心疾幻视，见物如狮
一人患心疾，见物如狮子，伊川先生教以手直前捕之，见其无物，久久自愈。岂非真能破伪，伪难饰邪，此圣门正心之学。然使昏愦，此法难用。医者能求其因而解之，即轩岐传传之学矣。
——曲丽芳摘自《古今医案按•癫狂》
Psychological Illness with Lion Hallucinations
A patient with a psychological disorder was having lion hallucinations, so Master Yi Chuan * asked him to stretch out his arms and try to catch one. After realizing that the lions did not exist, the patient slowly recovered. This method shows that the truth can shatter illusions. It is a sage healing method that enlightens the heart and mind, though it would be ineffective against severe dementia and senility. Therefore, in cases of severe psychological problems, the doctor should carefully diagnose the patient and use Chinese medicine theory to cure the root of the illness, this is the knowledge that Huang Di handed down to Qi Bo heart-to-heart.
From Ancient Medical RecordsPress, ‘Mania’
——Translator: Xie Yongqi
Glossary
1. hallucination [həˌlu:sɪ`neɪʃn] n. 幻觉
2. shatter ['ʃætə] n. 碎片；vt. 使散开；vi. 粉碎
* Yi Chuan’s real name was Cheng Yi (1033–1107), style Zhengshu – he was a neo-Confucianphilosopher, scholar and educator.