Mr. He's jade

() or (using the Classical Chinese grammatical possessive affix was a or ceremonial jade annulus. Bi artifacts date back to the Liangzhu culture (3400–2250 BCE). signified heavenly kingship in Zhou times, and were often used ceremonially as symbolic of a covenant or guarantee. The word can also be used to refer to jade in general. The is named after Bian He, the person who first discovered the jade stone. Bian He () is a Chinese name, is the surname (e.g., Bian Lan) and is the given name. However, is also an uncommon surname (e.g., He Qia) and early texts refer to Bian He as both and , with the word . Some alternate names are , with the ancient variant character ; , with the unique variant pronounced in this name; and . Most scholars translate as "Mr. He" with suffixed , some as "Master He", and a few literally interpret and translate as "He Clan" or "He family". ==Legends==

The Chinese story of the has been retold and developed for over two millennia. Hanfeizi The earliest extant account is the chapter of the classic , attributed to Han Fei (c. 280–233 BC). The version involves Mr. He presenting his jade to the first three "kings" of Chu state: "King Li of Chu" () posthumously refers to Viscount Fenmao (r. 757–741 BCE), his brother King Wu of Chu (, r. 740–690 BCE) who was the first to style himself "king", and his son King Wen of Chu (, r. 689–677 BCE). Several commentaries say these three 8th-century BCE Chu rulers of Bian He should be three Zhou dynasty rulers: King Wu of Zhou (, r. c. 1050–1043 BCE), his father King Wen of Zhou (, r. 1100–1050), and King Cheng of Zhou (, r. 1042–1021 BCE). Once a man of Ch'u, named Pien Ho, came by an uncut jade in the Ch'u Hills. He brought it home and submitted it as a present to King Wu. Thereupon King Wu had a jeweller give an opinion of it. "It is an ordinary stone," said the jeweller. The King, regarding Ho as a liar, had his left foot cut off. Upon King Wu's death, King Wên ascended the throne, when Ho again submitted it as a present to King Wên. King Wên also had a jeweller give an opinion of it. Again he said, "It is an ordinary stone." The King, also regarding Ho as a liar, had his right foot cut off. When King Wên died and King Ch'êng ascended the throne, Ho, carrying the uncut jade in his arms, cried at the foot of the Ching Hills. After three days and three nights his tears were all exhausted and blood flowed out. At this news the King sent men out to ask him the reason, saying, "Throughout All-under-Heaven men whose feet were cut off are many. Why should you be crying so bitterly?" "I am lamenting not the loss of my feet," said Ho in reply, "but for the calling a precious gem an ordinary stone and for their dubbing an honest man a liar. This is the reason why I am lamenting." Meanwhile, the King had a jeweller polish up the jade and got the treasure out at last. So it was designated "the Jade of Pien Ho" . The subsequent Hanfeizi context criticizes contemporary rulers and recommends that a wise person who hopes to avoid punishment should not present a ruler any "uncut jewels of wisdom and statecraft". Joseph P. Yap translates the Hanfeizi story with the three Chu kings Li, Wu, and Wen. At around 8th century BCE, Bian He a jeweller from the kingdom of Chu discovered a piece of stone; he knew from experience that it was a piece of priceless jade. He presented the piece of stone to King Li of Chu, (757–741 BCE). The king thought the jeweller was trying to deceive him and had his left foot chopped off as a punishment. When the next king, King Wu of Chu (r. 740–691 BCE) ascended to the throne, Bian He again presented the piece of stone to the new king; this time, the king had his right foot chopped off as he also maintained that the jeweller was trying to deceive him. Bian He embracing his piece of stone cried for three days and three nights at the foothills of Jingshan Mountain. Much later, when King Wen of Chu (r. 690–675 BCE) ascended the throne the king sent someone to ask the jeweller why he was so adamant about his belief. He answered, 'This is a piece of priceless jade, and the two former kings regarded it as a useless piece of stone. I am not saddened by the loss of my feet, but I am distressed by the fact that a patriot is misconstrued as being wicked and evil." then asked a jade expert to cut open the stone, and it transpired that it was indeed a piece of priceless jade. Legend has it that it was pure white and flawless. The king of Chu named it , Master He's jade. ==History==

