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Since the establishment of medical teaching by the Yellow Emperor (Huangdi) and Qibo, their concern for the people of the world has been profound. However, as time has passed since the sages, although the teachings remain, they have inevitably gradually lost their authenticity. This is why it is necessary to wait for outstanding individuals to maintain and promote them so that the transmission can last forever.

Throughout history, figures such as Qin Yueren (Bian Que), Chunyu Yi, Zhang Zhongjing, Hua Yuanhua (Hua Tuo), and Sun Simiao were precisely such individuals. Regrettably, since Sun Simiao, the passage of time has led to even greater loss and distortion. Practitioners of medicine, each respecting what they have heard and practicing what they know, are bewildered and do not know whom to follow. Consequently, in the surviving books, prescriptions and theories are often chaotic and erroneous. Some omit aspects of Qi-Yun (Five Movements and Six Qi) theory; some lack clarity regarding meridians and collaterals; some confuse the application of exterior-interior dynamics and ascending-descending mechanisms. Scholars cannot help but offer their insights on these matters.

Heaven, pitying the common people, produced outstanding talents such as Liu Wansu (Liu Hejian), Zhang Congzheng (Zhang Jiegu), and Li Dongyuan. They emerged prominently, unveiling secrets untransmitted by previous sages, becoming models for later learners. Among the scholars of that era, only Luo Qianfu from Zhending received the orthodox transmission from Li Dongyuan. Therefore, his compiled work *Weisheng Baojian* (Precious Mirror for Maintaining Health) bases its discussion of diseases on the *Suwen* (Basic Questions) and *Nanjing* (Classic of Difficult Issues), always seeking the etiology. His explanations are detailed and clear. In formulating prescriptions, he adapts to changing circumstances with precision and efficacy, making his methods concise and appropriate. Generally, he extracts the precise content from Li Dongyuan’s daily practice, occasionally incorporating his own views and referencing other schools.

Old woodblocks existed in Jiangzuo, but were destroyed by war. Few scholar-officials possessed this book. Even those who copied it often suffered from errors and omissions, leading to its neglect. Younger generations rarely had the opportunity to read it. My friend Han Gongda, Vice Director of the Imperial Medical Academy, told me that in his youth, he received instructions from his father, Mr. Fuzhai, who stated that Luo deeply understood the untransmitted mysteries of Li. Luo’s prescriptions and theories were unbiased, and he comprehensively described acupuncture methods and materia medica. It was truly an essential book for physicians. Han had proofread the errors and intended to reprint it but lacked the time, urging us to inherit this will without forgetting.

My father passed away long ago, yet his words remain in my ears. I am now fortunate to receive grace and serve in the Imperial Medical Academy, daily basking in the Emperor’s radiance. Thinking of how to repay even a fraction of this kindness, I find no better way than through this book. Lamenting its limited dissemination, I ordered the physician Qian Yuan to transcribe it, donated my salary to hire craftsmen for printing, and shared it with the public. Would you not write a preface? Alas, Luo’s book will soon be eagerly read by all. Li’s learning became clearer through Luo; Luo’s book spread immortally through Han. How great is this benevolent heart benefiting future learners and supporting medical education! Thus, I do not decline to write this as a concluding preface.

Written by Jiang Yongwen, Vice Director of the Imperial Medical Academy from Huainan, on the day Gui-Chou of the eleventh month of winter in the year Ding-You, the fifteenth year of the Yongle reign.