揭秘：中国巫术（An Overview of Chinese Witchcraft）
中国巫术概述：驱鬼、招魂、诅咒
An Overview of Chinese Witchcraft: Exorcism, Soul Summoning, and Curses
中国巫术，作为一种古老的文化传统，在中国历史上占有重要地位。巫术起源于远古时期，人们相信巫师可以作为人与神灵、鬼魂之间的中介，沟通天地，解决生活中的困扰。巫术的施行者，古时女性称为“巫”，男性称为“觋”（xí）。但在不同地区和民族中，对巫师的称呼有所不同，如新疆的萨满、广西的布摩、云南的塔巴等。
Chinese witchcraft, as an ancient cultural tradition, holds a significant place in the country’s history. It originated in prehistoric times, where people believed that shamans could serve as intermediaries between humans and spirits, communicating with the supernatural to resolve everyday problems. In ancient times, female practitioners were called “Wu,” while male practitioners were known as “Xi” (觋). However, in different regions and among various ethnic groups, the names for shamans vary. For example, in Xinjiang, they are known as shamans, in Guangxi as Bumo or ghost women, and in Yunnan as Taba.
巫术主要分为两类：白巫术和黑巫术。白巫术用于祝福、祈求吉祥，被称为吉巫术；黑巫术则用于加害他人，或为个人利益操控超自然力量。在古代，尤其是朝廷的权力斗争中，黑巫术有时被作为政治工具使用。巫术通过各种形式影响生活，涉及治病、驱鬼、诅咒、招魂等各个方面。
Chinese witchcraft is mainly divided into two types: white witchcraft and black witchcraft. White witchcraft is used for blessings and to invoke good fortune, often referred to as auspicious witchcraft. Black witchcraft, on the other hand, is used to harm others or manipulate supernatural forces for personal gain. In ancient times, particularly in political struggles within the royal court, black witchcraft was sometimes employed as a tool. Witchcraft affects various aspects of life, including healing, exorcism, cursing, and soul summoning.
巫术的类型与手段Types and Methods of Witchcraft
根据施行巫术的手段，巫术大致可以分为摹仿巫术和接触巫术。
According to the methods of practice, witchcraft can be categorized into imitative witchcraft and contagious witchcraft.
• 摹仿巫术是通过模仿事物来达到施术目的的巫术手段。比如，制作一个人形代替目标人物进行诅咒，写上其生辰八字后用火烧、投水或针刺刀砍，意图通过这种象征行为来加害对方。相反，摹仿巫术也用于祈福，如为孩子避祸，制作一个替代偶人放入井中，称为“破灾破煞”。
• Imitative Witchcraft involves mimicking something to achieve a desired outcome. For instance, creating a figurine representing a target person and writing their birthdate on it, followed by burning, drowning, stabbing, or cutting it to harm the intended individual. Conversely, imitative witchcraft can also be used for blessings. For example, to protect a child from disaster, a substitute doll is placed in a well, a practice known as “breaking calamities.”
• 接触巫术则是通过接触到某人的身体部分或与其相关物品来施行巫术。例如，病人可以在病痛处放置一枚钱币，之后将钱币丢弃，假如有人捡到，病痛就会转移到那人身上。搜集目标人物的头发、指甲、衣物等个人物品来诅咒对方也是常见的做法。
• Contagious Witchcraft works by using a person’s belongings or body parts to perform rituals. For example, placing a coin on a patient’s body where they feel pain, and then discarding the coin, believing that whoever picks it up will inherit the illness. Collecting hair, nails, or personal items of a person one wishes to curse is also a common method.
此外，言语巫术利用咒语的力量直接加害或祈福，通过诅咒语施加恶运，或通过祈祷语带来好运。这种言语巫术的效果在民间信仰中被认为非常强大。Additionally, verbal witchcraft relies on the power of spoken words to directly curse or bless others. Through the utterance of curses or prayers, practitioners believe they can bring misfortune or good fortune to the target. In traditional belief systems, the effects of verbal witchcraft are considered potent.
