余本不知医，少年奔走四方，见夫率尔操觚，草菅人命者，指不胜屈，心窃悯之。由是
稍稍
涉猎方书，又苦诸家持论不同，或拘泥古法，或固执偏见，或狃于门户习气，各承师说，聚
讼纷纭。浅识者寡陋孤闻，易为掏惑；博览者根据违两可，靡所适从。是医书愈多，医学愈杂
，诚不如不服药之为中医也。尝欲访求专门名家，足以抗衡前人者，相与考核群编，鉴空衡
平，权衡至当，俾业医者折衷壹是，奉为定衡，庶不至倒行逆施，旁骛歧出，为医书之枕中
秘，即为医学之指南针，岂非杏林橘井之集大成者耶？惜乎有其志而无其人也。嗣游京师，
获交会稽吕梅卿先生，见其衡诊立方，举重若轻，适如分量，不偏不倚，直可合刘李朱张为
一家，向之所谓抗衡前人者，先生其庶几乎？心折既深，时从请益，临别乞授片言，先生曰
∶
吁！古今医书，汗牛充栋，乌能以管窥蠡测，谓遽可融会而贯通耶？虽然！有执简御繁之一法
，有由博返约之一法。子吴人也，亦知吴中有叶先生乎？曾见其《医衡》一书乎？诚得是书翻
覆玩索，即不啻三折肱矣。余恍记曾经寓目，归而搜诸敝簏，原书具在，狂喜不禁，然不知
吴中先未刊行，竟为绝无仅有之本。阳湖管君敬伯，长洲彭君箫九，皆奄贯百家，尤精轩岐
学，佥称见所未见，嘱即补刊，以广其传。携归里门，适杨滨石太常，养 家居，假观逾月
。凡字句讹阙处，逐一添注涂改，悉臻完善。请制弁言，则以医非夙 习辞。维时以医道着
名，继叶先生而代兴者，吴门则曹君智涵，澄江则柳君谷孙，均已乐为之序。备述此书功效
，余但记校刊缘起，并诸君之相与有成云。
光绪二十年甲午季秋虞山缪萼聊识于伊芳园
我原本不懂医学，年轻时四处奔波，见到那些轻率地拿起笔开方、视人命如草芥的人，多得数不胜数，心里暗自怜悯他们。因此，我开始稍微翻阅医书，但又苦于各家观点不一，有的拘泥于古法，有的固执己见，有的受限于门户习气，各自承袭师说，争论不休。见识浅薄的人孤陋寡闻，容易被迷惑；博览群书的人却犹豫不决，无所适从。所以医书越多，医学越杂乱，实在不如不吃药来得符合中医的本意。我曾想访求专门的名家，足以与前人抗衡的人，共同考核各种医籍，像空镜一样明察秋毫，像秤一样公正权衡，找到最恰当的标准，使从业者能够统一标准，奉为定论，这样就不会倒行逆施、偏离正道，让医书成为枕中秘宝，成为医学的指南针，这难道不是杏林（代指医学界）和橘井（代指医德医术）集大成的成就吗？可惜有志向却没有合适的人选。后来我游历京城，有幸结识了会稽吕梅卿先生，见他诊脉处方，举重若轻，恰到好处，不偏不倚，简直可以将刘完素、李东垣、朱丹溪、张从正四位大家合为一派，之前所说的能与前人抗衡的人，大概就是指先生您吧？我心里深深折服，时常向他请教，临别时请求他赐言，先生说：“唉！古今医书，堆积如山，怎能以管窥天、以瓢测海，就说可以融会贯通呢？虽然如此！但有执简御繁的方法，有由博返约的方法。您是吴地人，也知道吴中有叶先生吗？曾见过他的《医衡》一书吗？如果真的能得到这本书反复研读探索，那就等同于多次治愈疾病（三折肱为良医）了。”我恍惚记得曾经看过，回家后在破箱子里搜寻，原书果然还在，狂喜不已，但不知道吴中此前未刊行，竟是绝无仅有的版本。阳湖管敬伯先生、长洲彭箫九先生，都兼通百家，尤其精通黄帝内经和难经之学，都说这是前所未见的珍本，嘱咐立即补刻刊印，以广泛流传。我带回故乡，恰逢杨滨石太常养病在家，借去阅读超过一个月。凡是字句错误或缺漏的地方，逐一添加注释涂改，全都达到完善。请他写序言，他以非素来研习医学为由推辞。当时以医学闻名，继叶先生之后兴起的人，吴门有曹智涵先生，澄江有柳谷孙先生，都已乐意为此书写序。详细记述此书的功效，我只记录校勘刊印的缘起，以及各位先生的合作成果。
光绪二十年甲午年秋季，虞山缪萼聊记于伊芳园
I originally knew nothing of medicine. In my youth, I traveled widely, witnessing countless practitioners who casually prescribed remedies and treated human lives as if they were grass or weeds; I pitied them in my heart. Consequently, I began to peruse medical texts, but I suffered from the fact that various schools held differing opinions: some were rigidly attached to ancient methods, others stubbornly clung to biased views, and yet others were constrained by sectarian habits, each inheriting their master's teachings and engaging in heated debates. Those with shallow knowledge, being ignorant and narrow-minded, were easily confused; those well-read found themselves torn between opposing views, unable to know which path to follow. Thus, the more medical books there were, the more chaotic medicine became; indeed, it was better not to take medicine than to adhere to such a confused practice. I once wished to seek out specialized masters capable of rivaling the ancients, so that we might examine various compilations, judge them with the clarity of an empty mirror and the fairness of a scale, determine the most appropriate standards, and enable practitioners to unify their approach and regard these as definitive guidelines. This would prevent them from acting counter to reason or deviating into heterodox paths, turning medical books from mere hidden treasures into compasses for medicine—would this not be the culmination