子读医。书几十载矣。所仰慕者。仲景一书为尤焉然读之未易洞达其趣。欲得一师指之
遍国
中无有能知者。寤而思寐而思。天其勤恤俾我李公明之授予及所不传之妙。旬储月积浸就编
帙。一语一言美无可状始而终之终而始之。即无端之园壁也或有人焉。厌闻而恶见者。岂公
徒使之然哉。彼未尝闻未尝见耻夫后于人之过也。因目之曰此事难知。以其不因师指也人徒
见是书为伤寒之法。而不知上合轩岐之经中契越人之典下符叔和之文兹又言外不传之秘具载
斯文矣时至大改元秋七月二十有一日古赵王好古识。
自伏羲神农黄帝而下。名医虽多所可学人有几人哉。至于华氏之剖腹王氏之灸针术非不神
也后
人安得而效之。非岐伯之圣经。雷公之炮炙伊芳贽之汤液。箕子之洪范。越人之问难仲景之伤
寒。叔和之脉诀。士安之甲乙。启玄子之传注。钱仲阳之论议。皆其活法。所可学人。岂
千方万论印定后人眼目者。所能比哉。其间德高行远奇才异士。与夫居缙绅隐草莽者。然有
一法一节之可观。非百代可行之活法。皆所不取也。岂予好辩哉。欲使学人观此数圣贤。而
知所可慕而已。或有人焉。徒能广览泛涉。自以为多学而用之无益者。岂其知本。
答曰。有。六腑者六阳也。五脏者五阴也。肺开窍于鼻心开窍于舌。脾开窍于口。肝开
窍于
目。肾开窍于耳。是五阴也。又有厥阴与督脉会于巅。是六阴也。耳者肾也。复能听声。声
为金。是耳中有肺也。鼻者肺也。复能闻臭。是鼻中有心也。舌者心也。复能知味。是舌中
有脾也。目有五轮。通贯五脏。口为脾脾为坤土。主静而不动。故无所兼。言耳鼻舌各兼一
目兼四。此与督脉。共计十三阴也。脑为诸体之会即海也肾主之。是为十四阴矣。
你研读医书已有几十年了。你所仰慕的，以张仲景的著作最为突出。然而阅读它并不容易透彻理解其中的旨趣。想要得到一位老师的指点，遍寻全国也没有能知晓的人。醒着思考，睡着也思考，上天大概怜悯我，让我李公明将所授及未传之妙理，经过旬积月累，逐渐编成书籍。书中的每一句话都美妙得无法形容，从头到尾，循环往复，就像没有端绪的圆璧一样。如果有人厌恶听闻和看见这些内容，难道不是那些平庸之辈故意这样做的吗？他们未曾听闻、未曾见过，却以落后于人为耻，因此犯下过错。于是我将这本书命名为《此事难知》，因为如果没有老师的指点，人们只看到这本书是治疗伤寒的方法，而不知道它上合黄帝岐伯的经典，中契扁鹊（越人）的典籍，下符王叔和的文章。这里又记载了言语之外的不传之秘，全部载录在本文中了。时至大改元秋七月二十一日，古赵王好古识。
自从伏羲、神农、黄帝以来，名医虽然很多，但真正值得后人学习的人有几位呢？至于华佗剖腹、王叔和灸针，技术并非不神奇，但后人怎么能效仿呢？如果不是岐伯的圣经、雷公的炮炙法、伊芳贽的汤液、箕子的洪范、扁鹊的问难、张仲景的伤寒论、王叔和的脉诀、皇甫谧的甲乙经、王冰（启玄子）的传注、钱乙（钱仲阳）的论议，这些都是可以活用的法则，是值得后人学习的。哪里是那些用千千方方来固定后人眼目的死板理论所能比拟的呢？其中德行高尚、品行深远、才华奇特的人士，以及那些身居官位或隐居草野的人，如果有一法一节值得观看，但不是百代可行的活法，我都不会选取。难道我喜欢辩论吗？只是想让学习者观察这几位圣贤，从而知道他们所仰慕的对象罢了。如果有人只是广泛浏览、泛泛涉猎，自以为博学多闻，但实际上运用起来毫无益处，这难道是他们懂得根本吗？
回答说：有的。六腑属于六阳，五脏属于五阴。肺开窍于鼻，心开窍于舌，脾开窍于口，肝开窍于目，肾开窍于耳。这是五阴。又有厥阴与督脉会合于头顶，这是六阴。耳朵属于肾，又能听声音，声音属金，所以耳中有肺。鼻子属于肺，又能闻气味，所以鼻中有心。舌头属于心，又能知味道，所以舌中有脾。眼睛有五轮，贯通五脏。口属于脾，脾为坤土，主静而不妄动，所以无所兼通。言、鼻、耳、舌各兼一窍，目兼四窍，这与督脉合计，共有十三阴。脑是各种形体的会合之处，即髓海，由肾主宰，这就构成了十四阴。
You have studied medical texts for decades. Among all that you admire, Zhang Zhongjing's work stands out the most. However, it is not easy to thoroughly comprehend its essence through reading alone. Desiring guidance from a master, I searched everywhere in the country but found no one who could provide it. I pondered while awake and dreamed while asleep. Heaven, perhaps out of compassion, allowed me, Li Gongming, to receive teachings and transmit profound secrets that were previously unpassed down. Through accumulation over months and years, these insights gradually formed into this book. Every word and phrase is indescribably beautiful, beginning with the end and ending with the beginning, like a jade disc without a starting point. If there are those who loathe hearing or seeing such content, is it not because mediocre individuals deliberately cause this? They have never heard or seen these truths, yet they feel ashamed of lagging behind others, thus committing errors. Therefore, I titled this book *Ci Shi Nan Zhi* (This Matter Is Hard to Understand). Without a master's guidance, people only see this book as a method for treating Shanghan (Cold Damage), unaware that it aligns upward with the classics of Huangdi and Qibo, matches inwardly with the works of Yue Ren (Bian Que), and corresponds downward with the writings of Shuhe (Wang Shuhe). Herein lie the secret teachings beyond words, fully recorded in this text. On the twenty-first day of the seventh month of autumn, during the first year of the Dazhi era, Wang Haogu of Zhao records this.
