The ancient Chinese medicine has become a collection of ancient books | Documents | Traditional Chinese Medicine
Author: Zhuang Jian
From the moment they invested in it, they had a firm belief that time waits for no one, and this is a task that our generation must accomplish.
Now, the great works of the emperor have begun to be dedicated to the world, and precious classics have emerged from the secret pavilion, becoming thousands and hundreds, and are stored in various places. Showcasing the wisdom of our ancestors, inheriting the orthodox lineage of medicine, guiding original innovation, protecting the rights and interests of originality, applying it to the present and leaving it to future generations. They can finally let go of their past promise of being worthy of their ancestors and worthy of them.
Materials and images from the Chinese Medical Collection
22 volumes of health preservation materials compiled by Zhou Shouzhong with pictures
The Treasure of China
Chinese traditional medicine is not only an ancient existence, but also a real existence.
At the beginning of 2020, a COVID-19 swept the world. The epidemic is raging and caught off guard. No vaccine! No specific medicine! Human life is once again facing a huge threat. Like every major epidemic in history, traditional Chinese medicine has once again taken the lead in the fight against the epidemic. The new use of ancient formulas and the differentiation and treatment of symptoms and signs, based on the ancient Chinese medicine formulas recorded in classics such as "Treatise on Cold Damage and Miscellaneous Diseases", have formed "Qingfei Detoxification Tang" and other traditional Chinese medicine formulas, demonstrating unique advantages in reducing mortality rates and improving cure rates. Chinese traditional Chinese medicine has once again shown strong vitality in the face of the world pandemic, greatly protecting the health and even life of the Chinese people.
How many large-scale epidemics have occurred in Chinese history? There are over 300 historical records. Many classics of traditional Chinese medicine, such as "Treatise on Cold Damage and Miscellaneous Diseases" and "Treatise on Warm Diseases", were formed after the Great Epidemic and recorded the rich experience of the Chinese nation in fighting against diseases. As an original and distinctly different medical knowledge, theory, methods, and skills system that has undergone thousands of years and billions of people's life practice testing and historical inheritance and development, traditional Chinese medicine reflects the Chinese nation's understanding of nature, life, health, and diseases. It is a unique and advantageous health, economic, technological, cultural, and ecological resource of the Chinese nation, making great contributions to the reproduction and development of the Chinese nation and the continuous continuation of Chinese civilization. To this day, it is still benefiting humanity, benefiting people's livelihoods, showcasing its timeless charm, and shining with the light of scientific and humanistic spirit. The ancient Chinese medicine books, which contain such rich and valuable original thinking, unique theories, and practical experience, not only have important literary value, cultural relic value, and cultural value, but also have very precious clinical value. This is an important characteristic that distinguishes traditional Chinese medicine books from other ancient books. These documents are an important carrier for the academic and original thinking inheritance of traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years, as well as an important support for the confidence and self-reliance of traditional Chinese medicine. They are the source, confidence, and foundation for the inheritance, innovation, and development of traditional Chinese medicine. Researcher Tu Youyou found inspiration for the discovery of artemisinin in "Emergency Prescription for Elbow Reserve", which has saved the lives of millions of people worldwide; The "three medicines and three prescriptions" and other effective prescriptions that have emerged in China's fight against the COVID-19 are also derived from the classic prescriptions in the Chinese classics. The ancient books of traditional Chinese medicine are like a source of fresh water, watering out the flower of practice of inheriting the essence of traditional Chinese medicine and maintaining integrity and innovation.
The earliest surviving medical masterpiece in China, the Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon, can be traced back over 2000 years. It can be seen that the history of traditional Chinese medicine has a long history. Moreover, the abundance of collections of traditional Chinese medicine classics is rare in the world. After the establishment of the People's Republic of China, China conducted three surveys of traditional Chinese medicine classics, and preliminarily understood the background of the surviving ancient Chinese medicine classics: there are nearly 9000 types of ancient Chinese medicine classics, which is a proud number for the Chinese nation. The National List of Precious Ancient Books includes 371 ancient Chinese medicine books.
