Nan-Ching: The Classic of Difficult Issues

The Nan-ching is an ancient Chinese medical classic that has been completely translated into English for the first time. It covers all aspects of theoretical and practical health care within the doctrines of the Five Phases and yinyang, and its innovative discussion of pulse diagnosis and needle treatment is particularly noteworthy. The book also includes selected commentaries by twenty Chinese and Japanese authors from the past seventeen centuries, providing insights into the processes of reception and transmission of ancient Chinese concepts.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 770 pages
Publication date: 19 August 2022
Publisher: University of California Press

The study of traditional Chinese medicine has garnered unprecedented attention in recent years, yet Western knowledge of it has been limited due to the lack of a comprehensive translation of a Chinese classical medical text. Until now, no single Chinese classical medical text has been available in a serious philological translation. This book presents, for the first time in any Western language, a complete translation of an ancient Chinese medical classic, the Nan-ching. The translation adheres to rigorous sinological standards and employs philological and historiographic methods.

The original text of the Nan-ching was compiled during the first century A.D. by an unknown author. Since then, this ancient text has sparked an ongoing stream of commentaries. Following the Sung era, it was mistakenly regarded as merely an explanatory sequel to the classic of the Yellow Emperor, the Huang-ti nei-ching. However, this volume demonstrates that the Nan-ching should once again be recognized as a significant and innovative text in its own right. It marked the apex and conclusion of the initial development phase of a conceptual system of health care based on the doctrines of the Five Phases and yinyang. As the classic of the medicine of systematic correspondence, the Nan-ching covers all aspects of theoretical and practical health care within these doctrines in an unusually systematic fashion. Most importantly, it offers an innovative discussion of pulse diagnosis and needle treatment.

Unschuld has combined the translation of the text of the Nan-ching with selected commentaries by twenty Chinese and Japanese authors from the past seventeen centuries. These commentaries provide insights into the processes of reception and transmission of ancient Chinese concepts from the Han era to the present time, and shed light on the issue of progress.

In conclusion, the present book offers a valuable contribution to the study of traditional Chinese medicine and provides a comprehensive translation of an ancient Chinese medical classic. It sheds light on the processes of reception and transmission of ancient Chinese concepts and offers insights into the theoretical and practical aspects of health care within the doctrines of the Five Phases and yinyang. The combination of the translation with selected commentaries by renowned scholars makes this volume an essential resource for scholars and enthusiasts of Chinese medicine and culture.

Weight: 1134g
Dimension: 229 x 152 x 43 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780520338753