Wings of the Golden Cabinet

尤怡Qunyan Publishing House · ChinaJun 2024

4.2

Word count: 137K words
Chapters: 10

Summary

金匮翼 was written by the famous Qing dynasty physician You Yi and consists of eight fascicles. You wrote it as a supplement to his own 金匮心典, hence the title 金匮翼. The book discusses internal medicine miscellaneous diseases in detail, in forty-eight categories; each category first presents a general discussion, then separately describes the patterns and treatment methods, and finally appends remarks. The distinctions of exterior and interior, deficiency and excess in each pattern, and the uses of tonifying and reducing, warming and cooling, are set out clearly. The book has considerable practical value for clinical practitioners of Chinese internal medicine.

Editor's review

金匮翼 is an expository work by the famous Qing physician You Yi, written on the basis of the Essentials of the Golden Cabinet and combined with his personal clinical experience. As a commentary on a Chinese medical classic, it is not a simple annotation of the Essentials of the Golden Cabinet; rather, with "wing" in its title, it aims to wing, assist, and deepen understanding of the original classic. You Yi's scholarship inherits from Zhang Zhongjing but does not cling to old theories; through classification and summary, correspondence of formulae and patterns, and theoretical exposition, he sorts out the principles, methods, formulae, and medicinals for diagnosing and treating miscellaneous diseases in the Essentials of the Golden Cabinet more clearly and systematically, offering many original views especially in the analysis of pathogenesis and the use of formulae. For modern readers, the value of reading this book lies in the path it provides from broad learning back to essentials, helping readers penetrate the classical Chinese barriers of ancient medical texts and reach directly the core thinking of Chinese medical pattern identification and treatment. The layer-by-layer analysis of complex patterns such as phlegm-fluid retention, water qi, and chest impediment shows the rigor and vitality of the Chinese medical theoretical system. It should be pointed out, however, that the book has a relatively high threshold: it presupposes that readers already have a considerable foundation in the original text of the Essentials of the Golden Cabinet and in Chinese medical theory, otherwise understanding easily remains superficial. Overall, 金匮翼 is an indispensable reference for students of the Chinese medical classics, especially scholars, clinicians, and advanced enthusiasts who wish to enter deeply into the inner hall of the Golden Cabinet; its value endures.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Chinese medicine students who have a foundation in the original text of the Essentials of the Golden Cabinet and wish to deepen their understanding
Chinese medicine practitioners engaged in clinical work who seek guidance from classical theory for practice
Scholars interested in research on Chinese medical classic commentaries and the evolution of scholarly thought
Advanced enthusiasts with some foundation in Chinese medical theory who wish to systematically improve their thinking on diagnosing and treating miscellaneous diseases

Not a good fit for

Complete beginners with no foundation in Chinese medical theory who wish to study the subject from the start
General readers interested only in common knowledge about health preservation and who do not need to enter deeply into the theoretical system

Reading tips

It is recommended to read alongside the original text of the Essentials of the Golden Cabinet: first read through the original passages, then consult You Yi's exposition to appreciate its "winging" function
While reading, focus on the logic of You Yi's analysis of pathogenesis and his thinking on modifications and variations in formula application, rather than rote memorization
Read together with later physicians' commentaries on 金匮翼 or modern vernacular translations, which helps resolve some difficulties in classical Chinese and comprehension

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
<目录>卷一
<目录>卷二
<目录>卷三
<目录>卷四\尸疰
<目录>卷五
<目录>卷六
<目录>卷七
<目录>卷八

FAQ

What is the relationship between 金匮翼 and the Essentials of the Golden Cabinet?

金匮翼 is an expository work by the Qing physician You Yi on the Essentials of the Golden Cabinet by Zhang Zhongjing of the Eastern Han. "Wing" means to assist, to wing. The book is not a simple translation or annotation; it is a scholarly work in which You Yi, drawing on his own learning and clinical experience, systematically sorts out, classifies, and deepens the exposition of the miscellaneous disease theories, pattern-identification methods, and formula and medicinal applications in the Essentials of the Golden Cabinet, aiming to help later generations better understand and use the original classic.

What prior knowledge is needed to read this book?

Reading this book requires a fairly solid foundation in basic Chinese medical theory, especially a preliminary understanding of the basic principles of the Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon and the system of the Treatise on Cold Damage and Miscellaneous Diseases, including both the Treatise on Cold Damage and the Essentials of the Golden Cabinet. Familiarity with Chinese medical theories of yin and yang, the five phases, and the viscera and channels, as well as basic knowledge of formulae and medicinals, is a prerequisite for effectively understanding the contents. Reading it directly may prove difficult because of the large number of technical terms and classical Chinese expressions.

Does this book still have guiding significance for modern Chinese medicine clinical practice?

It has very important guiding significance. The vitality of Chinese medical classics lies in continuous exposition and practice by later generations. As a high-level work of exposition on the classics, the core value of 金匮翼 lies in showing how to apply classical theory flexibly and profoundly to the differentiation and treatment of complex miscellaneous diseases. Its lines of analysis of pathogenesis, the correspondence between formulae and patterns, and the methods of modifying formulae still offer direct inspiration and reference for cultivating the clinical pattern-identification thinking of modern Chinese medicine practitioners and improving their ability to handle difficult and complicated cases.

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About the author

尤怡 Author

You Yi was a renowned physician in traditional Chinese medicine during the late Ming and early Qing periods. Public information about him is limited; his dates of birth and death, native place, and English name are not recorded in the available data. Existing sources show that his writings centered on the study of classics such as Treatise on Cold Damage and Essentials of the Golden Cabinet. His representative works include Shanghan Guanzhu Ji, Jingui Yaolue Xindian, Jinkui Yi, and Yixue Dushu Ji, six works in total held in this database and mostly classified under medicine. Shanghan Guanzhu Ji and Jingui Yaolue Xindian organize and annotate Zhang Zhongjing's doctrines with clear structure for later students, while Jinkui Yi focuses on clinical analysis, drawing on earlier scholars' formulas and discussions with balanced judgment. Yixue Dushu Ji records his reading notes on medical texts in notebook form. His concise, substantive style values textual research and clinical practicality, offering reference for students of Chinese medical classics; later physicians cited him frequently. Due to limited sources, biographical details remain unavailable, and this introduction outlines his writings only from the database and general medical knowledge.