Zhū Gōng:introduction about his biography and legends,main books and academic thoughts.
✵朱肱 (Zhū Gōng):a famous herbalist who ever studied Shang Han Lun (the Treatise on Cold-induced Diseases) for decades and was a famous expert of the Shang Han study during the Song Dynasty, contributes a lot to the promotion of the practical application of Zhongjing's theory, he is the author of the book 《南陽活人書》(Nan Yang Huo Ren Shu, or the book of Nanyang for life-saving).
朱肱 (Zhū Gōng).
Brief Introduction
漢語名 (Chinese Name):
朱肱 (Zhū Gōng)
Alias:
翼中，無求子，大隱翁 (Yì Zhōng,Wú Qiúzǐ,Dà Yǐnwēng)
Popular name:
朱奉議 (Zhū Fèngyì)
English Name:
Zhu Gong, or Gong Zhu (Given/Family)
Hometown:
Gui An of North Song(today's Huzhou)
Dates:
about 1050~1125 AD.
Main works:
《南陽活人書》(Nan Yang Huo Ren Shu, or the book of Nanyang for life saving).
Representative works:
《南陽活人書》(Nan Yang Huo Ren Shu, or the book of Nanyang for life saving).
Biography and legends:
朱肱 (Zhū Gōng), alias 翼中 (Yì Zhōng), self-title Wú Qiúzǐ, changed self-title to Dà Yǐnwēng in his old age. He was called Zhu Fengyi because he was once assigned the official position, Fengyi Lang. He was native to Wu Xing (today's Huzhou), a scholar who passed imperial examination and achieved Jinshi title in the Yuanyou 3rd year ( 1088 A.D.), but had no intention of being an official, so he retired to make wine and wrote a book. During the period, he had an in-depth study on Shang Han Lun (the Treatise on Cold-induced Diseases), until the years the imperial court attached importance to medical science and sought those who were proficient in medical skills here and there, Zhu Gong was called a learned scholar of medical science.
Zhū Gōng studied Shang Han Lun (the Treatise on Cold-induced Diseases) for decades and was a famous expert of the Shang Han study at that time. Because Zhang Zhongjing ever lived in Nanyang, and herbalist Hua Tuo called the book Shang Han Lun (the Treatise on Cold-induced Diseases) as a book to saving life, so he gave his book a name as Nan Yang Huo Ren Shu (the book of Nanyang for life-saving), another name of the book was Lei Zheng Huo Ren Shu (the book of Shang Han syndromes for life-saving), its original name was Wu Qiu Zi Shang Han Bai Wen (A Hundred Questions for the Treatise on Cold-induced Diseases by Wu Qiuzi), it was renamed when it was reengraved in the year 1118 AD. The whole book uses the method of comprehensive analysis in an easy-to-understand text, in the form of questions and answers, to explain the similarities and differences in the treatment of cold-induced diseases so that people can understand easier, and contribute a lot to the promotion of the practical application of Zhongjing's theory. During the period of emperor Song Xiaozong, 李先知 (Lǐ Xiānzhī) summarized the essence and key points of the book according to its purpose, wrote it in an intricate article, one syndrome with one song, and compiled the book named Huo Ren Shu Kuo (A Summary of the book of Nanyang for life-saving), it was more popular and circulated, and the book of Zhū Gōng had a big influence, as later works Yi Sheng (the Remained Medical Works) recorded: "Those who are talking about the study of Shang Han, know that there is a book named Huo Ren Shu, but do not know that there is a book from Changsha (Zhang Zhongjing)."
Ancient book Qidong Yeyu (the privately compiled story) by 周密 (zhōu mì) recorded:"肱 (Gōng), his grandfather name is 承逸 (Chéngyì), was an official Kongmu at Huzhou. His father's name is 临 (lín), alias 正夫 (Zhēng fū), ever passed imperial examination and achieved Jinshi at Huangyou 1st year (1049 A.D.), was assigned as an official position titled Dian Zhongcheng. His elder brother's name is 服 (Fú) , alias 行中 (Xíng Zhōng), and he was ever assigned the official position of Xiuzhuan of Zhijixiandian. His younger brother's name is 彤 (Tóng), who is famous for his scholarship and morality in the native county.", and Zhū Gōng passed imperial examination and achieved Jinshi at Yuanyou 3rd year (1088 A.D.). The Zhu's family can be called a generation-high official position family of Confucianism, as folks at the native county praised the Zhu's family as "three Jinshi scholars in one family".
