Leisurely Talks on Medicine

程林Jinzhang Book Company (Jinzhang Shuju) · ChinaJul 2024

3.2

Word count: 37K words
Chapters: 8

Summary

A medical treatise in two volumes by Cheng Lin of the Qing dynasty, published in 1677. The book collects various medical and pharmaceutical anecdotes and comments on them, thus forming this volume. In its miscellaneous discussions of natural and physical phenomena and its explanations of medicine, although it gathers a good deal of lost old lore, it also contains some dross.

Editor's review

Compiled by Cheng Lin in the Qing dynasty and published in 1677, Yi Xia Zhi Yan (Idle Talk on Medicine) is a two-volume collection of miscellaneous medical discussions. The title means "remarks made in leisure from medical practice"; the contents mix medical anecdotes, explanations of natural and physical phenomena, and informal talks on medical principles, preserving much scattered and lost lore and thus holding some documentary reference value. The writing is closer to notebook jottings, recording and commenting on matters as they arise; the reading is fragmentary but occasionally insightful, and the book reflects the intellectual horizons and the conversational culture of medicine among early Qing physicians. Note that the book is plainly miscellaneous in character, with some content far-fetched or unverified; today's reader should keep a critical attitude and not take its miscellaneous remarks directly as medical conclusions. It suits readers interested in Chinese medical literature and medical-history anecdotes for casual reading and reference lookup; it is not suitable as a basis for systematic study of TCM theory or for clinical diagnosis and treatment.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Researchers of Chinese medical literature and medical history interested in early Qing miscellaneous medical writings
Casual readers who enjoy medical anecdotes and notebook-style miscellany
Enthusiasts of Chinese medical culture seeking insight into the intellectual horizons of ancient physicians

Not a good fit for

Beginners needing a systematic textbook of TCM theory
Medical practitioners seeking reliable clinical grounds for diagnosis and treatment
Primary and secondary school students unable to discern the far-fetched content in such miscellany

Reading tips

Read it as notebook-style leisure reading, one or two entries at a time, without insisting on continuity
Look up sources of medical anecdotes as they arise, distinguishing historical fact from hearsay
Mark unverified claims in the book rather than accepting them directly as medical conclusions

About the publisher

Jinzhang Book Company (Jinzhang Shuju) China · Founded in 1901

Jinzhang Book Company (Jinzhang Shuju) was a private publishing and distribution house in Shanghai during the late Qing and early Republican periods, issuing traditional works by lithographic printing. Judging from the 1,194 titles in the collection, its publishing focused on classical poetry, Eastern philosophy, historical reading, traditional Chinese medical texts, and canonical works, along with books on literary appreciation. Representative titles include the poetry and prose collections of Du Fu and Ouyang Xiu; historical works such as the Book of Han and Zizhi Tongjian; classical texts such as the Book of Documents and Mencius; and specialized and literary classics such as Treatise on Cold Damage and Li Sao. Its author resources cover major figures across the ages, including Du Fu, Ban Gu, Sima Guang, Zhang Zhongjing, Qu Yuan, Ouyang Xiu, and Tang Shenwei, reflecting the house's characteristic reliance on traditional scholarship and medical literature while serving general readers. Public information on its early history and operational details is limited, so no conjecture is offered here.

版权信息
吴序
尤序
薛序
卷上
卷下
纳音释义
静观居士云游疏

FAQ

Can this book serve as an introductory TCM reader?

Not recommended. This is a miscellaneous notebook of medical discussions, fragmentary in content and mixed with unverified claims, lacking systematic structure and pedagogical progression. Beginners should first read textbooks on basic theory and diagnostics, and only take up such miscellany once they have developed the ability to discriminate.

How should the dross-like content mixed into the book be treated?

View it as a reflection of the limitations of its time, to be sifted critically rather than wholly accepted. One may attend to the old lore it preserves and its manner of discussing medicine, while remaining cautious about parts involving causal explanations or assertions of efficacy, and checking them against modern medical knowledge where necessary.

What background is needed to read this book?

A grasp of basic TCM terminology and general medical-history knowledge suffices to read through it, but judging the reliability of its accounts requires some grounding in bibliography and medicine. General readers may treat it as cultural leisure reading; researchers should consult it alongside catalog summaries and related historical texts.

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About the author

程林 Author

Public information about Cheng Lin is limited, and the available details are not enough to sketch a full biography; nevertheless, the seven works held in the collection show an author whose interests span several fields. He has worked deeply on Wang Yangming's philosophy of mind, producing a passage-by-passage commentary on the Instructions for Practical Living, a selection of Wang's family letters, and an accessible introduction to the philosophy, making traditional thought approachable for general readers. He has also written on science for a popular audience, tracing the history of cell research in A Brief History of Cells and its illustrated edition, and has published works on enterprise cost accounting and essays on medicine. His writing is aimed at ordinary readers and is marked by clarity, order, and a plain, practical style across subjects.