医之为学。自神圣工巧之外无余说。今人往往遗其三而主其一。一者何。切而知之谓之巧
也。然亦曷尝真见其所谓巧者。特窃是名以欺世耳。间有以活人自任者。又弊于医书之委压。惑于
议论之纷纭。无所折衷。每得其粗而不得其精。余自弱冠有志于此。常即此与举业并攻。迨夫年将知命。
谢绝场屋。尽屏科目之累。专心医道。取灵枢、素问、太素、甲乙、难经。及诸家方书脉书。参考
互观。求其言之明白易晓。余尝用之而验者。分门纂类。裒为一集。名曰察病指南。其间如定四
季六脏平脉。与夫七表八里之主病。分见于两手三部者。亦本于圣贤之遗论。特推而广之。触类而
补之。其他言之未甚昭着者。则附以己意发明之。盖将以贻诸子孙。非敢求人之知也。年来疫疠
盛行。病者不幸而招医。多见以阳病服桂附者。悉殒于非命。岂惟不知脉。并于证而不知。吁何
惨哉。或者不察。乃曰吾取医之运耳。奚暇问其学之精否。殊不知恃运以言医。虽幸而或中。而
所丧亦多。求其万举万全者难矣。此余所以不敢自私。欲锓梓以广其传。庶几与同志者共云。
淳 改元九月立冬后四日永嘉施发政卿序
七月既望。祷雨获应。翌日。皂史递诗筒来。睨而视之。乃岘山施君为喜雨作也。语意伟健。
有宰官寻痛声之句。其知予忧民之忧者欤。越数日。又以裒类医书出示。议论可观。非儒而医不
能也。予未尝学医。未尝无活人之心。为邑于斯。每访民间疾苦。思有以起其危。日夜懔懔。用药不
同而用心同。其相与勉之。
淳 乙巳良月冀邸赵与谘书
The study of medicine, beyond the four levels of "Divine, Sage, Artisan, and Skill," has no other discourse. Nowadays, people often neglect the former three and focus solely on one. What is this one? It is referred to as "Skill" (Qiao), which means diagnosing through pulse-taking. However, has one ever truly seen what is called true "Skill"? It is merely stealing this title to deceive the world. Occasionally, there are those who take upon themselves the responsibility of saving lives, yet they are hindered by the overwhelming accumulation of medical texts and confused by the myriad conflicting discussions, unable to reach a balanced conclusion. They often grasp only the superficial aspects and fail to attain the essence. Since my youth, I have been dedicated to this field, studying it concurrently with the civil service examinations. When I approached fifty years of age, I declined further participation in the examination halls, completely abandoning the burdens of the examination system, and devoted myself entirely to the medical arts. I selected the *Ling Shu* (Spiritual Pivot), *Su Wen* (Basic Questions), *Tai Su*, *Jia Yi Jing* (A-B Classic), *Nan Jing* (Classic of Difficult Issues), as well as various schools' formularies and pulse books, cross-referencing and observing them mutually. I sought those explanations that were clear and easy to understand, and which I had personally verified to be effective. These were categorized and compiled into a collection named *Cha Bing Zhi Nan* (Guide to Observing Diseases). Regarding matters such as determining the normal pulses (Ping Mai) of the six Zang organs across the four seasons, and the diseases governed by the Seven Superficial and Eight Interior pulse categories manifesting in the three positions (Cun, Guan, Chi) of both hands, these are also based on the legacy theories of the sages, merely expanded and generalized. By analogy, supplementary content was added. For other discussions that were not sufficiently explicit, I appended my own insights to elucidate them. This is primarily intended for my descendants, not daring to seek recognition from others. In recent years, epidemics have prevailed. Patients unfortunate enough to summon a doctor are frequently seen receiving warm-tonic herbs like Guizhi Tang (Cinnamon Twig Decoction) and Fuzi (Prepared Aconite Root) for Yang syndromes, resulting in premature deaths. Is this merely due to ignorance of the pulse? They do not even understand the syndrome. Alas, how tragic! Some, failing to investigate, claim that I rely on luck in practicing medicine, asking no questions about the precision of my learning. Little do they know that relying on luck to practice medicine, although occasionally successful by chance, incurs many losses; achieving perfection in every case is difficult. This is why I dare not keep this knowledge to myself, but wish to have it printed and widely circulated, hoping to share it with like-minded individuals. Preface by Shi Fa, courtesy name Zhengqing, of Yongjia, on the fourth day after Start of Winter in the ninth month of the first year of the Chunxi era's reign change.
After the fifteenth day of the seventh month, prayers for rain were answered. The following day, messengers delivered a poetry tube. Upon glancing at it, I found it was a poem written by Mr. Shi of Xianshan celebrating the joyful rain. The language and meaning were majestic and vigorous, containing the line "The magistrate seeks the voice of pain." He must understand my concern for the people's suffering. Several days later, he presented me with his compiled medical texts. The discussions were commendable; only a Confucian scholar versed in medicine could achieve this. Although I have not formally studied medicine, I possess the heart to save lives. Serving in this county, I frequently inquire about the hardships of the common people, thinking of ways to rescue them from danger, remaining vigilant day and night. Though our prescriptions differ, our intentions are the same. Let us encourage each other. Letter from Zhao Yuci of Ji Di, in the eleventh month of the Yisi year of Chunxi.