Beginning with the and , many Chinese histories have discussed the , but the early historicity remains uncertain. Zhanguo ce The 3rd-century BCE (Strategies of the Warring States), which is a compendium of political and military anecdotes dating from 490 to 221 BCE, relates that the was a national treasure of Chu, stolen from the Prime Minister, and eventually obtained by Zhao state. King Wei of Chu (r. 339–329 BCE) bestowed the priceless jade upon Prime Minister Zhao Yang () in gratitude for his defeat of the Yue kingdom in 333 BCE. On one occasion, Zhao Yang displayed the jade for his guests at a banquet when someone started a commotion, and in the midst of the confusion, the jade annulus disappeared. The School of Diplomacy political strategist Zhang Yi (fl. 328–309 BCE) was accused as the thief, and Zhao Yang had him questioned under torture before he was released. After this incident, the whereabouts of the jade was lost until it resurfaced at Zhao. Shiji The Han dynasty historiographer Sima Qian's c. 94 BCE (Records of the Grand Historian) relates the history and background of Hr. He's jade annulus in two biographies. Lin Xiangru The "Biographies of Lian Po and Lin Xiangru" section records a famous story. In 283 BCE, King Zhaoxiang of Qin (r. 306–251 BCE) schemed to obtain Mr. He's jade annulus – this is the first recorded usage of modern term without classical —from King Huiwen of Zhao (r. 298–266 BCE) – and deceitfully offered to trade away a large portion of Qin territory for the jade. However, when Xiangru discovered that Zhaoxiang never intended to give away Qin land, he tricked the king and managed to return the jade annulus back to Zhao. "During the time of King Huiwen, Zhao acquired Chu's Jade of the Ho Clan . King Zhao of Qin heard of this and sent a messenger to deliver a letter to the King of Zhao, saying that he wished to offer fifteen walled cities in exchange for the jade annulus ." The King of Zhao was distrustful and told his advisors "If we give it to Qin, we most likely will not obtain Qin’s cities, but will only be cheated. If we do not give it, then we must fear the arrival of Qin’s soldiers." The king sought the opinion of Lin Xiangru, who said, "Qin is mighty and Zhao is weak, you must grant his request." The king replied, "If he takes my jade, but gives us no cities, what then?" Lin said, "If Qin seeks the jade with its cities and Zhao does not accede, the fault lies with Zhao. If Zhao gives Qin the jade and Qin does not give Zhao the cities, the fault lies with Qin. In weighing these two measures, it would be better to accede, and lay the fault on Qin." Xiangru agreed to undertake the mission to Qin, and promised the king, "If the cities are granted to Zhao, the jade will remain in Qin; if the cities are not granted, allow your servant to return to Zhao with the jade intact." When Lin Xiangru arrived in the Qin capital, he respectfully presented the jade to King Zhaoxiang with both hands. The king was delighted and "passed it around to his Beauties and courtiers, who all shouted 'Long live the King!'" When Xiangru realized that the King of Qin had no intention of honoring the agreement, he came forward and said, "The jade has a flaw. Allow me to show it to Your Majesty." The king handed him the jade, and Xiangru retreated and stood with his back to a pillar. With his "hair bristling against his hat in rage," he threatened to destroy the jade. "It seems to me that Your Majesty has no intention of giving the King of Zhao the cities owed him. Thus I have reclaimed the jade. If you must press me, Great King, my head and the jade will both shatter against this pillar!" Since the King of Qin feared the jade would be demolished, he apologized and said, "The fifteen cities from here on will be given to Zhao." Concluding that Zhao would never acquire the Qin cities, Xiangru then told the king, "The jade of the Ho Clan is a treasure that the entire world has transmitted with reverence." He then falsely said that before the King of Zhao sent off the jade, he fasted and purified himself for five days, and convinced the King of Qin that he too needed to fast for five days, after which, "your servant would dare to offer up the jade." The king agreed, and while he was fasting, Xiangru arranged for his retainer to disguise himself as a commoner, conceal the jade, and safely smuggle it back to Zhao. After the King of Qin had finished fasting and purification, he held a ritual ceremony in his court. When Lin Xiangru arrived, he confessed having secretly sent the jade back to Zhao and then insulted the king's ancestors: "Out of the twenty odd lords of Qin since Duke Mu (r. 659–621 B.C.), not one has honored his agreements and oaths. Your servant truly feared he would be cheated by Your Majesty and thus betray Zhao." Xiangru told the enraged king that he would willingly accept the Qin death penalty for deceiving a king, and requested the punishment. Although some of the courtiers wanted to boil Xiangru immediately, the King of Qin said, "If We kill Xiangru now, We still cannot acquire the jade, and it would ruin the good relations between Qin and Zhao. It would be better to treat him with great civility instead, then send him back to Zhao." After Xiangru had returned, the King