Chinese Language Texts & Commentaries: 'Huangdi Nei Jing' and 'Nan Jing'

September 23, 2005

Hi Tom Verhaeghe, Eric Brand, Attilio d'Alberto, Robert Hayden and

Others

Thank you (Tom, Eric and Attilio) for your advice formerly (when I

was looking for copies of Chinese-language materia medica and

formula texts back in May and August this year); my library is now

burgeoning and my appreciation of modern TCM zhongwen is growing

daily.

I have just started to look at (Japanese) meridian acupuncture and

am reading through some of the books recommended by Robert Hayden's

(kampo36 on this forum) excellent website: www.jabinet.net.

It occurs to me that studying meridian acupuncture this way (ie by

reading English books which are translations of Japanese books ...

which are based on Japanese people's readings of Chinese texts

(which are written in ancient, not modern, Chinese and therefore

again very distant linguistically) could be a bit of a minefield.

I feel that I would like to (at the same time as reading Ikeda

Masakazu, Junko Ida, Denmei Shudo etc) have a look at the main

source Chinese texts of meridian acupuncture, which I understand to

be Huangdi Nei Jing and Nan Jing. Then if I can relate Huangdi and

Nan Jing (in *some* fashion) to modern TCM I *might* be able

to 'close the circle' so to speak and relate the practical Japanese

stuff that I am learning to my current body of modern TCM knowledge.

(Does that make sense?)

My questions are:-

1. What do you guys think about that?

2. Are there any good Chinese-language versions of Huangdi Nei Jing

and Nan Jing with commentary?

3. Are there any good English-language renderings of Huangdi Nei

Jing and Nan Jing with commentary?

Many thanks for anything you can share.

With best wishes

David

September 23, 2005

Hi David,

The best English versions of the Nei Jing and Nan Ching are those by

Unshculd. I'm reading both books and they are excellent. The full details of

these books are as follows and I recommend buying them from

http://www.bestbookdeal.com/

<http://www.bestbookdeal.com/book/compare/0520233220> Huang Di Nei Jing Su

Wen

ISBN: 0520233220

By: Paul U. Unschuld

<http://www.bestbookdeal.com/book/compare/0520053729> Nan-Ching

ISBN: 0520053729

By: Paul U. Unschuld

I would also suggest to get Donald Harper's book on the Mawangdui

manuscripts. It's a good time to buy it as the price has been slashed.

Early Chinese Medical Literature: The Mawangdui Medical Manuscripts (Sir

Henry Wellcome Asian S.)

<http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/index=books-uk & field-

author=Harper%2C%20D/026-9993821-4377221> D Harper

ISBN: 0710305826

Happy reading!

Warm regards,

Attilio D'Alberto

Doctor of (Beijing, China)

B.Sc. (Hons) T.C.M., M.A.T.C.M.

07786198900

enquiries

<http://www.attiliodalberto.com/> www.attiliodalberto.com

" A human being is part of the whole, called by us the Universe, a part

limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and

feelings, as something separated from the rest - - a kind of optical

illusion in his consciousness. " (Albert Einstein)

Chinese Medicine

Chinese Medicine On Behalf Of David

Gordon

23 September 2005 13:34

Chinese Medicine

Chinese Language Texts & Commentaries: 'Huangdi Nei Jing' and

'Nan Jing'