Yaoxing Fu, also known as Suwen Copy or Maijue Copy, is believed to be a work from the Jin and Yuan dynasties. Originally intended as an introductory text for beginners in Chinese medicine to learn about Chinese medicinals, the book categorizes 248 commonly used Chinese medicinals into four types based on their medicinal properties: cold, hot, warm, and neutral. Written in rhymed prose, it is concise, catchy, and easy to memorize. Particularly notable is its incisive summary of medicinal properties?once committed to memory, it proves invaluable for life. As a result, it has been cherished by readers throughout the ages and remains enduringly popular.

The original book does not credit an author. One theory attributes it to Lin Weijie, a scholar from Xi Street, Wuchuan County, Guangdong Province during the Qing Dynasty, who achieved the rank of Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations). Another theory suggests it was written by Chen Fu, a native of Shicheng County, Jiangxi Province, also during the Qing Dynasty. He is said to have compiled works such as Suwen Copy, Maijue Copy, and Medicinal Property Copy (also referred to as Yaoxing Fu), though none of these texts are known to have survived.