Questions and Answers on Acupuncture and Moxibustion

汪机Tibet People's Publishing House · ChinaJun 2024

4.2

Word count: 47K words
Chapters: 5

Summary

Shishan Jushi (the Hermit of Stone Mountain) collated and compiled the various medical formularies at the Puye Jingshe. Nanjianzi visited him, and he brought out a single volume of Zhenjiu Wenda (Questions and Answers on Acupuncture and Moxibustion). Nanjianzi received it and read it. Then he spoke, saying: Ah! In this collection I am deeply moved. It can indeed be printed. Now, the Way is benevolence, and medicine is the art of benevolence. Among the arts, none is more swift and wondrous than acupuncture. For man receives the one qi of Heaven and Earth to be born, and originally it flows and circulates, full and overflowing; only when it is blocked, congested, weak, or chronically ill does illness arise. Therefore the acupuncture teachings of Xuanyuan, Qibo, Canggong, and Bian Que arose. When the mind comprehends and the spirit meets, movement accords with the vital junctures, the blade travels through the spaces, and the eye no longer sees the whole ox. This too is simply a skillful penetration of the one qi of Heaven and Earth; it is not something imposed from outside. Therefore, as for his book, its words are profound yet pure, its phrases subtle yet principled, its meaning deep and mysterious. Later generations, learning without roots or essentials, then suffer from its abstruseness, set it aside, and do not discuss it.

Editor's review

Zhenjiu Wenda was compiled by the Ming physician Wang Ji (Shishan Jushi), who collated and gathered various medical formularies at the Puye Jingshe; it discusses the Way of acupuncture and moxibustion in a question-and-answer format. The book repeatedly stresses that medicine is the art of benevolence and that the wondrousness of acupuncture lies in its swiftness. It holds that man is born from the one qi of Heaven and Earth; qi originally flows and circulates, full and overflowing, and illness arises when it is blocked, congested, weak, or chronically ill—hence the acupuncture teachings of Xuanyuan, Qibo, Canggong, and Bian Que arose. Its words are profound yet pure, its phrases subtle yet principled, its meaning deep and mysterious, embodying the author's clinical pursuit of mind comprehension, spirit meeting, and movement accordant with the vital junctures. For later readers, the book's value lies in its question-and-answer form, which sorts out the reasoning of acupuncture and moxibustion, preserves the Ming physician's understanding of the origins of the acupuncture Way, and frankly points out the reality that later learners without roots or essentials suffer from its abstruseness and set it aside. When reading, one should combine it with basic Chinese medical theory and acupuncture knowledge, treating it as a reference text for understanding the thought of the acupuncture Way and Ming-dynasty acupuncture scholarship, not as a quick-reference manual of procedures.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Students and clinical practitioners of Chinese acupuncture and moxibustion
Scholars researching Ming-dynasty medical thought and physicians' writings
Advanced readers with a foundation in Chinese medicine who wish to understand the principles of the acupuncture Way
Workers in Chinese medical literature and textual scholarship

Not a good fit for

Complete beginners seeking to learn specific needling procedures
Readers looking for modern evidence-based medical guidelines
Practical readers who only want quick reference to point prescriptions

Reading tips

First read through the question-and-answer structure, sorting out the acupuncture-theory doubts each question addresses, then read item by item in detail.
Read alongside the relevant acupuncture discussions in the Huangdi Neijing to understand the classical basis cited in the book.
Take notes where the meaning is "deep and mysterious," and repeatedly reflect on them in light of clinical practice or commentators' explanations.
Compare the book's criticism of later learners without roots or essentials with the current state of study.

About the publisher

Tibet People's Publishing House China · Founded in 1971

Tibet People's Publishing House is a comprehensive publisher known for collating Tibetan and Chinese ancient texts and publishing traditional culture. Judging from the books in its catalogue, its publishing focuses on medicine, Eastern philosophy, classics, and ancient poetry. It offers traditional Chinese medical and health-preserving works such as the Compendium of Materia Medica, Essential Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Pieces of Gold, and Principles of Correct Diet, as well as canonical and philosophical texts including the Book of Changes, Zuo Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals, Annotated Edition of the Erya, and Luxuriant Dew of the Spring and Autumn Annals, along with historical and geographical works such as The Overall Survey of the Ocean's Shores. Its authors include figures such as Li Shizhen, Sun Simiao, King Wen of Zhou, Zuo Qiuming, Guo Pu, Dong Zhongshu, Hu Sihui, and Ma Huan. The house emphasizes the collation and republication of ancient texts, balancing scholarship and accessibility, and has developed its own strengths in transmitting Tibetan and Chinese cultural classics. Public information is limited, so other publishing details are omitted here.

版权信息
序
卷之上
卷之中
卷之下

FAQ

In what format is this book written?

According to the source, it is in question-and-answer form: after receiving and reading it, Nanjianzi spoke in praise of it. The whole book discusses the Way of acupuncture and moxibustion through questions and answers; its words are profound yet pure, its phrases subtle yet principled. It belongs to the Ming-dynasty form of physicians' writings that organize acupuncture theory.

What is the core medical viewpoint of the book?

The book stresses that medicine is the art of benevolence and that among the arts none is more wondrous than acupuncture. It holds that man is born from the one qi of Heaven and Earth, which originally flows and circulates, full and overflowing, and that illness arises when it is blocked, congested, weak, or chronically ill. Hence acupuncture teachings arose with Xuanyuan, Qibo, Canggong, and Bian Que, emphasizing penetration of the one qi of Heaven and Earth rather than something imposed from outside.

Can a complete beginner read it directly?

Not very suitably. Its meaning is deep and mysterious, and later learners without roots or essentials often suffer from its abstruseness and set it aside. Beginners should first acquire basic Chinese medical theory and knowledge of the channels and acupoints before entering this book.

Can it be used as a clinical procedure manual?

It should not be. The book focuses on expounding the origins of the acupuncture Way and medical theory; it is not an operation guide for needling by acupoint. Clinical users should combine it with modern acupuncture textbooks and standardized procedural materials, using this book as a reference for reasoning.

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About the author

汪机 Author

Wang Ji was a physician of the Ming dynasty. Publicly available biographical information about him is limited: neither his dates of birth and death nor his nationality are clearly recorded, and he is known today mainly through his medical writings. The library holds two of his works, Zhenjiu Wenda (Questions and Answers on Acupuncture and Moxibustion) and Waike Lili (Systematic Cases in External Medicine), both classified under medicine. Judging from these extant works, Wang Ji wrote on acupuncture and moxibustion as well as on external medicine. The former discusses acupuncture theory and clinical questions in a question-and-answer format, while the latter systematically organizes diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to external diseases, reflecting a style that values classical sources, clear organization, and practical application. Both works circulated in later Chinese medical literature and offer some reference value for understanding the state of acupuncture and external medicine in the Ming period. Because biographical materials are scarce, details of his life cannot be reliably established, and this introduction is based only on his works and their common classification.