Huangdi Neijing

August 9, 2007 – 9:09 am

Huangdi Neijing (Simplified Chinese: é»⿿å¸å⿠⿦ç»; Traditional Chinese: é»ƿå¸å⿦§ç¶⿿; Pinyin: Huÿ¡ngdÿ¬ Nÿ¨ijÿ«ng), also known as Inner Canon of Huangdi or Inner Canon of Yellow Emperor is the most early extant theory work for Traditional Chinese medicine. The book is about finished in Warring States Period.

It is the seminal medical text of ancient China. The theoretical foundations for Chinese Medicine are systematically covered. The work is composed of two texts each of eighty one chapters or treatises in a question and answer format between the mythical Huangdi (Yellow Emperor) and his ministers.

The first text, the Suwen(ç´ å⿢), also known as Plain Questions, covers the theoretical foundation of Chinese Medicine, diagnosis methods and treatment methods. The second and generally less referred-to text, the Lingshu Jing (é˿æ¨žç¶⿿) also known as Miraculous Pivot, deals with acupuncture in great detail. Collectively, and strictly speaking, these two texts together, the Suwen and Lingshu are known as the Neijing or the Huangdi Neijing. Though, because the Suwen is much more widely quoted and referred to, the title Neijing often in practice refers to just the Suwen.
The most important ancient book of Chinese medicine as well as a major book of Daoist theory and lifestyle is the Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Medicine (Huangdi Neijing, é»ƿå¸å⿦§ç¶⿿), said to have been compiled by the mythical Yellow Emperor é»ƿå¸. It consists of two parts, the Suwen ç´ å⿢ “questions of fundamental nature” and the Lingshu é˿æ¨ž “spiritual pivot” ( a book also called Zhenjing é⿡ç¶⿿ “Classic of Acupuncture” because the latter is its main content). The book is structured as a dialog between the Yellow Emperor and His advisors. Huangdi and His advisors should be considered fictionalâ⿬⿝they are needed for the question and answer format predominant in the Neijing. This format links together otherwise disjointed texts and is possibly useful for the (anonymous) authors to avoid attribution and blame. (See pages 8-14 in Unschuld for more on these topics.)

The Neijing departs from the old shamanistic beliefs that disease was caused by other worldly influences. Instead the natural effects of diet, lifestyle, emotions, environment, age and heredity are the reason diseases develop. The universe is composed of various forces and principles, such as Yin and Yang, Qi and the Five Elements (or phases). These forces can be understood via rational means and man can stay in balance or return to balance and health by understanding the laws of these natural forces. Man as is a microcosm that mirrors the larger macrocosm. The principles of yin and yang, the five elements, the environmental factors of wind, damp, hot and cold and so on that are part of the macrocosm equally apply to the microcosm that is man.

External links

Online Neijing Suwen text in traditional characters (Big5 encoding). No details about text given, contains no notes or commentary. http://www.chinapage.com/big5/science/hw2.htm

The Needham Research Institute, a centre for the study of the history of East Asian science, technology and medicine. http://www.nri.org.uk/

Images of the Chong Guang Bu Zhu Huangdi Neijing Suwen printed in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 CE) by Gu Congde see http://wwww.tjutcm.edu.cn/www2/tulu/26.htm,

Tags: Nei Jing, Yellow Emperor