PUBLISHER'S PREFACE

PUBLISHER'S

Preface (written on the occasion of) Publishing

Zhong-jing’s Complete Books*

 Zhao Kai-mei**

*The original form of the Zhao Kai-mei edition is entitled Zhong-jing's Complete Books (Zhong-jing Quan shu), containing four books in 26 volumes as follows:

Zhu-jie Shang-han Lun (Notated with Explanation Shang-han Lun), 10 volumes by Cheng Wu-ji

Jing-gui Yao-lue (Golden Chest Essential Summery) Fang Lun, 3 volumes by Zhang Zhong-jing: Discovered by Wan Zhu the worm-eaten text in the Song Dynasty era.

Fan-ke Zong-ban Shang-han Lun (Song Woodblock Shang-han Lun), 10 volumes by Zhang Zhong-jing

Shang-han Lei-zheng (Similar Evidences of Shag-han), 3 volumes by ong Yun-gong

**: Zhao Kai-mei: According to Mayanagi Makotos the Bibliographical Introduction of Zhong-jings Complete Books, the publisher of this edition, Zhao Kai-mei, was born in 1563 in Hai-wu (in the Jiang-su Province of today) as the son of a local bureaucrat. He followed in his fathers footsteps and became a bureaucrat. He loved to collect and annotate old books. He had a private library named the Pulse Diagnose Pavilion (Mai-wang Guan), which still exists. He died in 1624 when he was 61 years old.


In the end of 1595, an epidemic severely attacked our village and 60 to 70 percent of the servants of my family became ill and were bedridden. An excellent doctor, such as He or Huan* , who were famous in the history of our Wu area, Chen Nan-fang Ming-xiang was living in Hai-wu. We asked for his help and he saved almost all of our servants from death. We owe him a lot.

      *He or Huan: Famous doctors in the   
      Spring
Autumn Era (770 BC - 403 BC).

I did not know what technique Dr. Chen practiced, which made him a God-like-being, so I asked him. He answered,

I looked for and found the Green Dragon Treasured Secret Medical Text Book*, and read the Secrets in the Blue Bag** in it. That is why I could treat like God. However, I do not know specially about the Shang-han Lun written by Zhong-jing.”

*: Green Dragon Treasured Secret Medical Text Book:According to Liu Du-zhou, Jiang Yuan-an, Ikushima Shinobu: Modern Japanese Translation of the Song Version Shang-han Lun (Gendaigoyaku So-hon Shokanron), Toyo Gakujutsu Shuppan-sha, 2000, it was written by Sun Si-miao?

**: Secrets in the Blue Bag: Written by Hua-to? Hua-to was known for carrying a blue bag on his shoulders.

I said, “I remember my father once told me that we have owned this book for long time, and it is impossible to buy at any bookstore.”

Dr. Chen said, “I own it, honestly.”

I borrowed his book. When I read it, I found it was the edition which contained Cheng Wu-jis* commentary. Even so, misprints are not corrected and sentences are without spaces between them. I bought several copies [to compare] already and I corrected characters, and put spaces between sentences.  I filled in missing characters, and corrected miscopied places.

*: Cheng Wu-ji: Physician in the Jing Dynasty (1115-1234), who published Notated with Explanations Shang-han Lun (1144).

Dr. Chen said,“This is a perfect book, now. You are a loyalist of Zhong-jing.”

I apologized to him, saying that I am not so smart. My father, who was diseased now, ordered me Publish it, and show kindness to people.”

The unworthy son answered him, “Yes, yes.”

Dr. Chen said, “The Golden Casket Essencial Summery (Jing-gui Yao-Rue) is the book with Zhong-jings secrets for treating miscellaneous diseases. You should print it together and reveal Zhong-jings core techniques of attacking, supplementing, draining and fast and slow settlement.”

My father told me, “You should remember what he said.”

The unworthy son answered, “I agree. When I print it together [with the Shang-han Lun], what should the name of the book be?”

Well, I will name it Zhong-jings Complete Books.”

