范文正公微时，尝诣灵祠求祷曰∶他日得相位乎？不许。复祷曰∶不然愿为良医。亦不
许。
既而叹曰∶夫不能利泽生民，非大丈夫平昔之志也。他日有人谓公曰∶丈夫之志于相理为当
然；医之技，君何愿焉？无乃失于卑耶？公曰∶嗟乎！岂为是哉！古人有云∶常善救人，故无弃
人；常欲救物，故无弃物。且丈夫之于学也，固欲遇神圣之君，得行其道；思天下匹夫匹妇
，有不被其泽者。若已推而内之沟中，能及小大生民者，固惟相为然。既相不可得矣，夫能
行救人利物之心者，莫如良医；果能为良医也，上以疗君亲之疾，下以救贫民之厄，中以保
身长生，在下而能及小大生民者，舍夫良医，则未之有也！
北齐李元忠母老多病，元忠专心医道，研习积年，遂善医。族弟亦为母病，医为治疗不
愈，
遂自精究针药，母病乃除，隋许道幼亦因其母病患，遍览经方，得以究极，世号名医。戒诸
子曰∶人之尝视膳药，不知方术，岂为孝乎？由是转相传授。唐·王勃尝谓∶人子不可不知
医。时长安曹元有秘术，勃从之游，尽得其要，勃之所见与道幼同。唐有王焘，亦因母病学
医，因以所学，作书传世。宋·高若纳亦因母病，遂兼通医书。虽国医皆屈伏，张仲景《伤
寒论》诀，孙思邈《千金方》及王焘《外台秘要》，久不传，悉考校讹谬行之，世始知有是
书。名医多出衡州，皆本高氏学焉。此皆以医为孝者也。宋李虚己母丧明，虚己旦夕舐睛不
懈，二年母目复明。李行简父患痈极痛，行简吮其败膏至尽，疾寻愈。此又以孝为医者也。
范仲淹在微贱之时，曾前往灵祠祈祷问道：“日后能担任宰相吗？”神明没有允许。他又祈祷说：“如果不能当宰相，那就希望成为一名良医。”神明依然没有允许。
不久后他感叹道：“不能给百姓带来利益和恩泽，这不是大丈夫平素的志向啊。”后来有人对范公说：“大丈夫以做宰相为理所当然；至于医术，您为什么愿意从事呢？这岂不是显得卑微了吗？”范公说：“唉！难道是这样吗！古人有句话说：‘常常善于救人，所以没有被抛弃的人；常常想要救助万物，所以没有被废弃的物品。’况且大丈夫对于学问的追求，本来是想遇到圣明神圣的君主，得以施行自己的道义；思考天下平民百姓中，还有谁没有受到他的恩泽。如果把他们推入沟壑之中（见死不救），能够惠及大小百姓的，本来只有宰相才能做到。既然无法成为宰相，那么能够践行救人利物之心的人，没有比良医更好的了；如果真的能成为良医，对上可以治疗君主和父母的疾病，对下可以拯救贫苦百姓的困苦，对内可以保养自身、延年益寿，在下位而能惠及大小百姓的，除了良医之外，是没有其他人的！”
北齐的李元忠，母亲年老且多病，李元忠专心于医学之道，研习多年，于是擅长医术。族弟的母亲也生病，医生治疗无效，李元忠便自己精心研究针灸和药物，母亲的病才得以痊愈。隋朝的许道幼也是因为母亲患病，遍览经方，得以穷究医理，世人称他为名医。他告诫儿子们说：“人如果曾经侍奉饮食药物，却不知道药方医术，这怎么能算是孝呢？”因此辗转相互传授。唐代王勃曾说：“作为人的子女不可不懂医学。”当时长安曹元拥有秘术，王勃跟随他游学，完全掌握了其中的要领，王勃的见解与许道幼相同。唐代有王焘，也是因母亲生病而学习医学，凭借所学撰写书籍流传后世。宋代的高若纳也因为母亲生病，于是兼通医书。虽然当时的国医都对他折服，但张仲景《伤寒论》的要诀、孙思邈《千金方》以及王焘《外台秘要》，长久以来未能流传，高若纳全部考证校订了其中的错误谬误并加以推行，世人这才知道有这些书籍。名医多出自衡州，都是师从高氏的学问。这些都是把行医作为尽孝的方式。宋代的李虚己，母亲失明，李虚己早晚舔舐母亲的眼睛不懈怠，两年后母亲的眼睛复明。李行简的父亲患痈疽疼痛至极，李行简吮吸脓血直到干净，疾病不久就痊愈了。这是又把孝道作为行医的动力。
Fan Zhongyan, when he was in humble circumstances, once visited a spiritual shrine to pray and ask: "Will I be able to serve as Chancellor in the future?" The deity did not grant this. He prayed again: "If not, then I wish to become a good physician." The deity still did not grant this.
