Diyu

Realm of the dead or "hell" in Chinese mythology

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"Di Yu" redirects here. For the legendary founder of the Xia dynasty, see Yu the Great

Diyu (simplified Chinese: &#;&#;; traditional Chinese: &#;&#;; pinyin: dìyù; lit. 'earth prison') is the realm of the dead or "hell" in Chinese mythology. It is loosely based on a combination of the Buddhist concept of Naraka, traditional Chinese beliefs about the afterlife, and a variety of popular expansions and reinterpretations of these two traditions. The concept parallels purgatory in certain Christian denomininations.

Diyu is typically depicted as a subterranean maze with various levels and chambers, to which souls are taken after death to atone for the sins they committed when they were alive. The exact number of levels in Diyu and their associated deities differ between Buddhist and Taoist interpretations. Some speak of three to four "courts"; others mention "Ten Courts of Hell", each of which is ruled by a judge (collectively known as the Ten Yama Kings); other Chinese legends speak of the "Eighteen Levels of Hell". Each court deals with a different aspect of atonement and different punishments; most legends claim that sinners are subjected to gruesome tortures until their "deaths", after which they are restored to their original state for the torture to be repeated.

Alternative names

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Among the more common Chinese names for the Underworld are:

• Difu (Chinese:

  &#;&#;

  ; pinyin:

  Dìfǔ

  ; Wade&#;Giles:

  Ti4-fu3

  ), "Earth Mansion".
• Huangquan (

  &#;&#;

  ;

  &#;&#;

  ;

  Huángquán

  ;

  Huang2-ch'üan2

  ), "Yellow Springs".
• Yinjian (

  &#;&#;

  ;

  &#;&#;

  ;

  Yīnjiān

  ;

  Yin1-chien1

  ; 'Yin dimension'), "Land of Shade".
• Yinfu (

  &#;&#;

  ;

  &#;&#;

  ;

  Yīnfǔ

  ;

  Yin1-fu3

  ), "Shady Mansion".
• Yinsi (

  &#;&#;

  ;

  &#;&#;

  ;

  Yīnsī

  ;

  Yin1-szu1

  ), "Shady Office".
• Senluo Dian (

  &#;&#;&#;

  ;

  &#;&#;&#;

  ;

  Sēnluódiàn

  ;

  Sen1-lo2 Tien4

  ), "Court of Senluo".
• Yanluo Dian (

  &#;&#;&#;

  ;

  &#;&#;&#;

  ;

  Yánluódiàn

  ;

  Yan2-lo2 Tien4

  ), "Court of Yanluo".
• Jiuquan (

  &#;&#;

  ;

  Jiǔquán

  ;

  Chiu3-ch'üan2

  ), "Nine Springs".
• Zhongquan (

  &#;&#;

  ;

  Zhòngquán

  ;

  Chung4-ch'üan2

  ), "Heavy Spring".
• Quanlu (

  &#;&#;

  ;

  Quánlù

  ;

  Ch'üan2-lu4

  ), "Road to the Spring".
• Youming (

  &#;&#;

  ;

  Yōumíng

  ;

  Yu1-ming2

  ), "Serene Darkness".
• Yourang (

  &#;&#;

  ;

  Yōurǎng

  ;

  Yu1-jang3

  ), "Serene Land".
• Huokang (

  &#;&#;

  ;

  Huǒkàng

  ;

  Huo3-kang4

  ), "Fire Pit".
• Jiuyou (

  &#;&#;

  ;

  Jiǔyōu

  ;

  Chiu3-yu1

  ), "Nine Serenities".
• Jiuyuan (

  &#;&#;

  ;

  Jiǔyuán

  ;

  Chiu3-yüan2

  ), "Nine Origins".
• Mingfu (

  &#;&#;

  ;

  Míngfǔ

  ;

  Ming2-fu3

  ), "Dark Mansion".
• Mingjie (

  &#;&#;

  ;

  Míngjiè

  ;

