Healing Library
The Zhenjiu Jiayi Jing — The Earliest Monograph on Acupuncture and Moxibustion
The Zhenjiu Jiayi Jing (Systematic Classic of Acupuncture and Moxibustion), compiled by the Western Jin physician Huangfu Mi, is China's first monograph devoted exclusively to acupuncture and moxibustion, holding a landmark position in the history of acupuncture. It systematically discusses zang-fu and meridian theory, records 649 acupoints with 349 names across the body, provides detailed descriptions of their locations, indications, manipulation methods, and contraindications, and corrects previous errors. It became the foundational text for acupuncture education and clinical practice and was designated as the official textbook by the Tang dynasty Imperial Medical Academy.
Huangfu Mi, styled Shi'an, was called Jing in his childhood and in his later years referred to himself as the Elder of Xuanyan. He was a native of Zhaona in Anding Commandery (present-day Zhaona Town, Lingtai County, Gansu Province) during the Western Jin dynasty. A renowned physician, his work the Zhenjiu Jiayi Jing (Systematic Classic of Acupuncture and Moxibustion) is China's first monograph on acupuncture and moxibustion and holds a very high academic status in the history of acupuncture.
Huangfu Mi lost both his parents at a young age and was adopted by his uncle, by whom he and his aunt were raised to adulthood. As a child he was extremely fond of play, and by the age of twenty he still did not enjoy studying; some even thought he was born simple-minded, and his aunt worried greatly for him. One day, he picked many wild fruits and melons for his aunt to eat. His aunt said to him: "If you do not study diligently and possess no skills at all, then even if you were to show your filial devotion by offering me the finest food and wine, it would still be unfilial. You are now twenty years old. If you neither read nor strive for progress, my heart will find no comfort. I only hope that you will acquire superior learning and talent, yet you never seem to understand the hearts of your elders. To cultivate your character and pursue knowledge — these are things that benefit you yourself. Can they bring any benefit to us?" Upon hearing these words, Huangfu Mi felt deeply uneasy. He suddenly realized that he had already idled away twenty years of his life and was truly overcome with shame. He thereupon resolved to study assiduously, not daring to slacken in the slightest. Although his family was poor, even when tilling the fields at home he would carry books on his back, snatching whatever moments he could to read. From that time onward, he perused all the doctrines of the Hundred Schools of Thought, becoming profoundly learned while remaining tranquil and of few desires, and authored such works as the Kong Yue (On Confucius and Music) and the Sheng Zhen (On Sages and Truth), achieving great distinction in literature.
At the age of forty, he contracted wind-impediment disease (feng bi) and suffered greatly, yet in his studies he still permitted himself no negligence. When someone expressed puzzlement as to why he was so absorbed in learning, he replied: "If one hears the Dao in the morning, one may die content in the evening." He meant that if one could grasp a principle of truth in the morning, then even dying that evening would be worthwhile. The Emperor, respecting his lofty character and abundant knowledge, invited him to serve as an official. He not only declined, but even requested to borrow an entire cartload of books from the Emperor to read — surely a remarkable episode!
During his illness, he independently read a vast number of medical texts, and developed a particular interest in acupuncture and moxibustion. Yet as his research deepened, he discovered that the acupuncture texts of earlier times were abstruse and difficult to understand, riddled with errors, and extremely inconvenient for study and reading. Thereupon, drawing on his own personal experience, he clarified the pathways of the body's conduits and vessels and the acupoints. Combining this with the Lingshu (Spiritual Pivot), the Suwen (Basic Questions), and the Mingtang Kongxue Zhenjiu Zhiyao (Essentials of Acupuncture and Moxibustion from the Bright Hall Acupoints), he devoted himself to meticulous research and compiled China's first monograph on acupuncture and moxibustion — the Zhenjiu Jiayi Jing.
In addition to discussing theories concerning the zang-fu organs, meridians, and collaterals, this work records 649 acupoints on the entire body with 349 point names. It provides clear location descriptions for each acupoint, gives detailed accounts of the indications, acupuncture and moxibustion manipulation methods, and contraindications for each point, and corrects all previous errors one by one.
It can be said that the Zhenjiu Jiayi Jing is a seminal work in the development of acupuncture and moxibustion. During the Tang dynasty, the Imperial Medical Academy used this text as the textbook for studying acupuncture. Later, the book was transmitted to countries such as Japan and Korea, and it has also enjoyed a very high international reputation.