swelled its belly to the thickness of a bowl, so firm that the knot would not tighten any further. When he slackened his grip a little, it shrank again. Fearing it might escape, he ordered his wife to kill it at once. She looked around in a fluster, unable to find a knife. He turned his head to show her where it was – but when he looked back, the sash was still in his hand, now just an empty loop, and the creature had vanished.
Note
From Liaozhai, this light‑toned tale tells of fearless Old Man Sun catching a shape‑shifting fox‑spirit that causes sleep paralysis. The fox shrinks and swells its body, then mysteriously slips away before he can kill it.
Fox‑spirit (狐):
In Chinese folklore, foxes (fox spirits) are the most common shape‑shifting spirits. They can take human form (usually beautiful women or aged scholars), possess people, cause illness, or play tricks. However, they are not purely evil – some cultivate immortality and become benevolent fox‑fairies. In this story, the creature is a classic “pressing fox” (压狐) that sneaks onto sleepers to cause paralysis, similar to the Western concept of a night‑mare or incubus.
“Pressing down”:
The folk belief in gui ya shen (鬼压身, ghost‑pressing) or hu ya shen (fox‑pressing) explains sleep paralysis – a state where the victim is conscious but unable to move, often feeling a heavy weight on the chest. Here, the fox‑spirit’s touch progressively numbs the body, a vivid metaphor for this phenomenon.
Transformation:
A key attribute of fox‑spirits is their ability to change shape at will – shrinking, expanding, or even turning into objects. The creature’s shrinking and swelling belly demonstrates this power. Old Man Sun’s challenge (“let me see how you can change”) is a bold, almost playful taunt, reflecting his fearless character.
The sash and the trick:
The fox’s trick of contracting and expanding its body to loosen the knot is a common motif in Chinese tales – it shows that even the cleverest captor can be outwitted by a cunning spirit. The fact that the sash remains empty, with no trace of the creature, underscores its supernatural nature.
“Old Man Sun” and family relations:
The narrator introduces the protagonist as the uncle of Qingfu, who is a relative by marriage. This establishes the story as a personal anecdote, lending it an air of credibility within the frame of Strange Tales, where many stories are told as accounts from acquaintances.
Moral and tone:
Unlike more terrifying ghost encounters, this story has a light‑hearted, almost humorous tone. The old man is brave and resourceful, but the fox is equally clever. The ending – where the creature escapes in the blink of an eye – suggests that one cannot easily outwit a supernatural being, no matter how courageous one may be. It also reflects the common folk belief that fox‑spirits are slippery and elusive, never entirely under human control.
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