Collated and Annotated Remaining Meanings of Medical Purity

费伯雄Qunyan Publishing House · ChinaNov 2020

Rating 3.7

Word count: 76K words
Chapters: 140

Summary

Among the Qin there were skilled physicians named He and Huan. In inspecting the complexion and discerning the symptoms, they saw into the vital regions—were they not what is called divine and extraordinary? Yet when they discussed acupuncture and moxibustion and described decoctions and medicines, every word was authoritative and essential, opening the way for later generations—how pure and refined they were! Is it not that ordinary illnesses are common while strange diseases are rarely encountered, and only one who knows the constant can know the changes? Thus on the very day they were named, they had already taken harmony and gentleness as their own charge! Though diseases are many, they do not go beyond internal injury and external contraction: what is insufficient is supplemented to restore its correctness, what is excessive is removed to return it to balance—this is the method of harmony, the treatment of gentleness.

Editor's review

Yi Chun Sheng Yi (Remaining Meanings of Medical Purity) was compiled by the Qing dynasty physician Fei Boxiong; this edition is a collated and annotated recension. The preface draws on the classical exemplars of the Qin physicians He and Huan, noting that the skilled physician inspects the complexion and discerns the symptoms, seeing into the vital regions, while their discussions of acupuncture and moxibustion and their descriptions of decoctions and medicines are authoritative in every word and open the way for later generations. Its core lies in clarifying that though diseases are many, they do not go beyond internal injury and external contraction: what is insufficient is supplemented to restore its correctness, what is excessive is removed to return it to balance—this is the meaning of the “method of harmony” and “treatment of gentleness.” The whole work is grounded in knowing the constant to master the changes, seeking the proper measure of treatment within common illnesses and not prizing the strange or marvellous. This collated and annotated edition is convenient for modern readers and is suitable as a reference for clinical practitioners of Chinese medicine, teachers and students at Chinese medicine colleges, and those who study traditional medical theory. In reading, one should first grasp the thought of harmony and gentleness, then combine it with the specific formulas and discussions to appreciate the measure of supplementing the correct and removing the excess in prescribing; it is not necessarily suitable for readers who seek only quick remedies or lack a foundation in Chinese medicine, who should proceed step by step with basic textbooks.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Clinical practitioners of Chinese medicine and teachers and students at Chinese medicine colleges
Readers who study traditional medical theory and formula discussions
Advanced learners interested in the thought of harmonious and gentle treatment

Not a good fit for

Readers with no foundation in Chinese medicine who seek only quick remedies
Readers expecting interpretation in terms of modern evidence-based medicine
General readers who wish only to browse case stories for entertainment

Reading tips

First read the preface to grasp the aim of harmony, gentleness, and supplementing the correct, then study the formulas and discussions section by section.
Take notes according to the classification of internal injury and external contraction, and summarize the measure of supplementing the correct and removing the excess in prescribing.
Read in conjunction with basic textbooks of Chinese medical theory, and avoid memorizing formulas in isolation.
In clinical use, one must differentiate according to the specific condition and should not copy ready-made formulas.

About the publisher

Qunyan Publishing House China · Founded in 1989

Founded in 1989, Qunyan Publishing House has long been committed to publishing academic and educational books for mid- and high-level readers, and has built up a certain presence in Eastern philosophy, classical literature, and classic works. Representative titles available in the database include Records of the Grand Historian, Dream of the Red Chamber, Selections of Refined Literature, Complete Song Ci, Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, Record of Daily Knowledge, Taiping Huimin Hejiju Fang, and The Collected Works of Wang Yangming, covering common categories such as ancient poetry, medicine, and examinations. Its author resources include Sima Qian, Cao Xueqin, Xiao Tong, Li Shan, Pu Songling, and Gu Yanwu. The press also offers distinctive series such as the Biographical Series of the China Democratic League and the Historical Documents Series of the China Democratic League, and publishes research on historical documents, biographies, memoirs, and textbooks and academic works by League members. Public information is limited, and its overall publishing scale and complete catalogue require further verification.

