Notes on the Basic Questions

丹波元简Qunyan Publishing House · ChinaSep 2020

4.2

Word count: 228K words
Chapters: 82

Summary

A medical classic. Eight volumes. Written by Tanba Motoyasu (Rentfu) of Japan in the third year of Bunka (1806). The author selects the essentials of 72 chapters of Suwen (excluding the seven great treatises, Cifa, and Benbing Lun), excerpts the words of commentators such as Wang Bing, Ma Shi, Wu Kun, and Zhang Jiebin, as well as the scholarly views of Zhu Danxi and others, consults the classics and various schools, and provides philological glosses, word explanations, collation, and annotation for certain passages of Suwen, while correcting errors in earlier scholars' interpretations. The front matter includes an introduction to Suwen, a comprehensive survey of Suwen, a bibliography of various commentators' annotations on Suwen, and the table of contents of Quan Yuanqi's edition. Concise yet substantive, with sound and impartial judgment, it is one of the important reference works for studying Suwen. Extant editions include the 1837 (eighth year of Tenpo) Japanese block-printed edition, the 1863 (third year of Bunkyu) Japanese typeset edition, and post-1949 typeset editions.

Editor's review

Suwen Lingshu Leizuan Yuezhu is a classified compilation of medical classics written by the Qing physician Wang Ang and first published in 1689. It selects the main content of the Suwen and Lingshu other than acupuncture and moxibustion, arranges it into nine chapters—zang-xiang, meridians, pathogenesis, pulse patterns, diagnostic signs, five movements and six qi, treatment, life and death, and miscellaneous discussions—and provides brief annotations with reference to past commentators on the Neijing. Its distinguishing features are essential selections, concise classification, and incisive annotation, making it convenient for readers to study the key points of the Neijing by topic. Qunyan Press published this collated edition in 2020, offering contemporary readers a relatively accessible version for studying the Neijing. The book suits readers who already have some foundation in Chinese medicine and wish to systematically review the core content of the Neijing, and it can also serve as supplementary material for courses on Chinese medical classics. When reading, it is advisable to consult the original texts of the Suwen and Lingshu and to note Wang Ang's approach to classification and his choices in annotation; the annotated selection should not entirely replace study of the original classics.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Chinese medicine students who need to study the key points of the Neijing systematically by topic
Enthusiasts of Chinese medical classics who wish to study the Suwen and Lingshu through a concise classified arrangement
Clinical Chinese medicine practitioners reviewing core theories such as zang-xiang, pathogenesis, and diagnostic signs
Chinese medicine teachers who may use it as supplementary material for Neijing courses

Not a good fit for

Readers with no foundation in Chinese medicine; the classified terminology still requires some prior knowledge
Readers specializing in acupuncture and moxibustion; the book explicitly excludes acupuncture and moxibustion content
Readers expecting the complete original text of the Neijing; this is a selected, annotated edition

Reading tips

Read the chapters on zang-xiang, meridians, and pathogenesis first to build a theoretical framework for the Neijing
Read alongside the original texts of the Suwen and Lingshu, noting Wang Ang's selections and annotative choices
Take topical notes chapter by chapter, linking pulse patterns, diagnostic signs, and treatment into a coherent understanding
Compare with the views of past commentators to appreciate the concise character of the annotations

About the publisher

Qunyan Publishing House China · Founded in 1989

Founded in 1989, Qunyan Publishing House has long been committed to publishing academic and educational books for mid- and high-level readers, and has built up a certain presence in Eastern philosophy, classical literature, and classic works. Representative titles available in the database include Records of the Grand Historian, Dream of the Red Chamber, Selections of Refined Literature, Complete Song Ci, Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, Record of Daily Knowledge, Taiping Huimin Hejiju Fang, and The Collected Works of Wang Yangming, covering common categories such as ancient poetry, medicine, and examinations. Its author resources include Sima Qian, Cao Xueqin, Xiao Tong, Li Shan, Pu Songling, and Gu Yanwu. The press also offers distinctive series such as the Biographical Series of the China Democratic League and the Historical Documents Series of the China Democratic League, and publishes research on historical documents, biographies, memoirs, and textbooks and academic works by League members. Public information is limited, and its overall publishing scale and complete catalogue require further verification.

