Library

I studied medicine from a young age and saw my great-uncle, Jingming Gong, who had a manuscript titled *Zheng Yin Mai Zhi* (Disease Manifestation, Etiology, Pulse, and Treatment), which originated from Danxi Xiansheng's *Mai Yin Zheng Zhi* (Pulse, Etiology, Manifestation, and Treatment).
At that time, my learning was shallow, and I did not understand its purport. Later, I read Jia Yan Xiansheng's *Yu Yi Cao* (Grass of Inspired Meaning), which stated: To treat a condition, one must first identify the disease, then one can discuss medication. Modern practitioners of medicine discuss medication without discussing the disease, which is lamentable; no one studies classics like *Nei Jing* (Inner Canon) and *Jia Yi Jing* (A-B Classic of Acupuncture and Moxibustion), which are books without fixed formulas. Danxi Xiansheng's *Mai Yin Zheng Zhi* offers precise and detailed analysis, yet it is not used, whereas books like *Xin Fa* (Core Principles) contain a jumble of various formulas, which everyone reveres. Therefore, I came to know that Jingming Gong's composition of *Zheng Yin Mai Zhi* was not meaningless, and thus I harbored the ambition to compile and elaborate on it, but I was cautious and dared not act. Thirty years later, as I grew older and my thoughts deepened, I often thought of completing Gong's collection, but I was hindered by livelihood matters, having no peaceful moments day or night. Accidentally recalling Mr. Yuan's words about "being able to benefit humanity," I then cut off social engagements and devoted myself to compilation. Diseases were divided into internal injury (*Nei Shang*) and external contraction (*Wai Gan*), etiology into internal and external causes, pulses into deficiency (*Xu*) and excess (*Shi*), and treatments into meridians. Medication was applied according to symptoms, eliminating hesitation and confusion of divergent paths. It took less than ten years to complete; I believe this is due to Heaven's benevolence, or perhaps the secret assistance of both Danxi and Jingming Gongs. The year after the book was completed, my friend Shi Yuzhan and his younger brother saw it and liked it, saying to me: This book is a treasure for benefiting the world. Rather than keeping it as a treasure for one region, it is better to spread it to the world; rather than benefiting the present, it is better to transmit it to future generations. You wrote this book to benefit and relieve one region; would it be acceptable if my brothers and I engraved and printed it to make it public to the world? My disciples and I were greatly delighted, and we declined Mr. Shi, saying: If this book, upon publication, contributes to this world, it is solely due to your power.
Compiled in the twelfth month of Bing Xu year (1706 AD) during the reign of Kangxi, by Qin Zhizhen, courtesy name Huangshi.

—The creation of this book is privately compared to Danxi Xiansheng's chapter in *Mai Yin Zheng Zhi*. However, Danxi Xiansheng sought etiology through pulse and treatment through manifestation, akin to groping in the dark, causing later generations to suffer from not knowing where to start. Therefore, Wang Yutai Xiansheng wrote the *Zhun Sheng* (Standard Rules) series, naming it based on obtaining evidence for treatment, thus providing definite grounds to begin. Yet it does not detail the aspects of pulse and etiology. Fearing omissions, I now rename it *Zheng Yin Mai Zhi*, so that the four categories—manifestation, etiology, pulse, and treatment—are all complete, clear at a glance upon opening the book, which is sufficient...

—Previous sages writing books often mixed external contraction and internal injury, excess and deficiency in one article, without separating them into regulations. Because the symptom names were the same, they listed them together, leaving readers to choose freely, unaware that this could only be discussed with those of above-average aptitude; for those of average or below aptitude, seeing symptoms in the same category, they often applied methods for treating deficiency to patients with excess conditions, or formulas for internal injury to symptoms of external contraction. Now, for each symptom, I definitely separate external contraction and internal injury, and distinguish treatment methods for excess and deficiency separately, so that in clinical practice, there will hopefully be no confusion of divergent paths.

—Treating disease requires first distinguishing the twelve meridians (*Shi Er Jing Luo*), clearly seeing which meridian is primarily diseased, so that medication will not be mistaken. Thus, whenever symptoms appear in one meridian, treat them with medications governing that meridian; when symptoms appear in two meridians, combine medications from both meridians to treat. In this way, urgency and slowness, following fewer or more, all have a master; the diseased meridian will not be mistreated, and the healthy meridian will not be wantonly attacked.

—The method of using medication must indeed seek solid symptomatic evidence. However, there are cases where symptoms and pulse correspond, and one follows the pulse to prescribe a formula as standard treatment; there are also cases where symptoms are distinct but the pulse is vague, making it difficult to establish a formula based on the pulse, requiring treatment to follow symptoms. By establishing these two rules in treatment methods, whether following symptoms or pulse, there will naturally be a standard. Those versed in profound principles should be able to extend knowledge by analogy.

—In each chapter of symptoms, external contraction and internal injury are detailed, truly fearing that learners might confuse their treatment. However, there are cases of external contraction complicated by internal injury, in which case add one or two herbs for internal injury to the external contraction formula; there are cases of internal injury complicated by external contraction, in which case add one or two herbs for external contraction to the internal injury formula; if both symptoms appear simultaneously, treat both. For example, Zhang Zhongjing treated *Shang Han* (Cold Damage); if pure exterior symptoms were seen, pure exterior-releasing drugs were used; if pure interior symptoms were seen, pure interior-treating drugs were used; if exterior and interior symptoms appeared together, half was used to release the exterior and half to clear the interior, simultaneously resolving exterior and interior pathogens. Extending this principle, *Shang Han* is like this, and miscellaneous diseases are no different.

—Regarding the manifestations of the twelve meridians, if one cannot detail every single item, mutual explanation is necessary for symptoms to become clear. Thus, when I wrote about edema (*Shui Zhong*), I already distinguished the pathological forms of each meridian. However, for points not fully explained, I reiterate them in the subsequent entry on distension (*Zhang Zheng*) to serve as mutual elaboration. Similarly, for symptoms such as coughs of the five zang organs (*Wu Zang Ke Sou*) and flaccidity/obstruction of the five zang organs (*Wu Zang Wei Bi*), since the meridians are the same, the symptoms are also largely the same. Comparing front and back, mutually inspiring each other, they enhance each other. Superficially appearing repetitive, they actually repeatedly clarify the manifestations of various meridians. Modern practitioners who do not understand meridians tend to ignore this method.

—Pathogenic mechanisms are myriad, and books cannot fully express speech. The various diseases collected here are those I have genuinely encountered and understood without confusion in clinical practice, so I dare to present them to the contemporary world. As for the text, due to linguistic constraints, some disease conditions may be omitted; due to explaining one thing to clarify another, language and meaning are generally simplified; or regarding major junctures in diseases, previous books did not explicitly state them, leading later generations to often overlook them. I frequently repeat warnings to show seriousness, avoiding ridicule of verbosity and criticism of fragmentation. However, hearing one allows knowing ten; understanding the constant allows adapting to change. Practitioners of this path may also appreciate this painstaking effort.
Recorded by Qin Huangshi.