Treasure
Benmingdeng 本命燈
About this item
The Benmingdeng (the lamp of one's natal destiny) was the lamp Zhuge Liang lit in the Romance when he prayed to the Northern Dipper for a longer life inside his tent at the Wuzhang Plains. In Chapter 103 of the Romance, Zhuge Liang sets out seven large lamps on the ground and forty-nine small lamps around them, and places one Benmingdeng inside. He had said that if the main lamp did not go out for seven days his life could be extended, but on the sixth night Wei Yan rushes in hastily and knocks the main lamp out. Romance, Ch. 103 §52–53 · 55–56
The Romance gives the name Benmingdeng only once, in Chapter 103, and describes the success or failure of the prayer in terms of the "main lamp." The Benmingdeng appears neither in Chen Shou's text nor in Pei Songzhi's commentary. Chen Shou's biography of Zhuge Liang says only that in the 8th month of the 12th year of Jianxing (234) Zhuge Liang fell ill and died in camp. Romance, Ch. 103 §52–53 · 55–56Records, Shu 5 §38
In the Romance
In Chapter 103 of the Romance, on the night Zhuge Liang at the Wuzhang Plains collapses as his old illness returns, he observes the heavens and tells Jiang Wei that among the Three Terraces stars the guest star shines twice as bright while the host star is dim, so his life hangs between morning and evening. When Jiang Wei urges him to use the rite of prayer to ward off calamity, Zhuge Liang has forty-nine armored soldiers, holding black banners and dressed in black, surround the outside of the tent, and says that he himself will pray to the Northern Dipper inside the tent. If the main lamp does not go out within seven days, his life can be extended by twelve years; if the lamp goes out, he will surely die. Romance, Ch. 103 §50–52
It was the Mid-Autumn of the 8th month. Zhuge Liang lays out incense, flowers and offerings inside the tent, sets out seven large lamps on the ground and forty-nine small lamps around them, and places one Benmingdeng inside. Then, citing the favor of Emperor Zhaolie's three visits and the charge of being entrusted with the young sovereign, he prays to Heaven to extend his life so that he may recover the old territory and continue the sacrifices of the Han. By day he discusses military affairs while vomiting blood, and by night he paces out the steps in the shape of the Big Dipper. Romance, Ch. 103 §53–54
Seeing that the general's star has left its place, Sima Yi has Xiahou Ba scout the Wuzhang Plains with 1,000 troops. When the prayer reaches its sixth night and the main lamp shines brightly, Zhuge Liang is overjoyed at heart, but at the shouting outside the camp Wei Yan rushes in hastily crying "The Wei army has come!" and knocks the main lamp out. Zhuge Liang throws down his sword and laments that life and death rest with the mandate of Heaven and cannot be averted by prayer. Romance, Ch. 103 §55–56
In Chapter 104, "A Great Star Falls: the Han Chancellor Dies," when Jiang Wei tries to kill Wei Yan for putting out the lamp, Zhuge Liang stops him, saying that his own life has come to its end and it is not Wei Yan's fault, and lies down on his bed, vomiting blood. Romance, Ch. 104 §1
Written by 3KDEX (not yet reviewed) — The tags at the end of each paragraph link to the exact passage in the Records volume or Romance chapter it is based on.
Ownership history
| Owner | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Zhuge Liang | 234 | Romance 「孔明自於帳中設香花祭物…內安本命燈一盞」 |
Ownership is checked against the source texts (3KDEX) — each entry rests on the passage where the item changes hands. Owners not in the People index are not shown.