陶隐居曰。余宅身幽岭。迄将十载。虽每植德施工。多止一时之设。可以传芳远裔者。莫过于撰述。故隐居
于修真之余。撰药总诀肘后方本草三书。唐司马子微所称阐幽前秘。击蒙后学人也。自炎帝尝草。轩皇
作经。降及后代。莫不有书。故世得其济。民无夭札。是则阐幽击蒙。端赖于撰述矣。苟无传书。虽善息脉如
俞跗。善处方如桐君。亦惟自神其伎耳。将何以广其传。以共济群生哉。上海李惺 先生。才敏识精。以其
余学。傍究医术。息脉处方。有验精良。博采轩岐以来诸书。条贯辨晰。标奇举要。集为一编。命之曰证治汇
补。予读而嘉之。以为越人淳于。虽神奇难遇。今可以探之枕笥而得矣。扁鹊传曰。人之所病。病疾多。而医
之所病。病道少。病疾多者。言病其疾之症多也。病道少者。言病其治疗之道少也。拙工抵滞。不能旁通。是
以病道少也。兹书别为八门。统以十事。参伍错综。应变无穷。何患其道少乎。钟律至微也。昔人以辨症切
脉比之。兵法至变也。昔人以制方用药比之。兹书十事之中。始于病因。终于方剂。临症施治。燎然于心目。
又何患其微且变乎。甚矣。惺 之施博而功大也。苏子瞻云。蜀有学医人费之谚。太仓公对诏问。曰。臣意
心不精脉。时时失之。不能全也。太仓公医之圣而至于神者也。心偶不精。犹或失之。况今之为医者乎。吾
愿读是书者。用心必精。毋驰于名。毋惊于利。学之万全。而后用之。不然。必费人矣。可不惧哉。
康熙辛未七月昆山弟徐秉义书
陶弘景说：我居住在幽静的山岭之中，将近十年了。虽然经常修积德行、施予帮助，但大多只是暂时的举措。能够流传芳香于后世子孙的，没有比撰写著作更好的了。所以我在修真之余，撰写了《药总诀》、《肘后方》和《本草》三本书。这正是唐代司马子微所称道的“阐发前代隐秘，启发后学之人”。自从炎帝尝百草，轩辕黄帝制作医经以来，到了后代，没有哪一代没有医学书籍的。所以世人得以得到救治，百姓没有早夭或横死的情况。那么，阐发隐秘、启发后学，确实依赖于著述啊。如果没有传世的书籍，即使像俞跗那样善于诊脉，像桐君那样善于处方，也只能独自炫耀自己的技艺罢了。将用什么来广泛传播，以共同救济众生呢？上海的李惺先生，才思敏捷，见识精辟，利用他其余的学问，旁通研究医术。他在诊脉和处方方面，有验证且精良。广泛采集自黄帝、岐伯以来的各种书籍，条理贯通，辨析清晰，标举奇特之处，列举要点，集合成一卷书，命名为《证治汇补》。我读后赞赏它，认为像扁鹊（秦越人）和淳于意那样神奇的人物，虽然难以遇到，但现在可以通过翻阅枕箱和书柜中的书籍而得到了。《扁鹊传》说：人们所担忧的，是疾病繁多；医生所担忧的，是治疗的方法少。所谓“病疾多”，是说疾病的症状繁多；所谓“病道少”，是说治疗的方法少。拙劣的工匠拘泥固执，不能旁通变通，因此治疗的方法就少了。这本书另外分为八门，统摄于十件事中，参差错综，应对变化无穷无尽，还担心方法少吗？音律是非常微妙的，过去的人用它来比喻辨证和切脉；兵法是非常善变的，过去的人用它来比喻制方和用药。这本书在十件事中，从病因开始，到方剂结束，面对病症实施治疗，在心中眼中清晰明了，还担心它微妙和善变吗？李惺先生的施惠广泛而功德巨大啊。苏东坡说：蜀地有句谚语叫“费之”（指学习医学容易失败/耗费人力）。太仓公（淳于意）回答皇帝的询问时说：“臣下我对脉象不够精通，时常会有失误，不能完全准确。”太仓公是医学中的圣人，达到了神妙的境界，心思偶尔不专注，尚且会有失误，何况现在的行医者呢？我希望读这本书的人，用心必须精专，不要追逐名声，不要被利益惊扰，学习得万无一失之后，再加以使用。否则，一定会害人啊。能不害怕吗？康熙辛未年七月，昆山弟徐秉义书写。
Tao Hongjing said: I have dwelled in the secluded mountains for nearly ten years. Although I frequently cultivated virtue and performed charitable acts, these were mostly temporary measures. Nothing can spread fragrance to future generations as effectively as writing books. Therefore, during my spare time from cultivating the Dao, I compiled three works: *Yao Zong Jue* (General Principles of Materia Medica), *Zhou Hou Fang* (Prescriptions Kept in the Sleeve), and *Ben Cao* (Materia Medica). This is precisely what Sima Ziwei of the Tang Dynasty described as "illuminating hidden secrets for the past, and enlightening later students." Since the Flame Emperor tasted herbs and the Yellow Emperor composed medical classics, every subsequent dynasty has had its own medical texts. Thus, people have been able to receive treatment, and the populace has avoided premature death or violent demise. Hence, illuminating secrets and enlightening students indeed relies on compilation and writing. Without transmitted books, even if one were as skilled at pulse diagnosis as Yu Fu, or as adept at prescribing formulas as Tong Jun, one could only boast of