The Liu Bowen Stone Inscription (刘伯温碑记), also known as the "Salvation Tablet" (救劫碑文) or "Taibai Mountain Inscription," is a prophetic text attributed to Liu Bowen (Liu Ji, 1311–1375), the celebrated Ming dynasty military strategist. Liu Ji, courtesy name Bowen, hailed from Qingtian in Zhejiang province. A polymath versed in astronomy, military strategy, and prognostication, he helped Zhu Yuanzhang establish the Ming dynasty and is often compared to Zhuge Liang as one of the two greatest strategists in Chinese history.
The inscription was allegedly carved on a stone tablet at Taibai Mountain in Shaanxi province, discovered when a stone wall collapsed during an earthquake. Written in rhyming verse, it primarily prophesies apocalyptic calamities — plagues, famines, and wars — followed by an era of great peace. Lines such as "Ten sorrows hard to survive in the year of Pig and Rat" and "If you ask when the plague appears, look to the ninth and tenth winter months" attracted widespread attention during the COVID-19 pandemic of 2019–2020.
It is important to note that this inscription is entirely distinct from the Shaobing Song (烧饼歌), another prophecy attributed to Liu Bowen. The Shaobing Song takes the form of a dialogue between Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang and Liu Bowen, predicting dynastic transitions and political events. The Stone Inscription, by contrast, focuses on apocalyptic plagues and natural disasters, with a strong tone of religious eschatology and moral exhortation. The text's authenticity and date of composition remain hotly debated among scholars, with some believing it to be a later pseudepigraphal work. This site presents the full text with segment-by-segment analysis for reference.
Core Message
"If rich and poor do not change their hearts, death stares them in the face." — Liu Bowen Stone Inscription
Opening — Heaven has eyes, earth has eyes: visions of an apocalyptic worldPlague — If you ask when the plague appears, look to the ninth and tenth winter monthsTen Sorrows — Ten sorrows hard to survive in the year of Pig and RatThe Tribulation — Even iron-cast Arhats cannot survive unless through virtueNew Era — When the first Jiazi cycle arrives, everyone laughs with joy
Original text sourced from folk-transmitted copies of the Shaanxi Taibai Mountain Liu Bowen Inscription; authenticity and date of composition remain debated (Wikipedia: Liu Bowen )
This inscription is distinct from the Shaobing Song — both attributed to Liu Bowen but with different content: the inscription focuses on apocalyptic calamities, while the Shaobing Song focuses on dynastic transitions
Verification based on public news reports and historical records; editorial opinions do not represent academic consensus
Site icon: stone tablet motif — representing the physical medium of this prophecy, the most recognizable cultural symbol of the inscription
Liu Bowen Stone Inscription All Prophecies 14 Q&A entries in total
Opening: Heaven and Earth Have Eyes
刘伯温（传）: Heaven has eyes, earth has eyes, every person has a pair of eyes. Heaven overturns, earth overturns — then comes carefree joy without end.
Vernacular: Heaven has its all-seeing eye, earth has its all-seeing eye, and every person also has a pair of eyes. After the world is turned upside down, a new era of carefree and boundless joy awaits.
Rich and Poor: Moral Decay
刘伯温（传）: Of ten thousand poor, a thousand survive; of ten thousand rich, only two or three remain. If rich and poor do not change their hearts, death stares them in the face.
Vernacular: Among ten thousand poor people, a thousand may survive; among ten thousand rich, only two or three will remain. Regardless of wealth, if one does not repent and reform, death is imminent.
End-Times Chaos: Desolate Fields
刘伯温（传）: On flat land no grain can be sown; beware — the four wilds will be devoid of people. If you ask when the plague appears, look to the ninth and tenth winter months.
Vernacular: No grain will grow on the flatlands; beware that the countryside will become utterly deserted. If you ask when the plague will arrive, look to the winter months of the ninth and tenth lunar months.
Ten Sorrows: Year of the Pig and Rat
刘伯温（传）: Those who do good shall be preserved; evildoers will not last long. Ten sorrows hard to survive in the year of Pig and Rat. First sorrow: chaos across the world. Second sorrow: people starving east and west. Third sorrow: great calamity in Hu-Guang. Fourth sorrow: smoke of war in every province. Fifth sorrow: people cannot find peace. Sixth sorrow: the ninth and tenth winter months. Seventh sorrow: food but none to eat it. Eighth sorrow: people but none with clothing. Ninth sorrow: corpses with none to collect them. Tenth sorrow: hard to survive the year of Pig and Rat.
