狐狸精 Don’t trust the Fox Demon 狐狸精 Chinese Folklore:
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By Amy Ng
n Chinese, a popular way to describe sexy or promiscuous women is a “狐狸精” (hü li jing), which translates to “fox demon.” It’s pretty common even in English to call someone “foxy” or a “vixen” if they’re being coy or sly, since the animals themselves seem to embody such descriptions. In English, being called a fox usually means something positive, like being beautiful or cunning. In Chinese, being called a fox is almost always an insult. It implies that a person is wily, and uses seduction as a means of manipulation. Fox demons in traditional folklore are creatures that gain strength, beauty, and power by taking someone’s life energy (qi), or sometimes by eating a human heart. They have many magical abilities, so even though their true form is a fuzzy little fox, they can shape shift into a human. In traditional stories, fox demons are usually depicted as beautiful and mysterious women who lure and seduce men, then steal their qi when they start to get intimate. Many tales start off with a scholar travelling to reach the capital to take the national entrance exams. The sun is setting and the weary traveler hopes to find some lodging. He notices a lonely, but cozy house in the middle of the woods. When he asks to stay the night, a stunning young woman comes out to greet him. She gladly takes him in, and even offers to cook him a hot dinner. After a nice meal, she shows him to his room and bids him a good night. Just as the scholar settles in and thinks about what
luck he’s had to be hosted by such a lovely lady, his hostess glides quietly into his room and apologies about how brash she’s being (keep in mind these stories are set in ancient Chinese, with traditional and conservative overtones). She keeps gravitating to the mesmerized scholar until they’re close enough that their lips touch. He doesn’t notice it, but his body gets weaker and weaker with each kiss until his life force is drained, and the sly fox demon slips away undetected. The house is left with the husk of a man who dissolves in the night. Even though the connotation of the fox demon is usually negative, foxes are not always evil in the stories. There are stories of a woodcutter living in the forest who finds a fox stuck in a trap and sets it free. He works a long day and comes back to find his cabin filled with gold. Unfortunately, the woodcutter often becomes greedy and tries to get more out of the fox demon; when he finally catches the demon and demands more gifts, the little fox uses its magic to disappear along with all of the gold. These creatures are abundant in Chinese stories. Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio by Qing Dynasty writer Pu Songling is a compilation of short stories, many of which feature fox demons and their interactions with humans. Many other mythical creatures inhabit Chinese fables. Fox demons, however, are among the most well known, and appear in various other cultures’ stories as well, including Japanese and Korean folklore.
In traditional stories, fox demons are usually depicted as beautiful and mysterious women who lure and seduce men, then steal their “qi” when they start to get intimate.
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September 2017 | Cultural Tidbits