天益上东垣先生启曰。窃以射不师于后羿。岂能成弹日之功。匠非习于公输。未易耸连云之构
。惟此医药之大。关乎性命之深。若非择善以从之。乌得过人之远矣。兹者伏遇先生聪明夙赋。颖
悟生资。言天者必有验于人。论病者则以及于国。驱驰药物。如孙吴之用兵。条派病源。若神禹之
行水。是以问病而证莫不识。投药而疾靡不瘳。有元化涤胃之神功。得卢扁起人之手段。犹且谦以
接物。莫不忠于教人。如天益者口口晚生东垣口族幼承父训。俾志学于诗书。长值危时。遂苟生于
方技。然以才非卓荦。性实颛蒙。恐贻口人之讥。常切求师之志。幸接大人之余论。始惭童子以何
知。即欲敬服弟子之劳。亲炙先生之教。朝思夕诵。日就月将。其奈千里孑身。一家数口。内以生
涯之逼。外为官长之拘不得免焉。是以难也。今乃谨修薄礼。仰渎严颜伏望。怜鄙夫之间。为之竭
焉。见互乡之童。与其进也。使得常常之见。得闻昧昧之思。若味亲糟粕之余。是赐获丘山之重。
过此以往。未知所裁。谨启。
夷幼承先子严训。言东垣李先生医术之精。古今罕及。门人罗谦甫深得其秘奥。二公所着脾胃
论。卫生实鉴诸书。皆补前人之未备。分门辨误。不执于一偏。以至针法、本草。无不详尽。诚医
家切要而不可缺者。或乃论其用药不施攻法而多补。迂缓难用。此不能深究其旨而妄为之说也。观
各方中所用麻黄、葛根、汗剂也。瓜蒂、赤豆、吐剂也。大黄、芒硝、牵牛、巴豆、下剂也。三
攻之法。未尝不用。特其攻补随宜。施之先后。各有攸当。传诸书皆已版行于世。惜乎毁于元兵、
今抄本传讹者多。吾尝正其缺误。欲寿诸梓。因循未果。汝他日当成吾志焉。未几。先子下世。夷
拳拳服膺弗敢忘。迩年以来。东垣脾胃论、内外伤辨、用药珍珠囊三书。刊板已就。今复捐俸资。
令医士钱垣缮写罗氏卫生宝鉴二十四卷。补遗一卷。计四百八十一板。共一十五万五千余字。募工
刊完。将以广布四方。庶几不负我先子平昔之志。非惟从事于活人之术者。究心于此。大有所益。
而遐壤僻邑无医之处。仓卒遇病。检方用药。亦必得其效也。
永乐十五年十二月初一日承德郎太医院院判吴郡韩夷公达谨识
罗天益向东垣先生呈递启信说：我私下认为，射箭如果不向后羿学习，怎么能成就射落九日的功绩？工匠如果不向公输班（鲁班）请教，很难建成高耸入云的楼阁。医药之事如此重大，关乎性命之深远，如果不是选择良师而追随，怎能达到超人的境界呢？如今有幸遇到先生天生聪慧，悟性极高。谈论天道者必能在人体上得到验证，论述疾病者能惠及国家百姓。运用药物如同孙武、吴起用兵一样精妙，梳理病源条理如同大禹治水一样顺畅。因此，询问病情则没有不能识别的证候，投下药物则没有不能治愈的疾病。拥有华佗涤胃的神奇功效，具备卢医、扁鹊救人的手段。然而先生依然谦逊地对待事物，毫无保留地教导他人。像我罗天益这样的晚辈，自幼家族中接受父亲训导，立志研读诗书。长大后正值乱世，便勉强在医术中苟且求生。然而因为才华并不出众，本性确实愚钝，担心招致他人的讥笑，常常怀着拜师求教的志向。幸好接触到先生的余论，才开始惭愧自己像童子般无知，随即想要恭敬地承担弟子的劳役，亲自受教于先生。早晚思念诵读，日积月累，无奈相隔千里，孤身一人，家中还有几口人需要供养，内有生计逼迫，外有官长拘束，无法脱身。因此感到为难。如今谨备薄礼，冒昧打扰尊颜，恳望怜悯我这卑微之人，为我竭尽全力。就像看待互乡那个孩童一样，给予他进步的机会，使我能够经常相见，听到您深奥的教诲。如果能品尝到您著作的残余精华，这恩赐将比丘山还重。过了这次以后，不知该如何裁度。谨此呈启。
韩夷幼年时承受先父严格的训导，听闻东垣李先生医术精湛，古今罕见。门人罗谦甫深得其中奥秘。两位先生所著的《脾胃论》、《卫生宝鉴》等书，都弥补了前人的不足，分门别类辨析错误，不偏执于某一端，以至于针灸之法、本草药物，无不详尽。这确实是医家切要且不可缺少的书籍。有人议论他们用药不施用攻法而多采用补法，认为迂腐缓慢难以使用，这是不能深入探究其宗旨而妄加评论。观察各方剂中所用的麻黄、葛根，是发汗剂；瓜蒂、赤豆，是催吐剂；大黄、芒硝、牵牛子、巴豆，是泻下剂。三种攻邪的方法，未曾不用，只是攻与补根据情况适宜，施用的先后顺序各有恰当之处。这些著作都已刊行于世，可惜毁于元朝战乱，现在流传的抄本多有讹误。我曾经校正其中的缺失和错误，想要刻印出版，因循拖延未能实现。希望你将来能完成我的志向。不久后，先父去世，我始终牢记不敢忘记。近年来，《东垣脾胃论》、《内外伤辨惑论》、《用药珍珠囊》三本书，刻板已经就绪。如今我又捐献俸禄，让医士钱垣抄写罗氏《卫生宝鉴》二十四卷，补遗一卷，共计四百八十一块版片，共十五万五千多字，招募工匠刊印完成，打算广泛传播到四方。希望这不辜负我先父平素的志向。不仅是从事救人医术的人，专心研究于此大有益处，而且偏远地区没有医生的地方，突然遇到疾病，检查方剂用药，也一定能获得疗效。
永乐十五年十二月初一日，承德郎太医院院判、吴郡人韩夷公达谨识。
Luo Tianyi presented a letter to Master Dongyuan, stating: I humbly believe that if archery is not learned from Hou Yi, how can one achieve the feat of shooting down suns? If a carpenter does not study with Gongshu Ban (Lu Ban), it is difficult to construct buildings reaching the clouds. Medicine and pharmacy are of such great importance, deeply concerning life and death; without choosing a good teacher to follow, how can one surpass others? Now, having the fortune to encounter your Lordship, endowed with innate wisdom and quick understanding, discussing the Heavenly Way yields verification in the human body, and analyzing diseases benefits the nation. The administration of medicines is as skillful as Sun Wu and Wu Qi using troops; tracing the sources of diseases is as orderly as Yu the Great controlling the waters. Thus, when asking about illness, no syndrome is unrecognized; when administering medicine, no disease remains uncured. Possessing the divine efficacy of Hua Tuo in cleansing the stomach, and the skills of Lu Yanque and Bian Que in reviving people, yet you remain humble in dealing with things and loyal in teaching others. As for me, Luo Tianyi, a late-born junior, received my father's training in childhood, aspiring to study poetry and books. Growing up during turbulent times, I barely survived through medical arts. However, lacking outstanding talent and possessing a dull nature, fearing ridicule, I often harbored the desire to seek a teacher. Fortunately, by accessing your