Vernacular: Those who do good will survive; evildoers will not last long. Ten sorrows are hard to endure through the Years of the Pig and Rat: the first is worldwide chaos; the second, starvation east and west; the third, great disaster in the Hu-Guang region; the fourth, war smoke rising in every province; the fifth, people living in fear; the sixth, the winter months of the ninth and tenth months; the seventh, food with no one to eat it; the eighth, people with no clothes to wear; the ninth, corpses with no one to bury them; the tenth, the impossibility of surviving the Pig and Rat years.
Hardship: Only Virtue Saves
刘伯温（传）: If you can survive the great tribulation year, you are truly an immortal of the world. Even an iron-cast Arhat cannot survive the first to the thirteenth of the seventh month. No matter if you are a diamond Arhat of iron, only through virtue can you be preserved.
Vernacular: If you can survive the great tribulation year, you can be considered an ageless immortal. Even if you were an Arhat cast from bronze and iron, you cannot survive the first to the thirteenth of the seventh month. No matter how indestructible you are, only through doing good can your life be preserved.
Heed the Warning: Years of the Dragon and Snake
刘伯温（传）: Beware — everyone will struggle to get through; the critical passage is the heaven-overturning years of Dragon and Snake. Young children will suffer like the young Zhu Hongwu; Sichuan will be more bitter than Hanzhong.
Vernacular: Beware that everyone will face great hardship; the crucial test is the world-overturning years of the Dragon and Snake. At that time, young children will suffer like the young Zhu Yuanzhang; the hardship in Sichuan will surpass that of Hanzhong.
Apocalyptic Visions: Darkness Over the Land
刘伯温（传）: The great lion roars like thunder, louder than a mourning mother's cry. The rhinoceros reveals its tail; on flat ground one meets a fierce beast. If you ask when the great peace comes, a bridge is built to welcome the new lord. When the first Jiazi cycle arrives, everyone laughs with joy.
Vernacular: The great lion roars like thunder, surpassing even the wailing of a bereaved mother. The rhinoceros reveals its tail; ferocious beasts appear on flat ground. If you ask when the era of great peace will arrive, it is when a bridge is built to welcome the new lord. When the first Jiazi cycle comes, everyone will laugh with joy.
Moral Warning: Cultivate Virtue to Survive
刘伯温（传）: Ask about the year of Pig and Rat — great disaster is before your eyes. Everyone rushes to do good, yet everyone weeps. White bones flow like a river; the heart grieves as sun and moon are eclipsed.
Vernacular: Ask about the Years of the Pig and Rat — great calamity is imminent. Everyone hastens to do good, yet everyone also weeps. White bones pile up like a river; hearts break as eclipses of sun and moon appear.
End-Times: Karmic Retribution
刘伯温（传）: Morning passes and it is Mid-Autumn; past Mid-Autumn, white bones pile up. Some do good and rejoice in secret; some do evil and hasten their death. Some are reborn as beasts in the next life; some do good and ascend the heavenly ladder.
Vernacular: Morning passes and it is already Mid-Autumn; after Mid-Autumn, white bones pile up like mountains. Some who do good find quiet joy; some who do evil rush toward death. Some are reborn as animals in the next life; some who do good ascend the heavenly ladder.
Natural and Man-Made Disasters: Flood and Fire
刘伯温（传）: Great floods wash the roads uneven; fire burns Chang'an bright day and night. All food prices soar; walking on foot is the way of the worthy.
Vernacular: Great floods wash away the roads, leaving them uneven; fire burns the city of Chang'an bright through day and night. All grain prices soar; only those who walk on foot are considered respectable.
After the Tribulation: A New Era of Peace
刘伯温（传）: In the world some do great good — enduring this tribulation is nothing to them. All beings should look carefully: after the great disaster comes a new heaven. Everyone is renewed; the world shines with light everywhere.
Vernacular: Some in the world perform great acts of good — for them, enduring this tribulation is of no consequence. All living beings should observe carefully: after the great disaster, a new heaven and earth will emerge. Everyone will be renewed, and the world will shine with light in every direction.
Conclusion: Exhortation to Return to Virtue
刘伯温（传）: Everyone laughs in joy, everyone is happy; no more need to toil and wander. To live until the year of the Wood Rabbit is true longevity; blessings spread to all beings — what joy! Those who grasp the meaning within shall enjoy prosperity for a hundred generations.
Vernacular: Everyone laughs and rejoices; there is no more need to toil and run about. To survive until the Year of the Wood Rabbit is true longevity; blessings extend to all living beings — what happiness! Those who understand the deeper meaning shall enjoy wealth, honor, and glory for a hundred generations.
Post-Plague World: Soaring Prices and Ruin
刘伯温（传）: Bustling towns become desolate mounds; ten thousand households lie empty, ghosts sing of sorrow. Living is no better than dying; heavy burdens press upon the shoulders.
