38 SMITHSONIAN MISCF.LLANKOl^S COLLECTIONS VOL. 80 



pret by tlie help of his instrunieiil. the l()i)an. Tliere is a book or 

 classic which explains the use of this instninu'iil. It is based on the 

 Book of Changes, and the writer has been told that it takes about three 

 years of study to master the science of fengsJiui. 



V. INCANTATIONS, CHARMS, AND AMULETS 



We are beginning to see that the Chinese of Szechuan Province 

 believe that there is a mysterious potency about them that may do 

 good or evil. This potency is differentiated into the yang and the yin. 

 The yang is good and helpful and the yin is evil and harmful. Incan- 

 tations, charms, and amulets are means by which one endeavors to 

 use this power for his good, especially in keeping away demons, the 

 source of most evils. 



I. INCANTATIONS WIDELY USED 



Incantations are often used by Buddhist and Taoist priests as parts 

 of their ceremonies, or by the tuan gong, a term generally translated 

 by the word sorcerer. The tuan gong, like the Buddhist and the Taoist 

 priests, also exorcises demons. In the True Classic of the Bloody 

 Basin we have exam])les oi incantations that are merely transliterations 

 of incantations in the Tibetan language which probably have meaning 

 in the Tibetan, but have none in the Chinese. They are considered 

 very potent, probably the more so because they are mysterious and 

 not understood. Similar incantations are found in the classic of the 

 Gin Gang P'usah. which is Buddhist. 



2. NEW YEAR MOTTOES SUPPOSED TO HE POTENT 



There are a number of mottoes which are written on colored ]Kiper 

 and hung up in the homes on New Year's Day. The Chinese do not 

 consider them to be charms, but regard them more as expressions of 

 their dearest wishes. Vet they have the feeling that expressing the 

 wish will tend to cause the wish to come true. Below are a few 

 examples : 



NiEN NiEN Fait Ts'Ai, " Grow rich year liy year." 



Sen I Shin Long, " May our business prosper." 



Fu KuEi Shuang Chuen, "May wcaltli and honor be complete." 



Chen Tsae Si Tsong, " Right in the very time " of luck and prosperity. 



These express the wishes of the family, and there is also the belief 

 that the expressing, reading, and hanging or pasting up of the wishes 

 tends to cause them to be fulfilled. 



