养生
Yangsheng · nourishing life
The broad practice of caring for life through habits, food, activity, rest, and mental life. It is the organising idea behind this site.
Read in context →A little vocabulary
Words you will
meet along the way.
Short editorial explanations for reading our guides. Classical terms change with context; these are working introductions, not diagnostic definitions.
阴阳
Yin and yang
Related qualities used to describe change: inward and outward, rest and activity, cooling and warming. They are relationships rather than a good–bad ranking or a score to maximise.
Read in context →气
Qi
A context-dependent classical term for processes, movement, and functional activity. Yang qi emphasises warming and activating aspects; qi is not simply a measurable fuel or a synonym for oxygen.
Read in context →精
Jing · essence
A classical concept concerned with the material basis of life, growth, and reproduction. Its meaning depends on the passage; it is not identical to hormones or a modern laboratory value.
Read in context →神
Shen · spirit and mental life
In daily-care passages, attention, emotional life, and mental presence are relevant parts of shen. “Form and spirit” pairs bodily life with these aspects; spirit here need not mean a religious belief.
Read in context →五行
The five phases
Wood, fire, earth, metal, and water describe traditional relationships and transformations. Seasonal and functional correspondences organise the model; they do not establish the cause of a symptom.
Read in context →脏
Zang · traditional functional systems
Names such as Liver or Spleen cover broader functions in the classical framework than their modern anatomical namesakes. A “Spleen” discussion is not automatically about disease of the anatomical spleen.
Read in context →证
Pattern · an assessed combination
In Chinese medicine, a pattern brings together multiple findings and context. Feeling cold, tired, or bloated by itself cannot establish yang deficiency or dampness; individual assessment matters.
Read in context →五味
The five flavours
Sour, bitter, sweet, pungent, and salty form a traditional classification. “Harmonise the flavours” includes moderation; it does not mean treating an organ with a particular taste.
Read in context →Reading basis
Suwen: Shang Gu Tian Zhen Lun, Si Qi Tiao Shen Da Lun, Yin Yang Ying Xiang Da Lun, and Sheng Qi Tong Tian Lun. Ling Shu: Ben Shen. Our modern explanations should be read alongside the specific chapter context.
Return to the original anchors →