In today's world, traditional Chinese medicine is a cultural symbol with global influence. Traditional Chinese medicine ancient books, as a carrier of recording China's traditional medical theory and diagnosis and treatment experience, have continuously "gone abroad" and become a beautiful scenery in the history of Sino foreign exchanges. Especially in the Chinese language and cultural circles such as North Korea, Japan, and other countries, the influence of ancient Chinese medicine books is more extensive. Research data shows that there were over 980 Chinese medical records transmitted to Japan during the Edo period alone. The Compendium of Materia Medica, Huangdi Neijing, Sibu Yidian, and other three ancient Chinese medicine books have been selected for the World Memory List.
The will of the country
The Party and the state have attached great importance to the excavation, organization, protection, and utilization of traditional Chinese medicine.
At the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China, Comrade Mao Zedong pointed out: "Chinese medicine is a great treasure trove that should be explored and improved."
From the second half of the 20th century to the beginning of the 21st century, China continued to carry out the census, collation and research of ancient Chinese medicine books. There were three large-scale collations of ancient Chinese medicine books organized by the government. A number of ancient Chinese medicine books such as Suwen, Lingshu, acupuncture and moxibustion Classics A and B were collated, researched, proofread and published. In 1954, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China first proposed "organizing and publishing traditional Chinese medicine books: publishing traditional Chinese medicine books, including organizing, editing, and reprinting classical and modern medical books" in the report on improving traditional Chinese medicine work. Subsequently, the compilation and annotation of famous traditional Chinese medicine works throughout history was included for the first time in the national Outline of the Science and Technology Development Plan from 1963 to 1972. In the implementation of the national plan for the compilation and publication of ancient books, more than 200 types of traditional Chinese medicine ancient books have been sorted and studied, including a batch of classic traditional Chinese medicine ancient books published. In 2005, the Ministry of Finance established a special fund to implement the "Rescue Project for Traditional Chinese Medicine Ancient Books". 165 rare and precious documents were collected and published as a photocopy of the "Complete Collection of Lonely Chinese Medicine Ancient Books", becoming an excellent representative of the "Reconstruction of Good Books" of traditional Chinese medicine ancient books.
2010 was an extraordinary year for the cause of traditional Chinese medicine ancient books.In the same year, the suggestion put forward by the National Research Group on Traditional Chinese Medicine at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences to compile the "Chinese Medical Collection" received high attention from the central leadership. To this end, starting from 2010, the National Library and the Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine Information of the Chinese Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine conducted a nationwide survey of ancient Chinese medicine books, organized national experts and scholars to conduct research, and based on further clarifying the current status of ancient Chinese medicine books, a preliminary selection of the "Chinese Medical Collection" was formed.
Everything is ready and ready to come out.
Good things come before they come. In 2018, the "Chinese Medical Collection" was solemnly approved. The Ministry of Finance has officially included it in the "Chinese Ancient Books Protection Plan" for funding. In 2019, people saw that "excavating and inheriting the essence of essence in the treasure house of traditional Chinese medicine, strengthening the research and utilization of ancient books, and compiling the Collection of Chinese Medicine" was written into the Opinions of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council on Promoting the Inheritance, Innovation and Development of Traditional Chinese Medicine. In 2022, the Opinions on Promoting the Work of Ancient Books in the New Era issued by the General Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the General Office of the State Council clearly stated that "sorting out and excavating the essence of classical medical books, promoting the inheritance, innovation and development of traditional Chinese medicine, and improving people's health and well-being". The tasks and goals were clear and firm.
The long cherished wish of a scholar
It is the long cherished wish of Chinese scholars of several generations to eliminate the rough and extract the essence, eliminate the false and retain the true, and combine the classics and essence of ancient Chinese medicine books.