of the achievements of the "Apricot Grove" (a metaphor for the medical profession) and the "Orange Well" (a metaphor for virtuous medical practice)? Alas, while I had the aspiration, I lacked the person. Later, upon traveling to the capital, I had the fortune to meet Mr. Lü Meiqing of Kuaiji. I observed his pulse diagnosis and prescription formulation: he handled heavy matters with lightness, his dosages were precise, neither biased nor slanted. He could truly be said to unite the schools of Liu Wansu, Li Dongyuan, Zhu Danxi, and Zhang Congzheng into one family. The person I had previously spoken of as capable of rivaling the ancients—was he not essentially you? Having been deeply convinced by his expertise, I frequently sought his guidance. Upon parting, I begged him for a few words of advice. He said: "Alas! Ancient and modern medical books are piled high enough to fill ox-carts and fill buildings; how can one claim to have mastered and integrated them through the limited perspective of looking at the sky through a tube or measuring the sea with a gourd? Nevertheless! There is a method of mastering complexity through simplicity, and a method of returning to essentials after extensive study. You are from Wu; do you know of Master Ye in Wu? Have you seen his book *Yi Heng* (Medical Balance)? If one could truly obtain this book and ponder it repeatedly, it would be equivalent to having broken one's arm three times and thus becoming a skilled physician." I vaguely remembered having glanced at it before. Upon returning home, I searched through my old boxes, and the original book was indeed there. I was overcome with joy. However, I learned that it had not been printed in Wu prior to this, making it a unique and rare edition. Mr. Guan Jingbo of Yanghu and Mr. Peng Xiaojiu of Changzhou, both versed in a hundred schools and particularly proficient in the learning of Huangdi Neijing (Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon) and Nanjing (Classic of Difficult Issues), declared it unprecedented and urged its immediate reprinting to spread its influence. I brought it back to my hometown. At that time, Grand Secretary Yang Bingshi was residing at home for convalescence and borrowed it for over a month. He meticulously added notes and corrected errors and omissions in every character and phrase, bringing it to perfection. I requested him to write a preface, but he declined, stating that he was not a practitioner of medicine by long-standing habit. At that time, those famous in medicine who rose to prominence following Master Ye included Mr. Cao Zhihan from Wu Gate and Mr. Liu Gusun from Chengjiang, both of whom were willing to write prefaces. They detailed the efficacy of this book. I merely recorded the origins of the collation and printing, along with the collaborative efforts of the gentlemen involved.
Recorded by Miao Eliao of Yushan at Yifang Garden in the autumn of the Jiawu year, the 20th year of the Guangxu reign.