Mirror of the Essentials in Treating Deficiency
Tags
Summary
Volume One discusses the diagnosis, causes, and differentiation and treatment of various symptoms of consumptive disease; Volume Two records formulas for consumptive disease and their medicinal applications. The book is a specialized work on the diagnosis and treatment of consumptive disease in traditional Chinese medicine. Its principles of formulation, formula design, and selection of medicines all reflect unique insights.
Editor's review
In terms of its value for modern readers, the book is not only an important text for practitioners and scholars of traditional Chinese medicine studying deficiency theory, but also suits readers with a strong interest in traditional Chinese health preservation and constitutional regulation. Its ideas on health preservation, such as "prevention first," "restraining desires to preserve essence," and "regulating the emotions," still offer positive guidance in today's society, where suboptimal health is widespread. Although written in classical Chinese, its exposition is clearly organized; with the help of modern annotations, general readers can also appreciate the wisdom of traditional medicine. It should be noted that the book was compiled quite early, and some of its views need to be understood critically in light of modern medical knowledge.
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Clinical practitioners and students of traditional Chinese medicine, for deepening the theory of pattern differentiation and treatment of consumptive disease
- Enthusiasts of traditional Chinese medicine and practitioners of health preservation, seeking systematic theoretical guidance on constitutional regulation
- Scholars engaged in the history of Chinese medicine or research on traditional Chinese medical literature
- Readers interested in exploring traditional culture and traditional views of life
Not a good fit for
- Readers seeking rapid solutions from modern medicine or clinical guidelines from Western medicine
- Readers who face major obstacles in reading classical Chinese and are unwilling to use vernacular translations and annotations
Reading tips
- It is advisable to first read the table of contents and the introduction to grasp the book's core framework of "regulating deficiency" and its "three roots" theory
- Keep a basic reference work on traditional Chinese medical theory at hand while reading, to facilitate understanding of professional terms such as zang-fu organs, qi, and blood
- Reflect on the content in light of one's own situation or case studies, but always consult a professional physician regarding the actual application of formulas and medicinals
About the publisher
China Publishing Group Digital Media Co., Ltd. takes digital publishing as its main business, with titles spanning traditional medical classics and classical literature. Its catalogue includes medical works such as Treatise on Cold Damage, Essential Prescriptions from the Golden Cabinet, and The Pulse Classic, involving writings by Zhang Ji, Wang Shuhe, Lin Yi, and Zhang Jiebin. In literature, it offers Wu Jingzi's The Scholars and Xiao Hong's Tales of Hulan River, as well as foreign literary translations such as Fu Lei's rendering of Voltaire's Candide. Its publishing focus thus falls roughly into medicine, social fiction, foreign literature, and fine fiction, reflecting a balance between collated ancient texts and general reading. As public information is limited, this summary is based only on the books in the catalogue and draws no further inferences.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 陈序
- 华序
- 柯序
- 原序
- 治虚脉法总括
- 治虚脉法分类
- 治虚有三本
- 治虚二统
- 阳虚三夺统于脾
- 阴虚之症统于肺
- 虚症有六因
- 心肾论
- 心肾不交论
- 心肾不交与劳嗽总论
- 五交论
- 吐血论
- 红症初起治法
- 劳嗽症论
- 劳嗽初起治法
- 干咳嗽论
- 咳嗽痰中带血珠血丝
- 论劳嗽吐血能治不能治大旨
- 虚劳内热骨蒸论
- 虚火伏火论
- 遗精梦泄论
- 肾痹论
- 白浊白淫论
- 女人虚劳
- 尸疰传尸劳等症
- 虚劳当治其未成
- 知节
- 知防
- 二护
- 三候
- 二守
- 三禁
- 四难
- 劳伤非弱症
- 呕血见血非弱症
- 伤寒见血非弱症
- 肠风便血不同怯症
- 阳虚阴症辨
- 软懒症辨
- 老年怯症难治说
- 虚劳本治方
- 治虚药讹一十八辨
- 柯跋
FAQ
What is Li Xu Yuan Jian mainly about?
Who is the author Qishi?
Is reading this book helpful for non-specialists?
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
Qi Shi's courtesy name, native place, and dates of birth and death are not clearly recorded, and available public information is very limited; he is known only as a physician of ancient times who left one medical work, Li Xu Yuan Jian (Profound Insights into the Treatment of Consumptive Diseases). The book is devoted to consumptive and deficiency disorders, discussing their causes, key points of pattern identification, and methods of regulation and treatment, with additional attention to prevention and nursing care. It is an important text in the study of consumptive diseases in traditional Chinese medicine. Qi Shi's writing emphasizes the integration of theoretical analysis with clinical practicality; his discussion is clearly organized and offers detailed observations on the causes and mechanisms of consumption and on the proper use of medicines, and his views have often been cited by later physicians. Because historical sources are lacking, his life cannot be examined in detail, yet Li Xu Yuan Jian shows a rigorous and practical medical approach. The work is concise but focused, and it remains an important reference for the study and clinical treatment of consumptive diseases, exerting a lasting influence on traditional Chinese medical literature and clinical research.
Xiao Senlin is a Chinese author about whom very little public information is available. His dates of birth and death and his English name have not been clearly recorded, and the main confirmed details are his nationality and his field of writing. The library holds one work by him, Li Xu Yuan Jian (A Foundation for Treating Deficiency), classified under medicine. On the basis of this single work alone, it is difficult to form a complete picture of the author's scholarly background or his full body of writing. Judging from the title and the classification, however, the book concerns the analysis and treatment of deficiency patterns and belongs to the discussion of traditional Chinese medical theory. Works of this kind usually combine conceptual exposition, pattern differentiation, and therapeutic methods with formulas and herbs, and are read mainly by researchers and practitioners of Chinese medicine. Because the available material is limited, further study is needed regarding Xiao Senlin's other experiences, teachers, and writings, and it would be premature to draw further inferences.
