Golden Yuan Four Great Medical Masters' Classics Collection

Author: Ye Chuan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1995-10-01
Features: The Four Great Medical Masters of the Jin and Yuan Dynasties refer to the four renowned medical scholars Liu Wansu (Liu Hejian), Zhang Congzheng (Zhang Zihe), Li Gao (Li Dongyuan), and Zhu Zhenheng (Zhu Danxi) who emerged during the Jin and Yuan period (1115–1386) in Chinese history. The Jin and Yuan period was an era of highly active academic debate in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), and the Four Great Masters made significant contributions to medicine, each with unique characteristics.
Liu Wansu was the representative figure of the Hejian School, advocating the theory that "all six qi transform into fire." He was later known as the "Cold-Cooling Faction." Zhang Congzheng was the representative of the "Purging Faction," emphasizing that "disease arises from pathogenic factors, and attacking the pathogen cures the disease," and was skilled in the three methods of sweating, vomiting, and purging. Li Gao established the theory of internal injury to the spleen and stomach, often referred to as the "Earth-Reinforcing Faction." Zhu Danxi was the representative of the "Yin-Nourishing Faction," advocating the theories of "constant excess of yang and constant deficiency of yin" and the "theory of ministerial fire," nourishing yin and reducing fire, and was adept at treating internal and. To this day, the academic thoughts and clinical experiences of the Four Great Masters are still widely applied in TCM theoretical research and clinical practice.
Given the profound influence of the Four Great Masters on the development of later medicine, it has become urgent to compile their original works for the benefit of readers for study and research. Based on the list of books of the Four Great Masters compiled by the modern renowned TCM scholar Ren Yingqiu in Theories of Different Schools of TCM, this collection has been compiled into one volume. The included books are all printed based on their best available editions. Obvious errors, variant characters, and archaic characters have been corrected, and punctuation, paragraphing, and proofreading have been performed. Due to changes in layout, original directional terms such as "right" and "left" have been uniformly replaced with "upper" and "lower."
In this collection, works such as The Profound Principles of the Suwen and the Causes of Disease (Suwen Xuanshi Yuanbing Shi), The Yellow Emperor's Suwen Explanatory Treatises on Prescriptions (Huangdi Suwen Xuanming Lun Fang), The Heart Method for Differentiating the Causes of Cold and Heat in Shanghan (Shanghan Benbing Xinfa Leicui), The Treatise on the Spleen and Stomach (Pishen Lun), The Secret Treasury of the Orchid Chamber (Lanshi Micang), Essentials of Life and Death (Huofa Jiyao), The Golden Cabinet's Profound Secrets (Jinjiu Gouxuan), and The Suwen Treatise on the Pathogenesis of Diseases and the Preservation of Life (Suwen Bingji Qiyi Baoming Ji) are printed based on The Complete Collection of Medical Classics from Antiquity to the Present (Gujin Yixue Zhengmai Shangquan).
The eight medical works of Zhang Congzheng, such as The Affairs of the Confucian Gate (Rumen Shiqin), and Liu Hejian's Treatise on the Three Consumptions (San Xiao Lun) are printed based on the 1958 edition published by the Shanghai Scientific and Technical Publishers. The Pulse Diagnosis: Methods, Patterns, and Illustrations (Mai Jue Zhizhang Bingshi Tushuo) is printed based on the Qing edition compiled and corrected by Liu Jiren in The Three Three Medical Classics. Medical Innovations (Yixue Fangming) is printed based on the 1959 lead-printed edition by the People's Health Publishing House. Distinguishing the Inner and Outer Injuries (Nei Wai Shang Hu Lun) is printed based on the 1529 edition of The Ten Books of Dongyuan from the Ming Dynasty. The Effective Prescriptions of Li Dongyuan (Dongyuan Shiyao Fang) is printed based on the Ming edition by Ni Weide. The Remains of Learning (Gezhi Yulun) and The Explanation of the Prescriptions of the Bureau (Jufang Fahuai) are printed based on the 1956 photocopied edition by the People's Health Publishing House.