|
Abstract There are abundant narratives of Dayu in Wei Shu (Chinese esoteric and oracular literature)， some of which show an obvious tendency of alchemy， such as Dayu was born from the divine pearl Yiyi and the goddess descended from the heaven after he successfully controlled floods. There are two major reasons for this tendency. On the one hand， the narration of Dayu in the pre-Qin period has already had the tendency of alchemy， and on the other hand， the content of alchemy reflects the cultural background of Wei Shu. Both the narrative of Dayu’s mother who swallowed the divine power and gave birth to Dayu， and the narrative of the descending goddess after Dayu’s success in controlling floods are mainly related to disease treatment and health care. Moreover， the significance of the holy king’s virtue is also manifested through his rising to immortality. When the intellectual context of Wei Shu is restored， its potential cultural value and the significance of ideological history can be fully revealed.
|
|
Received: 25 July 2022
|
|
|
|
2022, Vol. 61 
