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What is the purpose of human life? It is nothing but for money. Why do people die? It is nothing but due to disease. Indeed, life, money, and disease are inextricably linked and transform into one another in their functions. Which is more important: life or money or disease? Without life, there can be no money; without disease, life can be preserved. Thus, life is paramount. Since Heaven cannot grant everyone longevity, nor provide sufficient wealth to completely exempt them from disease, doctors become even more crucial. The role of a doctor is to eliminate disease and preserve health. Regardless of their skill level, can they abandon money to save lives? Or does Heaven specifically endow doctors with wealth? Unfortunately, people in this world all make seeking money their primary goal, all prioritize their own financial gain, and all resent others doing the same. They treat even a single coin as if it were life itself; some even seek money at the expense of their lives, or having secured their lives, still covet wealth. This is a common malady of the world, which is precisely the cause of the decline of medicine. For those who are poor and helpless, persuasion might work, but surprisingly, the majority are the wealthy and powerful. This is extremely unkind. If one does not strive to practice the Golden Rule (Shu), how can good doctors emerge? Quack doctors kill countless people, yet this is actually self-deception by those who value money above all; it can even be called suicide. How much worse are those with superficial knowledge who discuss pathology without considering pulse diagnosis, or prescribe herbs without addressing the actual condition, thereby assisting the knife of death from the sidelines.

People say: "Medicine is about intention (Yi)." Meaning it relies on intuitive understanding. They also say: "Medicine is easy." Claiming it is a convenient and simple matter. These words are not only spoken by laymen but are statements that mislead doctors and harm all living beings. They fail to understand that the character "Yi" (Medicine) shares its root with "Yi" (Change/I Ching). Its subtlety and vastness are like the Dao of the I Ching. Indeed, combining the endeavors and scholarship of ancient and modern times, China and abroad, nothing is more difficult than this. Confucius said: "If a person lacks constancy, they cannot serve as a shaman or doctor." Constancy means permanence. Yi refers to hexagrams. It speaks of the way of Heaven and Earth, which is constant and unceasing. The sun and moon follow the Way of Heaven and shine eternally; the four seasons change yet achieve lasting results. Sages follow this Way and transform the world. By observing what is constant, one can perceive the nature of all things in Heaven and Earth. The significance of Constancy is so great; the Way of Medicine should be the same. Since Medicine was a profession admonished by Confucius, Disease became something he treated with caution. The principle of not daring to experiment until fully understanding implies how difficult and cautious it must be. Since Zhu Xi erroneously annotated that "small arts have their merits," interpreting small arts as farming, gardening, medicine, and divination, people thereafter regarded medicine as a trivial art and treated practitioners as lowly craftsmen. The highest remuneration was merely a few taels of gold, or sometimes just tens or hundreds of cash, where a call would bring them instantly. Some didn't even pay this meager amount. If the treatment failed, curses and slander followed. No act of unkindness is greater than this. Even stranger is that while treating doctors as trivial and lowly in daily life, people expect them to be like immortals when sick. Are there immortals playing among these trivial arts and lowly craftsmen? One would laugh silently upon introspection. (Medicine originates from the I Ching. Mr. Zhang Xugu discussed this in detail in *Yi Men Bang He*. Although the starting point here differs from his, leading to different arguments, there is no contradiction.)

The reputation of "trivial art" and "lowly craftsman," along with profits of tens or hundreds of cash, are extremely insignificant. Yet, expecting virtuous men to engage in this to secure good doctors for preserving life is not only unkind but also shows a disregard for good doctors. How can this succeed? Good doctors may not love profit, but they certainly cherish their reputation. Patients often think that diseases vary in severity and depth, asking why one must seek a good doctor for minor, mild, or superficial conditions. However, failing to encounter a good doctor means minor, mild, or superficial conditions will inevitably become major, severe, and deep, potentially reaching dangerous and incurable stages. This is the normal progression of disease. Those skilled in health preservation are meticulous and do not neglect mild or superficial illnesses. Therefore, sages treat disease before it arises, rather than after it has manifested—controlling chaos before it occurs and protecting the state before it becomes perilous. Alas, people today only value money. By the time the condition becomes dangerous and incurable, even capable healers are powerless. Moreover, at such times, most cannot bear to part with money to save a sliver of life, ultimately unable to take it to the underworld, leaving only ridicule from future generations. Oh, how pitiful!

