The Classic of Medicine

Huang Di, the Yellow Emperor, the Neijing Suwen

The Essential Text of Chinese Health and Healing is written in the form of a dialog between Huang Di, the Yellow Emperor, and his acupuncturist, Qi Bo.

The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Medicine

Why did scientific and industrial revolutions not occur in China, despite many advances prior to those of the West? One of the key reasons is that Chinese science and technology always
functioned within a philosophy that recognized the importance of balance and harmony between human beings and the environment.

Without sensitive regard to the larger scheme of the universal law, modern science and technology will continue to produce, as part of its welcome advances, disturbances to all life on earth. In the modern age the East can offer the West a philosophy of balance and harmony that is urgently needed, even necessary, for the survival of human civilization. No other Chinese source of this wisdom is as complete as the Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Medicine, or the Neijing.

The authorship of the monumental classic was attributed to the great Huang Di, the Yellow Emperor, who reigned during the middle of the third century BC. The Chinese refer to themselves
as the descendants of Huang Di, who is the symbol of the vital spirit of Chinese civilization. The Neijing is actually two works: the Suwen, “Questions of Organic and Fundamental Nature”, and the Lingshu, “Classic of Acupuncture”, a technical book on acupuncture and moxibustion. Historically, the Neijing refers to the Suwen alone.

The Neijing is one of the most important classics of Taoism. First, it gives a holistic picture of human life. It does not separate external changes – geographic, climatic, and seasonal, for instance
– from internal changes such as emotions and our responses to them. It tells how our way of life and our environment affect our health. Without going into detail, the book articulates a treasure
of ancient knowledge concerning the natural way to health, implying that all phenomena of the world stimulate, tonify, subdue, or depress one’s natural life force.

–Maoshing Ni, Translation and Commentary [The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Medicine: A New Translation of the Neijing Suwen, 1995].

Additional Yellow Emperor Quotes

“Their first discussion began with Huang Di inquiring, “I’ve heard that in the days of old everyone lived one hundred years without showing the usual signs of aging. In our time, however, people age prematurely, living only fifty years. Is this due to a change in the environment, or is it because people have lost the correct way of life?”
Qi Bo replied, “First, it must be determined whether the illness is yin or yang, then the facial colors will indicate the location of the disease, and finally the voice and breathing will confirm the nature of the suffering… In the past, people practiced the Tao, the Way of Life. They understood the principle of balance as represented by the transformations of the energies of the universe. They formulated exercises to promote energy flow to harmonize themselves within the universe. They ate a balanced diet at regular times, arose and retired at regular hours, avoided over stressing their bodies and minds, and refrained from overindulgence of all kinds. They maintained well-being of body and mind; thus, it is not surprising that they lived over one hundred years.“
“These days, people have changed their way of life. They drink wine as though it were water, indulge excessively in destructive activities, drain their jing – the body’s essence that is stored in the Kidneys – and deplete their qi. They do not know the secret of conserving their energy and vitality. Seeking emotional excitement and momentary pleasures, people disregard the natural rhythm of the universe. They fail to regulate their lifestyle and diet, and sleep improperly. So it is not surprising that they look old at fifty and die soon after.”

― Maoshing Ni, Translation and Commentary [The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Medicine: A New Translation of the Neijing Suwen (Chapter 1: The Universal Truth)].

“A superior doctor is able to gather all techniques and use them either together or separately, to flexibly adapt to a changing environment, life-style, and geography, and to consider many variables in the treatment of a condition. Thus, it is understood that even though treatment methods are different, all can succeed in healing a condition. This is dependent on the ability of the doctor to consider all variables and select the proper principle of treatment.”

— Maoshing Ni, Translation and Commentary [The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Medicine: A New Translation of the Neijing Suwen].

A Translation Quoted in World Scripture II

“Nowadays people… use wine as beverage and they adopt reckless behavior… Their passions exhaust their vital forces; their cravings dissipate their true (essence); they do not know how to find contentment within themselves; they are not skilled in the control of their spirits. They devote all their attention to the amusement of their minds, thus cutting themselves off from the joys of long (life). Their rising and retiring is without regularity. For these reasons they reach only one half of the hundred years and then they degenerate.”

–World Scripture II. Universal Peace Federation, 2011, p. 171 [The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine (Neijing Suwen)].