Auspicious Omens and Miracles in Ancient China

"The subject of Dr. Lippiello's study is one of bewildering complexity and variety. 'Good luck' and its manifestation through ominous signs and miraculous events occupy a central position in traditional Chinese thought, and the author has wisely refrained from covering the subject in all its ramifications. She has chosen to place the belief in auspicious omens in three different perspectives, corresponding to the three main religious and ideological traditions of ancient and early medieval China: Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism. (...)

By concentrating on these three main spheres of religious thought, each with its own conception of ominous signs, Dr. Lippiello gives us a clear presentation of a subject that in spite of its obvious importance so far has not attracted much scholary attention. It is the result of years of exciting exploration to which I have been a witness when supervising her research. To me it is a great pleasure to see the book published in a form that does justice to its content, and to introduce it to the reader."

From the Foreword by Erik Zürcher

"The book is an informative compilation of important material and shows the intellectual history of China between the Han and Tang periods from an interesting and so far little studied point of view. ... Lippiello's book provides a convenient overview to the problem and a good starting point for further investigation into it."

Olga Lomová in Archiv orientální

Chapter One
Literature and Iconography 

Chapter Two
The Case of Li Xi: Five Emblems of Confucian Virtue

Chapter Three
Shen Yue and his Treatise in Songshu

Chapter Four
The Miracles of the Buddha

Chapter Five
Auspicious Signs in Some Taoist Texts: Talismans, Sacred Scriptures, Perfected-Immortals and Crowds of Saintly Assistants 

Conclusion

Appendices

Bibliography

General Index with Glossary