Diyu
Diyu is the realm of the dead or "hell" in Chinese mythology. It is loosely based on a combination of the concept of Naraka, traditional Chinese beliefs about the afterlife and a variety of popular expansions and reinterpretations of these two traditions.
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 ; 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.
Conceptions
According to ideas from Taoism, Buddhism 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. 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.
Ten Courts of Hell
The concept of the "Ten Courts of Hell" began after Chinese folk religion was influenced by Buddhism. In Chinese mythology, the Jade Emperor put Yama in charge of overseeing the affairs of Diyu. 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 indefinite – it depends on the severity of the sins one committed. After receiving due punishment, one will eventually be sent for reincarnation. In the meantime, souls pass from stage to stage at Yama's decision. Yama also reduced the number of hells to ten. He divided Diyu into ten courts, each overseen by a Yama King, while he remained as the sovereign ruler of Diyu.| # | Title | Family name | Birthday | In charge of | Notes |
| 1 | King Qin'guang 秦廣王 | Jiang 蔣 | 1st day of the 2nd month | Life and death and fortunes of all humans | Believed to be Jiang Ziwen |
| 2 | King Chujiang 楚江王 | Li 歷 | 1st day of the 3rd month | Sañjīva, Arbuda | |
| 3 | King Songdi 宋帝王 | Yu 余 | 8th day of the 2nd month | Kālasūtra, Nirarbuda | |
| 4 | King Wuguan 五官王 | Lü 呂 | 18th day of the 2nd month | Saṃghāta, Aṭaṭa | |
| 5 | King Yanluo 閻羅王 | Bao 包 | 8th day of the 1st month | Raurava, Hahava | Believed to be Bao Zheng |
| 6 | King Biancheng 卞城王 | Bi 畢 | 8th day of the 3rd month | Mahāraurava, Huhuva, and City of Innocent Deaths | |
| 7 | King Taishan 泰山王 | Dong 董 | 27th day of the 3rd month | Tapana, Utpala | |
| 8 | King Dushi 都市王 | Huang 黃 | 1st day of the 4th month | Pratāpana, Padma | |
| 9 | King Pingdeng 平等王 | Lu 陸 | 8th day of the 4th month | Avīci, Mahāpadma | |
| 10 | King Zhuanlun 轉輪王 | Xue 薛 | 17th day of the 4th month | Sending souls for reincarnation |
Capital
Among the various other geographic features believed of Diyu, the capital city has been thought to be named Youdu. It is generally conceived as being similar to a typical Chinese capital city, such as Chang'an, but surrounded by and pervaded with darkness.Eighteen Levels of Hell
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. 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. 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 拔舌地獄 | Naraka Hell 泥犁地獄 | Hell of Hanging Bars 吊筋獄 |
| 2 | Hell of Scissors 剪刀地獄 | Hell of the Mountain of Knives 刀山地獄 | Hell of the Wrongful Dead 幽枉獄 |
| 3 | Hell of Trees of Knives 鐵樹地獄 | Hell of Boiling Sand 沸沙地獄 | Hell of the Pit of Fire 火坑獄 |
| 4 | Hell of Mirrors of Retribution 孽镜地狱 | Hell of Boiling Faeces 沸屎地獄 | Fengdu Hell 酆都獄 |
| 5 | Hell of Steaming 蒸籠地獄 | Hell of Darkened Bodies 黑身地獄 | Hell of Tongue Ripping 拔舌獄 |
| 6 | Hell of Copper Pillars 銅柱地獄 | Hell of Fiery Chariots 火車地獄 | Hell of Skinning 剝皮獄 |
| 7 | Hell of the Mountain of Knives 刀山地獄 | Hell of Cauldrons 鑊湯地獄 | Hell of Grinding 磨捱獄 |
| 8 | Hell of the Mountain of Ice 冰山地獄 | Hell of Iron Beds 鐵床地獄 | Hell of Pounding 碓搗獄 |
| 9 | Hell of Oil Cauldrons 油鍋地獄 | Hell of Cover Mountains 蓋山地獄 | Hell of Dismemberment by Vehicles 車崩獄 |
| 10 | Hell of the Pit of Cattle 牛坑地獄 | Hell of Ice 寒冰地獄 | Hell of Ice 寒冰獄 |
| 11 | Hell of Boulder Crushing 石壓地獄 | Hell of Skinning 剝皮地獄 | Hell of Moulting 脫殼獄 |
| 12 | Hell of Mortars and Pestles 舂臼地獄 | Hell of Beasts 畜生地獄 | Hell of Disembowelment 抽腸獄 |
| 13 | Hell of the Pool of Blood 血池地獄 | Hell of Weapons 刀兵地獄 | Hell of the Pool of Blood 血池獄 |
| 14 | Hell of the Wrongful Dead 枉死地獄 | Hell of Iron Mills 鐵磨地獄 | Hell of Oil Cauldrons 油鍋獄 |
| 15 | Hell of Dismemberment 磔刑地獄 | Hell of Dismemberment 磔刑地獄 | Hell of Darkness 黑暗獄 |
| 16 | Hell of the Mountain of Fire 火山地獄 | Hell of Iron Books 鐵冊地獄 | Hell of the Mountain of Knives 刀山獄 |
| 17 | Hell of Mills 石磨地獄 | Hell of Maggots 蛆蟲地獄 | Avīci Hell 阿鼻獄 |
| 18 | Hell of Sawing 刀鋸地獄 | Hell of Molten Copper 烊銅地獄 | Hell of Weighing Scales 秤桿獄 |
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.
Alternative names
Among the more common Chinese names for the Underworld are:- Difu, "Earth Mansion".
- Huangquan, "Yellow Springs", called yomi in Japanese.
- Yinjian, "Land of Shade".
- Yinfu, "Shady Mansion".
- Yinsi, "Shady Office".
- Senluo Dian, "Court of Senluo".
- Yanluo Dian, "Court of Yanluo".
- Jiuquan, "Nine Springs".
- Zhongquan, "Heavy Spring".
- Quanlu, "Road to the Spring".
- Youming, "Serene Darkness".
- Yourang, "Serene Land".
- Huokang, "Fire Pit".
- Jiuyou, "Nine Serenities".
- Jiuyuan, "Nine Origins".
- Mingfu, "Dark Mansion".
- Mingjie, "Dark Realm", "Underworld".
- Kujing, "Dire Straits", " Grievance".
- Abi, "Avīci", the hell of uninterrupted torture, last and deepest of the Eight Hot Narakas.
- Zugen, "Heel".
- Fengdu Cheng, a reference to the Fengdu Ghost City.
- Naihe Qiao, "Bridge of Helplessness", a bridge every soul has to cross before being reincarnated, they are said to drink the Mengpo soup at Naihe Qiao so they will forget everything in their current lives and prepare for reincarnation.
- Wang Xiang Tai, "Home-Viewing Pavilion", a pavilion every soul passes by on his/her journey to the Underworld. From there, they can see their families and loved ones in the world of the living.
- Youguo, "Oil Cauldron", one of the tortures in hell.
- Santu, the "Three Tortures": Fire Torture, Blade Torture, Blood Torture.