Shortly thereafter, he sighed and said: "To be unable to benefit and bless the people is not the ambition of a great man that I have held in my heart all along." Later, someone said to Lord Fan: "For a great man, aspiring to be Chancellor is natural; but why do you wish for the art of medicine? Is it not too lowly?" Lord Fan replied: "Alas! How could it be so! The ancients said: 'One who is always good at saving others will find no one discarded; one who is always desirous of saving things will find nothing wasted.' Moreover, the pursuit of learning by a great man is originally to encounter a sage and holy ruler, thereby being able to implement his principles; he thinks of every common man and woman in the world, worrying if any are not benefiting from his grace. If they were pushed into ditches (and left to die), only the Chancellor can truly reach and benefit the people of all ranks. Since becoming Chancellor may not be attainable, none can better practice the heart of saving people and benefiting things than a good physician. If one can indeed become a good physician, one can treat the illnesses of the ruler and parents above, rescue the hardships of the poor below, and preserve one's own body and longevity within; among those in lower positions who can benefit the people of all ranks, apart from a good physician, there is none!"
Li Yuanzhong of the Northern Qi dynasty had an elderly mother who suffered from many illnesses. Li Yuanzhong devoted himself to the Way of Medicine, studying for years, until he became skilled in medicine. When the mother of his clan cousin fell ill and the physician's treatment failed to cure her, Li Yuanzhong carefully studied acupuncture and herbal medicine, and his cousin's mother's illness was finally cured. Xu Daoyou of the Sui dynasty also, due to his mother's illness, perused classical prescriptions thoroughly, achieving mastery, and was known in the world as a famous physician. He warned his sons: "If a person has tasted food and medicine [serving parents] but does not know medical formulas and techniques, how can this be called filial piety?" Thus, they passed it on to each other. Wang Bo of the Tang dynasty once said: "A child must not be ignorant of medicine." At that time, Cao Yuan of Chang'an possessed secret arts, and Wang Bo traveled with him, mastering all its essentials. Wang Bo's insights were similar to those of Xu Daoyou. Wang Tao of the Tang dynasty also learned medicine because of his mother's illness, and used his knowledge to write books for posterity. Gao Ruona of the Song dynasty also, due to his mother's illness, came to master medical texts. Although the imperial physicians of the time submitted to him, the key principles of Zhang Zhongjing's *Treatise on Cold Damage Diseases* (*Shanghan Lun*), Sun Simiao's *Essential Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Gold* (*Qianjin Fang*), and Wang Tao's *Secret Essentials of the Outer Cabinet* (*Waitai Miyao*) had long ceased to circulate. Gao Ruona examined and corrected all errors and absurdities in them and put them into circulation, so the world began to know of these books. Famous physicians mostly came from Hengzhou, all basing their learning on the Gao family's teachings. These are all examples of treating medicine as a form of filial piety.
Li Xuji of the Song dynasty had a mother who went blind. Li Xuji diligently licked his mother's eyes morning and night without rest, and after two years, his mother's sight was restored. Li Xingjian's father suffered from a severe carbuncle causing extreme pain. Li Xingjian sucked out the pus until it was completely clean, and the disease soon healed. This is another example of using filial piety as the motivation for practicing medicine.