医之为道古来有言也言自轩歧始未有方也方自仲景始方出而道滋弊焉然非方之能弊道也言之
或能尽令乎道病之不能尽合乎方泥而庸之道其不滋弊耶吾侄子惧弊道而讹人也搜辑于见
闻之
真详拟于心思之极察其风土辨其气候审其年叙抡其方之可传者定为司南以不用之者存乎通焉
其用心亦良矣承既板之后言于简末人也辛无俾吾侄子之踵其弊尤哉
嘉靖甲子春王正月哉生明新安左竹山子吴敖谨跋
万历戊子冬十一月木后山房重刊
医学这一道，古来就有说法。它起源于黄帝和岐伯（轩辕氏与岐伯），那时还没有方剂；方剂起源于张仲景，方剂出现后，医道便滋生了弊端。然而，并不是方剂本身导致了医道的败坏，而是言语或许不能完全阐明医道，疾病的表现也不能完全契合方剂，拘泥于形式而沦为平庸之辈，医道难道不会更加败坏吗？我的侄子吴正伦担忧医道被败坏从而误导世人，于是搜集整理他亲眼所见、亲耳所闻的真实详细情况，凭借心思的极致考察，辨别各地的风土人情，辨析气候差异，审察年龄次序，筛选出可以传承的方剂，定为指南（司南），而那些不采用的方剂则保留以体现通变之理。他的用心也是很好的。承继了刻版印刷之后，我在书末写下这些话，希望人们能够辛勤劳作，不要让我的侄子重蹈那些败坏医道的覆辙，这真是值得感叹啊！
嘉靖甲子年（1564年）春季第一个月，月亮开始发光的新安左竹山子吴敖恭敬地写下跋文。
万历戊子年（1648年）冬季十一月，木后山房重新刊印。
The Way of Medicine has been spoken of since ancient times. It originated with Huangdi and Qibo (Emperor Xuanyuan and Qi Bo), at which time there were no prescriptions; prescriptions originated with Zhang Zhongjing. Once prescriptions emerged, the Way of Medicine began to suffer from degeneration. However, it is not the prescriptions themselves that cause this degeneration, but rather that words may fail to fully elucidate the Way, and diseases may not entirely conform to prescriptions. If one adheres rigidly to forms and becomes mediocre, would not the Way of Medicine degenerate further? My nephew, Wu Zhenglun, fearing the degeneration of the Way and its misleading of people, collected and compiled authentic and detailed accounts from his personal observations and experiences. Through extreme mental scrutiny, he distinguished local customs and climates, examined age-related factors, and selected prescriptions worthy of transmission, establishing them as a guide (Sinan). Prescriptions not adopted were retained to demonstrate flexibility and adaptation. His intention was indeed commendable. Following the completion of the printing blocks, I write these words at the end of the book, hoping that people will exert themselves diligently so that my nephew does not follow in the footsteps of those who corrupted the medical Way. This is truly remarkable!
In the first month of spring in the Jiazi year of the Jiajing era (1564 AD), when the moon begins to wax, Wu Ao, styled Zuo Zhushanzi of Xin'an, respectfully wrote this postscript.
Reprinted in the eleventh month of winter in the Wuzi year of the Wanli era (1648 AD) at Mu Hou Shan Fang.