医理无穷,脉学难晓,会心人一旦豁然,全凭禅悟。余未及冠,因病弃儒,留心医学,研究诸书,并无
一字之师,独于脉,稍得异人指示,提一缓字,而融会之,全身脉症,于瞬息间,尽归三指之下。距今四十余
年,所过通都大邑,探取病情,无一不验。今不敢以自私,立为主脑,对以阴阳,注释多本古人体裁,实非臆
造,就正同学,幸其教我。
轩辕使伶伦截 谷之竹,作黄钟律管,以候天地之节气;使岐伯取气口,作脉以候人之动气。黄钟之数九
分,气口之数亦九分,律管具而寸之数始形。故脉之
动也,阳浮九分,阴得一寸,合于黄钟。黄钟者,气之先兆,能测天地之节候;气口者,脉之要会,能知人命
之死生。本律管以定脉,轩岐之微蕴,诚有未易窥测者。越人着《难经》,推明十变;叔和撰《脉经》,演成
十卷,而脉始得灿明于世。迄五代高阳生《脉诀》出,士大夫多议之,由是才人杰士,咸驰骤于笔墨之间,各
据其理,各抒其见,而真诀几几乎晦矣。齐 澄论脉,女子阴逆,自上生下,左寸为受命之根,心肺脉诊于两
尺,倒装五脏,谬妄已极。赵维宗论脉,心肺在上,为浮为阳。肝肾在下,为沉为阴。脾居中州,半浮半沉,
半阴半阳。意义肤浅,更属无稽。吴草庐宗《内经》取之于气口,未尽《内经》之奥。朱考享推《内经》,求
之于遍身,未达《内经》之专。若二李者(濒湖、士材)将前人所流传之脉,依样画葫芦,演成诗句,字字晓
畅。叔和而后,幸有传人,究未得平脉诀,医无权度,殊失《内经》以平人定脉之旨。是编揆之前哲,虽则别
开生面,实亦不过发明《内经》及《难经》、《脉经》之义云尔。
Medical principles are boundless, and pulse diagnosis is difficult to comprehend. However, for those with insight, a sudden enlightenment can occur, relying entirely on Zen-like intuition. Before I reached the age of twenty (capping age), I abandoned Confucian studies due to illness and turned my attention to medicine. I studied various medical texts but had no single teacher to guide me specifically. Only in pulse diagnosis did I receive guidance from an unusual person; he mentioned only the character "slow" (Huan), which allowed me to integrate and master it. In an instant, all pulse signs and symptoms of the body were brought under the control of three fingers (index, middle, and ring fingers). Over forty years have passed since then. In all the major cities and towns I have visited, my diagnoses of illnesses have been accurate without exception. Now, I dare not keep this knowledge to myself. I establish it as the core principle of this book, annotating it based on Yin and Yang theory. Most annotations follow the style of ancient texts and are indeed not fabricated arbitrarily. I submit this to my fellow scholars for correction, hoping for their instruction.
The Yellow Emperor ordered Ling Lun to cut bamboo from a valley to make the Huangzhong (Yellow Bell) pitch pipe, to measure the solar terms of heaven and earth. He also ordered Qibo to take the Qi Kou (Cunkou/Inknot) at the wrist to diagnose the moving Qi (pulse) of humans. The length of the Huangzhong pipe is nine fen, and the length of the Qi Kou is also nine fen. Once the pitch pipe was made, the Cun position of the pulse took shape. Therefore, in the movement of the pulse, the Yang floats nine fen, and the Yin sinks one cun, corresponding to the number of Huangzhong. Huangzhong is the precursor of Qi, capable of predicting the seasonal changes of heaven and earth; Qi Kou is the essential convergence of pulses, capable of knowing life and death. By basing pulse determination on the pitch pipe, the profound secrets of Xuanyuan (Yellow Emperor) and Qibo are indeed not easy to fathom. Bian Que wrote *Nan Jing* (Classic of Difficult Issues), elucidating the Ten Transformations; Wang Shuhe wrote *Mai Jing* (Pulse Classic), expanding it into ten volumes, after which pulse diagnosis became clear and prominent in the world. When Gao Yangsheng's *Mai Jue* (Pulse Rhymes) appeared during the Five Dynasties period, scholar-officials criticized it widely. Consequently, talented individuals competed in literary expression, each relying on their own reasoning and expressing their views, causing the true secrets of pulse diagnosis to be nearly obscured. Qi Cheng discussed pulse diagnosis, claiming that in women, Yin pulses are reversed, originating from above and descending below, with the Left Cun being the root of life, and the pulses of the Heart and Lungs diagnosed at the two Chi positions. This inverted arrangement of the Zang organs is extremely absurd. Zhao Weizong discussed pulse diagnosis, stating that the Heart and Lungs are upper, manifesting as Floating pulses belonging to Yang; the Liver and Kidneys are lower, manifesting as Deep pulses belonging to Yin; the Spleen is in the central region, half-floating and half-deep, half-Yin and half-Yang. Its meaning is superficial and belongs to baseless speculation. Wu Caolu respected *Nei Jing* (Inner Canon) by taking pulses from the Qi Kou, but did not fully exhaust the profundities of *Nei Jing*. Zhu Kaoxiang promoted *Nei Jing* by seeking pulses throughout the whole body, failing to grasp the specific focus of *Nei Jing*. As for the two Li masters (Li Shizhen and Li Zhongcai), they followed the pulse methods transmitted by predecessors, copying them like drawing a gourd from a model, and evolved them into poetic verses, with every word clear and understandable. After Wang Shuhe, fortunately, there were successors, but they ultimately did not obtain the true secret of Ping Mai (Level Pulse/Diagnosis using Normal Pulse as Standard). Physicians lacked standards of measurement, greatly deviating from the intent of *Nei Jing* to determine pulses based on normal people. This book, when measured against the wisdom of former sages, although opening a new path, essentially serves only to elucidate the meanings of *Nei Jing*, *Nan Jing*, and *Mai Jing*.