Study on the doctor image of Dong Feng
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I207.7;K826.2

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    Abstract:

    Dong Feng was born at the turn of the Han and Wei dynasties. As a folk wizard, he had been active in the Jiangnan generation for a long time and lived in seclusion in Lushan Mountain until his death. Later, he was shaped into the image of a Taoist immortal. He was also known as the "Three Miracle Doctors of Jian’an" together with Hua Tuo and Zhang Zhongjing. His iconic symbols include "Fushan" and "Xinglin". However, Dong Feng’s image has not always been shown as a magic doctor, but has experienced a transformation from a god to a magic doctor. Since the end of the Han Dynasty, Dong Feng’s character image has gone through three constructions: from the Taoist immortal image in Ge Hong’s The Legend of Immortals, to the official edict and Taoist promotion of his immortal status in the Tang and Song Dynasties, to after the Yuan Dynasty Gradually, the image of Dong Feng as a doctor was re-written by literati and doctors, and Dong Feng’s image experienced the transformation of folk sorcerer, official deity and benevolent doctor. The reason for the first construction of Dong Feng’s image lies in the planning of the development strategy of early Taoism to win official and private support. The construction of its second image was due to the way in which local religions understood and practiced legitimate gains and support under the combination of national will and local tradition during the Tang and Song Dynasties. The final reason for the third reconstruction was mainly due to the improvement of the status of doctors during the Yuan and Ming Dynasties and the concrete manifestation of the tendency of literati and doctors to combine Confucianism and medicine by praising doctors or using metaphors to flaunt their own virtues. However, in these several image constructions, Dong Feng’s supernatural attributes did not have new miracles as time went on, and they were repeatedly lost due to later generations’ additions, thus limiting the widespread spread of Dong Feng’s beliefs. After these three character image constructions, unlike Hua Tuo and Zhang Zhongjing, Dong Feng did not even become one of the top ten famous doctors who served the Three Emperors after the Yuan Dynasty. The attitude of the people and the government toward Dong Feng also changed from folk worship in the Wei and Jin Dynasties to official recognition and enshrinement in the Tang and Song Dynasties. After the Southern Song Dynasty, it changed to "lost notes" on his deeds and finally became a tribute to literati and officials since the Yuan Dynasty. The benchmark of good medicine has been fixed to this day. In the process of shaping Dong Feng’s character, he completed the transformation from immortal to miraculous doctor, reflecting the complex process of constructing historical figures.

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吴志远,李孟霞,蔡杰.建构与层累:汉末以来董奉形象变化考述[J].重庆大学学报社会科学版,2024,30(3):180~191

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  • Online: July 07,2024
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