Bian Que, the legendary physician of the Warring States period, was originally named Qin Yueren. Because he saved countless people on the brink of death, his contemporaries compared him to the mythical healer Bian Que from the time of the Yellow Emperor.
During his youth, the legendary physician Bian Que managed a guesthouse where an elderly folk doctor named Chang Sangjun frequently stayed. Bian Que treated him with utmost respect, serving him like a revered elder and often seeking his medical wisdom.
In ancient times, both official and folk doctors passed down their medical skills exclusively from father to son, never to outsiders. But Changsang Jun had no family or children. Seeing that Bian Que was sincere, steady, and eager to learn, he began teaching him medical knowledge and techniques. Bian Que grew deeply interested in medicine and, after diligent study, could treat minor ailments, which delighted him.
Recognizing Bian Que's potential as a medical prodigy, Chang Sangjun decided to mentor him. Over more than a decade together, Bian Que absorbed vast medical knowledge and mastered numerous healing techniques from his teacher.
One day, Changsang Jun said to Bian Que, "I have practiced medicine for decades and accumulated many effective secret remedies and medical texts. Now that I am old, I cannot let them be lost, so I wish to pass them all on to you. I hope you will study and research diligently to become a renowned physician. However, you must never reveal them to others."
Bian Que listened, very pleased, and replied with great respect, "I will certainly keep your words in mind, master my skills, and become a good doctor."
Then, Changsang Jun handed all his secret prescriptions and medical texts to Bian Que. He then took a packet of medicine from his pouch and said, "Mix this with dew from plants and take it for thirty days. You will develop keen eyesight and see things previously invisible."
Bian Que accepted the gift, and with that, his teacher Changsang Jun drifted away like a wisp of cloud.
From that day forward, Bian Que followed Chang Sang Jun's instructions, taking the prescribed medicine for thirty consecutive days. His eyesight became so sharp that he could see through walls; when diagnosing patients, he could perceive the ailments within their organs, and his treatments always cured them instantly.
From then on, Bian Que traveled widely practicing medicine, and his fame grew. Later, the idiom "Seeing to the Heart of the Matter" came to describe sharp observation and the ability to identify the crux of an issue.
Source: *Records of the Grand Historian*, "Biographies of Bian Que and the Duke of Cang"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "洞见症结" came to describe sharp observation and the ability to identify the crux of an issue.