Also known as the "Yellow Emperor's Classic of Acupuncture and Moxibustion", the "Yellow Emperor's Classic of Acupuncture and Moxibustion" was written by Huangfu Qui, the Western Jin Dynasty comprising 12 volumes and 128 articles. It is the first monograph on acupuncture and moxibustion in China. It is the pioneering work and the foundation work in the history of the development of acupuncture and moxibustion in China, which systematically summarizes the theory and practical experience of acupuncture and moxibustion, and is of great significance as a milestone in the academic history of Chinese medicine and acupuncture in the world.
I
The Book of Acupuncture and Moxibustion was written in 282 A.D. It is a compilation of the contents of acupuncture and moxibustion from three books, namely Su Wen, Ling Shu (the Book of Acupuncture and Moxibustion) and Ming Tang Kong Acupuncture and Moxibustion Treatment, which can be described as "an insight into the art of medicine, and thus into its wonders". The original book is based on the celestial stems and is mainly devoted to the theory of medicine and the methodological techniques of acupuncture and moxibustion, hence the name "Acupuncture and Moxibustion Jie".
The birth of the Book of Acupuncture and Moxibustion followed the trend of historical development. With the advent of the Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine, the theoretical system of Chinese medicine was basically complete, and the academic thinking of acupuncture and moxibustion became increasingly mature. The "Su Wen" and "Ling Shu" had already elaborated the theories and technical ideas of acupuncture and moxibustion, and there were several monographs on acupuncture and moxibustion, but they were either scattered and lost or scattered and unsystematic. As a historian, Huang Fu Qu was nearly 50 years old when, suffering from "wind paralysis" and deafness, he began to study acupuncture and moxibustion, and searched extensively for various medical books on acupuncture and moxibustion before the Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine, and "deleted their floating words, eliminated their repetition, and discussed their essence". In his preface, he said, "I have compiled a collection of three books to make things follow each other." The book is based on the Su Wen, the Ling Shu, and the Ming Tang Kong Acupuncture and Moxibustion Treatments, and combines the discussions of famous medical scholars and his own experience to compile a comprehensive and systematic collection of acupuncture and moxibustion meridians, acupoints, and treatments, from theory to clinical practice. This method of categorisation and collection also provided a good starting point and a model for later compilers. The meridians, acupoints, acupuncture and moxibustion methods, and acupuncture treatments listed therein have long since become the basic framework for delineating the connotations of the discipline of acupuncture and moxibustion today. After the publication of the Book of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, it was used as the main basis for the creation of bronze figures of acupuncture and moxibustion, the writing of books and the engraving of stones to spread the correct circulation of acupuncture and moxibustion, and the compilation of books on acupuncture and moxibustion by scholars of acupuncture and moxibustion in the Ming and Qing dynasties. After its publication, the Book of Acupuncture and Moxibustion was valued by medical scholars and acupuncturists throughout the ages and was copied by many.
II
The Book of Acupuncture and Moxibustion (A.B.) has formed a theoretical system with a complete structure and profound connotations. The first six volumes deal with basic theory, while the second six volumes record the clinical treatment of various diseases, including causes, pathogenesis, symptoms, diagnosis, acupuncture points, treatment and prognosis.
The A & B Classic of Acupuncture and Moxibustion has many academic achievements in acupuncture theory. It not only preserves a large amount of ancient acupuncture literature and promotes the academic thought of acupuncture in the Nei Jing, but also collects the best of acupuncture points from before the Western Jin Dynasty, establishes the norms of acupuncture and moxibustion practice, and brings together rich clinical treatment experience; its academic thought also spreads at home and abroad, promoting the exchange of medical cultures worldwide.
He systematized the 14 meridians and acupoints. He proposed the method of arranging acupuncture points by dividing them into lines, recorded more than 70 aliases for meridian points, supplemented the Nei Jing, recorded more than 80 points of rendezvous, proposed more than 100 points for "pulse qi", and added to and improved the system and content of the five transfusion points. It also describes in detail the acupuncture points, including their aliases, location, method of extraction, where they meet, where they are located, where they are located, the prohibition of acupuncture, the prohibition of moxibustion, the consequences of misuse of acupuncture, the depth of acupuncture, the duration of retention, and the number of moxibustion strokes. New acupuncture points that were not included in previous texts have also been added, bringing the total to 349, 189 more than in the Nei Jing. The book also systematically discusses the theory of meridians, based on the medical literature of the Jin Dynasty, and provides a comprehensive study of the twelve meridians, the eight odd meridians, the fifteen channels, the twelve meridians and the twelve tendons of the meridians, and provides a theoretical overview and systematic discussion of their physiological functions, routes and patterns of circulation and pathogenesis, which became the basis for future research.
