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In the spring of the Bingzi year, the Master gathered his disciples at the Lushan Lecture Hall to teach and discuss the Dao, for over four years. The disciples successively advanced to ask questions, and the medical Dao gradually became clear, and medical skills gradually became complete. The Master wrote and presented these to his disciples; those recorded by us with our own hands numbered no less than a hundred items. He then said to his disciples: "This is the true transmission of medicine. You record it, so that in the future it may be made public to the world." We therefore excerpted and had it printed.

The medical Dao originated from Xuanyuan (Yellow Emperor) and Qibo. Xuanyuan and Qibo authored the *Neijing* (Inner Canon), totaling eighteen volumes, elucidating the principles of Yin-Yang and the circulation of Qi and Blood, as well as the pathways of intersection between Zang-Fu organs and meridians. Regarding the upper and lower, interior and exterior, ascending and descending, entering and exiting, they meticulously analyzed the subtleties and thoroughly revealed the profound mysteries. It was held that physicians of later generations must understand the six Qi of the Three Yin and Three Yang, the roots of the generation of Qi and Blood, the intercommunication of the Five Zang organs, the convergence of the Six Fu organs, the depth and superficiality of collateral and main meridians, and the interior and exterior relationships of skin, muscle, tendons, and bones, before they can speak of medicine. Master Zhang Zhongjing stated in the Preface to *Shanghan Lun*: "The meridians, fu-organs, and acupoints connect Yin and Yang; the profound and obscure changes are difficult to exhaust. Unless one possesses high talent and exquisite insight, one cannot explore its principles and implications." Lamenting that contemporary physicians ignore the source of the sages' canonical theories and merely follow the dregs of later formularies, treating books of decoction formulas and mnemonic verses as secret classics, and regarding categorized texts as sacred scriptures—is this not absurd! Thus I say: when Xuanyuan and Qibo passed away, the medical Dao perished; when Master Zhang died, the true transmission ceased. This is indeed not an exaggeration!

Shennong's *Bencao* is called the *Benjing* (Classic of Materia Medica); Huangdi's *Lingshu* (Spiritual Pivot) and *Suwen* (Basic Questions) are collectively called the *Neijing* (Inner Canon). These are the sacred classics of medicine. Master Zhang Zhongjing, who wrote on acute febrile diseases, produced the *Shanghan* (Treatise on Cold Damage); who wrote on miscellaneous diseases, produced the *Jingui* (Essential Prescriptions of the Golden Cabinet). These are the treatises of the worthy. The sacred classics and worthy treatises of the medical school are analogous to the Five Classics and Four Books of Confucianism. Therefore, the canonical theories of the medical school constitute the orthodox transmission of medicine. The *Nanjing* (Classic of Difficult Issues), *Maijue* (Pulse Rhymes), and all other formularies of later authors are merely pursuing the trivial while abandoning the essential, being superficial and unreasonable, and thus cannot serve as models. Why do physicians of the world never read the canonical theories of the sages? Even if they read them, they do not understand; even if they understand, they do not comprehend fully; even if they comprehend, they do not apply. How sorrowful!