Li Xinji, authored by / People's Medical Publishing House, published in November 2003

Preface by Mr. Zhang Zhenyu (excerpt)

Professor Li Xinji has been engaged in the study of "Treatise on Cold Damage" for more than thirty years, with rich clinical experience, and has gained considerable insights and unique perspectives on the research of "Treatise on Cold Damage". Based on his previous work, "Interpretation of Difficulties in Treatise on Cold Damage", for which I wrote the preface, he has newly authored "Comprehensive Interpretation of Treatise on Cold Damage", which provides a comprehensive, systematic, and in-depth explanation of the original text of Zhongjing's book in its original sequence. The academic level achieved has established his academic status in the field of "Treatise on Cold Damage" research.
To understand the original text of "Treatise on Cold Damage" and thus recognize its true meaning, the author proposes four suggestions, which are also the four principles followed in this book:
1. Adhere to the original text of "Treatise on Cold Damage" and do not alter the text according to one's own will. This preserves the authenticity of the original book.
2. Learn from previous annotations, but do not be confined to or blindly follow them. Point out the errors in previous annotations such as "misinterpretation due to incorrect punctuation", "misinterpretation due to ignorance of stylistic rules", "misinterpretation due to unclear meanings of words", "misinterpretation due to lack of detailed reasoning", "misinterpretation due to ignorance of facts", "misinterpretation due to inability to distinguish common texts", and "misinterpretation due to ignorance of linguistic features". Blindly following such annotations not only fails to achieve the goal of correct understanding but also leads to accepting errors as truths.
3. Let "Treatise on Cold Damage" interpret itself, thus avoiding the constraints of "misreading traditions", and point out that collation and reading are truly important methods of learning and research.
4. Restore Zhongjing's thought process in formulating prescriptions based on "Shennong's Classic of Materia Medica" and explore the rules of his dialectical medication.
In summary, although this book is titled "Comprehensive Interpretation", it does not follow the old conventions of "annotations not breaking the classics" and "commentaries not breaking the annotations" from the Han and Tang dynasties, nor does it follow the bad habit of embellishing the text without gaining insights. The characteristic of this book is "letting 'Treatise on Cold Damage' interpret itself", sorting out difficulties and doubts through the method of collation and reading. The text is profound yet easy to understand, linking theory with clinical practice. At the same time, the author has spent a great deal of effort and time to compile a concise, convenient, and practical retrieval system. Therefore, this book is an invaluable reference for both beginners and researchers. This is the preface.

Note by Shen Yaozi: A must-read good book for studying "Treatise on Cold Damage", worth collecting and savoring repeatedly. Especially, the index of this book is rare among Chinese books, and from this alone, one can see the author's dedication. This book basically includes the main content of the previous work "Interpretation of Difficulties in Treatise on Cold Damage", but "Interpretation of Difficulties in Treatise on Cold Damage" contains more detailed textual research and commentary. Both are worth referencing.

Shen Yaozi said, "The sun bakes the earth, dissipating all things."