Library

In the summer of the Yisi year, Mr. Wu Diesheng from Wulin mentioned that Wang Ang's *Bencao Bei Yao* (Essential Materia Medica) and *Yifang Jijie* (Collected Explanations of Medical Prescriptions), authored by him from Xin'an, are concise and easy to understand. For people in remote areas without access to doctors or medical knowledge, reading them makes things clear at a glance. Moreover, their volume is small, making them convenient to carry during travel. The medical prescriptions within are invariably efficacious, having been tested repeatedly with verified results; they are truly books beneficial to the world. It is a pity that the block-printed editions available in the market are full of errors and blurriness, almost rendering them unreadable. If they could be revised and re-engraved for publication, it would be a significant merit. Gentlemen such as Bao Songxi, Bao Meidong, and Bao Zi from Jingjiang heard this and gladly agreed to republish them. Mr. Diesheng then took upon himself the responsibility of collating and proofreading. Consequently, the gentlemen of Songxi provided funds for engraving. After the engraving was completed, some argued that there are many precise and detailed works in medical literature that are rarely transmitted, whereas this book is shallow and brief. Furthermore, it has already circulated widely throughout the seas, with every household possessing a copy. Why make an extra effort? This view likely stems from being bound by the words of Wu Zuncheng from Haiyan. They did not realize that Wu’s *Chengfang Qieyong* (Practical Use of Established Formulas) and *Bencao Congxin* (New Introduction to Materia Medica) were actually developed based on Wang’s works, sufficiently supplementing what was lacking. However, according to the principle of "treating the source river before the sea," how can Wang’s work be ignored? It is proposed that after completing this book, Wu’s works will be published subsequently, allowing them to complement each other. This specifically adheres to the principle of honoring the source. Alas, is medicine easily discussed! Disease conditions change endlessly, and treatments are not limited to one method. Recently, those with shallow learning seek quick success, often copying Tangtou (decoction formulas) and compiling drug properties into rhyming mnemonics. People carry a single booklet and rashly open a clinic, treating human lives as experimental subjects. Once, a friend suffered from Changfeng (intestinal wind, manifesting as rectal bleeding). He recovered after taking persimmon dried fruit burned to ash and swallowed with water. A physician was surprised by this miraculous formula and recorded it, unaware that it was already documented in the annotation for Persimmon Dried Fruit in *Bencao Bei Yao*. Thus, physicians rarely delve into the basics and grasp the essentials of these two books, let alone other aspects. The present re-engraving of this book is precisely because it is shallow yet easy to understand, and brief yet captures the essentials, facilitating its use by everyone. As for talented and agile scholars who wish to extensively explore the profound principles of medicine, the most ancient texts such as *Neijing* (Inner Canon), *Nanjing* (Classic of Difficult Issues), and *Shennong Bencao Jing* (Divine Farmer's Materia Medica), along with the most comprehensive works like *Qianjin* (Essential Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Gold) and *Waitai* (External Mirror), are all available. They are originally not restricted by the label of being shallow or brief. Furthermore, it is heard that "to travel far, one starts from near; to climb high, one begins from low." If one traces the source and follows the course from here, roaming in vastness and returning to subtlety, becoming a skilled physician through repeated experience (three broken arms), and elevating the generation to benevolence and longevity, then these two books may well serve as helpful ladders and boats.
Prefaced by Tong Lian in Yangzhou in the mid-winter month of the 25th year of Daoguang.