The Unified System of Medicine
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Summary
The book records not only medical classics theory such as the *Nei Jing* and *Nan Jing*, but also the exegetical and clinical insights of physicians including Hua Shou, He Jian, and Liu Chun. It was completed around the late Ming period (before 1569).
The book was first recorded in Yin Zhongchun's *Yi Cang Shu Mu* (Catalogue of Medical Books) of the Ming dynasty, which notes "*Yixue Tongzong*, eight juan." The late-Ming physician Sun Yikui also discusses it in *Yi Zhi Xu Yu*. This shows that the book circulated for a time in the late Ming but has been rarely transmitted in China since the Qing dynasty.
Editor's review
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Scholars and graduate students in Chinese medical literature and medical history
- Enthusiasts of Ming-dynasty medical transmission and editions
- Chinese medicine practitioners studying the *Nan Jing*, *Nei Jing*, and acupuncture and diagnostic methods
- Libraries and specialist readers who collect or collate ancient medical texts
Not a good fit for
- Complete beginners with no knowledge of classical Chinese or Chinese medicine
- Readers seeking quick access to modern clinical treatment protocols
Reading tips
- Read the collator's preface and table of contents first to clarify the source and structure of each of the five volumes, then study them volume by volume.
- Read alongside original works such as *Nan Jing Ben Yi* and *Zhen Jia Shu Yao*, noting differences between He Jian's supplements and Hua Shou's original text.
- For the acupuncture and diagnostic sections, take notes against modern textbooks, noting changes in terminology and practice between past and present.
- Consult the collation notes and appendices whenever variant readings or difficult characters arise; do not skip the collator's explanations.
About the publisher
China Press of Traditional Chinese Medicine focuses on publishing books in traditional Chinese medicine, covering Chinese medical classics, clinical medicine, acupuncture and tuina, materia medica and formulae, and medical history and literature; its catalogue includes 3,277 titles. Representative books include Xiao Er Yao Zheng Zhi Jue, Shang Han Lun, Yi Xue Zhong Zhong Can Xi Lu, Zhen Jiu Da Cheng, Yi Zong Jin Jian, and Guo Aichun's Annotated Huangdi Neijing Suwen (Second Edition). These works involve writings by historical physicians such as Qian Yi, Zhang Zhongjing, Wang Shuhe, and Zhang Xichun, as well as documentary studies compiled by contemporary authors including Zhao Xin, Zhen Xueyan, Zhang Yongtai, and Wang Xiangang. In terms of publishing characteristics, the press emphasizes collation and annotation of original Chinese medical classics and the systematic presentation of famous physicians' works, balancing the transmission of ancient editions with reference for clinical application. Public information is limited, and no other publishing fields are covered here.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 国家中医药管理局中医药古籍文献传承专项专家委员会
- 许序
- 校注说明
- 前言
- 《难经本义》补遗卷上
- 《难经本义》补遗卷下
- 治病针法
- 附滑氏《诊家枢要》
- 附《医书大略统体》
- 附滑氏伯仁《卮言》
- 附杂录
- 附试论
- 校注后记
FAQ
What does *Yixue Tongzong* mainly contain?
Why has this book rarely circulated since the Qing dynasty?
What reading order suits this collated edition?
Comments
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About the author
He Jian is a Chinese author about whom limited public information is available; reliable details of his life and academic background have not yet been established. According to the records in our database, two works are attributed to him: Medical Comprehensive Compendium (Yixue Tongzong) and its collated and punctuated edition. This suggests that his writing and editorial work centered on medicine. Medical Comprehensive Compendium belongs to the tradition of medical literature, dealing with medical theory and clinical experience and reflecting an effort to collect and transmit earlier medical knowledge. The existence of a collated edition indicates that the book is still being edited and read in modern times and retains some documentary and reference value. Because records of his birth and death, native place, and education are lacking, it is difficult to reconstruct his life or scholarly connections, and excessive speculation about his identity is inadvisable. Readers wishing to understand his contribution should begin with the text of Medical Comprehensive Compendium and consider it in the context of medical history.
Li Chengnian's biographical information is extremely limited in publicly available sources: his dates of birth and death, native place, and medical training are not clearly recorded. What can be confirmed at present is that a medical work, the Yixue Tongzong (Comprehensive Survey of Medical Learning), is transmitted under his name, and it is commonly classified under medicine. The book belongs to the literature of traditional Chinese medicine, dealing with medical theory and clinical practice, and it has the character of a compilation and arrangement of earlier medical writings, offering later students of medicine material for study and reference. Because only this one work is held in the collection and corroborating materials such as prefaces, colophons, and biographies are lacking, the book's exact date of completion, textual history, and actual influence in medical history remain difficult to establish in detail; its writing style and scholarly orientation can only be broadly inferred from the title and its classification. For researchers and general readers alike, Li Chengnian is at present mentioned mainly as the author of the Yixue Tongzong, and further details of his life await more complete bibliographic and historical sources.
Yang Yunsong is a Chinese author about whom limited public information is available; details such as his dates of birth and death and his educational background are not clearly recorded. Only one work by him can currently be confirmed, the Medical Compendium (Yixue Tongzong), which is classified under medicine and serves as the main basis for understanding his writing. Judging from the available clues, Yang Yunsong's writing centers on traditional medicine and appears to involve the organization and compilation of medical knowledge; the word tongzong in the title also suggests a comprehensive treatment of the origins and essential points of medicine. Because his output is small and biographical material is scarce, scholarly and readerly attention to him and his work has focused mainly on the Medical Compendium itself, and it is still difficult to outline a complete body of writings or a personal history on that basis. Assessments of his life and academic standing await the discovery and verification of further documents and historical sources.
Zeng Lan's biographical information is very limited in publicly available sources. It is currently known that this author wrote the medical work Yixue Tongzong (A Comprehensive Survey of Medicine), which is classified under medicine. As there is no clear record of birth and death dates, native place, nationality, or educational background, this note makes no speculation and focuses only on the surviving work. Judging from its title, Yixue Tongzong appears to be a compendium that gathers and organizes medical knowledge; the phrase tongzong suggests tracing the origins and summarizing the essentials, consistent with the traditional approach of compiling earlier teachings for study. Works of this kind generally emphasize order and practical use, serving as an introduction and reference for students of medicine. On the available evidence, Zeng Lan is known only through this single work, and further research is needed on the author's life and intellectual background. Readers using Yixue Tongzong should examine the specific edition and contents and consult other medical sources to assess its value and limitations.