  Ming2-chieh4

  ), "Dark Realm", "Underworld".
• Kujing (

  &#;&#;

  ;

  Kǔjìng

  ;

  K`u3-ching4

  ), "Dire Straits", "(Place of) Grievance".
• Abi (

  &#;&#;

  ;

  Ābí

  ;

  A1-pi2

  ), "Avīci", the hell of uninterrupted torture, last and deepest of the Eight Hot Narakas.
• Zugen (

  &#;&#;

  ;

  Zúgēn

  ;

  Tsu2-ken1

  ), "Heel".
• Fengdu Cheng (

  &#;&#;&#;

  ;

  &#;&#;&#;

  ;

  Fēngdū Chéng

  ;

  Feng1-tu1 Ch'eng2

  ), a reference to the Fengdu Ghost City.

Conceptions

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Dead of the underworld depicted in a Qing dynasty Water and Land Ritual painting. Depiction of the punishments of Diyu at the Hell Museum, Bao Gong Temple, Singapore.

According to ideas from Taoism,[citation needed] Buddhism[1][2][3] and traditional Chinese folk religion, Diyu is a purgatory that serves to punish and renew spirits in preparation for reincarnation. Many deities, whose names and purposes are the subject of conflicting accounts, are associated with Diyu.

Some early Chinese societies speak of people going to Mount Tai, Jiuyuan, Jiuquan or Fengdu after death.[4][5] At present, Fengdu and the temples on Mount Tai have been rebuilt into tourist attractions, incorporating artistic depictions of hell and the afterlife.[citation needed] Some Chinese folk religion planchette writings, such as the Taiwanese novel Journeys to the Under-World, say that new hells with new punishments are created as the world changes and that there is a City of Innocent Deaths (&#;&#;&#;) designed to house those who died with grievances that have yet to be redressed.[6]

Other terminology related to Diyu includes:

• Naihe Bridge (

  &#;&#;&#;

  ;

  &#;&#;&#;

  ;

  Nàihé Qiáo

  ;

  Nai4-ho2 Ch'iao2

  ), "Bridge of Helplessness", a bridge every soul has to cross before being reincarnated, they are said to drink the Mengpo soup (&#;&#;&#;) at Naihe Qiao so they will forget everything in their current lives and prepare for reincarnation.
• Wang Xiang Tai (

  &#;&#;&#;

  ;

  &#;&#;&#;

  ;

  Wàng Xiāng Tái

  ;

  Wang4 Hsiang1 T'ai2

  ), "Home-Viewing Pavilion", a pavilion every soul passes by on his/her journey to the Underworld. From there, they can see their families and loved ones in the world of the living.
• Youdu (Chinese:

  &#;&#;

  ; pinyin:

  Yōu Dū

  ; Wade&#;Giles:

  You1-du1

  ), the capital city of Diyu, generally conceived as being similar to a typical Chinese capital city, such as Chang'an, but surrounded by and pervaded with darkness.
• Youguo (

  &#;&#;

  ;

  &#;&#;

  ;

  Yóu Guō

  ;

  You2-kuo1

  ), "Oil Cauldron", one of the tortures in hell.
• Santu (

  &#;&#;

  ;

  &#;&#;

  ;

  Sān Tú

  ;

  San1-t'u2

  ), the "Three Tortures": Fire Torture (

  &#;&#;

  ;

  &#;&#;

  ;

  Huǒ Tú

  ;

  Huo3-t'u2

  ), Blade Torture (

  &#;&#;

  ;

  &#;&#;

  ;

  Dāo Tú

  ;

  Tao1-t'u2

  ), Blood Torture (

  &#;&#;

  ;

  &#;&#;

  ;

  Xuě Tú

  ;

  Hsüeh3-t'u2

  ; 'spilling of blood').

