Note 92 — LXXXV. THE DISEMBODIED FRIEND.

These consist simply of thin slips of wood dipped in brimstone, and resemble those used in England as late as the first quarter of the present century. They are said to have been invented by the people of Hang-chou, the capital of Chekiang; but it is quite possible that the hint may have first reached China from the west. They were called yin kuang “bring light,” (cf. lucifer), fa chu “give forth illumination,” and other names. Lucifer matches are now generally spoken of as tzŭ lai huo “self-come fire,” and are almost universally employed, except in remote parts where the flint and steel still hold sway. return to text