Three volumes, likely begun in the 13th year of the Kangxi reign (1674), the author Zhang Zhi-cong passed away before the book was completed, and it was later continued by his disciple Gao Shi-shi. Subsequently, Wang Qi found a duplicate copy, which was proofread and engraved into the Yilin Zhiyue series, by the 32nd year of the Qianlong reign (1767), and has been reprinted since.

This book excerpts Bencao Gangmu with 233 Benjing herbs (plus 56 additional items), discussing "Chong Yuan" (Revering the Origin). The preface states, "Interpreting Benjing to elucidate medicinal properties, focusing on the principles of five circuits and six qi, with detailed explanations," intending to explore the theory of medicinal properties. The herbs are categorized into upper, middle, and lower grades, starting from their nature, taste, origin, yin-yang and the five phases attributes, and appearance, combined with the mechanisms of treating diseases to clarify their efficacy. The philosophy of revering the origin had a significant influence on Xu Da-chun, Chen Xiu-yuan, and others.