Zhong Kui (; ko, 종규, Jonggyu; ja, 鍾馗, Shōki; vi, Chung Quỳ) is a deity in

Chinese mythology Chinese mythology () is mythology that has been passed down in oral form or recorded in literature in the geographic area now known as Greater China. Chinese mythology includes many varied myths from regional and cultural traditions. Much of t ...

, traditionally regarded as a vanquisher of

ghosts A ghost is the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that is believed to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to rea ...

and evil beings. He is depicted as a large man with a big black beard, bulging eyes, and a wrathful expression. Zhong Kui is able to command 80,000 demons to do his bidding and is often associated with the five bats of fortune. Worship and iconography of Zhong Kui later spread to other East Asian countries, and he can also be found in the folklores and mythologies of

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

, and

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

. In art, Zhong Kui is a frequent subject in paintings and crafts, and his image is often painted on household gates as a guardian spirit as well as in places of business where high-value goods are involved. He is also commonly portrayed in popular media.

Becoming the king of ghosts

According to folklore, Zhong Kui travelled with Du Ping (杜平), a friend from his hometown, to take part in the state-wide

imperial examination The imperial examination (; lit. "subject recommendation") refers to a civil-service examination system in Imperial China, administered for the purpose of selecting candidates for the state bureaucracy. The concept of choosing bureaucrats by ...

s held in the capital city. Though Zhong Kui attained great academic success through his achievement of top honors in the major exams, his rightful title of "

Zhuangyuan ''Zhuangyuan'', or ''trạng nguyên'' in Vietnamese, variously translated into English as principal graduate, primus, or optimus, was the title given to the scholar who achieved the highest score on highest level of the Imperial examination, (i ...

" (top-scorer) was stripped from him by the emperor because of his disfigured and ugly appearance. In anger and fury, Zhong Kui committed suicide by continually hurling himself against the palace gates until his head was broken, whereupon Du Ping had him buried and laid to rest. During the divine judgment after his death from suicide,

Yanluo Wang In Chinese mythology and religion, King Yan () is the god of death and the ruler of Diyu, overseeing the "Ten Kings of Hell" in its capital of Youdu. He is also known as King Yanluo (), a transcription of the Sanskrit for "King Yama" (/, ). K ...

(the Chinese Underworld Judge) saw much potential in Zhong Kui, intelligent and smart enough to score top honors in the imperial examinations but condemned to

Youdu Youdu () in Chinese mythology is the capital of Hell, or Diyu. Among the various other geographic features believed of Diyu, the capital city has been thought to be named Youdu. It is generally conceived as being similar to a typical Chinese capit ...

because of the strong grievance. Yama then gave him a title as the king of ghosts and tasked him to hunt, capture, take charge of and maintain discipline and order among all ghosts. After Zhong Kui became the king of ghosts in Hell, Zhong Kui returned to his hometown on

Chinese New Year Chinese New Year is the festival that celebrates the beginning of a New Year, new year on the traditional lunisolar calendar, lunisolar and solar Chinese calendar. In Sinophone, Chinese and other East Asian cultures, the festival is commonly r ...

's eve. To repay Du Ping's kindness, Zhong Kui gave his younger sister in marriage to Du Ping.

Popularization in later dynasties

Zhong Kui's popularity in folklore can be traced to the reign of

Emperor Xuanzong of Tang China Emperor Xuanzong of Tang (; 8 September 685 – 3 May 762), personal name Li Longji, was the seventh emperor of the Tang dynasty in China, reigning from 712 to 756 CE. His reign of 44 years was the longest during the Tang dynasty. In the early ...

(712 to 756). According to

Song Dynasty The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the rest ...

sources, once the Emperor Xuanzong was gravely ill and had a dream in which he saw two ghosts. The smaller of the ghosts stole a purse from imperial consort

Yang Guifei Yang Yuhuan (; 26 June, 719 – 15 July 756Volume 218 of ''Zizhi Tongjian'' recorded that Yang was killed on the ''bingshen'' day of the 6th month of the 1st year of the Zhide era of Tang Suzong's reign. This date corresponds to 15 Jul 756 on t ...

and a flute belonging to the emperor. The larger ghost, wearing the hat of an official, captured the smaller ghost, tore out his eye and ate it. He then introduced himself as Zhong Kui. He said that he had sworn to rid the empire of evil. When the emperor awoke, he had recovered from his illness. So he commissioned the court painter

Wu Daozi Wu Daozi (c. 685–758 CE or c. 689–759 CE), also known as Daoxuan and Wu Tao Tzu, was a Chinese painter of the Tang dynasty. The British art historian Michael Sullivan considers him one of "the masters of the seventh century,"

Legacy

Zhong Kui and his legend became a popular theme in later Chinese painting, art, and folklore. Pictures of Zhong Kui used to be frequently hung up in households to scare away ghosts. His character was and still is especially popular in

New Year picture A New Year picture () is a popular Banhua in China. It is a form of colored woodblock print, used for decoration and the performance of rituals during the Chinese New Year Holiday. In the 19th and 20th centuries some printers began to use the g ...

