典藏书目

Scholars need not necessarily be renowned for their medical skills, yet there is no one better suited to understand the principles of medicine than scholars. During the Spring and Autumn period, He and Huan were masters of medicine. They were proficient in the *Zhou Yi* (Book of Changes) and could distinguish the meanings related to vessels and insects; although they practiced medicine, they were essentially Confucian scholars. When people speak of physicians today, they invariably first extant Shennong (Divine Farmer). However, if Shennong had not associated with Taiyi, his transmission would not have been orthodox; if he had not patrolled the Five Great Mountains and Four Great Rivers wielding a jasper whip, his knowledge would not have been extensive; if he had not verified the therapeutic efficacy of thousands of species produced in various lands through trial and personal tasting, he would have been no different from mere merchants and peddlers, and what relevance would that have to medicine? Therefore, I say: Shennong is the great Confucian scholar of the ages. Examining the *Chongwen Zongmu* (General Catalogue of the Imperial Library), it records one volume of *Food Items* and one volume of *Treatise on the Five Zang Organs*, both attributed to Shennong. These originals have long been lost; the only surviving work is the *Shennong Bencao Jing* (Divine Farmer's Materia Medica)! Moreover, there was no dedicated monograph. In the Tang Dynasty, Shen Yuan compiled them, which *Shulu Jieti* (Record of Book Catalogues) referred to as *Daguan Bencao* (Grand View Materia Medica), and *Dushu Zhi* (Reading Records) called *Zhenglei Bencao* (Classified Materia Medica). Later, Mou Yong wrote a commentary (*Shu*), and Lu Zhiyi wrote *Chengya Banji*, both taking the *Benjing* (Original Classic) as their main subject. However, some interspersed subjective speculations, while others added personal deductions, causing interpretations to become increasingly confused and meanings more obscure. No one had conducted precise textual research and made outstanding discoveries. Thus, verifying ancient texts is difficult; verifying them and then reconciling them with ultimate truth is even more difficult. Sun Yuanru, an Investigating Censor, along with his nephew Fengqing, compiled the *Shennong Bencao Jing* into three volumes. Beyond Wu Pu’s *Famous Physicians*, they supplemented materials from the *Shuowen*, *Erya*, *Guangya*, *Huainanzi*, and *Baopuzi*. They did not list ancient prescriptions nor discuss pulse conditions and symptoms, yet the earnest intention of ancient sages to govern the world shines clearly, as evident as if displayed before one's eyebrows. Confucius said, "Know many names of birds, beasts, and plants." He also said, "Acquiring knowledge lies in investigating things." Therefore, this book is not merely a text for physicians but truly a Confucian classic. It is naturally far superior to the works of Xi Yong and others. Some doubt the *Bencao Jing* because the term "Bencao" first appears in the *Han Shu* (Book of Han), specifically in the *Annals of Emperor Ping* and the *Biography of Lou Hu*. However, Shennong’s initial tasting of hundreds of herbs and the origin of medicine are recorded in the *Sanhuang Ji* (Records of the Three Sovereigns); the annotation of 365 types into seven volumes is found in Tao Hongjing’s *Lu*; adding 114 types to expand to twenty volumes was followed by the *Tang Bencao* (Tang Materia Medica); adding another 133 types and reorganizing them under Meng Chang was followed by the *Shu Bencao* (Shu Materia Medica). As for the locations of counties and commanderies, these were originally additions by later authors; the *Jing* only states "grows in mountains and valleys" or "grows in rivers and marshes." The *Hongfan* regards health and peace as blessings, and the *Ya* and *Song* praise longevity for ten thousand years. Why should we doubt that long-term consumption leading to a light body and extended life is merely a theory of later alchemists? Generally speaking, a scholar’s love for learning is like that of a physician: origins are its pulse; careful review is its diagnosis. Distinguishing between evil and righteousness, determining right and wrong, serves as the mediator for balancing warmth, cold, neutrality, and heat. The Investigator, Sun Yuanru, is knowledgeable and scholarly, famous as a grand Confucian; those within the realm seeking his writings treat them with the same reverence as precious gold paste and water jade. Fengqing loves broad learning, studies cinnabar and ink, and devotes himself daily to Confucian affairs. Tracing back to before Fuxi, for thousands of years as if it were one day—this is possible only if his devotion is exclusive and enduring. Yet I alone find it strange that this compilation contains nothing regarding the so-called "bibliomania." Written by Zhang Jiong of Xuancheng at Guan Shu Zhuang in Zhanyuan on the 15th day of the tenth month in the winter of the year Jiwu (1799), the fourth year of the Jiaqing reign.