版权信息
序
卷一
上古天真论篇第一
四气调神大论篇第二
生气通天论篇第三
金匮真言论篇第四
阴阳应象大论篇第五
卷二
阴阳离合论篇第六
阴阳别论篇第七
灵兰秘典论第八
六节脏象论篇第九
五脏生成篇第十
五脏别论篇第十一
异法方宜论篇第十二
移精变气论篇第十三
汤液醪醴论篇第十四
玉版论要篇第十五
诊要经终论篇第十六
脉要精微论篇第十七
平人气象论篇第十八
卷三
玉机真脏论篇第十九
三部九候论篇第二十
经脉别论篇第二十一
脏气法时论篇第二十二
宣明五气篇第二十三
血气形志篇第二十四
宝命全角论第二十五
八正神明论篇第二十六
离合真邪论篇第二十七
通评虚实论篇第二十八
太阴阳明论篇第二十九
阳明脉解篇第三十
卷四
热论篇第三十一
刺热篇第三十二
评热病论篇第三十三
逆调论篇第三十四
疟论篇第三十五
刺疟篇第三十六
气厥论篇第三十七
咳论篇第三十八
卷五
举痛论篇第三十九
腹中论篇第四十
刺腰痛论篇第四十一
风论篇第四十二
痹论篇第四十三
痿论篇第四十四
厥论篇第四十五
卷六
病能论篇第四十六
奇病论篇第四十七
大奇论篇第四十八
脉解篇第四十九
刺要论篇第五十
刺齐论篇第五十一
刺禁论篇第五十二
刺志论篇第五十三
针解篇第五十四
长刺节论篇第五十五
卷七
皮部论篇第五十六
经络论篇第五十七
气穴论篇第五十八
气府论篇第五十九
骨空论篇第六十
水热穴论篇第六十一
调经论篇第六十二
卷八
缪刺论篇第六十三
四时刺逆从论篇第六十四
标本病传论篇第六十五
着至教论篇第六十六
示从容论篇第六十七
疏五过论篇第六十八
征四失论篇第六十九
阴阳类论篇第七十
方盛衰论篇第七十一
解精微论篇第七十二

FAQ

Can readers with no TCM background read Su Wen Shi directly?

Not really. This book is a notes-style research work that assumes readers are already familiar with the text of the Su Wen and its major commentators; its prose moves directly into analyzing word meanings and collating textual variants, with no step-by-step explanation. Readers with no background should first read a plain-language annotated edition of selected Su Wen chapters, then come to this book.

Is this book a complete annotated edition of the Su Wen?

No. According to the available information, the author selects only the essential passages from the seventy-two chapters; it is not a chapter-by-chapter, sentence-by-sentence commentary, and it does not cover the seven major discourses, the Cifa chapter, or the Benbing Lun. It is more a collection of topical notes, suited to consulting on specific questions rather than reading straight through as a complete commentary.

What are the introductory survey and bibliography at the front of the volume for?

The front matter includes an explanation of the Su Wen, a survey of the Su Wen, a bibliography of commentaries by various authors, and the table of contents of the Quan Yuanqi edition, amounting to a guide to editions and commentators. Those interested in the transmission of the Su Wen and its commentaries through the ages can start here before moving on to the main text.

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About the author

丹波元简 Author

Tanba Motoyasu was a representative practitioner of Kampo medicine in Japan during the Edo period; public sources offer limited information about his exact birth and death years, courtesy names, and teachers. Judging from the four works held in the collection, his writings focus on collating, recovering, and annotating Chinese medical classics, covering the Suwen, Lingshu, Shanghan Lun, and materia medica. Among them, Suwen Shi and Lingshu Shi are notable for meticulous textual criticism and glossing, with attention to variant editions and the choice among commentaries from different dynasties. Shanghan Lun Jiyi gathers earlier annotations on Zhang Zhongjing's text and adds his own views, reflecting an inclusive scholarly style. Yaoxing Tiyao concisely summarizes the properties of commonly used drugs. These works have had some influence on the philology of Chinese medicine and on Sino-Japanese medical exchange, and are still consulted by students of the classics.