The Shaman and the Spirits: The Meaning of the Word ''ling'' in the Jiuge Poems

Author: Gábor Kósa

Source: Acta Orientalia Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae, Volume 56, Numbers 2-4, 27 November 2003 , pp. 275-294(20)

Publisher: Akademiai Kiado

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Abstract:

In all major dictionaries the first entry for the Chinese word 'ling' is 'shaman' (wu). This meaning of the word is based on Wang Yi's interpretation of two Jiuge poems in the Chuci collection. The present article investigates the possibility of this identification and concludes that there is no evidence to support Wang Yi's opinion. On the other hand, there is ample evidence to suggest that the accepted meanings of ling (spirit, numinous, magical) and the general characteristics of the Chinese shaman are indeed interrelated in many respects.

Keywords: Jiuge; Wang Yi; shamanism; lexicography; Zhu Xi; commentary; Chuci

Document Type: Research article

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