Three Lives (short story)

Short story by Pu Songling

"Three Lives"

Short story by Pu Songling

Yama reviews Liu's record; 19th-century illustration from Xiangzhu liaozhai zhiyi tuyong (Liaozhai with commentary and illustrations; 1886)

Original title| 三生 (Sansheng)
Translator| Sidney L. Sondergard
Country| China
Language| Chinese
Genre(s)| Zhiguai
Chuanqi
Short story
Publication
Published in| Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio
Publication type| Anthology
Publication date| c. 1740
Published in English| 2008
Chronology

Wild Dog (野狗)  |
Fox in a Bottle (狐入瓶)

|

"Three Lives" (Chinese: 三生; pinyin: Sānshēng) is a short story by Pu Songling first published in Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio which follows the past lives of a scholar. It has been adapted into a play and translated into English.

## Plot[edit]

A juren surnamed Liu often narrates tales from his past lives to his peer, Wenbi (文贲).[note 1] Many incarnations ago, Liu was an unnamed government official who died aged 62; in the Underworld, he is initially well-received by Yama, but is subsequently condemned to rebirth as a horse when his multiple transgressions come to light. Unhappy with life in the stable, Liu/Horse starves himself for three days and returns to hell. However, Yama determines Liu's atonement to be insufficient, and has him reborn as a dog.[2] Again suicidal, Liu/Dog attacks his owner, who whips him to death. Back in hell, Yama angrily whips Liu "several hundred times",[2] after which he is sent back to Earth as a snake. In a change of heart, Liu/Snake resolves to lead an ascetic lifestyle; one day he slithers towards an oncoming cart and is sliced in half. Yama finally pardons him; thus he is reborn as Liu the scholar, who is presently able to better empathise with other animals. In his postscript, Pu emphasises the importance of doing good.

## Background[edit]

Originally titled "Sansheng" (三生),[3][note 2] "Three Lives" is believed to be one of the earlier entries that Pu wrote for his anthology that was published in around 1740;[4] it was fully translated into English by the first volume of Sidney L. Sondergard's Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio published in 2008.[1] As Allan Barr opines in his Comparative Studies of Early and Late Tales in Liaozhai Zhiyi (1985), "Three Lives", like "The Weeping Ghosts", warns "men in high positions to behave according to proper moral principles".[5] According to Frances Weightman, the thematic use of reincarnation as a retributive device in "Three Lives" highlights the "Buddhist influence underlying much of the portrayal of the animal world", insofar as Liu's punishment is to be reborn as different animals.[6]

## Adaptations[edit]

Hangzhou playwright Hu Hanchi's directorial debut, "The Wheel of Time", is based on "Three Lives"; it stars Hu in all four roles as Liu and his animal incarnations, and also features Chinese opera, hip-hop and a "live band". It premiered in July 2016 at the National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts.[7]

## Notes[edit]

1. ^ Pu Songling's elder brother, Zhaochang (兆昌), whose courtesy name was Wenbi.[1]
2. ^ A later entry in Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio is also titled "Sansheng" or "Three Incarnations".

## References[edit]

### Citations[edit]

1. ^ a b Sondergard 2008, p. 106.
2. ^ a b Sondergard 2008, p. 108.
3. ^ Kow 1998, p. 44.
4. ^ Barr 1985, p. 163.
5. ^ Barr 1985, p. 164.
6. ^ Weightman 2008, p. 92.
7. ^ Chen, Nan (9 June 2016). "Theater talent on show in capital". China Daily.

### Sources[edit]

* Barr, Allan (June 1985). "A Comparative Study of Early and Late Tales in Liaozhai zhiyi". Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies. 45 (1): 157–202. doi:10.2307/2718961. JSTOR 2718961.
* Kow, Mei-Kao (1998). Ghosts and Foxes in the World of Liaozhai Zhiyi. Minerva Press. ISBN 9780754101703.
* Sondergard, Sidney (2008). Strange Tales from Liaozhai. Vol. 1\. Fremont, Calif.: Jain Publishing Company. ISBN 9780895810519.
* Weightman, Frances (2008). The Quest for the Childlike in Seventeenth-century Chinese Fiction: Fantasy, Naivety, and Folly. Edwin Mellen Press. ISBN 9780773450752.

* v
* t
* e

Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio by Pu Songling

* "Another Wutong Spirit"
* "The Bird Language"
* "The Black Ghosts"
* "The Bookworm"
* "A Brilliant Light"
* "Cai Weiweng"
* "The Caves of Mount Chaya"
* "Dragon Dormant"
* "The Fighting Cricket"
* "The Foreign Monks"
* "The Fornicating Dog"
* "Fourth Sister Hu"
* "The Frog God"
* "The Great Sage, Heaven's Equal"
* "Growing Pears"
* "Hu Dagu"
* "Huang Jiulang"
* "The Imperial Physician"
* "Jia Fengzhi"
* "Judge Lu"
* "The Monster in the Buckwheat"
* "Mr. Miao"
* "Nie Xiaoqian"
* "Old Man Zhu"
* "The Painted Skin"
* "A Prank"
* "Princess Yunluo"
* "The Purple Lotus Buddhist"
* "The Raksha Country and the Sea Market"
* "A Sequel to the Yellow Millet Dream"
* "The Shuimang Herb"
* "The Snake Man"
* "Stealing Peaches"
* "A Strange Matter Concerning Pigeons"
* "Tian Qilang"
* "This Transformation"
* "Three Incarnations"
* "Three Lives"
* "Traveller Tong"
* "Twenty Years a Dream"
* "Wang Liulang"
* "The Weiqi Devil"
* "The Witch's Trance-Dance"
* "The Wutong Spirits"
* "Xianü"
* "Zhang Hongjian"

Other articles|

* Chang'e
* Song Wan
* White Lotus
* Zhou Youde

Adaptations|

| Nie Xiaoqian|

* The Enchanting Shadow (1960)
* A Chinese Ghost Story (1987)
* A Chinese Ghost Story II (1990)
* A Chinese Ghost Story III (1991)
* A Chinese Ghost Story (1997 animation film)
* Eternity: A Chinese Ghost Story (2003)
* A Chinese Ghost Story (2011)
* The Enchanting Phantom (2020)

|

Painted Skin|

* Painted Skin (1992)
* Painted Skin (2008)
* Painted Skin (2011 TV series)
* Painted Skin: The Resurrection (2012)

Others|

* A Touch of Zen (1971)
* Dark Tales (1996–1998)
* The Fairies of Liaozhai (2007)
* Legend of Nine Tails Fox (2016)

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