[28] The six gâti or conditions of existence, namely: angels, men, demons, hungry devils, brute beasts, and tortured sinners.
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[29] Literally, “putting together the pieces under the forelegs (of foxes) to make robes.” This part of the fox-skin is the most valuable for making fur clothes.
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[30] The work of a well-known writer, named Lin I-ch‘ing, who flourished during the Sung Dynasty.
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[31] Alluding to an essay by Han Fei, a philosopher of the third century B.C., in which he laments the iniquity of the age in general, and the corruption of officials in particular. He finally committed suicide in prison, where he had been cast by the intrigues of a rival minister.
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[32] Confucius (Gospel xiv., sec. 37) said, “Alas! there is no one who knows me (to be what I am).”
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[33] The great poet Tu Fu (A.D. 712–770) dreamt that his greater predecessor, Li T‘ai-po (A.D. 699–762) appeared to him, “coming when the maple-grove was in darkness, and returning while the frontier-pass was still obscured;”—that is, at night, when no one could see him; the meaning being that he never came at all, and that those “who know me (P‘u Sung-ling)” are equally non-existent.
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[34] “Thus, since countless things exist that the senses can take account of, it is evident that nothing exists that the senses can not take account of.”—The “Professor” in W. H. Mallock’s New Paul and Virginia.
This passage recalls another curious classification by the great Chinese philosopher Han Wên-kung. “There are some things which possess form but are devoid of sound, as for instance jade and stones; others have sound but are without form, such as wind and thunder; others again have both form and sound, such as men and animals; and lastly, there is a class devoid of both, namely, devils and spirits.”
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[35] I have never seen any of these works, but I believe they treat, as implied by their titles, chiefly of the supernatural world.
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[36] The tutelar deity of every Chinese city.
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