Scholars › Historian
Ying Shao
Eastern Han scholar whose Fengsu Tongyi examined customs and lore and preserved the tale behind 'a bow's reflection taken for a snake'.
In an archive hall, tall wooden shelves hold scrolls and bound books with small tags, and one person climbs a ladder with their back turned; a long table in front holds an unrolled river map, a bronze lamp and a copper jug, with a city wall seen through the window.
Also known as Zi Zhongyuan
Ying Shao, courtesy name Zhongyuan, from Nandun in Runan, was recommended as filial and incorrupt under Emperor Ling and became Grand Administrator of Taishan in 189; he later joined Yuan Shao and died at Ye. A learned scholar, he wrote the Fengsu Tongyi on customs, names and popular beliefs, as well as the Han Guanyi on Han institutions. The idiom 'a bow's reflection taken for a snake' comes from the Fengsu Tongyi.
Life and times
Dates Dates unknown; active under Emperors Ling and Xian of Eastern Han (c. 168–204 CE)