Zhōu Yòu:introduction about her biography and legends,main books and academic thoughts.
✵周祐 (Zhōu Yòu): a lady herbalist ever lived during the Ming Dynasty, she and her sister 周禧(Zhōu Xǐ), are authors of the book 《本草圖譜》(Ben Cao Tu Pu, or the collection of illustrative materia medica), it is the earliest survived monograph book on materia medica written by lady herbalists in China.
周祐 (Zhōu Yòu).
Brief Introduction
漢語名 (Chinese Name):
周祐 (Zhōu Yòu)
Alias:
江上女子 (Jiāng Shǎng Nǚ Zǐ)
Popular name:
周祐 (Zhōu Yòu)
English Name:
Zhōu Yòu, or You Zhou (Given/Family)
Hometown:
south of the Yangtze River
Dates:
Unknown.
Main works:
《本草圖譜》(Ben Cao Tu Pu, or the collection of illustrative materia medica).
Representative works:
《本草圖譜》(Ben Cao Tu Pu, or the collection of illustrative materia medica).
Biography and legends:
周祐 (Zhōu Yòu), a lady herbalist ever lived during the Ming Dynasty, her alias was Jiāng Shǎng Nǚ Zǐ, literally it means a lady lives on the Yangtze river, native to Jiangnan, her life and story in detail is unknown. Together with her sister 周禧 (Zhōu Xǐ), they used colored silk as book pages and drew herbal works, known as Ben Cao Tu Pu (the collection of illustrative materia medica), it is the earliest survived monograph book on materia medica written by lady herbalists in China.
Main books and academic thoughts:
In the two-volume book of Ben Cao Tu Pu (the collection of illustrative materia medica), the left part is the illustration and the right part is the color picture. On the starting page of each volume, only the words "Volume..." are written without a serial number. It should be an unfinished manuscript. One volume records fifteen kinds of botanical herbs, and the other volume records fifteen kinds of poultry medicine. Botanical medicines it introduced and recorded include "Mingzhou Huangju (Yellow Chrysanthemum of Mingzhou), Qinzhou Huangyao..." with various names, the graphics are extremely accurate, and the pictures of birds and poultry are fine and beautiful. The book is a rare masterpiece, with meticulous brushwork and exquisite depictions. It is a pity that the original text is incomplete, and it is difficult to get a complete picture, but it is still a wonderful work among the herbal works.
References:
1.Zhōu Yòu:introduction about her biography and legends,main books and academic thoughts.
✵周祐 (Zhōu Yòu): a lady herbalist ever lived during the Ming Dynasty, she and her sister 周禧(Zhōu Xǐ), are authors of the book 《本草圖譜》(Ben Cao Tu Pu, or the collection of illustrative materia medica), it is the earliest survived monograph book on materia medica written by lady herbalists in China.
周祐 (Zhōu Yòu), a lady herbalist ever lived during the Ming Dynasty, her alias was Jiāng Shǎng Nǚ Zǐ, literally it means a lady lives on the Yangtze river, native to Jiangnan, her life and story in detail is unknown. Together with her sister 周禧 (Zhōu Xǐ), they used colored silk as book pages and drew herbal works, known as Ben Cao Tu Pu (the collection of illustrative materia medica), it is the earliest survived monograph book on materia medica written by lady herbalists in China.
In the two-volume book of Ben Cao Tu Pu (the collection of illustrative materia medica), the left part is the illustration and the right part is the color picture. On the starting page of each volume, only the words "Volume..." are written without a serial number. It should be an unfinished manuscript. One volume records fifteen kinds of botanical herbs, and the other volume records fifteen kinds of poultry medicine. Botanical medicines it introduced and recorded include "Mingzhou Huangju (Yellow Chrysanthemum of Mingzhou), Qinzhou Huangyao..." with various names, the graphics are extremely accurate, and the pictures of birds and poultry are fine and beautiful. The book is a rare masterpiece, with meticulous brushwork and exquisite depictions. It is a pity that the original text is incomplete, and it is difficult to get a complete picture, but it is still a wonderful work among the herbal works.
