Lofty Principles of Dream-Interpretation

(C^en S^i-yuan : Encyclopaedia of Dreams)

Wandering Spirits, Part II (= Outer Chapters), 1-2

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pp. 103-107 -- II.1 "Heaven".

pp. 104-105, nn. 2-6 dreams of emperors’ ascensions to heaven

p.

n.

dream

source

104

2

"Sun Fen-bo "dreamt that Xiao [Dao-c^en] ascended to heaven riding a dragon. Sun tried to grasp hold of the dragon’s leg from below but could not."

History of the Southern Qi Dynasty

   

"Emperor Gaozu of the Qi dreamt that he ascended to heaven riding a green dragon where he traveled westward chasing the sun."

Grand History

105

3

"Emperor Wen dreamt that he wanted to ascend to heaven and could not, but a yellow-helmeted gentleman pushed him upward to heaven. He looked at his clothes and notice that the gentleman was wearing his shirt and belt backward."

History of the Western Han Dynasty

 

4

"When Emperor Shenzong of the Northern Song was young, ... the once dreamt that someone lifted him up to heaven."

History of the Son Dynasty

 

5

"Emperor Guangwu ... said, "I dreamt that I rode on a dragon upward to heaven. When I awoke, I realized that my heart was trembling with fear." ... Consequently, ... all the other generals agreed after discussion that he should ascend the throne."

History of the Eastern Han Dynasty from the Don-guan Pavilion

   

"Emperor Guangwu of the Han had dreamt that he rode a red dragon upward to heaven and subsequently ascended the throne in Luoyang."

History of the Liu Son Dynasty

 

6

Z^ao Ru-yu "dreamt ... that he ascended to heaven carrying a white dragon on his back. This was confirmed soon afterward," ["and consequently Emperor Lizong of the Southern Song wore a white robe when he ascended the throne." (p. 103)]

History of the Son Dynasty

p. 105, nn. 7-8 women’s dreams of their own ascensions to heaven

n.

dream

source

7

"Empress Hexi, wife of Emperor He of the Eastern Han, once dreamt that she combed on a staircase and rubbed heaven with her hand. Heaven was vast, pure blue, and smooth like a stalactite. The empress looked up and sucked it. She consulted a dream interpreter who said, "... King Tang dreamt that he reached heaven and licked it. These were both extraordinary dreams." Afterward, she was admitted into the palace and subsequently raised to her noble position."

History of the Liu Son Dynasty

8

"The mother of Tao Hongjing dreamt of a green dragon without a tail and that she herself ascended to heaven."

History of the C^en Dynasty

pp. 105-106 nn. 9-11 lofty noblemen’s dreams of their own ascendings to heaven

p.

n.

dream

source

105

9

"Liu Muzhi dreamt that he ascended to heaven on a vessel constructed from two boats joined together with a decorated canopy placed on top."

A Garden of Strange Events

105-6

10

"Han Qi, whose courtesy name was Zhigui, was serving as magistrate of Qinzhou when he fell ill and dreamt that he held up heaven with his hands on two occasions."

Notes Compiled while Weary from Traveling

106

11

"Tao Kan dreamt that he grew eight wings and flew up to heaven where he saw nine gateways. He had already passed through eight of them and was unable to enter the ninth when a gatekeeper stuck him with a staff, causing him to fall down to earth and break his left wing."

History of the Jin Dynasty

   

"When Xue Andu was ... in the Guan-Shan area, he reached Jiukou where he dreamt that he looked up at the sky and saw the gates of heaven opening up."

History of the Liu Son Dynasty

pp. 106-107, n. 12 the dreams concerning music of heaven, by king Mu and by Z^ao Jian-zi

p.

dream

source

106

"Duke Mu of Qin dreamt that he had arrived at the residence of the supreme god Di. He observed a performance of "The Boundless Music of the Center of Heaven." Di bestowed a patent of nobility on him".

