Library

I have always said that only those who harbor ten thousand volumes of books in their chests and have not a speck of dust beneath their brushes are qualified to write original works; only those with no speck of dust in their minds and no speck of dust in their eyes are permitted to annotate and comment on ancient texts.

Writing original works is indeed difficult, but annotating and commenting on them is even more so. The authors of ancient works have long passed away. In the meantime, these texts have undergone multiple instances of destruction by war, frequent displacements, several rounds of additions and deletions, and numerous copies and engravings. Consequently, there are errors such as "Hai Shi" (confusion of characters), mixed-forgeries, missing passages, and disordered bamboo slips.

If an annotator has keen insight, the hidden intentions of the ancients will become clear, and stale sentences will be renewed; if the annotator lacks insight, they will either mechanically imitate others or seek out trivial branches, resulting in fish eyes being confused with pearls, and inferior stones surpassing jade.

The *Shanghan Lun* (Treatise on Cold Pathogenic Diseases), after being compiled and arranged by Wang Shuhe, is no longer the original work of Zhang Zhongjing. Many of Zhang Zhongjing's original texts have been lost, while Wang Shuhe has added many apocryphal interpretations. Readers of this book must concentrate their spirits and stabilize their wills. With wisdom and calm observation, they must examine each clause carefully and scrutinize each sentence. They must distinguish what was spoken by Zhang Zhongjing from what was written by Wang Shuhe. Any missing parts, inverted sentences, erroneous characters, or superfluous text must be pointed out one by one, instantly revealing the true face of the author within the language and text. Furthermore, regarding the vertical and horizontal variations in writing style, differences in detail and brevity, meanings conveyed through intertextuality, or similarities drawn through analogy, where one can comprehend the other from this, or perceive the significant from the minute, these must all be highlighted. This allows the spirit of the author to appear beyond the language and text. Only then can one assist Zhang Zhongjing and annotate the *Shanghan Lun*.

Why did previous commentators fail to thoroughly understand Zhang Zhongjing's work from beginning to end and integrate it comprehensively? Instead, they merely elaborated superficially according to the text, leading to contradictions between each other, inability to distinguish black from white, and placing inferior stones alongside beautiful jade, and fish eyes alongside night-shining pearls. Because doubts and辨析 from the past were not clarified, the confusion for subsequent generations became even deeper. What reliance do students have?

For instance, the claim of "three hundred and ninety-seven methods" appears neither in Zhang Zhongjing's preface nor in Wang Shuhe's introductory examples. Lin Yi advocated this view earlier, and Cheng Wuji and Cheng Jiaoqian followed suit later; these claims are unreliable. Wang Andao has already refuted this. Yet, successors continue to pedantically obsess over numbers. Even if they are accurate to the slightest degree, what benefit does this bring to the ancients, and what merit does it offer to future learners?

However, this is still not the greatest burden on this path. What is truly strange is the explanation regarding Da Qing Long Tang (Major Blue Green Dragon Decoction). Zhang Zhongjing established this formula for cold damage or wind strike presenting with no sweating and accompanied by irritability; it is essentially Ma Huang Tang (Ephedra Decoction) with added ingredients. Yet, some claim it treats "cold damage seeing wind," and others call it "wind strike seeing cold." Thus, it is argued that Ma Huang Tang governs cold damaging the Ying (Nutrient) level, treating Ying pathology while Wei (Defensive) remains healthy; Gui Zhi Tang (Cinnamon Twig Decoction) governs wind damaging the Wei level, treating Wei pathology while Ying remains healthy; and Da Qing Long Tang governs both wind and cold damaging Ying and Wei, treating simultaneous pathology of both. These three formulas are partitioned and divided. Regarding Taiyang disease (Disease of the Solar Channel), claiming cold predominates over wind or vice versa, and various superfluous arguments are made to support Da Qing Long Tang, artificially constructing the theory of the "Tripartite Standstill." Such clever words are pleasing to the ear, much like the music of Zheng disrupting the elegant music of Ya.

The Way of Zhang Zhongjing is extremely plain and easy; the gate of Zhang Zhongjing is accessible to everyone. Yet, it has been made so obscure, leaving students wandering like travelers at night on diverging paths without guidance. Is this not deeply pitiable?

Moreover, taking a text that retains only two or three tenths of its original form and calling it a complete chapter; conflating the "Jue" (Cold extremities) of cold limbs with the "Jue" of the exhaustion of two Yin levels—the errors and discrepancies here are countless. This is why I sigh long while holding the scroll and cannot refrain from annotating.

In the autumn of the Bingwu year, my collation of the *Neijing* (Inner Canon) was just completed, and it had not yet been released to the world. Since the *Shanghan Lun* is highly valued by the world, I proceeded to collate and annotate Zhang Zhongjing's work. I divided it into chapters and compiled discussions, extracting the main outline and detailing the sub-items. Symptoms and causes were categorized together, and formulas were attached accordingly. Inverted sentences and erroneous characters were corrected, and heterodox theories were clearly refuted. Beneath each clause of the original text, I expounded upon the hidden intentions of Qibo and Zhang Zhongjing, compiling it into a single volume titled *Lun Zhu* (Annotations on the Treatise). Presuming my own inadequacy, I dare to seek correction from the enlightened. If I receive even a word of approval, it will slightly comfort the thousand reflections of a fool.

Ke Qin, courtesy name Yunbo, from Cishui, inscribed in early summer of the Jiyi year.