Zhen Quan: Biographical introduction and legendary stories, major works and academic contributions

 ✵Zhen Quan: a physician during the Tang Dynasty who was a leading expert in acupuncture. He was also the author of the Zhen Fang (the Needling Prescriptions), and the Ming Tang Ren Xing Tu (the Figures of the Human Body).

甄權 (Zhēn Quán).

  

Brief Introduction
Chinese Name:	甄權 (Zhēn Quán)	Alias:	unknown
Popular name:	unknown	English Name:	Zhen Quan, or Quan Zhen (Given/Sur Name)
Hometown:	Xuzhou Fugou	Dates:	about 540–643 A.D.
Main works:	《明堂人形圖》(Ming Tang Ren Xing Tu) 1 volume, 《針經鈔》(Zhen Jing Chao) 3 volumes, 《脈經》(Mai Jing) 1 volume, 《針方》(Zhen Fang) 1 volume, 《脈訣賦》(Mai Jue Fu, or Pulse Rhymed Formula Poem) 1 volume, 《本草音義》(Ben Cao Yin Yi, or Herbal Phonosemantics) 7 volumes, 《藥性論》(Yao Xing Lun, or Treatise on the Nature of Medicinal Substances) 4 volumes.
Representative works:	Ming Tang Ren Xing Tu 1 volume,Yao Xing Lun (Treatise on the Nature of Medicinal Substances) 4 volumes.

Biographical introduction and legendary stories

 Zhen Quan (540–643 CE): A physician during the Tang Dynasty and a leading expert on acupuncture. He is the author of Zhen Fang (The Needling Prescriptions) and Ming Tang Ren Xing Tu (Illustrations of the Human Body’s Acupuncture Points).

 Zhen Quan was born in the sixth year of the Datong era (540 CE) during the Western Wei Dynasty (535–556 CE), one of the Northern Dynasties, or possibly in the seventh year of the Datong era (541 CE) during the Liang Dynasty (502–557 CE), one of the Southern Dynasties. He died in the seventeenth year of the Zhenguan era (643 CE) during the Tang Dynasty. He was from Xu Zhou Fugou (an ancient toponym, present-day Fugou County, Henan Province). When he was young, his mother fell seriously ill, prompting him and his younger brother, Zhen Liyan (甄立言, Zhēn Lìyán), to diligently study medicine together. They studied classical medical texts and gradually became renowned herbalists. Zhen Quan excelled particularly in acupuncture and moxibustion and possessed extensive knowledge of herbal therapy.

 Books and Writings: Zhen Quan authored numerous works during his lifetime. His known writings include: Ming Tang Ren Xing Tu, 1 volume; Zhen Jing Chao, 3 volumes; Mai Jing, 1 volume; Zhen Fang, 1 volume; Mai Jue Fu (Pulse Rhymed Formula Poem, 1 volume); Ben Cao Yin Yi (Phonosemantic Explanations of Herbal Names, 7 volumes), and Yao Xing Lun (Treatise on the Nature of Medicinal Substances, 4 volumes). Most of these works were lost in antiquity; however, portions of their content survive in later medical classics such as Bei Ji Qian Jin Yao Fang, Qian Jin Yi Fang, and Wai Tai Mi Yao. These writings profoundly influenced subsequent generations. The meridian diagrams compiled in Ming Tang Ren Xing Tu were highly influential and widely circulated during the Tang Dynasty. The eminent physician Sun Simiao redrew a colored illustrated atlas based on it—Ren Ti Jing Luo Yu Xue Cai Tu—but this illustrated work has also been lost.

 The book Ming Tang Ren Xing Tu is recorded in the history text Xin Tang Zhi (The New Tang Annals); however, Mai Liao Fu and Mai Jue Fu (The Pulse Rhymed Formula Poem) are both cited in Tong Zhi·Yi Wen Lüe. Ben Cao Yin Yi (Phonosemantic Explanations of Herbal Names, 7 volumes) is likewise recorded in Tong Zhi·Yi Wen Lüe.

 When Zhen Quan was young, his mother suffered from a prolonged illness. He and his younger brother, Zhen Liyan, devoted themselves wholeheartedly to studying medicine and therapeutic methods. They read medical recipe texts and learned many techniques. Soon they began practicing medicine and treating patients. Zhen Quan achieved remarkable proficiency in acupuncture and moxibustion. One cold winter, the Zhen brothers searched the fields for wild game animal to nourish their ailing mother and caught a thin brown hare. Upon careful examination, the younger brother determined that the hare was not emaciated from hunger but harbored intestinal parasites. He administered an irrigation treatment using realgar. As the hare struggled, Zhen Quan performed acupuncture. Within days, the hare expelled the parasites and fully recovered. News of the Zhen brothers’ successful treatment of the hare spread throughout the village, drawing many villagers to seek their medical care. At the beginning of the Kaihuang era (Kaihuang being the reign title of Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty, 581 CE), Zhen Quan was appointed Secretary of the Imperial Library. Citing ill health as his reason, he resigned the post and continued devoting himself to medical study and practice until his death. Several accounts of his extraordinary clinical skills appear in ancient texts.

 The historical text Jiu Tang Shu · Lie Zhuan (The Old Tang Book · Biographies) records: "Ku Diqin, Prefect of Luzhou, suffered from apoplexia (a wind-stroke syndrome) that physicians could not treat. When he consulted herbalist Zhen Quan, Quan carefully examined him and said, 'Simply hold your bow and arrow, aim at the target, and shoot—with one needle, I guarantee success.' Quan needled the Jianyu point (shoulder corner point), whereupon the symptoms rapidly subsided and the patient recovered. Ku Diqin then attempted archery and hit the target. Onlookers cheered."

