The Dampness Section

Chen MengleiJun 2024

3.3

Word count: 29K words
Chapters: 3

Summary

When affected by dampness, the head feels as if bound. If damp-heat is not removed, the large sinews become soft and short, and the small sinews become slack and long. Soft and short means contracture; slack and long means flaccidity.

[Note: Yang qi is like heaven and the sun, and therefore moves upward. When dampness injures a person, the lower part is affected first. In yin disease, the downward movement reaches its extreme and then turns upward. The yin-damp pathogen ascends to offend the yang qi and cloud the clear orifices, hence the head feels as if bound. When dampness injures yang qi, it transforms into heat. Yang qi, when soft, nourishes the sinews. When yang qi is injured and cannot nourish the sinews, the large sinews, which connect within the bone joints, become depressed with heat, soft and short; the small sinews, which network outside the flesh and bones, become slack and long because of dampness. Shortness leads to contraction and spasm; lengthening leads to looseness and flaccid abandonment.]

Editor's review

This book focuses on the passage in the classic of Chinese medicine concerning “being affected by dampness,” using annotations to explain the principles of dampness as a disease-causing pathogen. It addresses key statements such as “the head feels as if bound,” “damp-heat is not removed,” and “the large sinews become soft and short, the small sinews become slack and long,” and distinguishes the mechanisms of contracture and flaccid abandonment. Its value lies in placing the canonical text and annotations side by side, making it easy for readers to compare the original wording with the explanatory notes and understand the medical principles, especially the detailed exposition of the relationship between yang qi and the nourishment of the sinews, which reflects the traditional commentator’s approach of moving from text to principle. The book preserves the character of the original work and is suitable as auxiliary material for studying the classics of Chinese medicine, usable for close reading of passages, comparison of annotations, and sorting out disease mechanisms. When reading, one should consult the context and relevant medical background and pay attention to the layered relationship between annotations and canonical text, avoiding isolated quotation. Overall, this is an annotated edition that emphasizes exposition of classical doctrine, suited to slow and careful reading rather than rapid overview.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Learners studying passages from the classics of Chinese medicine who need annotations to help understand disease mechanisms
Chinese medicine practitioners interested in the theory of dampness as a pathogen and wishing to sort out the relevant discussions
Readers of traditional culture accustomed to close reading that compares original text with annotations
Users of literature who need to consult explanations of the classical meaning of “being affected by dampness”

Not a good fit for

Complete beginners hoping for a systematic introductory explanation of basic Chinese medicine
Readers expecting modern clinical treatment plans or formularies for herbal prescriptions
Casual readers who prefer popular, story-like expression and have little tolerance for classical Chinese annotations

Reading tips

First read through the original canonical sentences, then compare them one by one with the annotations, marking the key terms and levels of disease mechanism explained in the notes.
Excerpt passages such as “the head feels as if bound” and “the large sinews become soft and short, the small sinews become slack and long,” and compare the differences between contracture and flaccidity in context.
While reading, draw on common knowledge from basic theories of Chinese medicine concerning yang qi and the sinews to help understand the logic of the annotations.
After reading each passage of annotation, summarize in your own words how dampness affects yang qi and the sinews, to check whether your understanding is accurate.

版权信息
古今图书集成医部全录卷二百三十三
古今图书集成医部全录卷二百三十四

FAQ

Is this book the complete original medical classic, or a compilation of annotations?

From the material, the book presents canonical passages together with annotations. Its core content is annotation centered on the discussion of “being affected by dampness,” with emphasis on explaining the medical principles of dampness as a pathogen, rather than covering every chapter of the entire medical classic. Readers should use it as annotated reading material for passages.

Can someone without a foundation in Chinese medicine understand the annotations?

The annotations involve concepts such as yang qi, the sinews, damp-heat, contracture, and flaccid abandonment. Without any common knowledge of Chinese medicine, understanding will be somewhat difficult. It is advisable first to learn basic content such as yin and yang and the nourishment of the sinews by yang qi, then read the annotations slowly in comparison; the effect will be better.

How should “the large sinews become soft and short, the small sinews become slack and long” be understood?

The annotations in the material point out that the large sinews connect within the bone joints and become soft and short because of depressed heat, manifesting as contraction and spasm; the small sinews network outside the flesh and bones and become slack and long because of dampness, manifesting as looseness and flaccid abandonment. When reading, one can grasp the contrast “shortness means contracture, lengthening means flaccidity” to understand the difference in disease mechanisms.

How should one handle the relationship between canonical text and annotations while reading?

It is advisable first to read the canonical text independently and form your own preliminary understanding, then read the annotations to check for differences and mark the key disease mechanisms they supplement. This avoids being led entirely by the annotations and allows you to appreciate the commentator’s method of moving from text to principle.

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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.