title | Shisijing Fahui |
or | Elucidation of Fourteen Meridians |
Yuan Dynasty - Written by Hua Shou in the first year of the Zhizheng era (1341), this is a book dedicated to the discussion of meridians. Shortly after its publication, the original was lost, and its contents were preserved by Xue Kai and Xue Ji in the Xue's Medical Records. The existing Shisijing Fahui versions, apart from the Xue's Medical Records edition, include standalone editions such as: the 1731 Japanese Kyoho era edition, the 1709 Japanese Hoei era edition published by Yoshino-ya Gonbei, the 1726 Japanese Horeki era edition published by Osaka Ane-ya Kihei, and the 1986 annotated edition by Shanghai Science and Technology Press, among others. However, all these standalone editions originate from the Xue's Medical Records.
Shisijing Fahui is divided into 3 volumes, each containing one chapter. The first volume is the "Hand and Foot Yin-Yang Multiple Abscess Chapter," which provides a general discussion on the sequence of qi and blood in the yin-yang meridians for multiple abscesses. The second volume is the "Fourteen Meridians and Meridian Qi Origination Chapter," discussing the pathways of the fourteen meridians, the locations of acupoints, and the clinical manifestations of the "movement" diseases of the twelve hand and foot meridians. The third volume is the "Eight Extraordinary Meridians Chapter," discussing the pathways, physiological functions, and pathological changes of the eight extraordinary meridians. The book elevates the Du and Ren meridians to the same status as the twelve regular meridians, which is a development in the theory of meridians and collaterals. The classification of all 657 acupoints under the fourteen meridians is also a significant innovation by Hua Shou. The method of selecting acupoints along the meridians that he advocated has been followed by acupuncture and moxibustion practitioners ever since.