“Dong Sheng” (Scholar Dong), from Pu Songling’s Strange Tales from Liaozhai, follows scholar Dong Xiasi living on the western frontier of Qingzhou, Shandong.
One winter night, Dong attends a drinking gathering where a physician skilled in pulse diagnosis reads the pulses of Dong and his friend Wang Jiusi, revealing paradoxical fates: one bears “a wealthy pulse yet faces poverty,” the other shows “longevity yet hints at premature death.” Dong’s pulse is deemed exceptionally peculiar.
Returning home late, Dong discovers a stunning woman in his bed. Mistaking her for a celestial being, he recoils in horror upon touching her tail. She claims to be A Suo, daughter of his childhood neighbor Zhou, professing affection. They begin an affair, but Dong soon grows frail and emaciated.
Dong realizes the woman is a fox spirit whose touch brings illness and death. His friend Wang Jiusi also nears demise under her influence. After Dong dies, his soul files a grievance in the Netherworld. Seizing the chance when the fox spirit’s soul is summoned for trial in the underworld, Wang’s family destroys her physical form, cutting off her path to resurrection. Wang slowly recovers after six months.
Allegorical Meaning
Seduction and Vigilance:
The fox spirit’s beauty symbolizes life’s temptations, warning against the peril of surrendering to allure without scrutiny.
Moral Consequence:
Dong’s demise illustrates the perils of unchecked desires. The spirit exploits human vulnerabilities (love, lust), underscoring how indulgence invites catastrophe.
Friendship as Salvation:
Dong’s spirit warns Wang in a dream, advising ritual defense (“burn incense”). Wang then orchestrates the fox spirit’s destruction. Their solidarity against evil highlights cooperation’s power against shared threats.
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