Planchette Poems

Chen HengqingNanhai Publication Company · ChinaJun 2024

3.2

Word count: 400 words
Chapters: 2

Summary

Though Peng's writing was excellent, his calligraphy was ordinary, and there was no way he could have become the top scholar; the spirit-writing was simply offering auspicious words, so I paid it no attention. Just then, Tian Jiechen, a Hanlin compiler named Zhimei, arrived from outside the city; he too was a candidate, and everyone had him bow and ask the planchette. The planchette wrote a poem: "Who knows the message hidden here? Rain should come within ten days. Wait until your writings pass from mouth to mouth, and your fame will gallop to the wooden heaven." That examination Tian passed and entered the Hanlin Academy. All who lodged with him failed. I and Peng waited one more examination before we finally passed. Afterward, pondering the planchette poem in detail, it contained the characters "ten," "mouth," "know," "writing," and "wood"; combined, they formed Tian Zhimei. Those who did not pass simply went home with the next cohort's top scholar, as the poem said. Immortal Lü did not speak falsely.

Editor's review

Starting from an old tale of consulting the planchette about the examinations, this book uses the narrative of a planchette poem whose character-splitting proves accurate to show how literati in traditional examination society used transcendental forms to settle anxiety and explain success or failure. The text's value lies not in proving the supernatural but in preserving a way of looking at the world: candidates entrusted their prospects to the planchette altar, then afterward used character dissection to verify the verse. This explanatory method is itself a specimen of social mentality. The author narrates with restraint and concrete detail; examination-world relationships and local customs and places are woven in, giving the reading the relaxed feel of notebook literature. Its strength is that it fuses devotional practice with wordplay: readers see both the cruelty of examination competition and the wisdom of self-consolation. Best read slowly in quiet hours, as a slice for understanding the spiritual life of traditional literati rather than a collection of miracle stories.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in examination culture and literati life
Readers who enjoy traditional notebook-style and anomaly tales
Social-science readers studying folk belief and divination practices
General readers seeking reading pleasure in short old anecdotes

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting systematic historical research or scholarly monographs
Readers averse to planchette and divination content
Readers who prefer strong plot and fast-paced narrative

Reading tips

Read the character-splitting part of the planchette poem first, then turn back to compare the characters' fates and appreciate the narrative closure.
Read each story as social-historical material, noting how literati explained chance and necessity.
Read alongside examination notebooks and anomaly fiction to compare different ways of writing planchette narratives.
After reading, note your own questions and then check relevant background; avoid treating the stories as reliable history.

About the publisher

Nanhai Publication Company China · Founded in 1988

Nanhai Publication Company is a comprehensive publisher known for its literature and arts titles, covering fields such as classical poetry, martial arts fiction, and folk literature. Judging from the more than 1,600 books in the database, the company has released classical poetic works including the Nineteen Old Poems and the Nine Songs, as well as multiple volumes of Huanzhulouzhu's series The Swordsmen of Mount Shu, along with related writings by authors such as Guan Hanqing, Qu Yuan, Zuo Si, and Wang Zhihuan. Its publishing character lies in balancing the organization of classic texts with the dissemination of popular literature, placing poetry anthologies alongside long martial arts novels and presenting a relatively diverse literary profile. Public information is limited, and further details about its editorial practices and series planning remain to be supplemented.

版权信息
乩诗

FAQ

Is this book about the efficacy of planchette writing?

Not entirely. The text does center on a planchette poem coming true, but the focus is on how literati used character-splitting and forced connections to explain examination results. It reflects a habit of explaining the world rather than verifying supernatural power. Readers can take it as material on social mentality.

Can I read it without background knowledge of the examination system?

Yes. The stories are short, the relationships are not complex, and the core plot is asking the planchette and its fulfillment. Terms for examination degrees and official titles can be roughly understood from context. For deeper reading, first learn the basic hierarchy of the Qing examination system and the Hanlin Academy.

How does the character-splitting in the planchette poem work?

The poem embeds characters such as "ten," "mouth," "know," "writing," and "wood," and the narrator splits and recombines them to point to the successful candidate's name. This kind of character-splitting is common in traditional divination narratives; it combines wordplay with after-the-fact explanation. Notice where the connections are forced.

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About the author

Chen Hengqing Author · Chinese · 1844–1920

Chen Hengqing (1844–1920), courtesy name Zijiu, was a native of Weixian in Shandong (present-day Weicheng District, Weifang). A late Qing official and scholar, he passed the provincial examination in 1873 and the metropolitan examination in 1886. He served successively as a secretary in the Ministry of Works, rising through the Waterways, Construction, and Colonization Departments, and later held posts as Supervising Censor of the Ministry of War, Investigating Censor of the Henan Circuit, and Chief Supervising Censor. In 1908 he was appointed prefect of Jinzhou. He retired at sixty and wrote works including Jianshu Xian Notes (also known as Jili Qingtan) and Unofficial Gleanings of the Late Qing. His extant writings are considerable, with 154 titles held in our collection, many drawing on folk literature and Eastern philosophy. They touch on modern upheavals such as the militia conflicts, the Boxer movement, and the Nian rebels, as well as rural tales and social types like foxes and swindlers, and social issues such as Manchu-Han differences, bearing the documentary flavor of note-style historiography. Public information is limited, and his literary standing and influence await further study.