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Alas! Medicine, medicine, medicine—how can medicine be spoken of lightly! The Way of Medicine is vast and great, profound and subtle, perilous indeed! Throughout history, in China and abroad, among all studies and undertakings, there is none more difficult than this. It is nominally the path of preserving health and eliminating disease, but it extends far beyond mere preservation and elimination. It integrates the principles of investigating things to extend knowledge, sincerity of will, rectification of the mind, self-cultivation, regulation of the family, governance of the state, and peace in the world, and there are even greater challenges involved. Without exploring the secrets of Yin and Yang (Yin-Yang) of heaven and earth, exhausting the nature of all things, clarifying the principles of Qi transformation (Qi Hua), extensively researching past and present, observing changes according to the times, integrating Chinese and foreign knowledge, adapting to local conditions, and maintaining a clear heart and tranquil spirit when dealing with affairs, one cannot possibly discuss medicine. Although ordinary people may understand some superficial aspects, at its highest level, even sages find it impossible to fully grasp. Therefore, those who possess only half-knowledge and wander with ringing bells and hanging pots fill the world; sometimes they save lives. Yet sages like Huangdi (Yellow Emperor), Nongshi (Shennong/Qi Bo), Qibo, and Jingyue have also failed to avoid causing death despite their excellence surpassing past and present. Ultimately, saving lives is accidental, while causing death is countless; deaths seem coincidental, yet many survive. Who hangs the bright mirror to judge right from wrong and success from failure? This is why the Way of Medicine remains unclear and unimplemented.

Today, everyone competes to talk about medicine, hospitals are widely opened, medical research societies are newly established, and military medical schools are increasingly founded. In a village of ten households, there must be loyal and trustworthy people; within a hundred steps, fragrant grass must grow. I dare not say that a thousand deliberations yield no insight, but high officials mistakenly regarded me as an old horse knowing the way, repeatedly urging me to advocate for establishing a medical school. Their intent was excellent, and their sincerity genuine. I merely gave vague responses, delaying year after year, until finally unable to comply. The officials were enthusiastic about education, implementing new policies step by step, yet the field of medicine still seemed chaotic. Pressed repeatedly, I could not decline and felt compelled to explain. Alas! Medicine, medicine, medicine—medicine is not unimportant. However, if one claims that all new policies are matters of medicine, then expecting administrative renewal without a clear understanding of the Way of Medicine, I personally disagree. For the Way of Medicine connects to the Way of Governance, which cannot be exhaustively described. Take strengthening the race and the army as examples; these are closely related. Since opening up to foreign relations, our country has lagged behind in every aspect, except perhaps in medicine and literature, where there is hope to surpass others. The subtlety of literature has reached its peak, requiring no further comment. Although medicine is currently in a period of obscurity and stagnation, it was conceived by Huangdi and Shennong, and sprouted by Qibo and Zhang Jingyue, long ago. If a great figure arises to revitalize it, guide and expand it, transform and adapt it, and treat it with solemnity, it can surely shine brightly on the global stage, allowing our cultural attire and artifacts to be introduced to other nations, serving as a conduit for Western medicine. Those who disdain Traditional Chinese Medicine (Zhongyi) today are justified, but those who erroneously praise Western medicine and prioritize it blindly are acting on hearsay and superficial judgment. Thus, is not establishing a medical school an urgent task?

However, there are difficulties to speak of. Currently, China's medical community has become a refuge for those who failed in their studies and could not find other occupations. The "Way" they follow is neither the Way of Huangdi and Qibo nor the consistent Way I speak of. Their self-deprecation and lack of brilliance are hardly surprising. Yet, their corruption, mediocrity, evilness, and baseness are real afflictions within the profession. A mindset of compromise and contempt permeates them. While this is partly due to the doctors' own faults, the disease of medicine has already penetrated deeply and spread nationwide, likely incurable forever. To expect them to practice medicine well, let alone govern the state, is like seeking grain for starving people in barren land—it is absolutely impossible. Now, planning to establish a medical school, I also wish to find a way to cure the "disease of the doctors." But without knowing where the doctors' disease lies, merely imposing strict regulations, curricula, and demanding diligence and precise pulse diagnosis (Chen Mai) is treating the branch without addressing the root. Even if schools open nationwide and operate for a century, it will be useless. Where lies the disease of the doctors, and what is the prescription to cure them? It requires the effort of one wise person in the court and the majority of the world to explore the source, wash away old corrupt airs, mediocre and base habits, and customs of compromise and contempt, and improve them. Only then can we rescue this deep-seated illness and hope for progress in medicine. If such individuals arise, adopt my prescription to cure the doctors, and encourage doctors to use it for self-cure, the medical community will naturally see a new horizon, renew its spirit, elevate its aspirations, refine its studies daily, and produce talents continuously, leading to the prosperity of the Way of Medicine even without formal schools.

The source of the doctors' disease is deep and complex; the prescription to cure them seems difficult but is actually easy, though not explicable in a few words. Please analyze it in the following chapters. I write this book to clarify the Way of Medicine, seek talent, and reserve good prescriptions for the medical community, thereby preparing for the future establishment of a medical school. With heartache and indignation, I composed this work, naming it *Yi Yi Yi* (Doctor Doctor Doctor). One meaning conveys the sigh of three叹s within one character; the other signifies first seeking a method to cure the doctors themselves. Alas! Medicine, medicine, medicine—how can medicine be spoken of lightly! Written by Mengjin Shi in the first month of the eighth lunar month, autumn of the Jiyou year, Xuantong Era.