Library

My late father, Mr. Tingli Qian, was devoted to benevolence throughout his life. Unfortunately, he passed away in mid-life. On his deathbed, he instructed me: "Our family has accumulated virtue for generations; you must faithfully inherit our ancestors' aspirations." I wept and committed this to memory, daring not forget it. At that time, overwhelmed by the eternal grief of losing my father, I suddenly suffered from hemorrhea (bleeding disorder), which nearly proved fatal! It took over a year for my condition to improve slightly. My mother, Lady Xu, admonished me: "Given your illness, you should abandon thoughts of seeking official rank and fame. I have observed that since childhood you have enjoyed compiling medical texts. Why not devote yourself to Qi-Huang (Traditional Chinese Medicine)? This can serve both to nourish your own health and to benefit the world, thereby fulfilling your ancestors' wish for benevolence." Thus, I vowed to pursue medicine, day and night without slackening. Whenever I heard of a miraculous and effective prescription, I would purchase it with great respect and gifts; or when encountering acute illnesses, I would test them symptomatically. Those that proved effective were selected and compiled. For more than ten years, I accumulated approximately eight hundred prescriptions. In the spring of the Guiwei year, my old ailment recurred. Three years later, the disease worsened daily. I had already predicted that I would not recover, and was preparing for posthumous arrangements. However, considering my orphaned child, still in swaddling clothes, I recalled that accumulating virtue can be bequeathed to descendants, and among acts of kindness, distributing medicines and prescriptions is most essential. Fortunately, my friend Brother Xu Yun possessed a heart inclined toward goodness. After his passing, he published two books, *Yin Zhu Zheng* and *Bing Wei Jin Duo*, for circulation in the world. Beyond his civil service examinations, he also dabbled in minor arts such as medicine. We therefore united in collecting divine prescriptions and compiling them into a volume. The manuscript was finally completed this summer. Meanwhile, my old disease flared up severely, and my life hung in the balance. Yet, this compilation represents ten years of hard work, and my aspiration is to make it public. How could I not see it through? I urged the woodblock carvers to complete their work swiftly and entrusted my elder kinsman Shen Zi Weng and cousin Sui Gong to distribute and promote it widely, so that it might circulate throughout the land. Even in the netherworld, I could rest easy.
Preface by Qian Jun, courtesy name Qinglun, of Wuxing, Summer of the Dinghai Year, Kangxi Reign

I have heard it said: "In ancient times, gentlemen served as capable ministers when in office, and as skilled physicians when in retirement." It is also said: "A humble scholar, if harboring intentions to benefit all things, will surely provide relief to others." Alas! A capable minister is rare; is a skilled physician easy to find? Actually, it is quite easy! Since Fuxi and Shennong initiated techniques during the Yellow Emperor's era, and Bian Que and Lu Yi mastered the meridians such as Bai Fa, Gao Huang, Du Mai (Governor Vessel), and Ren Mai (Conception Vessel), making their skills miraculous and establishing themselves as good physicians, young men like Zhu and Li were selected through these paths. I am unwise and lacked guidance in my youth, thus unable to become a skilled physician. Privately, I believe that acts of saving people and benefiting the world can be performed at any time. While residing at home, I consulted with gentlemen from all directions regarding medicinal therapies. I also traveled extensively through Wu and Yue regions, seeking out renowned masters of ancient times, collecting numerous prescriptions, and compiling them into one volume. Upon testing, they were invariably effective; upon application, they seemed divinely inspired. I privately rejoiced, thinking that through this I could benefit all things and relieve humanity. In the autumn of this year, I planned to hand it over to carvers for publication. Coincidentally, Master Yu Xiaoyuan of Xin'an reprinted *Jingyan Danfang Leibian* (Compilation of Experienced Elixir Prescriptions). I was delighted that this book greatly benefits people and things, and also pleased that it coincides well with my local context. Therefore, I selected a volume of miraculous prescriptions compiled throughout my life and appended it here. Although I dare not presumptuously claim a place among skilled physicians, this serves to express the sentiment of a humble scholar harboring benevolent intentions.
Respectfully written by Zhou Lang, styled Hexian Shi, of Jinxia, at Guangji Study in Jinling, Ninth Day of the Ninth Month, Autumn of the Ren Shen Year, 17th Year of Qianlong Reign