Historical Records

 

"Formerly, Duke Mu of Qin ... did not awaken for seven days, and when he did he told ..., ‘I went to the residence of the supreme god Di ... .’ "

" "

 

"After two and a half days, Zhao Jianzi awoke and said ..., "I went to the residence of the supreme god Di ... . I traveled together with all the gods to where ‘The Boundless Music of the Center of Heaven’ was played. A bear approached, and Di ordered me to shoot it. After this bear died, another kind of bear approached. Again I shot it, and it died. Di ... bestowed on me two square bamboo containers, each with accoutrements. ... Di entrusted a dog of the Di people to me ... . ... One day, Zhao Jianzi went out and encountered someone blocking his path who said to him, "... Di commanded you to shoot the bears ... – the bears were ... ancestors. ... the dog was the ancestor of the state of Dai. ..."

107

Zhao asked the man’s name, but the man then disappeared."

 

"Zhao Jianzi had dreamt that he ascended to heaven and saw a man standing beside the supreme god Di. Later, when Zhao went out, he encountered someone blocking the road, who was the person he had seen in his dream standing beside Di."

Judicious Discussions by Wan C^on

p. 107, nn. 14-15 dreams of ascending into heaven followed by unfavorable results

n.

dream

result

source

14

"Wu Shihuo ... said that he once dreamt that the emperor rode on him up to heaven. ...

During the reign of [his 2nd daughter] Empress Wu [r. 690-705] ... he was raised to the status of an emperor, but during the Xiantian era [712], an imperial order eliminated this false title."

Old History of the Tang Dynasty

15

"Duke Jing fell into the privy and died. That morning, a minor official had dreamt that he had borne Duke Jing up to heaven on his back,

but by midday, he was carrying the duke out of the privy. Susequently, he was entombed with him as a human sacrifice."

Zuo’s Narratives

p. 107 nn. 16-17 dreams of ascending into heaven followed by yet other noteworthy results

n.

dream

result

source

16

"Xu Yang ... dreamt that he went up to heaven where the supreme god Di angrily said, "Why are you trying to destroy my deep waters where dragons bathe ...?" ...

A lake of more than four hundred li in area was created".

History of the Eastern Han Dynasty

17

"When He Zhizhang fell ill, he dreamt that he traveled to the residence of the supreme god Di.

Several days later, he awoke and requested permission to become a Daoist priest".

Bo & Kon’s Encyclopaedia

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pp. 108-114 – II.2 "Sun and Moon".

pp. 110-111, nn. 2-7 dreams of the sun by empresses while praegnant with a future emperor

p.

n.

empress __

dreamt that __

result : she gave birth to __

source

110

2

Xiao-jin, mistress Wan

"a goddess held the sun in both hands and gave it to her."

emperor Wu

History of the Western Han Dynasty

 

3

Z^ao-xian, mistress Du

"a god held the sun in both hands and bestowed it on her."

emperor Tai-zon

History of the Son Dynasty

   

Xian, mistress Li

"the round sun pressed down on her and that she grasped hold of it with the front part of her gown."

emperor Z^en-zon

" "

   

Ci-yi, mistress Li

"the sun had fallen into her courtyard and that she caught hold of it with her hands."

emperor Nin-zon

" "

 

4

wife of Sun Jian

"the sun had entered her body."

Sun Quan

History of the Liu Son Dynasty

111

5

wife of Liu Bao, mistress Hu-tin

"the fish she had seen during the day had transformed into a person. In his left hand he held something that looked like half a chicken’s egg. Its brilliance was extraordinary. He gave it ... and said, "This is the vigorous essence of the sun. ... swallow it ... .""

Liu Yuan

History of the Jin Dynasty

   

mistress Z^an

"the sun entered her body."

Liu Con

" "

 

6

mistress He

"the sun emerged from her bed chamber. She awoke and saw a brilliant light pass from her window into the sky."

emperor Tai-zu

History of the Northern Wei Dynasty

   

Gao

"she was being chased by the sun and hid under a bed. The sun transformed into a dragon and wound itself around her in several coils."

emperor S^i-zon

" "

 

7

mistress Xiao

"the sun had fallen into her body."