Ten Courts of Yanluo

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The concept of the "Ten Courts of Yanluo" (&#;&#;&#;&#;) began after Chinese folk religion was influenced by Buddhism. In this variation of Chinese mythology, there are 12,800 hells located under the earth &#; eight dark hells, eight cold hells and 84,000 miscellaneous hells located at the edge of the universe. All will go to Diyu after death but the period of time one spends in Diyu is not forever &#; it depends on the severity of the sins one committed. After receiving due punishment, one will eventually be sent for reincarnation. Diyu is divided into ten courts, each overseen by a Yanwang. Souls pass from stage to stage at the decision of a different judge. The "Ten Courts of Yanluo" is also known as the Ten Courts of Yanwang (&#;&#;&#;&#;), Ten Lords of Minggong (&#;&#;&#;&#;), Ten Courts of Yan-jun (&#;&#;&#;&#;), Ten-Lords of Difu (&#;&#;&#;&#;), and Ten-Lords of Mingfu (&#;&#;&#;&#;).

Ten Yanluo Lords # Title Family name Chinese calendar
Birthday In charge of
(see the Cold and Hot Narakas for details) Notes 1 King Qin'guang

&#;&#;&#;

Jiang

&#;

1st day,
2nd month Life and death and fortunes of all humans Believed to be Jiang Ziwen 2 King Chujiang

&#;&#;&#;

Li

&#;

1st day,
3rd month Sañjīva, Arbuda 3 King Songdi

&#;&#;&#;

Yu

&#;

8th day,
2nd month Kālasūtra, Nirarbuda 4 King Wuguan

&#;&#;&#;

Lü

&#;

18th,
2nd month Sa&#;ghāta, A&#;a&#;a 5 King Yanluo

&#;&#;&#;

Bao

&#;

8th,
1st month Raurava, Hahava Believed to be Bao Zheng 6 King Biancheng

&#;&#;&#;

Bi

&#;

8th day,
3rd month Mahāraurava, Huhuva, and City of Innocent Deaths 7 King Taishan

&#;&#;&#;

Additional reading:
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Link to XIANGTAI

Dong

&#;

27th day,
3rd month Tapana, Utpala 8 King Dushi

&#;&#;&#;

Huang

&#;

1st day,
4th month Pratāpana, Padma 9 King Pingdeng

&#;&#;&#;

Lu

&#;

8th day,
4th month Avīci, Mahāpadma 10 King Zhuanlun

&#;&#;&#;

Xue

&#;

17th day,
4th month Sending souls for reincarnation

Eighteen levels of Hell

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The headless ghost of Yue Fei confronting the recently deceased spirit of Qin Hui in the Sixth Court. The plaque held by the attendant on the left reads: "Qin Hui's ten wicked crimes." From a 19th-century Chinese Hell Scroll.

The concept of the eighteen hells started in the Tang dynasty. The Buddhist text Sutra on Questions about Hell (&#;&#;&#;&#;) mentioned 134 worlds of hell, but was simplified to the Eighteen Levels of Hell in the Sutra on the Eighteen Hells (&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;) for convenience. Some literature refers to eighteen types of hells or to eighteen hells for each type of punishment.

Some religious or literature books say that wrongdoers who were not punished when they were alive are punished in the hells after death. Sinners feel pain and agony just like living humans when they are subjected to the tortures listed below. They cannot "die" from the torture because when the ordeal is over, their bodies will be restored to their original states for the torture to be repeated.[7][8][9][10][11][12]

The eighteen hells vary from narrative to narrative but some commonly mentioned tortures include: being steamed; being fried in oil cauldrons; being sawed into half; being run over by vehicles; being pounded in a mortar and pestle; being ground in a mill; being crushed by boulders; being made to shed blood by climbing trees or mountains of knives; having sharp objects driven into their bodies; having hooks pierced into their bodies and being hung upside down; drowning in a pool of filthy blood; being left naked in the freezing cold; being set aflame or cast into infernos; being tied naked to a bronze cylinder with a fire lit at its base; being forced to consume boiling liquids; tongue ripping; eye gouging; teeth extraction; heart digging; disembowelment; skinning; being trampled, gored, mauled, eaten, stung, bitten, pecked, etc., by animals.