one's own skills. How could such knowledge be widely disseminated to collectively benefit all living beings? Mr. Li Xing of Shanghai, with agile intellect and refined insight, applied his broader scholarly pursuits to study medicine extensively. His pulse diagnoses and prescriptions were verified and excellent. He extensively collected various books from the era of the Yellow Emperor and Qibo, organizing them logically and analyzing them clearly, highlighting unique points and essential summaries, compiling them into a single volume titled *Zheng Zhi Hui Bu* (Compendium of Syndrome Differentiation and Treatment). I read it and praised it, believing that although miraculous figures like Bian Que (Qin Yueren) and Chunyu Yi are hard to encounter today, their wisdom can now be accessed by consulting books in one's pillow case or library. The *Biography of Bian Que* states: "What patients fear is the multitude of diseases; what doctors fear is the scarcity of methods." "Multitude of diseases" refers to the complexity of symptoms; "scarcity of methods" refers to the limited therapeutic approaches. Incompetent practitioners are rigid and fail to adapt flexibly, hence their methods are few. This book is divided into eight categories, governed by ten main topics, intricately interwoven, capable of infinite adaptation to changes. Why worry about a scarcity of methods? Musical tuning is subtle; ancients compared it to syndrome differentiation and pulse diagnosis. Military strategy is highly variable; ancients compared it to formulating prescriptions and using herbs. This book begins with etiology and ends with formulas within its ten topics. When treating clinical cases, the principles become clear in mind and eye. Why worry about subtlety and variability? Mr. Xing's benevolence is broad, and his merit is great. Su Shi said: There is a proverb in Shu: "Fei Zhi" (implying the risk of harming oneself/others through improper medical practice). Chunyu Yi, when answering the Emperor's inquiries, said: "My understanding of pulses is not precise enough; I often make mistakes and cannot be entirely accurate." Chunyu Yi was a sage in medicine, reaching a divine level. Even with occasional lack of focus, he made errors; how much more so for contemporary physicians? I hope those who read this book will apply themselves with precision, not chase fame, nor be swayed by profit. Only after mastering the knowledge thoroughly should they apply it. Otherwise, they will inevitably harm people. Should one not be fearful? Written by Xu Bingyi, younger brother from Kunshan, in the seventh month of the Xinwei year of the Kangxi reign.