Zhang Yuansu (1131-1234AD), also named Zhang Jiegu, was born in Yi Shui (Yi County, Hebei Province) in Jin Dynasty. Zhang showed great talent as a child. He succeeded in the imperial examination for children in Song Dynasty when he was 8. At the age of 27, he tried the highest imperial examination for scholars on Confucian classics but failed due to “offending taboos of the late emperors”. After that Zhang gave up his official career and turned to Chinese medicine. By studying medical classics such as The Yellow Emperor’s Inner Classic (Huang Di Nei Jing), his medical skill was improved greatly. Once a famous practitioner called Liu Wansu suffered from cold-induced disease which lasted several days and was characterized by headaches, vomiting, poor appetite, and a tight pulse. He failed to cure himself. Zhang visited and attempted to help him; however, he was not welcomed by this famous practitioner. When Zhang convinced him with medical theory and cured his disease with only one dose of medicine, Liu was deeply impressed and admired Zhang, for which Zhang became well-known.

Zhang Jiegu attached great importance to Zang-fu pattern identification and the promotion of stomach qi, which had great impact on Li Gao’s theory of the spleen and stomach with a feature of “tonifying the earth (spleen and stomach)”, which became the greatest outstanding charateristic of “Yi Shui School”. With the inheritance and development of his disciples and later physicians, Zhang’s academic thought became another great school in Yuan Dynasty, which was different from the famous “Hejian School”. These two schools debated with each other and made progress at the same time, which contributed the flourishing of Chinese medicine during Jin and Yuan Dynasties.

Only several of the monographs written by Zhang still exist now, including Origins of Medicine (Yi Xue Qi Yuan), Pouch of Pearls (Zhen Zhu Nang), and Lares and Penates of Jiegu (Jie Gu Jia Zhen).

Classics

Lares and Penates of Jiegu (Jie Gu Jia Zhen):《洁古家珍》

Origins of Medicine (Yi Xue Qi Yuan):《医学启源》

Pouch of Pearls (Zhen Zhu Nang):《珍珠囊》

The Yellow Emperor’s Inner Classic (Huang Di Nei Jing):《黄帝内经》