Section on Vomiting

Chen MengleiJul 2024

2.9

Word count: 51K words
Chapters: 35

Summary

Traditional Chinese culture has a long intellectual history, marked by a high degree of originality, inventiveness, and literary quality. Early forms of thought are highly distinctive: religious theology, classical Chinese medical texts, ancient military strategy, Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism, and the Hundred Schools of Thought, feng shui and metaphysics, the Twenty-Four Histories, and customs and local gazetteers—all are vast and profound in content. This series, "Essence of the Chinese Classics: Original Texts," preserves the original appearance of the source texts and focuses on preserving and transmitting traditional Chinese thought and culture. By reading the literary essence left by the ancient sages, readers can cultivate their temperament and quietly absorb the classics of Chinese learning.

Editor's review

Though titled "Vomiting Gate," this book is in fact a compilation of specialized literature on the illness of vomiting from traditional Chinese medical texts, and is one volume in the "Essence of the Chinese Classics: Original Texts" series. The book preserves the original appearance of the source texts and focuses on presenting ancient physicians' original discussions of the causes, mechanisms, and treatments of vomiting; it is primary material for understanding traditional Chinese clinical reasoning and symptom classification. Its value lies not in popular health preservation but in textual preservation and scholarly transmission: readers can see the ancients' meticulous observation of digestive symptoms, their logic of formula composition, and their pattern-differentiation reasoning. Reading it requires some grounding in Chinese medicine or patience with primary texts in order to appreciate its dual medical and cultural significance. It is suitable as supplementary material for professional study of Chinese medicine, research in the collation of ancient texts, or thematic reading in traditional culture—not as a daily health guide.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Students and researchers of Chinese medicine who need to consult traditional literature on vomiting disorders
Readers engaged in collating ancient texts or researching Chinese classics, who value the original appearance of the source text
Enthusiasts interested in traditional medical culture who have some ability to read classical Chinese

Not a good fit for

General readers seeking popular health preservation or self-diagnosis methods
Beginners hoping for a quick overview of Chinese learning as a whole
People with weak classical Chinese who need modern vernacular explanations

Reading tips

First read the preface and table of contents to understand the book's place in the series and its textual sources
Read alongside a basic textbook of Chinese medical theory to understand the correspondence between patterns and formulas
Mark unfamiliar terms first and look them up after finishing a whole section, avoiding frequent interruptions

版权信息
呕吐门
黄帝素问
灵枢经
扁鹊难经
金匮要略【汉张机】
中藏经【汉华佗】
脉经【晋王叔和】
脉诀【晋王叔和】
千金方【唐孙思邈】
活人书【宋朱肱】
济生方【宋严用和】
河间六书【金刘完素】
明理论【金成无己】
东垣十书【元李杲】
丹溪心法【元朱震亨】
局方发挥【元朱震亨】
溯洄集【元王履】
活法机要【元张洁古】
卫生宝鉴【元罗天益】
证治要诀【明戴思恭】
明医杂着【明王纶】
医学入门【明李梴】
医宗必读【明李中梓】
伤寒六书【明陶华】
薛己医案【明薛己】
古今医统【明徐春甫】
证治准绳【明王肯堂】
景岳全书【明张介宾】
石室秘箓【清陈士铎】
方
单方
针灸
导引
医案

FAQ

Is this a health-preservation book about vomiting?

No. This book is a compilation of traditional Chinese medical texts, focused on preserving ancient physicians' original discussions of vomiting disorders, including causes, mechanisms, and formulas. It is textual and scholarly in nature, not a popular health-care book for the general public.

Can I read it without a foundation in Chinese medicine?

You can, but it will be difficult. The book preserves the original texts, with many technical terms and classical expressions. Without a foundation in Chinese medicine, it is best read alongside a basic textbook of Chinese medical theory or an annotated edition; otherwise it is easy to remain at the literal level and miss the medical logic.

Is this book suitable as a family health reference?

Not recommended. This is a collation of ancient texts and does not include modern medical diagnostic standards or safety warnings. Readers should not use it to judge their condition or take medicine on their own; for physical discomfort, consult a medical professional.

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About the author

Chen Menglei Author · China · 1651–1741

Chen Menglei (1651–1741), courtesy names Zizhen and Shengzhai, later styled the Old Man of Songhe, was a Qing dynasty scholar from Houguan, Fujian. He passed the imperial examination in the ninth year of the Kangxi reign and was appointed to the Hanlin Academy as a compiler. After 1698, by imperial order, he tutored the third prince, Yinzhii, and took the opportunity to compile a vast classified encyclopedia, the Hui Bian, using the collection of the Xieyi Hall; the Kangxi Emperor later bestowed on it the title Gujin Tushu Jicheng. The library holds more than 410 of his works, mostly sections of the officialdom chapters of that encyclopedia, covering institutions such as the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, the Imperial Observatory, the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Rites, prefectural governors, the Transmission Office, and the Imperial Medical Academy. These works address ancient bureaucratic systems, ritual norms, and administrative practice. His compilations are distinguished by systematic classification and extensive citation, preserving a wealth of source materials for later generations; they are commonly categorized under culture and Eastern philosophy. As public information on his life is limited, this note confines itself to his known scholarly contributions.