Library

The "Rites of Zhou" records the administrative orders of physicians: when the state has diseases, it dispatches physicians to treat them separately. From the four seas and nine provinces, people all look up to this grand occasion with admiration, so that the people suffer no premature death or violent demise, and are happy to live in a peaceful era. However, after the three dynasties (Xia, Shang, Zhou), this system gradually fell into disuse and was neglected. Guo Yu recorded in the "Book of Han", Hua Tuo in the "Records of the Three Kingdoms", Huangfu Mi (courtesy name Shian) in the Jin Dynasty, and Sun Simiao, all obtained secret prescriptions from the Dragon Palace; they were not ordinary people. Yet from the Five Dynasties to the Tang Dynasty, medical knowledge often failed to revive, and the world generally ignored it. No wonder scholars living in the world could not devote themselves to medicine, making this Dao difficult to elucidate.

Now our Sage Emperor abolishes harsh policies and implements benevolence; he is wise, loves learning, masters the classics and histories of various schools, and extensively studies all books. He specially ordered the Imperial Physicians to define the medicinal properties of *Ling Shu* (Spiritual Pivot), *Su Wen* (Basic Questions), and *Jin Gui Yao Lue* (Essential Prescriptions from the Golden Cabinet) as three books. At once, the medical community was greatly invigorated; the teachings were extremely refined, and the cultural atmosphere exceptionally prosperous. The common people ascended to the Spring Terrace (a metaphor for a peaceful and prosperous age) and reached the realm of longevity, bathed in education and singing of eternal youth. In the late spring of the Jiachen year, the nephew of King Lin from Chu brought his companion Ye Zi to the capital to take the imperial examinations. Ye Zi then presented his father's handwritten works, *Mai Jing* (Pulse Mirror) and *Shi San Ke Zhi Zhang* (Fingerprints of the Thirteen Departments). These works continue the lineage of the *Nei Jing* (Inner Canon), follow the methods of *Jin Gui*, and embody the principles of medicinal properties. A single glance makes everything clear, like pointing at one's palm. As Yun Ye Huiyan states, enabling readers to open the book and examine themselves like looking in a mirror, grasping the spirit with their minds, reflecting clearly in features and hair. This can be said to be a remarkable birth responding to the times, embodying the Supreme Sage's utmost love and nurturing for the people, intending to spread this benefit across the nine provinces and four seas, generating life endlessly. This is not merely to prevent premature death, but also to allow everyone to jointly enjoy the prosperity of a bright and peaceful era.

Written by Zhang Penghe of Chengdu in May of the Jiachen Year of Yongzheng.

This compilation first presents a general song/rhyme, followed by discussions from various authors, then pulse diagnosis, and finally formulas, allowing anyone who opens the scroll to read easily. The rhyme records the main outline, the discussions detail the items, pulse diagnosis verifies corresponding patterns, and formulas treat chronic ailments. The songs, discussions, pulses, and formulas appear vividly before the eyes, leaving no doubt; thus it may be appended with the name "Zhi Zhang" (Fingerprints/Handy Guide).

This book places Gynecology first, following the principle of *Qian Jin Fang* (Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Gold). This is because women are the source of generation and transformation, moving from non-existence to existence, marking the beginning of human relations. It covers five aspects: regulating menstruation, conceiving, antenatal care, labor and delivery, and postpartum care. Other conditions such as Cold Damage and miscellaneous syndromes have separate comprehensive books, so they are not elaborated here.

This collection begins with leukorrhea (dai xia) to honor Bian Que. Moreover, leukorrhea implies menstrual irregularity, which is also one aspect of regulating menstruation. Furthermore, eight or nine out of ten women suffer from leukorrhea, but due to the shyness of women in the inner chambers, they do not speak of it.

"Menstrual irregularity" is a disease name, but the causes leading to it are manifold. If one does not distinguish whether it is caused by the Seven Emotions, Six Evils, cold, heat, deficiency, excess, phlegm stagnation, qi stagnation, excessive thinking, sexual fatigue, congenital weakness, or post-illness imbalance, how can one prescribe medication? Would one not fall into the error of treating deficiency as excess and vice versa? Only with detailed and clear pulse and symptom analysis can one approach the correct principle.