版权信息
自序
卷一
脉法
察舌要言
四家异同
重药轻投辩
同病各发
中风
中络
中经
中腑
中脏
口眼斜
半身不遂
中风僵卧
中风僵卧
中风僵卧
中风僵卧
中寒
真心痛
厥心痛
直中少阴
直中厥阴
直中厥阴
暑热湿
刚痉
柔痉
伤暑
中暑
伤热
伤湿
呕吐
泄泻
霍乱转筋
发黄
淋浊
淋浊
卷二
秋燥
肺燥
心燥
肝燥
脾燥
肾燥
胃燥
小肠燥
大肠燥
大肠燥
火
肺火
心火
肝胆火
脾火
肾火
胃火
小肠火
大肠火
风火
湿火
痰火
实火
虚火
燥火
郁火
邪火
毒火
毒火
劳伤
心劳
肺劳
肝劳
脾劳
肾劳
虚劳最重脾肾论
喜伤
怒伤
忧伤
思伤
悲伤
恐伤
惊伤
惊伤
脑漏
鼻衄
齿牙出血
关格
附∶关格门诸方
附∶云歧子九方
卷三
咳嗽
五脏传腑之咳
五脏传腑之咳
痰饮
痰饮
悬饮
溢饮
支饮
留饮
伏饮
伏饮
结胸
疟
附∶疟症门诸方
黄瘅
阳黄
阴黄
谷瘅
酒瘅
女劳瘅
女劳瘅
三消
附∶消渴门诸方
卷四
痿
痹
附∶痹症门诸方
胀
水胀
肤胀
鼓胀
鼓胀
下痢
附∶下痢门诸方
诸痛
头痛
眼痛
齿痛
舌痛
肺气胀痛
心气厥痛
肝气作痛
肝虚作痛
脾湿胀痛
肾气厥痛
胃虚作痛
胃寒作痛
胃中虫痛
三冲
朱跋

FAQ

What is the relation between the title “Yi Chun Sheng Yi” and the work’s aim?

The preface takes the Qin physicians He and Huan as its basis and emphasizes that diseases do not go beyond internal injury and external contraction: what is insufficient is supplemented to restore its correctness, what is excessive is removed to return it to balance—this is the method of harmony and the treatment of gentleness. The sense of “purity and correctness” indicated by the title accords precisely with this aim of seeking balance and harmony in treatment.

Can someone without a foundation in Chinese medicine read this book directly?

Not very suitably. The book’s discussions of acupuncture and moxibustion and of decoctions and medicines are authoritative in every word and involve medical theory such as internal injury and external contraction and supplementing the correct and removing the excess; without a foundation it is difficult to grasp the measure of differentiation. It is advisable first to read basic textbooks of Chinese medical theory and diagnostics, then proceed step by step with this book’s formula discussions.

Is this book suitable for looking up folk remedies?

It is not suitable for use as a book of folk remedies. The preface emphasizes knowing the constant to master the changes and treating with harmony and gentleness, stressing supplementing insufficiency and removing excess to restore balance, rather than listing strange diseases and marvellous formulas. Readers should understand its approach to treatment; in clinical practice one must still differentiate according to the condition and must not copy ready-made formulas.

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About the author

费伯雄 Author

Fei Boxiong was a physician of the Qing dynasty. Public information about his native place, dates of birth and death, and medical training is limited, so his medical profile can be understood mainly through his surviving works. Three of his works are included here: Yi Fang Lun, the annotated Yi Chun Sheng Yi, and Shi Jian Ben Cao, all falling under medicine. Yi Fang Lun comments on formulas from earlier generations in concise discussions that stress clinical selection. Yi Chun Sheng Yi embodies his medical thinking, with balanced reasoning on pattern differentiation and gentle, harmonious prescribing; annotated editions of it circulated widely in later times. Shi Jian Ben Cao combines materia medica knowledge with everyday diet, reflecting an approach of nourishing life through food. Overall, Fei Boxiong's writings span formula commentary, medical theory and dietary therapy; they are practical in style, value usefulness over abstruse speculation, and offer reference value for understanding traditional clinical reasoning and dietary regimen.