| Abstract: | “Chi-fang,” according to Chou-li, was a group of official responsible for
managing land, labor, and goods in different areas of Chou. “Chin-fang,” defined by
Hanshu Bibliographical Treatise, was a kind of method for curing diseases. There are
differences between Chi-fang and Chin-fang. 1. Chi-fang was a unit of government,
while Chin-fang was a kind of method. 2. “Fang,”in Chi-fang, referred to direction,
territory, or state; but in Chin-fang, it meant method, technique or recipe. 3. The
practice of Chi-fang mainly based on the knowledge of geography, however,
Chin-fang was closely related to the knowledge of diseases and medicine. However,
the reason I put Chi-fang and Chin-fang together is to explore the possible connection
between the knowledge Chi-fang professed and the method Chin-fang practice. There
are three questions I would like to answer: 1. How did the geographical knowledge
take shape and transform from Chou to Han? 2. How did ancient people recognize the
relationships among geographical factors, causes of diseases and effects of medicine?
3. What would be the possible connection between the way of political control and
medical treatment?
To those questions I proposed, my pilot survey shows: 1. The concept of
geographical structure combined with the recognition of political territory and order
of cosmos as an integrated whole in ancient China. This characteristic structure was
consisted of a three-dimension diagram including heaven（above）, earth（below）and
a center surrounded by eight directions. 2. The relationships among geography,
diseases and medicine basically reflected this geographical structure. Besides, the
movement searching for immortality rised in late Chou, the reorganization of deities
system in Chin and Han, and the readjustment of hierarchy of all creatures on earth in
late Han all contributed to these relationships. 3. Those relationships among land,
body, illness and medicine reflected the changes in political system from late Chou.
And the logic embodied in practice of Chin-fang were correspondent to those changes
in ways of political control.
這裡的「職方」，意義本於《周禮》，指的是古代封建邦國中掌握風土、人
民與物產的一類職官。這裡的「經方」，則取義於《漢書》〈藝文志〉，是晚
周秦漢藉方藥治療疾病的一類實用技術。「職方」與「經方」的指涉對象不一，
如前者的性質是王官職守，後者是醫療技術；前者之方指方位、方土、方國，
後者則指方法、技術、配方；前者與地理風土知識關係密切，後者涉及疾病認
識與藥物配伍。這項研究之所以連繫「職方」與「經方」，主要目的在探討「職
方」之官所掌握的職業知識與晚周秦漢「經方」之術背景知識間的可能關係。
這項研究試圖回答以下問題：一、周秦漢有關地理風土的認識如何形成，經歷
了哪些轉變？二、在上述認識中，不同地理風土和人體、疾病與處方的效驗有
哪些關係？三、從「職方」與「經方」知識背景的關係看，統治技術與醫療方
法有無關係？有何關係？
目前研究初步發現：一、周秦漢有關地理風土的認識與對政治疆土及宇宙結
構的認識是一體的。其重要特徵之一，是包括了上（天）下（地），由中央（內）
與四方四維（外）形成的所謂「二繩四鉤」的三維時空結構。這一結構性認識
的來源甚早，可能在新石器時代即已形成，但形諸具體文字的時間則可能遲至
晚周。二、有關不同地理風土與人體特質、疾病成因及藥物效驗關係的認識，
基本反映了上述「二繩四鉤」的宇宙結構。而晚周人體氣論的形成，秦漢帝國
就境內各地神祇系統所作的重新調整，以及漢末神僊家、民間宗教對宇宙萬物
所進行的階序分類，也對上述的認識構成程度不等的影響，增添了新的內容。
三、上述「二繩四鉤」結構的形成與轉變，與古代國家遂行國土控制的需求相
應。古代中國政治體制從封建分立到郡縣統一的發展，使得風土、人體、疾病
與藥物的關係隨之重組，疾病的治療在一定意義上襲用了國家控制疆土的模
式，可以說，從「職方」職業知識到「經方」療病之術的發展，是回應了上述
政治控制技術的發展。 |
