''Menshen'', or door gods, are divine guardians of doors and gates in
Chinese folk religion
Chinese folk religion comprises a range of traditional religious practices of Han Chinese, including the Chinese diaspora. This includes the veneration of ''Shen (Chinese folk religion), shen'' ('spirits') and Chinese ancestor worship, ances ...
s, used to protect against evil influences or to encourage the entrance of positive ones. They began as the divine pair
Shenshu () and
Yulü () under the
Han, but the
deified
Apotheosis (, ), also called divinization or deification (), is the glorification of a subject to divine levels and, commonly, the treatment of a human being, any other living thing, or an abstract idea in the likeness of a deity.
The origina ...
generals
Qin Shubao () and
Yuchi Gong
Yuchi Gong () or Yuchi Rong () (585 – 25 December 658), courtesy name Jingde (), also known by his posthumous name Duke Zhongwu of E, was a Chinese military general who lived in the early Tang dynasty. Yuchi Jingde and another general Qin Sh ...
() have been more popular since the
Tang. In cases where a door god is affixed to a single door,
Wei Zheng
Wei Zheng (580 – 11 February 643), courtesy name Xuancheng, posthumous name Duke Wenzhen of Zheng, was a Chinese politician and historian. He served as a chancellor of the Tang dynasty for about 13 years during the reign of Emperor Taizong. H ...
or
Zhong Kui is commonly used.
History
The gates and doors of
Chinese houses have long received special ritual attention. Sacrifices to a door spirit are recorded as early as the ''
Book of Rites
The ''Book of Rites'', also known as the ''Liji'', is a collection of texts describing the social forms, administration, and ceremonial rites of the Zhou dynasty as they were understood in the Warring States and the early Han periods. The '' ...
''.
[.] By the
Han, this spirit had become the two gods
Shenshu and
Yulü, whose names or images were painted into
peachwood and attached to doors. When the
Emperor Taizong of the
Tang was being plagued by nightmares, he ordered portraits of his generals
Qin Shubao and
Yuchi Gong
Yuchi Gong () or Yuchi Rong () (585 – 25 December 658), courtesy name Jingde (), also known by his posthumous name Duke Zhongwu of E, was a Chinese military general who lived in the early Tang dynasty. Yuchi Jingde and another general Qin Sh ...
to be affixed to gates. They eventually
came to be considered divine protectors, replacing Shentu and Yulü and remaining the most common door gods to the present day. Qin and Yuchi, along with various other
deified
Apotheosis (, ), also called divinization or deification (), is the glorification of a subject to divine levels and, commonly, the treatment of a human being, any other living thing, or an abstract idea in the likeness of a deity.
The origina ...
military leaders, make up a class of intended to ward off evil spirits and bad influences. A separate group of scholars make up a class of intended to attract blessings and good fortune. Some deities are also thought to have guardians who serve a similar role at their temples, such as
Mazu
Mazu or Matsu is a sea goddess in Chinese folk religion, Chinese Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism. She is also known by several other names and titles. Mazu is the deified form of Lin Moniang (), a shamaness from Fujian who is said to ...
's companions
Qianliyan
Qianliyan is a Chinese folk religion, Chinese sea god, sea and door god. He usually appears with Shunfeng'er as a guardian of the list of Mazu temples, temples of the sea goddess Mazu (goddess), Mazu.
Name
The name "Qianliyan" literally means ...
and
Shunfeng'er
Shunfeng'er is a Chinese folk religion, Chinese sea god, sea and door god. He usually appears with Qianliyan as a guardian of the list of Mazu temples, temples of the sea goddess Mazu (goddess), Mazu.
Name
The name "Shunfeng'er" literally means ...
.
Legends
The 10th chapter of the
Chinese novel ''
Journey to the West
''Journey to the West'' () is a Chinese novel published in the 16th century during the Ming dynasty and attributed to Wu Cheng'en. It is regarded as one of the Classic Chinese Novels, great Chinese novels, and has been described as arguably the ...
