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To expel pathogenic factors and support healthy qi, to preserve life and true essence, to rescue those dying prematurely from reaching old age, and to relieve the infirm and disabled through benevolence and longevity—none of these can be achieved without relying on medicine. The way of medicine originated with Xuanyuan (Yellow Emperor) and Qibo; subsequently, the *Nan Jing* (Classic of Difficult Issues), *Ling Shu* (Spiritual Pivot), and *Su Wen* (Basic Questions) emerged. Later, He Huan and Bian Que, along with Cang Gong, all demonstrated divine proficiency in their arts. By the Han Dynasty, Zhang Zhongjing composed the *Shanghan Zabing Lun* (Treatise on Cold Pathogenic and Miscellaneous Diseases), establishing prescriptions for the first time, thereby greatly benefiting the common people. In the Jin Dynasty, Wang Shuhe compiled these works and further collected the *Mai Jing* (Pulse Classic), making the art of preserving life complete. Others, such as Hua Tuo’s abdominal surgery and various skilled practitioners who occasionally gained fame for a specific technique or method, were not living methods applicable for a hundred generations. Alas! The further we move from antiquity, the more obscure the orthodox path becomes. Amidst a thousand years of scarcity, who can inherit the past and open up the future, leaving laws for eternity? During the Song and Jin periods, Zhang Yuansu from Shanggu and Liu Wansu from Hejian, endowed with exceptional talent, deeply penetrated the profound mysteries, surpassing ancient traditions. Zhang Yuansu’s learning was thoroughly mastered by Li Gao from Dongyuan, who clarified the principles of internal injury and became renowned at the time. Wang Haicang and Luo Qianfu studied under Li Gao, while Luo Taiwu and others privately revered these sages. Wise men rose successively, shoulder to shoulder, writing treatises on formulas and theories, exploring the subtle and refined, just as water, fire, grain, and millet are indispensable in the world. Following and applying them, the distressed are revived, and the disabled rise again; how fortunate are the people!

During the Taiding era, Master Zhu Danxi rose from Jiangdong. He was a senior disciple of Lord Xu Wenyi, named Zhenheng, courtesy name Yanxiu, from Wushan in Wuzhou, and was a great Confucian scholar of the Yuan Dynasty. Because his mother suffered from a spleen disease, he devoted himself to medicine, saying, "Medicine is one aspect of the Confucian practice of investigating things to extend knowledge; it is indispensable for supporting parents." Thus, he traveled extensively across rivers and lakes seeking teachers but found none. Returning to Hangzhou, he studied under Luo Taiwu, thereby acquiring the teachings of Liu, Zhang, and Li. He returned home to exhaustively study the principles of the *Su Wen*, penetrating the mechanisms of the Five Movements and Six Qi, criticizing the unsuitability of the *Ju Fang* (Formulary of the Imperial Medical Bureau), and comprehending Dai Tongfu’s emphasis on attacking pathogens. He distinguished Yin and Yang amidst ambiguity, differentiated root and branch in hidden subtleties, examined the deficiency and excess of blood and qi, explored the strength of true qi and pathogenic factors, adhering strictly to flexible methods without being bound by fixed prescriptions. Indeed, he was the master of the medical way, the ruler of life and death, and the synthesizer of the great achievements of former sages. His disciples, Zhao Yi-de, Liu Shuyuan, and Dai Yuanli, all propagated his way, and his writings have been circulated for many years.

During the Jingtai era, Yang Chuyu collected his core methods and published them in Shaanxi West. In the early Chenghua era, Wang Ji appended formulas and reprinted them in Shu West, intending to widely disseminate them throughout the realm so that every family would possess and recite them, sparing people from premature death and unjust suffering. His intention was truly benevolent! However, Yang’s compilation had some duplicated chapters and some omissions, and included other discussions, blurring the distinction between valuable and worthless content. Wang’s additions of various formulas largely lost the original intent. I, Cheng Chong, a humble scholar from Jiangzuo, have long been dedicated to this field. Every time I read this book, I feel deep distress. Presuming upon my own limited ability, I appropriated formulas from *Pingzhi Huicui*, *Jingyan*, *Yuji Wei Yi*, *Weisheng Baojian*, *Jisheng Bacao*, as well as works by Dongyuan and Hejian, to cross-reference them. Tracing the source and integrating the beginning and end, seeking formulas according to symptoms, after accumulating days and months, I received from Mr. Wang Yunda, currently a Secretary in the Central Secretariat and a native of Wushan, the authentic manuscript preserved by Zhu Xian, the great-grandson of Danxi, for reference. Combining them, where there were textual errors or disjointed meanings, I carefully sought the original treatises to correct mistakes; where chapters were complex and repetitive, I deleted redundancy to retain essentials; where something was missing here but recorded there, I extracted it to expand the methods; where discussions were detailed but formulas incomplete, I added them for convenience of consultation. In every decision to include or exclude, I dared not arbitrarily add or subtract, hoping that Danxi’s book would be like the confluence of the Jing and Wei rivers, where clear and turbid waters naturally separate; or like black crows and white egrets roosting together, where black and white are distinctly divided, preventing students from being confused by heterodox paths and allowing diseases to return to proper treatment. I do not know if this will succeed? I fully realize this is an overstep, and guilt cannot be escaped. If fellow scholars pity my ignorance, correct my errors, and offer instruction, it would be my greatest wish. Thus, I write this preface.

Recorded respectfully by Cheng Chong, Lay Buddhist Fuchun, junior scholar from Xiuning, in the mid-winter of the Xin Chou year, the 17th year of Chenghua.