Zhu Gong: Biographical introduction and legendary stories, major works and academic contributions
-
✵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 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: Nan Yang Huo Ren Shu (the book of Nanyang for life saving). Biography and legends:
朱肱 (Zhū Gōng), also known as Yi Zhong (翼中Yì Zhōng), his self-title is Wu Qiuzi, but changed his self-title to 大隱翁(Dà Yǐnwēng) in his old age. He was called Zhū Fèngyì because he was once assigned the official position of Fèngyì Láng. A native of Wu Xing (present-day Huzhou), he was a scholar who passed the imperial examination and achieved the Jinshi title in the third year of the Yuanyou era (1088 CE). However, he had no intention of serving as an official and retired to make wine and write a book. During this time, he studied Shang Han Lun (the Treatise on Cold-induced Diseases) in depth. When the imperial court began to value medical science and sought out skilled practitioners, Zhu Gong became renowned as a scholar of medical science.
Zhu Gong studied Shang Han Lun (the Treatise on Cold-induced Diseases) for decades, becoming a renowned Shang Han expert. Zhang Zhongjing lived in Nanyang, and Hua Tuo ever called the book Shang Han Lun (the Treatise on Cold-induced Diseases) as a book of saving life, so Zhu Gong named his book Nan Yang Huo Ren Shu (Nanyang Life-saving Book). Another name for the book is Lei Zheng Huo Ren Shu (Shang Han syndromes for life-saving Book). Its original name was Wu Qiu Zi Shang Han Bai Wen (A Hundred Questions for the Treatise on Cold-induced Diseases by Wu Qiuzi). The book was renamed when it was re-engraved in the year 1118 CE. The whole book uses a comprehensive analysis method in an easy-to-understand question-and-answer format to explain the similarities and differences in the treatment of cold-induced diseases, making it easier for people to understand and contributing greatly to the practical application of Zhongjing's theory. During the period of Emperor Song Xiaozong, Li Xianzhi (李先知Lǐ Xiānzhī) summarized the essence and key points of the book according to its purpose. He wrote an intricate article, one syndrome with one song, and compiled the book Huo Ren Shu Kuo (A Summary of the Nanyang Life-saving Book). The book became more popular and spread. The book Nan Yang Huo Ren Shu (Nanyang Life-saving Book) had a significant influence, as recorded in the later work Yi Sheng (The Remaining Medical Works): "Those who are talking about the study of Shang Han know that there is a book named Huo Ren Shu, but they do not know that there is a book from Changsha (Zhang Zhongjing)."
Ancient book Qidong Yeyu (The Privately Compiled Story) by the author Zhou Mi recorded:"Gong, his grandfather's name was Chengyi (承逸Chéngyì), and he was an official Kongmu at Huzhou. His father's name was Lin (临lín), his alias was Zhengfu (正夫 Zhēng fū), passed the imperial examination and achieved Jinshi in the first year of Huangyou (1049 A.D.), and was assigned the official position of Dian Zhongcheng. His older brother's name was Fu (服Fú) , alias was Xingzhong (行中Xíngzhōng), and he was assigned the official position of Xiuzhuan of Zhijixiandian. His younger brother's name was Tong (彤Tóng), and he was famous for his scholarship and morality in his hometown." Zhu Gong passed the imperial examination and achieved Jinshi in the third year of the Yuanyou era (1088 CE). The Zhu family can be called a family of Confucianism with generations of high-level officials, as folks in the native county praised the Zhu family as "three Jinshi scholars in one family."
