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Chao Yuanfang () was a Chinese physician and medical author who was court physician at the
Sui Dynasty
The Sui dynasty (, ) was a short-lived imperial dynasty of China that lasted from 581 to 618. The Sui unified the Northern and Southern dynasties, thus ending the long period of division following the fall of the Western Jin dynasty, and layi ...
(581–618 CE) between the years 605 and 616. Traditionally, he had been attributed the co-authorship or authorship of the Chinese medical classic ''
Zhubing yuanhou lun''. This work sets out a classification of diseases and describes their causes and symptoms. It also discusses therapeutic methods.
[SHI Heng, QIN Wan-ling, SHI Kai, ''General Treatise on the Causes and Symptoms Exploration of Guidance Method on Respiratory Characteristics'']
in: 'Journal of Jiangxi University of Traditional Chinese Medicine', 2011-06 The ''Zhubing yuanhou lun'' had an important influence on the development of Chinese medicine. Its influence also extended to Japan where it formed the inspiration for the ''
Ishinpō
is the oldest surviving Japanese medical text. It was completed in 984 by Tamba Yasuyori (also referred in some sources as Tanba no Yasuyori) and is 30 volumes in length. The work is partly based on a Chinese medical work called '' Zhubing yuan ...
'', the oldest surviving Japanese medical text completed in 984.
[ ]
Life
Very few details have been preserved about the life of Chao Yuanfang. He is referred to in old texts as a ''medical erudite'' ().Fabrizio Pregadio Fabrizio Pregadio (born January 14, 1957) is a Sinologist and a translator of Chinese language texts into English related to Taoism and Neidan (Internal Alchemy). He is currently affiliated with the International Consortium for Research in the Human ...
, ''Chao Yuanfang'', in: Helaine Selin, 'Encyclopaedia of the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine in Non-Wester.n Cultures', Springer Science & Business Media, 31 July 1997, p. 185 Historical records indicate that Chao Yuanfang lived during the final years of the Sui Dynasty (581–618 CE) and the early years of the Tang Dynasty
The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...
(618–906 CE). During the Daye reign (605–618 CE) of the Sui Dynasty he was appointed as the Academician of the Imperial Medical Academy and later promoted to the post of Court Physician.[Yan Liang Abdulbaset M. Salim Wendy Wu Paul E. Kilgore, ''Chao Yuanfang: Imperial Physician of the Sui Dynasty and an Early Pertussis Observer?'']
Open Forum Infectious Diseases, Volume 3, Issue 1, Winter 2016
''Zhubing Yuanhou Lun''
Scholarship does not agree on the authorship of the ''Zhubing yuanhou lun'' 諸病源候論 (''General Treatise on Causes and Manifestations of All Diseases''). The ''Suishu jingji zhi'' (), a bibliography included in the official history of the Sui Dynasty and compiled between 641 and 656, identifies Wu Jingxian () as the author. In the ''Jiutangshu jingji zhi'' (), the bibliography of the Old Book of the Tang Dynasty compiled during the rule of the Later Jin Dynasty 後晉 (936-946), Wu Jing () is named the author of the work. The name Chao Yuanfang is first recorded as the author of the work in historical records from the Song Dynasty
The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the rest ...
(960–1279). Further reference to Chao Yuanfan's participation in the authoring of the book is found in an edition of the ''Zhubing yuanhou lun'' published during the Northern Song Dynasty. The preface to that edition states that the work was written during the Daiye period of the Sui Dynasty by the imperial physician Chao Yuanfang and others pursuant to an imperial decree. The preface further describes that the authors compiled the work by gathering the most authoritative writings from various schools of thought and studying these thoroughly.[ The work was then submitted to the throne in 610.][
The ''Zhubing yuanhou lun'' has been integrally preserved and is divided into 50 chapters (scrolls). It discusses more than 1,700 syndromes, which are classified into 67 symptom categories of internal and external diseases. The final chapters deal with gynaecology, obstetrics and pediatrics. It is the first Chinese text that deals with etiology and symptomatology. It also discusses therapeutic methods. The therapeutic methods proposed are not the traditional medicines or acupuncture of Chinese medicine, but therapies based on such practices as diet and ]Tao yin
Daoyin is a series of cognitive body and mind unity exercises practiced as a form of Taoist neigong, meditation and mindfulness to cultivate ''Jing (Chinese medicine), jing'' (essence) and direct and refine ''qi'', the internal energy of the bod ...
.[ Tao yin is sometimes referred to as ]Taoist
Taoism (, ) or Daoism () refers to either a school of philosophical thought (道家; ''daojia'') or to a religion (道教; ''daojiao''), both of which share ideas and concepts of Chinese origin and emphasize living in harmony with the ''Tao'' ...
yoga
Yoga (; sa, योग, lit=yoke' or 'union ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-consciou ...
and consists of a series of exercises (mainly in lying and sitting positions, but also in standing positions) that are intended to cultivate ch'i
In traditional Chinese culture and the East Asian cultural sphere, ''qi'', also ''ki'' or ''chi'' in Wade–Giles romanization ( ), is believed to be a vital force forming part of any living entity. Literally meaning "vapor", "air", or " ...
, the internal energy of the body according to Traditional Chinese Medicine
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an alternative medical practice drawn from traditional medicine in China. It has been described as "fraught with pseudoscience", with the majority of its treatments having no logical mechanism of action ...
.[Taoist Ways of Healing by Chee Soo chapter 11 Tao Yin - Taoist Respiration Therapy, p 113 (Aquarian Press/Thorsons - ]HarperCollins
HarperCollins Publishers LLC is one of the Big Five English-language publishing companies, alongside Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and Macmillan. The company is headquartered in New York City and is a subsidiary of News Cor ...
1986 The practice of tao yin is a precursor of qigong
''Qigong'' (), ''qi gong'', ''chi kung'', ''chi 'ung'', or ''chi gung'' () is a system of coordinated body-posture and movement, breathing, and meditation
used for the purposes of health, spirituality, and martial-arts training. With roots in ...
, The ''Zhubing yuanhou lun'' prescribes 213 tao yin exercises for 110 different symptoms.[Kevin Chen, ''Book Review of 'Chinese Medical Qigong English Edition Introduction to the English Edition of Chinese Medical Qigong Textbook' by Kevin W Chen, Ph.D. MPH'']
16 August 2011 The ''Zhubing yuanhou lun'' had an important influence on the development of Chinese medicine. Its influence also extended to Japan where it formed the inspiration for the ''Ishinpō
is the oldest surviving Japanese medical text. It was completed in 984 by Tamba Yasuyori (also referred in some sources as Tanba no Yasuyori) and is 30 volumes in length. The work is partly based on a Chinese medical work called '' Zhubing yuan ...
'', the oldest surviving Japanese medical text completed in 984.[
]
Editions
Chinese-language edition of the ''Zhubing Yuanhou Lun'' at archive.org
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chao Yuanfang
7th-century Chinese physicians
Year of birth unknown
Song dynasty people