of Zhao praised the skillful diplomacy of his mission to Qin, and appointed him Senior Grand Master. (Chapter 81) Imperial seal of China ln 228 BCE, Qin overwhelmed the kingdom of Zhao and seized the from King Dai of Zhao. In 221 BCE, the Qin kingdom had conquered all six Warring States and Qin Shi Huangdi founded the Qin dynasty. The emperor ordered that the jade annulus be carved into his imperial jade seal that read, "Having received the Mandate from Heaven, may (the emperor) lead a long and prosperous life." (). The Qin Chancellor Li Si wrote this inscription in Seal script characters and Sun Shou () carved them into the jade. This Qin dynasty jade seal came to symbolize the Mandate of Heaven, and beginning when the last Qin ruler Ziying handed it over to Emperor Gaozu of Han in 206 BCE, it was successively passed on to later dynastic emperors signifying the right to govern the Chinese world. The Heirloom Seal of the Realm was lost sometime between the Tang and Ming dynasties. Another version of the legend claims that it was interred in the burial crypt of the first Emperor of Qin Shi Huangdi and the jade seal which was passed on for over one thousand years was another piece of jade from Lantian. The China Daily writes that the and the Heirloom seal have been conflated, and considers the to be a legend. ==Literature==

The jade annulus of Mr. He was mentioned in numerous classical Chinese texts, and present day Sinophones know the story from traditional idioms, such as means "to return something intact to its rightful owner". The following literary examples are divided between using the as a trope for something valuable or using it with other legendary treasures such as the Marquis of Sui's pearl. as a single treasure The c. 239 BCE (Master Lü's Spring and Autumn Annals) is an encyclopedic text compiled under the patronage of the Qin dynasty Chancellor Lü Buwei. The writes Mr. He () with an early variant character. Now, if one were to show a child a hundred pieces of gold and a ball of glutinous millet, the child would surely take the millet. If one were to show an ignorant person the jade disc of the He family and a hundred pieces of gold, the ignorant man would surely take the gold. If one were to show a worthy man a jade of the He family and the most perfect teachings concerning the Dao and its Power, the worthy man would surely take the teachings. The more refined one's knowledge, the more refined one's choices. The cruder one's knowledge, the cruder one's choices. (Chapter 10) "Reckless Remonstrance" says, "Bian He clasps his block of jade and weeps tears of blood / Where can he find a craftsman good enough to shape it?" "Lament for the Worthy" includes Jing He in a list of loyal retainers who were mistreated, "Or Shen Sheng of Jin who met a hapless end / Or Jing He who wept tears of blood / Or Shen Xu of Wu who had his eyes gouged out." Two contexts in the c. 139 BCE (quoted above) refer to Mr. Bian's () jade annulus and to Mr. He () crying bloody tears. "If you understand the proper sequence of things, you will be calm. Now when it came to giving away Mr. Bian's jade annulus , when he had not yet obtained it, was ahead. When he pleaded to present it and would not give up despite his indignation, he was behind." (Chapter 14.56) "Thus when your tally with what is essential, you will value what is true and equal the present and the ancient. If you do not have the means to heed persuasions, then you will value what has come down from the past, because it is remote. This is why He cried so hard that he bled at the foot of Mount Jing." (Chapter 19.7). with other treasures (c. 1300–1046 BCE) bronze ding The Marquis of Sui's pearl is commonly used with the , for example, the Shiji lists "the treasures of Sui and He among Qin Shi Huangdi's imported valuables. The c. 4th to 2nd centuries BCE Mozi ([Sayings of] Mozi) mentions them with the legendary Nine Tripod Cauldrons, namely, a set of Chinese ritual bronze ding "tripod cauldrons", said to have been cast by mythical Yu the Great after controlling the Great Flood. In response to criticism from his disciple Wu Mazi () that "To leave contemporaries alone and to praise the early kings is to praise rotten bones", Mozi (c. 470–391 BCE) explains how a state's ("righteousness; justice") is more important than the ritual "efficacy" ( of its treasures. The jade of Ho , the pearl of Duke Sui, and the nine tings—these are what the feudal lords value as excellent treasures. Can they enrich the country, multiply the people, put the government in order, and place the state in safety? Of course they cannot. Excellent treasures are to be valued for their efficacy. Now since the jade of Ho, the pearl of Duke Sui, and the nine tings cannot benefit men, then they are not the excellent treasures in the world. On the other hand, if righteousness is employed in the government of the state