Library

The sages of antiquity, looking up to observe the Six Qi (Wind, Cold, Summer Heat, Dampness, Dryness, Fire) of Heaven, and looking down to examine the Five Elements (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) of Earth, discussed the properties of herbs, minerals, birds, and beasts, aligning them with the human Zang organs (Heart, Liver, Spleen, Lung, Kidney), Fu organs (Gallbladder, Stomach, Small Intestine, Large Intestine, Bladder, Sanjiao), and Twelve Meridians. They compiled the *Shennong Bencao Jing* (Divine Farmer's Materia Medica). Its language is archaic and its meaning profound, making it difficult to fathom.

In the late Han Dynasty, Zhang Zhongjing (courtesy name Changsha) authored the *Shanghan Lun* (Treatise on Cold Damage) and *Jingui Yaolue* (Essential Prescriptions of the Golden Cabinet). These works extensively adopted prescriptions from the middle ancient period, and their principles of medication strictly followed the *Bencao Jing*. Their efficacy was immediate and accurate, like an echo responding to a sound.

Since the Tang Dynasty, books such as the *Qianjin Fang* (Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Gold) and *Waitai Miyao* (Secret Essentials of the Outer Chamber) have shown varying degrees of efficacy; this is because their alignment with the principles of the *Bencao Jing* has been inconsistent.

Continuing into the Song and Yuan dynasties, various practitioners relied on their own subjective opinions. The number of medicinal substances increased daily, while the classical meanings became increasingly obscure. They merely stated that "a certain herb treats a certain disease" or "a certain disease requires a certain herb," adhering to陋习 (conventions) and simplicity, causing medical standards to decline progressively.

Among these, the most detrimental influence came from Lei Xiao of the Song Dynasty. He appropriated the names of ancient sages to write the *Paozhi Faguan* (Methods of Processing Drugs), reversing right and wrong, and failing to understand the true intent of the *Bencao Jing*. Meanwhile, Li Dongyuan merely borrowed prestige without substance, allowing his baseless speculations to persist to this day without correction. Li Shizhen (courtesy binhu) was influenced by secular views, valuing quantity over quality, which inevitably raised concerns about overshadowing the main subject. Wang Ang (courtesy Ren'an), based on the *Bencao Gangmu* (Compendium of Materia Medica), achieved mastery in medicine, with countless cases of reviving the seemingly dead.

My previous work, consisting of four volumes, represented a higher level than my earlier writings. It elaborated on the underlying principles ("so-why") and integrated the doctrines of the *Huangdi Neijing* (Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon) with the methods of the *Jingui Yaolue* and *Shanghan Lun*. This book serves as a golden standard for the medical community and is indeed a meritorious servant of Shennong.

Since my childhood, witnessing my mother's frequent illnesses, I vowed to study medicine. As there had previously been no standardized manuscript of the *Bencao Jing*, I collected the theories of Zhang Yinan, Ye Tianshi, and Chen Xiuyuan, adding my own insights, and titled it *Bencao Jing Sanzhu* (Three Annotations on the Divine Farmer's Materia Medica). Among these annotations, those by Chen Xiuyuan were the most numerous. Now that I have obtained Chen Xiuyuan's *Shennong Bencao Jing Du* (Reading the Divine Farmer's Materia Medica), the publication of my *San Zhu* can be deferred to another day. Delighted by the completion of this book, I wrote this preface.