According to the bibliography, there are nearly 9000 ancient Chinese medicine books printed before 1912 in the collection of 150 libraries across the country, of which more than 3000 are isolated, accounting for more than 40% of the total number of existing ancient Chinese medicine books, including finely carved editions from various dynasties since the Song and Yuan dynasties, manuscripts of famous doctors, proofread editions by famous scholars, finely written editions, engraved book manuscripts, colored herbal illustrations, meridian diagrams, and guide diagrams. In addition to solitary medical records, there are only 2-3 rare medical records remaining nationwide, with approximately 1100 types of such books. The total number of the above two types of books is over 4800, accounting for more than half of the total number of ancient Chinese medicine books. The ancient books of traditional Chinese medicine that have survived the vicissitudes of time are extremely precious. The protection, organization, and utilization of them are always in the hearts of Chinese scholars.
In 2006, Mr. Ren Jiyu, a renowned scholar, responded to the suggestion of Mr. Fang Keli, a member of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, to compile the "Chinese Medical Collection" and said, "This matter will have to be done sooner or later, but it is different from ordinary ancient book compilation projects. It requires the participation of a group of experts who understand traditional Chinese medicine and the history of traditional Chinese medicine, to extract the essence from the rough, and to preserve the true. Only then can it be considered scientific compilation. There are not many people who can do this now, and the relevant authorities should be reminded to include this project in the national major cultural construction project as soon as possible." However, before a detailed study, Mr. Ren went west. At the end of 2009, at the "Symposium on Promoting Chinese Culture and Promoting the Development of Traditional Chinese Medicine" held by the National Research Group on Traditional Chinese Medicine, Mr. Fang clearly proposed to "promote this project to be included in the national major cultural construction project as soon as possible.".
Scholars in the field of traditional Chinese medicine have never stopped working hard to compile the "Chinese Medical Collection". In 2016, the "Overseas Collection of Rare Chinese Medicine Books and Ancient Books" was published by Zhonghua Book Company. This is a concentrated display of the years of work achievements of renowned Chinese scholars Zheng Jinsheng, Zhang Zhibin, Zhen Liucheng, and other Chinese and foreign scholar teams who have devoted their entire lives to the research and organization of traditional Chinese medicine literature, as well as the excavation and return of overseas ancient Chinese medicine books. Since the 20th century, scholars have conducted literature surveys in various countries around the world, replicating and returning a large number of scattered ancient medical books overseas. The series includes 427 rare ancient Chinese medicine books that have been lost overseas, including 8 Song editions, 11 Yuan editions, 214 Ming editions, 40 Qing editions, and 7 modern editions. There are also 18 Japanese editions, 113 Japanese editions, and 16 Korean editions. Roughly speaking, there are over 160 types of ancient medical books that have been lost in China, as well as over 280 rare versions that have been lost. This set of books has a wide range of categories, complete content, and excellent versions, with extremely high edition and literature value.
Xue Qinglu, a senior scholar, renowned Chinese medicine catalogist, and former director of the Institute of Library and Information Science at the Chinese Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, spent decades sailing on the sea of ancient Chinese medicine books and edited the "General Catalogue of Ancient Chinese Medicine Books". In the preface of the second edition, she wrote: "The collection of traditional Chinese medicine book catalogs from the three major system libraries nationwide has been carried out intermittently for seven years, and as of the end of 1985, more than 100000 cards of traditional Chinese medicine book catalogs from 113 libraries across the country have been received. After verification, organization, and summarization, 12124 types of books were finally included." "During the writing process, a serious investigation and verification were conducted on the original materials provided by each library. Over the past few years, more than 7500 letters of inquiry were issued, with a recovery rate of about 90%. Relevant units have responded seriously to the questions raised. In addition, the writing team has sent more than 500 people to conduct on-site investigations and verifications, striving for accurate cataloging and appropriate classification." Reducing errors and errors. In a few words, it points out the backwardness of cataloging techniques, the complexity of work processes, and the difficulties faced by practical personnel.
