The Unification of Nature and Human: From Cognition to Practice

Abstract

Traditional Chinese civilization has had a long history of understanding the relationship between nature and human. The Chinese Ming dynasty physician Zhang Jingyue brought the cognition of "the unity of nature and human" into play by reconstructing Chinese medical theory and clinical practice thus achieving an important transition from cognition to practice. Based on the three main aspects of (i) holistic cognition and clinical application, (ii) yin-yang cognition and clinical application, and (iii) five elements-related cognition and clinical application, we further explore Zhang Jingyue's thoughts and applications from the cognition of "the unity of nature and human" to the practice of "the unity of knowledge and action" to provide reference and inspiration for the development of present-day medicine and even the progress of human civilization.