After achieving Jinshi, Zhu Gong ever served in various official positions. In Chongning 1st year (1102 CE), there was an eclipse and he was dismissed. He returned to Dayin Fang in Hangzhou, where he made wine and wrote books. He changed his self-title to Dà Yǐnwēng, which means "great hermit". Following the ancient medical texts, Nei Jing (the Yellow Emperor's Internal Canon) and Nan Jing (the Difficult Classic), till the late period of the Han Dynasty Zhang Zhongjing compiled the book Shang Han Za Bing Lun (the Treatise on Cold-induced and Miscellaneous Diseases). This text began to formulate the norms and principles of syndrome differentiation and treatment, though few people studied it systematically. Zhu Gong focused on studying Shang Han Lun (The Treatise on Cold-induced Diseases), asking questions and analyzing doubts. He wrote, "Since I started reading ancient works and verifying them with today's works, it has already been twenty-one years till now." In the Daguan 2nd year (1108 CE), he finished 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 CE), the book was modified and supplemented, and its content was increased to twenty volumes. The book was then renamed Nan Yang Huo Ren Shu (Nanyang Life-saving Book). At that time, the imperial court promoted medicine, "seeking individuals with an in-depth knowledge of Taoism to serve as masters for officials. Gong was appointed a learned scholar of medical science." In the fourth year of the Zhenghe era (1114 CE), he was made responsible for the government's medical decree.
Zhu Gong compiled other medical works. In the Zhenghe 8th year (1118 AD), he took the paintings "Left and Right Hand and Foot Jing Rongheyuan" by Ding Deyong (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 Shi Cangyong (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 Yang Jie (楊介Yáng Jiè). He corrected mistakes and supplemented the paintings with acupuncture methods, and compiled the book Nei Wai Er Jing Tu (Sceneries of the Internal and External) in three volumes. In addition to medical works, he ever wrote a three-volume book about wine known as Bei Shan Jiu Jing (The Wine Classics of the North Mountain).Main books and academic thoughts:
Zhu Gong is proficient in the theory of traditional Chinese medicine and has extensive clinical experience. Ancient texts such as Bo Zhai Bian recorded a medical case in which Zhu Gong treated the prefect of Dengzhou County, Shen Cizhong (盛次仲Shèng Cìzhòng), for an acute disease. Gong said, "it is the Xiaochaihu syndrome. Please take three servings of the herbal prescription." That night, Sheng said that he felt full. Gong examined him again and asked, "Where is the medicine you took?" Gong took a look at it and said, "It's Xiao Chai Hu San (Minor Bupleurum Powder)." Gong said that ancient preparations said the herb should be ground to the size of madou (a kind of small bean), boiled, and drank the clear juice. Its name is soup, so it enters the channels to attack the disease quickly. But now, it is powdered and stagnates in the diaphragm, so the stomach is full and the disease remains untreated. Prepare it according to the correct method. Decoct the herbal prescription by himself and let the patient take a second serving. He will feel comfortable that night."
The book Nan Yang Huo Ren Shu (Nanyang Life-saving Book) by Zhu Gong of the Song Dynasty was compiled and finished in the 1st year of the Daguan era (1107 CE). It is a total of 22 volumes. Zhu Gong pointed out that, regarding 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 want to read it, yet cannot understand it." To make Zhongjing's book "easy to understand and enjoyable," he wrote Nan Yang Huo Ren Shu (Nanyang Life-saving Book) to interpret it. This book is written as a series of 100 questions and answers that analyze and comprehensively explain Zhongjing's syndrome differentiation and treatment methods. The questions verify the entries in the book. He organized Zhongjing's scattered entries into a logical outline, making it easier for readers to understand the subtle elaboration of the etiology, pathogenesis, differential diagnosis, and treatment of the cold-induced diseases, as well as prescriptions. Zhu emphasizes not only the differentiation of syndromes but also the distinction between the yin and yang, the exterior and interior aspects of each syndrome. At the same time, he attaches importance to the differentiation and identification of diseases and lists 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. Additionally, this book not only elaborates on the application of the original prescriptions from Shang Han Lun (the Treatise on Cold-induced Diseases), but also selects 126 formulas from other books, including 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). This makes up for the limitations of prescriptions in Shang Han Lun (the Treatise on Cold-induced Diseases).
References:
-
- 1.Zhu Gong: Biographical introduction and legendary stories, major works and academic contributions
