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Heaven helps those who help themselves; accumulating gold or books is not as good as accumulating hidden virtue. Chen Zhongli was the first-generation ancestor of the Qingtian Chen clan, holding the honorary title of Chaqing Dafu (Grand Master of Court Etiquette) during his lifetime and posthumously awarded Tongfeng Dafu (Grand Master of General Grace); the second-generation ancestor, Chen Sheng, was posthumously awarded Chaoyi Dafu (Grand Master of Court Discussion); the third-generation ancestor, Chen Jingxing (1256), passed the imperial examination in the Bingchen year of the Baoyou era, serving as Vice Director of the Imperial Academy alongside his father, as well as Censor-in-Chief of the Palace, Concurrent Minister of Rites, and Pacification Commissioner of Eastern Zhejiang; the fourth-generation ancestor, Chen Sishen, held the office of Military Commissioner of Lianghuai; the fifth-generation ancestor, Chen Maozu, served as Medical Recorder of Jinyun County and was a renowned physician; the sixth-generation ancestor, Chen Gongshu, served as Medical Recorder of Pingyang County and was also a renowned physician; the seventh-generation ancestor, Chen Zongze, served as Medical Instructor, while Chen Zongli was recommended as a renowned physician to enter the Imperial Hospital of the Court; the eighth-generation ancestor, Chen Ding (Early Ming Dynasty ?-1443), courtesy name Yijing, was proficient in medical arts. During the 23rd and 27th years of the Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty, when an epidemic swept through Qingtian, seekers of medical treatment filled his home. He researched and collected the medical works of Zhang Zhongjing, Liu Hejian, and Li Zhixian, authoring *Shanghan Lingling* (Bell-Leading Treatise on Cold Damage), *Xiao'er Douzheng Gejue* (Song-Rhymes for Pediatric Smallpox Symptoms), and *Renshen Xiaotian Ditu* (Map of Human Body Resembling Heaven and Earth); the eighth generation Chen Mi served as Medical Instructor; the ninth-generation ancestor, Chen Ci, served as Medical Instructor; the tenth-generation ancestor, Chen Hong served as Medical Instructor... By the time it reached my father's generation, we were already the 24th generation of the prestigious Five Branches lineage. Our ancestors practiced medicine as Confucian scholars to benefit the world, passing down their skills generation after generation. They held consultations in their halls and occasionally made house calls, leaving behind rare prescriptions for posterity. When opening pharmacies, they emphasized the quality of medicinal materials, with sorting, soaking, slicing, and crushing processes inherited from family traditions. Their self-made pills, powders, pastes, and elixirs were famous in the countryside, distributed to counties such as Yunhe, Jingning, Suichang, Songyang, and Yongjia. They frequently dispensed medicine to relieve the poor without charge, allowing credit for those in financial difficulty. Producing fine medicines to save lives, residing in the Land of White Cranes, this has remained a celebrated story to this day.

Zhu Guoji graduated from the Provincial Medical Specialized School in the 20th year of the Republic of China. He served as the director of the First People's Hospital in Qingtian, Jinhua, and Hangzhou, and was a close family friend of my father. In the 1930s, he founded the first Western medicine clinic in Qingtian. He once told my father, "You are a family of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practitioners; there will be successors." In 1983, when his wife suffered from gastric cancer and I went to treat her, she said, "I told you long ago that the Chen family has successors. You inheriting the ancestral profession is due to the accumulated virtue of your ancestors." My dedication to the TCM cause is, in a mysterious way, also a continuation of our ancestral legacy. This Spring Festival, I went to Yueqing to trace my roots. Touching upon the scenery at Dalongqiu in Yandang Mountain, I composed a poem titled *Dalongqiu*:

The waterfall of Dalongqiu connects heaven and earth,

Rainbows swirl around in an instant.

Accumulate gold, accumulate books, accumulate hidden virtue,

Green mountains and clear waters leave a legacy for a thousand years.

