典藏书目

I have always suspected that various medical texts, from the *Ling Shu* (Spiritual Pivot) and *Su Wen* (Basic Questions), as well as works by renowned physicians of the Han, Jin, Tang, Song, Yuan, and Ming dynasties, lack clarity in their discussions of Zang-Fu organs (internal organs) and meridians (energy pathways). Since I could not witness the internal structures firsthand for verification, contemporary practitioners often fail to understand the true anatomy of the Zang-Fu organs or the pathways of Qi and Blood. Upon observing a symptom, they are at a loss regarding its location, relying on speculation and rough estimation to administer treatment. They test medicines on patients and probe diseases with drugs; when they occasionally hit the mark, it becomes established practice. Over time, treatments may be effective or ineffective, yet practitioners remain unaware of the reasons why. This is not the fault of the practitioners but rather the result of the lack of authentic transmission since ancient times. Although the *Ling Shu* and *Su Wen* are classics of the sages, they were no longer complete after the burning of books in the Qin Dynasty. Later generations added interpolations and forced interpretations; even where original text remained, it was often misinterpreted by later commentaries. For thousands of years, errors have been passed down without anyone realizing the truth. It is like a damaged clock: it must be repaired by a clockmaker who understands its mechanism. Medicine is the same.

While serving in Lin'an Prefecture, Yunnan, during the Bingzi year of the Jiaqing reign (1816), ethnic rebels led by Gao Lu Genju rose up. The military camp frequently executed prisoners. Initially, I dared not watch, but gradually gained courage. As the bodies of the rebel ethnic minorities were left uncollected, I ordered the executioners to wash and examine their viscera carefully. After examining dozens of corpses, I realized that the diagrams and descriptions of Zang-Fu organs in historical medical texts were all erroneous. In the Xinmao year of the Daoguang reign (1831), I met Mr. Wang Qingren, a nobleman from Yutian County, Zhili Province, in the capital. When discussing Zang-Fu organs, I found his views aligned with my own. He stated that in the Dingsi year of the Jiaqing reign (1817), while traveling to Daodi Town in Luanzhou, he observed children suffering from plague, smallpox, and dysentery, with eight or nine out of ten dying. Local customs prohibited burial, so bodies wrapped in mats were abandoned in barren suburbs. Those devoured by dogs or birds had their abdomens broken open, exposing viscera everywhere, allowing him to examine them in detail. His findings matched mine exactly. Unfortunately, Mr. Wang only examined dead organs; his diagrams pointed out past errors and detailed current anatomical forms but failed to clarify the functional mechanisms of digestion and the movement of Qi and Blood. By studying the *Ling Shu* and *Su Wen* morning and night, I gained insights and realized that these classics actually contained explicit textual evidence.

For instance, the classics state: "When food enters the stomach, its essence is dispersed to the Liver, nourishing the sinews. When food enters the stomach, its turbid Qi returns to the Heart, refining into the vessels. When drinks enter the stomach, their clear essence floats up, is transported upward to the Spleen, whose Qi disperses the essence, sending it upward to the Lung. The Lung regulates water passages, transporting it downward to the Bladder. Water essence spreads throughout, circulating through the five meridians." Based on this passage, predecessors claimed the stomach has two openings: the Cardia (Benmen) above and the Pylorus (Youmen) below, asserting the stomach has only two gates. However, observation reveals three gates: besides the Cardia and Pylorus, there is the Jinmen (Fluid Gate). On the Jinmen, there is a duct branching into three: the upper branch connects to the Heart, the middle branch to the Liver, and the lower branch to the Spleen. The Spleen connects to the Lung, the Heart to the Kidney, and the Liver to the Gallbladder. Thus, we know that when food enters the stomach, aided by the True Yang of the Lower Dantian in the stomach, the refined juices are steamed upward and exit via the Jinmen. Through the upper branch of the duct, they enter the Heart; from the Heart, their light and clear Qi is distributed to the Du Mai (Governing Vessel) to transform into Qi; their essence juice enters the Ren Mai (Conception Vessel) to transform into Essence; their heavy and turbid juice enters the Chong Mai (Penetrating Vessel) to transform into Blood. The Du Mai runs along the spine and serves as the main airway of the body; the Chong Mai is in the center, adjacent to the Du Mai, serving as the main blood vessel; the Ren Mai is near the abdomen, serving as the main essence vessel. Hence, the classics say: The Du Mai is the gathering point, the Chong Mai is the Sea of Blood, and the Ren Mai governs pregnancy.

When food enters the stomach, its juices are steamed via the Jinmen into the middle branch of the duct, entering the Liver. From the Liver, they are distributed to the sinews throughout the body. The Liver transports bile, accumulating it to supply the eyes. Therefore, when one ages and bile dries up, vision becomes dim. When drinks enter the stomach, they are steamed by True Yang, exiting the Jinmen via the lower branch into the Spleen. The Spleen distributes the clear and light portion of the water upward to the Lung, which spreads it over the skin and five meridians as Jin-Ye (body fluids), moistening the interior and exterior. The turbid residue of the water enters the water passages, seeps into the Bladder, and becomes urine.

The Heart receives the essence of fluid from grain qi and distributes it to the Du, Chong, and Ren vessels to transform Qi, Blood, and Essence. The Liver receives the fluid from grain qi to irrigate the sinews throughout the body. The Spleen receives the water Qi from the stomach and distributes it up and down. The Lung receives the water essence from the Spleen, spreads Jin-Ye over the skin and five meridians, and irrigates the interior and exterior. The Kidneys store the misty and dew-like essence of Qi from the Du Mai, moistening the bones throughout the body. The Du Mai passes through the Heart, and both kidneys have ducts connecting to the Du Mai; thus, it is said that the Heart and Kidneys interact. This describes the functional mechanisms of diet, Qi, Blood, and Jin-Ye in the five Zang organs. Regarding the morphology of the Zang-Fu organs, Mr. Wang Xunchen's diagrams are already detailed, so I need not add further. Li Zhirui from Liaocheng, Jin Heng.