General principle of high-quality academic development of traditional chinese medicine: “carrying on the essence,while pursuing innovations”

SUN Wenzheng,SUN Guangrong

SUN Wenzheng,Sun Guangrong Academic Experience Inheritance Studio of Beijing Tongrentang Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine,Beijing 100051,China

SUN Guangrong,Beijing University of Chinese Medicine,Beijing 100029,China

Author Profile:SUN Guangrong,the second batch of TCM Masters,member of the fifth Central Healthcare Expert Group,winner of the first China Outstanding Contribution Award to TCM,member and executive member of the first faculty of China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences,member of the first Expert Advisory Committee of TCM Management Strategy Decision of the National Medical Products Administration.Chief physician,researcher,professor,and postdoctoral cosupervisor of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine.General Secretary XI Jinping emphasized in the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences,that “Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is a treasure of ancient Chinese science and the key to the treasure house of Chinese civilization.At present,it is a golden opportunity with right timing,environment and human relations for the revitalization and development of TCM.I hope that all TCM professionals can strengthen their national selfconfidence,climb to the peak of medicine bravely,explore the deep essence of the treasure house of TCM,give full play to the unique advantages of TCM,advance the modernization and globalization of TCM,and take this valuable wealth left by our ancestors well inherited,developed,and utilized,making a new chapter in the great journey of building a healthy China and realizing the Chinese dream.”

How can we take TCM,our ancestor's valuable wealth,well inherited,developed,and utilized? General Secretary XI Jinping has successively made a series of important instructions,and has defined the general principle of high-quality academic development of TCM to be “carrying on the essence,while pursuing innovations”.

The development of TCM embraces Chinese culture and philosophy.Not only does it take the fundamental ideas such as the integration of heaven and earth,the unity of heaven and man,the harmony of heaven,earth and man,as well as harmony but not uniformity,but also it absorbs the essence of Confucianism,Buddhism and Taoism,including holism,three talents (heaven,earth and man),symbol-and-number,variation,neutralization,obedience,and adaption.It is developed with the accumulation,precipitation,refinement and sublimation of the clinical experience in billions of human cases (rather than animals) through the ages.TCM itself is a discipline of inheritance,integration and innovation,with unique characteristics of syndrome differentiation and treatment in clinical practice,focusing on holism,macro,function,and dynamics.Its theories and methods such as unity of heaven and man,harmony between the body and the spirit,qi,blood,body fluids and essence,Zang-Fuorgans(脏腑),meridians and collaterals,inspecting the exterior to judge the interior,syndrome differentiation and treatment,internal and external treatment,are mostly inherited but advanced,which are still not proved through experiments by modern science and technology.The essence of inheritance is to nurture the root and soul of TCM.Without inheritance,it is not the original TCM.Innovation is for improvement,and without it,TCM cannot keep pace with the times.Being conservative,complacent,and self-proclaimed,as well as worship and fawn on foreigners,and applying things mechanically,all violate the development law of TCM,and impede its high-quality academic development.Therefore,we should not be whimsical and cannot alienate our tradition,but ensure the essence of inheritance and accumulate original energy instead.We should not be arrogant and stagnant,but instead embrace the modern technologies(referring to the mature theories and clinical methods of Western medicine) for innovative development.For example,“feeling ones pulse manifestation and symptoms,knowing disease mechanism,and differentiating syndrome and conducting treatment”proposed by Article 16 in the Treatise on Febrile Diseases (《伤寒论》) is a classic thinking mode of TCM,involving the four examinations,differentiating syndrome to identify cause (problem-solving thinking),seeking for disease mechanism,and determining therapeutic method (rising thinking),selecting formulas,and prescribing Chinese medicinals (decisive thinking),which should be inherited.Meanwhile modern technology such as big data can be used to modernize syndrome differentiation and treatment,which is a innovation.Ultimately,only when the theory from all the classics and the experience from ancient physicians are inherited to carry on the essence,and when the expertise and the special techniques are improved by referring to other fields and systems to persue innovation,can the high-quality academic development of TCM be achieved,the unique advantages of TCM be ensured,and the core role of TCM in building a “healthy China” be acted,thereby improving the effects of TCM in health preservation and disease treatment and benefiting the world.