Rereading the 81 Difficulties through the base edition, variant editions, original text, Japanese reading, modern Japanese translation, and three perspectives
The Nanjing is a central classic of Chinese medicine, condensing theories of pulse diagnosis, channels, the eight extraordinary vessels, zang-fu, sanjiao, original qi, the five transport points, and supplementation and draining into 81 questions and answers. Wisdom Terra is preparing a digital commentary that goes beyond modern translation to read differences between editions, clinical meaning, and theoretical structure side by side.
This page is the Nanjing category gateway on the main Wisdom Terra website. The complete edition, a substantial collection covering all 81 difficulties, is stored on Google Drive; the website offers the general introduction and three sample difficulties free of charge. The Nanjing is read here on its own terms as classical commentary, while related contemporary theory is available separately.
An entry point explaining the commentary's structure, free scope, map of the 81 difficulties, and differences from the subscription edition.
Free Edition GatewayA full-text sample examining the rationale for assessing the whole body at the cunkou, through the base edition, variants, and philological, clinical, and theoretical perspectives.
Free Full-Text SampleA sample relating the seasonal wiry, hooked, floating-hair, and stone pulses to the presence of stomach qi and prognostic judgment.
Free Full-Text SampleA sample reading the principle of supplementing the mother and draining the child through the five phases, acupuncture points, and clinical judgment.
Free Full-Text SampleThe Nanjing is not merely an auxiliary work placed after the Suwen and Lingshu: it condenses and rearranges Chinese medical theory to connect diagnosis with treatment. Cunkou pulse examination, the eight extraordinary vessels, sanjiao, mingmen, original qi, the five transport points, and principles of supplementation and draining profoundly shaped later readings of acupuncture and Kampo.
Wisdom Terra therefore places it at the center of classical Chinese medicine and first presents its textual structure, edition differences, commentators' readings, and clinical implications independently. Connections to contemporary theory are addressed separately, preserving the autonomy of Nanjing commentary on this page.
Theoretical essays on the limits of patterns, structural revision of the layers, pathogenesis pathways, networks, meta-structure, toxin, and observability.
Theoretical ResourcesAn entry point covering the current layers, why ministerial fire was moved from an independent layer to an interlayer mechanism, research status, and safety considerations.
OverviewEach difficulty organizes the base text Nanjing Benyi, original text, Japanese reading, modern Japanese translation, original images, and interpretations across editions.
Differences between editions, commentators' positions, and divergent readings are presented as material for philology, clinical examination, and theory.
Philology, clinical practice, and theory/mathematics are placed side by side, without forcing a single correct reading.
Extraordinary vessels, sanjiao, original qi, the five transport points, and supplementation and draining are organized along the internal reasoning of the Nanjing and read as foundations for later acupuncture theory.
The whole text is organized into themes including pulse diagnosis, channels, zang-fu, sanjiao, and supplementation and draining, helping readers choose where to begin.
Free AccessExamine the cunkou pulse dialogue through the original text, Japanese reading, modern Japanese translation, variant editions, and three perspectives.
Free AccessA sample of classical commentary connecting seasonal pulses and stomach qi with clinical judgment.
Free AccessA sample organizing supplementation and draining through relationships among the five phases, points, and treatment methods.
Free Access