(Attachment) Record of the Chen Clan Genealogy

According to the Yingchuan Chen Clan Genealogy: "Examining my Chen clan, it began with Yan, enfeoffed at Yu, and by the Han Dynasty had descendants named Fan. My brother Shi and I, I received the edict for Yingchuan Commandery. During the Zhending era, we moved to Guangzhi Gu, and later to Changxi in Fujian. An ancestor named Biao, in the fifth generation, followed the imperial decree on a southern tour, arriving in Yueqing, Wenzhou Commandery, and settled there. The sixth-generation ancestor, named Zhongli, practiced medicine as a Confucian scholar to benefit the world, becoming famous in the Oukuo region. During the Jiading era of the Song Dynasty, he moved to Qingtian County, dispensing medicine and practicing benevolence. He acquired a dragon-shaped grave site called 'Stone Wall Giant Plate Dragon,' covering thirty mu, where he buried his relatives. This marks the first migrating ancestor of Qingtian. Later, the second-generation Jingxing and his son served as Pacification Commissioners in eastern and western Zhejiang; the third-generation Sishen served as Military Commissioner of Lianghuai, continuing the lineage from Chuzhou. The ancestor was appointed County Magistrate of this locality by the Xunke (Medical Instructor) rank, serving for nine years, unmatched in ancient and modern times. All were proficient in Qi-Huang (TCM) arts, passing down methods generation after generation, leaving legacies from ancestors. Before, Fuzeyan wrote *Sanyin Yu*; later, Ding Yijing wrote *Shanghan Ling*, *Douzhen Gejue*, and *Renshen Xiaotian Ditu*, all popular in the world and detailed in the county gazetteer. It is said, 'If one cannot be a good prime minister, one should be a good doctor.' My ancestors came close to this ideal. As for those who studied in the Imperial Academy, passed the classics, and became officials, there were many in each generation. Some remained reclusive and did not serve, while others retired after serving. How do we know this? Through the genealogy.

Part Two

Apprenticeship in Medicine

I. Life of the Teacher

My esteemed teacher, Mr. Mao Dawen, was born in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, in 1902. Intelligent and eager to learn since childhood, he apprenticed under Wang Xiangyan, a famous TCM practitioner in Zhejiang at the age of fifteen, attending consultations with his master. He studied diligently and read classics intensively. Two years later, he entered the Zhejiang TCM Specialized School for further study, while simultaneously engaging in clinical practice under Master Wang. After five years of hard work, he mastered the *Jingui Yaolue* (Essential Prescriptions of the Golden Cabinet), *Shanghan Lun* (Treatise on Cold Damage Disorders), and *Neijing* (Inner Canon), particularly excelling in the Warm Disease theory. In 1923, after graduating from the specialized school, he opened a clinic in Dayin Town, Cixi, Zhejiang. In 1925, he returned to Hangzhou and opened a clinic on Mashi Street. Following Wang's teachings and accumulating decades of clinical experience, he was proficient in internal medicine, pediatrics, and other specialties, skilled in treating warm diseases, and had unique insights into the diagnosis and treatment of spleen and stomach disorders. His outpatient clinic saw hundreds of patients daily, exerting a wide influence. By the 1950s, a local saying circulated in the Genshan Jianqiao area of Hangzhou: "For smoking, choose Hademen cigarettes; for seeing a doctor, choose Mao Dawen."

In 1952, Mr. Mao was among the first to join the Hangzhou Guangxing United Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital (the predecessor of the Municipal Hospital of TCM) along with He Ren and Chen Tongfeng. For decades, he dedicated himself wholeheartedly to serving patients. Upright in character, devoted to study, and rich in knowledge and experience, he achieved remarkable results in saving critical patients. Famous in Zhejiang and Hangzhou, he was awarded the title of "Provincial Famous TCM Practitioner" by the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Health in 1957. He retired in 1972.

Syndrome differentiation and treatment are the central link of the theoretical system of our motherland's medicine and the rule that must be followed in diagnosis and treatment. In syndrome-based treatment, Mr. Mao both drew upon the prescription methods of predecessors and flexibly applied them according to the patient's condition at the time. He sought the cause by examining the syndrome and treated the root of the disease, emphasizing the impact of climate changes (Six Excesses) and emotional factors (Seven Emotions) on the human body. Based on the three inquiries, four diagnostic methods, and eight principles, he integrated syndrome differentiation, reasoning, treatment methods, and prescriptions into the logic of theory, method, formula, and herbs. In prescribing, he adhered to the principle of "sweating without damaging, purging without harming, cooling without congealing, drying dampness without desiccating, tonifying without stagnation, and reducing without attacking." His formulas were rigorous, with small dosages and few ingredients (generally eight or nine herbs per prescription), low cost, and fast effect. Patients flocked to him, and his reputation remains unbroken to this day.

