Tradition: Chinese Mythology
Alternative Names: 棺中鬼手, Ghost Hand in the Coffin
Category: Object
The Myth
The Guanzhong Guishou, meaning “Ghost Hand in the Coffin,” is a supernatural phenomenon described in the Chinese collection Xieduo (《谐铎》). It appears as a hand reaching out from inside a coffin, emerging during the hours after midnight. The story centres on a corrupt government official whose greed persists even after death.
Even while lying dead in his coffin, the official continues to stretch out his hand to demand money. His disturbing behaviour transforms an ordinary image of the dead into a symbol of greed that cannot be satisfied, even beyond the grave. The hand represents the official’s enduring attachment to wealth and his inability to escape the corruption that defined his life.
The tale criticizes the corruption of government officials and the decay of administrative justice in Qing-era China. Through dark supernatural imagery and satire, it exposes a system in which those entrusted with authority exploit others for personal gain. The official’s posthumous demand for money suggests that corruption has become so deeply rooted that even death cannot bring it to an end.
Sources
“Guān zhōng guǐ shǒu” (棺中鬼手). Chinese Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 24, 2026. https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%A3%BA%E4%B8%AD%E9%AC%BC%E6%89%8B