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When the clear and turbid [Qi] were separated, heaven and earth were distinguished. The foundation of the Three Powers (Heaven, Earth, and Humanity) was established, the Five Elements [Wuxing] took their places, all things remained simple and unadorned, beyond description. When Suiren appeared, he observed the Big Dipper and the North Star to determine directions, and fire processing began. When Fuxi rose, he drew the Eight Trigrams based on this principle and established kitchens; as culinary flavors emerged, diseases began to sprout. The Great Sage Shennong pitied the multitude of illnesses among the common people, so he tasted hundreds of herbs [Yao Cai] to treat them, yet it was not yet perfect. Huangdi received the Mandate, created the Nine Needles [Jiu Zhen], and with Fangshi Qibo, Leigong, and others, thoroughly discussed the meridians [Jing Mai], extensively questioned and answered, carefully investigated principles, and compiled them into classic treatises, so that later generations could understand them clearly. During the Spring and Autumn period, there were skilled physicians He and Huan; during the Warring States period, there was Bian Que; in the Han Dynasty, there was Cang Gong (Chunyu Yi) and Zhang Zhongjing; in the Wei Dynasty, there was Hua Tuo. All of them explored profound mysteries and penetrated subtle truths, using no more than two or three herbs, applying no more than seven or eight moxa cones, yet diseases were invariably cured. Since the Jin and Song dynasties, although famous doctors occasionally appeared, treating ten patients failed to cure five or six. This is indeed because modern people have excessive desires, unstable minds, indulge in licentiousness and ease, and lack proper health preservation [She Yang]. I trace back the teachings of the sages, which intended for every family to learn independently and every person to understand. If one cannot treat the illnesses of one's ruler or parents, it is not loyalty or filial piety. Petty people of later customs often practice deceit, relying on sage teachings to deceive others, causing scholars and commoners alike to feel ashamed of medical skills. They mostly teach their children to recite short essays and study trivial strategies to seek official positions. Medical arts are neglected and not discussed. Alas, how strange! This deeply contradicts the original intent of the sages. In my youth, I suffered from wind-cold [Feng Han] and frequently visited doctors; the cost of herbal decoctions [Tang Yao] exhausted my family's wealth. Therefore, in my youth [Qing Jin], I held these classics in high esteem; even in my old age with white hair, I never ceased reading them. Regarding pulse diagnosis [Qie Mai], collecting herbs, compounding medicines, dosage regulations, and recuperation precautions, if someone excelled in any aspect, I would travel thousands of miles to submit to their guidance. By the time I reached adulthood [Ruo Guan], I felt considerable enlightenment. Thus, relatives, neighbors, and people from afar who suffered from illness benefited greatly from my help. Having experienced personal ailments and cut off access to doctors, I realized that formulas [Fang Ji] and materia medica [Ben Cao] must be studied. I observed that existing medical texts were voluminous and complex. In sudden emergencies, searching for them was extremely difficult; by the time a formula was found, the disease had become incurable. Alas! Pained by the obscure suffering of premature death, lamenting the ignorance of those who abandoned learning, I extensively collected various classics, deleted redundancies, aimed for simplicity, and compiled the *Beiji Qianjin Yaofang* (Essential Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Gold for Emergencies), consisting of thirty volumes. Although I may not exhaustively explore the origins of all diseases, anyone who pays attention to this will grasp more than half of the essential knowledge. Human life is of utmost importance, more precious than a thousand gold pieces; one formula that saves a life brings virtue surpassing this value, hence the name. It should not be passed down to the scholar-official class, but rather kept for my private descendants. Zhang Zhongjing said: "Scholars of today do not pay attention to medicine or carefully study therapeutic methods. Upward, they fail to treat the illnesses of rulers and parents; downward, they fail to rescue the poor and lowly from distress; inwardly, they fail to preserve their bodies and prolong life. Instead, they compete for glory and power, fawning over the wealthy and powerful, diligently pursuing only fame and profit. They adorn the superficial while neglecting the fundamental, seeking external splendor while internalizing decay. If the skin does not exist, where can the hair attach? Advancing, they cannot love others and understand things; retreating, they cannot cherish themselves and know themselves. Suddenly encountering pathogenic winds, they suffer severe illnesses. Only when disaster strikes do they tremble in fear. Trapped in adversity, ignorant and confused, foolish as wandering souls, they lower their dignity, rely on shamans and prayers, beg for death, and wait passively for defeat. A hundred-year lifespan, a precious vessel, is entrusted to mediocre doctors, left to their arbitrary actions. Sighing and weeping, the body dies, spirit vanishes, becoming an object, buried deep in the underworld, leaving only tears behind. The whole world is in a coma, unable to awaken. To abandon oneself thus, what talk of glory and power is there? This is what is meant."