Li Shizhen andCompendium of Materia Medica
词汇学习
Compendium of Materia Medica《本草纲目》
masterpiece 杰作
Ming Dynasty 明朝
pharmacist 药学
recipe 秘方
specimen 样品；标本
TCM 中医药
Li Shizhen (1518-1593), styled Dongbi, literary name Binhu, a native of Qizhou (present Qichun Town, Hubei Province), was a prominent pharmacist in the Ming Dynasty and a great natural scientist in the cultural history of the world.
李时珍(1518 ~ 1593 )，字东璧，号濒湖。湖广蕲州(今湖北蕲春)人。明代卓越的医药学家，世界文化史上伟大的自然科学家。
16th-century China experienced social stability and economic prosperity. Li Shizhen was born in 1518 to a doctor’sfamily. Both his grandfather and father were physicians who had authored books on medicine. Despite the family expectation of a career in government service, Li Shizhen failed the civil examination three times and turned his interest to medicine.
16世纪的中国，社会稳定、经济繁荣。1518年，李时珍出生于医学世家，其父亲、祖父均是当地有名的医生、且著有医书。家人期望他走仕途之路，但他三次科举不中，此后他转而学医。
When he was 27, he cured the son of the king of Chu, and was invited to be a doctor and official in that court. A few years later, he was recommended to become an official at the Imperial Medical Institute in Beijing. During the year he spent there, he had access to rare and old medical texts. He also saw that the available medical texts had inaccuracies and contradictions to each other and that the medical knowledge of his time was not well defined.Consequently, he wanted to compile correct information in a logical system of organization. Heintendedto survey all the available knowledge of his time and write the most accurate natural medical text ever written.So he resigned,returned home,and dedicated his life to write a book to help people.
27岁时，李时珍救治了楚王的儿子，因此并被邀请到王府担任医生和官员。几年后，他被推荐至京城北京成为一名太医。在那段时间，他可以查阅稀有和古老的医学文献。他也发现医学文献有不准确、相互矛盾之处，而且他那个时代的医学知识没有很好的界定。他有了重新编著医书的想法。李时珍想查阅当时所有的医药知识，想写出最准确的医学文字。他辞官还乡，以毕生之力编写一篇著作帮助人们。
He had consummate medical skill and made intensive studies of medical classics. After trekking over a long distance to cull medical herbs, he wrote the world-famous monumental masterpiece Bencaogangmu (Compendium of Materia Medica) after 27 years of hard work.
李时珍精通医术，钻研医典，万里跋涉，采方问药，历时27年写成了举世闻名的中医药著作《本草纲目》。
Acclaimed as the”ChineseEncyclopedia” ofthe 16thcentury by Darwin, it included indications and prescriptions of 1892 medicinal herbs, among which 374 were newly added. There were more than 1,100 medicine illustrations and over 11,000 recipes.
此书被达尔文誉为16世纪的“中国百科全书”，收入1892种药物，其中新增药物374种；药物插图1100余幅，11000多个药方。
In the course of compiling the work, Li Shizhen made his endeavors all the way throughout the country to pick up specimens in the wild and to search and collect folk recipes. His classifications of medicine were based on fairly scientific approaches. Each type of medicine was followed by an explanation of usage and dosage. He established a new system for the study of Chinese herbal medicine.
在编纂这部作品的过程中，李时珍遍寻全国各地，在野外采集样本，搜寻和收集民间药方。他采用比较科学的方法对药物进行分类，每种药物后面附有用法和方剂，就药论治，按证寻药，创立了本草学的新体系。
This book was completed during the course of struggle against Taoism. Denouncing sharply the absurd practice of taking“magicpills” forlongevity, Li Shizhen disclosed the secret of the so-called magical prescription and catholicon and the claim that those who ate longevity herbs would become immortal.
《本草纲目》是在与道教斗争中写成的，李时珍痛斥了道教“长生久视”的诳言，揭开了所谓“仙方”、“神药”的秘密，从而戳穿了“羽化登仙”的骗术。
In addition, Li Shizhen wrote six other medical works:Binhu Study on the Pulse,Research on the Eight Extra-ChannelsandResearch on Pulse Diagnosison the diagnosis by feeling the pulse,On the Three Visceral Cavities Housing the Internal Organs,Examinations of the Gate of Vitalityon the theory of triple burners, andBinhu Medical Caseson the experience of medical treatment. The former three are still in existence.
另外，李时珍还有6部医学著作，关于脉学的有《濒湖脉学》、《奇经八脉考》、《脉决考证》，关于三焦命门理论的有《三焦客难》、《命门考》，还有关于临证医疗经验的《濒湖医案》，现存前3部。
Compendium of Materia Medicahas been translated into multiple foreign languages. Today, it remains the premier reference work for herbal medicine. The book was reprinted frequently and five of the original editions still exist in China, Japan and the USA. Li Shizhen, a Chinese scholar, wins respect of foreigners. If you come to Moscow State University, you will find the gallery of the most outstanding scientists. You will find Li Shizhen stand side by side with other world famous scientists. The seed of Chinese medicine has been planted around the world, and the fruits will be seen one day. In historically and culturally rich China, Chinese medicine developed and flourished.Letthe world understand TCM and let TCM go to the world. “Bencao”has no boundaries no matter in China or western countries.
《本草纲目》被翻译成多种文字，今天仍是中药学的首要参考书。《本草纲目》多次重印，最初五个版本仍然存在于中国、日本和美国。中国学者李时珍也赢得了外国人士的尊敬。在莫斯科大学的杰出科学家画廊里，李时珍位列世界著名科学家之中。中医药的种子已种植在世界各地，终有一天会见证开花结果。盛世修本草，让世界了解中医药、让中医药走向世界。本草无疆，无问中西。
撰稿：英语教研室刘爽、蒋孝成
参考文献：China Daily、China Highlights、可可英语、英文教室
