Essentials for Diagnosticians
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Summary
Though brief, the book is well proportioned, concise yet comprehensive, and orderly in its treatment; it both inherits and innovates upon the scholarly experience of predecessors in this field. It is a widely circulated and influential precious work on pulse studies and occupies an important place in the history of Chinese diagnostic theory. This edition is based on the 17th-century reprint by Uemura Jirōemon of the 1463 (seventh year of the Tianshun reign) edition, held at Waseda University Library, Japan.
Editor's review
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Students of Chinese diagnostics who need a systematic framework for pulse foundations
- Beginning clinicians who wish to strengthen pulse-holding technique and pulse identification
- Researchers in Chinese medical literature interested in the editions and scholarly lineage of early pulse works
- Readers with some foundation who wish to study a classic pulse primer closely
Not a good fit for
- General readers with no Chinese medicine background, for whom the dense terminology is hard to grasp independently
- Readers expecting extensive modern case material and clinical data for comparison
- Practical-minded readers who want only a quick-reference pulse chart and do not wish to study the theoretical system
Reading tips
- Read the sections on pulse foundations and pulse-holding technique first, mastering the six-character outline and the three methods of lifting, pressing, and seeking, then move on to the clinical pulse categories.
- For each pulse category, practice pulse-taking on yourself or a companion and record how the textual description compares with the sensation under the fingers.
- Make reading notes on where the book inherits from and innovates upon earlier scholarship, for later textual comparison.
- Consult other pulse works for cross-verification as you read, but keep this book as the main thread and avoid mixing sources too early.
About the publisher
China Press of Traditional Chinese Medicine focuses on publishing books in traditional Chinese medicine, covering Chinese medical classics, clinical medicine, acupuncture and tuina, materia medica and formulae, and medical history and literature; its catalogue includes 3,277 titles. Representative books include Xiao Er Yao Zheng Zhi Jue, Shang Han Lun, Yi Xue Zhong Zhong Can Xi Lu, Zhen Jiu Da Cheng, Yi Zong Jin Jian, and Guo Aichun's Annotated Huangdi Neijing Suwen (Second Edition). These works involve writings by historical physicians such as Qian Yi, Zhang Zhongjing, Wang Shuhe, and Zhang Xichun, as well as documentary studies compiled by contemporary authors including Zhao Xin, Zhen Xueyan, Zhang Yongtai, and Wang Xiangang. In terms of publishing characteristics, the press emphasizes collation and annotation of original Chinese medical classics and the systematic presentation of famous physicians' works, balancing the transmission of ancient editions with reference for clinical application. Public information is limited, and no other publishing fields are covered here.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 内容提要
- 《浙派中医丛书》组织机构
- 《浙派中医丛书》编委会
- 总序
- 前言
- 校注说明
- 诊家枢要序
- 撄宁生自序
- 枢要玄言
- 左右手配脏腑部位
- 五脏平脉
- 四时平脉
- 《内经》三部脉法
- 呼吸浮沉定五脏脉
- 因指下轻重以定五脏法
- 三部所主九候附
- 持脉手法
- 脉贵有神
- 脉阴阳类成
- 兼见脉类
- 诸脉宜忌类
- 验诸死证类
- 死绝脉类
- 五脏动止脉
- 妇人脉法
- 小儿脉法
- 诊家宗法
- 脉象歌
- 撄宁生传
- 跋
- 校注后记
- 参考文献
- 《浙派中医丛书》总书目
FAQ
Is this book suitable for enthusiasts with no background in Chinese medicine to read directly?
What are the characteristics of the base text used for this edition?
What exactly are the six-character outline and the three methods emphasized in the book?
Does reading this book require accompanying clinical practice?
Comments
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About the author
Hua Shou is an ancient physician of traditional Chinese medicine. Publicly available information about his life is very limited, and neither his nationality nor his dates of birth and death are clearly recorded; his surviving works are chiefly medical writings. The library holds three of his works, including Zhenjia Shuyao, Du Suwen Chao, and a duplicate entry of Zhenjia Shuyao, commonly classified under medicine. Judging from their titles and subject matter, Hua Shou focused on pulse diagnosis and on the study of the Suwen: the former belongs to the foundational categories of clinical diagnosis, while the latter involves theoretical organization, excerpting, and annotation of a classic of Chinese medicine, suggesting that his scholarship emphasized the study of classics and the summary of diagnostic methods. Because historical sources are scarce, details of his life, associates, and scholarly background cannot be reliably established. This introduction therefore relies only on the library's work information to outline the direction of his writings, highlighting his writing on pulse studies and the organization of classical texts for readers' reference.
Yu Chenglie is an author whose biographical information is limited in publicly available sources. All that is currently known is that a single medical work by this author survives, titled Zhenjia Shuyao (Essential Methods of Pulse Diagnosis). The title places it within the literature of traditional Chinese pulse studies, and its contents would appear to concern the key points of pulse examination, the identification of pulse patterns, and practical clinical observations, making it a rather practical work within traditional medicine. Pulse diagnosis has long been regarded as an important part of Chinese medical diagnosis, and works on the subject typically both inherit earlier pulse theory and organize the author's own clinical experience, so such texts tend to be concise and clearly structured for easy reference by practitioners. The circumstances of the book's composition, its textual history, and the author's life cannot be described in detail owing to insufficient sources. On present information, Yu Chenglie is known to later readers chiefly through this one medical work, whose value is best understood within the tradition of Chinese pulse studies and as a clinical reference.
Zhu Guangya is an author about whom publicly available information is currently limited; his life, nationality, and dates of birth and death are not clearly recorded. Within the library's holdings, he is associated with the medical text Zhenjia Shuyao (Essential Points for Diagnosing the Pulse), which is classified under medicine. Pulse diagnosis has long been an important part of traditional Chinese medical diagnosis, concerned with distinguishing the mechanisms of illness through pulse qualities such as floating and sinking, slow and rapid, deficient and excess, cold and heat. Works on the subject tend to be concise and practical, convenient for consultation in clinical practice. The title Zhenjia Shuyao suggests a summary of key points, perhaps offering beginners and practitioners a guide to pulse diagnosis. As only this one work is currently known, it is difficult to sketch Zhu Guangya's full body of writing or life story; readers should consult the original text and edition information to learn more about his place in the transmission of pulse studies and his specific contributions.