Zhū Gōng ever served in different official positions after achieving Jinshi. In the Chongning 1st year (year 1102 AD), there was an eclipse, he was dismissed and returned to Dayin Fang of Hangzhou, make wine and write books, changed his self-title to Dà Yǐnwēng(a big hermit). After the ancient medical works Nei Jing (the Yellow Emperor's Internal Canon) and Nan Jing (the Difficult Classic), till the late period of the Han Dynasty herbalist Zhang Zhongjing compiled the book Shang Han Za Bing Lun (the Treatise on Cold-induced and Miscellaneous Diseases), which began to formulate the norms and principles of the syndrome differentiation and treatment, but few people did systematic study on it. Zhū Gōng concentrated on studying the book Shang Han Lun (the Treatise on Cold-induced Diseases), asking questions and analyzing doubts, "Read from ancient works and verified from today's works, already twenty-one years till now", In the Daguan 2nd year (1108 A.D.), he finished the book Wu Qiu Zi Shang Han Bai Wen (A Hundred Questions for the Treatise on Cold-induced Diseases by Wu Qiuzi), and published his first monograph. In the Zhenghe 1st year (1111 A.D.), the book was modified and supplemented, increased to 20 volumes, and renamed as Nan Yang Huo Ren Shu (the book of Nanyang for life-saving). At that time, the imperial court promoted medicine, “seek those who have in-depth knowledge of Taoism, as masters for officials, and Gong was assigned as a learned scholar of medical science.", In the Zhenghe 4th year (1114 A.D.), he was assigned to be responsible for the government's medical decree.
Zhū Gōng ever compiled other medical works too, in the Zhenghe 8th year (year 1118 AD), he took the paintings of “Left and Right Hand and Foot Jing Rongheyuan” by 丁德用 (Dīng Déyòng), the paintings “Ren Du Er Mai, Shi Er Jing Zhu (Annotations on the Ren and Du meridians, and the Twelve Meridians) by 石藏用 (Shí Cángyòng), and the paintings "The system of the heart, lungs, gallbladder, spleen, and stomach, the strongholds of the large and small intestines, and the bladder" by 楊介 (Yáng Jiè), corrected the mistakes, supplemented with acupuncture methods, and compiled the book Nei Wai Er Jing Tu (the Sceneries of the Internal and External), in 3 volumes. Except for medical works, he ever wrote a book about wine, known as Bei Shan Jiu Jing (the Wine Classics of the North Mountain), in 3 volumes.
Main books and academic thoughts:
Zhū Gōng is proficient in theory of traditional Chinese medicine, and has rich clinical experience. Ancient works Bo Zhai Bian ever recorded a medical case when he was in the Dengzhou county, "The prefect 盛次仲 (Sheng Cizhong) suffered an acute disease and called 肱(Gōng) to give him a treatment. He said: 'it is the syndrome of Xiaochaihu, please take three servings of recipes'. At the night, Sheng said that he felt fullness; Gong checked him again, and asked, Where is the medicine he ever took? Take and look at it, it is Xiao Chai Hu San (Minor Bupleurum Powder). Gong said: ancient preparations, said that the herb should be filed to the size of Madou(a kind of small bean), boiled and drink the clear juice, its name is the soup, so it enters the meridian to attack the disease quickly. Now it is the powder, stagnating on the diaphragm, so the stomach is full, and the disease is untreated. So prepare according to the right method, decocted the recipe by himself, and let him take the second serving, the patient will feel comfortable that night."
