Bing Yuan

Historical Record

Bing Yuan, courtesy name Genju, was a native of Zhuxu in Beihai. In his youth, together with Guan Ning, he was famed for his lofty integrity. The province and commandery summoned him many times, but he declined every call. After the outbreak of the Yellow Turban turmoil, Bing Yuan took his family and withdrew to the seaside Mount Yuzhou to take refuge. At that time Kong Rong, serving as Chancellor of Beihai, recommended Bing Yuan as a man of the Way. ^c:3856

As the Yellow Turban Army was at the height of its power, Bing Yuan finally went to Liaodong, attaching himself there together with Liu Zheng, a man of his own commandery. Liu Zheng had long been known for valor, strategy, and a heroic spirit. Gongsun Du, Grand Administrator of Liaodong, feared Liu Zheng and wished to kill him, and had already arrested Liu Zheng's entire family. Liu Zheng managed to escape, and Gongsun Du thereupon proclaimed to all the counties, "Whoever dares to harbor Liu Zheng shall share his guilt." ^c:3856 At his wits' end, Liu Zheng went to attach himself to Bing Yuan. Bing Yuan took him in and hid him for more than a month. At that time, Taishi Ci of Donglai was about to return to his home district, and Bing Yuan entrusted Liu Zheng to him, enabling him to get away. ^c:14896

After Liu Zheng had departed, Bing Yuan went before Gongsun Du and said, "Earlier, General, you wished to kill Liu Zheng because he posed a threat to you. Now that Liu Zheng has gone, is your trouble not already removed?" Gongsun Du replied, "Indeed." Bing Yuan said again, "The reason you feared Liu Zheng is that he has wisdom and strategy. Now that Liu Zheng has escaped, his wisdom will find its use—so why continue to hold his family captive? Better to pardon them, lest you needlessly breed resentment." Gongsun Du heeded Bing Yuan's advice and released Liu Zheng's family. Bing Yuan also gave aid to Liu Zheng's family so that they could return to their home commandery. ^c:14896 During Bing Yuan's residence in Liaodong, within a single year several hundred households came to attach themselves to him, and seekers of learning came in an unbroken stream, the sound of his teaching never ceasing. ^c:14896

Later, Bing Yuan was able to return to the Central Plains and was summoned by Cao Cao to be an assistant in the office of the Minister of Works. Bing Yuan's daughter had died young, and at that time Cao Cao's beloved son Cao Chong had also died. Cao Cao wished to bury them together, but Bing Yuan firmly declined, saying, "Joint burial is contrary to ritual. The reason I have won your esteem, and the reason you treat me with propriety, is precisely that I can hold to canonical teaching and not lightly change it. If I obeyed your command, I would be no more than a common man—why then would you value me?" Hearing this, Cao Cao gave up the idea of joint burial and instead appointed Bing Yuan as a Summoned Officer in the Chancellor's office. ^c:3858 In the fifteenth year of Jian'an, the post of Summoned Officer was first established with two appointees, and Bing Yuan was selected together with Wang Lie of Pingyuan. When Cui Yan served as aide of the Eastern Bureau, he submitted a memorial praising Bing Yuan and the Court Gentleman for Consultation Zhang Fan: "Both are pure and excellent in virtue, loyal and upright in resolve and conduct; their purity is enough to admonish the customs of the age, and their steadfastness is enough to accomplish affairs—these are what one calls the dragon's pinions and the phoenix's wings, the precious treasures of the state. Raise them up and employ them, and the unkind will keep their distance." ^c:3858 Later, Bing Yuan succeeded Liang Mao as Chief Clerk to the General of the Five Offices; he kept his door shut and held to himself, never going out except on official business. ^c:3858

In the Novel

Romance of the Three Kingdoms does not directly depict Bing Yuan's life and deeds, and so contains no literary treatment of him. The deeds recorded in the histories—his taking refuge in Liaodong, his clever rescue of Liu Zheng, and his refusal to allow the joint burial of his daughter with Cao Chong—are all unmentioned in Romance of the Three Kingdoms. This shows that, in its choice of characters and arrangement of plot, Romance of the Three Kingdoms placed greater emphasis on those who took direct part in the core events of the Three Kingdoms conflict, while figures like Bing Yuan, famed for lofty virtue and a reclusive air, received no literary reworking.

Key Relationships

* Guan Ning (friend_of): From youth Bing Yuan was famed for lofty integrity together with Guan Ning, a like-minded friend. ^c:3856
* Liu Zheng (friend_of): In a moment of danger Liu Zheng went to attach himself to Bing Yuan, who at the risk of his own life hid him and helped him escape, displaying deep friendship and a sense of righteousness. ^c:3856
* Gongsun Du (advises_in): While in Liaodong, Bing Yuan cleverly persuaded Gongsun Du to release Liu Zheng's family, displaying his wisdom and influence. ^c:14896
* Cao Cao (serves): Bing Yuan was summoned by Cao Cao to be an assistant in the office of the Minister of Works and a Summoned Officer in the Chancellor's office, and later Chief Clerk to the General of the Five Offices—an important official under Cao Cao. ^c:3858
* Cui Yan (colleague_of): Cui Yan highly praised Bing Yuan's virtue and ability, calling him a "precious treasure of the state." ^c:3858

Iconic Scenes

* Cleverly rescuing Liu Zheng: When Liu Zheng was hunted by Gongsun Du and at his wits' end, Bing Yuan, heedless of his own safety, hid him for more than a month and cleverly arranged for Taishi Ci to spirit him away. He then used his wit to persuade Gongsun Du to release Liu Zheng's family and gave them aid to return to their home commandery. This event fully displays Bing Yuan's benevolence, wisdom, and courage. ^c:14896
* Refusing the joint burial: When Cao Cao wished to bury his daughter together with his beloved son Cao Chong, Bing Yuan firmly refused on the grounds that "joint burial is contrary to ritual." He made clear to Cao Cao that the reason he had won esteem was precisely his adherence to ritual and propriety. This scene highlights Bing Yuan's lofty character of "holding to canonical teaching and not changing it" and his adherence to Confucian rites. ^c:3858
* Taking refuge in Liaodong and teaching: During the Yellow Turban turmoil, Bing Yuan took his household out to sea to take refuge and later went to Liaodong. While there, he drew several hundred households to attach themselves to him, with seekers of learning coming in an unbroken stream and the sound of his teaching never ceasing, forming a distinctive cultural scene. This reflects how Bing Yuan, even in a troubled age, maintained his lofty integrity and, through his learning and virtue, inspired the people of his time. ^c:14896