Rhymed Summary of Contemporary Formulas

Chen Xiuyuan (Chen Nianzu)Jinzhang Book Company (Jinzhang Shuju) · ChinaJul 2024

4.0

Word count: 34K words
Chapters: 5

Summary

Compiled in Verses for Current Formulas, this book collects 108 commonly used formulas in traditional Chinese medicine from the Tang and Song dynasties onward, grouped into twelve categories by nature, with each formula set to a mnemonic verse. After each formula, the commentary supplements modern pharmacological research and clinical applications of that formula and offers a concise analysis based on modern traditional Chinese medicine theory of formulas and medicinals, so that readers may gain a fuller understanding of each formula's actions, scope of application, and indications, enrich and broaden their thinking, and deepen their grasp of the formula's meaning. Drawing on discussions by masters of successive dynasties and, still more, on Chen's own twenty years of reading and clinical experience, it explains each formula's composition, indications, pharmacology, compatibility, modifications, and functions, enabling readers to better understand the properties and indications of each formula. The book's exposition is concise and to the point, its language plain and easy to understand, and its verses easy to recite, making it especially suitable for beginners in traditional Chinese medicine as reading and reference.

Editor's review

Shi Fang Ge Kuo (Rhymed Formulas of the Later Schools) is a plain and practical path that Chen Xiuyuan laid out for beginners in Chinese medicine. The book selects one hundred and eight formulas in common use from the Tang and Song dynasties onward, arranged in twelve categories. For each formula a rhymed mnemonic comes first for easy memorization, followed by a commentary explaining its composition, indications, compatibility, modifications, and actions. Beyond the traditional commentary, this edition adds modern pharmacological research and clinical applications, bridging the reasoning of ancient formulas and present-day practice. Chen's writing is concise and to the point, his explanations free of showy novelty, and the mnemonics easy to recite aloud; readers can become familiar with the skeleton of each formula through recitation, then use the commentary to understand how its meaning extends and contracts. Its value lies not in collecting rare formulas but in explaining common ones clearly and making them intelligible in use. It suits beginners as a recitation primer for formula study, and also practitioners who wish to leaf through it and refresh what they know. Read the mnemonics together with the commentary: first memorize composition and indications, then appreciate the intent of the compatibility, so that learning does not degenerate into rote memorization.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Students beginning Chinese medicine who need to build a framework for memorizing formulas
Self-learners who have studied Chinese materia medica and basic theory and wish to become more familiar with common formulas
Primary-care Chinese medicine practitioners who wish to review the compatibility and clinical application of later-school formulas
Enthusiasts of traditional culture interested in Chinese medicine formula mnemonics and willing to recite them

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking systematic textbook-style detailed explanations of formula study with extensive case records
Non-professional readers hoping to prescribe and use medicines on their own directly from the book
Readers who prefer purely modern pharmacological research and are uncomfortable with the traditional mnemonic format

Reading tips

Read through the twelve categories first to understand the distribution of formulas in the book, then recite the mnemonics category by category.
For each formula, first memorize the mnemonic for composition and indications, then read the commentary to understand compatibility and modifications.
Keep a notebook and note modern pharmacology and clinical application points beside the relevant formulas.
Read alongside formula books in the Shanghan Lun tradition to compare the approaches to medicinals in later-school and classical formulas.

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
小引
凡例
卷上补可扶弱
卷下

FAQ

Can I read Shi Fang Ge Kuo directly without a foundation in Chinese medicine?

You can, but it is advisable first to have the basic concepts of Chinese materia medica and basic theory. The mnemonics are easy to memorize and the commentary is fairly concise, but the text involves terminology of compatibility and indications, so with no foundation at all it is easy to memorize the mnemonics without understanding their meaning. Studying alongside an introductory textbook will give more reliable results.

How should the modern pharmacological research in the book be treated?

This content can serve as supplementary reference for understanding the actions of formulas and for broadening one's thinking, but it should not replace traditional formula reasoning and clinical syndrome differentiation. In reading, take composition, indications, and compatibility as the main line and treat modern research only as supporting evidence; for specific questions of medication, still rely on the advice of a qualified physician.

Do I need to memorize all the mnemonics?

There is no need to insist on memorizing everything. Start with commonly used and basic formulas, first memorizing a batch frequently seen in practice, then gradually expanding. The purpose of memorization is familiarity with composition and indications; understanding the formula's meaning together with the commentary is more meaningful than simply pursuing quantity.

Comments

Find this book

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Chen Xiuyuan (Chen Nianzu) Author · China · 1753–1823

Chen Xiuyuan (1753–1823), courtesy name Nianzu and literary name Xiuyuan, also known as Shenxiu, was a native of Changle, Fujian, and a renowned physician and medical educator of the Qing dynasty. He passed the provincial examination in 1792 and served as an official in Zhili, practicing medicine and writing books in his spare time while treating epidemic diseases. Grounded in the Inner Canon and devoted to Zhang Zhongjing, he wrote such works as Shallow Annotations on the Treatise on Cold Damage, Shallow Annotations on the Essentials of the Golden Cabinet, and the Medical Three-Character Classic, whose plain language made them widely accessible to beginners. The seven works collected here include Timely Prescriptions in Wonderful Use, Essential Teachings on Women's Medicine, and Rhymed Formulas from the Golden Cabinet, covering formulas in verse, gynecology, and clinical experience, and showing his aim of popularizing medicine with practical emphasis.