'' includes an account of the origin of door gods. In it, the
Dragon King
The Dragon King, also known as the Dragon God, is a Chinese water and weather god. He is regarded as the dispenser of rain, commanding over all bodies of water. He is the collective personification of the ancient concept of the '' lóng'' in ...
of the
Jing River
The Jing River () or Jing He (Pinyin: ''Jīng Hé''), also called Jing Shui (), is a tributary of the Wei River (), which in turn is the largest tributary of the Yellow River.
The Jing River flows for , with a basin area of . The river's flow ...
disguised himself as a human to outsmart the fortune teller Yuan Shoucheng. Since he was able to control the weather, he made a bet with Yuan about
Chang'an
Chang'an (; zh, t=長安, s=长安, p=Cháng'ān, first=t) is the traditional name of the city now named Xi'an and was the capital of several Chinese dynasties, ranging from 202 BCE to 907 CE. The site has been inhabited since Neolithic time ...
's forecast for the next day. He was nonplussed, however, when he received an order from the
Jade Emperor
In the Chinese mythology, myths and Chinese folk religion, folk religion of Chinese culture, the Jade Emperor or Yudi is one of the representations of the Primordial Divinity (Tai Di), primordial god.
In Taoist theology, he is the assistant of ...
telling him to give the city precisely the weather Yuan had predicted. The Dragon King preferred to win the bet and disregarded the order, going to Yuan to gloat the next day. Yuan remained calm and revealed that he had known the Dragon King's identity all along. Moreover, since the dragon had been so arrogant as to disregard an order from the Jade Emperor, his doom would be short in coming. The dragon was shocked to see his disobedience known and immediately pleaded with Yuan to save him. Yuan let him know that the Jade Emperor would send
Wei Zheng
Wei Zheng (580 – 11 February 643), courtesy name Xuancheng, posthumous name Duke Wenzhen of Zheng, was a Chinese politician and historian. He served as a chancellor of the Tang dynasty for about 13 years during the reign of Emperor Taizong. H ...
—a senior minister from the court of the
Emperor Taizong of the
Tang—to execute him at noon the following day. He told him his best course of action was to ask Taizong for help and, taking pity on the Dragon King, the emperor agreed to save him. In order to do so, the emperor summoned Wei Zheng to play
go with him in the morning. He endeavored to keep Wei from leaving until after noon, preventing him from carrying out the Jade Emperor's order, and was delighted when Wei grew so tired with the long game that he fell asleep. A little while later, however, the Great Ancestor was told that a dragon's head had fallen from the sky. Wei awoke and told him that his spirit had left his body during his nap and gone to
Heaven
Heaven, or the Heavens, is a common Religious cosmology, religious cosmological or supernatural place where beings such as deity, deities, angels, souls, saints, or Veneration of the dead, venerated ancestors are said to originate, be throne, ...
to carry out the Jade Emperor's order. The annoyed spirit of the Dragon King then haunted the Great Ancestor each night until his generals
Qin Shubao and
Yuchi Gong
Yuchi Gong () or Yuchi Rong () (585 – 25 December 658), courtesy name Jingde (), also known by his posthumous name Duke Zhongwu of E, was a Chinese military general who lived in the early Tang dynasty. Yuchi Jingde and another general Qin Sh ...
volunteered to stand guard at his door. The emperor enjoyed his peaceful sleep but did not want to continue bothering his two generals. In their place, he had artists paint their portraits and paste them to the doors. This was then copied by his subjects.
[.]
Architecture
In modern use, door gods are usually printed images which are pasted to paired doors. They are usually replaced every
Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year, or the Spring Festival (see also #Names, § Names), is a festival that celebrates the beginning of a New Year, new year on the traditional lunisolar calendar, lunisolar Chinese calendar. It is one of the most important holi ...
. Occasionally, they are sculpted in relief or placed as statues to either side of a door. The figures should face each other; it is considered bad luck to place them back to back.
Worship
In ancient China, there was a ritual for a sacrifice to the door spirit of a wealthy home recorded in the ''
Book of Rites
The ''Book of Rites'', also known as the ''Liji'', is a collection of texts describing the social forms, administration, and ceremonial rites of the Zhou dynasty as they were understood in the Warring States and the early Han periods. The '' ...
''.
