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I presume to comment on the scholarship, talent, and character of various medical practitioners; their goodness or badness, uprightness or crookedness are as clear as if hung in a bright mirror. I wish doctors could become "Superior Doctors" (Shangyi), and I wish patients could choose good doctors.

Since the Three Sovereigns initiated the foundation, and the Nine Ministers assisted and supported, medicine was created and transmitted to save the people and all things, benefiting those of that time and bestowing grace for ten thousand generations. How great and glorious it is! Subsequently, scholars with talent and virtue succeeded in this profession. They observed the celestial phenomena from above, the laws of the earth from below, and human affairs in the middle. They analyzed the excess and succession of the Five Movements and Six Qi, clarified the generation and restriction among the Five Zang Organs and Five Elements, distinguished the ascending and descending of Yin and Yang and Water and Fire. They personally delved into ancient texts, and their spirits roamed in the realm of the Sages. By reading, they understood; by understanding, they became clear; by becoming clear, they manifested; by manifesting, they changed endlessly. They treated diseases before they occurred, investigated their origins, differentiated similarities and differences, and applied comparative classification. Their diagnostic accuracy reached perfection (ten out of ten). What is there to envy? Why envy those who perform miracles like squeezing marrow from melons, changing forms, possessing strange skills, hiding in the orange market or the gourd (allusions to Daoist immortals), or practicing illusions and secrets? True skilled and benevolent doctors do not often appear in the world; they transcend Confucians and Immortals by thousands of ren (a unit of length). This is what we call a "Clear-Sighted Doctor" (Mingyi).

I have examined the period after the Qin and Han dynasties. There were renowned scholars who mastered the classics, studied history extensively, cultivated themselves, acted cautiously, and were also proficient in medicine. They profoundly investigated mysterious principles and thoroughly understood the supreme Dao. Whenever they established teachings, later students revered them as models. For example, prominent and accessible Confucians include Zhang Zhongjing of the Han Dynasty, Wang Taipu (Wang Shuhe) and Yin Zhongkan of the Jin Dynasty, Xu Xi of the Southern Song Dynasty, Xu Shuwei of the Tang Dynasty, and Li Binhu (Li Shizhen) of the Ming Dynasty. Reclusive Confucians who valued their integrity include Huangfu Mi of the Western Jin Dynasty, Sun Simiao and Wang Wugong (Wang Ji) of the Tang Dynasty, Ji Qiqing and Li Dongyuan of the Song Dynasty, and Zhang Jingyue of the Ming Dynasty. Confucians who attained official positions due to their Daoist cultivation include Xu Yinzong and Xu Qiufu of the Tang Dynasty, and Xue Lizhai of the Ming Dynasty. Therefore, without Confucianism, the art of medicine remains unclear; without medicine, the Way of Confucianism is incomplete. Medicine is indeed honored because of Confucians, and Confucians are indeed important. However, unfortunately, there are arrogant Confucians who turn their backs on canonical texts and create fantastical theories; pedantic Confucians who stick rigidly to prescription books while ignoring flexible adaptation; and hypocritical "thief Confucians" who remain ambiguous and cannot distinguish right from wrong. Even worse are Gao Yangsheng's *Maijue* (Pulse Mantra), which greatly deviates from the supreme Dao; Ma Zongsu's *Lingfa*, which severely contradicts orthodox traditions; and the forged legacy of Chu Cheng, which reverses the arrangement of the Five Zang Organs. These individuals steal the name of Confucians but are actually parasites harming medicine. Thus, Mr. Li Huang Anzhai said, "Confucians who do not understand principles should not read medical books indiscriminately." This is truly correct. Therefore, a Confucian doctor must possess profound learning, great insight, and bold courage, specifically distinguishing the critical junctures of truth and falsehood, and not losing the subtle application of canonical flexibility. Only then can they be worthy of the responsibility of managing life. If they can advance to govern the state, harmonize the cauldron (metaphor for governing the country), prolong the ruler's life, benefit the people, and bring harmony to the world, they would be rare, true Confucians.