remaining discourses, I began to feel ashamed of my childish ignorance and wished to respectfully serve as a disciple, personally receiving your teachings. Day and night I pondered and recited, accumulating knowledge month by month, but hindered by being alone thousands of miles away, supporting a family, constrained by livelihood internally and official duties externally, I could not escape this difficulty. Therefore, I now carefully prepare modest gifts, presumptuously disturbing your dignified presence, hoping you would pity this humble man and exert yourself on my behalf. Treat me like the child of Huxiang, granting me progress, so that I may frequently see you and hear your profound thoughts. To taste the dregs of your wisdom is a gift heavier than Mount Qiu. Beyond this, I do not know how to proceed. Respectfully submitted.
In my youth, I received strict instructions from my late father, who spoke highly of Mr. Li Dongyuan's exquisite medical skills, unsurpassed in ancient and modern times. His disciple, Luo Qianfu, deeply grasped their secrets. The works authored by these two masters, such as *Pi Wei Lun* (Treatise on the Spleen and Stomach) and *Wei Sheng Shi Jian* (Comprehensive Mirror for Health Preservation), supplemented what predecessors lacked, categorizing and correcting errors without bias, detailing acupuncture methods and materia medica. These are indeed essential and indispensable for physicians. Some argue that their medication relies heavily on tonification rather than purgation, deeming it slow and impractical; this is a rash comment arising from a failure to deeply investigate their principles. Observing the formulas, Ephedrae Herba (Mahuang) and Puerariae Radix (Gegen) are diaphoretics; Citrulli Fructus (Gua Di) and Vigna Angularis Seed (Chi Dou) are emetics; Rheum Palmatum Root (Dahuang), Natrii Sulfas (Mangxiao), Phelodendri Cortex (Huangbo - note: text says Qianniu/Pharbitidis Semen, usually paired with Da Huang/Mang Xiao for purgation), Pharbitidis Semen (Qianniu), and Crotonis Fructus (Badou) are cathartics. The three methods of attack were never unused; rather, attack and tonification were applied appropriately according to circumstances, with specific sequences. These texts have been published, but alas, destroyed during the Yuan wars. Current copies contain many errors. I once corrected them and intended to print them, but delayed. You should fulfill this wish in the future. Soon after, my father passed away, and I held his words close to my heart, never forgetting. In recent years, the woodblocks for *Pi Wei Lun*, *Wai Shang Han Nei Shang Bian Huo Lun* (Differentiation of External Injury and Internal Damage), and *Yong Zhen Zhen Zhu Nang* (Pearl Bag of Medicinal Use) have been prepared. Now, I donate my salary to have physician Qian Yuan copy Luo's *Wei Sheng Bao Jian* (Treasure Mirror for Health Preservation), 24 volumes, plus 1 volume of supplements, totaling 481 blocks and over 155,000 characters. I recruited workers to complete the printing, intending to disseminate it widely. This fulfills my late father's lifelong ambition. Not only will those dedicated to saving lives benefit greatly from studying this, but even in remote areas without doctors, sudden illnesses can be treated effectively by consulting these formulas.
Recorded respectfully by Han Yi, styled Gongda, of Wu Commandery, Chengde Lang (Knight of Diligent Virtue) and Vice Director of the Imperial Medical Bureau, on the first day of the twelfth month, the 15th year of Yongle.