A Complete Translation of The Yellow Emperor’s Classics of Internal Medicine and the Difficult Classic
The Yellow Emperor’s Classics of Internal Medicine, known as Nei-Jing in Chinese, is the first and primary classic of traditional Chinese medicine; it is the source of inspiration in the development of TCM. The Classic has effectively guided its clinical practice, and been held in great esteem by all Chinese physicians in the more than two thousand years since its publication. The Study of Nei-Jing has gradually emerged as an important subject of study among Chinese and foreign scholars alike.
Another classic, Nan-Jing (the Difficult Classic), is basically an exposition of the theory and philosophy of Nei-Jing and remains so closely related to Nei-Jing that it makes logical sense to translate and publish them together to facilitate the reader’s understanding of the two classics.
In the past, large numbers of physicians and experts in many related areas of study have conducted in-depth researches into the classic. Many historians have annotated, checked, and interpreted its contents. And quite a few scholars and physicians have written books about the classic.
I first translated Nei-Jing and Nan-Jing (known as the Difficult Classic) in 1978. In view of the importance of this classic, I have taken the step of re-translating it. Unlike the earlier version, this brand new translation incorporates various research, annotations, and commentaries by outstanding physicians and scholars of the past. The result, much to my great satisfaction and delight, is a new book, desktop size, with 800 pages of text and notes, bound in luxurious green satin.