The Gate of Vexation

Chen MengleiJun 2024

2.3

Word count: 8.3K words
Chapters: 23

Summary

Chinese traditional culture has a long and profound intellectual history, marked by a high degree of originality, inventiveness, and literary quality. Early forms of thought are highly distinctive: religious theology, classical texts of Chinese medicine, ancient military strategy, Confucian, Daoist, Buddhist, and Hundred Schools thought, feng shui and metaphysics, the Twenty-Four Histories, customs and local gazetteers—all are vast and profound in content. This "Essence of Classical Chinese Culture: Original Texts" series preserves the appearance of the original books, with emphasis on conserving and transmitting traditional Chinese thought and culture. By reading the literary essence left by ancient sages, readers may cultivate their temperament and quietly absorb the classics of Chinese learning.

Editor's review

Aonao Men belongs to the "Essence of Classical Chinese Culture: Original Texts" series and is by Chen Menglei. This edition follows the principle of preserving the appearance of the original book, with emphasis on transmitting traditional thought and culture. The content indicated by the title, the "aonao" category, is generally related to traditional discussions of emotion and physical and mental regulation; readers can see how the ancients described and settled inner troubles, which is what distinguishes this book from ordinary literary anthologies. Such texts are best read with a questioning mind: which concepts the ancients used, how they classified symptoms, and what approaches to care they proposed. The book preserves the original expressions without popularizing rewriting, so readers need some patience with classical Chinese. It is better suited to topical browsing, combined with excerpting and comparison, to gradually understand views of body and mind in the traditional context. For readers interested in classical Chinese medical texts, traditional views of health cultivation, and original classics of Chinese learning, this book offers an entry close to the original text; it is not an easy read, but it rewards repeated consultation.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in classical Chinese medical texts and traditional views of physical and mental regulation
Readers with a foundation in classical Chinese who are willing to engage directly with original classics
Learners who need topical material for excerpting and comparison and for building traditional concepts
Culture enthusiasts interested in ancient descriptions of emotion and approaches to regulation

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking modern medical diagnosis or treatment advice
Beginners without a classical Chinese foundation who need full plain-language explanation
General readers seeking light entertainment who are unwilling to look up terminology

Reading tips

First understand the traditional meaning of "aonao" in the title to reduce obstacles when entering the text
Excerpt concepts and approaches to care by topic, making cards for easy comparison
Mark unfamiliar terms first and look them up after finishing a section, avoiding frequent interruption
Read alongside other medical classics in the same series to build an overall understanding

版权信息
六元正纪大论
论证治
伤寒证治
总论证治
诊要经终论
平人气象论
玉机真脏论
气厥论
风论
痹论
病能论
刺要论
四时刺逆从论
示从容论
海论
动输篇
论疾诊尺篇
针灸
气交变大论
五常政大论
至真要大论
胀论

FAQ

Can this book be used as a traditional Chinese health guide to follow directly?

No. This is a reader of original Chinese classics preserving the appearance of the original, focusing on presenting traditional texts and ideas; it is not a modern diagnostic or health-practice guide. Readers should treat it as material for understanding ancient discussions of body and mind. For specific health problems, consult professional medical personnel; do not act on the book by yourself.

Is this book very difficult to read without a foundation in classical Chinese?

It is quite difficult. The book has not been popularized or rewritten; terminology and expressions are preserved as they are, and readers lacking experience with classical Chinese may easily get stuck at the level of words and phrases. It is advisable to first read introductory works with annotation and plain-language explanation, and return to this book once familiar with the relevant concepts; understanding will then be much smoother.

How can one grasp the main points of this book while reading?

Read with questions in mind: how the ancients described this kind of trouble, into which categories they placed it, and what approaches to care they proposed. Make topical excerpts as you read, sort concepts and statements into categories, and compare them back and forth. This makes it easier to form an overall understanding than reading page by page, and convenient for later consultation.

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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.