Eighteen Hells # Version 1 Version 2 As mentioned in Journey to the West 1 Hell of Tongue Ripping

&#;&#;&#;&#;

Naraka Hell

&#;&#;&#;&#;

Hell of Hanging Bars

&#;&#;&#;

2 Hell of Scissors

&#;&#;&#;&#;

Hell of the Mountain of Knives

&#;&#;&#;&#;

Hell of the Wrongful Dead

&#;&#;&#;

3 Hell of Trees of Knives

&#;&#;&#;&#;

Hell of Boiling Sand

&#;&#;&#;&#;

Hell of the Pit of Fire

&#;&#;&#;

4 Hell of Mirrors of Retribution

&#;&#;&#;&#;

Hell of Boiling Faeces

&#;&#;&#;&#;

Fengdu Hell

&#;&#;&#;

5 Hell of Steaming

&#;&#;&#;&#;

Hell of Darkened Bodies

&#;&#;&#;&#;

Hell of Tongue Ripping

&#;&#;&#;

6 Hell of Copper Pillars

&#;&#;&#;&#;

Hell of Fiery Chariots

&#;&#;&#;&#;

Hell of Skinning

&#;&#;&#;

7 Hell of the Mountain of Knives

&#;&#;&#;&#;

Hell of Cauldrons

&#;&#;&#;&#;

Hell of Grinding

&#;&#;&#;

8 Hell of the Mountain of Ice

&#;&#;&#;&#;

Hell of Iron Beds

&#;&#;&#;&#;

Hell of Pounding

&#;&#;&#;

9 Hell of Oil Cauldrons

&#;&#;&#;&#;

Hell of Cover Mountains

&#;&#;&#;&#;

Hell of Dismemberment by Vehicles

&#;&#;&#;

10 Hell of the Pit of Cattle

&#;&#;&#;&#;

Hell of Ice

&#;&#;&#;&#;

Hell of Ice

&#;&#;&#;

11 Hell of Boulder Crushing

&#;&#;&#;&#;

Hell of Skinning

&#;&#;&#;&#;

Hell of Moulting

&#;&#;&#;

12 Hell of Mortars and Pestles

&#;&#;&#;&#;

Hell of Beasts

&#;&#;&#;&#;

Hell of Disembowelment

&#;&#;&#;

13 Hell of the Pool of Blood

&#;&#;&#;&#;

Hell of Weapons

&#;&#;&#;&#;

Hell of Oil Cauldrons

&#;&#;&#;

14 Hell of the Wrongful Dead

&#;&#;&#;&#;

Hell of Iron Mills

&#;&#;&#;&#;

Hell of Darkness

&#;&#;&#;

15 Hell of Dismemberment

&#;&#;&#;&#;

Hell of Dismemberment

&#;&#;&#;&#;

Hell of the Mountain of Knives

&#;&#;&#;

16 Hell of the Mountain of Fire

&#;&#;&#;&#;

Hell of Iron Books

&#;&#;&#;&#;

Hell of the Pool of Blood

&#;&#;&#;

17 Hell of Mills

&#;&#;&#;&#;

Hell of Maggots

&#;&#;&#;&#;

Avīci Hell

&#;&#;&#;

18 Hell of Sawing

&#;&#;&#;&#;

Hell of Molten Copper

&#;&#;&#;&#;

Hell of Weighing Scales

&#;&#;&#;

See also

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References

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• 18&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#; [18 Levels of Hell: See which level you will end up in]. xinhuanet.com (in Chinese). 12 July . Archived from the original on October 22, .

• &#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#; [The Buddha speaks about the eighteen hells]

  (PDF)

  . ccbs.ntu.edu.tw (in Chinese). College of Liberal Arts, Digital Library & Museum of Buddhist Studies.

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