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The syndrome of Shanghan (Cold Damage) was discussed by Zhang Zhongjing, who established 397 treatment methods and 113 formulas in his work. The divine changes were so detailed and comprehensive that they could be considered exhaustive. When treating miscellaneous diseases, he wrote *Jin Gui Yao Lue* (Essential Prescriptions of the Golden Cabinet), categorizing them systematically and comprehensively, providing rules and standards to guide practitioners to apply knowledge analogously and respond to infinite variations. However, its language is archaic and profound, its meanings are deep and obscure, and its categories are numerous, making it difficult to comprehend; many people find it burdensome. Therefore, I have extracted its core principles and compiled them into rhythmic verses (ge jue), enabling students to memorize them easily, integrate the knowledge thoroughly, and then study the complete text with ease and understanding, experiencing the joy of insight without feeling overwhelmed by the vastness of the material. By ascending from the hall to the inner chamber, one will see the great laws and subtle words of two thousand years illuminated like the sun and moon, preventing them from being buried in dust, hopefully offering a small contribution to this path of medicine.

Diseases of the Six Channels all fall under Shanghan; though the pathogenic Qi is the same, the manifestations differ—is this inevitable? Tracing back, the physical constitutions and Zang-Fu organs are not uniform; because pathogens transform according to their nature, the outcomes are manifold. Understanding the principle of mutual overcoming between Water and Fire makes it easy to grasp the logic of transforming into Cold or Heat. Do not claim that there are thousands of varied transformations; they all lie within Yin-Yang and Exterior-Interior.
[Note] "Six Channels" refers to Taiyang (Greater Yang), Yangming (Bright Yang), Shaoyang (Lesser Yang), Taiyin (Greater Yin), Shaoyin (Lesser Yin), and Jueyin (Terminal Yin). "Diseases of the Six Channels all fall under Shanghan" means that diseases occurring in the Six Channels are all variations of Shanghan. "Qi is the same" refers to the Heaven's Six Qi (Wind, Cold, Summerheat, Dampness, Dryness, Fire) affecting humans similarly as external causes. "Disease differs" means that after contracting these Six Qi, the resulting illnesses manifest differently in individuals. "Is this inevitable?" implies that one cannot predetermine whether the outcome will be Cold or Heat. "Tracing back, the physical constitutions and Zang-Fu organs are not uniform" means investigating that people's body structures (thick/thin) and Zang-Fu states (deficiency/excess) vary originally. "Because pathogens transform according to their nature, the outcomes are manifold" means that although the contracted pathogen is the same, due to differences in constitution and organ status, it may transform into Cold, Heat, Deficiency, or Excess, leading to diverse presentations. "Understanding the principle of mutual overcoming between Water and Fire" refers to the concept that when Water prevails, Fire is extinguished; when Fire prevails, Water dries up. "It is easy to grasp the logic of transforming into Cold or Heat" means that once the pathogen enters the channels, whether it transforms into Cold via Yin or Heat via Yang follows the logic of Water-Fire interaction and transformation, which is not hard to understand. The last two lines mean that although Shanghan presents in thousands of forms, it ultimately does not exceed the scope of Yin-Yang and Exterior-Interior.