BY CHENG GUOPENG
Scholar, Qing Dynasty
TRANSLATED BY HEINER FRUEHAUF
Cheng Guopeng is one of the seminal scholar-physicians of the early Qing dynasty. At the height of his career, he synthesized his personal insights derived from a life-long study of the classics, especially Zhang Zhongjing’s Shanghan lun, and his clinical experience by writing the book Enlightened Insights into the Science of Medicine (Yixue xinwu, 1732). This thin yet influential work first spelled out the system of the so-called Eight Parameters (bagang) and the Eight Treatment Methods (bafa), which since have become the standard diagnostic parameters of Chinese medicine. His introduction to the “Sweating Method” (Hanfa) is an excellent example for the original depth and attention to detail which ancient master physicians brought to their craft.