The Systematic Classic of Acupuncture/Moxibustion: Jia Yi Jing [Paperback]

This translation is actually in its 2nd edition now. The first edition came out in a hard-cover, which can often be found in used book stores, under books that are too esoteric for the general population, and too expensive for the novice student. Almost 10 years after the first edition arrived, this paperback version does not fail to inspire the one who has discovered it. It's like a gem among common stones.

If you've tried reading the Nei-Jing: Su wen and Ling Shu, you may have already figured out that it's a conglomeration of 162 treatises, loosely organized and difficult to assimilate. The Jia Yi Jing, first published in 282 CE., derives most of its information directly from the Nei-Jing (2nd-3rd century B.C.E). So why spend more money on another version of the Nei-Jing? The difference may be best understood with these words taken straight from the Translator's Preface: "While the expositions on pathogenesis, diagnosis, and the pathophysiology of disease in the Ling Shu and Su Wen are indeed instructive these books are not oriented toward clinical practice and most often do not contain therapies for specific, clinically encountered problems. The Jia Yi Jing, on the other hand, is a clinically oriented manual arranged in a manner that a student or practitioner can easily access. It presents the reader with the signs and symptoms of a given disease, and then provides us with acupuncture moxibustion treatment choices. Having made these choices, the Jia Yi Jing then provides us with a clear description of what to expect from its formulas and their relevant points, the depths of needle insertions, the number of cones allowed in moxibustion, and the manipulation of the needles, etc."

Furthermore, while the Su Wen records only one hundred sixty acupoints... the Jia Yi Jing adds one hundred eighty-nine points to this list, increasing the total number to three hundred forty-nine points... Texts on classical Chinese acupuncture and moxibustion published in the fifteen hundred years since Huang-fu Mi's death have added only twelve channel points to the number contained in the Jia Yi Jing." (iv translator's preface). This elucidates the importance of this text, not only in light of the fact that it was the first textbook on classical acupuncture, but also given its position as a milestone in the systemic classification and application of acupuncture in general.

Organized into 12 sections, the following are my personal labels for each one: 1. Theory 2. Channels 3. Points 4. Pulses 5. Needling technique 6. Diagnosis 7,8,9. Contraction of disease in the 6 channels and Zang/Fu 10. Bi-Pain disorders 11. Severe disorders 12. EENT and miscellaneous disorders.

Finally, the other source of the Jia Yi Jing material is the now lost Ming Tang Zhen Liu Zhi Yao (The Acupuncture and Moxibustion Treatment Essentials of the Enlightening Hall), which was given much reverence in its day and is best preserved through the Jia Yi Jing.

If I could give this 6 stars, I would. My recommendation is that only serious acupuncture students/ practitioners should consider making this purchase. The paperback value is not great enough for collectors and the material is too dependant on having a TCM background for non-practitioners to make this investment. A better read for non-acupuncturists is "The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Medicine: A New Translation of the Nei-Jing Suwen with Commentary" by Maoshing Ni. It reads more like a Taoist narrative. My personal recommendation for serious Nei-Jingers is Henry Lu's Nei-Jing and Nan-Jing in one volume, available from www.tcmcollege.com. Also, the Nguyen Van-Nghi group is making English translations of the Ling Shu available through www.jungtao.edu.