Such pitiful situations are as numerous as grains of sand in the Ganges River since antiquity. The *Records of the Grand Historian* biography of Bian Que records that Bian Que learned techniques from Sang Jun, drank water from the upper pool, and gained the ability to see people on the other side of walls. Using this sight to diagnose, he could clearly see internal organ obstructions. He achieved miraculous effects in Zhao and Guo, and the world believed he could raise the dead. Upon arriving in Qi, Duke Huan of Qi hosted him. Bian Que entered the court and said, "You have a disease in the skin layers. If untreated, it will deepen." Duke Huan replied, "I am not ill." After Bian Que left, Duke Huan told his attendants, "Doctors love profit; they want to claim credit for curing the healthy." Five days later, Bian Que saw him again and said, "Your disease is in the blood vessels. Untreated, it may worsen." Duke Huan said, "I am not ill." Bian Que left, and Duke Huan was displeased. Five days later, Bian Que saw him again and said, "Your disease is in the stomach and intestines. Untreated, it will surely deepen." Duke Huan ignored him. Bian Que left, and Duke Huan remained displeased. Five days later, Bian Que saw him again, glanced at Duke Huan, and fled. Duke Huan sent someone to ask why. Bian Que said, "Disease in the skin layers is within reach of herbal decoctions and hot compresses; in the blood vessels, within reach of acupuncture and moxibustion; in the stomach and intestines, within reach of medicinal wines. Now it is in the bone marrow. Even Si Ming (the deity of life and death) cannot help. Therefore, I no longer request an audience." Five days later, Duke Huan fell ill and sent for Bian Que, but Bian Que had already fled. Duke Huan then died. If sages could foresee subtle signs, allowing good doctors to intervene early, diseases could be cured, and lives saved. People worry about the multitude of diseases, while doctors worry about the scarcity of medical knowledge. Thus, there are six types of untreatable cases: 1. Arrogant and unreasonable; 2. Disregarding health for wealth; 3. Inability to regulate diet and clothing; 4. Imbalance of Yin and Yang with unstable Zang-Fu Qi; 5. Emaciation preventing medication intake; 6. Trusting shamans over doctors. Having any one of these makes treatment difficult. Bian Que was a good doctor, and Duke Huan was a wealthy ruler. Even if Bian Que loved profit, Duke Huan could have paid. Besides, Bian Que had no such intent. His earnest advice was merely to demonstrate his profound skills and honor. He did not expect Duke Huan's prioritization of wealth over body to lead to suspicion of greed, resulting in an incurable condition. It is truly sorrowful.

Another example: Zhang Zhongjing met Wang Zhongxuan, a Minister of Palace Affairs, who was in his twenties. Zhang said, "You have a disease. Your eyebrows will fall out at forty, and you will die half a year after that. Taking Wushi Tang can prevent this." Zhongxuan found his words offensive, accepted the prescription but did not take it. Three days later, Zhang saw him again and asked, "Did you take the medicine?" Zhongxuan lied, "Yes." Zhang said, "Your complexion does not match the signs of taking the medicine. Why do you slight your life?" Zhongxuan remained silent. Twenty years later, his eyebrows indeed fell out, and he died 187 days later. These two cases illustrate the sage's principle of treating disease before it arises. I often earnestly advise patients regarding Stroke (Zhong Feng) and Consumption (Xu Lao), similar to Bian Que advising Duke Huan or Zhang Zhongjing advising Zhongxuan. Yet people either dismiss it as alarmist talk or suspect ulterior motives. Ultimately, they end up like Duke Huan and Zhongxuan. Alas! Today, there are few Bian Ques or Zhang Zhongjings, but countless Duke Huans and Zhongxuans. Do people not wish to avoid becoming Duke Huans or Zhongxuans? Or do they hope for more Bian Ques and Zhang Zhongjings? One must plan early.

If one insists on preserving both life and wealth, everyone must study and learn medicine as I describe it; otherwise, they must submit to doctors. Do doctors want to be good? Of course. As the saying goes, "You want the horse to run well but not eat grass." Such things don't exist in the world, yet many people harbor such desires, which is why divine steeds rarely appear.

I dare not say everyone values wealth, but since the decline of morals and rise of opportunism, bribery and nepotism have spread uncontrollably. People eagerly seek and spend thousands of coins, even bankrupting themselves or losing dignity. Yet, when facing doctors, they act oppositely. Even if the cost is only a tiny fraction of what they usually spend, they remain miserly. This is incomprehensible. Is it because they view profit-seeking as vital for survival and health preservation as secondary? Such imbalance is extreme.

I have seen people squander money like dirt on gambling and prostitution. When first ensnared, before bankruptcy, parents or teachers might reprimand or advise, but they ignore it. Yet, when facing doctors, they reverse this behavior, hoarding even small sums. Eventually, their wealth is lost to vice, possibly contracting serious diseases or turning to crime, even risking their lives without regret. This is even more inexplicable. This is merely the greatest harm of useless spending; smaller instances need not be mentioned. People should prohibit useless expenditure and redirect it to useful purposes.

