胡劼辰。〈「筆籙」鉤沉：明清扶乩的一個子類型〉。《民俗曲藝》221 (2023.9): 31-80。
Hu Jiechen. “Rediscovering the ‘Brush Register’: A Sub-Type of Spirit-Writing during the Ming and Qing Dynasties.” Journal of Chinese Ritual, Theatre and Folklore 221 (2023.9): 31-80.
Abstract
「筆籙」一作「筆錄」，主要流行於帝制晚期中國，屬於廣義扶乩的一個子類，與文昌信仰及科舉文化關係密切。筆籙修煉者無需藉助乩筆與乩沙，直接執毛筆於紙上寫下通靈所獲的內容。筆籙最初常用於八股文的練習和科場應試，後被部分實踐者發展為文昌壇中的一種降經手段。近幾十年來鮮有學者注意到這一傳統，本文的目的就是通過搜集和梳理相關材料，以鉤沉這一被忽視許久的宗教實踐。本文第一部分主要分析散見於文人筆記小說等敘事材料中的相關記載，試圖還原出筆籙的核心元素。第二部分主要分析修煉筆籙的具體個案。第三部分主要分析幾種用於修習筆籙的科儀手冊。通過以上分析，本文希望鉤沉出筆籙的整體概況，並大致展現出它在扶乩光譜中的具體生態位。
The practice of “brush register” (bilu筆籙) or “brush recording” (bilu筆錄) writing was popular in late imperial China as a sub-type of spirit-writing (fuji) in the broad sense of the term, with practitioners not needing to rely on a stylus and sand but directly recording revelations on paper instead. This practice was closely related to the Wenchang cult and civil service examination culture. Initially used for practicing eight-legged essays used in the exams, bilu was later developed by some practitioners as a means of receiving scriptures at Wenchang altars. The purpose of this paper is to collect and collate relevant materials in order to rediscover this long-neglected religious practice. The paper’s opening section focuses on narrative accounts found in anecdotal notes and novels in an attempt to recover core elements of brush register writing. The second section focuses on specific cases of brush register practitioners, while the third analyzes several types of ritual manuals used as guidance for this practice. Based on the above analysis, it is hoped that this paper will provide an overview of brush register practices and an indication of their niche in the spectrum of spirit-writing.