病有当急治者，有不当急治者。外感之邪，猛悍剽疾，内犯脏腑，则元气受伤，无以托
疾于
外，必乘其方起之时，邪入尚浅，与气血相乱，急驱而出之于外，则易而且速。若俟邪气已
深，与气血相乱，然后施治，则元气大伤，此当急治者也。若夫病机未定，无所归着，急用
峻攻，则邪气益横。如人之伤食，方在胃中，则必先用化食之药，使其食渐消，由中焦而达
下焦，变成渣秽而出，自然渐愈；若即以硝黄峻药下之，则食尚在上焦，即使随药而下，乃
皆未化之物，肠胃中脂膜与之全下，而人已大疲，病必生变，此不当急治者也。以此类推，
余病可知。至于虚人与老少之疾，尤宜分别调护，使其元气渐转，则正复而邪退。医者不明
此理，而求速效，则补其所不当补，攻其所不当攻。所服之药不验，又转求他法，无非诛伐
无过；至当愈之时，其人已为药所伤，而不能与天地之生气相应矣。故虽有良药，用之非时
，反能致害。缓急之理，可不讲哉？
一病而当分治者，如痢疾腹痛胀满，则或先治胀满，或先治腹痛。即胀满之中亦不同，
或因
食，或因气；或先治食，或先治气。腹痛之中亦不同，或因积，或因寒；或先去积，或先散
寒。 中不同，皆当神其轻重而审察之。以此类推，则分治之法可知矣。有当合治者，如寒
热腹痛，头疼，泄泻，厥冒，胸满，内外上下，无一不病，则当求其因何而起，先于诸症中
择最甚者为主。而其余症，每症加专治之药一二味以成方，则一剂而诸症皆备。以此类推，
则合治之法可知矣。若亦有分合焉，有一病而合数药以治之者，阅古圣人制方之法自知；有
数病而一药治之者，阅本草之主治自知。为医者，无一病不穷究其因，无一方不洞悉其理，
无一药不精通其性。庶几可以自信，而不枉杀人矣！
疾病中有应当紧急治疗的，也有不应当紧急治疗的。外感邪气，猛烈剽悍且发病迅速，若内侵脏腑，就会损伤元气，导致无力将病邪托举于体表之外，必须趁着病邪刚刚兴起、侵入尚浅、与气血相互扰乱之时，急速将其驱逐出体外，这样既容易又快速。如果等到邪气已经深入，与气血严重紊乱之后才进行治疗，那么元气就会受到极大损伤，这就是应当紧急治疗的情况。至于那些病机尚未确定、病邪无所依附的情况，如果急于使用猛烈的攻下法，反而会使邪气更加猖獗。例如人吃了东西导致食积，食物尚在胃中，就应当先用消食导滞的药物，使食物逐渐消化，从中焦到达下焦，变成残渣秽物排出，自然就会逐渐痊愈；如果立刻用芒硝、大黄等峻猛的泻下药，此时食物还在上焦，即使随着药力下行，也都是未消化的物质，肠胃中的脂膜也会随之完全脱落，导致人体极度疲惫，病情必然发生变故，这就是不应当紧急治疗的情况。以此类推，其他疾病的道理也就知道了。至于体虚之人以及老人和儿童的疾病，尤其应当分别进行调理护理，使他们的元气逐渐恢复，正气复盛则邪气自退。医生如果不明白这个道理，而追求速效，就会补了不该补的地方，攻了不该攻的地方。服用的药物无效，又转而寻求其他方法，无非是对没有过错的正气进行诛伐；到了本该痊愈的时候，病人已经被药物所伤，无法与天地间的生气相应了。所以虽然有良药，如果用错了时机，反而会造成危害。缓急治疗的道理，难道可以不研究吗？
一种疾病当中应当分开治疗的，比如痢疾伴有腹痛和胀满，那么就或者先治疗胀满，或者先治疗腹痛。即使是胀满之中情况也不同，有的是因为饮食停滞，有的是因为气机阻滞；有的先治食积，有的先治气滞。腹痛之中情况也不同，有的是因为积滞，有的是因为寒邪；有的先去积滞，有的先散寒。各种情况不同，都应当审慎辨别其轻重并仔细考察。以此类推，分治的方法就可以知道了。有应当合并治疗的，比如同时出现恶寒发热、腹痛、头痛、泄泻、四肢厥冷昏冒、胸中满闷等症状，内外上下没有一处不受病邪侵袭，这时就应当探究病因从何而起，在众多症状中选择最严重的一个作为主要治疗目标。而对于其余的症状，每个症状加入一到两味专门针对该症状的药物来组成方剂，这样服用一剂药，所有症状都能兼顾到。以此类推，合治的方法就可以知道了。其中也有分治与合治相结合的情况，有一种病却合并多种药物来治疗的，阅读古代圣人制定方剂的方法自然知晓；有多种病却用一种药物来治疗的，阅读《本草》中关于主治功效的记载自然知晓。作为医生，对每一种病都要穷究其病因，对每一个方子都要透彻理解其原理，对每一味药都要精通其药性。这样才能自信地行医，而不致枉害人命啊！
There are diseases that require urgent treatment, and those that do not. External pathogenic factors are fierce, rapid, and agile; if they invade the internal Zang-Fu organs, they damage the Yuan Qi (Original Qi), leaving insufficient strength to expel the disease outward. Therefore, one must act while the pathogen is just arising, still shallow in its invasion, and disrupting the flow of Qi and Blood. Urgently driving it out from the exterior is both easy and fast. However, if treatment is delayed until the pathogen has penetrated deeply and severely disrupted Qi and Blood, the Yuan Qi will be greatly damaged. This constitutes a situation requiring urgent treatment. Conversely, when the disease mechanism is unsettled and the pathogen has no fixed location, using harsh purgatives hastily will only make the pathogen more rampant. For example, in cases of food stagnation where the food remains in the stomach, one should first use herbs to transform food stagnation, allowing the food to gradually digest, move from the Middle Jiao (Middle Burner) to the Lower Jiao (Lower Burner), and be excreted as dregs and filth, leading to gradual recovery. If one were to immediately administer harsh purgatives such as Mangxiao (Natrii Sulfas) and Huanglian (Coptidis Rhizoma - *Note: Text says Xiaoyao/Jun Yao, usually referring to Da Huang/Mangxiao class*), the food would still