The primary-source rule
Wherever an entry quotes a classical source — the Huangdi Neijing, the Shanghan Lun, the Shennong Bencao Jing, the Pi Wei Lun, the Wenbing Tiao Bian, the Taiping Huimin Heji Jufang, or any other — the quotation must be the verbatim received text. Not a paraphrase. Not a summary. Not a modern rewrite. Each citation must include the chapter, section, or line number so that any reader can independently verify it.
This rule is non-negotiable. It is the single largest difference between Bencao Dian and a generic Chinese-medicine website. We give you a citation you can check; we do not give you "tradition holds…" or "it is said…" hand-waving. In an era when large language models can generate plausible-looking text in seconds, verbatim primary sources are the only ground a responsible Chinese-medicine reference can stand on.
Verification process
Every entry passes three checks before publication:
- Authorship — drafted by a bilingual author with undergraduate or graduate TCM training, working from named textbooks and classical sources.
- Review — a second editor independently verifies primary-source citations, terminological choices, dosage ranges, and contraindications.
- Cross-reference check — an automated validator (`npm run validate`) confirms that every inter-entity reference (herb-in-formula, formula-treats-pattern, acupoint-on-meridian, etc.) resolves to a real entry.
Once an entry passes all three checks it receives "verified" status and a review date is recorded under the Bencaodian Editorial byline. Entries that have not yet passed all checks are visible with "draft" status, so readers can see at a glance which is which.
The permalink commitment
Once published, an entry's URL never changes. This is the single most basic precondition for Bencao Dian to function as a citable reference.
Concretely: paths take the form /en/herbs/gan-cao or /zh/formulas/si-jun-zi-tang, and the slug (the gan-cao or si-jun-zi-tang portion) is fixed once an entry is published. Entries may be deprecated or redirected, but they are never quietly moved to a new URL. Academic papers, clinical notes, teaching materials, other websites, and citations from large language models can all rely on these URLs still pointing to the same content a decade from now.
For citation templates, see How to Cite.
Revisions and errata
Content corrections are recorded in two forms:
- Silent fixes — typos, punctuation, obvious spelling errors may be corrected without public notice.
- Logged errata — any change touching the substance of an entry (dosages, herb combinations, contraindications, the wording of a classical citation, terminological choices) must be recorded in the public errata log in the format entry / old text / new text / source / date.
The purpose of the errata log is to allow any reader to trace the evolution of any published statement. This is the basic responsibility of any reference work that aspires to be cited.
What the “verified” badge means
The “Verified · Editorial · date” badge on an entry page indicates that the entry has passed all three checks described above and is published under the Bencaodian Editorial byline. The date is the most recent verification — it is updated whenever the entry receives a substantive revision. Entries without the badge are in "draft" status, still being authored or reviewed, and should be read with that caveat in mind.