本篇讲述一个被人害死的冤魂，魂魄不散，在阴间历经曲折，终于向城隍城隍
chénghuáng
City God — a bureaucratic deity in Chinese folk religion who presides over the affairs of a city and its spirits, serving as judge of the dead in local tradition.告状，使凶手最终伏法的故事。纪昀借此表达了"阴间亦有公理"的信念：即使人间官府不能伸冤，天地之间终有主持正义的力量。故事虽然荒诞，却寄托了百姓对司法公正的深切渴望。
This tale tells of a wronged spirit, murdered by a treacherous man, whose soul refused to dissipate. After enduring countless trials in the underworldunderworld
阴间 yīnjiān
The realm of the dead in Chinese cosmology — not a place of eternal punishment like the Christian Hell, but a bureaucratic mirror of the mortal world, complete with courts and officials., the ghost finally brought its case before the City God, ultimately ensuring that the murderer was brought to justice. Through this story, Ji Yun expresses his conviction that "justice exists even in the underworld" — that even when human courts fail, there remains a cosmic force that upholds righteousness. Though fantastical, the tale embodies the common people's yearning for true judicial fairness.
有某甲者，富而暴暴
bào
Tyrannical, violent. A single character that encapsulates the moral corruption that comes with unchecked wealth and power.，与其邻某乙有隙，乃设计诱乙至僻处杀之，瘗瘗
yì
To bury — a classical verb often used in literary Chinese for concealing evidence, particularly corpses.其尸于荒野。乙家不知其为甲所杀，但以为失踪，遍寻不得。乙之魂魄不去，日夜游荡于杀己之所，号泣呼冤，然人不能闻也。
There was a man called Jia (literally "A"), wealthy yet tyrannicaltyrannical
暴 bào
Violent, oppressive. Ji Yun uses this single, sharp character to establish the villain's moral bankruptcy from the outset.. He harbored a grudge against his neighbor, Yi (literally "B"), and devised a plan to lure him to a secluded spot, where he killed him and buriedburied
瘗 yì
A classical verb meaning to conceal underground — used here with chilling matter-of-factness, emphasizing the cold calculation of the murder. the body in the wilderness. Yi's family, unaware that Jia had murdered him, assumed he had simply vanished. They searched everywhere but found nothing. Meanwhile, Yi's soul refused to depart. Day and night it roamed the place of its murder, wailing and crying out against the injustice — but the living could not hear.
一日，有里人里人
lǐ rén
Villager, neighbor — literally "person of the li" (里, an ancient unit of residential area). A common term in classical tales for someone from the same community.过其地，忽觉阴风惨惨，毛骨悚然，仿佛见一人形，趋视之则无。归而大病，梦乙披发泣诉曰："我为某甲所杀，冤沉九泉九泉
jiǔ quán
Nine Springs — a poetic term for the underworld or realm of the dead. The number nine represents totality and depth in Chinese cosmology.，无由得伸。君能为我告于城隍庙乎？"里人惊醒，汗出如浆。
One day, a villagervillager
里人 lǐ rén
A person from the same community — a stock character in Chinese supernatural tales who unwittingly becomes the bridge between the living and the dead. passed through that spot. Suddenly he felt a bitter, chilling wind, and his hair stood on end. He seemed to glimpse a human shape, but when he hurried closer, there was nothing. After returning home, he fell gravely ill. In a dream, Yi appeared before him with disheveled hair, weeping: "I was murdered by Jia. My grievance sinks to the Nine SpringsNine Springs
九泉 jiǔ quán
A poetic name for the underworld, representing the deepest reaches of the realm of the dead. The number nine symbolizes completeness in Chinese numerology. with no means of redress. Could you file a complaint on my behalf at the City God's temple?" The villager awoke with a start, drenched in sweat.
