Stock vocabulary of Chinese folk religion and fantasy: pagodas (
塔), peachwood swords (
桃木剑),
镇妖石 (zhènyāoshí, demon-suppressing stones) and
镇妖塔 (zhènyāotǎ, demon-suppressing pagodas) all
镇妖. The most famous example is
雷峰塔 (Léifēng Tǎ, Leifeng Pagoda) in Hangzhou, said in legend to imprison the White Snake spirit. The character
镇 here means 'press down, hold in place' — like a paperweight on supernatural threats.
