The Path of Qihuang
Legendary Physician of High Antiquity — Guiyuqu
Guiyuqu, also known as Guirongqu and styled Da Hong, was a legendary minister to the Yellow Emperor in high antiquity. He assisted the Yellow Emperor in developing the theory of the five elements and expounded in detail on the pulse and meridian theory, delving deeply into the principles of the Nanjing (Classic of Difficult Issues). The Tang dynasty scholar Wang Bing, in his annotations to the Suwen, quoted Guiyuqu's references to the Taishi Tianyuan Ce (Great Beginning Celestial Origin Register), noting that Guiyuqu's lineage had practiced medicine for ten generations since Shennong and had preserved these ancient divination texts. He stands as a pioneering figure in the integration of TCM theory with astronomical and calendrical studies.
Guiyuqu, also written as Guirongqu, was styled Da Hong. According to legend, he was a medical master of high antiquity and a minister to the Yellow Emperor. He assisted the Yellow Emperor in developing the theory of the five elements, discussed the pulse and meridian theory in detail, and thoroughly explored the principles and meaning of the Nanjing (Classic of Difficult Issues), establishing it as a theoretical canon.
During the Tang dynasty, Wang Bing, in his annotations to the Suwen (Basic Questions) on the passage where the Yellow Emperor questions Guiyuqu and receives his reply — "Your servant has examined the text of the Taishi Tianyuan Ce (Great Beginning Celestial Origin Register), which states…" — pointed out: "The tenth-generation ancestor of Guiyuqu first recited and practiced this — a sacred text on divination and seasonal observation from great antiquity. By the time of Fuxi, it had already been engraved on jade tablets and was named the Register (Ce Wen)." From this it can be understood that Guiyuqu belonged to a lineage of hereditary physicians passed down through ten generations since the time of Shennong.