[Yu Yunxiu's annotated version of A-B Classic of Acupuncture and Moxibustion].

A-B Classic of Acupuncture and Moxibustion was revised by the Beijing Medical Bureau in the Qing Dynasty, with the annotation and seal of Yu Yunxiu, and was kept in the library of Chinese Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences. Based on the preface and postscripts of the book, the main edition used by Yu Yunxiu for his proofreading was the version of the Song Dynasty reissued in the Jiajing Period of the Ming Dynasty (the Jiajing Version hereafter). The Jiajing version had been lost so the Yu Yunxiu's annotated version became the most important document to envision its original appearance. This paper compares the Yu Yunxiu's annotated version with the Six Classics of Medicine version of A-B Classic of Acupuncture and Moxibustion (the Six Classics of Medicine version hereafter) kept in the library in the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, the Lan Ge version of A-B Classic of Acupuncture and Moxibustion in from the Ming Dynasty located in the Shiryokan Library of Japan, the incomplete version of A-B Classic of Acupuncture and Moxibustion from the Ming Dynasty now in the Library of the Imperial Cabinet of Japan, the Jigu Pavilion Manuscript version of A-B Classic of Acupuncture and Moxibustion in the Library of Life Sciences of Shanghai, and the Complete Library of the Four Treasuries version of A-B Classic of Acupuncture and Moxibustion (the Complete Library of the Four Treasuries version) in the National Palace Museum of Taipei. It was found that the version of Yu Yunxiu failed to strictly follow the editorial guidelines clarified before the formal text of the book, and its content looked different from other existing versions. It was found that the Yu Yunxiu's annotated version was close to the version of the Complete Library of the Four Treasuries. However, they were inconsistent in terms of content. This indicated that the Jiajing version might be the main edition used by the scholars of the Qing Dynasty for their proofreading of the Complete Library of the Four Treasuries version. Additionally, the discrepancy between the Yu Yunxiu's version and the Six Classics of Medicine version was more than that between the Yunxiu's version and the Complete Library of the Four Treasuries version. This indicated that the two versions did not come from the same source and they do not have a reprint relationship.