里人异之，以其事诉于众。乃共赴城隍庙城隍庙
chénghuáng miào
City God Temple — a temple dedicated to the City God (城隍), who in folk belief serves as a supernatural magistrate judging the dead and protecting the living.焚香祷告，代乙鸣冤。未几，某甲忽如有所见，面色大变，口称乙来索命，遂自述杀人经过，邻里皆闻。官府闻之，掘其地，果得乙尸。甲遂以杀人罪伏法伏法
fú fǎ
To submit to the law — specifically, to be executed for a crime. The term carries the weight of cosmic justice being fulfilled through human institutions.。纪昀论曰：此事虽荒诞，然冤魂诉冤于神，终使恶人得报，亦天理昭昭之验也。
The villager found this extraordinary and reported the matter to everyone. Together they went to the City God TempleCity God Temple
城隍庙 chénghuáng miào
A temple where the City God — a supernatural magistrate in Chinese folk religion — is enshrined. Filing a complaint here was believed to initiate divine investigation., where they burned incense and prayed, pleading Yi's grievance before the gods. Before long, Jia suddenly appeared to see something invisible to others. His face changed dramatically, and he began screaming that Yi had come to claim his life. He then confessed the entire murder in full detail, and all the neighbors heard it. When the authorities learned of this, they excavated the site and sure enough found Yi's remains. Jia was executedexecuted
伏法 fú fǎ
"To submit to the law" — meaning execution. The term implies that cosmic justice operates through human legal institutions, blurring the boundary between divine and mortal courts. for murder. Ji Yun commented: "Although this affair is fantastical, the fact that a wronged spirit could appeal to the gods and ultimately bring a villain to justice is nonetheless evidence of Heaven's clear and manifest justice."
清代司法虽然在制度层面已相当完备，但实际运作中往往充斥着腐败、徇私与冤案。纪昀身为朝廷重臣，深知其中弊端。他没有在笔记中直接批评官府——那在文字狱盛行的时代太过危险——而是巧妙地将对司法不公的忧虑投射到了阴间司法阴间司法
yīnjiān sīfǎ
Underworld judiciary — the folk belief that the dead face a bureaucratic court system mirroring the mortal one, but with incorruptible judges. A powerful literary device for critiquing real-world injustice.体系之中。在阴间，城隍公正无私，冤魂可以申诉，恶人终受惩罚——这恰恰是人间司法所缺失的理想状态。
中国的阴间诉讼阴间诉讼
yīnjiān sùsòng
Lawsuit in the underworld — a recurring narrative device in Chinese fiction that allows writers to address judicial failures indirectly. The underworld becomes a metaphorical space where ideal justice can be imagined.叙事传统源远流长，从六朝志怪到明清笔记小说，都能见到冤魂告状的故事。这类故事之所以经久不衰，根本原因在于人间司法常令百姓失望。当阳间的法律无法伸张正义时，人们便将希望寄托于阴间的审判——这是一种文学上的"补偿机制"，也是一种深刻的社会批评。纪昀深谙此道，他借荒诞的鬼故事说出了许多士大夫不敢直言的话。
故事的核心是因果报应因果报应
yīnguǒ bàoyìng
Karmic retribution — the belief that good and evil actions inevitably produce corresponding results. This concept, shared by Buddhist and Chinese folk traditions, serves as a moral framework for understanding justice.思想。但纪昀的处理并非简单的"善有善报，恶有恶报"的说教。他让冤魂经历了漫长而曲折的申诉过程：先是无人能见其形，然后要通过活人的梦境传递消息，再经众人到城隍庙焚香祈祷，最后才使凶手自首。这个过程暗示：正义虽然终会到来，但往往需要多方努力，甚至需要超越常规的力量介入。这是一种更为成熟的正义观——既非天真的乐观，也非绝望的悲观。
纪昀在本篇中运用了典型的"三层递进"结构：第一层交代案件背景（凶杀），第二层推动情节发展（冤魂求助），第三层完成因果闭环（凶手伏法）。每一层都以前一层为基础，层层推进，最终达到高潮。尤其值得注意的是"里人做梦"这一情节——它既是阴阳两界的沟通桥梁，也是推动叙事的关键转折。纪昀以极简的笔墨完成了这一复杂的叙事任务，体现了其高超的文学技巧。
Although the Qing legal system was institutionally sophisticated, its actual operation was riddled with corruption, favoritism, and wrongful convictions. Ji Yun, as a senior court official, was well aware of these failings. Rather than directly criticizing the government — a dangerous proposition during an era of literary inquisitions — he cleverly channeled his anxiety about judicial injustice into the framework of an underworld judiciaryunderworld judiciary
阴间司法 yīnjiān sīfǎ
The folk belief that the dead face a bureaucratic court system — incorruptible and efficient — that mirrors and corrects the failures of mortal courts. A literary device for indirect social criticism.. In the underworld, the City God is incorruptible, wronged spirits may file appeals, and villains inevitably face punishment — precisely the ideal state that mortal justice fails to achieve.
