The Four Medical Classics is an authoritative reference book on Tibetan medicine that integrates the essence of Tibetan medicine practice and theory. It is known as the encyclopedia of Tibetan medicine and is the most systematic, complete and fundamental theoretical system in Tibetan medicine. The Four Medical Classics, also known as the Four Sequels to Medical Prescriptions, was created in the 8th century AD and was written by the famous Tibetan medical scientist Yuto Nyingma Yundan Gongbu. It consists of four volumes and 156 chapters. It was first printed on woodblocks in 1546 and distributed to various parts of Tibet. After that, many different versions of woodcuts and annotations appeared, making it the most classic masterpiece in the field of Tibetan medicine. The founder of Tibetan medicine, Yutuo Yundan Gongbu (708-833), collected the essence of ancient Tibetan medicine, absorbed the essence of medicine from all over the world, and compiled

(1) This illustration is based on the contents of Chapter 3 “Physiology and Pathology of the Human Body” in the Four Medical Classics: General Principles. (2) Based on the narration of Dai Yi’s classic medical texts, the upper corner of the picture shows: Tujurebai Yixi (1) lecturing on the contents of the Four Medical Classics: General Principles and Shochu Yilaigai listening respectfully. (3) This diagram uses the roots, trunk, branches and leaves of a tree to systematically introduce the physiological functions and pathological changes of the human body. (4) According to the record in the History of Medicine by the author Sangye Gyatso: “In the third chapter of the General Principles of the Four Medical Classics, the root of the human body’s physiology and pathology has two main trunks: human physiology and human disease, i.e., the causes of disease. The human body’s physiology trunk has fifteen kinds of pathology, and

(1) This diagram is based on the contents of Chapter 4, “Diagnosis of Diseases”, in the Four Medical Classics: General Principles. (2) This diagram is similar to the second diagram. It uses the roots, trunk, branches and leaves of a tree to systematically introduce the diagnostic methods of three types of diseases: inspection, palpation and questioning. (3) According to the History of Tibetan Medicine written by Desi Sangye Gyatso: “The root of the diagnosis tree of diseases is divided into three main trunks: inspection, palpation, and questioning. The inspection trunk has two branches: tongue inspection and urine testing, each with three leaves. The palpation trunk has three branches: pulse diagnosis for long disease, tribadism, and bacon disease, each with one leaf. The questioning trunk has three branches: long disease, tribadism, and bacon disease. The questioning branch for long disease has eleven leaves, the questioning branch for tribadism has seven leaves,

(1) This illustration is based on the contents of Chapter 5 “Treatment of Diseases” in the Four Medical Classics: General Principles. (2) This diagram is similar to the second diagram. It uses the roots, trunk, branches, and leaves of a tree to systematically introduce the dietary choices, daily living adjustments, medications, and external treatments for disease treatment. (3) According to the History of Tibetan Medicine written by Desi Sangye Gyatso: “The root of the tree of treatment of diseases is divided into four main trunks: diet, daily life, medicine, and external treatment methods. On the diet trunk, there are six branches, including food and drinks for treating long disease, triba disease, and bacon disease; the food branch for treating long disease has ten leaves, and the drink branch has four leaves; the food branch for treating triba disease has seven leaves, the drink branch has five leaves, and the food

(1) This diagram is based on the contents of Chapter 1 “General Introduction” and Chapter 2 “Development of the Human Body” of the Four Medical Classics. (2) According to the History of Tibetan Medicine written by Sangye Gyatso, this diagram begins with “Guzhurebai Yixi, the incarnation of the body of the Medicine King, preaching the principles of childbirth and the process of human development and formation.” (3) The contents of this diagram include: Gu Zhurebai Yixi’s exposition of the Four Medical Classics; the reasons for conception and infertility; the formation of the fetus; the development and delivery of the fetus, etc.

(1) According to the History of Tibetan Medicine written by Desi Sangye Gyatso, this diagram is “the front view of the context in the Four Medical Classics: A Collection of Commentaries compiled by the Lundin School” (2) Description of the original image: This image was compiled by the Lhuntin Namgyel Dorje School of the later Northern School of Tibetan Medicine based on the Four Medical Classics: A Collection of Treatises. It shows the blood vessels of the human head, neck, trunk, and limbs, as well as the bloodletting sites and distribution of vital white veins on the front of the human body. (3) The seventy-seven bloodletting sites on the body are marked with red numbers. Red spiral lines mark the places where Qi and blood meet. Brown lines mark the vital white veins. Black lines mark the visible veins on the limbs. (1) According to the History of Tibetan Medicine