青耕

The Classic of Central Mountains: one hundred li northwest is Mount Jinli. Pines and cypresses above; fine catalpa in abundance; on its shady side red ochre and copper; among its animals, many leopards and tigers. A rich mountain. Also a dangerous one. Qinggeng lives there. Like a magpie: blue-green body, white beak, white eyes, white tail. Start with the colours. A magpie is black and white. Qinggeng is blue-green and white. Qing is the colour between blue and green, and in the crow family the commonest qing is iridescent blue-green — the metallic sheen on the wings and tail of blue magpies, azure-winged magpies, Taiwan blue magpies, flashing in sunlight. And "white eyes" is a very specific observation. Birds' eyes are small; for one to read as white, the iris must be pale, or a ring of white feathers must surround it. Azure-winged magpies have black around the eye; white-throated magpies and white-winged blue magpies have pale irises. Either way, "white eyes" is a detail you only get by looking closely. "White beak, white tail" likewise. A magpie's tail is black, but in many corvids the undertail coverts are white, so a bird in flight shows a sheet of white. So the model animal is probably an azure-winged magpie or a blue magpie. They move through mountain forest in flocks, and their calls are harsh; one starts and the whole flock answers. Then the point of the entry: it wards off plague. Plenty of Shanhaijing animals ward off something — fire, weapons, misfortune, flood. Warding off plague is rare. You can count them. "Wards off plague" can mean two things: eat it and you will not fall ill; or, it is present and the sickness does not come. From the context, the second fits better, because of what follows: its call is its own name. That is a fixed formula in the book, and it means the bird's cry sounds like the word. Qing-geng. Qing — geng. Geng is a farming word. Spring ploughing. A bird that calls "plough" means: it is time to plough. Now the logic closes. This is a migratory bird. It appears at a particular point in the year, calling, telling people to get into the fields. And that same point in the year is when epidemics recede. Why? Because winter is over. Epidemics in ancient China were strongly seasonal. At the turn of winter into spring, people crowded indoors with poor ventilation, and respiratory infections peaked. In summer, flies and mosquitoes bred and intestinal disease peaked. Then ploughing season arrived: the weather warmed, people left the sealed houses and scattered across the fields — density collapsed, and the chain of respiratory transmission broke. At the same time, the accumulated refuse and manure of winter was cleared, and the overwintering grounds of flies were turned over by the plough. So "Qinggeng has come, the sickness has gone" is an accurate agricultural observation, written down as myth. It needs no magic. It only needs to be on time. A mountain with leopards and tigers, a bird that arrives punctually, a farming reminder recorded for two thousand years. Qinggeng's job is to tell the time.

เขาจิ่นหลี่ (มีต้นสนและต้นหยางมาก ด้านเหนือมีสีแดงและทองแดง สัตว์มีเสือดาวและเสือ) นกชิงเกิงคล้ายนกกางเขน ตัวเขียว ปากขาว ตาขาว หางขาว "กันโรคระบาดได้ ร้องเป็นชื่อตัวเอง" "ชิง" คือสีเขียวอมน้ำเงินแบบขนนกตระกูลอีกา "ตาขาว" คือรายละเอียดที่ต้องดูใกล้ ๆ — น่าจะเป็นนกสกุล blue magpie "เกิง" แปลว่าไถนา นกมาร้องตอนต้องไถนา ซึ่งเป็นช่วงที่โรคทางเดินหายใจลดลงเพราะคนออกจากบ้านไปทุ่งนา ไม่ต้องมีเวทมนตร์ แค่มาตรงเวลา

Gunung Jinli (banyak pain dan catalpa; sebelah utara ada oker merah dan tembaga; binatangnya banyak harimau dan harimau bintang). Burung Qinggeng seperti murai: badan hijau biru, paruh putih, mata putih, ekor putih. "Menangkal wabak; bunyinya namanya sendiri." "Qing" ialah hijau kebiruan seperti kilau bulu keluarga gagak. "Mata putih" detail yang hanya nampak dari dekat — mungkin magpie biru. "Geng" bermaksud membajak. Burung berbunyi tepat ketika orang perlu membajak — musim yang sama apabila penyakit pernafasan menurun kerana orang keluar ke sawah. Tiada sihir. Cuma tepat pada masanya.

Núi Cẩn Lý (nhiều tùng bách, catalpa; phía bắc có đỏ son và đồng; thú nhiều báo và hổ). Chim Thanh Canh giống ác là: mình xanh, mỏ trắng, mắt trắng, đuôi trắng. "Chống được dịch bệnh; kêu là tên mình." "Thanh" là xanh lam lục như ánh lông họ quạ. "Mắt trắng" là chi tiết chỉ thấy khi nhìn gần — có lẽ là blue magpie. "Canh" nghĩa là cày. Chim kêu đúng lúc cần cày — cũng là lúc bệnh hô hấp giảm vì người ra đồng. Không cần phép thuật. Chỉ cần đúng giờ.

Gunung Jinli (banyak pinus dan catalpa; sisi utara ada oker merah dan tembaga; binatangnya banyak macan dan macan tutul). Burung Qinggeng mirip murai: tubuh hijau biru, paruh putih, mata putih, ekor putih. "Menangkal wabah; bunyinya namanya sendiri." "Qing" adalah hijau kebiruan seperti kilau bulu keluarga gagak. "Mata putih" detail yang hanya terlihat dari dekat — mungkin magpie biru. "Geng" berarti membajak. Burung berbunyi tepat saat orang perlu membajak — musim yang sama ketika penyakit pernapasan menurun karena orang keluar ke sawah. Tanpa sihir. Hanya tepat waktu.