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When Xiong Shi rose, medicine began to flourish, encompassing the nurturing of all things and the prevention and treatment of diseases and calamities. After the Zhou and Qin dynasties, renowned physicians such as Hua Tuo, Cang Gong, and Bian Que each transmitted their skills to demonstrate miraculous efficacy. In the Han Dynasty, Zhang Ji (Zhang Zhongjing) examined the meridians, harmonized medicinal substances, and compiled the great achievements of classical prescriptions, being universally revered as the "Supreme Sage among Physicians." The *Treatise on Cold Damage* (*Shanghan Lun*) has remained unalterable since ancient times. However, due to the passage of years, the chapters and sequences became mixed up, making it difficult for those who devoted themselves to searching and discussing to fully comprehend it. From the Tang Dynasty physician Sun Simiao until the Qing Dynasty, no one had been able to thoroughly explain it.

In our dynasty, medicine flourished. Huang Yuanyu from Changyi, Shandong, relying on his innate talent and wisdom, wrote *Shanghan Xuanjie* (*Suspended Solution of Cold Damage*), elucidating the principles of meridians, zang-fu organs, and the smoothness or reversal of yin and yang. He comprehensively integrated logical structures and analyzed them without omission, shining like the sun and stars.

However, the original text's annotations were abundant and profound. Those not dedicated to medical studies still struggled to distinguish and clarify them quickly. Bao Chengliang, a Sima (official title) from Jing County, was proficient in medicine. While waiting for an official appointment in Hubei, he came to pay respects. I asked him about Huang's theories, and he explained them in great detail, presenting his compiled work, *Shanghan Shenzheng Biao* (*Table for Examining Signs in Cold Damage*). This volume was based on Huang's arrangement and requested publication. Upon reading it, the symptoms are presented clearly, like looking at one's palm or face, without losing any detail. Its merit is immense! It not only inherits Huang's unparalleled scholarship but also greatly benefits the daily needs of the people. I, Li Hanzhang, though unworthy of my heavy responsibilities, hope to alleviate the suffering of the people and lead them to benevolence and longevity. Are not the arts of governance that consolidate the state's foundation and benefit the common people similar to the methods of good physicians treating diseases? Therefore, I write this preface for the table, filled with emotion and unable to forget.

On the first day of the twelfth month of the winter of Gengwu, the ninth year of Tongzhi, Li Hanzhang of Hefei, Envoy Supervising Chu Affairs, wrote the preface.

The *Treatise on Cold Damage* (*Shanghan Lun*) did not have a good version during the Jin Dynasty; it was Wang Shuhe who collected and edited it, allowing it to be passed down. When Sun Simiao of the Tang Dynasty wrote the *Qianjin Fang* (*Essential Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Gold*), he had not yet seen the *Shanghan Lun*. Later, when he saw it, he found that the cold damage section in the *Qianjin Fang* lacked formulas and discussions, so he later wrote the *Qianjin Yifang* (*Supplement to Essential Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Gold*) to supplement it. During the Song Dynasty, Lin Yi and others collated the text but retained Wang Shuhe's old arrangement. Cheng Wuji provided commentary but failed to correctly reorganize the chapter sequence. Since the sequence was chaotic, the commentary was naturally unclear. Although many commentators followed afterwards, they mostly inherited errors, leading to conflicting theories with no central standard. Until our holy Qing Dynasty, when medicine flourished, Huang Kunzai from Changyi, Shandong, emerged as destined by heaven. With painstaking effort, he wrote *Shanghan Xuanjie*, analyzing and connecting the 113 formulas according to the Six Meridians, correcting them one by one, and clarifying primary diseases, meridian diseases, fu-organ diseases, zang-organ diseases, damaged diseases, transmission to fu/zang organs, and entry into yang/yin. With the main points raised and details organized, each category returned to its proper place. Thus, the *Treatise on Cold Damage* became logically structured and its meaning clear. Huang's contribution to Zhang Zhongjing is truly significant; one could even say that Zhang Zhongjing's original book has reappeared.

In my youth, I traveled to Shanluo and studied medicine under Mr. Zhang Wanlin. My teacher assigned me to collate Huang's various books, with particular focus on the *Treatise on Cold Damage*. Because the text was profound and the meanings subtle, it was hardest to memorize. Therefore, I compiled the *Shanghan Shen Zheng Biao* (*Table for Examining Signs in Cold Damage*), extracting the essence and summarizing key points for frequent review to prevent forgetting. Fellow practitioners liked it, considering it a helpful aid for studying the *Shanghan Lun*, and urged me to publish it. I hope readers will correct any deficiencies and offer guidance, which would be a great fortune. Having completed the manuscript, I briefly record these words to narrate the origin.

On the fifteenth day of the seventh month of the ninth year of Tongzhi, Bao Cheng of Jing County, writing from his residence in Hubei Province.