尝谓气色之于症候也。有有定者。有无定者。主病条目。有定之言也。诊法提纲。无定之论也。知主病之有
定。而不通乎法。其失也胶。知诊法之无定。而不究其病。其失也泛。且主病之言虽有定。而合之于法则无
定。诊法之论虽无定。而合之于病则有定。病同者。其法同。病异者。其法异。法者有物有则。无体无方。有定
而无定。无定而有定者也。是故以千变万化之法。察千变万化之病。病无定。法亦无定。以千变万化之法。
察千变万化之证。证有定。法亦有定。夫千变万化之病。形于外者。固有无定之证。而千变万化之证。由于
中者。实有有定之义。故以病为有定。而病则因人而无定。以病为无定。而病则因证而有定。证也者。病之
着于形色。发于声音。显于症候。应于脉息者也。证定焉。法斯定矣。后之学人。勿执有定之条目。以测无定
之病情。当知无定之病情。必见有定之气色。斯有病即有证。有证即有定矣。由是化而裁之。推而行之。则
夫主病之条目。增之可也。删之可也。因而损益之。亦无不可也。虽然。病之有色。病之已形者也。色之有象。
色之已见者也。已形已见者。可以言定。未形未见者。不可以言定。况有已定而难于形容。未定而难于拟
议者。是以提纲易详。而条目难尽也。高明之家。读书而精究其意义。临症而熟察其情形。其所得于观感
之间。语言之外者。抑又深于此矣。神而明之。存乎其人。
余着是书。上卷推而言之。故不厌其详。下卷约而言之。故不嫌其简。然详者当约之以求简。简者当
推之以求详。若读一句只一句。读一篇只一篇。则详者近穿凿。简者近缺略矣。其自五官以下。条目
亦从简者。盖提纲已挈其要领。而条目之见于古书者。皆医所必读。医所必阅。缺之于此。欲其求之
于彼也。至若所引圣经贤传。或断章取义。或互文见意。以为辞不颠倒。则义有不显。理不合参。则意
有不达。原欲人因是明经。非欲人以是荒经。譬之作文题目。拆开意义自见。不比注解经传。句不可
移。字不可减。且经传具在。或不以是为罪乎。
I have often said that the relationship between Qi and color (Qi Se, 气色: the luster and hue of the skin/face reflecting internal health) and symptoms is characterized by both fixed principles and flexible variations. The entries for primary diseases (Zhu Bing, 主病: specific disease manifestations) state the fixed rules, while the outline of diagnostic methods (Zhen Fa Ti Gang, 诊法提纲: general guidelines for diagnosis) discusses the flexible theories. If one knows only that primary diseases have fixed patterns but fails to understand the flexibility of diagnostic methods, the error lies in being rigid and dogmatic. If one knows only that diagnostic methods are flexible but fails to investigate the specific pathology, the error lies in being vague and superficial. Furthermore, although the statements regarding primary diseases appear fixed, they become flexible when applied through diagnostic methods; although the discussions on diagnostic methods appear flexible, they become fixed when applied to specific diseases. When the disease is the same, the method is the same; when the disease differs, the method differs. Diagnostic methods possess substance and principles, yet lack a fixed form or rigid formula; they are simultaneously fixed and flexible. Therefore, using infinitely variable diagnostic methods to observe infinitely variable diseases, if the disease has no fixed pattern, the method also has no fixed pattern. Using infinitely variable diagnostic methods to examine infinitely variable syndromes (Zheng, 证: syndrome patterns), since the syndromes have definite manifestations, the methods also have definite bases. Those infinitely variable diseases manifest externally as syndromes that may indeed lack fixed patterns, yet those infinitely variable syndromes, originating from internal factors, actually possess definite intrinsic meanings. Thus, if one considers the disease as fixed, it becomes non-fixed due to individual differences; if one considers the disease as non-fixed, it becomes fixed due to the manifestation of syndromes. A "syndrome" (Zheng, 证) is the disease manifested in facial features and complexion, emitted in voice, displayed in symptoms, and responded to in pulse and respiration. Once the syndrome is determined, the method is determined. Future students should not cling to fixed entries to speculate on variable disease conditions; rather, they should understand that variable disease conditions inevitably reveal regularized Qi and color patterns. In this way, where there is disease, there is a syndrome; where there is a syndrome, there is certainty. From this, one can adapt and apply these principles, making additions or deletions to the entries for primary diseases as appropriate, or modifying them according to circumstances.
Although so, disease presenting with color indicates that the disease has taken form; color presenting with imagery indicates that the color has been observed. What has taken form and been observed can be described as having fixed rules; what has not yet taken form or been observed cannot be described as fixed. Moreover, some things are already determined yet difficult to describe, while others are undetermined yet difficult to conjecture. Hence, outlines are easier to detail comprehensively, whereas entries are harder to exhaust completely. Wise practitioners, upon studying texts, carefully investigate their meanings; upon clinical practice, they closely observe situations. Their insights gained through observation and intuition, beyond mere language, are profound. Divine understanding depends on the individual.
In writing this book, the upper volume expands upon the subject, thus avoiding excessive detail; the lower volume summarizes concisely, thus avoiding unnecessary brevity. However, detailed content should be condensed to seek simplicity, and simple content should be expanded to seek detail. If one reads one sentence and understands only that sentence, or reads one chapter and understands only that chapter, then detailed content approaches forced interpretation, and simple content approaches omission. The entries below the five sense organs are also kept concise because the outline has already grasped the essentials, and the entries found in ancient texts are essential reading for physicians. If omitted here, seeking them elsewhere would be difficult. As for the cited classics, sometimes meaning is extracted out of context, or mutual textual references are used to clarify intent, ensuring that the phrasing is not inverted, otherwise the meaning would not be clear. If principles are not cross-referenced, the intent cannot be fully understood. The original intention was to help people understand the classics through these examples, not to cause them to neglect the classics. It is like an essay topic: when broken down, the meaning reveals itself naturally, unlike annotating classics where sentences cannot be moved and characters cannot be removed. Since the classics remain intact, perhaps I will not be blamed for this approach.