 In volume 26 of Qian Jin Yi Fang by Sun Simiao, another case involving Zhen Quan is documented. During the Wude era (618–626 CE), Zhen Quan accompanied Ankang Duke Li Xiyu (李襲譽, Lǐ Xíyù) while serving in Luzhou (an ancient toponymy, present-day Changzhi City, Shanxi Province). Cheng Junchu (成君綽, Chéng Jūnchuò), Prefect of Shenzhou, developed a severe swelling at the nape of his neck—about the size of one sheng (an ancient dry measure)—and experienced throat obstruction. For three days, he was unable to eat or drink. Zhen Quan inserted an acupuncture needle into the Shangyang point (forefinger of the right hand), after which the patient’s breathing quickly normalized. By the second day, he had fully recovered and resumed normal eating and drinking. This case is also recorded in the later medical compendium Xu Ming Yi Lei An·Yan Hou Men.

 Zhen Quan knew a lot about herbs. He often combined herbs and acupuncture for treatment. Ancient books recorded related cases. For example, Anping Gong Li Delin (李德林, Lǐ Délín) suffered from hemilateral wind (hemiplegia). Zhen Quan treated him with Fangfeng Tang and acupuncture at seven points: Fengchi (Wind Pool), Jianyu, Quchi, Zhigou, Yanglingquan, Wushu, and lower ridge of Great Hollow (Xialiao). After taking nine doses of Fangfeng Tang and undergoing nine acupuncture sessions, the patient gradually recovered within ten days. Ankang Gong suffered from edema and difficulty urinating. Zhen Quan treated him with a pill composed of Poria cocos. The swelling disappeared before the pills were finished. These cases are recorded in the ancient book Qian Jin Yao Fang · Shui Zhong Men.

 In the 17th year of the Zhenguan era (643 A.D.), Zhen Quan was 102 years old. The emperor visited him, greeting him and inquiring about his well-being. They discussed the theory of herb properties and health maintenance. Zhen Quan wrote a four-volume book named Yao Xing Lun (Treatise on the Nature of Medicinal Substances) and presented it to the emperor. Zhen Quan passed away that same year.

Major works and academic contributions

 Zhen Quan was well-known in the court and among the people. He was skilled in acupuncture and herbal medicine, as well as health maintenance, and held that consuming fresh food—not stale food—was the most effective method for extending lifespan. He also maintained that diets and beverages should not be exclusively rich and flavorful; rather, vegetarian meals and mild flavors could enhance physical strength, reduce turbid and foul substances, and regulate stomach Qi—thereby preventing disease. In 621 CE, Zhen Quan used Qin Chengzu’s acupuncture chart (秦承祖 Qín Chéngzǔ, a physician of the Northern and Southern Dynasties and author of the now-lost three-volume Ming Tang Tu) as his primary reference. He verified and revised it according to the ancient acupuncture text Zhenjiu Jiayi Jing (The A-B Classic of Acupuncture and Moxibustion) and other sources, identifying numerous errors and basing his corrections and additions on Qin Chengzu’s chart. Later, he completed the compilation and illustration of the Ming Tang Ren Xing Jing Luo Tu, commonly abbreviated as Ming Tang Ren Xing Tu.

 During the Zhenguan era (627–649 CE), the Tang government commissioned officials—including Shaofu Zhen Quan, Chengwu Lang Sima Deyi (司馬德逸, Sīmǎ Déyì), Court Physician Xie Jiqing (謝季卿, Xiè Jìqīng), and Taichang Cheng Zhen Liyan (甄立言,Zhēn Lìyán)—to compile and edit a meridian and acupoint chart, aiming to standardize their names and locations amid widespread inconsistency.

 In 627 CE, Zhen Quan accepted the imperial commission to compile and edit the Ming Tang Ren Xing Tu (also known as the Ming Tang) and to collate and calibrate the Tu Jing alongside Zhen Liyan and Sima Deyi. The vividly colored meridian charts they produced—accompanied by detailed annotations—became an authoritative guide for Tang-dynasty and later generations of acupuncture practitioners, exerting profound and lasting influence.

 The compilation and editorial project led by Zhen Quan represents the first large-scale, government-sponsored system for the identification and standardization of acupoints in Chinese history with clear documentary evidence. It also constitutes a historical synthesis of acupoint knowledge since the publication of the foundational classic Zhen Jiu Jia Yi Jing (The ABC Classic of Acupuncture and Moxibustion), marking a pivotal event that bridged past and future developments in acupuncture and significantly advanced the field. It ended the long-standing confusion regarding acupoint nomenclature and location—a problem that had persisted since the Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, Sui, and early Tang periods—and further enriched acupoint theory, making outstanding contributions to the enlightenment of later generations, acupuncture education, and the popularization of acupuncture and moxibustion.

 Zhen Quan died at the age of 103, having never suffered illness. He was buried in his hometown—at the northern end of Haogang Village, Baotun Town, Fugou County. His tomb is designated as a protected major historical and cultural site. The renowned ancient physician Zhen Quan lies beneath two Chinese scholar trees. One hundred and fifty meters northeast lies the cemetery of his younger brother, Zhen Liyan.

References:

• 1.Zhen Quan: Biographical introduction and legendary stories, major works and academic contributions

 Edited:May 18th, 2020