"Inner Chapters of the Emerald Immortal" "Emergency Handbook for the Elbow" Now Translated

Author: Translated by: Mei Quanxi / et al
Editor-in-Chief: Bao Yanyan
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 1997-03-01
Features: Synopsis
The Inner Canon of the Emerald Immortal and Emergency Treatments for Emergencies are representative works of Ge Hong, a renowned Chinese medical scholar, alchemist, and Daoist theorist from the Eastern Jin Dynasty. These works have significantly contributed to the development of Chinese medicine, alchemy, and Daoism. However, due to their ancient and obscure language, they have been difficult to read. This publication presents a comprehensive colloquial translation of these two books, conducted after thorough research and textual criticism by the Ge Hong Research Association. The book is divided into three parts: the translation of the Inner Canon of the Emerald Immortal, the translation of Emergency Treatments for Emergencies, and research articles on Ge Hong. Excerpt:
Those who adhere to Confucianism know only to wholeheartedly believe in the teachings of the Duke of Zhou and Confucius, bound by their ethics to the point of death. They disbelieve in the teachings of immortals and Daoism, considering them absurd, delusional, and unrealistic. When they see my book, not only do they laugh at it loudly but also slander and denigrate the truth. Therefore, I did not include this book in the Canon of the Emerald Immortal that I wrote, but instead compiled it separately under the title Inner Canon of the Emerald Immortal, consisting of twenty volumes, which are arranged separately from the Outer Canon of the Emerald Immortal. Although this book cannot be stored like a classic treasure in the stone chambers of famous mountains, I only wish to preserve it in a precious bookcase, so that it may be known by those who understand it. Those who cannot communicate with it should not be given it to read. The important thing is to provide a book that can explain the doubts of those who seek immortality. How can one expect the disbelievers to believe in these things? I hereby write this preface.
Volume 1: Exploring the Profound
Ge Hong said: The Profound (Xuan) is the origin of nature and the great root of all differences. It is so deep that it is called subtle, and so far that it is called mysterious. Its height surpasses the nine heavens, and its vastness covers the eight directions. It shines like the sun and moon, and moves swiftly like lightning. Sometimes it vanishes in an instant, sometimes it flows like stars, sometimes it ripples in clear waters, and sometimes it floats like clouds. It manifests through signs and similarities, and becomes invisible in stillness. It sinks into the great depths, and ascends beyond the celestial poles. It is harder than metal and stone, softer than morning dew. It is square without a ruler, round without a compass. It comes unseen, and goes unchased. Heaven takes it as high, Earth as low, clouds as movement, and rain as distribution. It nurtures the primordial unity, shapes the dual principles, breathes the great beginning, and governs the myriad creatures. It revolves through the cycles of the universe, crafts the chaos of creation, guides the divine mechanisms, and breathes the four seasons. It is profound and silent, yet expansive and brilliant. It suppresses the turbid and elevates the clear, balancing the rivers and seas. It does not overflow when added to, nor deplete when drawn from. It does not flourish when given to, nor wither when taken from. Where the Profound is present, joy is endless; where it departs, things decay and spirits fade.
The five tones and eight sounds—such as the clear qing and flowing zhi—decrease hearing; the bright and dazzling colors, or the splendid and resplendent ones, harm vision; indulgence in luxury and comfort, the clear wine and fragrant nectar, confuse the mind; and the beauty of appearance, the white powder and refined nature, shorten life. The only exception is the Dao of the Profound, which can endure forever. Those who do not understand the Dao of the Profound may regard glances as life and death, and words as the keys to rise and fall. They may build pavilions overlooking clouds and rain, and decorate rooms with lush greenery. The curtains merge like mist, and the beds drift apart like clouds. They place western and hair [14] in secluded rooms, with golden cups and flowers racing by; the clear strings sing in harmony, and the Zheng dance [15] swirls gracefully; the mournful flute rises above the clouds, and feathered covers float on ripples. They pluck fragrant flowers in the gardens of the Orchid Grove [16], and play red blossoms in the pools of accumulated pearls [17]. They climb high mountains to forget worldly worries, and gaze into deep valleys to ignore morning hunger. They enter feasts in the brilliance of a thousand doors, and ride out in the splendor of red chariots. Yet, when joy reaches its peak, sorrow follows. When fullness reaches its limit, decline comes. Thus, when the music ends, sighs arise, and when the banquet ends, hearts grow sorrowful. This is the call of truth and momentum, as inevitable as the return of shadows and reflections. Those who borrow without understanding, so that things seem to be lost when they go.
The Dao of the Profound is attained inwardly, guarded outwardly, used divinely, and forgotten as an instrument. This is the essence of contemplating the Profound. Those who attain it are noble, without the need for imperial authority; those who embody it are wealthy, without rare treasures. It is high and unreachable, deep and unfathomable. It rides the flow of light, rides the flying scenery, transcends the six voids [19], and penetrates the boundless. It emerges above the highest, enters below the lowest, passes through the gates of boundlessness, and roams the wilds of subtlety [20]. It wanders in the realm of the ethereal and the illusory, between the tangible and the intangible. It swallows the nine flowers in the clouds [22], and chews the six qi in the red dawn. It wanders in the misty and the faint, soaring in the unseen. It walks lightly on the rainbow, treads carefully on the rotating stars [23]. This is the attainment of the Profound.
