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A medical scholar of the Sui and Tang dynasties. Born around 575 and died in 670, he served as a royal physician during the Daye period of the Sui dynasty (605-616). Renowned for his exceptional medical skills and ability to cure severe illnesses, he had a deep understanding of the Huangdi Neijing. He was commissioned to annotate the Neijing, reorganizing the contents of Suwen and Lingshu to compile the Huangdi Neijing Taisu, a 30-volume work, making him the first to classify and study the Neijing. Thus, Lin Dang and others of the Song dynasty noted: "During the Sui dynasty, Yang Shang-shan compiled the Taisu, and now we see its structure. By taking the texts of Suwen and Lingshu, and intricately annotating them, he initiated the classification of these two classics, with Shangshan being the pioneer." Additionally, he authored the Huangdi Neijing Mingtang Leicheng, of which only the first volume survives, titled Huangdi Neijing Mingtang.

In terms of academic thought, Yang Shang-shan's work Huangdi Neijing Taisu not only classified the Neijing but also preserved some of the original text's earlier forms. It holds academic value in textual criticism, interpretation, and the citation of ancient texts.

1. He pioneered the scientific classification and annotation of the Neijing. Throughout history, scholars have approached the Neijing in various ways, such as Wang Bing who focused on textual emendation, and Nan Jing who specialized in thematic elaboration. However, Yang Shang-shan was the first to classify and annotate the Neijing, making him the pioneer in this field. He scientifically categorized the Neijing, dismantling the original texts of Suwen and Lingshu and reorganizing them into 19 major categories based on their nature, including health preservation, yin-yang, human harmony, zang-fu organs, meridians, shu-stream points, nutrient-defense qi, body measurements, diagnostics, syndromes, prescription setting, nine needles, nourishment, cold-damage diseases, heat and cold, pathogenic theories, Feng Lun, qi theories, and miscellaneous diseases. Each major category was further divided into subcategories, providing a clear and systematic framework for the Neijing theoretical system.

   His classification systematically reflects the academic thoughts and medical achievements of the Neijing. For example, Taisu ﹒ shu-stream point comprehensively includes the theoretical knowledge of Neijing shu-stream point, showcasing the achievements of ancient shu-stream point studies. However, in the original text of Neijing, this information is scattered across nearly 10 different chapters, making it fragmented and unable to fully represent the ancient shu-stream point theory. On the other hand, Yang Shang-shan not only classified the main categories more reasonably but also organized the subcategories in a well-ordered manner. For instance, Taisu ﹒ cold-damage disease first establishes the Rebing 訣 as the general outline for discussing cold-damage disease, followed by Rebing 說, which discusses typical heat syndromes, then lists five zang-organs Rebing , and finally addresses malaria. This arrangement, from general to specific, from broad to detailed, makes it clear and easy to understand. Therefore, his classification research on Neijing has provided a clear framework for the theoretical system of Chinese medicine, which is a significant contribution in the history of Chinese medicine development.

2. Proofreading and correcting errors to preserve the original appearance of Neijing. He proofread many Neijing texts with errors, omissions, and redundancies, providing assistance for later generations to read Neijing and correctly understand Neijing medical theories. For example, Taisu · Zhufeng Zhuanglun states: "The appearance of kidney-wind edema... its color, hidden and curved, unfavorable, diagnosed on the cheek, its color black." Yang's note: "The cheek is the kidney area, some texts say 'muscle', which is incorrect." The current version Suwen · Feng Lun correctly states "diagnosed on the muscle", but should be changed to "cheek" according to Taisu. He never lightly altered the original text, even if there were errors, he only explained in the notes to preserve the original appearance of Neijing. For example, Taisu · five zang-organs Wei: "Those with kidney heat, their color is black and their teeth..." Yang's note: "Should be 'withered', black color and withered teeth." Thus, after his proofreading, the original appearance of Neijing was preserved to some extent, providing reliable evidence for later generations to proofread and organize Neijing. It can be seen that he collected various ancient and modern texts, carefully proofread Neijing, leaving valuable materials for later generations, which not only greatly influenced later scholars but also remains significant for current research and organization of Neijing.
3. Explaining meanings and pronunciations, revealing the principles of Neijing. Yang Shang-shan was proficient in exegesis, and the annotations in Taisu cover astronomy, geography, human affairs, and even Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. His phonetic annotations are meticulous, and his explanations are apt and well-founded. For example, the annotation of "guan (open), he, shu" was misunderstood due to copying errors and later generations not understanding that "he" and "shu" were originally nouns, leading to many misinterpretations. He used Shuowen and other reference books to explain: "A door has three meanings: first, the door bar, which is for prohibition... second, the door leaf, which is for closing... third, the door pivot, which is for turning." He used the door's bar, leaf, and pivot to elucidate the text, vividly illustrating the functions and relationships of the three yin and three yang, accurately explaining the proposition of yin-yang separation and union. Since the human body is an organic whole connected by the three yin and three yang meridians, each meridian has its own function but is inseparable, just like a door, which requires the bar, leaf, and pivot to be securely closed. This correctly expresses the relationship of separation and union between yin-yang meridians and zang-fu organs. Due to the many rare characters in Neijing, he often provided phonetic annotations before explaining the words. He used the most scientific methods of direct sound and fanqie for phonetic notation, especially when a character had two pronunciations, he would note the pronunciation suitable for the text's content based on the scripture's needs. Yang Shang-shan's meticulous phonetic annotations, the accuracy of his sound and meaning, and the quantity of his annotations have all influenced later annotators.

   Moreover, when encountering difficult characters in the texts, he did not force interpretations or provide tentative explanations, but instead adopted an attitude of skepticism. For example, in Taisu﹒Qifu, the phrase "four cun above Tianrong (SI17) is named one," Yang's annotation states: "The character Tianrong (SI17) is incorrect, details unknown." This also reflects his rigorous approach to scholarship.

Yang Shang-shan, as an outstanding medical scholar, systematically elucidated the textual and medical principles of the Neijing through his compilation and annotation of the scriptures, thereby advancing the academic theories of the Neijing. At the same time, as a philosopher well-versed in Taoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism, and particularly skilled in the studies of Laozi and Zhuangzi, he introduced these into the annotations of the Neijing, using them to explain medical principles and proposing important philosophical viewpoints such as "dividing one into two." In summary, he was an exceptional medical scholar who made significant contributions to the development of the medical field.