From the simple and common to the complex and rare, this book contains subtleties, distinctions and nuances of Chinese medicine never found in beginners texts. Whether for translational or clinical application, it presents the concepts of Chinese medicine exactly as they would come to the mind of a Chinese physician speaking or writing in their native language.
Arranged as a classical dictionary, definitions are provided in English alphabetic order, and include the english term, the source Chinese term, its Pinyin transliteration (including spoken tone), pronunciation, etymology, and one or more definitions as applied in Chinese medicine. Terms used within definitions are cross-referenced and disease and symptom descriptions include the standard therapies applied in the People's Republic of China. Each definition is referenced to one or more Chinese source. In all, it lists the characters, Pinyin, translations, and definitions for more than 10,000 medical concepts, including treatments for the patterns catalogued, 2,000 formulas, 1,700 natural drugs, and 1,500 acupoints.
The definitions and treatments are drawn from clinically authoritative Chinese medical sources, all of which are cited. The many useful features include a full set of English common and commercial names for medicinal substances, as well as standard Latin scientific names. Western medical correspondences are noted, as is nomenclature put forward by the World Health Organization. The index is comprehensive and fully cross referenced; it also includes lesser-used terms and nomenclature so it may be used as a translators' glossary. There is one foreword by Chen Keji, the pioneer of integrated Chinese medicine, and another by Paul Unschuld, the renowned sinologist.
This is a valuable work that will provide rapid access to an enormous amount of information for the student, researcher, or clinician, and is sure to become the new reference source for academic studies, international exchange, and training in Chinese medicine.
Whether using the Practical Dictionary as a source of terminology, as an editorial support, or to learn how the Chinese define their terms, understanding the indexing philosophy is worthwhile. The index is huge, nearly 200 pages. It includes every term, book, medicinal, formula, acupoint and western medical correspondence found in the text. The authors designed it as a translators' glossary to save translators and scholars the need to buy a stand-alone gloss. Because the definitions section is organized like a standard dictionary, there is no need to use the index for English terms. Thus, the index is organized for those who begin their search in Chinese. For example, if you look for ``dispersion'' in the index, you won't find it. But, you will find
xiao in the first tone, the three characters and terms associated with it, as well as
xiao in the first tone followed by
fa in the third tone, all of which are linked to ``disperse,'' or ``dispersion.''
So, for English, search directly in the text. For Chinese, you can begin in the index. However, because the Pinyin entries are listed in alphabetical order by tone (1, 2, etc.) in both the index and definitions sections, you can begin in either depending upon your need for defintion.
If you know neither the Chinese nor the English for a term, you can still find it reasonably fast. Just find the definition for a related body-part, pattern or symptom. Once there, check for words in small capitals. These are further entries. Also look for the labels ``Compare, Synonym,'' and ``See.'' These are cross references to related definitions. The abbreviations ACU, MED, TRT and WMC which appear in small boxes point to treatment-related references such as acupoints, medicinals, formulas and western medical correspondences. For example, if you want a defintion or treatment but know neither the Chinese nor the English for a term related to urination, look under ``urine." There you will find references to associated symptoms, patterns, and treatments.
For every search, the shortest route depends upon what you know and what you need to know.
If you know the functional class of a medicinal, and need only the nomenclature, look in Appendix II.
If you know the functional class of a formula, and need only the nomenclature, look in Appendix III.
If you know the latin, Chinese or English for a medicinal, and need only the nomenclature, use the index.
If you know the Chinese or English for a formula, and need only the nomenclature, use the index.
If you know the Chinese or English for an acupoint, and need only the nomenclature, use the index.
If you know the channel for an acupoint, and need only the nomenclature, look in Appendix IV by aphanumeric designation.
If you know the English for term, look in the text itself in aphabetical order, regardless of whether you need the nomenclature or the defintion.
If you know only the Chinese for a term, look in the index first.