Since the times of Fuxi, Shennong, and the Yellow Emperor, although many famous physicians have existed, how many are truly worthy of emulation? Consider Hua Tuo’s abdominal surgery or Wang Shuhe’s moxibustion techniques; their skills were indeed miraculous, yet how can later generations replicate them? It is only through the sacred scriptures of Qibo, Leigong’s processing methods, Yifangzhi’s decoctions, Jizi’s Hongfan, Yue Ren’s questions and answers, Zhang Zhongjing’s Treatise on Cold Damage, Shuhe’s Pulse Classic, Shitan’s Jia Yi Jing, Qixuanzi’s commentaries, and Qian Zhongyang’s discussions that we find living principles—methods adaptable to changing circumstances—that are worthy of learning. These cannot be compared to rigid theories that attempt to fix future practitioners' perspectives with thousands of fixed prescriptions. Among those with high virtue, far-reaching conduct, extraordinary talent, whether holding official positions or living in seclusion, if they possess even a single method or principle worth observing, but which does not constitute a living principle applicable for a hundred generations, I do not select it. Do I enjoy debating? No, I merely wish for learners to observe these sages and know what to aspire to. If someone merely browses widely and superficially, believing themselves knowledgeable yet finding no practical benefit in application, do they truly understand the root?
Answer: Yes. The Six Fu organs belong to the Six Yang, and the Five Zang organs belong to the Five Yin. The Lung opens into the nose, the Heart into the tongue, the Spleen into the mouth, the Liver into the eyes, and the Kidney into the ears. These constitute the Five Yin. Additionally, the Jueyin meridian meets the Du Mai (Governing Vessel) at the vertex, forming the Sixth Yin. The ears belong to the Kidney and also perceive sound; sound corresponds to Metal, implying the presence of Lung Qi within the ears. The nose belongs to the Lung and perceives odors, implying the presence of Heart Qi within the nose. The tongue belongs to the Heart and perceives taste, implying the presence of Spleen Qi within the tongue. The eyes have five wheels connecting to the Five Zang organs. The mouth belongs to the Spleen; the Spleen is Kun Earth, governing stillness and non-action, thus having no specific connection to other senses. Speaking, smelling, hearing, and tasting each connect to one sense organ, while vision connects to four aspects, combined with the Du Mai, totaling thirteen Yin aspects. The brain is the convergence of all physical forms, known as the Sea of Marrow, governed by the Kidney, thereby constituting the Fourteenth Yin.