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You have studied medical texts for decades. Among all that you admire, Zhang Zhongjing's work stands out the most. However, it is not easy to thoroughly comprehend its essence through reading alone. Desiring guidance from a master, I searched everywhere in the country but found no one who could provide it. I pondered while awake and dreamed while asleep. Heaven, perhaps out of compassion, allowed me, Li Gongming, to receive teachings and transmit profound secrets that were previously unpassed down. Through accumulation over months and years, these insights gradually formed into this book. Every word and phrase is indescribably beautiful, beginning with the end and ending with the beginning, like a jade disc without a starting point. If there are those who loathe hearing or seeing such content, is it not because mediocre individuals deliberately cause this? They have never heard or seen these truths, yet they feel ashamed of lagging behind others, thus committing errors. Therefore, I titled this book *Ci Shi Nan Zhi* (This Matter Is Hard to Understand). Without a master's guidance, people only see this book as a method for treating Shanghan (Cold Damage), unaware that it aligns upward with the classics of Huangdi and Qibo, matches inwardly with the works of Yue Ren (Bian Que), and corresponds downward with the writings of Shuhe (Wang Shuhe). Herein lie the secret teachings beyond words, fully recorded in this text. On the twenty-first day of the seventh month of autumn, during the first year of the Dazhi era, Wang Haogu of Zhao records this.

Since the times of Fuxi, Shennong, and the Yellow Emperor, although many famous physicians have existed, how many are truly worthy of emulation? Consider Hua Tuo’s abdominal surgery or Wang Shuhe’s moxibustion techniques; their skills were indeed miraculous, yet how can later generations replicate them? It is only through the sacred scriptures of Qibo, Leigong’s processing methods, Yifangzhi’s decoctions, Jizi’s Hongfan, Yue Ren’s questions and answers, Zhang Zhongjing’s Treatise on Cold Damage, Shuhe’s Pulse Classic, Shitan’s Jia Yi Jing, Qixuanzi’s commentaries, and Qian Zhongyang’s discussions that we find living principles—methods adaptable to changing circumstances—that are worthy of learning. These cannot be compared to rigid theories that attempt to fix future practitioners' perspectives with thousands of fixed prescriptions. Among those with high virtue, far-reaching conduct, extraordinary talent, whether holding official positions or living in seclusion, if they possess even a single method or principle worth observing, but which does not constitute a living principle applicable for a hundred generations, I do not select it. Do I enjoy debating? No, I merely wish for learners to observe these sages and know what to aspire to. If someone merely browses widely and superficially, believing themselves knowledgeable yet finding no practical benefit in application, do they truly understand the root?

Answer: Yes. The Six Fu organs belong to the Six Yang, and the Five Zang organs belong to the Five Yin. The Lung opens into the nose, the Heart into the tongue, the Spleen into the mouth, the Liver into the eyes, and the Kidney into the ears. These constitute the Five Yin. Additionally, the Jueyin meridian meets the Du Mai (Governing Vessel) at the vertex, forming the Sixth Yin. The ears belong to the Kidney and also perceive sound; sound corresponds to Metal, implying the presence of Lung Qi within the ears. The nose belongs to the Lung and perceives odors, implying the presence of Heart Qi within the nose. The tongue belongs to the Heart and perceives taste, implying the presence of Spleen Qi within the tongue. The eyes have five wheels connecting to the Five Zang organs. The mouth belongs to the Spleen; the Spleen is Kun Earth, governing stillness and non-action, thus having no specific connection to other senses. Speaking, smelling, hearing, and tasting each connect to one sense organ, while vision connects to four aspects, combined with the Du Mai, totaling thirteen Yin aspects. The brain is the convergence of all physical forms, known as the Sea of Marrow, governed by the Kidney, thereby constituting the Fourteenth Yin.