The official WeChat account of the Shaanxi Provincial Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, click the blue “Shaanxi TCM” above to followSource: China Traditional Chinese Medicine NewsAuthor: Zhang Dengben, Shaanxi University of Traditional Chinese Medicine
• The civilization created during the era of the Yellow Emperor, including politics, economy, military, science and technology, culture and arts, customs, and ideology, is referred to as Yellow Emperor Culture. This culture serves as the root and source for the theoretical construction of the Huangdi Neijing (Huangdi’s Inner Canon).
• The content transmitted in the Huangdi Neijing is a continuation of the medical knowledge created during the Yellow Emperor’s era. The calendar, the River Diagram (He Tu) and the Luo Book (Luo Shu) knowledge, astronomical achievements, and the Yin-Yang and Five Elements knowledge established based on astronomical backgrounds played a crucial role in the construction of the theories in the Huangdi Neijing.
The Huangdi Neijing opens with a direct quotation from the “Records of the Grand Historian” stating, “In ancient times during the Yellow Emperor, born divine, able to speak in youth, wise in childhood, and sensitive in adulthood, he ascended to the heavens” (from Suwen, Chapter on Ancient Heavenly Truth). This not only serves as an evaluation and praise of the Yellow Emperor but also aims to inform future scholars that the life science knowledge system contained in the book originates from the inventions and creations of the medical knowledge of the sages from the Yellow Emperor’s era, highlighting the long-standing and vigorous vitality of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) knowledge.
Yellow Emperor Era Created Yellow Emperor Culture
According to historical records from the Qin and Han dynasties, the Yellow Emperor, of the Youxiong clan, son of Shaodian, named Xuanyuan, surname Ji, was the leader of the tribal alliance during ancient China (the Yangshao culture period) and is revered as the “Cultural Ancestor” of the Huaxia people. There are two theories regarding the birthplace of the Yellow Emperor: one states he was born at Xuanyuan Hill in Youxiong (present-day Xinzheng, Henan) by the banks of the Ji River; the other claims that the ancient Ji River (now the Qishui River in Wugong County, Shaanxi) is the birthplace of the Yellow Emperor (as noted in the “Discourses of the State: Jin Language”). The burial site of the Yellow Emperor has been debated, with claims of “Changsha” (from Song Dynasty scholar Zeng Gong’s “Longping Collection”), Pinggu (at the junction of Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei), and Jing Mountain (within Lingbao, Henan, where records in the “Records of the Grand Historian” and “Annals of Emperor Wu” mention the Yellow Emperor mining copper and casting cauldrons at Jing Mountain), but it is undisputed that his burial site is at Qiaoshan, north of Huangling County, Shaanxi. The earliest documented worship of the Yellow Emperor dates back to 424 BC (the third year of Qin Linggong), and the grand ceremony held by Emperor Wu of Han (in the first year of Yuanfeng, 110 BC) marked the first historical peak of worship at the Yellow Emperor’s tomb. Since the establishment of the temple in the fifth year of the Tang Dynasty (770 AD), it has remained an important venue for state ceremonies throughout various dynasties.
The Huaxia people place great importance on the worship of the Yellow Emperor due to the five great merits he bestowed upon them: first, he unified China for the first time by cultivating virtue and rallying troops, defeating the Yan Emperor at Banqiao, overcoming Chiyou at Zhuolu, and convening the lords at Mount Tai in the west, thus integrating the world into one family; second, he established the first state in Chinese history—Youxiong, laying the foundation for the earliest Chinese territory; third, he created the first nation in Chinese history—the Huaxia people, achieving a grand integration of various tribes; fourth, he initiated Chinese civilization, including material, political, and spiritual cultures; fifth, he is the primary ancestral figure of the Chinese nation, with the cultural lineage of the Yellow Emperor and the bloodline of the Yellow Emperor together forming a cultural system that provides cultural and genetic heritage to the children of China.
It is precisely because the era of the Yellow Emperor (approximately 6000-5000 BC) was a period of explosive invention and creation after thousands of years of cultural accumulation by the Huaxia people that the inventions and creations of this period continuously protected the Huaxia people and became the root and source of enduring Huaxia civilization. This is why the Yellow Emperor has been regarded as a representative and significant symbol of this period throughout history. The civilization created during this time, including politics, economy, military, science and technology, culture and arts, customs, and ideology, is referred to as Yellow Emperor Culture. Yellow Emperor Culture is the root and source of the excellent culture of the Chinese nation.
