琅琊人秦巨伯秦巨伯故事主人公，琅琊郡（今山东临沂一带）人。"巨伯"是对年长者的尊称，意为"大伯"。故事中他是一位年迈但勇毅的老者。，年已老迈。一夜行于途中，见两个孙儿来迎。巨伯素来疼爱孙儿，不以为疑。
然而这两个"孙儿"实乃鬼魅鬼魅鬼怪妖邪的总称。鬼能变形幻化，模仿生人的言行举止，以此迷惑活人。这是中国志怪文学中最经典的恐怖元素之一。所化。它们模仿孙儿的言行，搀扶老人行走，暗中却施以伤害。巨伯归家后身患重病，险些丧命。
数月后巨伯痊愈，夜间再经旧路，又遇二"孙儿"。这一次，巨伯不再迷惑——他猛然出手，将二鬼擒住绑缚。归家一看，竟是两个草偶。巨伯将草偶焚之，此后再无鬼祟。
Qin Jubo秦巨伯 Qín Jù BóThe protagonist of the story, from Langya Commandery (in present-day Linyi, Shandong). "Jubo" is an honorific for an elderly man, meaning "Great Uncle." In the tale he is aged but resolute., an old man of Langya, was well along in years. One night, walking along the road, he saw his two grandsons coming to greet him. Jubo had always loved his grandsons, and suspected nothing.
Yet these "grandsons" were in truth ghosts in disguise鬼魅 guǐ mèiA general term for ghosts and specters. Ghosts can shapeshift and imitate the words and deeds of the living, using this to deceive mortals. This is one of the most classic horror elements in Chinese zhiguai literature.. They mimicked the grandsons' manner and supported the old man as he walked, all the while secretly inflicting harm upon him. When Jubo reached home, he fell gravely ill and nearly died.
Months later, having recovered, Jubo walked the same road at night and again encountered his two "grandsons." This time, the old man was no longer deceived — he lunged forward and seized both ghosts, binding them fast. Upon arriving home, he discovered they were nothing but two straw effigies. Jubo burned the effigies, and the hauntings never returned.
琅琊秦巨伯，年老。尝夜行，道中逢二人，类其孙类其孙像他的孙子们。"类"意为"像、相似"。此处"类"字极为精准——鬼不是"是"他的孙子，而是"像"他的孙子，暗示了真与假之间的微妙差异。。二人趋前行，扶巨伯而行。
巨伯曰：「汝二人何以夜行于此？」二人曰：「翁翁对老年男性的称呼，相当于"老爷爷"。鬼模仿孙儿的口吻以此称呼巨伯，以增加亲切感和可信度。行夜路，孙辈放心不下，特来迎接。」
巨伯大喜，以为孙儿孝顺，遂与同行。
Qin Jubo of Langya was an old man. Once, walking at night, he met two figures on the road who resembled his grandsons类其孙 lèi qí sūnResembled his grandsons. "Lei" means "to resemble, to be like." This word is precisely chosen — the ghosts were not his grandsons but merely "resembled" them, hinting at the subtle gap between the real and the false.. The two came forward and supported Jubo as he walked.
Jubo asked: "Why are you two walking abroad at night?" The two replied: "Dear Grandfather翁 wēngA form of address for an elderly man, akin to "Grandfather." The ghosts mimic the grandsons' tone by using this word, increasing intimacy and plausibility., you walk the road at night — we could not rest easy. We came especially to meet you."
Jubo was greatly pleased, believing his grandsons to be filial, and so walked on with them.
行数里，二人忽击巨伯。巨伯不备，仆地伤重。二人忽不见。巨伯勉强归家，大病月余月余一个多月。"余"表示"多、有余"。此处暗示鬼击对老人造成的伤害极为严重——毕竟老迈之躯，一击便卧床月余。。
病愈后，巨伯思之，知为鬼所害。然心中不服，曰：「鬼能欺我，我岂不能制鬼？」
复夜行旧路。二"孙"又至，趋前行礼。巨伯佯作不觉，及近，突起擒之，缚而归缚而归绑起来带回家。"缚"是捆绑，"归"是回家。一个"缚"字，写出了老翁的果敢与力量——面对鬼魅，他不再恐惧，而是主动出击。。
After walking several li, the two suddenly struck Jubo. Unprepared, he fell heavily to the ground, badly injured. The two vanished in an instant. Jubo barely made it home and fell gravely ill for over a month月余 yuè yúMore than a month. "Yu" means "more than, in excess." The length of illness suggests the ghostly blow was devastating — for an aged body, a single assault left him bedridden for over a month..
When he recovered, Jubo reflected and knew he had been harmed by ghosts. Yet his heart could not accept it: "Ghosts can deceive me — can I not subdue ghosts?"
He walked the same road at night again. The two "grandsons" appeared once more, hurrying forward to pay respects. Jubo pretended not to notice. When they drew near, he suddenly seized them both and bound them, carrying them home缚而归 fù ér guīBound them and returned home. "Fu" means to tie up; "gui" means to return. The single word "fu" captures the old man's boldness and strength — facing ghosts, he no longer feared, but struck first..
及归，燃烛视之，乃二草偶二草偶两个用草扎成的人偶。草偶（或稻草人）在民间巫术中常被用作替身或诅咒之物，能被鬼魂附体、幻化为人形。也。面目犹类其孙，然身体枯槁，一触即散。
巨伯大怒，遂焚之于庭。火起时，草偶忽作人声，哀号不已。须臾焚尽，声亦绝。
自此之后，巨伯再行夜路，鬼魅绝迹鬼魅绝迹鬼怪完全消失，不再出现。"绝迹"意为"痕迹断绝"，形容彻底清除、不留痕迹。，乡人皆以为异。
Upon reaching home, he lit a candle and looked: they were two straw effigies二草偶 èr cǎo ǒuTwo human figures fashioned from straw. Straw effigies in folk sorcery were often used as substitutes or objects of cursing, able to be possessed by ghosts and transformed into human likeness.. Their faces still resembled his grandsons, but their bodies were withered and crumbled at a touch.