In art

File:Dai Jin. The Night Excursion of Zhong Kui. 189,7x120,2. Palace Museum, Beijing.jpg,

Dai Jin Dai Jin (; 1388–1462) was a Chinese landscape painter best known for being the founder of the Zhe School during the Ming dynasty. Biography An account by Lang Ying (b. 1487) provides the most extensive early biography of Dai Jin. As a young ...

's ''The Night Excursion of Zhong Kui'' (15th century), depicting Zhong Kui undertaking a night patrol while being carried in a sedan chair by four demons File:Zhong Kui in a Wintry Grove.jpeg,

Wen Zhengming Wen Zhengming (28 November 1470 – 1559), born Wen Bi, was a Chinese painter, calligrapher, and poet during the Ming dynasty. He was regarded as one of the Four Masters of Ming painting. Biography Wen Zhengming was born Wen Bi near present-da ...

's ''Zhong Kui in a Wintry Grove'' (Ming dynasty), matching

Ge Hong Ge Hong (; b. 283 – d. 343 or 364), courtesy name Zhichuan (稚川), was a Chinese linguist, Taoist practitioner, philosopher, physician, politician, and writer during the Eastern Jin dynasty. He was the author of '' Essays on Chinese Characte ...

's ''Master Embracing Simplicity'' that states that ominous creatures often haunted forests, which is why Zhong Kui is needed there File:Zhong Kui and Spiders, Zhou Xun.jpg, ''Zhong Kui and Spiders'' by Zhou Xun (1649–1729), depicting Zhong Kui eyeing spiders dangling down from above (a rebus or auspicious pun for 'joyful things') File:清任頤鍾馗軸-Zhong Kui MET 2002 208 2 O.jpg,

Ren Yi Ren Yi (; 1840–1896), also known as Ren Bonian, was a painter and son of a rice merchant who supplemented his income by doing portraits. He was born in Zhejiang, but after the death of his father in 1855 he lived in Shanghai. This move placed hi ...

's ''Zhong Kui'' (1883), in which Zhong Kui appears as an elegant but somewhat eccentric scholar, with his sword sheathed and a blossom in his hair, as he decorously reads File:Auspicious_Omen_of_Abundant_Peace.jpg, ''Auspicious Omen of Abundant Peace'' (Qing dynasty), humorously depicting Zhong Kui being shocked as he looks at his grotesque visage in the mirror File:Zhong Kui, xylograph, late 19th or early 20th century.jpg, Zhong Kui is seen waving his sword at five bats representing the five blessings, as if symbolically bringing these fortunes down to someone as recipient, depicted in a late 19th or early 20th century xylograph File:Zhong Kui, the Demon Queller.jpg, ''Zhong Kui, the Demon Queller'' (17th century), in which Zhong Kui rides an ox while quelled demons carry his sword or lead his ox File:Zhong Kui, the demon queller, 16th century.jpg, A 16th-century painting, depicting a seated Zhong Kui File:Zhong Kui, by Lu Xue.jpg, A 17th-century painting by Lu Xue, depicting Zhong Kui with demons File:Zhong Kui painted by the Shunzhi Emperor.jpg, A painting by the

Shunzhi Emperor The Shunzhi Emperor (15 March 1638 – 5 February 1661) was the second Emperor of China, emperor of the Qing dynasty of China, and the first Qing emperor to rule over China proper, reigning from 1644 to 1661. A Deliberative Council of Prince ...

(r. 1643–1661) of the Qing dynasty File:Shoki2 detail.jpg, A detail of

Okumura Masanobu Okumura Masanobu ( ja, 奥村政信; 1686 – 13 March 1764) was a Japanese print designer, book publisher, and painter. He also illustrated novelettes and in his early years wrote some fiction. At first his work adhered to the Torii ...

's ''Shōki zu'' (Shōki striding), dated c. 1741–1751. File:Zhong Kui and his Assistants Under Willows.jpg,

Fei Danxu Fei Danxu (; 1801–1850) was an itinerant Chinese painter during the Qing Dynasty.Barnhart: Page 378. Fei's courtesy name was Zitiao (子苕), and his art names were Xiaolou (晓楼) and Huanxisheng (环溪生). A later pseudonym was Ouweng (� ...