Yellow Emperor Culture is the Root of the Theoretical Construction of the Huangdi Neijing
The life science knowledge system constructed in the Huangdi Neijing is undoubtedly formed under the background of the “Yellow Emperor Culture” root.
Firstly, the title “Huangdi” signifies that the content transmitted is a continuation of the medical knowledge created during the Yellow Emperor’s era.
Medical knowledge is one of the inventions and creations of the Yellow Emperor’s era, and the medical theories constructed in the Huangdi Neijing are a continuation of the medical knowledge created during that time: ① The book is named after the “Yellow Emperor” not only to emphasize the long-standing nature of its content but also to highlight the profound influence of Yellow Emperor Culture on the theoretical construction within the book. This is what Wang Bing meant when he said, “Without the teachings of the three sages, one cannot achieve it” (from the Huangdi Neijing Suwen, Wang Bing’s Preface). Lin Yi also stated, “In ancient times during the Yellow Emperor… the teachings were passed down, and the Neijing was created” (from the Expanded Commentary on Huangdi Neijing Suwen, Preface by Gao Baoheng and Lin Yi); ② The opening of the Huangdi Neijing directly quotes the evaluation of the “Yellow Emperor” from the first volume of the Records of the Grand Historian, highlighting the cultural source of the book’s content; ③ The Huangdi Neijing references over 50 medical texts from before the Western Han dynasty, all of which are continuations of the medical knowledge created during the Yellow Emperor’s era, crystallizing the clinical experiences of the Huaxia people in their long struggle against diseases; ④ The concept of “heavy earth” in the theories of the Huangdi Neijing, although originating from the “Yellow Lao School of Thought,” is profoundly influenced by the emphasis on agriculture in Yellow Emperor Culture, thus expanding the importance of the spleen and stomach theory, emphasizing that “the spleen is earth… earth gives birth to all things and follows the laws of heaven and earth” (from Suwen, Chapter on the Taiyin Yangming Theory), which is a clear cultural trace.
Secondly, the calendar created during the Yellow Emperor’s era played an important role in the theoretical construction of the Huangdi Neijing.
During the Yellow Emperor’s era, the “Great Nao created the Jiazi” (from the Lüshi Chunqiu, Commentary by Gao You), initiating the Gan-Zhi Jiazi timekeeping method, which allowed humanity to consciously control the concept and method of time, known as the calendar. The so-called calendar is a method of calculating the movements of the sun, moon, and stars to determine the seasons and climate. In the Yellow Emperor’s era, to adapt to people’s daily lives, specific social activities, and research needs, based on precise observations of the most relevant celestial phenomena to humanity, a scientific and reasonable method of measuring time and establishing time sequences was developed, which is known as the calendar.
The Huangdi Neijing applies six types of calendars to construct its life science system. ① The twelve-month solar calendar divides the year into four seasons, involving the content of most chapters, such as the discussion on health preservation in Suwen, Chapter on the Four Qi Regulating the Spirit, the knowledge of pulse diagnosis in Suwen, Chapter on the Normal Human Climate, and the acupuncture treatment methods in Suwen, Chapter on the Four Seasons Acupuncture Treatment, all of which are constructed under the background of this calendar; ② The ten-month solar calendar divides the year into five seasons, the concept of the Five Elements, the Long Summer, the Tian Gan monthly system, the Five Transportations, and the Guest Transportations, are all examples of this calendar’s application; ③ The lunar calendar in Suwen, Chapter on the Eight Correct Spirits and Chapter on Moxibustion, discusses the methods of acupuncture and moxibustion based on the lunar phases and menstrual disorders, reflecting the basic characteristics of this calendar; ④ The Yin-Yang combined calendar, the twenty-four solar terms, the Five Transportations and Six Qi time measurements, are all constructed under the background of this calendar; ⑤ The Big Dipper calendar, which consists of 366 days divided into eight time segments, with all terms using eight being related to this calendar (from the Ling Shu, Chapter on the Nine Palaces and Eight Winds); ⑥ The Gan-Zhi calendar, also known as the Star Calendar or Jiazi Calendar, uses a combination of 60 Gan-Zhi to mark years, months, days, and hours. For example, the Earthly Branches marking months in the Ling Shu, Chapter on the Yin-Yang System of the Sun and Moon, is used to indicate the relationship between the twelve meridians of the human body and the twelve months of the year; the Earthly Branches timekeeping in Ling Shu, Chapter on the Qi of the Body, “There are twelve months in a year, and twelve branches in a day. Zi and Wu are the meridians, and Mao and You are the latitudes,” is used to record the state of the body’s defensive Qi; the theory of the Five Transportations and Six Qi uses the Gan-Zhi to calculate the annual “yearly transport” and “yearly Qi”: the Tian Gan marks the transport, and the Earthly Branches mark the Qi.
