['Dou Bi' () and 'Xiao Shi' () -- the thinking and methods in medical cases related terms]

This study compared the annotation differences among various editions of the textbook Classical Literature of Traditional Chinese Medicine based on the medical texts handed down from ancient times, unearthed medical bamboo slips, Guang Yun (a historical Chinese rime dictionary), integrating modern chemical knowledge and synthesizing previous scholar ideas. The paper examined the semantic evolution of the character Dou () in the term Dòu Bǐ () in the Biography of Cang Gong with glyph analysis. It further explored the phonetic and graphic interrelationships among the variants Dòu Bī (), Dòu Bǐ (), and Dòu Bī (), supplementing relevant textual evidence. This study also discussed the medical case of "postpartum illness" in the Biography of Cang Gong and clarified its specific meaning. It was found that Xiāo Shí () should be identified as 'saltpeter', primarily composed of potassium nitrate according to contemporary chemistry. The paper argues that the term Dòu Bǐ () was used to describe the remarkable efficacy of Xiāo Shí () in promoting blood circulation and resolving stasis, specifically highlighting the small and minimal size of the expelled blood clots. Consequently, it confirms that Dòu Bǐ () should be read as liaison and interpreted as "bean-sized particles". Additionally, it highlights the significance of specialized textual genres and specific disciplinary contexts in the etymological and interpretive study of terms.