{"id":7841,"date":"2019-10-05T12:21:23","date_gmt":"2019-10-05T12:21:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/chinesemoment.com\/chinese-reading\/the-farmer-god-shen-nong-tastes-all-the-plants\/"},"modified":"2019-10-05T12:21:23","modified_gmt":"2019-10-05T12:21:23","slug":"the-farmer-god-shen-nong-tastes-all-the-plants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chinesemoment.com\/th\/the-farmer-god-shen-nong-tastes-all-the-plants\/","title":{"rendered":"The Farmer God Shen Nong Tastes All the plants"},"content":{"rendered":"
Chinese Title: \u795e\u519c\u5c1d\u767e\u8349
A cool introduction to one of the lesser-known deities, Shen Nong \u795e\u519c shén nóng, the God of Agriculture (and later called the Bodhisattva of Medicine). This is upper-intermediate reading: expect a lot of new words (mostly relating to plants and Chinese medicine) but intermediate sentence structure, and sentences mostly communicate a complete point.
Buddhist Stories and Legends: Learn to Read Simplified Chinese Shen Nong, we are to understand, had a transparent abdomen so all his innards could be seen from the outside (yes, the first sentence does say ‘Shen Nong had a crystal belly’), and he always carried two bags with him – read the story to find out what the bags were for.
We touch on the origins of some well-known plants (one of which is poorly described, I think), but the last paragraph talks a<\/em>bout the herb “heartbreak grass” – \u65ad\u80a0\u8349 duàn cháng c\u01ceo – which I’d never heard of and which is not a common plant. The English botanical name is Gelsemium elegans (yeah, no idea), which according to the abstract of one study is “a toxic plant indigenous to southeastern Asia, well known among hill tribes as an effective means for committing suicide”. So a very potent poison, then.<\/p>\n

\u4e94\u810f\u516d\u8151 – wu zàng liù f\u01d4 – Five main organs (and six bowels) of Chinese medicine – heart, liver, spleen, lungs, kidneys
\u4e00\u6e05\u4e8c\u695a – y\u012b q\u012bng èr ch\u01d4 – Very clear
\u4e27\u547d – sàng mìng – Lose one’s life
\u5ae9\u53f6 – nèn yè – Tender new leaves
\u5668\u5b98 – qì gu\u0101n – Bodily organ
\u6e05\u6e05\u723d\u723d – q\u012bng q\u012bng shu\u01ceng shu\u01ceng – Fresh and cool
\u5de1\u67e5 – xún chá – Do one’s rounds on patrol
\u9999\u5473\u6251\u9f3b – xi\u0101ng wèi pú bí – Exotic odors assail the nostrils
\u7518\u8349 – g\u0101n c\u01ceo – Licorice
\u4e2d\u6bd2 – zhòng dú – Be poisoned
\u6765\u4e0d\u53ca – lái bu jí – Not enough time to…
\u89e3\u6bd2 – ji\u011b dú – Detoxify
\u62ef\u6551 – zh\u011bng jiù – To rescue
\u727a\u7272 – x\u012b sh\u0113ng – Sacrifice oneself
\u83e9\u8428 – pú sà – Bodhisattva
\u795e\u519c\u4e00\u751f\u4e0b\u6765\u5c31\u662f\u4e2a\u6c34\u6676\u809a\u5b50\uff0c\u4e94\u810f\u516d\u8151\u5168\u90fd\u80fd\u770b\u5f97\u4e00\u6e05\u4e8c\u695a\u3002\u90a3\u65f6\u4faf\uff0c\u4eba\u4eec\u7ecf\u5e38\u56e0\u4e3a\u4e71\u5403\u4e1c\u897f\u800c\u751f\u75c5\uff0c\u751a\u81f3\u4e27\u547d\u3002\u795e\u519c\u51b3\u5fc3\u5c1d\u904d\u6240\u6709\u7684\u4e1c\u897f\uff0c\u597d\u5403\u7684\u653e\u5728\u8eab\u8fb9\u5de6\u8fb9\u7684\u888b\u5b50\u91cc\uff0c\u7ed9\u4eba\u5403\uff1b\u4e0d\u597d\u5403\u7684\u5c31\u653e\u5728\u8eab\u5b50\u53f3\u8fb9\u7684\u888b\u5b50\u91cc\uff0c\u4f5c\u836f\u7528\u3002
