Diyu 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.
According to ideas from Taoism, 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. 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:
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 .
| Title | Family name | Chinese calendar Birthday | In charge of (see the Cold and Hot Narakas for details) | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | King Qin'guang Chinese: 秦廣王 | Jiang Chinese: 蔣 | 1st day, 2nd month | Life and death and fortunes of all humans | Believed to be Jiang Ziwen |
| 2 | King Chujiang Chinese: 楚江王 | Li Chinese: 歷 | 1st day, 3rd month | Sañjīva, Arbuda | |
| 3 | King Songdi Chinese: 宋帝王 | Yu Chinese: 余 | 8th day, 2nd month | Kālasūtra, Nirarbuda | |
| 4 | King Wuguan Chinese: 五官王 | Lü Chinese: 呂 | 18th, 2nd month | Saṃghāta, Aṭaṭa | |
| 5 | King Yanluo Chinese: 閻羅王 | Bao Chinese: 包 | 8th, 1st month | Raurava, Hahava | Believed to be Bao Zheng |
| 6 | King Biancheng Chinese: 卞城王 | Bi Chinese: 畢 | 8th day, 3rd month | Mahāraurava, Huhuva, and City of Innocent Deaths | |
| 7 | King Taishan Chinese: 泰山王 | Dong Chinese: 董 | 27th day, 3rd month | Tapana, Utpala | |
| 8 | King Dushi Chinese: 都市王 | Huang Chinese: 黃 | 1st day, 4th month | Pratāpana, Padma | |
| 9 | King Pingdeng Chinese: 平等王 | Lu Chinese: 陸 | 8th day, 4th month | Avīci, Mahāpadma | |
| 10 | King Zhuanlun Chinese: 轉輪王 | Xue Chinese: 薛 | 17th day, 4th month | Sending souls for reincarnation | |
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.
| Version 1 | Version 2 | As mentioned in Journey to the West | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hell of Tongue Ripping Chinese: 拔舌地獄 | Naraka Hell Chinese: 泥犁地獄 | Hell of Hanging Bars Chinese: 吊筋獄 |
| 2 | Hell of Scissors Chinese: 剪刀地獄 | Hell of the Mountain of Knives Chinese: 刀山地獄 | Hell of the Wrongful Dead Chinese: 幽枉獄 |
| 3 | Hell of Trees of Knives Chinese: 鐵樹地獄 | Hell of Boiling Sand Chinese: 沸沙地獄 | Hell of the Pit of Fire Chinese: 火坑獄 |
| 4 | Hell of Mirrors of Retribution Chinese: 孽镜地狱 | Hell of Boiling Faeces Chinese: 沸屎地獄 | Fengdu Hell Chinese: 酆都獄 |
| 5 | Hell of Steaming Chinese: 蒸籠地獄 | Hell of Darkened Bodies Chinese: 黑身地獄 | Hell of Tongue Ripping Chinese: 拔舌獄 |
| 6 | Hell of Copper Pillars Chinese: 銅柱地獄 | Hell of Fiery Chariots Chinese: 火車地獄 | Hell of Skinning Chinese: 剝皮獄 |
| 7 | Hell of the Mountain of Knives Chinese: 刀山地獄 | Hell of Cauldrons Chinese: 鑊湯地獄 | Hell of Grinding Chinese: 磨捱獄 |
| 8 | Hell of the Mountain of Ice Chinese: 冰山地獄 | Hell of Iron Beds Chinese: 鐵床地獄 | Hell of Pounding Chinese: 碓搗獄 |
| 9 | Hell of Oil Cauldrons Chinese: 油鍋地獄 | Hell of Cover Mountains Chinese: 蓋山地獄 | Hell of Dismemberment by Vehicles Chinese: 車崩獄 |
| 10 | Hell of the Pit of Cattle Chinese: 牛坑地獄 | Hell of Ice Chinese: 寒冰地獄 | Hell of Ice Chinese: 寒冰獄 |
| 11 | Hell of Boulder Crushing Chinese: 石壓地獄 | Hell of Skinning Chinese: 剝皮地獄 | Hell of Moulting Chinese: 脫殼獄 |
| 12 | Hell of Mortars and Pestles Chinese: 舂臼地獄 | Hell of Beasts Chinese: 畜生地獄 | Hell of Disembowelment Chinese: 抽腸獄 |
| 13 | Hell of the Pool of Blood Chinese: 血池地獄 | Hell of Weapons Chinese: 刀兵地獄 | Hell of Oil Cauldrons Chinese: 油鍋獄 |
| 14 | Hell of the Wrongful Dead Chinese: 枉死地獄 | Hell of Iron Mills Chinese: 鐵磨地獄 | Hell of Darkness Chinese: 黑暗獄 |
| 15 | Hell of Dismemberment Chinese: 磔刑地獄 | Hell of Dismemberment Chinese: 磔刑地獄 | Hell of the Mountain of Knives Chinese: 刀山獄 |
| 16 | Hell of the Mountain of Fire Chinese: 火山地獄 | Hell of Iron Books Chinese: 鐵冊地獄 | Hell of the Pool of Blood Chinese: 血池獄 |
| 17 | Hell of Mills Chinese: 石磨地獄 | Hell of Maggots Chinese: 蛆蟲地獄 | Avīci Hell Chinese: 阿鼻獄 |
| 18 | Hell of Sawing Chinese: 刀鋸地獄 | Hell of Molten Copper Chinese: 烊銅地獄 | Hell of Weighing Scales Chinese: 秤桿獄 |