The book Nan Yang Huo Ren Shu (the book of Nanyang for life-saving), written by Zhū Gōng of the Song Dynasty, it was compiled and finished in the Daguan 1st year (1107 A.D.), a total of 22 volumes. Zhu Gong pointed out that for the book Shang Han Lun (the Treatise on Cold-induced Diseases), "Those alive in this world who know that they should read this book are scared and even want to read it, while they cannot know its meaning." In order to make Zhongjing's book "easy to know and love to read", he wrote the book Nan Yang Huo Ren Shu(the book of Nanyang for life-saving) to give an interpretation of it. This book was written as 100 questions in the form of question and answer, it analyzes and comprehensively analyzes Zhongjing's syndrome differentiation and treatment methods, and it is set as question and answer to verify the book with its entries. So he made an outline of Zhongjing's book, whose entries are scattered in chaos, to make it properly and logically arranged, easy for readers to appreciate, and have a subtle elaboration of the etiology and pathogenesis, differential diagnosis, treatment and prescriptions of the cold-induced diseases. Zhu not only emphasizes differentiation of syndromes, but also pays attention to distinguishing the Yin, Yang, exterior, and interior of each syndrome; at the same time, he also attaches importance to differentiation and identification of diseases, and listed various types of exogenous affection diseases, Shang Han (cold-affection), Shang Feng (wind-affection), febrile disease, heatstroke (summer heat), warm disease (epidemic febrile disease), wen nue (warm malaria), wind-warm (wind-warm disease), pestilence, Zhong Shi (dampness affection, syndrome due to attack of pathogenic dampness), damp-warm (damp-warm disease), convulsive disease, and warm toxin. In addition, this book not only elaborates the application of the original prescriptions of Shang Han Lun (the Treatise on Cold-induced Diseases), but also selects 126 formulas from other works Qianjin (the Invaluable Prescriptions), Wai Tai Mi Yao (the Medical Secrets of an Official), Shenghui Fang (the Holy Benevolent Prescription, or the Sacred Remedies), and Jin Kui Yu Han Jing (the classic of the Jade Letters from the Golden Chamber), as a makeup for the insufficiency of prescriptions from the book Shang Han Lun (the Treatise on Cold-induced Diseases).
References:
1.Zhū Gōng:introduction about his biography and legends,main books and academic thoughts.
✵朱肱 (Zhū Gōng):a famous herbalist who ever studied Shang Han Lun (the Treatise on Cold-induced Diseases) for decades and was a famous expert of the Shang Han study during the Song Dynasty, contributes a lot to the promotion of the practical application of Zhongjing's theory, he is the author of the book 《南陽活人書》(Nan Yang Huo Ren Shu, or the book of Nanyang for life-saving).
朱肱 (Zhū Gōng), alias 翼中 (Yì Zhōng), self-title Wú Qiúzǐ, changed self-title to Dà Yǐnwēng in his old age. He was called Zhu Fengyi because he was once assigned the official position, Fengyi Lang. He was native to Wu Xing (today's Huzhou), a scholar who passed imperial examination and achieved Jinshi title in the Yuanyou 3rd year ( 1088 A.D.), but had no intention of being an official, so he retired to make wine and wrote a book. During the period, he had an in-depth study on Shang Han Lun (the Treatise on Cold-induced Diseases), until the years the imperial court attached importance to medical science and sought those who were proficient in medical skills here and there, Zhu Gong was called a learned scholar of medical science.
Zhū Gōng is proficient in theory of traditional Chinese medicine, and has rich clinical experience. Ancient works Bo Zhai Bian ever recorded a medical case when he was in the Dengzhou county, "The prefect 盛次仲 (Sheng Cizhong) suffered an acute disease and called 肱(Gōng) to give him a treatment. He said: 'it is the syndrome of Xiaochaihu, please take three servings of recipes'. At the night, Sheng said that he felt fullness; Gong checked him again, and asked, Where is the medicine he ever took? Take and look at it, it is Xiao Chai Hu San (Minor Bupleurum Powder). Gong said: ancient preparations, said that the herb should be filed to the size of Madou(a kind of small bean), boiled and drink the clear juice, its name is the soup, so it enters the meridian to attack the disease quickly. Now it is the powder, stagnating on the diaphragm, so the stomach is full, and the disease is untreated. So prepare according to the right method, decocted the recipe by himself, and let him take the second serving, the patient will feel comfortable that night."
