一此书之述专以中寒另分一门今医书于杂证中闲言中寒而不详于伤寒论中则备言中寒而溷杂以致后学见证不
明两者错治故仆于辩注伤寒论后复集此书以发明仲景奥旨。
一此书分上中下三卷其前二卷皆仲景方论俾学人知所宗主末一卷附后贤方论俾学人得其变通庶几引今酌古斯
辩证制方不致有误。
一此书于每条证下既经注明复加详辩以见其证的系中寒又于每方之下将药性分别详注以见其方之对证为可用
倘证稍有未合或分两加减稍有可疑亦必详辩以见古今诸方为不可执如能临证权变用药必奏奇功。
一初学之士须先阅仆所注仲景伤寒论使遇热证已知投药得入仲景门墙后读此书复窥仲景堂奥则真寒之证一见
了然自能于热补之方百发百中其于伤寒热病凉泻之法特易如耳初学人其循序而观之。
一世人病伤寒者十居其九病中寒者十居其一所以医工用凉药者取效多用热药者取效少有等名医自以伤寒为专
科口诵仲景书误以伤寒变证指为中寒妄投热药屡屡致败此皆酷好仲景而不知变通者也学人但能虚心翻阅此书自得
治病活法。
一仆所集诸注如成氏原解伤寒论方氏条辩喻氏尚论篇程氏后条辩武陵陈氏伤寒六经篇注及内台外台补亡活人
等书。（后另集引用书目）汇合参看乃成此书犹恐后学不悟复以鄙意反复发明所取诸注不敢隐窃必曰某书曰某姓氏
其附鄙意必曰（琥）按曰愚按曰愚谓或愚意及设为或问而余答也。
一仆注此书始于康熙甲子中秋终于丙寅仲春之朔其间遇应酬少暇或尽一日之长注证一二条或注方一二道倘停
十日半月无暇得半日之闲注证一条或注方一道至有积二三日之暇仅注证一条或注方一道总计其工止五越月耳然仆
于平日构求诸名家医书潜心抄阅兼视病家疑难险证已二十余年矣以二十余年胸中所得悉发而为此书虽五越月亦不
速书既成不敢藏之家因为录出以公之海内同道者。
一、本书的论述专门将“中寒”单独列为一门。当今医书在杂病证治中偶尔提及中寒，却不够详尽；而在《伤寒论》中则详细论述中寒，导致内容混杂，致使后学者在辨证时不明晰，造成两者误治。因此，我在辨析注释《伤寒论》之后，又编纂了此书，以阐发张仲景深奥的宗旨。
二、本书分为上、中、下三卷。前两卷均为张仲景的方论，使学习者知道宗奉的主旨；最后一卷附录后世贤良医家的方论，使学习者能够掌握变通之法，从而参考古今，这样在辨证制方时就不会出现错误。
三、本书在每个证条之下，既然已经注明，又加以详细辨析，以显示其确实属于中寒；又在每个方剂之下，将药性分别详细注释，以显示该方是对证的、可用的。如果证候稍有不符合，或剂量加减稍有疑问，也必定详细辨析，以显示不能固执于古今各方。如果能临证灵活权变用药，必然能取得奇效。
四、初学的医者必须先阅读我所注释的张仲景《伤寒论》，使其遇到热证时已知如何投药，进入张仲景的门墙；之后再读此书，进一步窥探张仲景学问的堂奥，那么对于真寒之证一见便了然于心，自然能在运用温热补益方剂时百发百中，而对于伤寒热病使用清凉泻下的法则也会特别容易掌握。初学者应当循序渐进地阅读。
五、世人患伤寒的占十分之九，患中寒的占十分之一。所以医生使用凉药的往往取效多，使用热药的往往取效少。有些名医自认为专攻伤寒科，口诵张仲景的书，错误地将伤寒的变证指认为中寒，妄用热药，屡屡导致失败。这都是过分喜好张仲景学说而不知变通的人。学习者只要虚心翻阅此书，自然能得到治病救人的活法。
六、我所收集的各家注释，如成无己的原解《伤寒论》、方有执的《条辩》、喻昌的《尚论篇》、程知（程郊倩）的《后条辩》、武陵陈氏的《伤寒六经篇注》以及《内台方议》、《外台秘要》、《补亡论》、《活人书》等书籍。（引用书目另集）。汇合参看才编成此书。又担心后学者不理解，于是反复阐发我的浅见。所采用的各家注释，不敢隐瞒窃取，必定标明某书、某姓氏；凡附有我个人见解的地方，必定用“琥按”、“愚按”、“愚谓”或“愚意”，或者设为问答形式由我回答。
七、我注释此书始于康熙甲子年中秋，终于丙寅年仲春初一。其间遇到应酬较少有空闲时，有时尽一日之长，注释一二条证候或一二首方剂；倘若停歇十日半月无暇，得半日空闲，就注释一条证候或一首方剂；甚至有积攒两三天闲暇，仅注释一条证候或一首方剂。总计工时不过五个月而已。然而我平日广泛搜求各名家医书，潜心抄录阅读，兼及诊治病人疑难险恶证候，已有二十多年了。将二十多年来胸中所获全部发挥于此书中，虽然是五个月写成，也不算速成之书。书既完成，不敢藏之于家，因此抄录出来公之于海内同道者。
1. The exposition of this book specifically categorizes "Zhonghan" (Cold Damage from Exogenous Cold) as an independent discipline. Contemporary medical texts occasionally mention Zhonghan within the context of miscellaneous diseases but lack detail; conversely, while the *Shanghan Lun* (Treatise on Cold Damage) discusses Zhonghan extensively, it often mixes content with other conditions, causing confusion for later learners and leading to misdiagnosis and mistreatment of both categories. Therefore, after completing my annotated commentary on the *Shanghan Lun*, I compiled this book to elucidate the profound principles of Zhang Zhongjing.