Women often exhibit attachment, love and hate, anger, worry, and thought; their temperaments are stubborn, biased, and firm. Therefore, they are harder to treat than men, leading to internal injury from the Seven Emotions and external invasion by the Six Evils, resulting in spleen and stomach damage and disease formation through the Ren Mai (Conception Vessel). One must differentiate whether the pathology lies in the Zang organs, Fu organs, meridians, blood vessels, skin, muscles, marrow, Qi level, or Blood level, and determine if it is Yin, Yang, deficiency, or excess. By familiarizing oneself with various texts during daily life, one will naturally see principles clearly and avoid confusion during clinical practice.

Gynecological books circulating in the world are only *Fu Ren Liang Fang* (Good Prescriptions for Women), *Ji Yin Gang Mu* (Outline and Details of Benefiting Women), and *Nu Ke Jing Lun* (Classical Discussions on Gynecology); others are hard to find. Works such as *Handan Yigao*, *Chan Bao*, *Xin Shu*, *Wai Tai Mi Yao* (Important Prescriptions Preserved from the Outer Cabinet), and *Chu Shi Yi Shu* are also not easy to obtain. Zhen spared no expense, seeking them for decades, until finally having the opportunity to read them. Extracting items one by one from large compilations, adding personal insights, and accumulating volumes, due to family poverty, I could not print the whole set, so half was deleted. Formulas such as Huisheng Dan (Revival Pill), Zisheng Tang (Nourishing Life Decoction), An Chan Tu (Safe Delivery Diagram), and Cang Yi Fa (Clothing Storage Method) differ significantly from other books. Although daring not to fabricate and invite ridicule, nor to blindly follow trends...

Regarding infertility, although there are theories regarding conflicting birth years and fengshui influences, these are essentially caused by diseases. Medication is advisable. It is like clearing weeds from a field, enriching the soil, sowing seeds, and waiting for rain, after which grains grow vigorously. The key lies especially in practicing benevolence and accumulating virtue. Even subtle harms to fetuses or eggs are attributed to natural laws.

Ancient times had methods for safe delivery and storing clothes during childbirth. Modern people have deleted these without reflection. They fail to consider that the moment of birth is precisely the time of yin-yang transition; surely spirits operate within this process. Now, following *Wai Tai Mi Yao*, I supplement this method. Not only is it convenient for use, but it also honors predecessors while opening paths for successors. Learned scholars will not tire of abundance.

During labor, taking Dushen Tang (Single Ginseng Decoction) and Foshou San (Buddha's Hand Powder) yields miraculous effects. After delivery, Zisheng Tang and Huisheng Dan should be taken. Whenever I use these, even in critical cases, I save five or six out of ten. Upon careful investigation, the original formula was created by Luo Qianfu. Xueji Gao (Blood Extreme Paste) was called by Dong Yuan the holy medicine for gynecology. Combined with Hupo San (Amber Powder), Erwei Rensu Yin (Two-Ingredient Ginseng and Perilla Drink), and Zhongjing Honglanhua Jiu (Red Safflower Wine of Zhang Zhongjing), this combines four formulas into one, truly a compound formula. Its brilliance lies in simultaneously attacking pathogens and tonifying deficiency, with regulated methods. Why did previous texts lose this transmission? Now I have fully supplemented it.

Childbearing is a constant of ethical daily life, possessed by all humans. I often see those who die during delivery due to panic, lack of preparation, and improper regulation; their numbers are too many to count. Are they all dying of natural causes? Within the strict walls of home, my wife also suffered this calamity. Thus, I extracted pearls and jade from sages, revealed the spiritual wonders of heaven and earth, disregarding criticism and measuring not my own ability, but printing and releasing this work to the world, aiming to help people. Gentlemen who love the Dao place it on their desks, study it day and night, and pass it on to save others. Is their virtue of loving life not superior to that of the author?

After this collection, I intend to compile sets of books for each of the Thirteen Departments and release them sequentially. But I do not know how many years remain for me in this world, nor do I know if benevolent gentlemen will teach me to assist in completion.