Cheng Wuji: Biographical introduction and legendary stories, major works and academic contributions

 ✵Cheng Wuji: a famous herbalist ever lived during the end of the North Song Dynasty and the beginning of the Jin Dynasty, He spent 40 years studying the Shang Han Lun (the Treatise on Cold-induced Diseases), he is the first herbalist to comprehensively annotate the Shang Han Lun (the Treatise on Cold-induced Diseases) and one of the main representatives of the Shang Han school (the school of theory on exogenous febrile disease).

成無己 (Chéng Wújǐ).

  

Brief Introduction
Chinese Name:	成無己 (Chéng Wújǐ)	Alias:
Popular name:	成無己 (Chéng Wújǐ)	English Name:	Cheng Wuji, or Wuji Cheng (given/family)
Hometown:	Liaoshe	Dates:	about 1063–1156 A.D.
Main works:	《註解傷寒論》(Zhu Jie Shang Han Lun, or the Treatise on Exogenous Febrile Diseases with Notes) 10 volumes, 《傷寒明理論》(Shang Han Ming Li Lun, or the Concise Exposition of Cold-induced Disease) 3 columes, 《傷寒明理藥方論》(Shang Han Ming Li Yao Fang Lun, or the Prescriptions of the Concise Exposition of Cold-induced Disease) 1 volume.
Representative works:	Zhu Jie Shang Han Lun (the Treatise on Exogenous Febrile Diseases with Notes).

Biographical introduction and legendary stories

  Cheng Wuji, born around 1063 CE and died around 1156 CE, was a famous herbalist from Liaoshe in the Song Dynasty. He lived during the end of the Northern Song Dynasty and the beginning of the Jin Dynasty. He was born approvimately during Jiayou and Zhiping years of the Northern Song Dynasty (approximately 1056–1067 CE), and lived until the Zhenglong Yihai and Bingzi years (1155–1156 CE), Cheng's still alive. He was more than ninety years old before passing by. He was passionate about learning throughout his life. He spent forty years in studying the Shang Han Lun (The Treatise on Cold-Induced Diseases). At 78 years old, he wrote and finished the books Shang Han Ming Li Lun (The Concise Exposition of Cold-induced Disease) and Shang Han Ming Li Yao Fang Lun (Prescriptions of the Concise Exposition of Cold-induced Disease). He also finished annotating Shang Han Lun (the Treatise on Cold-induced Diseases) and compiled Zhu Jie Shang Han Lun (The Treatise on Exogenous Febrile Diseases with Notes) by the time he was 80. The annotations on Shang Han Lun (the Treatise on Cold-induced Diseases) were compiled after forty years of study. He was the first herbalist to comprehensively annotate the Shang Han Lun (the Treatise on Cold-induced Diseases), and he was one of the main representatives of the Shang Han School, a school of theory on exogenous febrile disease.

Major works and academic contributions

 Cheng Wuji is the author of three works on the study of the Shang Han Lun (The Treatise on Cold-induced Diseases): the three-volume Shang Han Ming Li Lun (the Concise Exposition of Cold-induced Disease), the one-volume Shang Han Ming Li Yao Fang Lun (The Prescriptions of the Concise Exposition of Cold-induced Disease), and the ten-volume Zhu Jie Shang Han Lun (The Treatise on Exogenous Febrile Diseases with Notes). These annotation books promote the spread and development of the Shang Han doctrine (the theory of exogenous febrile disease) through their annotations, arguments, discussions, and prescriptions. In Zhu Jie Shang Han Lun (the Treatise on Exogenous Febrile Diseases with Notes), Cheng Wuji used the theories from the Nei Jing (The Inner Canon) and Nan Jing (The Difficult Classic) to analyze the pathogenesis, treatment principles, and prescriptions of the Shang Han Lun. Thus, the Inner Canon, the Difficult Classic, and the Treatise on Cold-induced Diseases are in the same line of thought and fully conform to Zhong Jing's original intent. This work has become one of the main annotations for later generations of herbalists studying the Shang Han Lun (the Treatise on Cold-induced Diseases). With the help of Wang Ding (王鼎, Wáng Dǐng), Cheng's work Zhu Jie Shang Han Lun (The Treatise on Exogenous Febrile Diseases with Notes) was published in his late years. Subsequently, the other two works were also published in succession.

 Cheng Wuji was proficient in medical science and skilled in clinical practice. He was one of the masters who studied the Shang Han Lun (the Treatise on Cold-induced Diseases) during the Song and Jin periods. His three works on the Shang Han Lun (the Treatise on Cold-induced Diseases) contain annotations, discussions, arguments, and prescriptions. These works stand separately yet are closely related and complementary. Cheng is an extremely knowledgeable master who achieved his expertise through in-depth study. He used commentary on the classics and proved the classics through discussion and set a precedent for studying the Shang Han Lun (the Treatise on Cold-Induced Diseases) through annotation. This made it easier for later generations to understand the principles and applications of the Shang Han Lun (The Treatise on Cold-Induced Diseases) and promoted the spread and development of the theory. The ten volumes of Zhu Jie Shang Han Lun (The Treatise on Exogenous Febrile Diseases with Notes), which he compiled, are the earliest extant, fully annotated version of Shang Han Lun (the Treatise on Cold-Induced Diseases). For this reason, he occupies an important position in the history of Chinese medicine.

References:

• 1.Cheng Wuji: Biographical introduction and legendary stories, major works and academic contributions

 Edited:April 7th, 2024