余大父釜山先生笃志艺林,驰誉江左,及门问业者多所显贵,而再入棘闱弗利,竟以逢掖老。吾父幼敏慧,
大父奇爱之,希其早就。不虞大父勿遘一疾,治不能瘥,遗命吾父曰∶“汝不为良相,且为良医”!无何,吾
父兼失所恃,阻试有司,遂改业医,自号念山。五十载以来,颇以是术名于世,吴城内外,老幼男女病伤寒、
痘疹者,得吾父即全活,难以数计。生不肖,体弱而多 ,力不能终举子业,吾父即命弃去,训读岐黄诸书。
如是者几易寒暑,稍有所得,则出云洲翁所着《明医指掌》示不肖曰∶“向尔所习仲景伤寒、东垣内伤、河间
热病、丹溪杂证,此学之博者也,约而精则有是书,尔其宗之”。余敬受命,朝研细考,始喻其旨,真所谓抉
秘钩玄,远绍诸家之说,分标治本,阐明运气之宜,善哉!所微憾者,拘于图而局于论,显于证而晦于脉,详
于方而略于法,翻检尚有纡回。乃不惴,原其所载,目则分之以门,方则聚之以类,而附列歌、注,各以己意
参入。俾学人因脉辨证,缘证施法,弹指顷顷,便度津梁,而余亦借是多所解悟。盖余不幸,不生先生之世,
犹幸去先生之世未远,可以私淑门墙也。当世钜公,愿共鉴之。
天启二年九月吉旦 长洲后学 邵达行甫谨述。
My grandfather, Mr. Fushan, was dedicated to scholarship and enjoyed a great reputation in the Jiangzuo region (Jiangsu and Zhejiang). Many of his disciples who came to study under him achieved high status, yet he failed in his subsequent attempts at the imperial examinations and ultimately passed away as a common scholar (Fengye). My father was naturally quick-witted from childhood. My grandfather cherished him greatly and hoped for his early success. Unexpectedly, my grandfather fell ill suddenly; despite treatment, he did not recover. His dying wish to my father was: "If you cannot become an excellent prime minister, then become an excellent physician." Shortly thereafter, my father lost his support system and was barred by the authorities from taking the civil service exams. Consequently, he changed his profession to medicine and adopted the pseudonym Nianshan. For fifty years, he gained fame for his medical skills. In and around Suzhou, countless men, women, children, and elders suffering from Cold Damage (Shanghan) or smallpox/rubella (Douzhen) were saved by my father's care, their number being incalculable.
I, though unworthy, had a weak constitution and suffered from frequent illnesses, making it impossible for me to continue with the scholarly pursuits required for the imperial examinations. My father ordered me to abandon these studies and instead read the classics of Qihuang (Traditional Chinese Medicine). This continued for nearly several seasons. When I had gained some understanding, my father presented to me the book *Mingyi Zhizhang* (Illustrated Guide to Clear Medicine) written by Master Yunzhou, saying: "The Zhang Zhongjing's Treatise on Cold Damage, Li Dongyuan's Treatise on Internal Injury, Liu Wansu's Treatise on Heat Diseases, and Zhu Danxi's Treatise on Miscellaneous Disorders that you have previously studied are broad fields of learning. However, this book summarizes them concisely and precisely. You should take it as your master." I respectfully accepted his instruction, studying and verifying day and night until I grasped its essence. It truly reveals secrets and explores profound mysteries, inheriting the theories of various schools, distinguishing root causes, and elucidating the appropriateness of the Five Movements and Six Qi (Wuyun Liuqi). Excellent! The only regret is that it is constrained by diagrams and discussions, explicit in symptoms but obscure in pulse diagnosis, detailed in formulas but brief in therapeutic methods, leaving room for further exploration upon review. Therefore, without presuming to overstep, I organized the original content by categorizing the chapters into sections and grouping the formulas by type, adding rhymed verses and annotations, and incorporating my own interpretations. This allows students to differentiate syndromes based on pulses and apply treatments according to syndromes, crossing the bridge of learning in an instant, while I also gained much insight through this process. Alas, I was unfortunate not to be born in Master's era, yet fortunate that the time since has not been long, allowing me to privately emulate and follow in his footsteps. May the distinguished gentlemen of the present age kindly consider this.
On an auspicious day in September of the second year of Tianqi, Shao Da, a junior scholar from Changzhou, respectfully recorded this.