Tradition / Region: Chinese Mythology
Alternative names: Jealous Woman’s Ferry
Category: Ghost
The Myth
The Jealous Woman is the ghost of Duan, the wife of Liu Boyu during the Jin Dynasty. She was infamous for her fierce jealousy and eventually became a dangerous spirit associated with a river crossing where she met her death.
One day, while reciting the Ode to the Goddess of the Luo River, Liu Boyu admired the beauty and grace of the water goddess and remarked that he would have no regrets if he had such a wife. Enraged by what she considered an insult, Duan exclaimed that if the goddess of the river was so wonderful, then she herself would become a water goddess after death. With those words, she threw herself into the river and drowned.
After her death, strange events began to occur at the ferry where she had perished. Beautiful women who attempted to cross the river while dressed elegantly or wearing fine makeup would suddenly encounter fierce winds and rough waters. Their boats were endangered by violent waves, as though some unseen force sought to harm them.
Ugly or plainly dressed women, however, crossed the river without trouble. Even if they wore their finest clothes, the waters remained calm and peaceful.
People believed that the spirit of Duan had become jealous of the beauty of other women and attacked them out of envy. To warn travelers, a stone monument was erected beside the crossing bearing the inscription “Jealous Woman’s Ferry.”
Thus the Jealous Woman was remembered as a vengeful water spirit whose envy survived even death, disturbing the river and punishing those whose beauty she could no longer bear.
Sources
Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). 妒婦津. In 維基百科，自由的百科全書. Retrieved June 20, 2026, from https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%A6%92%E5%A6%87%E6%B4%A5
