Eshou

Overview

Eshou is a rabbitlike creature with a human face in the Southwestern Wilderness section of the Shenyi jing. It can speak and persistently deceives people. The passage illustrates its dishonesty by saying that it calls east west and describes bad as good. It also gives the alternative name Dan, linked to false or extravagant speech.

The account says that its meat is pleasant, but that anyone eating it will speak untruthfully. The hosted annotation clarifies the relation between the food and the eater’s speech. This is a narrative transfer of deceptive character, not an experimentally established effect of rabbit meat. Eshou is distinct from a fox taking human form: no transformation is described. Its human face, speech, inversion of directions and judgments, and claimed contagious falsehood are the specific supported traits.

Origins & earliest records

China; Shenyi jing received text

Records & interpretation

Directly read named primary-text passage. Hosted introductory discussion disputes attribution to Dongfang Shuo; no secure Han composition date asserted.

Selected bibliography

Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.

1. 01

   Shenyi jing

   Traditionally attributed to Dongfang Shuo; attribution disputed

   Southwestern Wilderness; lying rabbit account; received text and displayed notes distinguished.

Family & connections

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Primary records and illustrations

References

Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.

1. Primary-text transcriptionShenyi jing: Southwestern Wilderness; lying rabbit accountResearch access: 2026-10-05

Image credits

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