Classic Texts
Guided readings of foundational TCM classics.
43 articles · Page 2 of 5
Ling Shu (灵枢): The Spiritual Pivot — Acupuncture's Foundation Text
Explore the Ling Shu (灵枢, Spiritual Pivot) — the second half of the Huangdi Neijing and the foundational text of acupuncture and meridian theory. Learn about its history, structure, key theories, and lasting influence on TCM.
Bencao Jing Jizhu (本草经集注): Tao Hongjing's Annotated Materia Medica — The Bridge Between Ancient and Imperial Chinese Herbal Medicine
Discover Bencao Jing Jizhu (本草经集注), Tao Hongjing's landmark 5th-century annotated revision of the Shennong Bencao Jing that reorganized 730 herbs into a classification system used for over a thousand years.
Xin Xiu Bencao (新修本草): The Tang Dynasty Imperial Materia Medica — The World's First National Pharmacopeia
Explore Xin Xiu Bencao (新修本草), the 659 AD Tang Dynasty pharmacopeia commissioned by Emperor Gaozong — the first government-sponsored materia medica in world history, with 850 entries and illustrated herb guides.
Wen Re Lun (温热论): Treatise on Warm Heat — The Birth of Warm Disease Theory
Explore Wen Re Lun by Ye Tianshi, the Qing dynasty text that revolutionized TCM by introducing the Four Levels (卫气营血) diagnostic framework for febrile diseases. Learn how it transformed the treatment of infectious diseases.
Yin Shan Zheng Yao (饮膳正要): Principles of Correct Diet — The First TCM Nutrition Classic
Discover Yin Shan Zheng Yao (Principles of Correct Diet) by Hu Sihui, a Yuan dynasty text that was the first systematic work on TCM dietary therapy. Learn how a Mongol court physician combined Chinese medicine with steppe dietary wisdom.
Xue Zheng Lun (血证论): Treatise on Blood Syndromes — A TCM Landmark
Explore Xue Zheng Lun (Treatise on Blood Syndromes) by Tang Zonghai, a landmark Qing dynasty text that systematically categorized bleeding disorders and established foundational principles for treating blood conditions in TCM.
Yi Xue Ru Men (医学入门): Introduction to Medicine — A Ming Dynasty TCM Encyclopedia
Discover Yi Xue Ru Men (Introduction to Medicine) by Li Chan, a comprehensive Ming dynasty medical encyclopedia that served as both a textbook for beginners and a clinical reference for experienced practitioners.
Dan Xi Xin Fa: Zhu Danxi's Heart Method and the Theory of Yin Deficiency
Discover Dan Xi Xin Fa (丹溪心法), the influential medical text by Zhu Danxi — one of the four great masters of the Jin-Yuan era — and his groundbreaking theory that 'Yang is always in excess, Yin is always in deficiency.'
Qian Jin Yao Fang: Sun Simiao's Prescriptions Worth a Thousand in Gold
Explore Qian Jin Yao Fang (千金要方), the monumental medical encyclopedia by Sun Simiao — the King of Medicine — covering prescriptions, acupuncture, diet therapy, and medical ethics that shaped TCM for over 1,300 years.
Lei Jing (类经): Zhang Jingyue's Masterpiece of Neijing Classification
Explore Lei Jing, Zhang Jingyue's monumental 1624 work that reorganized the Huangdi Neijing by topic rather than form — creating the most comprehensive systematic commentary on Chinese medicine's foundational text.