Library

Mr. Cheng was my relative by marriage. In his youth, he loved reading. When he grew up, he suffered from a foot disease. He crossed the river to seek treatment from famous physicians but did not recover, and his family's fortune declined. Therefore, he resolved to study medicine, researching day and night. Because his own illness could not be cured, he wished to master medical skills to treat the illnesses of the world. His intentions were indeed arduous and sincere. In the Jiazi year of the Tongzhi reign, my father, who was serving as an official in Fujian, requested to return home. My father had also long been profound in medicine. He interacted with Mr. Cheng daily, exploring classical theories and consulting ancient and modern practices, often leaving me deeply impressed. In the Wuzi year, I was engaged in work at the Zhengzhou site due to a minor official post. The summer rains and winter colds were relentless, day and night, nearly causing me to develop a deficiency syndrome (Qie Zheng). I took leave to return home and sought treatment from Mr. Cheng, and I was completely cured. Mr. Cheng then showed me two volumes of hand-copied *Bencao Bian Du* (Convenient Reading of Materia Medica), asking me to correct errors. I read it with great care and found that each herb was composed into couplets of varying lengths. The associated properties and flavors, and the meridians and organs entered, were interwoven before and after, elucidating the principles with precision and appropriateness. Examining books on Materia Medica, there has traditionally been no excellent edition available for reading. Even Li Shicai's one-volume *Bencao Zhengyao* (Essentials of Materia Medica) from the late Ming Dynasty was revered by practitioners as a standard. However, its properties, flavors, and organ associations were listed at the beginning, and the language was often impure, with indications sometimes imprecise, causing regret among students. This compilation is concise yet essential, detailed yet clear. It not only facilitates learning but also supplements deficiencies in the medical field. I privately wished to have it printed to share with enthusiasts, but due to a hasty departure northward and subsequent appointment to Yunnan, the matter was not realized. Yet, I never forgot it for a day. In the winter of the Dingyou year, while mourning at home, I learned that this book had already been published in E'zhou by my fellow townsman, Mr. Sheng Wopeng. This shows that true value is appreciated by all. After ten years in the bureaucratic sea, my long-held wish was fulfilled. Thus, during my time studying ritual texts, I respectfully recorded the origins and process of Mr. Cheng writing this book, along with my admiration and reverence, hoping Mr. Wopeng would help disseminate it widely. Respectfully inscribed by my junior relative by marriage, Cheng Fuhai, in the spring month of the Wu Xu year of the Guangxu reign.

Since Shennong tasted herbs and grasses and authored the *Shennong Bencao Jing* (Divine Farmer's Materia Medica), the medical way was founded. Later, those with divine skills included Qibo and Shaoyu in ancient times, Bian Que and Qin He in the middle ages, and Taicanggong and Zhang Zhongjing in the early Han dynasty. They examined regional suitability, distinguished authentic from fake drugs, and based their writings on the principles of Yin-Yang, Five Elements, and Jun-Chen-Zuo-Shi (Sovereign, Minister, Assistant, Courier), establishing theories to support the classic texts. Since the Wei and Jin dynasties, those who collated, supplemented, and annotated include Li Dangzhi of Wei, Tao Hongjing of Liang, Xu Zhicai of Northern Qi, Su Gong, Sun Simiao, and Chen Cangqi of Tang, Liu Han, Zhang Yuxi, Tang Shenwei, and Kou Zongshi of Song, and Zhang Yuansu, Liu Wansu, Li Dongyuan, and Zhu Danxi of the Jin-Yuan period, all of whom are most renowned. Although many famous works exist, unfortunately, there were no excellent editions. It was not until Li Shizhen of the Ming Dynasty who collected 1,900 substances, synthesized over 800 sources, and gathered the achievements of various schools, authoring the *Bencao Gangmu* (Compendium of Materia Medica), which was truly vast, subtle, perfect, and beautiful. However, for beginners, reading it is like gazing at the ocean; even if one studies classics until hair turns white, they may find no definitive guidance. Other simpler works, such as *Beiyao* and *Congxin*, though able to simplify complexity, still list properties, flavors, meridian/organ affinities, and toxicity at the front, making memorization extremely difficult. Having studied medicine for over twenty years, I diligently purchased dozens of Materia Medica editions, researching day and night. I believe that if a practitioner does not first understand the properties and flavors, the density of qi, and the cold/warm nature of substances, even if they read extensively and know formulas and diseases, without knowing the nature of drugs, they will rarely avoid misapplication and reckless harm to life. Therefore, whenever I encountered a substance with fixed properties and efficacy that matched diseases effectively, I drafted one or two couplets, or five or six couplets for each herb, keeping them at my desk. Over several years, I accumulated over 500 items, removing redundancy and compiling them into rhythmic vernacular verses. The properties, flavors, meridian/organ entries, and treatments of each item are arranged irregularly before and after to prevent confusion and difficulty in memorization for learners. Upon completion, following the intent of Li Dongyuan's *Zhizhang* and Chen Jiamo's *Mengquan*, I titled it *Bencao Bian Du* (Convenient Reading of Materia Medica). I dare not compete with sages using my limited perspective. I merely wish to guide newcomers, just as traveling far begins near, and climbing high starts low. As for the inelegance of words and lack of strict parallelism, partly due to my shallow learning and literary weakness, and partly constrained by the actual properties and indications of drugs to avoid losing authenticity, the simplicity and clumsiness are inherent. I am certain that eminent gentlemen of the present age will rise to correct them. Thus, I specially record the origins here. Self-preface by Zhang Bingcheng, styled Zhaojia, from Wujin, at the Hall of Sincerity, in the first month of the Dinghai year of the Guangxu reign.