Bringing form to abstraction
Item
Title
Bringing form to abstraction
Description
Lantern (2019), Chace, Charles .
Source
Abstract
A misleading tendency in the transmission of Traditional East Asian Medicine (TEAM) to the West is the propensity to divorce the concept of qi from structure or form. All too often, qi is regarded as an intangible ether that is conceptualized as somehow animating, though entirely separate from form. This is especially evident in the way the viscera and receptacles (zangfu) are understood in many styles of TEAM. The Chinese medical “Liver” is regarded as a constellation of theoretical functions and Liver qi constraint has nothing to do with the anatomical organ that beats that name. Approached in this way, qi becomes nothing more than an abstract theoretical framework. Whatever the reasons for this modern separation of qi from form, it is not an accurate representation of the qi presented in the source literation of Asian medicine. What follows is a translation of an essay by Zhang Jiebin (also known as Zhang Jingyue, 1563-1640), entitles “Discerning the Triple Burner, Enveloping Networks and Life Gate” (Sanjiao Baoluo Mingmen Bian). Zhang’s perspective on these topics exemplifies the important point that qi is anything but abstract, and that it is indelibly rooted in form. He argues that even the most apparently abstract aspects of TEAM anatomy are in fact grounded in physical structures. His position is based on a careful reading of the Inner Classic and the Classic of Difficulties, and supported by cadaver observations throughout Chinese history.
Creator
Language
English
Chinese
Date
Subject
volume
16
issue
1
page start
6
page end
19
Alternative Title
Lantern
Date Created
10/14/2019
Type
Journal Article
issn
1449-2717