后世之方已不知几亿万矣，此皆不足以各方者也。昔者，圣人之制方也，推药理之本原
，识
药性之专能，察气味之从逆，审脏腑之好恶，合君臣之配偶；而又探索病源，推求经络。其
思远，其义精，味不过三四，而其用变化不穷。圣人这智，真与天地同体，非人之心思所能
及也。上古至今，千圣相传，无敢失坠。至张仲景先生，复申明用法，设为问难，注明主治
之症，其《伤寒论》、《金匮要略》集千圣之大成，以承先而启后，万世不能出其范围。此
之谓古方，与《内经》并垂不朽者。其前后名家，如仓公、扁鹊、华佗、孙思邈诸人，各有
师承，而渊源又与仲景微别，然犹自成一家。但不能与《灵》、《素》、《本草》一线相传
，为宗枝正脉耳。既而积习相仍，每着一书，必自撰方千百。唐时诸公，用药虽博，已乏化
机。至于宋人，并不知药，其方亦板实肤浅。元时号称极盛，各立门庭，徒骋私见。迨乎有
明，蹈袭元人绪余而已。今之医者，动云古方，不知古方之称，其指不一。若谓上古之方，
则自仲景先生流传以外无几也；如谓宋元所制之方，则其可法可传者绝少，不合法而荒谬者
甚多，岂可奉为典章？若谓自明人以前，皆称古方，则其方不下数百万夫常用之药，不过数百品，而为方数百万随拈几
味，皆已成方，何必定云某方也？嗟！嗟！古之方何其严，
今之方何其易，其间亦有奇巧之法、用药之妙，未必不能补古人之所未及，可备参考者。然
其大经大法，则万不能及。其中更有违经背法之方，反足贻害。安得有学之士为之择而存之
，集其大成，删其无当，实千古之盛举。余盖有志而未遑矣！
后世的方剂已经不知有多少亿了，这些都不足以用来与古方相提并论。从前，圣人制定方剂时，推究药理的根本源头，识别药性的专门功效，考察气味的顺逆关系，审视脏腑的喜好与厌恶，配合君臣药的对应关系；又深入探索疾病的根源，推求经络的规律。他们的思虑深远，义理精微，药物不过三四味，但运用变化无穷。圣人的智慧，真正与天地同体，不是普通人的心思所能达到的。从上古到现在，千位圣人传承下来，没有敢有丝毫遗失或坠落。到了张仲景先生，再次阐明用法，设立问答疑难，注明主治的症状，他的《伤寒论》、《金匮要略》集千圣之大成，承继前人而开启后人，万世都不能超出其范围。这叫做古方，与《黄帝内经》并垂不朽的。前后的名家，如仓公、扁鹊、华佗、孙思邈等人，各有师承，渊源又与张仲景略有不同，然而仍然自成一家。只是不能与《灵枢》、《素问》、《神农本草经》一线相传，作为宗枝正脉罢了。接着积习相沿，每写一本书，必定自己撰写方剂千百首。唐代各位公卿，用药虽然广博，已缺乏变化的机巧。至于宋代人，并不懂药性，他们的方剂也刻板实在肤浅。元代号称极盛，各自建立门户，只是放纵个人见解。等到明代，只是沿袭元人的残余而已。现在的医生，动不动就说古方，不知道古方的称呼，所指不一。如果说上古的方剂，那么自张仲景先生流传下来的以外就没有多少了；如果说宋元所制的方剂，那么值得效法流传的极少，不合法度而荒谬的很多，怎么可以奉为典章？如果说自明代以前，都称为古方，那么其中的方剂不下数百万。常用的药物，不过几百种，而为方剂数百万，随手拈来几味，都已经成了方剂，何必一定说是某方呢？唉！唉！古代的方剂何其严谨，现代的方剂何其容易，其中也有奇巧的方法、用药的妙处，未必不能弥补古人的不足，可以作为参考。然而其大经大法，则万万不能达到。其中更有违背经典法则的方剂，反而足以留下祸害。怎能有学问之士为他们选择而保存，集其大成，删除不当的，这确实是千古的盛事。我大概有志向却来不及实现了啊！
The prescriptions of later generations have numbered in the hundreds of millions, none of which are sufficient to be compared with ancient prescriptions. In antiquity, when the Sages formulated prescriptions, they deduced the fundamental principles of materia medica, identified the specific efficacies of herbs, examined the compliance or opposition of their qi and flavor, assessed the preferences and aversions of the zang-fu organs, and matched the relationships between sovereign, minister, assistant, and envoy herbs; furthermore, they explored the origins of diseases and traced the pathways of the meridians. Their thinking was far-reaching, and their meaning profound; using no more than three or four herbs, yet their applications were inexhaustible. The wisdom of the Sages truly embodied the unity with Heaven and Earth, surpassing the capacity of ordinary human thought. From antiquity to the present, transmitted through thousands of sages, there has been no daring to let it fall into disuse. When Mr. Zhang Zhongjing (Zhang Jingyue) came along, he further clarified the methods of application, posed questions and difficulties, and specified the symptoms for primary treatment. His *Shanghan Lun* (Treatise on Cold Damage) and *Jingui Yaolue* (Essential Prescriptions of the Golden Cabinet) gathered the greatness of a thousand sages, inheriting from the past and enlightening the future, such that ten thousand generations could not transcend its scope. These are called ancient prescriptions, immortal alongside the *Huangdi Neijing* (Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon). Later famous masters, such as Cang Gong, Bian Que, Hua Tuo, and Sun Simiao, each had their own lineages of transmission, and although their origins differed slightly from those of Zhongjing, they still established their own schools. However, they could not maintain the continuous lineage passed down from the *Lingshu* (Spiritual Pivot), *Suwen* (Basic Questions), and *Shennong Bencao Jing* (Divine Farmer's Materia Medica) as the orthodox main stem. Subsequently, habits accumulated and persisted; whenever writing a book, one would inevitably compose hundreds or thousands of new prescriptions. The scholars of the Tang Dynasty, while broad in their use of herbs, lacked the subtlety of transformation. As for the Song Dynasty people, they did not understand herbs well, and their prescriptions were rigid, substantial, and superficial. The Yuan Dynasty was hailed as extremely prosperous, with various schools establishing their own domains, merely indulging in personal views. By the Ming Dynasty, practitioners merely followed the remnants of the Yuan traditions. Today's physicians often speak of "ancient prescriptions," unaware that the term refers to different things. If referring to prescriptions from antiquity, then apart from those transmitted by Mr. Zhang Zhongjing, there are very few left; if referring to prescriptions made in the Song and Yuan dynasties, then those worthy of emulation and transmission are extremely rare, while many are unlawful and absurd—how can they be regarded as canonical? If considering all prescriptions before the Ming Dynasty as "ancient," then there are not less than several million. Commonly used herbs number only in the hundreds, yet prescriptions number in the millions; picking a few herbs at random already constitutes a prescription, so why must one insist on naming a specific formula? Alas! Alas! How rigorous were the ancient prescriptions, and how easy are the modern ones! Among them, there may indeed be ingenious methods and subtle uses of herbs, which might possibly supplement what the ancients missed and serve as references. However, regarding the great principles and laws, they certainly cannot compare. Moreover, some prescriptions violate classics and laws, potentially causing harm. Would that there were learned scholars to select and preserve the best, gather the greatest achievements, and delete the inappropriate; this would indeed be a magnificent undertaking for millennia. I harbor this ambition but lack the time to accomplish it!