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The Way of Medicine has been obscured for a long time. The Ming dynasty scholars proposed the theory of "Four Great Masters," referring to Zhang Zhongjing, Liu Hejian, Li Dongyuan, and Zhu Danxi, claiming them to be the eternal patriarchs of medicine. This is truly ignorant nonsense. Mr. Zhang Zhongjing is the sage who synthesized all achievements throughout history, just as Confucius is for Confucianism. Liu Hejian and Li Dongyuan are merely specialists with one-sided views. Zhu Danxi merely weighed the words of various schools, harmonized and selected them, thereby opening a convenient door for beginners. These are what the secular world calls famous doctors. Compared to Zhang Zhongjing, these three could not reach even one ten-thousandth of his level, yet they are ranked equally with him; is this not absurd? As for Bian Que, Cang Gong, Wang Shuhe, Sun Simiao, and others, they indeed had lineage inheritances and mastered unique skills, but they only formed their own schools of thought, similar to the various philosophers of the Han and Tang dynasties in Confucianism. They absolutely cannot be ranked alongside Confucius, let alone these three. Regarding the hierarchy among these three: Liu Hejian exclusively revered the *Huangdi Neijing* (Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon), yet failed to grasp its essential meaning; Zhu Danxi was plain and superficial, failing to perceive the root origin; as for Li Dongyuan, he adhered strictly to the theory of regulating the Spleen and Stomach, using purely ascending, aromatic, and drying methods. His opinions were biased and his methods chaotic, misleading future generations, which is exactly opposite to Zhang Zhongjing. Later generations greatly respected his theories because people of the world had never even dreamed of medical principles, thus being confused by them. What is more shocking is that because Zhang Zhongjing wrote the *Shanghan Lun* (Treatise on Cold Damage), people believed he specialized only in cold damage, and because of the *Jingui Yaolue* (Essential Prescriptions of the Golden Cabinet), they considered it unreliable for treating diseases. Such statements are even more absurd. I do not intend to lightly disparage these three men. It is simply that once this theory spreads, the world will only know the remnants of these three and will not deeply seek the learning of Zhang Zhongjing. Consequently, the method passed down from the ancient sages by Zhang Zhongjing will decline day by day. Then, in the world and for all generations, premature deaths will litter the roads, causing considerable harm. Therefore, it must be urgently corrected.

The disparity in medical skill is uneven, and this cannot be forced. However, if one can exhaust one's wisdom and planning, and be careful and cautious, one will still not harm people. But if added to this are myriad forms of deceit and hypocrisy, the harm becomes inexhaustible. Some establish miraculous prescriptions to gain notoriety; some use obscure herbs to confuse the public; some use warming tonics like Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma (Renshen) and Deer Antler Cornu (Lurong) to flatter the wealthy; some falsely attribute prescriptions to immortals or Buddhas to deceive the ignorant; some make grandiose and bizarre claims to shock the world and steal fame; some forge classic texts and false theories to deceive people and startle society; some knowing a disease is easy to identify, falsely claim another disease to show off. For example, in winter, when contracting Cold Damage (Shanghan), forcibly adding Moslae Herba (Xiangru) to a Cold Damage prescription leads to recovery, so they claim it was Summerheat Disease (Shubing), unaware that Xiangru was merely a trick to bewitch people. If it was originally a Heat Syndrome (Rezheng), forcibly adding Zingiberis Rhizoma (Ganjiang) to cooling medicines leads to recovery, so they claim it was True Cold (Zhenhan), unaware that the Ganjiang used had been soaked in water a hundred times until flavorless. In surgery, they mostly use ready-made medicines, which are especially hard to distinguish, and their intentions are particularly sinister. They first allow the sore to become extremely large, frightening people, and then treat it. There are even cases where they can induce discharge but not heal the wound, leading to death. Others, having accidentally obtained a formula, such as Wuhui Gao (Five Ashes Plaster) or Sanpin Yitiao Qiang (Three Species Single-Specie Gun) ash, disregard the patient's extreme pain and apply it indiscriminately. The patients wail in agony, desiring death, showing no compassion whatsoever. Such people merely wish to deceive others for profit. Even if they know a little, they are submerged by selfish desires, how can they achieve success? Therefore, if a physician can rectify their mindset, even if their learning is insufficient, they will at least not harm people. Moreover, if they can study with humility and sincerity, their learning will advance daily; as learning advances, every treatment will succeed, their reputation will rise naturally, seekers will increase, and profits will follow. If one focuses solely on seeking profit, both fame and profit will be lost. Why would a physician abandon this path to tread upon that?