Traditional Chinese Medicine Health Preservation and Diagnosis Three-Character Classic

Author: Chen Nianzu [Qing Dynasty]
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2002-12-01
Features: Since the publication of Three Character Classic, numerous imitative enlightenment readers have emerged. The earliest in the field of medicine is undoubtedly Three Character Classic of Medicine, compiled by the Qing Dynasty medical master Chen Nianzu. Chen (1766–1833), styled Xiuyuan and styled Shenxiu, was a native of Changle, Fujian. Orphaned in childhood and poor, he studied for the imperial examinations while learning medicine from his grandfather, the Confucian physician Chen Julu. He studied early at the Aofeng Academy in Fuzhou. In the 51st year of the Qianlong reign (1786), he was admitted as a zhuosheng. Later, he became a disciple of the famous physician Cai Zongyu in Quanzhou, inheriting his teachings. In the 57th year of the Qianlong reign (1792), he passed the provincial examinations. Residing in the capital, he gained fame for curing Cui Zhaodong, the vice minister of the Ministry of Justice, who suffered from hemiplegia caused by stroke. His reputation spread throughout the capital, and his door was always full of patients seeking treatment. The following year, a powerful official forcibly demanded that Chen Nianzu join his household as a tutor, but Chen refused and returned to his hometown on the pretext of illness. In the 59th year of the Qianlong reign, he was appointed as the magistrate of Weixian (now part of Hebei), treating patients in his spare time. In the 6th year of the Jiaqing reign (1801), an outbreak of warm malaria occurred in the Hengshan region, and many people died due to the incompetence of mediocre physicians. Chen Nianzu was ordered to investigate the disaster and treated patients in his spare time. He also selected 108 effective prescriptions, compiled them into Glossary of Temporary Prescriptions, and widely disseminated the book, saving countless lives. In the 24th year of the Jiaqing reign (1819), he retired from office due to old age and taught at the Shangding Study in Changle, attracting numerous students. Throughout his life, he wrote extensively, mostly on introductory medical works that were easy for beginners, making them widely popular. Among his more famous works are Brief Notes on the Treatise on Cold Damage, Brief Notes on the Essentials from the Golden Cabinet, Brief Explanation of the Difficult Classic, Glossary of Changsha Prescriptions, Glossary of Golden Cabinet Prescriptions, Wondrous Uses of Temporary Prescriptions, The Real Ease of Medicine, The Records of Medical Consensus, Essentials of Gynecology, and Three Character Classic of Medicine. Three Character Classic of Medicine was completed in the 9th year of the Jiaqing reign (1804) and consists of four volumes: Volume 1 and 2 discuss the origins of medicine, internal, gynecological, and pediatric diseases, as well as common conditions and treatments for cold damage and warm epidemics; Volume 3 and 4 record the efficacy and combinations of commonly used prescriptions, with appendices on yin-yang, viscera, meridians, the five elements, and the four diagnostic methods (inspection, auscultation, inquiry, and palpation). The core content of Volume 1 and 2 is written in the form of three-character couplets. Except for the section on the origins of medicine, which aims to outline the characteristics of classical Chinese medicine and the academic styles of, the main content classifies dozens of common clinical conditions into 23 categories, each incorporating the wisdom and treatments of various schools. It adheres to the highest standards set by Zhang Zhongjing, the Han Dynasty sage of medicine, in his Treatise on Cold Damage and Essentials from the Golden Cabinet, combining his clinical insights. Small notes are added to supplement the main text, explaining the etiology, pathogenesis, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of various conditions. It begins with general treatments by other physicians before listing Zhang Zhongjing’s prescriptions. The content is concise yet profound, practical, and easy to remember due to its rhythmic three-character structure. As an introductory work in traditional Chinese medicine, it has been widely welcomed by beginners and enthusiasts since its publication. It has been repeatedly printed and remains popular to this day. It should be noted that Chen Nianzu was a particularly reverent physician of ancient classics, a sentiment that is especially evident in Three Character Classic of Medicine. In the preface, he states: "This book discusses theories and treatments, strictly adhering to ancient teachings, without any speculative or frivolous remarks. The temporary methods are listed first, followed by Zhang’s methods, demonstrating a gradual progression." He also writes, "The foundation of learning medicine lies in entering the door; if the entry is correct, the entire path will be correct, but if it is wrong, the entire path will be wrong. This book clarifies the sacred methods, serving as a guide for entry." In his annotations, he frequently praises Zhang Zhongjing’s prescriptions, showing extreme reverence for him and his works. However, he often holds disdain for the prescriptions of physicians after Zhang Zhongjing, sometimes excessively so, revealing a biased and outdated perspective. He pays no attention to the emerging medical theories of the Qing Dynasty, such as the theory of warm diseases, further demonstrating his rigid adherence to tradition. As time progresses and society advances, traditional Chinese medicine has developed many new theories, treatments, and prescriptions during Chen Nianzu’s Qing Dynasty. In the over 100 years following him, traditional Chinese medicine has achieved remarkable progress and achievements. Therefore, his medical views and ideas must be reevaluated and understood by modern people. Due to these factors, the author has added "Annotations" and "Explanations" to this self-annotated Three Character Classic of Medicine. Due to space limitations, this book selects the core content of Volume 1 and 2 (the Three Character Classic part) of the original work, based on the edition of the Preliminary Elegance Hall in the 9th year of the Jiaqing reign (1804). It is divided into 24 chapters, with each chapter further divided into sections based on content. The original text (with the author’s self-annotations omitted) is listed first, followed by annotations and brief remarks. At the end of each chapter, a concise explanation is provided for the diseases discussed. The "Remarks" section aims to help modern readers overcome textual and medical knowledge barriers to understand Three Character Classic of Medicine. Through this book, readers can gain basic knowledge of the history and clinical practice of traditional Chinese medicine, understand its general outline, and develop a preliminary, practical understanding of the pathology, diagnosis, and prescriptions for 23 categories of diseases. This may be another feature of this book.