''The Tale of Phạm Tử Hư Visiting Heaven'' (, ''Phạm Tử Hư du thiên tào lục'') is a Vietnamese legend told in ''

Truyền kỳ mạn lục The ''Truyền kỳ mạn lục'' (傳奇漫錄, "Casual Records of Transmitted Strange Tales") is a 16th-century Vietnam, Vietnamese historical text, in part a collection of legends, by Nguyễn Dữ (阮嶼) composed in Classical Chinese. T ...

'' by Nguyễn Dữ in the

16th century The 16th century began with the Julian calendar, Julian year 1501 (represented by the Roman numerals MDI) and ended with either the Julian or the Gregorian calendar, Gregorian year 1600 (MDC), depending on the reckoning used (the Gregorian calend ...

In ''Truyền kỳ mạn lục''

''The Tale of Phạm Tử Hư Visiting Heaven'' is the tenth story of Nguyễn Dữ's ''Truyền kỳ mạn lục'' collection, published in the second volume.

Phạm Tử Hư is a man in Cẩm Giàng. Originally prideful and uninhibited, Tử Hư is reformed by his teacher Dương Trạm into a better person. After Dương Trạm passes away, he is the only one who stays by his grave and mourns for 3 years before going home. After failing the
imperial examination The imperial examination was a civil service examination system in History of China#Imperial China, Imperial China administered for the purpose of selecting candidates for the Civil service#China, state bureaucracy. The concept of choosing bureau ...
s many times, a 40-year-old Tử Hư moves to the capital and stays by the
West Lake The West Lake (; ) is a freshwater lake in Hangzhou, China. Situated to the west of Hangzhou's former Hangzhou City Walls, walled city, the lake has a surface area of , stretching from north to south and from east to west. In the lake are four ...
to study. One day, he sees his teacher in the cloud, telling him to meet at Trấn Vũ Temple. At the reunion, Dương Trạm says that he was nominated by the Magnate to godhood because he was faithful and treasured written papers when he was alive. Although he does not know how long Tử Hư can live, he informs him that his attainment of the imperial exam is guaranteed, although it is delayed because of his past arrogance. Tử Hư and Dương Trạm discuss about the current corrupt officials, with the teacher claiming that
karma Karma (, from , ; ) is an ancient Indian concept that refers to an action, work, or deed, and its effect or consequences. In Indian religions, the term more specifically refers to a principle of cause and effect, often descriptively called ...
is inevitable and wrongdoers will have to pay eventually. Tử Hư asks if the practice of praying at the Magnate's Temple works, but Dương Trạm laughs it off and says that the Magnate is too busy to respond to their prayers. Tử Hư then asks if the rumored
deification 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 ...
is true, which Dương Trạm confirms. Tử Hư asks if he can take a look at heaven and Dương Trạm agrees. He is taken to heaven and sees the White Jade Capital, the Silver River and the Imperial Palace where the
Supreme Deity {{broad-concept article A supreme deity, supreme god or supreme being is the conception of the sole deity of monotheistic religions or, in polytheistic or henotheistic religions, the paramount deity or supernatural entity which is above all other ...
rules. Among the places Tử Hư visit are the Meritorious Gate where those who lived a generous and charitable life are rewarded, the Virtuous Gate where those who lived in harmony with each other dwell, and the Confucian Gate where renowned scholars like
Tô Hiến Thành Tô Hiến Thành (chữ Hán: 蘇憲誠) (November 01, 1101-September 23, 1179) was an official in the royal court of Lý Anh Tông and Lý Cao Tông, the sixth and seventh emperors of the Lý dynasty. Being a capable official of Lý Anh T� ...
of
Lý dynasty The Lý dynasty (, , chữ Nôm: 茹李, chữ Hán: 朝李, Vietnamese language, Vietnamese: ''triều Lý''), officially Đại Cồ Việt (chữ Hán: 大瞿越) from 1009 to 1054 and Đại Việt (chữ Hán: 大越) from 1054 to 1225, was ...
and
Chu Văn An Chu Văn An (born Chu An, 25 August 1292 – ) was a Confucian, teacher, physician, and high-ranking mandarin of the Trần dynasty in Đại Việt. His courtesy name was Linh Triệt (靈徹), while his art name was Tiều Ẩn (樵隱). He w ...
of
Trần dynasty The Trần dynasty (Vietnamese language, Vietnamese: Nhà Trần, chữ Nôm: 茹陳; Vietnamese language, Vietnamese: triều Trần, chữ Hán: ikt:朝ikt:陳, 朝wikt:陳, 陳), officially Đại Việt (Chữ Hán: 大越), was a List ...
are honored. After they part, Từ Hử passes the exam next year and gets a doctorate. His teacher often visits him to warn him of upcoming events.

References

{{Truyền kỳ mạn lục Trần dynasty in fiction Stories within Truyền kỳ mạn lục