Editing Jiangshi (section)

==Origins==
The [[Qing dynasty]] scholar [[Ji Xiaolan]] mentioned in his book {{zhp|p=[[Yuewei Caotang Biji]]|c=閱微草堂筆記}} (c. 1789 – 1798)<ref>(''[https://www.amazon.com/Shadow-Book-Ji-Yun-Knowledge/dp/1953124011/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1T8SDK4WXS9UV&keywords=the+shadow+book+of+ji+yun&qid=1649690307&sprefix=the+shadow+book+of+ji+yun%2Caps%2C2503&sr=8-1 The Shadow Book of Ji Yun]'', Empress Wu Books, 2021)</ref> that the causes for a corpse to be reanimated can be classified in either of two categories: a recently deceased person returning to life, or a corpse that has been buried for a long time but does not decompose.

Some causes are described below:

* The use of supernatural arts to resurrect the dead.
* [[Spirit possession]] of a dead body.
* A corpse absorbs sufficient [[yin and yang|yang]] ''[[qi]]'' (positive energy) to return to life.
* When the lower parts of the person's soul remain in the body to assume control after death. Traditional Chinese thought posits that a person's body is governed by [[Hun and po|three ''huns'' and seven ''pos'']]. The Qing dynasty scholar [[Yuan Mei]] wrote in his book ''[[Zi Bu Yu]]'' that "A person's ''hun'' is good but the ''po'' is evil, the ''hun'' is intelligent but the ''po'' is not so good". When the ''hun'' leaves the body after death but the ''po'' remains and takes control of the body, the dead person becomes a jiangshi.
* When the dead person is not buried even after a funeral has been held. The corpse comes to life after it is struck by a bolt of lightning, or when a pregnant cat (or a black cat in some tales) leaps across the coffin.
* When a person's soul fails to leave their deceased body, due to improper death, suicide, or that person just wanting to cause trouble.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ufo.org.tw/news/2009/020209-1.htm |script-title=zh:充滿詭異色彩 文獻記載湘南恐怖僵屍村傳說 |date=February 2, 2009 |access-date=February 21, 2021 |language=zh |trans-title=Full of weird colors: documenting the legend of Shonan's horrible zombie village |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090228204529/http://www.ufo.org.tw/news/2009/020209-1.htm |archive-date=2009-02-28 |df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://ck101.com/viewthread.php?tid=672267 |title=愛上廁所的小孩 |access-date=2021-02-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110813162000/http://ck101.com/viewthread.php?tid=672267 |archive-date=2011-08-13 |language=zh |trans-title=The kid who fell in love with the toilet |df=mdy-all}}</ref>
* A person injured by a jiangshi is infected with the "jiangshi poison" and gradually changes into a jiangshi over time, as seen in the ''[[Mr. Vampire]]'' films.