Ye-lu: Yi

History of the Jurc^en Dynasty

p. 112, nn. 9-15 dreams of the sun by noblemen

n.

dreamer

dream

source

9

duke Jin of Qi

"battling two suns and suffering defeat"

Remarks while at Leisure from Watering the Fields

10

Wan Dun the rebel

"the sun circled around his military camp."

History of the Jin Dynasty

11

Ba-xian emperor of the C^en

"heaven opened up ... four gods clothed in vermilion appeared offering him the sun with their hands." They ordered him to ingest it.

History of the C^en Dynasty

12

emperor Xuan-zon of the Tan

"he had fallen into a well and that a soldier wearing crimson trousers carried him out on his back." That soldier said : "I dreamt that I carried the sun on my back out of a well and went up to heaven."

A Record of a Purposeful Mind

13

emperor Wen of the Wei

"the sun fell to earth and broke into three pieces. He obtained one of these and took it into his body."

Collected Conversations

 

emperor S^i-zu of the C^en

"two suns battling each other, one large and one small. The larger one lost its brilliance and fell to earth. Its color was a pure yellow ... . Shizu took one of the three pieces into which it had broken and took it into his body."

History of the C^en Dynasty

15

C^en Li

"he had climbed up Mount tai and stood upright while holding the sun with both hands."

History of the Wei Dynasty

pp. 112-113, nn. 15-17 dreams of sunlight by women (other than empresses) while praegnant with a son (other than a future emperor)

p.

n.

woman __

dreamt that __

result : she gave birth to __

source

112

15

mistress Yan

"she was facing the sunrise over East Mountain. Above were faint clouds that came and covered her."

Gui Yan Yan-wen

History of the Yuan Dynasty

113

16

?

"the vigorous essence of the sun had entered her body"

Tao Hon-jin

Bookcase of the Clouds

 

17

?

"a ray of sunlight from the southeast struck her body and that a divinity beside her gave her a brush."

Yan Huan Huan-ran

History of the Yuan Dynasty

p. 113, nn. 18-24 dreams of sun by men, praesaging appointment to officialdom

n.

dream

result : appointment as __

source

18

"the sun fell down and I supported it on my head."

judicial investigator of the capital

Bo and Kon’s Encyclopaedia

19

"his grandfather dreamt that double suns shone into the courtyard."

vice-minister of the Court of Judicial Review

History of the Son Dynasty

20

"he climbed up a mountain and observed the sun ... . He held it up with his left and right hands."

grand councilor

Records from the Grand Hall

21

"he drove a large carriage that carried the sun and moon. He reached the middle of a crossroads".

military commissioner

Old History of the Tan Dynasty

22

"the sun fell down onto his body".

"to manage the confidential affairs of the government."

Tai-pin Miscellany

23

"the sun fell down into the water ... . The local people tired to use an ox-drawn cart to pull it out but couldn’t. However, [he] embraced it and carried it back."

cavalier attendant-in-ordinary

Exceptional Dreams

24

"he swallowed the sun. Upon awakening, his stomach still felt hot."

salt official

A Record of Inquaests into Spirits

p. 114, nn. 28-30 dreams of moon by women while praegnant

n.

woman __

dreamt that __

result : she gave birth to __

source

28

mistress Li

"the moon entered her body".

empress Xiao-yuan (aunt of Wan Man)

History of the Western Han Dynasty

 

empress Lou

"both times she dreamt that the moon entered her body."

2 empresses

History of the Northern Qi Dynasty

29

wife of Sun Jian of Wu

"the moon had entered her body".

Ce

History of the Liu Son Dynasty

 

"imperial concubine"

"the moon had descended into her body".

emperor S^i-zu (blind in one eye)

History of the Lian Dynasty

30

mistress Li

"a child fell from the moon and that she caught hold of him in her sleeves."

Fan C^un-ren

History of the Son Dynasty

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Richard E. Strassberg (transl.) : Wandering Spirits : Chen Shiyuan’s Encyclopedia of Dreams. U of CA Pr, Berkeley, 2008.