Origin and application: "body schema" of acupuncture and moxibustion from the perspective of astrology and numerical arts.
10.13703/j.0255-2930.20240613-0002
- Author:
Liwei LIU
1
;
Changhua LIU
1
;
Yipin FAN
2
;
Kejin SHI
3
Author Information
1. School of Basic Medicine, Chengdu University of TCM, Chengdu 610075, Sichuan Province, China; Institute of Chinese Excavated Medical Literature and Cultural Relics, Chengdu University of TCM, Chengdu
2. Institute of Basic Research in Clinical Medicine, Chinese Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences.
3. Institute of Chinese Excavated Medical Literature and Cultural Relics, Chengdu University of TCM, Chengdu
- Publication Type:English Abstract
- Keywords:
body philosophy;
body schema;
corporeal perspective;
numerical arts of acupuncture and moxibustion;
phenomenology of perception;
spatio-temporal acupuncture and moxibustion
- MeSH:
Moxibustion/history*;
Humans;
Acupuncture Therapy/history*;
History, Ancient;
Meridians;
Astrology
- From:
Chinese Acupuncture & Moxibustion
2025;45(7):995-1002
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
The "body schema" of acupuncture and moxibustion is centered on the meridian system and represents a corporeal perspective of "heaven-connection", embodying the harmony between nature and humanity. It integrates the cyclic schema of the heavenly cycling, the meridian growth and decline schema of the guaqi theory, the twelve zodiac demarcation schema from astrological and astronomical studies, and the nine-palace and eight-trigrams schema of temporal and spatial locations. It presents the theoretical origins of the harmony between nature and humanity in acupuncture and moxibustion along with medical thoughts under the background of social concepts. The numerical arts of acupoint number and acupuncture-moxibustion quantity, those of acupuncture-moxibustion time and taboos, as well as the time-based acupuncture-moxibustion patterns, all of these thoroughly reflect the application of the body schema of acupuncture and moxibustion by early medical practitioners in ancient time. The study on the body philosophy in acupuncture and moxibustion should start from the original appearance of early classical acupuncture-moxibustion theory, trace the source of body philosophy of acupuncture and moxibustion, seek the truth of temporal body medicine, and perfect the body philosophy research of contemporary acupuncture and moxibustion, so as to improve the dual attributes of acupuncture and moxibustion in humanities and science.
