Concise Chinese Medicine Dictionary

Author: Li Jingwei et al. (Editor-in-Chief)
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-03-01
Features: A Concise Dictionary of Traditional Chinese Medicine is a comprehensive reference book designed for students of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in higher and secondary vocational colleges, as well as for intermediate and advanced TCM professionals. Its content includes the history of TCM, prominent figures, literature, basic theories, diagnosis, herbs, prescriptions, acupuncture, massage, health preservation, and commonly used terminology in various clinical disciplines. Since the Ministry of Health approved its compilation in May 1977, the book has been published and reprinted multiple times by the People's Medical Publishing House, with a total circulation exceeding 280,000 copies. It was further revised and republished in 1983.
Receiving numerous letters from readers requesting further revisions of the book, and recognizing the rapid development of TCM as it gains wider acceptance, we felt it essential to update the dictionary to reflect both the historical continuity of traditional Chinese medicine and its latest academic achievements. A Concise Dictionary of Traditional Chinese Medicine aims to serve as a tool that is both historically rooted and academically current. To meet the evolving needs of readers and the advancement of the field, we have decided to conduct a comprehensive revision of the original book and entrust its publication to the China National Traditional Chinese Medicine Press, under the administration of the China National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
This revision involves not only corrections, revisions, or deletions of over 1,000 existing entries but also the addition of nearly 1,000 new entries based on reader feedback, expert suggestions, and the evolving needs of TCM research. These updates make A Concise Dictionary of Traditional Chinese Medicine an even more valuable and practical reference, with richer content that better adapts to contemporary demands.
1. The dictionary includes 13,400 entries covering fundamental, commonly used, and essential terms in TCM theory, clinical disciplines, acupuncture, herbal medicine, prescriptions, medical figures, and literature.
2. The selection of terms aims to comprehensively and systematically reflect the vast repository of Chinese medicine while also incorporating newly emerging terms in modern TCM and those related to integrated Chinese and Western medicine.
3. Explanations generally begin with a qualitative assessment before providing detailed definitions. Terms that are difficult to categorize are explained directly without a preliminary classification.
4. Each entry is annotated with sources for verification.
5. The book exclusively uses simplified characters as prescribed by the General Standard for Simplified Chinese Characters issued by the Chinese Language Commission in 1964.
6. An appendix at the end of the book provides a conversion table for historical units of measurement for reference.