When we study Bian Que, we often encounter many confusing problems. Such as the name Bian Que, where is it like a personal name? Why do archaeologists find Han painting stones in Linyi and other places in Shandong Province paint Bian Que as a monster with a "human face and a bird body"? Is Bian Que a man or a god? If he was human, how could he live more than two hundred years?
Portrait of Bian Que
Bian Que is an ancient clan name
As we all know, since ancient times, the Qilu region has had the custom of advocating birds. The Dongyi people, the ancient inhabitants of the region, regarded birds as their ancestors.
There are two large races in the Dongyi tribe, the Shang and the Ama. They all considered themselves to be the offspring of birds. In the oracle bones, we see that the ancestor of the Shang clan, "Di Yuan", is the appearance of a bird; the son of the Shao Hao clan, the ancestor of the Xiang clan, "Jur Mang", is also the image of the bird's human face.
Therefore, as stated in the "History of the Five Emperors", people refer to the Dongyi people as "Bird Yi". Their custom of advocating birds has been passed down for a long time, and to this day we still use the "Xuan Bird" as one of the two symbols of the Chinese nation.
Xuanyuan Images
Based on this premise, let's take a look at whether the word "Bian Que" is a personal name, and whether "Bian Que is a man or a god" and other issues.
On the one hand, in ancient Chinese literature, there are many records about clan names. Such as the Shaohao clan in the phoenix clan, Xuan Bird clan, Dan Bird clan, Bo Bird clan and so on. These clans named after birds each have their own areas of responsibility, such as the Phoenix Clan in charge of the calendar, the Dan Bird clan in charge of the people, and so on.
On the other hand, we all know that Bian Que's real name is Qin Yueren, and the surname "Qin" originally came from the Shaohao clan. In ancient customs, each member of a clan had the right to bear the clan name in front of his or her own.
Portrait of Bian Que curing the disease
Combining these two aspects, we can conclude that Bian Que is an ancient clan name. That is to say, the qinyue family originated from a branch of the Shaohao clan, the Bian Que clan. The clan with Bian Que as the clan name is in charge of medicine.
The records of Bian Que are contradictory in terms of chronology
This conclusion can also explain the most striking doubt of Bian Que in the literature: the contradiction in chronology in the records of Bian Que.
For example, the well-known deed "Bian Que Meets Qi Huanhou" in the "History of Bian Que Biography" - as Bian Que repeatedly said that Qi Huanhou's illness had developed new, Qi Huanhou also felt displeased again and again, and the conflict between the two continued to intensify, and finally Bian Que fled, and Qi Huanhou died of illness and "the whole drama ended".
Bian Que saw the portrait of Marquis Huan of Qi
In addition, in the "History of Bian Que Biography", Bian Que diagnosed the illness of Zhao Jianzi in the early fifth century BC, from the death of Zhao Jianzi to the succession of Marquis Huan of Qi, a period of ninety-three years; there is also a record in the Warring States Policy that Bian Que once removed the face of King Wu of Qin, and we all know that King Wu of Qin was a figure at the end of the fourth century.
Bian Que lived in such a chaotic era, and the contradictions in it were so prominent. There is a difference of more than two hundred years, which is impossible in any case.
The author believes that the doctors who treated Qi Huanhou, Zhao Jianzi, Qin Wuwang, as well as Prince Yu, Cai Huangong and others, were all Bian Que. As mentioned earlier, the name Bian Que comes from the clan that specializes in medicine.
Qin Wuwang stills
Tai Shi Gong's research has always been rigorous, and he must know this. Then why did he write the "Biography of Bian Que"? Because the Qin Yue people were the best "Bian Que", his good name was praised by people, and Tai Shi Gong wrote a biography for him. The historical materials cited by Tai Shigong in the biography may be the deeds of other "Bian Que".
In 2013, a large number of bamboo janes were excavated during the construction of the Chengdu Metro, which can be classified into nine medical books after collation. Archaeologists agree that these medical books are likely related to Bian Que.
Stills of Sima Qian
However, in the 2016 ministry textbook and the 2017 unified textbook, Bian Que and his deeds are no longer introduced. The reason given by scholars is that the existence of Bian Que as a person is a question.
Some scholars believe that the root cause is that there are too many and too many "Bian Que" and too chaotic, and the academic community simply cannot clarify what each "Bian Que" has done, in order to avoid misunderstanding, simply delete it.