许叔微幼年即涉猎医书,后因父母病亡,成年后才致力医学,最终医术大成.虽学医有成,但许叔微仍以科举为重,于54岁得中进士.当时,社会上流传着许叔微“夜梦神人”的故事,提及了“业医”和“科举”的关系.对此,许叔微未予详述,仅以“杳冥之中,似有所警”一笔带过.其他人则为了表述各自的观点,对许叔微“夜梦神人”之事或是如实记述,或是加以改动.通过对医学知识来源、习医时间、习医动因等因素的改动,在宋人笔下,许叔微以医济人,积攒阴德,进而得登科第.此形象得到了时人的认可,并被视为楷模,用以勉励他人.
Xu Shuwei studied medicine at very youth age.Since his parents died of diseases,it was that until his adult period he can focused on medicine study.Finally,he became a practitioner,but he still payed attention to imperial examinations.He got Jinshi (进 士) at his 54 years old.At that times,there were many folk stories about Xu Shuwei that he once met an immortal at the land of dreams,and got some medicine knowledge from him.From the points of Song Literati's view,where his medical knowledge came from,when he learnt medicine,and the causes he studied medicine were different.They thought that he saved many lives,and he got retribution therefore he passed the imperial examination.His image was viewed as a model at that time.