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II The Meaning of the Title Huang Di nei jing su wen 1. HUANG DI ¿“ Long Bojian sBÌ explains the association of the Nei jing with Huang Di with two arguments. First, the Nei jing emphasizes the yin-yang and the fiveagents doctrines, which, according to the Shi ji, had been introduced by Zou Yan Ql. Because Zou Yan, in turn, venerated Huang Di, the Nei jing was given his name. Second, Long Bojian quotes a passage from the Huai nan zi anl of the second century b.c.: “The ordinary people often venerate the old and despise the new. Hence those who set up the Way are forced to do so under the names of Shen nong and Huang Di, and it is only then that they may enter the discourse.”1 Although these arguments appear inadequate to explain why this particular Nei jing was published under the pseudonym Huang Di rather than Shen nong, Bian Que, or Bai shi, the Huai nan zi at least informs us that it may have been common knowledge by the second century b.c. that scriptures carrying the names of the ancient culture heroes in their titles had not necessarily been written by these persons themselves. Of the 79 discourses constituting the textus receptus of the Su wen, 68 are structured as dialogues between Huang Di and one of three advisers, Qi Bo ¡B (60 dialogues), Lei Gong pΩ (7 dialogues), and Gui Yuqu ≠ÿœ (1 dialogue). A similar distribution of dialogues and nondialogue discourses is found in the Ling shu. Its dialogue partners include, in addition to Qi Bo and Lei Gong, Bo Gao B™, Shao Shi ÷v, and Shao Yu ÷\. Most of the dialogues, Tessenow concludes from his analysis of historical layers in the Su wen, were the work of compilers who construed them as a device to link originally separate texts. The questions and answers put in 8 the mouths of Huang Di and his partners allowed them to provide introductions and transitions from one theme to another. Only in a few instances, as for example in the first part of Su wen 19, should the dialogue be considered a structural characteristic of the primary text. The textus receptus of the Su wen resulted from different primary compilations , most of them completed during the Han era. This explains the mixture of texts structured as dialogues and nondialogue discourses. Later, secondary compilators, such as Quan Yuanqi, Yang Shangshan, and Wang Bing, brought these dialogues and nondialogue discourses together or rearranged them without attempting to superimpose one coherent structure on them. The different dialogue partners are evidence of different primary compilations too; at least they refer to an origin of “their” texts in different traditions or schools of learning. In the Su wen, the dialogues between Huang Di and Lei Gong in particular are to be distinguished from the other dialogues and must be considered a layer of their own.2 The sixty-one discourses with Qi Bo and Gui Yuqu portray Huang Di as an eager student with little knowledge of the subjects he inquires about. Only in the seven dialogues with Lei Gong does Huang Di act as sovereign teacher.3 Huang Di is occasionally named as the ancient Chinese culture hero who bestowed the knowledge of medicine on the Chinese people. Such statements may be justified with the final seven Lei Gong chapters, Su wen 75 through 81. The vast majority of Su wen discourses throw a different and contradictory light on the role of Huang Di. The first lines of Su wen 1 quote the first chapter of the Shi ji of 90 b.c.4 The editors who superimposed the dialogue structure on the Su wen texts thereby deliberately identified Huang Di as the mythical ancestor ruler of all the tribes inhabiting central China in the distant past. In former times there was Huang Di. When he came to life, he had spirituality and magic power. While he was [still] weak, he could speak. While he was [still] young, he was quick of apprehension. While he grew up, he was sincere and diligent. When he had matured, he ascended to heaven.5 This Huang Di, as the Yi jing has it, rose to power after the death of Shen nong, another of the ancient Chinese culture heroes,6 who was credited with the introduction of materia medica into Chinese civilization.7 The Huang Di of the Yi jing, the Shi ji, and Su wen 1...

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