Library

In the winter of Gengchen year of the Kangxi reign, I happened to visit Qingxi to seek guidance. At that time, Liu Lianshui, the prefect, had been in office for five years, and his reputation was universally praised. He visited my residence and showed me the *Bencao Shu* (Compendium of Materia Medica) written by his father, Mr. Yunmi, requesting that I write a preface for it.

My nature is dull and unrefined; in my youth, I had no leisure to read works on Qihuang (Traditional Chinese Medicine). Later, I accidentally read Ji Kang's "Lun Yangsheng" (Discourse on Nourishing Life), which stated: "Beans make one heavy; elm fruits make one drowsy; Hehuan [Albizia julibrissin] dispels anger; Xuancacao [Hemerocallis citrina] forgets sorrow." And Liu Zinong also said in "Fushi Shu" (Book on Taking Food as Medicine): "Whenever Cinnabar is mentioned, it resembles Hibiscus; whenever Danggui [Angelica sinensis] is mentioned, it resembles the head of a silkworm on a horse's tail; Fuzi [Aconitum carmichaelii] has eight angles; Kansui [Euphorbia lathyris] has red skin." I began to think that ancient noble men and scholars did not fail to examine the prescriptions and drug properties. Furthermore, having contracted hemoptysis, I devoted myself to studying various books on Bencao. I privately held that the *Suwen* (Basic Questions) and *Nanjing* (Classic of Difficult Issues) are like the Six Arts of Confucianism, while Bencao is like the annotations of insects and fish in the *Erya*, serving as a wing to support the Six Arts. Examining the late Han dynasty, there were only 365 types of drugs; by the Ming dynasty, Li Dongbi [Li Shizhen] collected and compiled up to 1,892 types, which can be considered perfectly complete, beyond addition. However, regarding yin within yang, yang within yin, as well as the ascending and descending of flavors and qi, and the ambiguous physical properties, there were inevitably errors of a hair's breadth leading to a difference of a thousand li. The gentleman corrected and determined each of these point by point. Over thirty years, he wrote over 800,000 words. He varied and adapted within imagery, and manifested spirit beyond verbal expression, allowing beginners to extend and touch upon categories, understanding them clearly as if looking at their palms. Truly, he is a meritorious official of Shennong, and a beneficial friend to masters such as Dongyuan and Danxi.

The gentleman entered the civil service as a Jinshi of the Ming Dynasty and rose to the position of Sikou (Minister of Justice). During the turmoil and chaos at the end of the Ming Dynasty, he closed his door and maintained high moral integrity until his death. His depressed and frustrated circumstances, through which he spent his years and preserved his innate truth, concentrated all his energy into this book. This is somewhat similar to Lu Xuangong of the Tang Dynasty, who was exiled to a desolate place, worried about slander and feared ridicule, dared not write books, but only collected and recorded ancient prescriptions to assist in saving the common people. However, Lu Xuangong's book could not be passed down from family to family or house to house, whereas the book described by our gentleman stands in mutual relation with the *Suwen* and *Nanjing*, and its efficacy surpasses them even more. As for Prefect Lianshui, after deducting his clean salary, he could hardly afford daily necessities, yet he donated his wealth to have the book printed, to praise the grace of his ancestors. This is what is meant by "The filial piety of a son is inexhaustible, forever bestowing blessings upon his kind." Those who read it will naturally generate thoughts of loving relatives and benevolence towards the people.

Written by Mao Jike, junior scholar from Suian, on the first day after the Winter Solstice of the 39th year of the Kangxi reign.