be in the Upper Jiao (Upper Burner). Even if expelled with the medicine, it would be undigested matter, causing the fatty membranes of the intestines and stomach to be completely discharged along with it. The patient would become severely exhausted, and the disease would likely change for the worse. This constitutes a situation where urgent treatment is inappropriate. By analogy, the principles for other diseases can be understood. Regarding patients with deficiency constitutions, as well as the elderly and children, care must be taken to differentiate and regulate their condition, allowing their Yuan Qi to gradually recover; once the Healthy Qi (Zheng Qi) is restored, the Pathogenic Factors (Xie Qi) will recede. Physicians who fail to understand this principle and seek quick results may tonify what should not be tonified or purge what should not be purged. When the administered medicine proves ineffective, they may turn to other methods, essentially attacking the righteous Qi which has committed no fault. By the time the disease should have healed, the patient is already injured by the medication and unable to resonate with the vital energy of Heaven and Earth. Thus, even with excellent medicines, if used at the wrong time, they can cause harm. Shouldn't the principles of urgency and delay be thoroughly studied?
For certain diseases, separate treatments are required. For instance, in dysentery accompanied by abdominal pain and distension, one might treat the distension first or the abdominal pain first. Even within distension, causes differ: it may be due to food stagnation or Qi stagnation; thus, one might treat the food first or the Qi first. Similarly, abdominal pain may arise from accumulation or cold; therefore, one might eliminate the accumulation first or dispel the cold first. In all these varying situations, one must carefully examine and weigh their severity. By analogy, the method of separate treatment can be understood. There are also cases requiring combined treatment. For example, when symptoms such as aversion to cold and fever, abdominal pain, headache, diarrhea, cold limbs with fainting sensation, and chest fullness occur simultaneously, affecting the interior and exterior, upper and lower regions without any part being unaffected, one must investigate the root cause and select the most severe symptom as the primary focus. For the remaining symptoms, add one or two specific herbs targeting each symptom to form a prescription. One dose can then address all conditions. By analogy, the method of combined treatment can be understood. There are also instances combining separation and combination: treating one disease with multiple herbs, the method of ancient sages in prescribing can be understood by reading their works; treating multiple diseases with a single herb, the indications can be understood by reading the Materia Medica (*Bencao*). A physician must exhaustively investigate the etiology of every disease, thoroughly comprehend the rationale of every formula, and master the properties of every herb. Only then can one practice with confidence and avoid causing unjust deaths!