Sages use wealth frugally for themselves but generously for others, strictly guarding the boundary between reason and desire. People do the opposite: they spend lavishly on desires but consider even small expenses on reason as excessive. This is why the Sage's Way declines, and worldly and medical ways deteriorate. Occasionally, people mix reason and desire, but this is still driven by a desire for fortune and avoidance of disaster, not true adherence to reason. For example, government medical bureaus and charity hospitals aim to help the poor. However, whether the doctors are truly competent is unknown. Some doctors see dozens or even over a hundred patients a day. Even sages cannot manage this; it is treated as a joke. While there may be occasional successes, failures outweigh them. Thus, establishing these institutions without proper methods is not truly benevolent, akin to "loving benevolence but not loving learning."

Medicine is inherently a benevolent art. Initiating charity hospitals stems from benevolence, but without proper method, benevolent hearts lead to non-benevolent outcomes. One good doctor can save millions; conversely, incompetence causes harm. Could millions of good doctors save the world? Predecessors touched upon this, emphasizing that doctors must improve themselves. Merely blaming doctors or opening schools and setting up hospitals everywhere is ineffective. *Yi Yi Yi* aims to support the infinite heart of the benevolent, preventing errors. It suggests securing funding, providing adequate salaries, hiring qualified doctors, and strictly evaluating performance. Regardless of the institution's size, limit each doctor to ten consultations per day. Detailed records of pulse, symptoms, treatments, and contraindications must be given to patients and archived. Monthly and annual summaries should be posted publicly for official inspection. Expanding this system from provincial capitals to counties and villages, ensuring doctors earn enough to support their families and eradicating previous attitudes of disdain, will result in good doctors everywhere and safe healing for all patients.

*Yi Yi Yi* hopes not only for a disease-free world with good doctors but also for everyone to become sages. Wealth and immortality are uncertain, but disease can be cured, and sages can be made. Diseases number in the millions, with complex manifestations; a slight error leads to huge mistakes. Generally, diseases fall into External Contraction (Wai Gan) and Internal Injury (Nei Shang). External contraction is caused by the Six Evils (Wind, Cold, Summer-heat, Dampness, Dryness, Fire). Internal injury stems from the Seven Emotions (Joy, Anger, Sorrow, Happiness, Love, Hate, Desire). Together, these are the Thirteen Causes. Proper lifestyle and temperature regulation can prevent external contraction. Except for specific severe cases like Cold Damage with dual invasion, Warm Epidemics, or Wind Stroke directly affecting organs, external contractions are generally survivable. Most deaths from external contraction are due to medical error. Internal injuries are often fatal because they involve the mind/spirit, which herbs alone cannot cure. I argue that Shennong, Huangdi, Qibo, and Zhang Zhongjing are masters of external contraction, while Confucius and Mencius are masters of internal injury. Later Neo-Confucians, Laozi, Zhuangzi, and Buddhists also excel in treating internal injury through regulating emotions and temperament. Their teachings are excellent remedies for internal injury. Sadly, few read and awaken to them, and fewer doctors understand them. Thus, many die from internal injury.

To illuminate the medical world, we must study the works of Qibo, Zhang Zhongjing, Confucius, Mencius, and great scholars. Integrating these insights allows comprehensive treatment of both external and internal issues. Mr. Lu Xinwu of the Ming Dynasty said: "Use bland diet as Er Chen Tang, use moderation of desires as Si Wu Tang, use clear mind and reduced affairs as Si Jun Zi Tang. The medicine has no formula, the doctor has no name; everything is taken from oneself." This aligns with my views, though underdeveloped. I often treat internal injury with "words as medicine," using emotion to heal emotion. People find this pedantic, refuse it, mock it, and rely solely on herbs. If people valued life over wealth, they would follow my advice, and good doctors would emerge. If they still prioritize wealth, they must study and learn medicine, integrating medical governance with self-cultivation to approach sagehood. This can mitigate the diseases of international competition and foster global harmony. Do not say sages cannot be made. Yan Yuan said, "What kind of person was Shun? What kind of person am I? Those who act can be like him." Gongming Yi said, "King Wen is my teacher. Would Zhou Gong deceive me?" Cao Jiao said, "Everyone can become Yao or Shun." Mencius said, "Yao and Shun are like ordinary people," and "Sages are of the same kind as us." These are the prescriptions for becoming sages. What is disease? If dismissed as empty talk, it is a failure to act, not inability. I can do nothing more.