Vernacular: Prosperous towns turn into barren mounds; ten thousand households stand desolate as ghostly wails of sorrow fill the air. Being alive is no better than being dead; heavy burdens press down upon one's shoulders.
The Righteous Lord Descends: Order Restored
刘伯温（传）: The whole world walks one path with one heart; ten thousand teachings return to one, setting heaven and earth right. If a person holds even one thought of goodness, before disaster the gods will help. If a person harbors even one thought of evil, great calamity will surely come.
Vernacular: The whole world walks the same righteous path with united hearts; all religions return to one, restoring order to heaven and earth. If a person holds even a single thought of goodness, the gods will help them in the face of disaster. If a person harbors even a single evil thought, great calamity will inevitably befall them.
Prophecy Verification Evaluating predictions against reality for expired time points
End-Times Chaos: Desolate Fields
刘伯温（传）: On flat land no grain can be sown; beware — the four wilds will be devoid of people. If you ask when the plague appears, look to the ninth and tenth winter months.
Vernacular: No grain will grow on the flatlands; beware that the countryside will become utterly deserted. If you ask when the plague will arrive, look to the winter months of the ninth and tenth lunar months.
The timing of 'ninth and tenth winter months' coincidentally aligns with the initial emergence of COVID-19 around November–December 2019 (corresponding to the 9th/10th lunar months). However, the extreme imagery of 'no grain on flatlands' and 'deserted countryside' did not fully materialize, and the pandemic's severity, while significant, did not reach the apocalyptic scale described in the inscription.
Ten Sorrows: Year of the Pig and Rat
刘伯温（传）: Those who do good shall be preserved; evildoers will not last long. Ten sorrows hard to survive in the year of Pig and Rat. First sorrow: chaos across the world. Second sorrow: people starving east and west. Third sorrow: great calamity in Hu-Guang. Fourth sorrow: smoke of war in every province. Fifth sorrow: people cannot find peace. Sixth sorrow: the ninth and tenth winter months. Seventh sorrow: food but none to eat it. Eighth sorrow: people but none with clothing. Ninth sorrow: corpses with none to collect them. Tenth sorrow: hard to survive the year of Pig and Rat.
Vernacular: Those who do good will survive; evildoers will not last long. Ten sorrows are hard to endure through the Years of the Pig and Rat: the first is worldwide chaos; the second, starvation east and west; the third, great disaster in the Hu-Guang region; the fourth, war smoke rising in every province; the fifth, people living in fear; the sixth, the winter months of the ninth and tenth months; the seventh, food with no one to eat it; the eighth, people with no clothes to wear; the ninth, corpses with no one to bury them; the tenth, the impossibility of surviving the Pig and Rat years.
The 'Year of Pig and Rat' corresponds to 2019 (Pig) and 2020 (Rat), precisely when COVID-19 emerged and spread globally. 'Great calamity in Hu-Guang' — Hu-Guang historically refers to the Hubei-Hunan region, and COVID-19 first broke out in Wuhan, Hubei, showing notable geographic alignment. However, other calamities described (mass starvation, war in every province, uncollected corpses) did not materialize to the described extent. Some temporal and geographic details align coincidentally, but the overall scale of disaster does not match the description.
Moral Warning: Cultivate Virtue to Survive
刘伯温（传）: Ask about the year of Pig and Rat — great disaster is before your eyes. Everyone rushes to do good, yet everyone weeps. White bones flow like a river; the heart grieves as sun and moon are eclipsed.
Vernacular: Ask about the Years of the Pig and Rat — great calamity is imminent. Everyone hastens to do good, yet everyone also weeps. White bones pile up like a river; hearts break as eclipses of sun and moon appear.
Again references the 'Year of Pig and Rat,' coinciding with the COVID-19 timeline. There was indeed large-scale death globally and widespread grief. However, the extreme imagery of 'white bones flowing like a river' far exceeds what actually occurred. The apocalyptic imagery in the inscription far surpasses the actual severity of the pandemic.
Heed the Warning: Years of the Dragon and Snake
刘伯温（传）: Beware — everyone will struggle to get through; the critical passage is the heaven-overturning years of Dragon and Snake. Young children will suffer like the young Zhu Hongwu; Sichuan will be more bitter than Hanzhong.
Vernacular: Beware that everyone will face great hardship; the crucial test is the world-overturning years of the Dragon and Snake. At that time, young children will suffer like the young Zhu Yuanzhang; the hardship in Sichuan will surpass that of Hanzhong.
The 'Dragon and Snake years' correspond to 2024 (Dragon) and 2025 (Snake). As of early 2026, no catastrophic events matching the described 'everyone struggling' or 'heaven overturning' occurred during 2024–2025, nor did Sichuan experience exceptional suffering beyond normal levels. This prophecy does not match reality.