The Chinese Medical Collection is a major cultural project of the country, a fundamental academic masterpiece for the inheritance, innovation, and development of traditional Chinese medicine, and an important embodiment of the compilation of classics in a prosperous era. The "Zang" in the "Chinese Medical Collection" is the "Zang" of ancient Chinese medical classics, which is not only a systematic collection and photocopying of traditional Chinese medicine literature, but also a rigorous academic research and systematic innovation; It is not only a compilation and classification of important classical medical books in existence, but also a systematic review of the academic development history of traditional Chinese medicine, and a culmination of the latest achievements in the systematic research and organization of medical literature passed down through generations.
In order to publish "Zhonghua Yicang" as soon as possible, a generation of scholars from multiple industries and ethnicities have devoted themselves wholeheartedly to this significant and fundamental academic project, attempting to comprehensively reveal the development of traditional Chinese medicine. Many of them travel around the country, searching for secret books and excellent books, tirelessly working hard. Many experts from various sectors of society, regardless of age and complexity, are dedicated to providing advice and suggestions for project implementation. Various purpose experts, with their abundant theoretical knowledge and practical experience, have provided guarantees for the Chinese Medical Collection to become a masterpiece.
The Chinese Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, which has over 100000 precious ancient Chinese classics, shoulder the mission of inheriting, developing, and making good use of the treasure trove of traditional Chinese medicine classics. In the inheritance and development, protection and utilization, excavation and innovation of traditional Chinese medicine classics, it gathers and contributes new resources and strength. The Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine Information under its umbrella overcame numerous difficulties and, together with the Zhejiang Provincial Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Inner Mongolia Medical University, took the lead in completing the compilation of the "Health Preservation Scroll".
Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine and the Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine Information have organized multiple training programs for talents in traditional Chinese medicine ancient books, inviting renowned experts from across the country to give lectures. Old experts and young scholars exchange ideas and absorb more young scholars to participate in projects, providing a solid talent guarantee for the smooth implementation of traditional Chinese medicine ancient book work.
The National Library Publishing House, in the face of self funding needs, resolutely joined in by establishing a dedicated editorial room and dispatching elite troops and strong generals. With its professional advantages in the field of ancient book photocopying and publishing, it took on the historical responsibility of safeguarding the high-quality publication of the Chinese Medical Collection.
"Participating in it is a rare historical opportunity in life," said Zhou Heping, Deputy Director of the Planning Committee of the First Chinese Medical Collection, expressing the scholars' sincere insights. In the editing team, it is our duty to take responsibility for the "Chinese Medical Collection", and the consensus is "who will sacrifice me"!
Extract essence and present a summary of the original
On May 15, 2023, Zizhu Temple, Dingqing County, Xizang. On the large case, there is a display of Tibetan Bon literature provided for experts in ancient book research. The upper and lower shelves of each letter are intricately wrapped with leather ropes, as if telling the story of its ancient history. Untie the ropes of the "Four Medical Classics" and flip through the heavy Sanskrit bound manuscript, the first thing that catches the eye is the origin of the titles in the "Xiangxiong Language". From this moment on, Sa Rengaowa, Deputy Director and Research Librarian of the National Library's Ancient Books Library, never left her gaze on the manuscript. "The writing style, font, and the rich Xiangxiong cultural atmosphere in the book make me heart skip a beat. This should be a manuscript from the 18th century, but the content comes from the Xiangxiong cultural period before the 7th century, far ahead of the widely recognized core work of Tibetan medicine, the" Four Medical Classics ". The" Four Medical Classics "should be the origin of Tibetan medicine."
Sarengaowa excitedly reported the new discovery back to Beijing as soon as possible. The Four Medical Classics, a cultural relic of the Xiangxiong culture, was included in the "Chinese Medical Collection" as an original Tibetan medical work under the framework of the "Chinese Ancient Books Protection Plan". With the approval of the editorial committee, it was unquestionably included in the "Chinese Medical Collection".
This kind of search and presentation runs through the entire compilation of the Chinese Medical Collection. Let the "Chinese Medical Collection" be improved and put into action by every contributor.
