hell money

简 繁

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General chinese:

冥币

pinyin:

míng bì

expand for details Detailed etymology

definitions

noun

  1. joss paper made to resemble banknotes issued by some 'bank of Hell', burnt during ancestor worship or festivals like the Hungry Ghost Festival, Chinese New Year, and Qing Ming, with the idea that the money can be used by spirits or the dead in the afterlife, making them wealthy and appeased.

    2. Just below the basin where Ma would have stood, we burnt some "hell money". They said that this would be the first time that the soul would wake up, still unaware of her death. The burning of hell money would show her that she was indeed there. We cleared away the ashes of the hell money and, oddly, we could see Ma's footprints on the floor.

    — 2004, Nicholas Koh. My Bowl of Hei Bee Hiang Rice: A Singaporean Growing Up in Difficult Times. Victory Knights Management & Consultancy Services. ISBN: 9789810508418. p.50


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cultural