The Relationship Between Nature and Human and the Concept of Health in <i>Huangdi Neijing</i>

Abstract Huangdi Neijing ( Huangdi’s Canon of Medicine ), the earliest Chinese traditional medicine classic, contains rich and unique health knowledge. The holistic concept of unifying human and natural environment has become the core concept of Traditional Chinese Medicine. The natural environment and health related content in Huangdi Neijing is quite rich. The seasonal and temperature changes in climate are closely related to human physiology, disease, treatment and health. The changes in water inside and outside the body and the different geographical environments will affect human health. Many acupoints’ names are related to water and landforms. The organisms in the human environment are also relevant to health. Our ancestors have observed the relationship between the natural environment and people’s health, and many of these arguments fully embody the philosophy of nature and human. The ancient people emphasized that the purpose of correspondence between nature and humans is to remind people to live in harmony with nature; this concept has not only become a very important part of traditional culture but has also been fully applied in disease diagnosis and treatment and health care.

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Publication Details

Journal
International Confucian Studies
Published
2026-06-27
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1515/icos-2026-0028
Primary Topic
Traditional Chinese Medicine Studies
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
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article

The Relationship Between Nature and Human and the Concept of Health in Huangdi Neijing

Xueqin Shi
International Confucian Studies
Traditional Chinese Medicine Studies
article

The Relationship Between Nature and Human and the Concept of Health in Huangdi Neijing

Xueqin Shi
article en

Abstract

Abstract Huangdi Neijing ( Huangdi’s Canon of Medicine ), the earliest Chinese traditional medicine classic, contains rich and unique health knowledge. The holistic concept of unifying human and natural environment has become the core concept of Traditional Chinese Medicine. The natural environment and health related content in Huangdi Neijing is quite rich. The seasonal and temperature changes in climate are closely related to human physiology, disease, treatment and health. The changes in water inside and outside the body and the different geographical environments will affect human health. Many acupoints’ names are related to water and landforms. The organisms in the human environment are also relevant to health. Our ancestors have observed the relationship between the natural environment and people’s health, and many of these arguments fully embody the philosophy of nature and human. The ancient people emphasized that the purpose of correspondence between nature and humans is to remind people to live in harmony with nature; this concept has not only become a very important part of traditional culture but has also been fully applied in disease diagnosis and treatment and health care.

International Confucian Studies
Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College (CN), China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences (CN)
Openalex Percentile: Top 4%
Traditional Chinese Medicine Studies
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