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Bian Que once said: When the disease is in the skin and hair follicles (Couli), it can be reached by moxibustion heat application (Wen); when the disease is in the blood vessels, it can be reached by acupuncture and stone needles (Zhen Shi); when the disease is in the stomach and intestines, it can be reached by medicinal wine (Jiulao). Therefore, only those who are proficient in both acupuncture/moxibustion and herbal medicine can be spoken to regarding medicine. Those who can speak of medicine are what the *Rites of Zhou* calls "perfect ten" (Shiquan - referring to physicians with a high cure rate).

In the past, I erroneously believed that the art of saving lives lay solely in herbal medicine, so I abandoned acupuncture and moxibustion without studying them. Whenever I encountered diseases such as Cold Damage (Shanghan), Heat Entering the Blood Chamber (Re Ru Xue Shi), or sprains and contusions, and found that they could not be cured by herbs alone but required needling, I would be at a loss for measures, feeling ashamed of my limited skills. From this, I realized that treating illness is like military confrontation; employing attack and defense, surprise and orthodox tactics, and responding according to the enemy's situation makes a good general; similarly, applying acupuncture and medicine according to the disease makes a good physician.

Using herbs is like administering punishment; a mistake can separate life from death. However, punishment requires interrogation and conviction before sentencing is written. Since human life, once lost, cannot be regained, such detail and caution are necessary. The same applies to using herbs. Today, physicians go to the patient's home and prescribe medication based on their immediate observations. If a skilled physician correctly identifies the disease and pulse, and the prescription matches the condition, efficacy will be immediate. But if mediocre or inferior practitioners act rashly and indiscriminately administer decoctions, the patient may quickly reach a critical state. Killing people in this manner is too easy. This is largely because patients' families fail to select physicians wisely and have not paid attention to medical knowledge in daily life. Can one not be cautious? (From *Bencao Leifang*)

In the world, it often happens that relatives, friends, and acquaintances of patients come to inquire about the illness. These individuals, having no experience and having never read medical texts, act self-assured and pretend to be knowledgeable, discussing heterodox theories. Some say it is deficiency (Xu), some say it is excess (Shi), some claim it is wind (Feng), others say it is qi stagnation. Such erroneous statements are numerous and varied. They disrupt the patient's mindset, leaving them unsure of what is correct, leading to delays in treatment. Time waits for no one. Disaster strikes swiftly like fire, and everyone scatters. Therefore, one must rely on virtuous individuals and renowned physicians who can discern the depth of the disease, explore the mysteries of medical texts, and have extensive knowledge of ancient and modern medicine. Only then can they be trusted; otherwise, serious mistakes will be made regarding human affairs. (From *Qianjin Fang*)

Observe that among all people in the world, life is highly valued. Life depends on physicians, and physicians depend on medical principles. In ancient times, there were Huang Di, Qi Bo, Bian Que, and Hua Tuo, possessing techniques to revive the dead, awaken souls, and snatch life from death. However, from the Three Dynasties onwards, those who studied medicine were negligent, superficial, and brief, failing to achieve profound and mysterious expertise. Why do they frequently harm others? It is likely that in diagnosis, they treat Yin conditions with Yang methods, simulate Yang conditions with Yin methods, deduce deficiency with excess, and measure excess with deficiency; they speculate on internal issues based on external signs, and infer external conditions from internal states; they estimate acute conditions with slow approaches, and guess chronic conditions with urgent strategies; they peek at retreat methods when advancing, and probe advance methods when retreating. They diagnose pulses rashly, observe symptoms superficially, listen to sounds in panic, and inspect colors vaguely. Consequently, incompetent and confused practitioners make chaotic errors, and blind physicians use mismatched medicines; they cut short young lives that should have continued, and sever the youth of those just growing up; causing the wronged to leave the world and the aggrieved to return to the underworld. The number of premature deaths in the world is indeed vast! Alas! Medicine is originally meant to save lives; if one does not study it thoroughly, it instead becomes a cause of premature death. (From *Preface to Liu Dang Er Shu*)