The codes of practice for acupuncture and moxibustion were established. The posture and method of holding needles, the shallowness and depth of needling, the direction of needling, the prevention of minor and major accidents, the duration of needle retention, the number of moxibustion strokes, the prohibition of needling at acupuncture points, the inability to pierce deeply at acupuncture points, etc., are all clearly defined. Not only is the depth of needling required for each part of the body to ensure safe needling, but the duration of needle retention and the number of moxibustion strokes for over 200 acupoints are clearly and precisely stated. The theory and technical requirements for the application of septic moxibustion were also first documented. In addition, the adverse consequences of miscarrying and moxibustion are also noted. There are 13 acupuncture points where mis-needling caused adverse consequences, and 29 acupuncture points where mis-moxibustion caused adverse consequences. This is both a summary of the experience of previous generations and a certain amount of creativity, which is important both in terms of its documentary value and in guiding the development of acupuncture for future generations.
The collection is rich in clinical treatment experience. Huang Fu Qu has summarised his experience in the selection of acupuncture points for different diseases, documented more than 500 prescriptions, and discussed the treatment of more than 200 diseases, with particular emphasis on gynaecology and paediatrics. In particular, based on the experience of his predecessors, he systematises the key clinical issues around the indications for acupuncture, suggesting a total of more than 800 diseases and symptoms suitable for acupuncture treatment, making it easy for learners to grasp, while also elaborating on acupuncture methods and clinical contraindications. It also explains acupuncture and moxibustion methods and clinical contraindications. Of particular note is the fact that the Acupuncture and Moxibustion A.E. Classic is also devoted to the relationship between the different hours of the day and the selection of acupuncture points and methods of acupuncture and moxibustion, an issue of chronological medicine that is still being applied in clinical practice and is of interest and research to international scholars.
III
Huangfu Qui's life is rich in experience and full of legends. His family had been officials for generations until his father's family fell into disgrace. Huangfu Quian himself was passed on to his uncle as an adopted son due to the death of his biological mother. When he was young, he and his children used to 'weave thorns as shields and hold feet as spears', and in his twenties he still wandered about. One day he offered his uncle's mother the fruits and melons he had earned. One day he offered his uncle's mother, Ren, with tears in her eyes, enlightened him: "In the past, Meng's mother moved three times to become a benevolent person, and Zeng's father cooked boars to save his education. "Cultivate your body and learn, since you have got it, what does it have to do with me?" Huangfu Qui was deeply moved and repented, and began to meditate on his studies. In his early years, Huangfu Qui studied mainly scriptures and history, and wrote extensively. He was described in historical books as "a man of noble aspirations, who made it his business to write", and was the author of "The Century of Emperors and Kings", "The Biography of the High Scholar", "The Biography of the Lady", "The Biography of the Yishi", and "The Spring and Autumn of the Xuan Yan". Because of his fame, the court repeatedly called on him to become an official, but he was indifferent to fame and fortune, determined to learn, and repeatedly resigned from the government. He spent the rest of his life writing the epoch-making work on acupuncture and moxibustion that influenced the development of acupuncture in China, the Book of Acupuncture and Moxibustion (A & B). In the third year of his life, Huangfu Qu was 68 years old when he completed his work on Acupuncture and Moxibustion and died in Zhang'ao Po in the same year. His sons, Tong Ling and Fang Hui, respected their father's legacy, and chose a barren land to bury him in a frugal manner at the edge of the plateau. He was called "Huangfu Zhazi" by the world.
For more than 1,700 years, the Acupuncture and Moxibustion Classic has been a treasure trove for acupuncturists, both ancient and modern, providing concrete guidance and theoretical basis for clinical treatment. As early as the Sui and Tang dynasties, the "Acupuncture and Moxibustion Classic" was a compulsory textbook for medical education, and Sun Simiao, the King of Medicine, said in his "Practice of Great Medicine" that "anyone who wishes to be a great doctor must be well versed in the "Su Wen", "A B" ...... and other scriptures and prescriptions", making it compulsory reading for medical students. In the Tang and Song dynasties, it was also clearly defined as a compulsory course of study in medical schools, and there were doctors of acupuncture, assistant teachers of acupuncture, and acupuncturists who taught and guided clinical practice accordingly. The Acupuncture and Moxibustion Classic also had a wide impact abroad, and was valued by countries around the world, especially Japan and Korea. In the seventh and eighth centuries, Japan and Korea both specified that the Acupuncture and Moxibustion Classic was to be used as a textbook in their medical education, and also specified the number of days of study. It can be said that the academic value of the Acupuncture and Moxibustion Classic has had a profound global impact.
