何以为药王:明代“药王孙思邈”民间信仰形成探略

On Formation of Folk Belief in“Sun Simiao Being King of Remedies”in the Ming Dynasty

孙思邈被民众奉为“药王”并非当代之事,而是发端于明代,经过韦慈藏、孙思邈两位医药人物形象的发展变化而逐渐形成的历史现象。明代前期,韦慈藏与孙思邈在民众心目中的地位同等重要;明代中期,孙思邈逐渐显现出后发优势,而韦慈藏形象未有更进一步发展;明代中后期,孙思邈“药王”名号的出现与“孙思邈何以为药王”理论阐释的跟进,为其名号在民间广泛传播奠定了基础。在这一过程中,医药人物形象背后属性的变化,是孙思邈最终取代韦慈藏的关键因素;医家医史与民间医药祭祀的良性互动,推动“药王孙思邈”名号的形成与行之久远;地方官府为“药王孙思邈”信仰的进一步发展提供了颇为宽松的政治环境。

Sun Simiao was honored as“King of Remedies”by the folks,which is not a contemporary matter but rather a historical phenomenon originating in the Ming Dynasty after a series of development and changes on the images of Wei Cizang and Sun Simiao.In the early Ming period,both Wei and Sun shared equal fame in the minds of the people;in the middle Ming,Sun gradually became more popular,while the image of Wei failed to develop further;and in the middle and late Ming,the emergence of Sun Simiao being“King of Remedies”and the follow-up theoretical interpretation of“how Sun did so”laid the foundation for its widespread among the folks in the future.In this process,the change of attributes behind the image of medical figures was the key factor for Sun to eclipse Wei eventually.The favorable interaction between medical history and folk medical sacrifice promoted the formation and development of“Sun Simiao being King of Remedies”.The local government also provided a relatively relaxed political environment for the further spread of this belief.