Extracting essence, presenting the two core works of the Canon and the ministerial divisions, and making a summary of the Chinese Medical Collection, effectively promoted the academic research and open sharing of resources of ancient Chinese medicine books. The research and compilation start with the bibliographic research, version research, and literature research of ancient literature, comprehensively examining the historical and cultural relics, academic information, and artistic representativeness of the literature, searching for original books, and delving into the specific content of the book's content. Comparative analysis is conducted to include classic works of traditional Chinese medicine, representative and original works of various disciplines, and famous works of medical masters throughout history. The selected versions strive for the most precise, and a combination of "compilation" and "classification" is adopted for integrated compilation. The editorial committee selected 2289 important ancient Chinese medicine books from existing literature, classified them into stages, and conducted academic sorting and writing summaries. Through "distinguishing academic chapters and examining the origins and origins of each literature", a "sequence" of each category of objectives and a "summary" of each literature have been formed, which can provide a rich literature foundation for scientific research, systematic and convenient research data for culture, education, and related industries, and valuable experience for clinical practice. Later scholars can also "seek books based on their categories, and study them based on their books", truly achieving "people abide by their studies, students abide by their books, and books abide by their categories". The compilation work of the Chinese Medical Collection extends along this chain. Zizi Zhuo, striving for excellence, carefully and patiently examining and verifying, the editors walk like thin ice.
The "health roll" is about to be printed, and the editor in chief Li Hongtao is still searching online, in order to let go of the lingering concern in his heart. The first edition of the "Health Preservation Volume" in the "Chinese Medical Collection" includes the book "Health Preservation Compilation". This book, consisting of 22 volumes, was written by Zhou Shouzhong, a health practitioner in the Song Dynasty. The earliest surviving edition was the Qiantang Xie Feng edition in the tenth year of the Chenghua reign of the Ming Dynasty. However, all domestic collections of this book are incomplete. After conducting field literature research, it was found that volumes 1-5 and 19-22 of this book are currently stored in the library of Bayannur City, Inner Mongolia, and volumes 6-18 are stored in the library of the Chinese Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine. There are three identical seals printed at the end of the two volumes, namely "Fan Chengmo Seal", "Father and Son Jie Yuan Family Ancestor and Grandchild Jinshi Family", and "Chen Hao Seal". The front page of the preface of the Ba Shi Library is also stamped with the "Book of Jin Prefecture" and the "Treasure of the King of Jin" Zhu Wenyin, indicating that this book was originally collected by the son of Zhu Yuanzhang, the King of Jin Zhu Gong, but was later dispersed due to some unforeseen circumstances. Unfortunately, when the two books were about to merge, the last two volumes, Volume 21 and Volume 22, were still missing. This time, Li Hongtao found the same collection at the East Asian Library of Princeton University in the United States, and the two missing leaves of this strange book finally need to be completed!
The Book of Elderly Care and Family Worship, written by Chen Zhi of the Northern Song Dynasty, is a famous health preservation masterpiece in the history of Chinese medicine. In the Yuan Dynasty, Zou Xuan supplemented two, three, and four volumes and reprinted them. However, due to their rich content and excellent proofreading, the original "Book of Elderly Care and Family Worship" from the Northern Song Dynasty was not circulated. With the widespread dissemination of the "New Book of Longevity and Elderly Care", the "Book of Elderly Care and Respecting Parents" published after the Ming Dynasty was once named the "Longevity and Elderly Care Book". Afterwards, three books, "The Book of Elderly Care," "The Book of Elderly Care," and "The New Book of Elderly Care," were published in parallel, and were included in the "Complete Library of Four Treasuries" during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty. During this period, during the Ming Dynasty's Chenghua reign in Renchen, Liu Yu, who was sometimes appointed as a jinshi in the Shanxi Ministry of Personnel, renamed books such as Chen Zhi's "An Lao Shu" from the Song Dynasty, Zou Xuan's "New Book on Longevity and Elderly Care" from the Yuan Dynasty, and Lou Zizhen's "Collection of Preschool Care" from the Ming Dynasty, and compiled them into "An Lao Huai You Shu". The book undergoes such changes in addition, deletion, and transformation, while its old and young ideas remain unchanged, indicating a continuous stream of Confucianism. The "health care volume" selects two books, "New Book of Longevity and Elderly Care" and "Book of Caring for the Elderly and Children". Although some of the contents are repeated, they belong to different inheritance systems and have important collation value. In the 31st year of the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty, the Hu Wenhuan Wenhui Hall in Hulin was not selected to engrave the "Gezhi Congshu" edition. Therefore, the book was compiled and reproduced in the "New Book of Longevity and Elderly Care", which is no different from the "Elderly Care and Respecting Parents Book" preserved in the "Ancestral Care and Childhood Care Book". Therefore, it is discarded this time.
