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The ancients said: "To lie ill in bed and entrust one's life to a mediocre physician is worse than being unfilial and unkind." Therefore, those who are fathers or sons must not be ignorant of medicine. Nevertheless, is medicine easy to master? To know only the superficial and not the profound is still to know nothing; to know only the partial and not the whole is still to know nothing. With humble and shallow insights limited like looking through a tube, yet claiming divine skill and excellence, the errors and mistakes made would likely be even more severe. In my youth, I suffered from frequent illnesses, and each time I was sick, it lingered and was difficult to cure. Thus, I developed a keen passion for medicine, dedicating myself to deep study and exploration for many years. As a result, those seeking treatment from me increased daily, and those following me as students also grew numerous. However, my heart remained perpetually trembling with awe and fear. Whenever there were medical principles in books that I had not thoroughly comprehended, I pondered them day and night. When sudden enlightenment came, I immediately took up my pen to record it. Thirty years have passed since then, and I increasingly feel that the Way of Medicine is subtle and profound. Thought must be focused and singular, allowing no room for those who dabble superficially; learning must be deep and immersive, allowing no room for the frivolous and restless to skim the surface. This is because, on one hand, it serves rulers and parents; in the middle, it benefits friends; and below, it reaches the young and inferior. Life and death are at stake. One's technical skills must not be unrefined, and one's mindset must not be uncompassionate. One must read books and understand principles until achieving sudden, great enlightenment. Therefore, I composed this book to teach my disciples and named it *Yixue Xinwu* (Medical Insights). This is intended as a warning. However, insight from the mind is the key to ascending to higher understanding; verbal transmission is the essential method for lower-level learning. You, my students, having read this book, should further extensively read various texts, contemplate deeply, and strive vigorously to reach the realm of subtlety. Then your minds will be like clear mirrors, and your writing will bloom like spring flowers. By doing so, you can save the common people, ensure that every prescription is effective, and that every formula achieves its purpose. Aligning with the Heavenly Emperor's desire to preserve life, and cultivating the Bodhisattva's vow to universally save beings, may the villages flourish, and may households live in peace and harmony. May we forever prevent injuries caused by premature death and disease, and may all attain the realm of benevolence and longevity. Is this not what those engaged in the medical profession should deeply rejoice in? Moreover, if fathers understand this, they can practice kindness; if sons understand this, they can practice filial piety. Using this to preserve oneself brings ease and confidence; using this to benefit others brings sufficiency. Stored in the heart, it is the Art of Benevolence; manifested in action, it is kindness and compassion. These are particularly worthy of admiration within our path. Remember this, my students, and I look forward to it daily.
Written on an auspicious day in the first month of the tenth year of the Yongzheng reign, by Cheng Guopeng, styled Zhongling, known as Tian Du Puming Zi, in his own preface.