Zhao Yide: Biographical Introduction and Historical Accounts, Major Works and Academic Contributions
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✵Zhao Yide was a Yuan dynasty scholar known for his commentary on the Jin Kui Yao Lüè (Synopsis of the Golden Chamber). He likely lived in the mid-to-late Yuan dynasty, after the mid-14th century. Zhao Yide initially studied Confucianism before turning to medicine; he studied medicine under Zhu Danxi for ten years, mastering all that Danxi had to teach. He is the author of Jin Kui Fang Lun Yan Yi (Extended Commentary on the Jin Kui Fang Lun).
- Zhao Yide
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Brief Introduction Chinese Name: 赵以德 (Zhào Yǐdé) Alias: Unknown Style Name: Unknown English Name: Zhao Yide (family name first) or Yide Zhao (given name first) Hometown: Unknown Dates: Mid-to-late Yuan dynasty Major Work: 《金匮方论衍义》 Jin Kui Fang Lun Yan Yi (Extended Commentary on the Jin Kui Fang Lun) Representative Work: Jin Kui Fang Lun Yan Yi (Extended Commentary on the Jin Kui Fang Lun) Biographical Introduction and Historical Accounts
Zhao Yide’s dates of birth and death, life story, and place of origin are unknown. He likely lived during the mid-to-late Yuan dynasty, after the mid-14th century. Zhao Yide initially studied Confucianism before turning to medicine; he studied medicine under Zhu Danxi for ten years, mastering all that Danxi had to teach. In 1342, Liu Guan (柳贯, Liǔ Guàn) was summoned to serve as an Assistant in the Hanlin Academy; before taking up his post, he earnestly admonished Zhao: “One must study diligently and with perseverance to achieve success in the future; if one is even slightly negligent, one will ultimately become a good-for-nothing. Since you have missed your chance to pursue formal education, there is no one in our hometown today who surpasses Master Zhu Yanxiu in the art of medicine. Why not go and study under him? You can thereby care for your family, help others, and benefit the world. You must strive to do so.” This was the reason Zhao Yide began studying medicine.
Major Works and Academic Contributions
Zhao Yide’s primary extant work is Jin Kui Fang Lun Yan Yi (Extended Commentary on the Jin Kui Fang Lun); the exact date of its composition is unknown, though it is believed to have been written in the mid-to-late 14th century.
Jin Kui Fang Lun Yan Yi (Extended Commentary on the Jin Kui Fang Lun) was never published after its completion, and only a small number of manuscript copies survive. A copy from the Tongzhi era (1862–1874) of the Qing dynasty is currently extant.
This work is an early comprehensive commentary on the Jin Kui Yao Lüè (Synopsis of the Golden Chamber). It consists of three volumes and was authored by Zhao Yide of the Yuan dynasty, though the exact year of compilation is unknown. Zhou Yangjun of the Qing dynasty praised Zhao’s commentary as “clear in reasoning, erudite in scholarship, thorough in intent, and meticulous in consideration.” Later commentators on the Jin Kui Yao Lüè paid considerable attention to Zhao’s insights. The original compilation omitted the final three of the 25 articles from the corrected edition compiled by the Song dynasty scholar Lin Yi and others.
Zhao Yide was an early medical scholar of the Jin Kui Yao Lüè. He not only focused on interpreting and elaborating the pulse manifestations described in the text but also, from the perspective of disease differentiation, emphasized the influence of etiology and constitutional factors on clinical manifestations. His exposition of the “Discussion on Formulas” is incisive and original. As the first—or one of the earliest—commentators on the Jin Kui Yao Lüè, he exerted a significant influence on subsequent commentaries on the text.
References:
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- 1. Zhao Yide: Biographical Introduction and Historical Accounts, Major Works and Academic Contributions
