What does Zhong Kui mean?

Zhong Kui refers to the god who can kill ghosts and exorcise evil spirits in China folklore. In the old society, people often hung portraits of Zhong Kui.

The saying that Zhong Kui is a southerner is recorded in various ancient books. For example, The History of Tang Yi has "Zhong Kui, Zhong Nanshan Scholar". The Song Dynasty's "The Origin of Things" has the saying that "Zhong Kui will become a scholar in the end", and so on.

Zhong Kui's life legend records:

Zhong Kui Biography records that her husband Zhong Kui, surnamed Zhong Mingkui, was born and lived in the south of Yongzhou in ancient times. He is both civil and military, with a leopard head and eyes, a tough face, distinct sideburns and a strange appearance. He is full of economy and integrity. He is not afraid of evil. He treats others with sincerity and with sincerity, and won the first prize of Gong. He defended himself. So it is famous all over the world.

The records in fairy mirrors of past dynasties are very similar: Zhong Kui was a native of central and southern Shaanxi, and he was outstanding when he was young. During Tang Wude's reign, he went to Beijing to take the exam, but was defeated because of his ugly appearance. In a rage, he killed the temple steps. The emperor heard about it and gave it a red robe for burial. During the Tianbao period, it is said that Li Longji, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, accidentally suffered from spleen disease in Lishan, Lintong, which could not be cured for a long time. One night, he dreamed that a strange-looking big man caught a child, gouged out his eyes and ate them.

The man claimed that he was "Zhong Kui, a scholar who missed the palace exam". When the emperor woke up, he immediately recovered. Therefore, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty ordered Wu Daozi to make a picture of Zhong Kui catching ghosts in his dream and hang it in his palace to ward off evil spirits.