When I finished printing it, I obtained the Song Text Shang-han Lun, too. I knew from before that Chengs Annotated Shang-han Lun [that I have printed just now with the Jing-gui Yao-Rue] was not a complete text [of the original Shang-han Lun]. When I obtained the Song Text Shang-han Lun, I found it was not only a huge gem but also I realized that the widespread book in the town, Chengs book, did a rough job. Thus, I printed it, too, to fulfill my fathers wish. Then, I found three volumes of the Shang-han Lei-zheng (Similar Evidences of Shang-han)* in the old books. This book corrected Zhong-jings books and omitted the troublesome parts to simplify them. So, I collected the dispersed parts [of the Shang-han Lei-zheng to fill in the missing parts] and brought them together in one. The pulse techniques of the disease evidences [in this book] are as clear as the bright moon and discussed fully. Zhong-jings techniques are all manifested without omission. Thus, I decided to attach this book, too.

*: Shang-han Lei-zheng: Written by Sang Yun-gong in 1163 (Jing Dynasty).

I feel sad to think that in the old days people died before the end of their journeys. Zhong-jing, concentrating his mind into the Yellow Emperor and Qi Bo*, and explaining symptoms in detail, created one hundred twelve formulas and published them to let people live till the end of their journeys.

      *:Yellow Emperor and Qi-bo: Characters in
      Su-wen
.

What do we consider humanity and love to be, [without considering] letting the whole world climb up to the level of living to the end of ones journey? Professional doctors, in these days, throw the roots [of medicine] away and demand the branches. For them, the surpassing one is Dong-yuan*, and the ultimate one is Dan-xi**, and that is it. Thus, [for them,] the most respectful intelligence is the Yu-ji Wei-yi (Jeweled  Mechanisms and Profound Meanings)***, which is their source. [For them] the Elementary Questions, the Spiritual Pivot, or the Xuan-zhu Mi-yu (Abstruse Jewels and Minute Words)**** are forgotten and abstracted, and they do not refer to them.

*: Dong-yuan: Li Gao (1180-1251): Wrote the Spleen Stomach Theory (Pi Wei Lun).

**: Dan-xi: Zhu Zhen-heng (1281-1358): Wrote On Inquiring about the Properties of Things (Ge Zhi Yu Lun).

***: Yu-ji Wei-yi: The Confidential Principles of the Mysterious Mechanisms (Needham) or the Gist of Medical Mechanisms (Word-Ocean): Edited by Xu Yan-chun of the Ming Dynasty, and published in 1368.

****: Xuan-zhu Mi-yu: (Needam) The Confidential Sayings of the Mysterious-Pearl: By Wan Ping, the 7th or 8th Century.

In this way, when I talk about medicine of Zhang Zhong-jing and Liu He-jian*, most people do not know the names and the eras. Nevertheless, they boast, “I am satisfied if I can cure the diseased. Why should I study more about the people long-ago and far-away?”

They comment about the person who reads Huang-di and Qi-bo with censure, “He is the one who reads his fathers books uselessly. He does not know the strategy has already changed.”

*: Liu He-jian: Liu Wan-su (1120-1200): Wrote the Pattern of the Causation of Disease according to the Mysterious Mechanism in the Fundamental Question (Su Wen Xuan Ji Yuan Bing Shi: Needham).

There really are existing many people who do not know the changes. Still, the person who gives up because these changes are hard to understand, is just like a person who quits eating because food makes him choke. Quitting food to take care of his health? It cannot be true.

Today, I decided to print this book. I know the meat-eaters wi* laugh at me.

      *? 

Some told me, “Lu Xuan-gong** once presented written opinions to the Emperor about treating the nation, and when he lost his position, he collected medical books and started to treat people. You must be calmly waiting for a political chance.”

      * Lu Xuan-gong: In the Tang Dynasty.

I answered him, “Not at all. This is my fathers wish. My father is the one who presented a written opinion to the Emperor on the ethics of the father-son relationship, reformed his political party, and reduced peoples agonies in the southeast district. He ventured to admonish the Emperor with straight talk and treated incurable diseases of people who flattered the Emperor. Thus, he had many days he stumbled, and fewer days he accomplished something.  Even though publishing this book is my fathers wish, he has passed away already. It took four years after his death for me to publish. My fathers sorrowful heart, in melancholy retirement by the lakeside is the same and as everlasting as was his wistful longing for marching out from the shrine where he was sitting. ”

He said, “You have, really, done this by yourself, but you say youve done this following your fathers wish, because you want to let your father have the credit.”

The unworthy son answered, “Not at all. This was my fathers wish.”

The Qing-chang (clear and ever) Daoist, Zhao Kaimei* wrote this preface,

In the early morning of the Season of Grains, March, 1595, at Hai-wu.

  

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