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Mr. Xu Huixi stated in *Yixue Yuanliu Lun* (Source and Evolution of Medical Science): "In treating diseases, one must establish a medical record. Detail the pulse, etiology, and symptoms, and determine the appropriate therapeutic method. If this is done, the physician can devote their heart to the treatment, thereby avoiding superficiality and generalization. After administering the dosage, one must verify the efficacy; this constitutes the true skill of a physician. In my youth, due to frequent illnesses, I began to enjoy reading medical texts around the age of twenty. Later, because my mother was advanced in age and often ill, I devoted myself even more diligently to study, treating her with full dedication, and gradually gained insights; consequently, for any minor discomfort among family members, my treatments were largely effective. Neighbors and fellow villagers gradually became aware of this and invited me to treat them. Soon, patients came daily, and through late summer and autumn, visits to my door were unceasing. Regardless of whether they knew me or not, I treated them wholeheartedly, establishing a case record beside each prescription. For subsequent follow-up visits, I would ask detailed questions based on the previous plan and adapt flexibly, stopping only when the treatment hit the mark accurately. This year, I have reached the age of sixty, with over forty years of experience, which cannot be considered shallow; yet, what I have truly mastered accounts for less than half. I simply refuse to pretend to know what I do not know or to deceive others with false words! This gives me confidence."

Virtue, statesmanship, literary works, and academic achievements, standing firm between heaven and earth, are conspicuously admirable; half stems from acquired learning, and half from innate endowment. This applies equally to every talent and skill. Confucius said: "Those who know from birth are the highest; those who know through learning are next; those who learn after encountering difficulties are still lower." The ability to learn amidst difficulties indicates one's nature, albeit with lighter endowment. As for those with strong innate aptitude, they certainly do not need to wait until troubled to learn. My cousin, Mr. Fei, had his uncle insist he focus on the imperial examination curriculum, hiring famous teachers and providing abundant meals, studying day and night with tireless effort. By the time he passed twenty, he could not even write a proper opening paragraph for an essay, so he abandoned it to pursue crafts. For instance, Bishan worked silver, and Yuangi worked tin; even contemporary artisans could not match them. He could also embroider, tie ribbons, and carve bamboo and wood, producing exquisite results. Why was he indifferent to literature, as if feeling no pain despite its closeness to the skin, yet capable of mastering miscellaneous arts at first sight? It is merely a difference in nature. Opposite my former residence was a pharmacy. Every evening after school, I would go there to observe the herbs, naming them upon seeing them once, then consulting the *Bencao* (Materia Medica) to understand their properties. I was only eight or nine years old then. When my eldest sister-in-law fell ill, Mr. Yu Xingzhai was invited to treat her, and I was asked to attend. Her condition was *benglou* (metrorrhagia and metrostaxis), characterized by a heavy head making it difficult to lift. I told Mr. Yu: "Sister-in-law's illness, might it be deficiency in the lower jiao?" The master asked how I knew. I replied: "It is like a bamboo tip bearing weight; it cannot stand upright. Try replacing it with wood, and it will stand; this distinguishes strength from weakness." The master said: "Correct." Later, when meeting acquaintances, they praised me highly. Upon growing up, I engaged in medicine. Is this not caused by nature?