Thirdly, the knowledge of the River Diagram and Luo Book that emerged during the Yellow Emperor’s era became the thinking model for the theoretical construction of the Huangdi Neijing.
① The white circles in the River Diagram and Luo Book represent solid circles, symbolizing Yang, expressing the state of sunlight exposure, while the black circles represent hollow circles, symbolizing Yin, expressing the state of sunlight absence. ② The number of black and white circles in the Luo Book can express the duration and intensity of sunlight exposure in different times and spatial locations, and can also vaguely quantify the perceivable heat from the sun in those areas. ③ The arrangement of black and white circles in the Luo Book objectively reflects the solar year, the duration of day and night, the intensity of light, and the temperature changes in different times and spatial locations. ④ The values of black and white circles in the Luo Book can objectively reflect the laws of change and the state of things in different times and spatial locations. ⑤ Both diagrams use the north-south meridian and east-west coordinates to express the annual solar movement and the dynamic changes of Yin and Yang in nature. ⑥ The ten-month solar calendar under the background of the River Diagram divides the year into five seasons: spring (Wood), summer (Fire), long summer (Earth), autumn (Metal), and winter (Water), with the periodic operation of the five seasonal climates being the background for the emergence of the Five Elements concept (from Guanzi, Chapter on the Five Elements). ⑦ The Ling Shu, Chapter on the Nine Palaces and Eight Winds directly incorporates the content of the Luo Book and the Eight Trigrams into the constructed theories.
Fourthly, the astronomical achievements of the Yellow Emperor’s era profoundly influenced the theoretical construction of the Huangdi Neijing.
The Huangdi Neijing is based on the concept that “the Dao knows astronomy above, geography below, and human affairs in the middle, which can last long,” applying relevant astronomical knowledge to construct its life science system.
In the theoretical construction, the Huangdi Neijing applies three understandings of celestial structures: the theory of the dome of heaven, the theory of the spherical sky, and the theory of the night sky. The dome of heaven theory posits that “the sky is round like a cover, and the earth is square like a chessboard,” with the arched sky covering the flat earth. The text directly defines the dome of heaven theory with “the sky is round and the earth is square,” explaining the structure and functions of the human body (from Ling Shu, Chapter on Evil Guests), constructing the theory of the “Four Seas” of the human body and its clinical significance (from Ling Shu, Chapter on the Sea Theory); the spherical sky theory posits that all stars are distributed on a “celestial sphere,” while the sun, moon, and five planets revolve around it. This view is not only a cosmological theory but also a calculation system for observing and measuring celestial movements, as indicated in the discussion of the Five Transportations and Six Qi, stating, “The earth is below humanity, in the great void… the atmosphere lifts it” (from Suwen, Chapter on the Great Theory of the Five Transportations), which is an application of this view; the night sky theory asserts that “the sun, moon, and stars naturally float in the void, their movements and stillness all depend on Qi” (from the Book of Jin, Chapter on Astronomy). The text states, “The sky is too vast to measure, and the earth is too great to quantify” (from Suwen, Chapter on the Six Sections of the Zang Xiang Theory), which is a specific application of the night sky theory’s cosmological stance.
The Yellow Emperor’s era paid significant attention to the Big Dipper, making it one of the important sources of traditional Chinese culture, and thus it inevitably became an important element in constructing the life science knowledge system of the Huangdi Neijing. Knowledge of the Big Dipper is reflected in the constructed theories, such as the relationship between the Big Dipper and the Big Dipper calendar, the twenty-eight lunar mansions, the twelve Earthly Branches, the annual solar movement rhythms, seasonal rhythms, monthly rhythms, daily rhythms, and the twelve branches of a day, as well as the life rhythms of the human body related to these time rhythms. The Big Dipper calendar measures the year in eight time phases, leading to the concept of “Eight Winds Invading” and “Heaven has Eight Records.” Therefore, only by familiarizing oneself with the knowledge of the Big Dipper and the Big Dipper calendar can one smoothly understand the related original texts.