Mr. Mao Dawen passed away in 1990, twelve years ago. He dedicated his life to the TCM cause, and two of his sons (martyrs) sacrificed their lives for China's liberation. In his later years, he accepted me as his final disciple, placing high hopes on me. Fortunately, I accompanied him for 22 years, gaining his favor. His teaching was effective, providing careful guidance, allowing me to grasp the essence and advance my medical skills daily. His earnest teachings and my immersion in his environment are unforgettable. The medical skills taught by my master laid the foundation for my career, spreading the spring breeze and sweet dew of healing to the world.

II. Guiding the Path

Mr. Mao Dawen had a long face and broad throat, a voice like a bell, white beard, elegant eyebrows, and bright eyes containing a kind light that could see through everything. His words and deeds always gave people the impression of a sage-like TCM master with a Daoist aura. With over 50 years of medical practice, his skills were exquisite, and he was highly respected in the TCM community. As his final disciple, I was fortunate to receive the true transmission and step into the threshold of medicine, fulfilling the wish of inheriting the ancestral profession and practicing medicine for good.

Mr. Mao lived at No. 1 Huangcu Yuan, Mashi Street. On the day I visited to become his apprentice, I entered his living room at 7:00 AM. His wife served me tea with a smile, saying, "Sit, sit." Mr. Mao was meditating in his study.

Three incense sticks burned on the offering table in the study, filling the room with fragrance. His eyes were half-closed, hands joined with palms facing up below his navel, knees folded inward. Hearing our noise, he rose and walked out of the study. I bowed to him, and he quickly helped me up, smiling and saying, "Sit down. Today, let us have a good talk between master and disciple. The Personnel Department told me that to inherit the heritage of our motherland's medicine and make the valuable clinical experience of doctors in the apricot grove accessible to more physicians and carry it forward, the leadership decided that you veterans would be taught by us old TCM practitioners, and introduced you one by one. I chose first. Among the veterans, you have the highest education level. You are the only high school graduate, a graduate of the first cohort of Xuejun Middle School. To study TCM, a higher cultural background is better; only with high comprehension can one learn well. You have worked in the herbal pharmacy for three years. A pharmacy assistant is half a doctor; familiarity with herb properties is the foundation. You are usually active in work and willing to endure hardship, so I chose you." Mr. Mao paused suddenly and sighed, "Several apprentices I took before were sent down to the countryside due to poor political background. One of my sons is in the Ministry of Railways, another in the Shanghai Civil Affairs Bureau, and two sacrificed their lives. No one in the Mao family will take over my work. We are destined to be master and disciple. I am old and strive to train you well before retirement. Work hard! You Zhi." "Master, I am clumsy. How can I inherit TCM and promote national quintessence? Please guide me," I said. Mr. Mao replied, "The medical path is extremely subtle and profound; learning requires precision and specialization. There is no scholarship or undertaking in ancient or modern times, in China or abroad, that is harder than this. If one lacks insight, clings to old rules, and does not know how to adapt flexibly, treatment will yield little success. One must read widely, study classics intensively, refine and ponder, return from breadth to simplicity, possess outstanding vision, understand the secrets of heaven and earth yin-yang, know the transformations of the Five Movements and Six Qi, clarify the nature of land, soil, people, and things, face matters without fear, calm the mind and steady the qi, and adapt to individuals, times, and places. Treatment will surely yield much success.

The ancients said, 'If one cannot be a good prime minister, one should be a good doctor.' I say a good prime minister is hard to find, and a good doctor is hard to be. A good doctor needs to 'know astronomy above, geography below, and human affairs in the middle.' One must inherit previous experiences, accept modern scientific knowledge, and have rich clinical practice. Only practice yields true knowledge. Any old TCM practitioner has worked hard in clinical practice. The path into the temple of TCM is knowing herbs, seeking a teacher, attending consultations, and practicing.