The tradition of underworld litigationunderworld litigation
阴间诉讼 yīnjiān sùsòng
A narrative device in which the dead file lawsuits in supernatural courts. This motif appears throughout Chinese fiction from the Six Dynasies to the Qing, serving as a powerful indirect critique of real-world judicial failures. narratives stretches back centuries, from Six Dynasies tales of the strange to Ming-Qing supernatural fiction. These stories endure because mortal courts so often fail the people. When the law of the living world cannot deliver justice, the common folk place their hopes in the courts of the dead — a literary "compensation mechanism" and a profound form of social criticism. Ji Yun understood this deeply, using fantastical ghost stories to voice truths that many scholars dared not speak openly.
The story's core concept is karmic retributionkarmic retribution
因果报应 yīnguǒ bàoyìng
The principle that good and evil inevitably produce corresponding results — a moral framework shared by Buddhist and Chinese folk traditions that underlies many supernatural tales.. Yet Ji Yun's treatment goes beyond simple moralizing about "good rewarded, evil punished." The wronged spirit endures a long, tortuous process of appeal: first invisible to all living eyes, then forced to communicate through a villager's dreams, then requiring collective prayer at the City God Temple, and finally driving the murderer to confess. This process implies that justice, though ultimately inevitable, often requires extraordinary effort — and sometimes intervention from beyond the normal order. This is a more mature vision of justice: neither naively optimistic nor hopelessly pessimistic.
Ji Yun employs a classic "three-layer escalation" structure in this tale: the first layer establishes the crime, the second develops the plot through the ghost's desperate appeal, and the third completes the causal chain with the murderer's downfall. Each layer builds upon the previous one, driving toward the climax. The "villager's dream" sequence is particularly noteworthy — it serves as both a bridge between the realms of the living and the dead and as the narrative's crucial turning point. Ji Yun accomplishes this complex storytelling with a minimum of words, demonstrating his exceptional literary craft.
在中国民间信仰中，阴间并非简单的"灵魂去处"，而是一个有着完整官僚体系的镜像世界镜像世界
jìngxiàng shìjiè
Mirror world — the concept that the underworld is a bureaucratic reflection of the mortal realm, complete with courts, prisons, and officials, differing only in its supernatural enforcement of justice.。从酆都酆都
Fēngdū
Fengdu — a city in Sichuan traditionally identified as the Chinese underworld's capital, home to the Supreme Emperor of the Dark Region (酆都大帝). A major pilgrimage site associated with death and judgment.城的冥府传说，到遍布各地的城隍庙，阴间的司法体系在民间想象中是现实官府的理想化版本。当人间的县令、知府不能公正断案时，百姓便转向城隍祈祷——城隍被视为阴间的"地方官"，其裁决被认为绝对公正。这种信仰既是宗教寄托，也是一种深刻的政治隐喻。
"冤魂告状"是中国志怪文学中最常见的叙事模式之一。早在《搜神记》《搜神记》
Sōushén Jì
In Search of the Supernatural — a 4th-century collection of supernatural tales by Gan Bao, considered one of the earliest and most important works of Chinese "zhiguai" (tales of the strange) literature.中，就有大量冤魂通过托梦、显灵等方式向活人诉冤的故事。到唐代传奇、宋元话本、明清小说中，这一母题不断丰富和演变。其深层逻辑是：死者的冤屈必须被"说出来"——即使是以超自然的方式——才能使宇宙恢复平衡。这种观念与儒家的"天理"思想和佛教的"因果"观念相结合，构成了中国文学中独特的正义叙事传统。
纪昀（字晓岚，1724—1805）是清代乾嘉时期乾嘉时期
Qián-Jiā shíqī