The Huangdi Neijing employs the knowledge of the twenty-eight lunar mansions based on the Big Dipper in constructing its medical theories. Firstly, it is used to explain the daily circulation patterns of the body’s nutritive and defensive Qi, such as “The sky revolves around the twenty-eight lunar mansions, and one side has seven stars, four and seven make twenty-eight stars. Fang and Shang are the latitude, and Xu and Zhang are the longitude. Therefore, Fang to Bi is Yang, and Shang to Xin is Yin. Yang governs the day, and Yin governs the night” (from Ling Shu, Chapter on the Qi of the Body). Secondly, it is used to construct the theory of the Five Transportations and Six Qi, such as “The Qi of the Red Sky passes through the Ox and Girl, the Qi of the Black Sky passes through the Heart and Tail, the Qi of the Green Sky passes through the Danger Room and the Ghost, the Qi of the White Sky passes through the Kang, Di, and Bi. The so-called Wu and Ji divisions are the portals of heaven and earth. The place where the observation begins, the Dao is born, cannot be ignored” (from Suwen, Chapter on the Great Theory of the Five Transportations), explaining the principles of the transformation of the Five Qi into the Five Transportations.
Fifthly, the Yin-Yang and Five Elements knowledge established during the Yellow Emperor’s era, based on astronomical backgrounds, is the foundational thinking for the theoretical construction of the Huangdi Neijing.
Originating from the long-term observations of solar activities by the ancestors, the Yellow Emperor’s era abstracted the symbols of Yang (—) and Yin (- -) from the pre-heaven Eight Trigrams (Fuxi), where the white circles in the River Diagram and Luo Book represent solid circles (Yang, expressing sunlight exposure), and the black circles represent hollow circles (Yin, expressing sunlight absence). This represents the initial two forms of the Yin-Yang concept. Since the Huaxia people developed characters, “With the sun, it is Yang; without the sun, it is Yin,” the written forms of “Yin” and “Yang” remain closely related to the sun. Since the “I Ching,” the Yin-Yang theory has become the worldview and methodology of the Huaxia people, hence the saying, “Understanding Yin and Yang is like solving a puzzle, like waking from a dream” (from Ling Shu, Chapter on Disease Transmission). It is evident that the Yin-Yang theory has become the key to opening the door to exploring the mysteries of life, and the Huangdi Neijing inevitably employs this worldview and methodology to construct its medical theoretical system, integrating the gradually formed philosophical concepts of Yin-Yang with medical content, becoming a hallmark of philosophy and the foundation and source of the TCM theoretical system.
The concept of the Five Elements formed and originated from the ancient people’s observations of the five seasonal concepts that most directly and significantly influence human life activities during their long-term production and living processes. Regarding the time and spatial locations of the five seasons and five directions, humanity first placed their survival time and spatial locations within a systematic, meaningful, and cognizable time-space system, thus forming the ancient people’s concept of classifying and positioning recognizable things into five seasons and five directions. The construction of the Huangdi Neijing’s theories coincides with the maturation of the Five Elements theory, naturally leading to its introduction into the life sciences, and further establishing the relationships of mutual restraint among the five natural substances, asserting that “Wood is cut by Metal, Fire is extinguished by Water, Earth is nourished by Wood, Metal is depleted by Fire, and Water is exhausted by Earth. All things are thus, and cannot be exhausted” (from Suwen, Chapter on the Complete Form of Life), widely applying this Five Elements restraining relationship to various aspects of medicine. For example, “The organs receive Qi from what they generate, transmit it to what they overcome, and Qi resides in what they generate, dying from what they cannot overcome. When a disease is about to cause death, it must first transmit to what it cannot overcome, and then the disease leads to death. This refers to the reverse flow of Qi, hence death. The liver receives Qi from the heart, transmits it to the spleen, resides in the kidney, and dies in the lung… the kidney receives Qi from the liver, transmits it to the heart, resides in the lung, and dies in the spleen” (from Suwen, Chapter on the True Organs), where the text applies the Five Elements’ generation and restraint relationships to explain the transmission of diseases among the organs. This illustrates one aspect of the application of the Five Elements theory in TCM knowledge.
The Yellow Emperor is the representative of the Yellow Emperor era and the brilliant culture created during that time, thus he is revered as the cultural ancestor of the Huaxia people. Therefore, the compilation and naming of the Huangdi Neijing is a product of the cultural background where “the secular people respect the ancient and despise the present, thus those who follow the Dao must remember the Shennong and the Yellow Emperor to be able to enter the discourse” (from Huainanzi, Chapter on Cultivation of Affairs).
This issue coordinated by: Li Gang
This issue reviewed by: Ni Guohui
This issue edited by: Li Xinyi
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