Library

Bao Ziyushan is a friend of my family's long-standing friendship. He possessed lofty and great ambitions, and was passionately devoted to medicine. In his youth, he studied classics such as *Ling Shu* (Spiritual Pivot), *Su Wen* (Basic Questions), and *Yu Han Jing* (Jade Chest Classic), demonstrating divine comprehension, as if he had known them intimately. When discussing medicine, he could prescribe treatments according to the disease without any hesitation or difficulty. I initially did not believe him. Coincidentally, I contracted Warm Disease (Wen Bing, febrile diseases caused by warm pathogens), and changed physicians several times over ten days. Yushan prescribed a formula for me, which took effect immediately upon administration. Only then did I believe that Yushan's expertise in medicine was genuine and not false. However, I always regretted that Yushan limited his ambitions too narrowly, failing to see the greater value of studying books for practical application. Yushan viewed abandoning the imperial examination career as discarding worn-out shoes, believing that engaging in divination and fortune-telling, or being pedantic about memorization and literary composition, would be of no benefit to the world even if one were fortunate enough to pass the exams. Thus, Yushan's grievances and suppressed feelings were channeled into medicine as a means to demonstrate his worth. In the year Bing Shen, I packed my bags to travel north to take up a post in the Ministry of Personnel, while Yushan also went out to travel that same year. From then on, we were separated by vast distances for nearly four years. Later, I returned home to observe mourning rituals and served as a secretary at the Hubei Provincial Governor's office. During my summer leave, I returned home, and Yushan had already returned to his hometown the previous month. We shook hands and reminisced, our joy surpassing that of any other time in life. He presented various works he had authored, including *Yi Zhi Lu*, *Yi Ji Xuan*, *You Yi Zhi Lue*, and *Ye Tan Sui Ji*, and requested that I write a preface for them. I could hardly decline, but I regret that I did not study the arts of Qi Huang (traditional Chinese medicine) deeply in my youth and do not know if Yushan's medical skills can truly elucidate the profound principles of *Nei Jing* (Inner Canon) and uncover the hidden mysteries of Zhang Zhongjing. However, from the perspective of Yushan's intent, it seems he sought to condemn the killing of people by mediocre doctors in the world, feeling compelled to act. Thus, he looked forward with anticipation, saying: "Yushan's books will surely be transmitted!" This is the preface.

Recorded by Ying Xi, styled Yuting, humble younger brother and former Principal Clerk of the Ministry of Works, one day after the Start of Autumn in the Gengzi Year of Guangxu.

The difficulty of medicine lies in avoiding bias; only Zhang Zhongjing achieved this state of non-bias. Subsequent medical texts were numerous, yet those who gained fame through bias surpassed all others during the Jin and Yuan dynasties. For instance, He Zi (Zhang Yuansu/Zhang Henzi) biased towards purgation, Dan Xi (Zhu Zhenheng) biased towards tonification, He Jian (Liu Wansu) biased towards cooling, and Dong Yuan (Li Gao) biased towards warming. They rejected each other, leading to a downward spiral. Those who learned from antiquity were stuck in ancient ways, adhering rigidly to one school's theories, blindly debating gains and losses, either biasing towards treatment methods for Cold syndromes or biasing towards treatment methods for Warm and Epidemic syndromes. Little do they realize that Cold, Warm, and Epidemic syndromes cover a broad range. Extending this logic, Huoluan (Cholera/acute gastroenteritis), Nüeli (Malaria and Dysentery), Tuxue (Hematemesis), and Kesou (Cough) all contain these three types. Once these three syndromes are understood, all external contraction syndromes can be resolved effortlessly. Where is the bias? Medicine is originally an art to preserve life. Today, those who practice this art often harm life instead of preserving it. There is no other reason; it is due to the mediocrity of the doctor. If there were more enlightened doctors in the world, more lives would be saved; if there were fewer mediocre doctors, even more lives would be saved. This compilation aims to transform mediocre doctors into enlightened ones, enabling them to integrate the three approaches and ultimately return to a state of non-bias. Is this not a help in correcting biases?

Written by the Layman of Xiyuan in the South Pavilion of Fushi Academy in the mid-summer of the Xin Chou Year of Guangxu.