\u7b2c\u4e00\u6b21\uff0c\u795e\u519c\u5c1d\u4e86\u4e00\u7247\u5c0f\u5ae9\u53f6\u3002\u8fd9\u53f6\u7247\u4e00\u843d\u8fdb\u809a\u91cc\uff0c\u5c31\u4e0a\u4e0a\u4e0b\u4e0b\u5730\u628a\u91cc\u9762\u5404\u5668\u5b98\u64e6\u6d17\u5f97\u6e05\u6e05\u723d\u723d\uff0c\u8c61\u5de1\u67e5\u4f3c\u7684\uff0c\u795e\u519c\u628a\u5b83\u53eb\u505a“\u67e5”\uff0c\u5c31\u662f\u540e\u4eba\u6240\u79f0\u7684“\u8336”\u3002\u795e\u519c\u5c06\u5b83\u653e\u8fdb\u53f3\u8fb9\u888b\u5b50\u91cc\u3002\u7b2c\u4e8c\u6b21\uff0c\u795e\u519c\u5c1d\u4e86\u6735\u8774\u8776\u6837\u7684\u6de1\u7ea2\u5c0f\u82b1\uff0c\u751c\u6d25\u6d25\u7684\uff0c\u9999\u5473\u6251\u9f3b\uff0c\u8fd9\u662f“\u7518\u8349”\u3002\u4ed6\u628a\u5b83\u653e\u8fdb\u4e86\u5de6\u8fb9\u888b\u5b50\u91cc\u3002\u5c31\u8fd9\u6837\uff0c\u795e\u519c\u8f9b\u82e6\u5730\u5c1d\u904d\u767e\u8349\uff0c\u6bcf\u6b21\u4e2d\u6bd2\uff0c\u90fd\u9760\u8336\u6765\u89e3\u6551\u3002\u540e\u6765\uff0c\u4ed6\u5de6\u8fb9\u7684\u888b\u5b50\u91cc\u82b1\u8349\u6839\u53f6\u6709\u56db\u4e07\u4e03\u5343\u79cd\uff0c\u53f3\u8fb9\u6709\u4e09\u5341\u4e5d\u4e07\u516b\u5343\u79cd\u3002
\u4f46\u6709\u4e00\u5929\uff0c\u795e\u519c\u5c1d\u5230\u4e86“\u65ad\u80a0\u8349”\uff0c\u8fd9\u79cd\u6bd2\u8349\u592a\u5389\u5bb3\u4e86\uff0c\u4ed6\u8fd8\u6765\u4e0d\u53ca\u5403\u8336\u89e3\u6bd2\u5c31\u6b7b\u4e86\u3002\u4ed6\u662f\u4e3a\u4e86\u62ef\u6551\u4eba\u4eec\u800c\u727a\u7272\u7684\uff0c\u4eba\u4eec\u79f0\u4ed6\u4e3a“\u836f\u738b\u83e9\u8428”\uff0c\u4eba\u95f4\u4ee5\u8fd9\u4e2a\u795e\u8bdd\u6545\u4e8b\u6c38\u8fdc\u5730\u7eaa\u5ff5\u4ed6\u3002
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All his life, Shen Nong had a crystal abdomen, and one could clearly see all of his internal organs. At that time, humans were often getting sick and even dying because they ate things indiscriminately [not knowing if they were good or bad]. Shen Nong determinedly tasted everything everywher the good-tasting things he put in a bag on his left side, those were for people to eat; the bad-tasting things he put in a bag on his right side, and those were used for medicine.
The first time, Shen Nong tasted a small fresh leaf. As this leaf fell into his stomach, it cleaned every inch of his insides so that every organ top and bottom was fresh and cool, as if [the leaf] was somehow on patrol [making the rounds], so Shen Nong called it “chá” [to investigate \/ check], and later generations of men called it “chá” [tea]. Shen Nong put it in the bag on the right. The second time, Shen Nong tasted a little light red flower that looked like a butterfly, which was sweet and delicious, with an exotic smell that filled his nostrils, so he called it “licorice”. He put it in the bag on the left. In this way, Shen Nong diligently tasted all manner of flora, and every time he was poisoned, he used tea to rescue himself. Before long, the bag on his left co<\/em>ntained 47,000 kinds of flowers, grasses, roots and leaves, and the right side had 398,000 kinds.
But one day, Shen Nong tasted “heartbreak grass”, and this poison was too terrible, so there wasn’t enough time to eat the tea leaves to detoxify and he died. He sacrificed himself to save humanity, so people call him the “Bodhisattva of Medicine”, and people forever commemorate him through this story.
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