The Qianlong-Jiaqing era (1736–1820) — the height of Qing dynasty literary inquisitions, when scholars faced persecution for real or imagined political allusions in their writings. Ji Yun navigated this perilous landscape with extraordinary skill.最重要的学者之一，主持编纂了《四库全书》。《阅微草堂笔记》是他晚年所著，全书以简洁的文言记录各地传闻，涉及鬼狐、因果、世态人情等。与蒲松龄《聊斋志异》的华丽文采不同，纪昀的笔法更加质朴含蓄，但正因如此，其讽刺和批判反而更加入木三分。他往往在故事末尾加上一句简短的评论，看似轻描淡写，实则点明深意——"阴间亦有公理"这句话，读来令人感慨万千。
In Chinese folk belief, the underworld is not merely a destination for departed souls — it is a mirror worldmirror world
镜像世界 jìngxiàng shìjiè
The concept that the afterlife mirrors the mortal bureaucratic system but with incorruptible enforcement — courts, prisons, and officials, all operating with supernatural precision. with its own complete bureaucratic system. From the legends of FengduFengdu
酆都 Fēngdū
A city in Sichuan traditionally identified as the capital of the Chinese underworld, home to the Supreme Emperor of the Dark Region. It remains a major pilgrimage site associated with death and divine judgment. as the capital of the dead, to the City God temples scattered across the country, the judiciary of the underworld is imagined as an idealized version of mortal governance. When the county magistrate or prefect cannot judge fairly, the people turn to the City God in prayer — viewing him as the underworld's "local official" whose rulings are considered absolutely just. This belief functions as both religious solace and a profound political metaphor.
The motif of a wronged spirit seeking justice is one of the most common narrative patterns in Chinese supernatural literature. As early as In Search of the SupernaturalIn Search of the Supernatural
《搜神记》 Sōushén Jì
A 4th-century collection by Gan Bao, considered one of the foundational works of Chinese "zhiguai" (strange tales) literature. Many stories feature ghosts communicating grievances through dreams and apparitions. (搜神记), we find numerous tales of spirits communicating their grievances through dreams and spectral appearances. Through Tang dynasty tales, Song-Yuan vernacular stories, and Ming-Qing fiction, this motif continued to evolve and deepen. Its underlying logic is that the wrongs of the dead must be "spoken aloud" — even through supernatural means — before the cosmic order can be restored. This concept, intertwined with Confucian ideas of "Heavenly Principle" (天理) and Buddhist notions of karma, forms a distinctive tradition of justice narratives in Chinese literature.
Ji Yun (courtesy name Xiaolan, 1724–1805) was one of the most important scholars of the Qian-Jia periodQian-Jia period
乾嘉时期 Qián-Jiā shíqī
The Qianlong-Jiaqing era (1736–1820), the zenith of literary inquisitions in Qing China, when scholars risked imprisonment or death for perceived political allusions. Ji Yun navigated this perilous intellectual landscape with extraordinary subtlety., serving as chief editor of the Complete Library of the Four Treasuries. His Notes from the Yuewei Cottage, written in his later years, records tales from across the empire in spare classical prose — covering ghosts, foxes, karmic consequences, and the ironies of human nature. Unlike Pu Songling's ornate literary style in Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, Ji Yun's prose is deliberately plain and restrained — and precisely because of this, his satire and social criticism cut all the more deeply. He often appends a brief comment at the end of each tale, seemingly casual but in fact piercing to the heart of the matter. The line "justice exists even in the underworld" resonates with a depth that transcends its apparent simplicity.