一般學者在談論祖先的特性時，通常都是從祖先崇拜的權利、義務及嗣系的觀點來 討論祖先的仁慈、懲罰等特性。但是本文所討論的祖先特性並不在上述的祖先崇拜意涵 內，而是從日常生活的生人和亡者間的互動爲出發點。筆者所說的被r公媽」（祖先）問 到，係指自己家或別人家的公媽（祖先）會使自己或別人的子孫生病，但這卻和上述的 權利、義務及嗣系無關。村民們認爲公媽「問」人是沒歹意的，只是和活人打招呼而已。 筆者必須強調的是被別人家的「公媽」問到，意思是被別人家的家內神問到，他們並不 把別人家的「公媽」當做是鬼（若是鬼，則自己家的公媽亦是鬼)。在得知是被公媽「問」 到後的民俗醫治方法也是很簡單，但現代的西方醫術卻是無法醫好這些病。

In most cases the scholars discuss the Chinese Ancestors’ characteristics, such as a source of benevolence or punishment from the viewpoint of their jural and moral aspects. However, the author of this article tries to illustrate another nature of the Chinese ancestors by the villagers’ belief in what is called “greeting or visiting to the living people in the daily life by one’s own or someone else’s dead ancestors.” It is interesting to know that villagers do not think that these “greetings” are illinten-tioned, though they may become sick or even have to be hospitalized as a result. It is similarly surprising to learn that villagers insist that Western-educated medical doctors are powerless to cure patients who suffer from such visits, though traditional Chinese folk-medical treatments are efficacious.