A "Chinese Medical Collection" is surging the pulse of the Chinese medical system, and the disciplinary system, academic system and discourse system of Chinese medicine with Chinese characteristics, Chinese style and Chinese style are on the paper, paving a Xintiandi for the innovation and development of Chinese medicine in the future. Chinese medicine master Yu Yingao highly praised the "Chinese Medical Collection": "The flexible application of ancient people's experience and wisdom in solving current practical problems is the greatest value of ancient medical books. Through the comprehensive organization and excavation of the treasure trove of ancient Chinese medicine literature in the" Chinese Medical Collection "system, it is conducive to stimulating the vitality and potential of ancient Chinese medicine literature, and providing important support for promoting scientific and technological innovation. Promoting the compilation of the" Chinese Medical Collection "will help to continue the traditional Chinese medicine academic context, clarify the academic origins of traditional Chinese medicine, explore the wisdom of Eastern life sciences, and showcase the brilliance of China's medical culture." Zhang Boli, Chairman of the Compilation Committee of the "Chinese Medical Collection", hopes to break through with momentum. "Zhuzhili will soon release more achievements from the" Chinese Medical Collection ", extracting and showcasing the spiritual symbols of excellent traditional Chinese culture and the cultural essence with contemporary value and global significance. We will protect, excavate, and utilize the great treasure trove of traditional Chinese medicine created by the nation, and promote the inheritance, innovation, and development of traditional Chinese medicine
Long winds and waves sometimes break through, hanging straight on a cloud sail to the vast sea. The excavation and organization of Chinese medical classics will undoubtedly have a profound impact on a cultural powerhouse and a healthy China, and will once again shine brightly in the process of human life sciences.
We look forward to it.
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The Chinese Medical Collection has a secondary structure divided into four parts and nineteen categories. Part 1: Medical Classic, Shanghan Golden Chamber, Materia Medica, Health Preservation, and Medical History; The second part: visceral signs, qi, etiology and pathogenesis, bone density, meridians, acupuncture and moxibustion and massage, diagnostic methods, prescriptions; Part Three: Clinical Practice, Medical Cases, Medical Discourses, and Series of Books; Part Four: Ethnic Medicine.
The "Health Preservation Scroll", which was first published, includes 74 representative classics from the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties to the Qing Dynasty, including the famous health preservation work "Zunsheng Bajian", the food therapy work "Health Preservation Taboos", the representative health preservation work of the Four Seasons "Health Preservation Monthly Overview", as well as the "Six Character Formula" method that first proposed the guidance of breathing and breathing. It also records the "Health Preservation and Life Extension Record" created by Hua Tuo for the Five Poultry Opera and the "Taiding Health Preservation Main Theory" that first created the famous formula "Mengshi Rolling Tan Pill" for generations. The compilation and publication of "Health Preservation Scrolls" is highly professional and research-oriented, with a focus on sorting out the evolution and representative health preservation books of various dynasties and dynasties from the perspective of traditional culture. It is not limited to traditional Chinese medicine books, and all those related to health preservation are also selected and included in the literary and historical series. The health preservation methods recorded in the collected classics are dazzling, fully demonstrating the vast wisdom of traditional Chinese medicine in exploring and maintaining human life and health for thousands of years.
Guangming Daily
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