's ''Zhong Kui and his Assistants Under Willows'' (1832), depicting Zhong Kui and his demon helpers File:Zhong Kui, by Min Zhen.jpeg, ''Zhong Kui'' by

Min Zhen Min Zhen (; 1730–?; courtesy name Zheng Zhai 正齋) was a Chinese people, Chinese painter and seal carver born in Nanchang, Jiangxi, who spent most of his life in Hubei. He was noted for painting human figures and doing occasional finger paint ...

(1730–after 1791), depicting Zhong Kui riding a quadrupedal creature File:Zhong Kui, 1776.jpg, A 1776 painting by Min Zhen, in which Zhong Kui sits and leans on a chair File:Zhong Kui and Demons Crossing a Bridge.jpg, ''Zhong Kui and Demons Crossing a Bridge'' (16th century), depicting Zhong Kui on a donkey File:Zhong Kui Appreciating Plum Blossom, 18th century.jpg, ''Zhong Kui Appreciating Plum Blossom'' (18th century) File:Masayuki tsuba omote.jpg, Copper ''

tsuba Japanese sword mountings are the various housings and associated fittings ('' tosogu'') that hold the blade of a Japanese sword when it is being worn or stored. refers to the ornate mountings of a Japanese sword (e.g. ''katana'') used when the ...

'' depicting Shōki, by Masayuki Tsuba (1695-1769)

Temples

* Zhong Kui Temple () in Guanqiao,

Hunan Hunan (, ; ) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the South Central China region. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangxi to ...

* Shuiwei Zhengwei Temple () in Xizhou, Changhua * Guang Lu Temple () in Zhuqi, Chiayi * Wu Fu Temple () in Wanhua, Taipei * Zhong Nan Old Temple (), Batu Pahat, Johor * Shōki Shrine () in Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto

In popular culture

* Zhong Kui is venerated in

Chinese folk religion Chinese folk religion, also known as Chinese popular religion comprehends a range of traditional religious practices of Han Chinese, including the Chinese diaspora. Vivienne Wee described it as "an empty bowl, which can variously be filled ...

as one of the three Lords of Demon-Subduer () in Southern China region. Xuan Tian Shang Di and Guan Sheng Di Jun are the other two Lords. * The Dance of Zhong Kui () developed under the Song dynasty and was adapted into

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

under the Ming. It is also a form of ritual for exorcism and purification purpose, this tradition still surviving in Taiwan. * Shōki is highly venerated in Japan and is still worshipped in some Shinto shrines. Shōki was also the namesake of the

Imperial Japanese Army The was the official ground-based armed force of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945. It was controlled by the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office and the Ministry of the Army, both of which were nominally subordinate to the Emperor o ...

's single-engine

Nakajima Ki-44 The Nakajima Ki-44 ''Shoki'' (鍾馗, " Devil Queller") was a single-seat fighter- interceptor which was developed by the Nakajima Aircraft Company and operated by the Imperial Japanese Army from 1942 to 1945 during World War II. Its official d ...

fighter plane. * Zhong Kui (played by San Kuai) appears in the 1977

Bruceploitation Bruceploitation (a portmanteau of "Bruce Lee" and "exploitation") is an exploitation film subgenre that emerged after the death of martial arts film star Bruce Lee in 1973, where filmmakers from Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea cast Bruce Lee l ...

film ''

The Dragon Lives Again ''The Dragon Lives Again'' (, originally released as ''Li san jiao wei zhen di yu men'' and also known as ''Deadly Hands of Kung Fu''), is a 1977 martial arts fantasy comedy in which the soul of Bruce Lee (played by Bruce Leung Siu-lung) goes ...

''. * Zhong Kui appears in the 1985 Taiwanese series '' New Legends of Chu Liuxiang'' * Qiu Yun, the main character of

Huang Shuqin Huang Shuqin (9 September 1939 – 21 April 2022) was a Chinese film director known for her film ''Woman, Demon, Human'' (1987). Widely considered the first feminist Chinese film by critics and scholars,Kang, Kai. "Beyond New Waves: Gender and ...

's 1987 feminist film '' Woman, Demon, Human'', is an opera singer famed for her portrayals of Zhong Kui. * Zhong Kui (played by

Huang Wenyong Huang Wenyong (25 July 1952 – 20 April 2013) was a Malaysia-born Singaporean actor and former teacher of Chinese descent. Local media and colleagues referred to him as "Ah Ge" (senior actor) due to his status. Huang died at the Singapo ...

) appears in the 1987 '' Strange Encounters'' and its 1988 sequel '' Strange Encounters II''. * Zhong Kui (played by

Law Lok Lam Law Lok-lam (, born 20 October 1948) is a veteran Hong Kong character actor currently under Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB) management. A versatile actor who has acted in many Hong Kong television dramas since the 1970s. He has been in so man ...