Knowing Herbs: Herbal medicine is an important stage in TCM treatment. Using herbs is like using soldiers; accurately grasping herb properties is crucial. Relying solely on books is insufficient. The origin, processing, preparation, variety, and names of herbal materials directly affect efficacy. Many famous old TCM practitioners started as pharmacy apprentices, learning from processing and preparation to mixing and prescribing. Pharmacy assistants are half-doctors; familiar with herb properties and having seen numerous prescriptions, they find it easier to learn TCM later. You have worked in the pharmacy for three years and have seen no less than 200,000 prescriptions. This is a very good foundation. That is why you were very proficient when you started copying prescriptions with me.

Seeking a Teacher: 'Great teachers produce great disciples; strong generals have no weak soldiers.' Many famous old TCM practitioners come from famous teachers, some apprenticing to several masters to absorb strengths from all sides. Because teachers pass on experiences transmitted by predecessors and their own lifelong medical skills discovered and summarized through exploration to their disciples, this is the shortcut to learning medicine.

Attending Consultations: Learning medicine with a teacher, attending consultations and copying prescriptions is a necessary stage of clinical learning. The inheritance and development of TCM have been passed down generation after generation for thousands of years. Former TCM practitioners learned by attending consultations with their masters and copying prescriptions. I started copying prescriptions for Master Xiangyan at age fifteen, for five full years. During consultations, one should comprehend the master's思路 (line of thought) and methods in syndrome differentiation, and the basis and charm of prescribing and using herbs.

Practice: 'The sharp edge of a sword comes from grinding; the fragrance of plum blossoms comes from bitter cold.' 'What is obtained from paper is superficial; one must personally practice to truly understand.' The master leads you through the door, but cultivation depends on the individual. Like a master craftsman, one can give rules but cannot make someone skillful. Good doctors and famous doctors are formed through practice and diligence. Reading and clinical practice should never be neglected. Upon completing apprenticeship and seeing patients, one should learn from Sun Simiao: 'Courage should be great, but caution small; wisdom should be round, but conduct square.' Diagnose patients by day and read/study cases/reflect on diagnostic errors by night. In a medical career, use diligence to compensate for clumsiness, and sincerity to generate wisdom. Hard work pays off. Accumulating over time, I believe you will surely become a great figure in the future."

I listened attentively to the master's guidance, forgetting the time. His wife quietly walked in and said, "I see you talking so enthusiastically that you forgot to eat. It's already 12:30. Usually, your master doesn't speak much, but today he is particularly happy. Recently, when he returned from work, he told me: 'This apprentice of yours, You Zhi, is clever. After copying prescriptions with me for two months, after I just named the first herb, he could prescribe the entire formula according to my line of thought. This shows he has already carefully pondered our prescriptions in the compounding department in previous years.'"

His wife was from Hangzhou, and her cooking was refreshing and flavorful, complete in color, aroma, and taste. Mr. Mao led me to the dining room downstairs. On the Eight Immortals table were green vegetables, braised pork, cucumber, arrowhead, and black fish. As soon as we sat down, two large crabs were brought up, each weighing half a jin. One round crab and one long crab, with eight legs facing up in the center. His wife poured Mr. Mao a cup of Shaoxing Jiafan wine and said, "Master, you don't have many hobbies. A pot of Longjing tea at work, a glass of Jiafan wine at dinner. Your meals are simple, except you love eating crabs. Come, come, eat the crab first, dip it in vinegar." I said, "Mother's cooking is too good, even more wonderful than what Master discussed this morning about Yin-Yang and Five Elements in the *Neijing*. Look: two crabs, one female and one male, representing Yin and Yang. The beginning of the chapter *Yin Yang Ying Xiang Da Lun* in the *Neijing* says: 'Yin and Yang are the Way of heaven and earth, the net of all things, the parents of change, the origin of life and death, the residence of spirit and enlightenment.' The chapter *Jinkui Zhenyan Lun* (Fourth) of the *Neijing* says: 'The color of the East is green, entering through the Liver; the color of the South is red, entering through the Heart; the color of the Center is yellow, entering through the Spleen; the color of the West is white, entering through the Lung; the color of the North is black, entering through the Kidney.' The dishes on the table: green vegetables are green, belonging to Wood; braised pork is red, belonging to Fire; cucumber is yellow, belonging to Earth; arrowhead is white, belonging to Metal; black fish is black, belonging to Water. Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water are all present. This is called a Grand Banquet of Yin-Yang and Five Elements. Mother's cooking is truly wonderful, bringing the entire universe to the table. How can a disciple have such a big appetite?" Hearing this, Mr. Mao and his wife laughed heartily, "Well said! Well said! Truly applying what one learns, selling what one cooks fresh."

