Celestial Secrets: A Dunhuang Manuscript of Medicinal Decoctions for the Zangfu Organs
This book is the first English translation of a rare medieval Chinese manuscript with the full title Fǔxíngjué zàngfǔ yòngyào fǎyào ("Secret Tips for Helpful Action: The Key to Using Medicinals on the Zàngfǔ Organs").
In addition to an elegant yet literal annotated translation of the complete text by Dr. Sabine Wilms, this book includes a lengthy scholarly introduction, analyzing the history of the text and its relationship to the ancient Tāngyèjīng ("Classic of Decoctions"), as it is often called.
This book is the first English translation of a rare medieval Chinese manuscript with the full title Fǔxíngjué zàngfǔ yòngyào fǎyào ("Secret Tips for Helpful Action: The Key to Using Medicinals on the Zàngfǔ Organs").
In addition to an elegant yet literal annotated translation of the complete text by Dr. Sabine Wilms, this book includes a lengthy scholarly introduction, analyzing the history of the text and its relationship to the ancient Tāngyèjīng ("Classic of Decoctions"), as it is often called.
This book is the first English translation of a rare medieval Chinese manuscript with the full title Fǔxíngjué zàngfǔ yòngyào fǎyào ("Secret Tips for Helpful Action: The Key to Using Medicinals on the Zàngfǔ Organs").
In addition to an elegant yet literal annotated translation of the complete text by Dr. Sabine Wilms, this book includes a lengthy scholarly introduction, analyzing the history of the text and its relationship to the ancient Tāngyèjīng ("Classic of Decoctions"), as it is often called.
Published in spring 2021, this book includes the following features:
416 pages.
Top-quality printing by The Gloo Factory, a small unionized print shop in Tucson, Arizona.
A lengthy academic historical introduction that takes you through 4000 years of Chinese medical history. See this page for free access to a lecture on the Daoist roots.
A literal annotated translation of the original text that includes six sections on
Differentiating Patterns of Zàng Organ Disease
Five Formulas to Address Drainage of the Five Zàng Organs
Five Formulas for Supplementing the Five Zàng Organs
The Five Flavors and Twenty-Five Medicinals
External Contractions of Celestial Movements
Emergency Treatments for Opening the Orifices.
An expertly produced critical edition of the original Chinese text.
An extensive appendix with reference tables on:
Formulas by Pīnyīn
Formulas by English
Medicinals by Pīnyīn
Medicinals by Common Name
Weights and Measures
Works Cited, and an
Index.
A foreword and clinical commentary on the “External Contractions of Celestial Movements” by Sharon Weizenbaum.
For more information on Celestial Secrets, check out these other resources:
Listen to a free Qiological podcast on “Celestial Secrets on the Mythic Tangyejing,” where Michael Max interviews me on the actual history of the mythical Tangyejing and its relationship to the present text.
Please note: There are two typos in the first print edition: On p. 33, please replace the word “bitter” with “sweet” in the translation of Suwen 22. And in the chart on p. 165, please replace the word “sour” with “bitter” as the Substance of Fire.