诺皋记

"Tales of Demons" is the largest supernatural section in Youyang Zazu, recording ghosts, monsters, sorcery, and strange phenomena across three volumes. The term "Nuogao" remains debated among scholars — possibly a Daoist exorcism incantation, or a Sanskrit transliteration.

This section selects three representative tales: yecha野叉 yě chāAn alternate form of "夜叉" (yecha), referring to Buddhist demonic beings. Duan Chengshi's use of "野" (wild) emphasizes their savage, untamed nature, contrasting with the civilized world. legends, worlds within paintings, and conversations between the living and the dead.

In the early Tianbao era, several dozen yecha野叉 yě chāA Buddhist demon, variant transliteration of Sanskrit Yaksha. In "Nuogaoji," Duan Chengshi shapes the "yecha" into monsters with definite behavioral patterns — they travel in packs, raid villages, and feed on humans and livestock. This systematic monster description represents a major advance in Tang supernatural literature. entered the city of Luoyang. Hiding by day and emerging by night, they devoured people and livestock. The citizens all barred their doors, afraid to go out.

A sorcerer方士 fāng shìA Daoist or occultist versed in alchemy, talismans, exorcism, and other arts. In Chinese literature, sorcerers often serve as "demon-subduers," analogous to wizards or exorcists in Western tradition. Here the sorcerer disperses the yecha with talismans, embodying the theme that "evil cannot overcome righteousness." passed through and painted a talisman on the gate. When the yecha passed by, they saw the talisman, circled around, and fled. The sorcerer said: "This place is tainted with demonic energy; it must be treated by the art."

He then erected an altar, performed the Steps of the Dipper步罡踏斗 bù gāng tà dǒuA ritual step-pattern in Daoist exorcism. "罡" refers to the handle stars of the Big Dipper; "斗" refers to the Dipper itself. The practitioner steps in a pattern mirroring stellar positions, simulating cosmic rotation to channel universal forces against evil. This is the most visually dramatic element of Daoist ritual., and pointed his sword to the sky. In an instant, all the yecha fled.

At a certain temple there was a mural壁画 bì huàWall paintings. Tang-dynasty temple murals were extraordinarily developed, with Wu Daozi as the supreme master. Duan Chengshi here combines murals with supernatural power — the people and horses in the paintings descend from the walls at night and walk freely through the temple halls. This "life within painting" imagination has parallels worldwide (e.g., Pygmalion in Greek myth), but the Tang version is more concrete and mundane. depicting people, horses, and landscapes. Every night at midnight, the painted figures would step down from the wall and walk around the hall, then return to their places.

The monks were terrified at first, but grew accustomed to it. Once, a monk splashed water on the wall; the painted figures all raised their sleeves to wipe their faces, as if unable to bear the drenching. Everyone found this extraordinary.

At another temple, a mural depicted a woman. Every moonlit night, she would step down from the wall and walk along the corridors. The monks watched her from hiding and saw that her beauty was beyond compare, yet none dared approach. One bold monk bowed to her; the woman merely smiled without speaking, and soon returned to the wall.

A Taxonomy of the Supernatural

"Nuogaoji" represents Duan Chengshi's greatest contribution to supernatural literature: systematic classification and recording. Unlike the loose compilation of In Search of the Supernatural, Duan categorized tales into ghosts, monsters, object-spirits, and sorcery, each with clear sources — demonstrating a historiographic approach to supernatural writing.

The "worlds within paintings" tale is particularly brilliant — the Tang imagination of "three-dimensional life existing within two-dimensional worlds" creates an intriguing echo with modern VR/AR immersive experiences. The painted woman's "smiling without speaking" lends literary beauty to the supernatural, avoiding mere sensationalism.

Influence on Later Works

The ghost types and sorcery descriptions in "Nuogaoji" directly influenced later classics like Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio and Notes of the Yuewei Hermitage. The "person within the painting" motif recurs throughout later literature, becoming a hallmark of Chinese fantasy writing.