驱鬼Exorcism
驱鬼是巫师日常工作中非常重要的一部分。在生产、建房、治病、丧葬等场合，驱鬼巫术被广泛使用。汉族的驱鬼仪式后来多为道教继承和发展，符咒、桃木剑、印章、铜镜成为道士的重要法器。汉族的“纸船明烛照天烧”仪式、婚礼上用箭射新娘、迈火盆等都是传统的驱鬼仪式。Exorcism is a crucial part of a shaman’s daily tasks. It is commonly used in agriculture, house construction, healing, and funerals. In Chinese folk traditions, exorcism rites, which often involve rituals for driving away malevolent spirits, were later absorbed and developed by Daoism. Symbols, peach wood swords, seals, and bronze mirrors are some of the primary tools used by Daoist priests for exorcism. Traditional rituals like the burning of paper boats with candles, shooting arrows at the bride during weddings, or stepping over fire pans are typical Han Chinese practices to ward off evil spirits.
在一些少数民族地区，驱鬼巫术也有特定的表现形式。比如，黎族人对凶死者非常畏惧，担心他们的灵魂回家骚扰家人。为了防止这一情况发生，送葬时要走弯曲的小路，迷惑灵魂，甚至用巨石压尸或木桩钉尸，以确保凶死者无法返回。In some minority ethnic groups, exorcism rituals are more specific. For example, the Li people fear the souls of those who died tragically, believing they may return to haunt their families. To prevent this, they perform complex funeral rites, such as walking along winding paths to confuse the deceased’s soul and using large stones to weigh down the corpse or driving wooden stakes through it to ensure the spirit does not return.
招魂Soul Summoning
招魂是巫术中用来召回失落的灵魂的一种仪式。巫师认为一个人生病可能是因为灵魂丢失，因此需要通过招魂仪式将其找回。汉族常见的招魂方式是，当小孩生病时，母亲或有血缘关系的亲人拿着孩子的衣服，走到村外呼喊其名字，呼唤丢失的魂魄。Soul summoning is a ritual used to retrieve a lost soul. Shamans often believe that illness may occur when a person’s soul has wandered away. In Han Chinese culture, when a child is sick, a mother or close relative may take the child’s clothing outside the village and call out their name, inviting the lost soul to return.
除了用于人，招魂巫术也可以作用于动物或植物。例如，基诺族为谷神招魂，苗族为牛招魂。彝族有为长时间外出或客死他乡的长辈招魂的习俗，巫师站在高山上，面向死者离去的方向，呼喊其名字，并用麻线指引其灵魂归来。Soul summoning is not limited to humans. For instance, the Jino people perform rituals to summon the soul of the grain god, and the Miao people summon the soul of their cattle. The Yi people also have a tradition of summoning the souls of long-departed or deceased elders. During such rituals, the shaman stands on a high mountain, facing the direction in which the deceased left, calling their name and guiding the soul home with a thread of hemp.
诅咒Curses
诅咒是一种使用语言或象征手段加害他人的巫术。诅咒的力量被认为可以通过语言或行为直接施加到目标身上。最常见的形式是直接面对面咒骂，比如“不得好死”、“千刀万剐”等。Cursing is a type of witchcraft that uses words or symbolic acts to harm others. The power of a curse is believed to be directly transferred to the target through language or actions. The most common form of curses involves direct verbal confrontations, such as saying “May you die a terrible death” or “May you be cut into a thousand pieces.”
