MATERIA MEDICA OF THE ANCIENT CHINESE. 513 
Lr Sai-cuen :—The ni cheng with its evergreen leaves 
is an emblem of chastity, whence the name [nd = girl, cheng 
=chastity]. The niu cheng, the tung ts‘ing and the kou ku 
[these names are frequently confounded] are three distinct 
trees. The Ze ky ni cheng is the tree which is now com- 
monly called Mf HE la shu (wax tree). The people in the 
Fast call the nz cheng with luxuriant foliage also 4 ¥§ tung 
fs‘ing. But the name tung ts‘ing is properly applied to another 
tree. They resemble each other in the facility with which they 
are raised from seeds and in their having thick, pliable, long 
leaves, dark green on the upper side and paler underneath ; 
but the leaves of the nit cheng are oblong, from four to five 
inches long, and its fruit is black, whilst the tung ts‘ing has 
toundish leaves and red berries. It (the tung ts‘ing) produces 
& profusion of flowers, and in autumn the whole tree is 
Covered with berries of which thrushes are very fond. Its 
wood is white. N. owadays the name nit cheng is little known. 
The people more commonly call this tree la shu (wax tree), 
for in summer the wax insect which produces the pai la, or 
white wax, lives upon the branches of it. 
The a tung ts‘ing is treated of in a special article in 
the P. [XXXVI, 39] and 7. [CCCVILL]. The name means 
as green in winter, evergreen.” The fruit, leaves and bark 
are used in medicine. 
Caen Ts‘ang-K4 [8th cent.]:—The people of Kiang 
tng [Kiang su, An hui, App. 124] write the name i 
tung ts‘ing (green in the cold season). ‘The wood of the 
— tung ts‘ing is white, veined and fit for making ivory-like 
tablets. ‘The leaves can be used for dyeing a dark red 
Colour. One author says :—The tung ts‘ing grows in the vila 
ai shan mountains Pi Shan si] and resembles ied 
(Cedrela), It has red berries like the ya U [Prunus japoneea, 
ly 
fF RR ti Ba» tablets held before the breast by officers at audiences. 
