Compendium of Meridians and Collaterals

Zhai LiangChina Medical Science Press2025

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Word count
63K words
Chapters
1
Series
Required Readings in Classic Acupuncture Texts
ISBN
9787521453553

Tags

Health and Medicine Health 中医Twelve MeridiansEight Extraordinary VesselsMing Dynasty MedicineMeridiansOrgansAcademic StudyAncient Classic

Summary

The Compendium of Meridians and Collaterals is a work on acupuncture and meridian theory written by the Ming dynasty physician Zhai Liang (courtesy name Yuhua, a native of Yidu, Shandong). It was first published in the first year of the Chongzhen reign of the Ming (1628) and was included in 1657 in the collection Five Medical Works of the Zhai Family, under the title Annotated Compendium of Meridians and Collaterals. The book is undivided into juan and consists of two volumes; it takes the Huangdi Neijing as its foundation and draws on the theories of earlier authorities. The author held that the meridians were not established solely for acupuncture and that all physicians must understand them, and therefore discussed the meridians in conjunction with the zangfu organs. He begins with a General Sequence of the Meridians, Origins, and a Detailed Account of the Connections and Divisions of the Zangfu, then proceeds meridian by meridian through the twelve regular meridians and the Ren and Du vessels, successively explaining the course of each meridian, its pertaining and connecting relationships, the nature and physiological functions of the associated zangfu organs, the locations of the acupoints, and the principal disorders of each meridian. Each meridian is followed by verses on its acupoints and on proportional measurement, to facilitate recitation and point location. The book includes illustrations of the zangfu and meridians, the twelve meridians and their zangfu, the exterior-interior relationships of the zangfu, the starting and ending points of the hand and foot meridians, and the inner landscape, and it also contains songs on the attribution of the twelve meridians, on the twelve meridians and the heavenly stems, and on the quantity of qi and blood in the twelve meridians, together with annotations on the twelve meridians, a discourse on the purity, turbidity, ascent, and descent of ying and wei, the Rushi Formula, a general treatise on the eight extraordinary vessels, and separate treatises on the Chong, Dai, Yangqiao, Yinqiao, Yangwei, and Yinwei vessels. It further includes a section of questions and answers on the meridians discussing yin and yang, the collateral vessels, the mingmen, and related questions, and concludes with a rhapsody on the inner landscape illustration. Richly illustrated and concise in exposition, the book has long been regarded as a popular primer on meridian theory and as an important introductory classic for understanding the traditional Chinese medical approach of pattern differentiation along the meridians. This edition is a collated version in the Must-Read Classics of Acupuncture and Moxibustion series published by China Medical Science Press, in 32mo paperback, with 99 pages of main text and approximately 63,000 characters.

Editor's review

很多学中医的人卡在第一步：经络图看得懂，一到辨证用药就糊涂。翟良在近四百年前就点破了这个症结——方书有言“不明十二经络，开口动手便错”，他还专门批评那些自诩大方脉、懒得认穴的医者：先明经络，才谈得上定穴；穴可以不精，经络却不可不知。这本《经络汇编》正是为补这一课而写。它的好处有三：一是“经脏合参”，每条经不只讲走向和穴位，还配上所系脏腑的属性、生理与主病，让经络成为辨证的抓手而非背诵的线条；二是“图歌并用”，诸穴歌、分寸歌朗朗上口，配脏腑经脉图、手足经起止图、内景图，古人没有解剖课和课件，就靠这类图文与口诀把十四经脉记牢；三是“体量克制”，全书不分卷、不足百页，奇经八脉、营卫升降、经络问答诸题皆有涉及，读完能得到一张完整而简洁的经络地图。此次中国医药科技出版社以“针灸经典医籍必读丛书”推出整理本，32开便携，正文99页、约6.3万字，作为案头常备的入门与复习读物，对针灸推拿从业者、中医专业学生和认真的养生爱好者都很合适。

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Reading tips

  1. 先读“经络统序”与“原始”，把握作者“经络为辨证之本”的整体思路，再进入各经条文。
  2. 按手三阴、手三阳、足三阳、足三阴的顺序逐经阅读，配合人体经络图对照循行路线。
  3. 诸穴歌与分寸歌宜出声诵读、抄写记忆，把穴位定位与经脉走向绑定在一起。
  4. 读至末篇奇经八脉与经络问答时可回看前文，梳理任督冲带与十二经的关系。

About the publisher

China Medical Science Press China · Founded in 1986

In addition to professional medical and health publishing, China Medical Science Press also offers practical fashion and health titles for general readers, with a focus on everyday food safety, family healthcare, and self-care. Although only seven of its books are currently included here, the themes are concentrated: from "Health on the Tip of the Tongue" and "The Clear-Headed Diner," which explain how to select, wash, and cook food, to "Be Your Own Family Doctor" and "Massage from Zero," which introduce food therapy, massage, and acupoint selection for preventing and treating common ailments, and further to "Qi and Blood Are the Root of Life" and "The Amazing Skin Care Book," which address wellness and beauty. Its authors include Guo Ying, Zhi Xia, Liu Hong, Zhang Jichuan, and Kong Mian. As public information is limited, the overall character of its popular health publishing remains to be further understood; the available titles reflect an approach close to family life and emphasizing practical operation.

Contents

  1. Required Readings in Classic Acupuncture Texts

FAQ

《经络汇编》是什么年代的书？作者是谁？ 为明代医家翟良（字玉华，山东益都人）所撰，初刊于明崇祯元年（1628年），1657年被收入《翟氏医书五种汇刻》，题为《经络汇编释义》。翟良幼年体弱多病，后学医为业，另著有《脉诀汇编说统》。
这本书和现代经络穴位图解有什么区别？ 它不以彩图取穴为主，而是把经脉循行、属络关系与脏腑属性、生理特点、主病证候结合论述，并附诸穴歌、分寸歌与多种古图，重在帮助读者建立“循经辨证”的思路，属于古籍整理类入门读本。
没有中医基础能读懂吗？ 可以入门，但需要一些耐心。原文为明代医论体例，语句简洁古雅；建议先看经络统序与各经释义部分，配合当代经络图对照阅读，遇到术语可查专业辞典，不必一开始就逐字抠穴位分寸。
这个版本有多少页、多少字？ 据出版信息，中国医药科技出版社2025年9月版为32开平装，正文99页，约6.3万字，ISBN为9787521453553，属“针灸经典医籍必读丛书”。

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About the author

Zhai Liang Author

Public information about Zhai Liang is very limited. His birthplace, dates of birth and death, and medical training are not clearly recorded, and the identity that can currently be confirmed centers mainly on the compilation and editing of traditional Chinese medicine literature on meridians and collaterals. The library holds one work by him, A Compendium of Meridians and Collaterals, classified under medicine and health and health, which appears to be a compilatory work on meridian theory and the basic theory of acupuncture and moxibustion. Judging from the title and classification, the author focuses on systematically organizing and collecting traditional knowledge of the meridian system, and the writing style is likely plain and clearly itemized, making it convenient for readers to consult and use as an introduction. The book offers general readers a primer for understanding basic concepts such as the pathways of the meridians and the distribution of acupoints, and it also reflects the compiler's emphasis on document organization and knowledge popularization. Because relevant materials are lacking, his academic background and actual influence are difficult to discuss in detail, and readers should judge in light of the contents of the original book.