Afterword:
Ge Hong, as a renowned Chinese medical scholar, alchemist, and Daoist theorist from the Eastern Jin Dynasty, made tremendous contributions to the field of medicine. To promote the study of Ge Hong’s medical achievements, we organized the "Academic Symposium on Ge Hong and His Pharmaceutical Contributions" in Huizhou, Guangdong, from November 26 to 29, 1995. At this symposium, the preparatory committee of the Ge Hong Research Association was established, and initial plans for the research were made. On April 11, 1996, the "Ge Hong Research Association" was officially established in Huizhou, Guangdong. The working plan proposed by the association includes: ① actively conducting academic exchanges: planning to hold the second "Academic Symposium on Ge Hong and His Medical Contributions" in Jurong, Jiangsu (Ge Hong’s hometown) in 1998, and the "International Symposium on Daoism and Medicine" in Hong Kong in 2000; ② compiling academic monographs: in addition to completing the colloquial translation of Emergency Treatments for Emergencies and Inner Canon of the Emerald Immortal, we also plan to compile Ge Hong and His Scientific Contributions, which will comprehensively explain Ge Hong’s scientific achievements and great contributions in various fields; ③ excavating, organizing, inheriting, and promoting Ge Hong’s valuable medical experience, and developing new products. Without a doubt, these activities have played a positive role in promoting the in-depth study of Ge Hong’s medical achievements and enhancing his reputation and influence both domestically and internationally.
Emergency Treatments for Emergencies and Inner Canon of the Emerald Immortal are two important works by Ge Hong. To study and explore Ge Hong’s achievements and contributions in medicine, alchemy, and pharmaceutical chemistry, as well as to excavate, organize, and inherit his valuable medical experience, it is impossible to do without these two important works. However, these books were written in an early era, with complex and difficult-to-read text, and their content is profound and hard to understand. Reading them is quite challenging. Therefore, when I first proposed the idea of translating these two books into colloquial Chinese during the planning stages of the "Academic Symposium on Ge Hong and His Pharmaceutical Contributions" in late 1994, it was supported and approved by Zhang Jingshuo, the current director of the Ge Hong Research Association. During my trip to Beijing in April 1995 to finalize the call for papers for the symposium, I discussed this idea with Hu Xiaofeng and Hao Jindu, who also approved it. In August 1995, during the paper review meeting for the Ge Hong symposium in Beijing, I invited Li Zhanrong, an editor from the China Traditional Chinese Medicine Press, who also supported this idea. I immediately asked Li to serve as the chief editor and discussed the compilation and publication of the book with him. At the "Academic Symposium on Ge Hong and His Pharmaceutical Contributions" in November 1995, the preparatory committee of the Ge Hong Research Association discussed and officially designated this work as the association’s first task, making specific arrangements for the compilation. After more than six months of intensive work, we successfully completed the colloquial translation of these two works as scheduled. Hu Xiaofeng was responsible for annotating the entire Emergency Treatments for Emergencies, writing the preface, and translating the first two volumes. Hao Jindu translated volumes three to eight of Emergency Treatments for Emergencies. Ran Maoxiong translated volumes one to ten of Inner Canon of the Emerald Immortal, while Mei Quanxi translated the preface of Inner Canon of the Emerald Immortal and volumes eleven to twenty. Mei Quanxi was also responsible for processing and organizing the sections "Research on Ge Hong and Emergency Treatments for Emergencies and Inner Canon of the Emerald Immortal" and "Appendix," as well as overseeing the final compilation of the book.
It can be said that the colloquial translation of Inner Canon of the Emerald Immortal and Emergency Treatments for Emergencies is the first task completed by the Ge Hong Research Association since its establishment, and it can also be considered the association’s first achievement. The colloquial translation of Emergency Treatments for Emergencies was based on the· from the People’s, with reference to other versions. The colloquial translation of Inner Canon of the Emerald Immortal was based on the , with reference to Wang Ming’s Collected Annotations of the Inner Canon of the Emerald Immortal. During translation, we strived for conciseness while staying true to the original meaning. For special terms that could not be directly translated, such as Daoist terminology in the Inner Canon and some disease names in Emergency Treatments for Emergencies, we retained the original terms with annotations in parentheses. For some obscure drug names in the Inner Canon, we translated them into modern names where possible, but kept the original names for those that remained unclear to avoid misinterpretation. For some commonly used drug names in Emergency Treatments for Emergencies, we considered clinical usage issues and included the scientific name in parentheses after the drug name where it could be confirmed.
To maintain the completeness of these two books, no was made during translation. However, as they were written in an early era, some of the ideas, viewpoints, and disease treatments in the book are outdated. We remind readers to carefully discern and verify when reading, referencing, or applying this book. The articles in "Research on Ge Hong and Emergency Treatments for Emergencies and Inner Canon of the Emerald Immortal" were selected and processed from the papers presented at the "Academic Symposium on Ge Hong and His Pharmaceutical Contributions" held by the China Pharmaceutical Society in Huizhou, Guangdong, from November 26 to 29, 1995. Although they do not fully reflect Ge Hong’s great achievements and scientific contributions, these articles show that Ge Hong made tremendous contributions to promoting technological development, especially in medicine and pharmaceutical chemistry, and that his influence on later generations is profound. After reading these articles, you will surely exclaim: Ge Hong, as a renowned medical scholar, alchemist, and Daoist theorist from the Eastern Jin Dynasty, truly deserves the title!
Given our limited expertise, despite our best efforts, errors and shortcomings are inevitable. We sincerely welcome feedback and corrections from readers and experts so that we can revise the book for future editions.
Mei Quanxi
Summer of 1996, at the foot of Luofu Mountain, Huizhou, Guangdong