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A native of Yixing, Changzhou, he initially served in the Chen dynasty as an External Military Adjutant to Prince Xincai. At that time, Empress Dowager Liu suffered from wind-pathogen disease and could not speak; her pulse became increasingly deep and she experienced spasms and rigidity. Yao Sengyuan said: "Since oral administration of medicine is impossible, it is suitable to fumigate with decoction steam, allowing the medicinal qi to penetrate the cou-li (skin texture and muscle interstices). Recovery can be expected within approximately one shichen (two hours)." He then prepared several hundred hu of Huangqi Fangfeng Tang (Astragalus and Saposhnikovia Decoction), placing it under the bed, with the medicinal vapor resembling smoke. Following his advice, the Empress Dowager was able to speak again. He was appointed Grand Administrator of Yixing. Some advised him to write a book for posterity. He replied: "Medicine is merely a skill; mastery comes from focused contemplation. The manifestations of the pulse are profound and difficult to clarify. What I understand in my mind, I cannot express in words. Ancient superior physicians relied primarily on pulse diagnosis to identify diseases. When the pathology matches the medication, using a single herb to attack the disease ensures pure medicinal action and faster recovery. Modern people are not skilled in pulse diagnosis; they speculate about diseases based on subjective impressions and use multiple herbs to seek success by chance. This is like hunting without knowing where the rabbit is, yet spreading nets widely across the plains, hoping to catch one rabbit; the technique is too crude. If a single herb is inadvertently counteracted by other flavors, it cannot exert its force exclusively, which is evidence of difficulty in curing. The subtleties of pulse diagnosis cannot be transmitted; vainly recording prescriptions ultimately benefits no one. This is why I do not write books."

Unknown which commandery he was from, he had a thorough understanding of the *Suwen* (Basic Questions) of the *Huangdi Neijing* (Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon) and thoroughly investigated its subtle profundities. Wang Bing, the Lingling of the Taipu Bureau at that time, recognized him as an extraordinary person and took him as a teacher, thereby receiving his profound teachings. Consequently, Wang Bing produced a major commentary on the *Suwen*, which is now circulated in the world.

Unknown which commandery he was from, he served as Taiyi Shiyu (Imperial Physician Attendant) during the reign of Emperor Gaozong of Tang.

A native of Ruzhou, he passed the jinshi examination. In the early Chuigong era, he was repeatedly promoted to Fengge Sheren (Secretariat Drafter). From a young age, he favored medical formulas and dedicated himself to helping others. He compiled and published *Busheng Yangsheng Bixiao Fang* (Supplement to Effective Formulas for Health Preservation). His biography appears in the *Book of Tang*.

With the pseudonym Tongzhenzi, he was proficient in medicine and authored *Tongzhenzi Maijue* (Pulse Rhymes of Master Tongzhen), which was circulated in the world.

He was renowned for his medical skills in the Tang dynasty and made significant contributions through his annotations on materia medica properties.

Courtesy name Huaiying, a native of Taiyuan, he favored medical formulas and was particularly adept at acupuncture techniques. He was a famous minister of the Tang dynasty, reaching the position of Chancellor. During the Xianqing era, responding to an imperial summons, he entered Guanzhong. On the road, he encountered a wealthy family whose child had a pedunculated growth on the tip of the nose, resembling a fist, hanging from the nose, with a root as thick as a chopstick, causing severe pain and urgency. He inserted a needle below the back of the head, and the wart fell off immediately upon manipulation. The parents offered a thousand bolts of silk as remuneration, but he disregarded it and left.