courtesy name
A courtesy name (), also known as a style name, is a name bestowed upon one at adulthood in addition to one's given name. This practice is a tradition in the East Asian cultural sphere, including China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.Ulrich Theo ...
Zhichuan (稚川), was a Chinese linguist, Taoist practitioner, philosopher, physician, politician, and writer during the Eastern Jin dynasty. He was the author of '' Essays on Chinese Characters'', the ''
Baopuzi
The ''Baopuzi'' () is a literary work written by Ge Hong (also transliterated as Ko Hung) (), 283–343, a scholar during the turbulent Jin dynasty. ''Baopuzi'' is divided into two main sections, the esoteric ''Neipian'' () "Inner Chapters" and ...
'', the ''Emergency Formulae at an Elbow's Length'', among others. He was the originator of
first aid
First aid is the first and immediate assistance given to any person with either a minor or serious illness or injury, with care provided to preserve life, prevent the condition from worsening, or to promote recovery. It includes initial i ...
in
traditional Chinese medicine
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an alternative medical practice drawn from traditional medicine in China. It has been described as "fraught with pseudoscience", with the majority of its treatments having no logical mechanism of acti ...
and influenced later generations.
Early life
Ge Hong was born as the third son into a well-established family, his father died when he was 13.
Career
In his public service role as an official, he was often asked to appraise his friends and acquaintances as possible candidates for government office positions and was also chosen to perform military service. However, he was unhappy with his life as an official. Although he never rejected
Confucianism
Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China. Variously described as tradition, a philosophy, a Religious Confucianism, religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, ...
, he grew interested in
Taoist
Taoism (, ) or Daoism () refers to either a school of philosophical thought (道家; ''daojia'') or to a religion (道教; ''daojiao''), both of which share ideas and concepts of Chinese origin and emphasize living in harmony with the '' Tao ...
cultivation and using drugs so he could achieve the spiritual freedoms of Taoist Immortality.
He wrote an autobiography of his life that was the last part of his collected writings
His grandfather served as Minister of Personnel and his father as governor. By Ge Hong's time, although the family was declining, he was once made Marquis (noble title) of the area within the past relying on his meritorious military service.
Ge Chaofu
Ge Chaofu () is a member of the Chinese Ge family who lived during the 4th and 5th centuries CE. He is best known for writing the Taoist scripture known as ''The Five Talismans'' (''Wufujing'') which forms the basis of the beliefs of the Lingbao Sc ...
*
Ge Xuan
Ge Xuan (164–244), courtesy name Xiaoxian, was a Chinese Taoist practitioner who lived in the Eastern Han dynasty (25–220) and Three Kingdoms period (220–280) of China. He was the ancestor of Ge Hong and a resident of Danyang Commander ...
References
Further reading
*Campany, Robert Ford. ''To Live As Long As Heaven and Earth: Ge Hong's Traditions of Divine Transcendents''. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2002
*Davis, Tenney and Ch’en Kuo-fu. "The Inner Chapters of ''Pao-p’u-tzu''." ''Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences'' 74 (1941): 297–325. chaps. 8 and 11
*Fang Xuanling, et al. ''Jin shu'' (History of the Jin Dynasty). 10 vols. Beijing: Zhonghua shuju, 1998
*Feifel, Eugene. "Pao-p’u tzu nei-p’ien." ''Monumenta Serica'' 6 (1941): 113–211; 9 (1944): 1–33; 11 (1946): 1–32. haps. 1–4 and 11*Giles, Lionel. ''A Gallery of Chinese Immortals''. London: John Murray, 1948.
*Hausen, Johan and Tsaur, Allen. ''The Arts of Daoism''. Auckland: Purple Cloud Press, 2021
*Hu Fuchen. ''Baopuzi neipian yanjiu'' (Research on the Inner Chapters of The Master Embracing Simplicity). Beijing: Xinhua chubanshe, 1991
* Obed Simon Johnson, ''A Study of Chinese Alchemy'', Shanghai, Commercial, 1928. rpt. New York: Arno P, 1974.
*Lin Lixue. ''Baopuzi nei wai pian sixiang xi lun'' (An Analysis of the Thought of the Inner and Outer Chapters of The Master Embracing Simplicity). Taipei: Xuesheng, 1980.
*Penny, Benjamin. "The Text and Authorship of Shenxian zhuan". Journal of Oriental Studies 34 (1996): 165–209.
*Ren Jiyu, ed. ''Zhongguo daojiao shi'' (A History of Chinese Daoism). Shanghai: Shanghai renmin chubanshe, 1997.
*Robinet, Isabelle. ''Daoism: Growth of a Religion'', translated by Phyllis Brooks. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1997.
*Sailey, Jay. ''The Master Who Embraces Simplicity: A study of the philosopher Ko Hung, A.D. 283-343''. San Francisco: Chinese Materials Center. 1978.
*Sivin, Nathan. "On the Pao P’u Tzu Nei Pien and the Life of Ko Hong (283-343)". Isis 60 (1976): 388–391.
*Sivin, Nathan. "On the Word ‘Daoist’ as a Source of Perplexity". History of Religions 17(1978): 303–330.
*Tang Yijie. ''Wei Jin Nan Bei Chao shiqi de daojiao'' (Daoism in the Wei, Jin, and Northern and Southern Dynasties Era). Taipei: Dongda tushu gongsi yinhang, 1991
*Wang Liqi. ''Ge Hong lun'' (A Discussion of Ge Hong). Taipei: Wunan tushu chubanshe, 1997.
*Ware, James R. ''Alchemy, Medicine and Religion in the China of A.D. 320: The'' Nei Pien'' of Ko Hung''. Mineola, NY: Dover. 1981.
*Wells, Matthew. "Self as Historical Artifact: Ge Hong and Early Chinese Autobiography". Early Medieval China 9 (2003): 71–103.
*Wong, Eva. ''Teachings of the Tao''. Boston: Shambhala, 1997. (96–104)
*Wu Lu-ch’iang and Tenney Davis. "An Ancient Chinese Alchemical Classic. Ko Hung on the Gold Medicine and on the Yellow and the White." ''Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences'' 70 (1935): 221–84. haps. 4 and 16