2. This book is divided into three volumes: Upper, Middle, and Lower. The first two volumes consist exclusively of the formulas and theories of Zhang Zhongjing, enabling students to identify the orthodox foundation. The final volume appends formulas and theories from later virtuous physicians, allowing students to master adaptive variations. By integrating ancient wisdom with contemporary practice, one can ensure accuracy in syndrome differentiation and formula prescription.
3. Under each syndrome entry, annotations are provided followed by detailed analysis to confirm its classification as Zhonghan. Under each formula, the properties of individual herbs are meticulously noted to demonstrate the formula's appropriateness for the specific syndrome. If a syndrome appears slightly inconsistent or if dosage adjustments raise doubts, detailed analysis is provided to warn against rigid adherence to ancient or modern formulas. Flexible application based on clinical reality will surely yield remarkable results.
4. Novice practitioners must first study my annotated version of Zhang Zhongjing’s *Shanghan Lun*. This ensures they know how to administer medication for heat syndromes and enter the school of Zhang Zhongjing. Subsequently, studying this book allows them to penetrate the inner sanctum of Zhang’s teachings. Consequently, true cold syndromes will be immediately recognizable, enabling accurate use of warming and tonifying formulas with high success rates. Mastery of cooling and purging methods for Shanghan heat diseases will also become effortless. Beginners should proceed systematically.
5. Among the general population, nine out of ten cases are Shanghan (Cold Damage), while only one in ten is Zhonghan. Thus, physicians using cooling medicines often achieve more successes, whereas those using heating medicines succeed less frequently. Some renowned physicians, specializing in Shanghan and reciting Zhang Zhongjing’s texts, mistakenly classify complications of Shanghan as Zhonghan, recklessly administering heating medicines and repeatedly failing. These individuals admire Zhang Zhongjing excessively but fail to adapt his principles. Students who read this book with an open mind will naturally acquire effective therapeutic methods.
6. The various commentaries collected herein include Cheng Wuji’s original explanation of the *Shanghan Lun*, Fang Youzhi’s *Tiaobian*, Yu Chang’s *Shanglun Pian*, Cheng Zhi’s *Hou Tiaobian*, Chen Shi of Wuling’s annotation of the *Six Channels of Shanghan*, as well as texts such as *Neitai Fangyi*, *Waitai Miyao*, *Buwang Lun*, and *Huoren Shu*. (A separate bibliography lists these citations.) These were synthesized to form this book. Fearing that later learners might not fully grasp the material, I have repeatedly expounded upon my own insights. For borrowed commentaries, I explicitly cite the source author and text to avoid plagiarism. Personal observations are marked with phrases such as "Hu An" (Commentary by Hu), "Yu An" (My Commentary), "Yu Wei" (I believe), or "Yu Yi" (In my opinion), or presented as Q&A sections where I provide answers.
7. My work on annotating this book began during the Mid-Autumn Festival of the Jiazi year of the Kangxi reign and concluded on the first day of the second lunar month of the Bingyin year. During periods of leisure amidst social engagements, I would sometimes dedicate a full day to annotating one or two syndrome entries or one or two formulas. If delayed for ten days or half a month, finding only half a day free allowed me to annotate one syndrome or one formula. Occasionally, accumulating two or three days of free time resulted in the annotation of merely one syndrome or one formula. The total working time amounted to only five months. However, for over twenty years, I had been diligently collecting, copying, and studying medical texts from various masters, while simultaneously treating difficult and critical cases. All insights gained over these two decades were poured into this book. Although written in five months, it was not produced hastily. Having completed it, I dared not keep it hidden at home; thus, I copied it for dissemination among colleagues nationwide.