Who is Bian Lan 卞兰

A scholar and Taoist of the Wei State during the Three Kingdoms period. He was the nephew of Cao Cao (the son of Bian Bing, the younger brother of Empress Dowager Bian, who was Cao Cao's wife).

He showed great talent and learning from a young age. He inherited his father's title as the Marquis of Kaiyang. He served in various official positions, including the Gentleman Attendant of the Carriage, the General of the Guerrilla Army, and was later promoted to the Palace Attendant. In philosophy, he adhered to Laozi's ideas of frugality, contentment, avoiding excess, and seeking retreat, which he used as his personal motto. He insisted on and further expounded Laozi's views that "excessive accumulation leads to greater loss" and that "the five colors blind the eye, the five tones deafen the ear, and the five flavors dull the palate." He believed that all luxurious and precious things were sources of harm. He said, "Lofty halls with multiple stories will surely obscure your true nature; rooms filled with gold and jewels will disorder your spirit. Rich flavors invite calamity, and beautiful colors endanger the body. Striving for heights leads to a fall, and pursuing wealth results in poverty. Closing off desires is what the Master Lao cherished. The inscriptions in the Zhou Temple were followed by Confucius. Be cautious with your words and avoid mistakes." (From "Motto," collected in Volume 23 of Anthology of Literature and Arts) He asserted that all pursuits of progress and upward mobility would lead to the opposite and end badly. The only way was to withdraw from society, live in solitude, and stay away from the world. He said, "Act calmly and follow the times, blending in with the mundane. Do not think that the silent and dark are unnoticed by others. Do not think that solitude is lonely; be alone but feel as if in a crowd. Do not seek fortune first, and do not get close to misfortune. Hold onto simplicity and purity, and do not disrupt the great principles. Always be as cautious as standing on the edge of a deep cliff, and remain pure from beginning to end." (Ibid.) His deeds are scattered in Volume 5 of Records of the Three Kingdoms in the "Biography of Empress Dowager Bian" and the "Biography of Gao Tanglong."

Some of his works are collected in Volume 30 of Complete Prose of the Three Kingdoms.