不同地区有各自的诅咒形式。傣族的“放罗”巫术用来挑拨夫妻关系，巫师从对方家族坟地取竹片，刻上诅咒语言，将其放置在对方的房屋下，使夫妻感情破裂。在东北汉族和满族地区，过去有“蒸猫诅咒”的传统，用偷窃者的生辰八字和名字与猫一起蒸煮，借此让小偷如猫般痛苦。Different regions have their own distinct cursing practices. For instance, the Dai people use a form of witchcraft called Fang Luo, designed to cause discord between couples. The shaman retrieves bamboo from the family’s graveyard and carves a curse on it, then places it under the couple’s house, causing them to argue and grow distant. In northeastern China, among Han and Manchu communities, there was a practice called “steaming the cat” for cursing thieves. If a person suspected someone of theft, they would write the thief’s birthdate and name on paper, place it in a steamer with a live cat, and steam it. The thief was believed to suffer the same fate as the cat, experiencing unbearable pain.
巫术与宗教Witchcraft and Religion
巫术在中国历史上与宗教有着密切的联系，特别是在道教的影响下，许多巫术的仪式和手段被系统化。例如，道士常用符咒、镜子、桃木剑等来驱鬼祈福。巫术中的许多元素被道教吸收，并成为其法术的一部分。同时，佛教在进入中国后，也与民间巫术产生了相互作用，形成了一些混合的宗教信仰形式。Witchcraft in China has long been intertwined with religious beliefs, particularly Daoism. Many witchcraft rituals and methods have been systematized within Daoist practices. For instance, Daoist priests use talismans, mirrors, and peach wood swords to exorcise evil spirits and offer blessings. Elements of witchcraft have been absorbed into Daoism, becoming part of its magical rituals. When Buddhism was introduced to China, it also interacted with folk witchcraft, leading to hybrid religious practices.
巫术与医学Witchcraft and Medicine
中国巫术在早期的医学中也占据了一定的位置。在古代，人们相信疾病是由于邪灵作祟或灵魂离体导致的，因此，巫师通过驱鬼、占卜和咒语等方法为病人治病。后来，随着中医的发展，巫术中的一些方法逐渐被整合进草药、针灸等民间治疗体系。In ancient China, witchcraft played a role in early medicine. People believed that diseases were caused by evil spirits or wandering souls, and shamans would perform exorcisms, divination, or chant spells to cure illnesses. As traditional Chinese medicine developed, some witchcraft methods were integrated into medical practices, such as the use of herbs or acupuncture in folk healing rituals.
现代巫术的延续与影响Modern Witchcraft’s Continuity and Influence
虽然现代科学技术的发展削弱了巫术的影响，但在中国的许多农村地区和少数民族中，巫术仍然活跃，特别是在婚丧嫁娶、生病或求子等重大生活事件中。巫师仍然被视为具有解决问题、祈福解难的神秘力量。同时，随着文化旅游业的发展，一些巫术仪式被用来展示民族文化，例如苗族的招魂仪式、傣族的放水灯节等。Despite the advancement of modern science and technology, witchcraft remains influential in many rural areas and among ethnic minorities in China, particularly in significant life events such as marriages, funerals, illnesses, or fertility-related rituals. Shamans are still regarded as powerful figures who can resolve problems and offer blessings. Additionally, with the rise of cultural tourism, certain witchcraft practices, like the Miao people’s soul summoning rituals or the Dai people’s water lantern festival, are now performed as part of cultural heritage displays.
巫术与其他文化的对比Witchcraft Compared to Other Cultures
中国巫术在处理生活中的现实问题上更为实际，注重通过仪式达成具体的目的，如治病、求雨、招魂等。与此相比，美洲的萨满教巫术更侧重灵性的提升，通过与自然和灵魂世界的沟通来获得启示和力量。尽管侧重点不同，全球各地的巫术都有一共同特征：它们试图通过超自然的力量来影响现实生活中的事件。Chinese witchcraft tends to focus on practical solutions to everyday problems, emphasizing rituals aimed at specific outcomes, such as healing, rainmaking, or soul retrieval. In contrast, shamanic practices in the Americas often emphasize spiritual growth and connection with nature, seeking enlightenment through communion with the spirit world. Despite their different focal points, witchcraft traditions worldwide share a common feature: they attempt to harness supernatural forces to affect real-world events.