[ In modern China, door gods do not make up a formal element of ]Taoism
Taoism or Daoism (, ) is a diverse philosophical and religious tradition indigenous to China, emphasizing harmony with the Tao ( zh, p=dào, w=tao4). With a range of meaning in Chinese philosophy, translations of Tao include 'way', 'road', ' ...
and are included as traditional decorations or as nods to popular superstition. There are, however, some deities worshipped for other reasons—including the Azure Dragon
The Azure Dragon ( zh, c=青龍, p=Qīnglóng) is one of the Dragon King, Dragon Gods who represent the mount or Chthonic deities, chthonic forces of the Wufang Shangdi, Five Regions' Highest Deities (). It is also one of the Four Symbols o ...
, the White Tiger
The white tiger (ashy tiger) is a leucistic morph of the tiger, typically the Bengal tiger. It is occasionally reported in the Indian wilderness. It has the typical black stripes of a tiger, but its coat is otherwise white or near-white, and ...
, and Mazu
Mazu or Matsu is a sea goddess in Chinese folk religion, Chinese Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism. She is also known by several other names and titles. Mazu is the deified form of Lin Moniang (), a shamaness from Fujian who is said to ...
's companions Qianliyan
Qianliyan is a Chinese folk religion, Chinese sea god, sea and door god. He usually appears with Shunfeng'er as a guardian of the list of Mazu temples, temples of the sea goddess Mazu (goddess), Mazu.
Name
The name "Qianliyan" literally means ...
and Shunfeng'er
Shunfeng'er is a Chinese folk religion, Chinese sea god, sea and door god. He usually appears with Qianliyan as a guardian of the list of Mazu temples, temples of the sea goddess Mazu (goddess), Mazu.
Name
The name "Shunfeng'er" literally means ...
—who also serve as door gods at Taoist temples.
Korea
Door gods are called Munsin in Korea.
List
The following persons, some of whom are mythological figures, are known to have been worshipped as door gods.
Gallery
In Popular Culture
1983 Shaw Brothers Movie Of ''Ghosts Galore'' Starring Chin Siu Ho And Chiang Kam In A Final Fight Against A Japanese Sorcerer ( Hwang Jang Lee).
See also
* Chinese gods and immortals
Chinese gods and immortals are beings in various Chinese religions seen in a variety of ways and mythological contexts.
Many are worshiped as deities because Chinese folk religion, traditional Chinese religion is Polytheism, polytheistic, ste ...
* Dvarapala
A Dvarapala or Dvarapalaka (Sanskrit, "door guard"; IAST: ' ) is a door or gate guardian often portrayed as a warrior or fearsome giant, usually armed with a weapon - the most common being the Gada (mace), ''gada'' (mace). The dvarapala statue i ...
* Feng shui
Feng shui ( or ), sometimes called Chinese geomancy, is a traditional form of geomancy that originated in ancient China and claims to use energy forces to harmonize individuals with their surrounding environment. The term ''feng shui'' mean ...
, which also employs shield walls, talisman
A talisman is any object ascribed with religious or magical powers intended to protect, heal, or harm individuals for whom they are made. Talismans are often portable objects carried on someone in a variety of ways, but can also be installed perm ...
s, mirror
A mirror, also known as a looking glass, is an object that Reflection (physics), reflects an image. Light that bounces off a mirror forms an image of whatever is in front of it, which is then focused through the lens of the eye or a camera ...
s, and yin-yang
Originating in Chinese philosophy, yin and yang (, ), also yinyang or yin-yang, is the concept of opposite cosmic principles or forces that interact, interconnect, and perpetuate each other. Yin and yang can be thought of as complementary an ...
symbols to protect doorways
* Gate guardian
* Heng and Ha
Heng and Ha () are two generals of the Shang dynasty in Chinese mythology, featured within the 16th-century Chinese fantasy novel ''Investiture of the Gods''. These two fictional characters were created by the author of ''Investiture of the Gods'' ...
* Imperial guardian lions
Chinese guardian lions, or imperial guardian lions, are a traditional Chinese architectural ornament. Typically made of stone, they are also known as stone lions or shishi (). They are known in colloquial English as lion dogs, foo dogs, or fu ...
* Munsin
References
Citations
Bibliography
* .
* .
External links
*{{Commons-inline
Chinese architectural history
Chinese deities
Liminal deities