Library

In medicine, the *Suwen* (Plain Questions) and *Lingshu* (Spiritual Pivot) are like the *Six Classics*, *Analects*, and *Mencius* in Confucianism. The variations of disease mechanisms are myriad and diverse, yet all fall within their scope. Ancient grand masters and contemporary skilled practitioners, inheriting these teachings to benefit the world and prolong people's lives, have achieved merits that cannot be fully enumerated. However, Confucians generally specialize in the imperial examinations, regarding medicine as a "technical skill" (Fangji), and thus few study it; even those who browse through it do not delve deeply into it. I believe that the ancient kings established the *Six Classics* entirely for the sake of the people. They had the *Book of Poetry*, *Book of Documents*, *Rites*, and *Music* to rectify their virtue, and further had penal laws and political decrees to prevent their licentiousness. Among them, those who did not conform to the norms were executed without pity. Yet, the essential aim was ultimately to preserve life. When premature death and pestilence become disasters, and diseases bring sorrow and suffering, if one sits idly by watching people die without offering rescue, then the utility of rites, music, penal laws, and politics would reach its limit. Therefore, the sages of antiquity established medical arts to regulate the qi and fortune of heaven and earth, and to harmonize all living beings, ensuring that creatures are free from blight and people are spared from premature death and epidemic diseases. This is what the whole world relies upon and what is essential in daily life; its function is directly complementary to rites, music, penal laws, and politics, serving as each other's exterior and interior. How can it be dismissed as a mere technical manual and neglected? Moreover, the principles of this book are profound and comprehensive, reaching up to explore the essence of the seven celestial bodies, down to observe the suitability of wind, water, and the five directions, and in between listing the numerical principles of human existence, as well as the opening and closing of Yin and Yang, and the overcoming and returning of the Five Phases. It can be used to verify the gains and losses of governance and to supplement the irregularities of creation. Who but those deeply versed in the mysteries of life and nature could participate in this? However, the complete work is vast and complex, presented in a Q&A format, making it inconvenient to read. Even experts in the Qi-Huang school feel overwhelmed and discouraged when facing it, let alone scholars and officials. I, Wang Ang, am a recluse with nothing to waste my days on. Presuming upon my limited knowledge, I secretly intended to classify and arrange the content. I happened to see Hua Borén's *Excerpts from Suwen*, whose intent was quite similar to mine. However, he fragmented the original text and forced connections; although categorized, the arrangement was messy and disordered, thereby losing the original appearance of the book. Would this not mislead later learners and incur the wrath of the ancient sages? Furthermore, since the two classics had never been compiled together, I specifically united them, analyzing and categorizing them according to my own understanding into nine classes. Although there are omissions, the paragraphs remain intact, with notes indicating the source chapter below. I dare not arbitrarily mix or confuse them. What remains is selected primarily for practical application, and various commentaries are consulted to ensure conciseness, allowing readers to understand clearly at a glance. This is merely an attempt to simplify the complex ("Fan Yue") and seek correction from those knowledgeable in the Dao.
Written in the summer of the Jisi year of the Kangxi reign by Wang Ang at Yanxi Hall.