| | Yu Lizzi said: "Those who govern the world are like physicians." A physician examines the pulse to know the syndrome, and carefully considers the syndrome to formulate a prescription. The syndromes have yin and yang, deficiency and excess; the pulses are floating, sinking, fine, or large; and prescriptions employ methods such as inducing perspiration, purgation, promoting defecation, tonification, elimination, acupuncture, moxibustion, decoctions, and herbs like ginseng, poria cocos, ginger, chuanwu, ephedra, and mirabilite. These are applied according to the patient's illness; when appropriate, life is preserved, but if inappropriate, death results. Therefore, one who knows the syndrome and pulse but is not skilled in formulating prescriptions is not a physician. Even if such a person possesses Bianque's knowledge, it would be nothing more than empty talk and of no use; one who does not know the syndrome or pulse, yet forms prescriptions based on hearsay and tells others, "I can be a physician," is a thief of the world. Therefore, order or disorder is the syndrome; institutions and discipline are the pulse; morality, political punishment, prescriptions, and laws are the methods; and talent is the medicine. The politics of Xia valued loyalty; Yin inherited its decline and remedied it with integrity; the politics of Yin valued integrity; Zhou inherited its decline and remedied it through culture. The Qin employed harsh punishments and strict laws to suppress the world, causing suffering for all under heaven, while Han followed with leniency, maintaining stability through unity and peace. When the prescriptions correspond to the syndromes and medicines are used without error, there would be few illnesses of the world that do not recover."
|
