The "Huangdi Nei Jing", referred to as the "Nei Jing", is a book on medicine named after the Yellow Emperor and his ministers Qi Bo, Lei Gong, Gui Yuqu and Bo Gao. "Huangdi Neijing" consists of two parts: "Lingshu" and "Suwen", with 81 chapters in each volume and a total of more than 800,000 words.
The era when the "Huangdi Neijing" was written has not yet been determined. Judging from its content, it was not a one-time work by one person, but it is generally believed that its main content reflects the level of medical theory during the Warring States Period, and the basic finalization period should be no later than the Warring States Period. Of course, some of the contents may have been written by people from the Qin, Han and Six Dynasties.
Ancient medical books cited in "Huangdi Neijing". There are "Shang Jing", "Xia Jing", "Ku Du", "Yin and Yang", "Qi Heng", "Meridians", "Five Colors", "Mai Jing", etc. It shows that before the "Nei Jing", there were many kinds of medical books circulated in the world.
Meridians and acupuncture occupy a dominant position in the "Huangdi Neijing", inheriting and developing the Mawangdui silk books "Moxibustion Sutra of Eleven Veins of Foot and Arm", "Moxibustion Sutra of Eleven Veins of Yin and Yang", "Moxibustion Sutra of Eleven Veins of Yin and Yang", "Pulse Method", "Yin Yang Pulse Death Hou" and Zhangjiashan Han Bamboo Slips "Pulse Book", as well as the meridian theory and acupuncture treatment experience of Bian Que and others. In acupuncture treatment, it not only breaks through the above-mentioned silk slip medical books and "Fifty" "Recipes for Two Diseases" and others only adopt the level of moxibustion, and are also far more specific and systematic than the treatment experience recorded in "Historical Records: Biography of Bian Que". In the "Huangdi Neijing", "Lingshu": Chapters on Meridians, Meridians, and Meridians discuss the science of meridian more completely and systematically; "Lingshu": Chapters on Nine Needles and Twelve Elements, Nine Needles Theory, etc. Preparation of acupuncture equipment; "Suwen": Chapters on Qi points, Qifu, Gukong, Shuihot points, etc., discuss the distribution of acupoints; "Lingshu": Chapters on Nine Needles and Twelve Origins, Xie Ke, etc. The principles of holding acupuncture are discussed; "Su Wen": Chapters such as "Eight Right Gods" and "Lihe Zhenxie" discuss the replenishing and diarrhea methods of acupuncture; "Lingshu": Chapters such as "Diagnostic Essential Menstrual End" and "Forbidden Rules" discuss the taboos of acupuncture. etc., as well as acupuncture therapy for various diseases.
The theory of yin and yang and the five elements was first introduced into medicine by the Qin Dynasty. The Mawangdui silk book "The Eleven Meridians of Yin and Yang Moxibustion Sutra" states: "When the disease is severe, people and fire will be evil; when you hear the sound of wood, you will be wary and startled." ", also reflects the content of the Five Elements Theory. This passage was later included in "Lingshu Meridian Pian" and "Suwen Pulse Jie Pian" said: "The so-called extreme is the end of the disease, evil people and fire, if you hear the sound of wood, you will be wary. When one is frightened, Yang Qi and Yin Qi are incompatible with each other, and water and fire are inimical to each other, so one is alert but frightened." This shows that the theory of Yin and Yang and the Five Elements has been introduced into medical theory.
When the "Huangdi Neijing" was first written, during the Warring States Period, there were probably more than 20 separate editions, including "Huangdi Pulse Book" and "Bian Que Pulse Book". In the late Western Han Dynasty, Liu Xiang, Liu Xin and his son edited the book, and then Li Zhuguo and others edited it into eighteen volumes of the Huangdi Neijing. By the time Ban Gu wrote the "Book of Han" at the beginning of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the biographies of these medical books were still intact and were recorded in the "Book of Han·Yiwenzhi". When Zhang Zhongjing wrote "Treatise on Febrile and Miscellaneous Diseases" at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, and Huang Fumi at the end of the Wei Dynasty wrote "Acupuncture and Moxibustion Classics A and B", the eighteen-volume "Huangdi Neijing" in "Hanshu·Yiwenzhi" no longer existed, and was not only divided into "Su Wen", "Nine Volumes" or "Acupuncture Classic" are two books, and "some are also missing".
1. "Lingshu", also known as "Nine Volumes", "Acupuncture Classic", "Nine Spirits", "Nine Ruins", etc. After the Han and Wei dynasties, due to the long-term copying of manuscripts with different names, the lost manuscripts of the ancient "Acupuncture Classic" cited by Wang Bing of the Tang Dynasty are basically the same as the lost manuscripts of the ancient "Lingshu", indicating that they are the same. However, it is not the same as the "Lingshu" biography discovered by Shi Song of the Southern Song Dynasty (that is, the existing "Lingshu" biography). According to historical records, in the Northern Song Dynasty, there was an engraved version of the "Acupuncture Sutra" presented by Korea and published, but there is no book to prove it. By the early Southern Song Dynasty, all the various versions of "Lingshu" and "Acupuncture Classic" were lost. In the 25th year of Shaoxing (1155), Shi Song re-edited the 81 chapters of the nine volumes of "Lingshu" in his family collection, expanded it to twenty-four volumes, added phonetic notes, and published it in engraved edition. At this point, the biography of "Lingshu" has basically been finalized, replacing various biography, and has been printed and circulated to this day.
2. "Suwen" has different versions in Han Dynasty, Six Dynasties, Sui and Tang dynasties. It has been cited by Zhang Zhongjing, Wang Shuhe, Sun Simiao, Wang Tao, etc. in their works. The main ones are: (1) The Quan Yuan Qi Annotated Edition between Qi and Liang Dynasty (6th century AD) is the earliest annotated edition, but the sixth volume at that time has been lost, and there are actually only eight volumes. This biography was cited by Wang Bing of the Tang Dynasty, Lin Yi of the Song Dynasty, etc., but was lost after the Southern Song Dynasty. (2) Tang Dynasty and Wang Bing's annotated version. In the first year of Baoying in the Tang Dynasty (762), Wang Bing used the Quan Yuan annotated version as the base to annotate "Su Wen", and compiled the lost seventh volume into seven "major treatises". "In the Northern Song Dynasty, Jiayou Zhiping (1057-1067), a correctional medical bookstore was established. Lin Yi and others collated it based on Wang Bing's annotated version, and named it "Chongguang's Supplementary Annotations of Huangdi Neijing Suwen" , the engraving was published and finalized.
The writing of "Huangdi Neijing" marks a new stage in Chinese medicine from empirical medicine to theoretical medicine. The Huangdi Neijing summarizes the medical achievements before the Warring States Period and provides theoretical guidance for the development of Chinese medicine after the Warring States Period. In aspects such as holistic view, view of contradictions, meridian science, viscera science, etiology and pathogenesis, health preservation and preventive medicine, and diagnosis and treatment principles, it has laid a theoretical foundation for traditional Chinese medicine and has far-reaching influence. Most of the innovations and achievements of famous doctors in the past dynasties in theory and practice are closely related to the "Huangdi Neijing".
The writing of "The Yellow Emperor's Internal Classic" has not only been widely praised by doctors of all ages in China, but its influence abroad cannot be underestimated.
Japan, North Korea and other countries have listed "The Yellow Emperor's Internal Classic" as a required textbook for doctors, and some of its contents have been translated into English, French, German and other languages ??and spread around the world. In recent years, acupuncture organizations in some European and American countries have also listed the Huangdi Neijing as a must-read reference book for acupuncturists.