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The *Yi Jing* (Mirror of Medicine) states: Women's ailments are often kept secret from others, just as young children cannot speak for themselves; both are difficult to treat. Physicians find it inconvenient to inquire in minute detail, which makes the situation even more like feeling one's way in the dark. However, the general principle does not deviate from emotional stagnation. This is because women inherently possess a nature akin to Kun Yin (symbolizing earth, yielding, and storing), with narrow-mindedness and limited perspective. Once they encounter dissatisfaction, it becomes firmly knotted in the chest, and since they cannot vent their frustration outward, prolonged stagnation leads to disease. The primary treatment method, after confirming the absence of external contraction or internal injury and other syndromes, lies in the four characters "nourish blood and soothe the liver." Formulas such as Siwu Tang (Four Substances Decoction) and Xiaoyao San (Free and Easy Wanderer Powder) can address eight or nine out of ten cases. Other miscellaneous diseases treated alongside pulse diagnosis are not elaborated here. As for conditions before and after childbirth, these are critical junctures involving life and death, and will be detailed later; do not neglect them.

For unmarried girls whose Tian Gui (menstruation) has not yet arrived, illnesses should be discussed according to pediatric principles; once menstruation begins, they are treated similarly to adult women. However, since their spirit is complete and Qi and Blood are sufficient, menstruation should occur on schedule. If amenorrhea occurs, it is either due to the drying up of the Sea of Blood or reversal of the meridians. Drying of the Blood leads to poor appetite, internal heat, coughing, and gradually develops into a deficiency-cold syndrome. Reversal of the meridians manifests as vomiting or epistaxis, with blood flowing recklessly; neither is a mild condition and requires prompt treatment. If menstruation has just started but is suddenly obstructed, causing urinary retention and severe abdominal distension, one must urgently unblock the menses, after which urination will naturally resume. Use Tiaojing Yin (Menstruation Regulating Decoction) or Zelan Tang (Lycopus Decoction). In cases where there is mental restlessness and irritability, a sensation of hunger without actual appetite, lethargy, sallow complexion, and emaciation, this is caused by long-standing opening of emotional desires and blazing internal fire. Parents who perceive this intent should promptly arrange marriage to calm her mind. If indulgence leads to prolonged delay in marriage, or if she is neglected and left idle, it will inevitably cause Minister Fire (Fire of the Mingmen) to damage Lung Metal, resulting in cough, fever, hemoptysis, and consumption diseases (such as tuberculosis). Do not let excessive standards in choosing a husband cause her to die full of regret.

Before diagnosing a woman's illness, one must first inquire about her menstrual cycle and whether she is pregnant. Failure to ask in detail may lead to medication errors that violate taboos, which can have serious consequences, potentially generating other syndromes that are difficult to distinguish. Would this not obscure the true cause of the disease?