Jia-illness in the Tianhui Medical Bamboo Slips

This paper discusses the contradiction between the later definition of jia as an abdominal mass with variable location and shifting pain, and the many pathological conditions recorded in the Huangdi Neijing, such as shijia (stony uterine mass), chongjia (parasitic abdominal mass), shuijia bi (watery abdominal mass impediment), and tangjia xie (soggy jia diarrhea), in terms of their location, physical nature, and symptoms. Taking the Tianhui Medical Bamboo Slips as the core text, and drawing on related bambooslip and silk manuscripts (including those from Mawangdui and Zhangjiashan) as well as transmitted medical classics (Huangdi Neijing, Nanjing, and Zhu Bing Yuan Hou Lun), this paper investigates the nomenclature, nature, and conceptual evolution of jia during the pre-Qin and Han periods. Through etymological analysis of the character of jia and a detailed examination of disease classifications, it argues that jia in early medical contexts did not refer to a specific category of pathological conditions, but rather served as a general designation for disorders. On this basis, the paper systematically examines the specific connotations and classification system of diseases named under jia in the Tianhui Medical Bamboo Slips. Furthermore, it explores its evolutionary trajectory in the Huangdi Neijing and later medical theory—transitioning from a broad designation toward differentiation and specialization—to resolve the contradiction between later definitions and early classical records and restoring the authentic picture of early medicine.