Juanzi

"a man of Qi who was fond of elixers of immortality (thus living for 300 years) and wrote Annals of People on Heaven and Earth.⁴ Fishing in a marsh he caught a carp with a magic tally in it. As a recluse on 巖山 Yanshan he could call on the wind and rain, creating Methods of the Nine Types of Immortals of Boyang (Laozi?).⁵ When the Prince of Huainan (Liu An) was young he attained (Juanzi's) writings, but was unable to 解 understand them. His Discussion of Qin Ideas (琴心三篇 Qin Xin [lit., Qin Heart]) in three chapters 有條理焉 was well organized...."⁶

This Juanzi is not the same as the 師涓 Shi Juan in biography #31, and presumably Qinshi Bu intended its combined biography (#24) of Liu Juanzi (connected to Yang Chun) and Xie Juanzi to refer to two people other than this Juanzi. However, comments such as those in Qinshu Cunmu (#1) about Qin Xin seem to suggest that there has long been a certain confusion about this.⁷

The original biography in Qin Shi is as follows.⁸

Juanzi was an immortal of old who, liking Daoist food and understanding the Methods of the Nine Types of Immortals of Boyang, did not die. He wrote the Tiandiren Jing and Qin Xin, both valued by Daoists. Unfortunately these writings are not available. Liu Xiang praised him. He passed on three skills and (something about red carp, throwing tallies, wind and clouds, and playing qin on high mountain peaks, where the sounds had a very soothing effect.

Further details in preparation.

Footnotes (Shorthand references are explained on a separate page)

1 17907.2 涓子 quotes Liexian Zhuan. He was 齊人 a man from the state of Qi. (Return)

2 (Return)

3 Image from an illustrated Liexian Quanzhuan, an expanded Ming edition of Liexian Zhuan. (Return)

4 天地人經三十八篇 Tiandiren Jing, 38 Folios (Return)

5 伯陽九仙法 Methods of the Nine Types of Immortals (九仙 173.115) of 伯陽 Boyang (538.313 various places and people, including Laozi). (Return)

6 Qin Ideas (琴心三篇 Qin Xin [lit., Qin Heart] in three chapters) "有條理焉 was well organized...." (Return)

7 See also the mention of Liu Juanzi by Van Gulik in his translation of Xi Kang's Qin Fu. (Return)

8 Ends: He passed on three skills (傳三才乃理赤鯉投符風雲是使拊琴... (something about red carp [37843.421; see #28], throwing tallies, wind and clouds, and playing qin on high mountain peaks, where the sounds had a very soothing effect....? Compare the Liexian Zhuan account above.) (Return)

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