Section on the Spine

Chen MengleiJun 2024

2.9

Word count: 65K words
Chapters: 63

Summary

Traditional Chinese thought and culture have a long history and are highly original, inventive and literary. Early forms of thought have distinctive features: religious theology, traditional Chinese medical classics, ancient military texts, Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism and the Hundred Schools of Thought, feng shui and metaphysics, the Twenty-Four Histories, and local customs and geography are all vast and profound. This series, Classic Essence of Chinese Studies: Original Texts, preserves the appearance of the original books and focuses on preserving and transmitting traditional Chinese thought and culture. By reading the literary essence left by ancient sages, readers can cultivate their character and quietly come to appreciate the classics of Chinese studies.

Editor's review

This book belongs to the series Classic Essence of Chinese Studies: Original Texts. Attributed to Chen Menglei, it draws on the original textual lineages of traditional Chinese thought and culture, covering a broad range of categories: religious theology, traditional Chinese medical classics, ancient military texts, Confucian, Daoist, Buddhist and Hundred Schools thought, feng shui and metaphysics, the Twenty-Four Histories, and local customs and geography. Its value lies not in offering new interpretations or monograph-style scholarly argument, but in preserving the appearance of the original books as far as possible, so that readers may come into direct contact with the wording, format and underlying concerns of ancient documents and thereby form an overall sense of the landscape of traditional thought through reading. The editing leans toward preserving authenticity and transmitting the material; it is suitable as a handy anthology of Chinese studies for the desk rather than as a substitute for carefully collated scholarly editions. It can be read as an "entry book" into the classics of Chinese studies: first browse the contents to understand the distribution of categories, then select chapters related to one's own interests for close reading, consulting reference works when encountering unfamiliar terms. For general readers who wish to cultivate their character and encounter classical Chinese expression and ancient thought in daily life, this book offers a convenient reader; for academic citation or textual criticism, more authoritative critical editions should be sought elsewhere.

Who it's for

A good fit for

General readers who wish to gain an initial understanding of the categories of Chinese studies classics and classical Chinese expression
Enthusiasts of traditional culture who like to browse original texts and prefer not to rely on vernacular rewrites
Readers who need a handy anthology of Chinese studies on their desk for occasional daily reading
Primary and secondary school Chinese teachers who may use it as reference material for extracurricular enrichment

Not a good fit for

Professional researchers who need precise collation, version comparison and academic citation
Beginners who expect systematic annotation, vernacular translation and sentence-by-sentence explanation
Readers interested only in a single specialized topic, such as traditional Chinese medicine or military texts

Reading tips

First read the contents to grasp the distribution of categories, then select chapters according to interest; there is no need to read from beginning to end.
Keep a dictionary of common classical Chinese characters at hand, consult it whenever unfamiliar terms appear, and make brief annotations.
After finishing each category, note your questions in two or three sentences for later comparison with other editions.
If using the book for teaching or sharing, choose short pieces to read aloud and appreciate the rhythm and wording of classical Chinese.

版权信息
金匮真言论
阴阳别论
脉要精微论
玉机真脏论
脏气法时论
血气形志篇
疟论
举痛论
风论
脉解篇
气府论
标本病传论
灵枢经
经脉篇
经筋篇
骨度篇
营气篇
癫狂篇
厥病篇
五癃津液别篇
本藏篇
背俞篇
卫气篇
玉版篇
五音五味篇
寒热病篇
背痛
痛属脏腑虚实寒
强属膀胱实热
鱼脊疮
两头发
肾俞发
对心发
散走流注发
连珠发
蜂窝发
竟体发
莲子发
上中下三搭手
上中下三发背
缠袋痰注
三串毒
肾愈怒发脾痈
血溃流注疽
对脐毒
仁斋直指方【宋□杨士瀛】
河间六书【金□刘完素】
儒门事亲【元□张从政】
东垣十书【元□李杲】
丹溪心法【元□朱震亨】
证治要诀【明□戴思恭】
医学纲目【明□楼英】
医学入门【明□李梴】
薛氏医案【明□薛己】
医学准绳六要【明□张三锡】
伤寒六书【明□陶华】
证治准绳【明□王肯堂】
外科正宗【明□陈实功】
医门法律【清□喻昌】
石室秘箓【清□陈士铎】
发背方【《中藏经》】
古今图书集成医部全录卷一百七十九

FAQ

Is this book suitable for readers with no foundation in classical Chinese?

The book focuses on preserving the appearance of the original texts, and annotation and translation are relatively limited, so readers with absolutely no foundation will face a certain threshold. It is advisable first to use reference works or read alongside a vernacular translation, treating it as a starting point for encountering the original texts rather than as the only introductory book.

What aspects does the book's content cover?

According to the introductory material, this series covers such categories of traditional thought and culture as religious theology, traditional Chinese medical classics, ancient military texts, Confucian, Daoist, Buddhist and Hundred Schools thought, feng shui and metaphysics, the Twenty-Four Histories, and local customs and geography. It is a broad anthology of original texts in Chinese studies; for specific chapters, consult the book's contents.

Can it be used for citation in academic research?

The book is positioned as a popular reader that preserves and transmits traditional thought and culture, leaning toward preserving the appearance of the original texts. For citation in academic papers or textual criticism, it is advisable to seek authoritative critical editions that are carefully collated and indicate their base texts and sources, so as to avoid discrepancies in wording or format.

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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.