Jubo, in great fury, burned them in his courtyard. When the flames rose, the straw effigies suddenly cried out in human voices, wailing without cease. In moments they were consumed, and the sounds fell silent.
From that time on, whenever Jubo walked the night road, ghosts and specters vanished utterly鬼魅绝迹 guǐ mèi jué jìGhosts and specters disappeared completely, never to return. "Jueji" means "traces cut off" — a thorough elimination leaving no remnant., and the villagers all marveled at it.
文学价值
秦巨伯遇鬼是中国志怪文学中"变形恐怖"叙事的精妙之作。其恐怖之处不在于鬼的狰狞面目——恰恰相反，鬼以最亲切的形象（孙儿）出现，用最温情的语言（"放心不下"）来瓦解人的警惕。这种"以善为恶"的叙事策略，比任何青面獠牙的厉鬼形象都更令人不寒而栗。
故事的第二个精妙之处在于"复仇"。秦巨伯没有像其他志怪故事中的受害者那样求助于道士或神灵，而是凭借自己的勇气和力量完成了反击。"鬼能欺我，我岂不能制鬼"这句话，是中国民间叙事中罕见的"凡人主动对抗超自然力量"的宣言。
比较研究
与《宋定伯捉鬼》有异曲同工之妙——都是凡人以智勇胜鬼的故事。但秦巨伯的故事更强调"被骗后的觉醒"：第一次被骗是天真，第二次出击是智慧。草偶焚毁时发出人声哀号这一细节，则与西方恐怖文学中"拟人化物体"的经典元素遥相呼应。与《搜神记》中的鬼怪故事相比，此篇的鬼不以美貌或财富诱惑，而是利用最朴素的人伦情感——祖孙之爱——来行恶，这种反差构成了最深层的恐怖。
Literary Merit
Qin Jubo Encounters Ghosts is a masterwork of "shapeshifting horror" in Chinese zhiguai literature. Its terror lies not in the ghosts' ghastly appearance — on the contrary, the ghosts appear in the most intimate form (grandsons), using the warmest words ("we could not rest easy") to dissolve the victim's vigilance. This narrative strategy of "evil wearing the mask of goodness" is more chilling than any green-faced, fanged demon.
The second brilliance lies in the "revenge." Unlike victims in other zhiguai tales who seek help from Daoist priests or deities, Qin Jubo relies on his own courage and strength to strike back. "Ghosts can deceive me — can I not subdue ghosts?" — this declaration is a rare assertion in Chinese folk narrative of "an ordinary person actively fighting supernatural forces."
Comparative Study
This tale echoes "Song Dingbo Catches a Ghost" — both are stories of ordinary people defeating ghosts through wit and courage. But Qin Jubo's story emphasizes "awakening after being deceived": the first time, he is deceived through innocence; the second time, he strikes through wisdom. The detail of the straw effigies wailing in human voices as they burn mirrors the classic Western horror motif of "anthropomorphized objects." Compared to ghost tales in "In Search of the Supernatural," this story's ghosts do not seduce with beauty or wealth but exploit the most fundamental human bond — the love between grandfather and grandson — to do evil. This contrast creates the deepest horror of all.
用稻草或茅草扎成的人形物，在中国民间巫术中有多种用途：一是作为祭祀中的替身，代替活人承受灾祸；二是作为诅咒工具，施术者将仇人的名字写在草偶上施以厌胜之术；三是作为鬼魂凭附的载体，鬼可附于草偶之上幻化为人形。秦巨伯故事中的草偶即属第三种——鬼借草偶为体，化为孙儿的面貌行骗。草偶焚毁时发出人声哀号的描写，暗示鬼与草偶已经融为一体，草偶灭则鬼亦灭。
A human-shaped figure fashioned from rice straw or grass, with multiple uses in Chinese folk sorcery: first, as a substitute in sacrificial rites, standing in for a living person to absorb calamity; second, as a tool of cursing, where the sorcerer writes an enemy's name upon it and performs maledictory rites; third, as a vessel for ghostly possession — a ghost may inhabit a straw effigy and assume human form. The straw effigies in the Qin Jubo story belong to the third category — ghosts using them as bodies to assume the grandsons' appearance. The detail of the effigies wailing in human voices as they burn suggests the ghost and effigy had become one; destroy the effigy, and the ghost perishes with it.
古郡名，秦置，治所在今山东省临沂市一带。琅琊自古为文化重镇，秦始皇曾三次东巡琅琊，并于此筑琅琊台。此处"琅琊"不仅是地理标识，更暗含了故事发生地的文化底蕴——齐鲁之地自古"怪力乱神"之风盛行，志怪文学尤为发达。《太平广记》中多篇故事以琅琊为背景，可见此地在志怪传统中的重要地位。
An ancient commandery established in the Qin dynasty, with its seat in present-day Linyi, Shandong. Langya was culturally significant from antiquity — Emperor Qin Shi Huang made three eastern tours to Langya and built the Langya Terrace there. As a story setting, "Langya" is more than a geographical marker; it evokes the cultural depth of the Qi-Lu region, where belief in the strange and supernatural flourished from ancient times, and zhiguai literature was especially rich. Many tales in the Taiping Guangji are set in Langya, testifying to its importance in the zhiguai tradition.