) appears in the 1988

Asia Television Asia Television Limited (, also known as ATV) is a digital media and broadcasting company in Hong Kong. Established as the first television service in Hong Kong as Rediffusion Television () on 29 May 1957, it shifted to terrestrial televisio ...

series ''The Chinese Ghostbuster''. * Zhong Kui appears in the Hong Kong comic ''

Saint In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of Q-D-Š, holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and Christian denomination, denominat ...

'' and, as Shōki, in the American comic ''

Usagi Yojimbo is a comic book series created by Stan Sakai. It is set primarily at the beginning of the Edo period of Japanese history and features anthropomorphic animals replacing humans. The main character is a rabbit ''rōnin'', Miyamoto Usagi, whom Sak ...

''. * Zhong Kui is the main character in the 1994 Taiwanese–Singaporean television series '' Heavenly Master Zhong Kui'' (《天師鍾馗》, ''Tianshi Zhong Kui''). * Zhong Kui (played by

Wu Ma Fung Wang-yuen (22 September 1942 – 4 February 2014), better known by his stage name Wu Ma, was a Hong Kong actor, director, producer and writer. Wu Ma made his screen debut in 1963, and with over 240 appearances to his name (plus 49 directoria ...

) is the main character in the 1994 Hong Kong film ''

The Chinese Ghostbuster ''The Chinese Ghostbuster'' is a 1994 Hong Kong ghost film directed by Wu Ma and produced by Leung Tung-leung. The film stars Wu Ma himself as well as Lam Ching-ying. Plot In the spirit plain the ghosts of a man (Wu Ma) and his daughter (Mon ...

''. * Zhong Kui appears as a summonable demon in the 1995 RPG '' Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner, and other ''

Shin Megami Tensei ''Megami Tensei'', marketed internationally as ''Shin Megami Tensei'' (formerly ''Revelations''), is a Japanese media franchise created by Aya Nishitani, Kouji "Cozy" Okada, Ginichiro Suzuki, and Kazunari Suzuki. Primarily developed and publishe ...

'' titles. *

Pierre DeCelles Pierre DeCelles (born 14 December 1951) is a Canadian animator, best known for directing 1988's ''Pound Puppies and the Legend of Big Paw''. He was also the supervising director for the '' Spiral Zone'' animated series. In the 1990s, he did Ren H ...

created a Zhong Kui series of paintings in 2004. * Zhong Kui (played by Bobby Au-yeung) is the main character of the 2009 series '' Ghost Catcher: Legend of Beauty''. * Zhong Kui is the main character in the 2012

Hunan Television Hunan Television or Hunan TV () is a provincial satellite TV station officially launched on 29 September 1970 and is currently China's second-most-watched channel, second only to CCTV-1, owned by China Central Television, although Hunan STV occasio ...

series ''The Legend of Zhong Kui'' (《鍾馗傳說》, ''Zhōng Kuí Chuánshuō''). * Zhong Kui (played by

Chen Kun Chen Kun (; born February 4, 1976), sometimes credited as Aloys Chen, is a Chinese actor and singer. He gained recognition from television dramas ''Love Story in Shanghai'' and ''The Story of a Noble Family'' and rose to international prominence wi ...

) is the main character in the 2015 movie '' Zhong Kui: Snow Girl and the Dark Crystal''. * Zhong Kui "the Demon Queller" is a character from the

Chinese pantheon Chinese traditional religion is polytheistic; many deities are worshipped in a pantheistic view where divinity is inherent in the world. The gods are energies or principles revealing, imitating and propagating the way of Heaven (''Tian'' ), whic ...

in the 2014

Hi-Rez Image resolution is the detail an image holds. The term applies to digital images, film images, and other types of images. "Higher resolution" means more image detail. Image resolution can be measured in various ways. Resolution quantifies how ...

MOBA Multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) is a subgenre of strategy video games in which two teams of players compete against each other on a predefined battlefield. Each player controls a single character with a set of distinctive abilities that i ...

game ''

Smite ''Smite'' is a 2014 free-to-play, third-person multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) video game developed and published by Hi-Rez Studios for Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch, and Amazon Luna.DLC character in Crytek's 2018 survival game '' Hunt: Showdown''. *Zhong Kui appears in the 2020-2021 Taiwanese fantasy drama series ''

The Devil Punisher ''The Devil Punisher'' () is a 2020 Taiwanese time travel and supernatural series. It stars Mike He, Ivy Shao, Amanda Chou, :zh:楊銘威, Johnny Yang, :zh:陳璽安 (藝人), Anson Chen, :zh:程雅晨, Jane Cheng and :zh:張洛偍, Roy Chang as ...

''.

References

External links

*{{Commons-inline Chinese gods Underworld gods