Immortal Bones, Mortal Heart: The Biography of Guo Pu

Guo Pu (276–324), courtesy name Jingchun, was a native of Wenxi in Hedong (in present-day Shanxi). During the transition between the Western and Eastern Jin dynasties, he was a renowned writer, philologist, numerologist, and feng shui scholar. Born into an official family, he was widely learned and talented, with expertise in the classics and histories, ancient writings and rare characters, as well as yin-yang theory, calendrical calculations, and divination. He moved south to Jiangdong in his early years to escape the Yongjia Rebellion. Under the Eastern Jin, he successively served as an Assistant in the Imperial Library and a Gentleman of the Secretariat. Renowned for his literary talent and skill in numerology, he wrote “Rhapsody on the Southern Suburban Sacrifice” to celebrate the founding of the Eastern Jin and repeatedly divined fortunes for powerful ministers such as Wang Dao.

Guo Pu made outstanding scholarly contributions. His works, including Annotations to the Erya, Annotations to the Fangyan, and Annotations to the Classic of Mountains and Seas, are meticulously researched and clearly explained, making them important sources for the study of ancient language and writing, as well as mythological geography. As a writer, his “Poems on Roaming as an Immortal” used the theme of wandering among immortals to express his feelings about the realities of his time. The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons praised them as “the finest works of the mid-revival.” In addition, later generations revered him as the founder of feng shui. His Book of Burial was the first work to systematically introduce the concept of “feng shui,” establishing an influential theoretical system.

In 324, Guo Pu was executed by Wang Dun for firmly opposing the powerful minister’s rebellion and openly admonishing him through divination. After Wang Dun’s rebellion was suppressed, Guo Pu was posthumously appointed Grand Administrator of Hongnong and received further posthumous honors in later generations. Scholar, writer, and practitioner of the occult arts, Guo Pu embodied learning and mystery, loyalty and tragedy. His life became a legendary cultural symbol of the Wei and Jin era.