After lunch, Mr. Mao handed me two books and said, "Yin-Yang and Five Elements are the core of TCM theory. Read this book *Yin-Yang and Five Elements* first, and then your understanding of the concepts in the *Neijing* will be much clearer." Holding the book, I left Mr. Mao's home, thinking all the way that I must not fail the teacher's high expectations. My master's kindness was profound; he truly hoped his disciple would become a dragon!

III. Medicine is the Art of Benevolence

I often ate at my master's home, and almost every table had crabs. His wife told me the origin of the crabs: In the 16th year of the Republic of China, under Caishi Bridge, there was a man named Zhang Ashui. At fifty, he married and had a only son whom he cherished as his life. At age three, the boy contracted a warm disease, suffering from persistent high fever, continuous convulsions, and coma. Several hospitals were visited, and both TCM and Western medicine treatments failed. Desperate, the parents had nowhere to turn. At midnight, Zhang Ashui knocked on the door asking my master to treat the child. In the chilly spring rain, my master hurriedly put on his clothes and rushed to the patient's home. After carefully taking the pulse, he said, "There is hope! There is hope!" He took Zhibao Dan (Precious Pill) from his medicine box and administered it to the child, then prescribed: Shigao (Gypsum Fibrosum), Lingyangjiao (Antelope Horn), Danqin (Scutellariae Radix), Yinhua (Lonicerae Japonicae Flos), Qinglongchi (Long Bone), Quanxie (Scorpio). Soon, the child's convulsions stopped, and he opened his eyes calling for "Mom." Zhang Ashui was overjoyed and went to the pharmacy early the next morning to get the prescription for the child. Two days later, the child's fever subsided, and he was clear-headed. Overjoyed but feeling guilty for being unable to pay the medical and consultation fees, Zhang Ashui felt ashamed. Mr. Mao said, "Treating illness and doing good is what should be done. Forget it, forget it." Since then, Zhang Ashui frequently sent crabs, and the vat of crabs never ran dry. Knowing that small business owners faced financial difficulties, Mr. Mao always gave him a little extra money when settling accounts each month. Now that Zhang Ashui has passed away, his only son, Xiao Mao, also deals in crabs, so the vat of crabs remains stocked.

Mr. Mao often warned me, "Medicine is the art of benevolence, concerning life and death. Physicians must possess a heart of benevolence, making treating illness and saving lives their primary duty, sharing the urgency of their patients." When former students apprenticed to learn medicine, the master gifted the disciple three items: a pair of straw shoes, an umbrella, and a lantern. This meant that regardless of distance, weather, or time of day or night, one should overcome difficulties to make house calls. If invited to dinner, it might be mere politeness, and you may decline; if invited to treat a patient, you must go immediately without delay, otherwise delaying the condition will harm the patient's family. The Tang Dynasty physician Sun Simiao was a model of medical ethics, stating, "If anyone suffering from illness comes to seek help, do not ask about their nobility or poverty, age, beauty or ugliness, resentment or friendship, Chinese or foreign, wise or foolish. Treat them equally, as if they were close relatives. Do not look ahead or behind, worry about luck or disaster, or protect your own life. Seeing their suffering, feel it as your own. Deeply mournful, do not avoid danger, extreme heat or cold, hunger, thirst, or fatigue. Devote your heart entirely to saving them." Jiang Guan of the Ming Dynasty said, "The suffering of the human body is no different from mine. Whenever summoned, go quickly without delay. If only medicine is requested, send it immediately. Do not ask about nobility or poverty; focus solely on saving people."

Treating illness and saving lives, doing good and accumulating virtue, are the instructions of ancestors, clans, and teachers, a millennium-old tradition passed down in a single line.

IV. Hiding Light and Discussing Rhubarb