“Body and spirit” is a general term used in Chinese medicine to represent life. “Spirit” refers to both the material basis for life activities and any function expressed in the life process. The body dominated by spirit is a significant presumption behind Chinese medicine.

In the traditional Chinese medical system “spirit” is the material foundation of qi, blood, body fluids and essence. At the same time, the formation and transformation of “spirit” relies on the functions of the zang-fu organs, qi, blood and channels.

In short, mental activity, emotions, movements and physiological functions are all contained under the scope of “spirit” or “vitality”. Spirit or vitality is stressed in diagnosis, treatment and life nurturing. A saying goes that “patients with vitality are likely to be cured, while those without it are not.” ^[3] Therefore, “spirit” or “vitality”is a major focus of inspection—one of the four examinations in traditional Chinese medicine.

The philosophical discussion about the “body and spirit or vitality” takes on a different emphasis in medicine, which needs to answer questions about the functional activity of “spirit”. Thus, the relation between the “body and spirit or vitality” becomes a debate about the relationship between form and structure. The value system embedded within Chinese medicine can be summarized in the statement from TheYellow Emperor’s Inner Classic: “The superior focuses on the spirit, while the inferior focuses on the body.” ^[4]

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