Medical Exposition

程文囿Qunyan Publishing House · ChinaJul 2024

4.0

Word count: 795K words
Chapters: 18

Summary

Xun Qing said: If one wishes to observe the traces of the sage kings, one looks at what is bright and clear. The way of Qibo and the Yellow Emperor may now likewise be called bright and clear! Tracing from the Ling Shu, Su Wen, Classic of Difficult Issues, and Zhang Zhongjing onward, masters such as Hejian, Dongyuan, Danxi, and the sagely predecessors of successive dynasties who established themselves as schools are too numerous to count. Among them, though pure and mixed are unequal, if one can gather their essence and discard their dross, are they not all teachers for later generations? At twenty I already devoted my mind to this way, and for several decades have slept and eaten in its midst. In my spare time from clinical practice, I repeatedly opened and read the books of former worthies; whenever a phrase was refined and essential, I immediately made notes. As the years deepened, the volumes grew numerous and杂乱—mixed and disordered—so I rearranged them, divided them by category, and arranged them into sixteen volumes, titling it Yi Shu (Medical Narratives).

Editor's review

Yi Shu is a classified compilation of medical treatises compiled by the Qing physician Cheng Wenyu on the basis of long clinical practice and repeated reading of the books of former worthies. According to his own account, he devoted his mind to the way of Qibo and the Yellow Emperor from the age of twenty, sleeping and eating in its midst for several decades; in spare time from clinical practice he repeatedly read the books of former worthies, and whenever a phrase was refined and essential he immediately made notes. As the years deepened and the volumes grew numerous and disordered, he rearranged them, divided them by category, and arranged them into sixteen volumes. Taking 'gather their essence and discard their dross' as its editorial principle, the book collects discussions from the Ling Shu, Su Wen, Classic of Difficult Issues, Zhang Zhongjing, and thereafter Hejian, Dongyuan, Danxi, and the sagely predecessors of successive dynasties, bearing a clear dual character of documentary organization and clinical reference. Its value lies not in advancing a single author's definitive doctrine but in gathering the essential words scattered among various schools by category for readers' comparison and retrieval. For today's TCM readers, it can serve as a sample of how Qing physicians read, selected, and arranged earlier medical treatises, and as an auxiliary reader for consulting various schools' views in clinical pattern differentiation. When reading, one should note its 'transmitting but not composing' editorial character and distinguish Cheng's quoted originals from his editorial intent.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Researchers of TCM literature and academic history concerned with Qing dynasty compilation and classification of medical treatises
Teachers and students at TCM colleges needing a reference book that gathers various schools' essential discussions by category
Clinical TCM physicians wishing to compare the discussions of several earlier masters during pattern differentiation
TCM enthusiasts with some ability to read classical Chinese who wish to understand the gist of medical treatises through the ages

Not a good fit for

Readers with no foundation, as this book is a compilation of various schools' treatises and lacks systematic introductory explanation
Readers expecting a complete theoretical system from a single author, as this book is mainly a compilation
Readers who only want to quickly look up formulas to treat illness, as the book focuses on medical treatises rather than being a formula handbook

Reading tips

First read Cheng Wenyu's preface to understand his editorial principle of 'gathering essence and discarding dross' and the sixteen-volume classification
Read selectively by category, starting with disease patterns one is familiar with and comparing the similarities and differences among various schools' discussions
Mark the source of each discussion while reading to avoid mistaking quotations for Cheng's own views
Read alongside the Ling Shu, Su Wen, Classic of Difficult Issues, and the works of the four masters of the Jin-Yuan period to trace origins and developments

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
序
<目录>卷一·医学溯源
<目录>卷二·医学溯源
<目录>卷三·伤寒提钩
<目录>卷四·伤寒析疑
<目录>卷五·杂证汇参
<目录>卷六·杂证汇参
<目录>卷七·杂证汇参
<目录>卷八·杂证汇参
<目录>卷九·杂证汇参
<目录>卷十·杂证汇参
<目录>卷十一·杂证汇参
<目录>卷十二·杂证汇参
<目录>卷十三·女科原旨
<目录>卷十四·幼科集要
<目录>卷十五·痘疹精华
<目录>卷十六·方药备考

FAQ

Is Yi Shu Cheng Wenyu's own work of medical theory?

Not entirely. According to his own account, the book was formed from Cheng Wenyu's decades of reading former worthies' books in spare time from clinical practice, noting refined and essential phrases as they occurred, and then rearranging them by category into sixteen volumes. It is therefore closer to a medical treatise compilation centered on gathering and arranging than to a systematic work of one author's definitive doctrine.

Which physicians' discussions are collected in the book?

According to the book's own account, its scope reaches back to the Ling Shu, Su Wen, Classic of Difficult Issues, and Zhang Zhongjing, and down to Hejian, Dongyuan, Danxi, and the sagely predecessors of successive dynasties, with many of those who established themselves as schools being collected. The editorial principle is to gather essence and discard dross, so readers see the discussions of many schools gathered by category rather than only one school's words.

What foundation in classical Chinese is needed to read Yi Shu?

This book is a Qing dynasty compilation of medical treatises quoting various schools' originals, with dense terminology and a rather archaic style. A certain ability to read classical Chinese makes it much smoother; if the foundation is weak, it is advisable first to become familiar with basic concepts from the Ling Shu, Su Wen, and Jin-Yuan physicians, then read passage by passage with annotations or reference tools.

Is this book suitable as a handbook for looking up clinical formulas?

Not very suitable. The book focuses on gathering various schools' medical treatises and arranging them by category, rather than centering on formula retrieval. Clinicians can use it to compare different physicians' discussions of the same disease pattern and to broaden their pattern-differentiation thinking; if formulas are needed, it should still be used together with dedicated formula books.

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About the author

程文囿 Author

Cheng Wenyou is an author who has left works in the field of traditional Chinese medicine, but public information about him is limited: his native place, dates of birth and death, and biographical details are not clearly recorded. Judging from the two works held in the collection, Cheng Xingxuan's Medical Cases and Medical Narratives, he was long engaged in medical practice and the organization of medical texts, and his works are commonly classified under medicine. The former records clinical diagnosis and treatment in the form of case histories, a traditional genre of Chinese medical case literature that focuses on presenting specific illnesses and prescription approaches; the latter tends toward a review and discussion of medical literature, reflecting a style that combines compilation with commentary. Taken together, one is a record of clinical practice and the other a synthesis of writings, showing that his work valued both practice and organization, with writing serving the analysis of medical principles and the transmission of experience. They offer some reference value for understanding the recording of diagnosis and treatment and the compilation of medical knowledge in traditional Chinese medicine.