An Illustrated Investigation of the Names and Nature of Plants

original: "植物名實圖考" (Zhìwù Míng Shí Tú Kǎo). This monumental work, published posthumously in 1848, is celebrated as one of the most comprehensive and scientifically accurate botanical treatises of the Qing Dynasty. It contains descriptions and illustrations of 1,714 types of plants.

The phrase "Names and Nature" (míng shí) refers to the author's goal of reconciling various regional or historical names for plants with their physical reality and properties as observed through fieldwork and empirical study.