the population will be increased, the government will be in order, and the state will be secure. The excellent treasures are to be valued for their efficacy. Now righteousness can benefit men. So then righteousness is the excellent treasure of the world. (Chapter 11) The 3rd-century chapter uses He's jade annulus and Sui's pearl in order to differentiate between and . Propriety is the mode expressive of feelings. Embellishment is the decoration of qualities. Indeed, the superior man takes the inner feelings but leaves the outer looks, likes the inner qualities but hates the outer decorations. Who judges inner feelings by outer looks, finds the feelings bad. Who judges inner qualities by outer decorations, finds the inner qualities rotten. How can I prove this? The jade of Pien Ho was not decorated with the five bright colours . The bead of Marquis Sui was not decorated with yellow gold. Their qualities are so good that nothing is fit to decorate them. Verily, anything that functions only after being decorated must have poor qualities. For this reason, between father and son propriety is simple and not brilliant. Hence the saying: “Propriety is superficial semblance only.” The c. 3rd–1st century BCE anthology collectively refers to Marquis Sui's pearl and Bian He's jade annulus as , and with the Tai'e sword. The "Quenching the Light" poem says, "Shards and stones are prized as jewels / Sui and He rejected / The leaden knife is praised for sharpness / Tai E discarded as blunt." King Liu An's c. 139 BCE (Philosophers of Huainan) philosophical compendium has five occurrences of the , three with the Marquis of Sui's pearl, and one with the Xiahou clan's jade. The "Surveying Obscurities" chapter figuratively uses these legendary gems as a simile for someone who has attained the , "It is like the pearl of Marquis Sui / or the jade annulus of Mr. He / Those who achieved it became rich / those who lost it became poor." (Chapter 6.3). "A Mountain of Persuasions" chapter mentions the treasures of Mr. He and Marquis Sui twice. The former explains the philosophical essence of Chinese jade. When a piece of jade is moistened, it looks bright. [When struck], its sound is slow and harmonious. How expansive are its aspects! With no interior or exterior, it does not conceal its flaws or imperfections. Close up, it looks glossy; from a distance, it shines brightly. It reflects like a mirror revealing the pupil of your eye. Subtly it picks up the tip of an autumn hair. It brightly illuminates the dark and obscure. Thus the jade of Mr. He and the pearl of the marquis of Sui emerged from the essence of a mountain and a spring. When the Superior Man wears them, he complies with their purity and secures his repose. When lords and kings treasure them, they rectify the world. (Chapter 16.19) The latter compares true understanding with wealth, "Acquiring an army of ten thousand men does not compare to hearing one word that is apposite / acquiring the pearl of the marquis of Sui does not compare to understanding from whence events arise / Acquiring the jade annulus of Mr. Gua does not compare to understanding where events will lead." (Chapter 16.105) The mentions the along with the Xiahou clan's semi-circular jade. "As for the jade annulus of Mr. He and the jade half-annulus of the Xiahou clan ," if bow courteously and advance with them, they create harmony and amity. at night because of thieves, they create resentment. Such is the difference between the right time and the wrong time." (Chapter 16.90) ==Other regalia==

Many Chinese classics refer to Bian He's jade annulus in context with other legendary gems, jades, and swords constituting the ceremonial regalia of ancient Chinese states. The most common example is Marquis of Sui's pearl, a legendary glow-in-the-dark gemstone given to the marquis by a grateful snake whose life he saved. Other luminous gemstones frequently mentioned with the are the and the . These ancient Chinese names were sufficiently well known to have been applied to foreign gemstones in the earliest accounts of Daqin (the Roman Empire). "The Kingdom of Daqin" section of the 5th-century Book of the Later Han, which was largely based on Ban Yong's report presented to Emperor An of Han in around 125, lists precious Roman trade goods including "luminous jade " and "bright moon pearls ". The is mentioned in the Huainanzi with the Xiahou clan's semi-circular jade pendant: , which was a jewel supposedly included in the ducal regalia of Lu state. is a Chinese compound surname from the Spring and Autumn period (771–476 BCE), and the was used for ancient ritual purposes or as a belt ornament. or () is the name of a famous Spring and Autumn period iron sword that is usually considered one of the ten legendary swords of China. The legendary bladesmith Ou Yezi made three swords for King Goujian of Yue, named (), (), and (). ==See also==