English Original
A young and beautiful wife fell gravely ill. On her deathbed, she made her husband promise never to remarry, threatening, "If you marry another, I will return as a ghost and make you suffer eternally!" The husband, respecting her wish, initially had no intention of remarrying.
However, merely three months after her funeral, he met another woman—younger, charming, and wealthy—who loved him deeply. He soon became engaged to her. That very night, the ghost of his late wife appeared, scolding him relentlessly for breaking his promise. To his terror, the ghost knew every detail of his interactions with his new fiancée.
Haunted and unable to eat or sleep, the desperate husband sought help from a Zen master. The master advised him, "The ghost knows all, but there is one thing she cannot know. Next time she appears, take a handful of mung beans and ask her how many are in your hand. If she cannot answer, you will know she is merely an illusion born of your own fear and guilt, and she will vanish."
The following night, the ghost returned, even boasting that she knew of his visit to the master. The husband then posed the riddle: "Since you know everything, tell me how many beans are in my hand." Upon hearing the question, the ghost instantly disappeared.
中文翻译
一位年轻美丽的妻子病重垂危。临终前，她让丈夫发誓永不续弦，并威胁道：“你若另娶他人，我必化为鬼魂，让你永世受苦！”丈夫出于尊重，起初并无再婚的念头。
然而，就在她的葬礼仅仅三个月后，他遇到了另一位女子——更年轻、迷人且富有，并深爱着他。他很快与她订了婚。就在订婚当晚，亡妻的鬼魂出现了，对他违背誓言的行为喋喋不休地斥责。令他恐惧的是，鬼魂对他与新未婚妻交往的一切细节都了如指掌。
被鬼魂纠缠得无法饮食安眠，绝望的丈夫向一位禅师求助。禅师指点他：“这鬼魂知晓一切，但必有一事不知。下次她再现身时，你抓一把绿豆在手中，问她里面有多少颗。若她答不上来，你便知她不过是你自身恐惧与内疚产生的幻象，她自会消失。”
次日夜晚，鬼魂再度出现，甚至炫耀自己知道他拜访了禅师。丈夫于是抛出谜题：“既然你无所不知，告诉我我手中有多少颗绿豆。”问题一出，鬼魂瞬间消散无踪。