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The translations of the Sanskrit term “ojas (apahṛ)” in various Chinese versions of the Bhaiṣajyaguru Sūtra are as follows: The Guanding Sūtra (Sūtra on Abhiṣeka) avoided translating “ojas” independently, rendering “ojaḥ apahṛ” as “舐頭” (licking the head), “中害” (harming), and “得便” (taking advantage of). These translations are either perplexing or overly vague. Dharmagupta translated “ojas” as “魂魄” (soul/spirit) and “ojaḥ apahṛ” as “奪/害魂魄” (robbing/harming the soul/spirit), but the term “魂魄” (soul/spirit) is prone to ambiguity. Both Xuanzang and Yijing translated “ojas” as “精氣” (vital essence) and “ojaḥ apahṛ” as “奪精氣” (robbing the vital essence), with consistent and precise terminology throughout their translations. Without Sanskrit–Chinese collation or a comparison of different translations, it is impossible to establish a synonymous relationship between “舐頭” (licking the head), “中害” (harming), “得便” (taking advantage of), “奪/害魂魄” (robbing/harming the soul/spirit), and “奪精氣” (robbing the vital energy). Assuming that the Guanding Sūtra is a translated sūtra from abroad, the aforementioned semantic differences can be reasonably explained, precisely reflecting the historical trajectory of its translation from uncertainty to certainty, from imprecision to precision, and from non-literal translation to literal translation. Meanwhile, the theory of it being a foreign-translated sūtra also helps explain the origin of the new phrase “惡鬼舐頭” (evil ghost licking the head). If we assume that the Guanding Sūtra is a native apocryphal text that was translated into Sanskrit and then back into Chinese, there would be significant difficulties in explaining how “舐頭” (licking the head), “中害” (harming), and “得便” (taking advantage of) could have been unified as “ojaḥ apahṛ” either during the translation into Sanskrit or in the process of transmission. Therefore, the translation trajectory of “ojaḥ (apahṛ)” and the emergence of the new phrase “惡鬼舐頭” (evil ghost licking the head) could serve as linguistic empirical evidence supporting the theory that the text is a foreign-translated sūtra. According to the Chu Sanzang Jiji (Collection of Records of the Translation of the Tripiṭaka), this sūtra “circulated widely in the world”; thus, the phrase “惡鬼舐頭” (evil ghost licking the head) should have been familiar to the general public. Alopecia areata, a condition characterized by sudden, patchy hair loss, was not understood by ancient people, who attributed it to “evil ghost licking the head” and thus referred to it as “鬼舐頭” (ghost licking head). This term emerged during the Sui Dynasty. After Xuanzang’s translation became the prevalent version, replacing the Guanding Sūtra, “鬼舐頭” (ghost licking head) gradually fell into obscurity and was replaced by “鬼剃頭” (ghost shaving head) during the Qing Dynasty. Full article