1. Same developmental model: Both Chinese and Western medicine evolved through continuous refinement in human medical practice.
2. Same essential meaning: Both embody human wisdom and accumulated experience.
3. Same contributions: Both have made enormous contributions to human health and continue to improve.
4. Same path of development: As society advances and science and technology progress, both medical systems are constantly being refined and developed.
5. Same process: During their development, both received spiritual guidance and shared a sense of destiny and reverence for the divine.
6. Same interconnectedness: Both Chinese and Western medicine maintain extensive connections with other disciplines and keep pace with the times. They reach the same destination by different paths — both serving human health. In today’s era of rapid change, Chinese and Western medicine alike must advance with the times, connect with contemporary human life, and learn from each other. Both require dialectical inheritance and innovative development.
7. Same origins: From primitive society through the slave society era, the development of both Chinese and Western medicine was marked by “spiritualism” and influenced by primitive religious beliefs. This is reflected in the use of “witchcraft” in Western medicine, the existence of “witch doctors” in the Western medical model, and the view in traditional Chinese medicine that “medicine originates from sorcery.”
8. Same guiding ideology: (Prior to the Renaissance) both systems incorporated natural philosophy, attempting to explain the properties of human life through the material attributes of the natural world. In places like ancient Greece in the West and China in the East, simple dialectical and holistic medical concepts emerged one after another, matching life elements with natural material attributes.
The development of Western medicine began with a spiritualistic medical model — superstitious in nature, believing that all things were governed by gods. This was idealism at its core. With the advancement of science and technology, the rapid development of the natural sciences, and the invention of theories such as cell theory, the foundation was laid for the modern medical model of Western medicine. Since then, the rapid progress of world civilization and technology has propelled Western medicine — which relies heavily on science and technology — to enormous advances. People place their trust in science, and this medical discipline has consequently gained greater attention and recognition.
The fundamental spirit of the traditional Chinese medicine model was established in the Huangdi Neijing (Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon) and has been passed down to this day.
Traditional Chinese medicine is characterized by its holistic perspective and dialectical reasoning. It places great emphasis on preventive medicine, pragmatism, and the unity of humanity and nature. Modern Chinese medicine builds upon ancient medical culture, discarding the dross while retaining the essence, and continuously improves by integrating with modern science and technology.
Traditional Chinese medicine holds theory as its foremost principle; experience is merely the accumulation of practice guided by theory. TCM theory emphasizes treatment based on pattern differentiation, rooted in people’s profound experience of the life force and energy flow within themselves and all things in the universe. The therapeutic principle of Chinese medicine is to regulate the body’s energy dynamics and restore it to a state of balanced equilibrium. All TCM theories revolve around the waxing and waning of this energy state.
Traditional Chinese medicine, rooted in Confucian, Buddhist, and Taoist culture, is more humane and gentle in its approach. Western medicine, by contrast, focuses on logic and results. It must be acknowledged, however, that precisely because of this, Western medicine possesses a stronger systematic framework and clearer standards. Therefore, the extent of Western medical intervention depends on how closely a patient’s symptoms meet standardized criteria — it is more decisive in nature. In a word, both Chinese and Western medicine have their strengths and weaknesses. We should leverage their respective advantages while mitigating their shortcomings, achieving win-win cooperation.
The promotion of traditional Chinese medicine has not been as profound as that of Western medicine. The American film The Massage tells the story of a grandfather who used acupuncture and cupping to treat his grandson, only to be misunderstood as committing child abuse. This reflects the current reality that Chinese medicine is not well understood abroad. If it faces such indifference overseas, the situation in China is even more disheartening. The May Fourth Movement advocated wholesale Westernization, and the Cultural Revolution suppressed the “Four Olds,” dealing a severe blow to the vitality of Chinese medicine. Even in the new era, Chinese medicine has been branded as quackery. All of this is heartbreaking. What was once the essence of the nation has been discarded as its dross. Western medicine, by contrast, has been embraced by the world. This is something that Chinese medicine practitioners should learn from. Today, Chinese medicine is once again shining brightly. As members of the Qihuang tradition, we should shoulder our responsibility and strengthen Chinese medicine.
Finally, Chinese medicine treats the person; Western medicine treats the disease. The therapeutic theory of Western medicine is to eradicate the disease, while the purpose of Chinese medicine is to achieve harmonious balance within a person’s body. Chinese medicine was developed through the observation of human beings, while Western medicine was derived from animal experiments. Chinese medicine has been passed down through thousands of years of personal practice by our ancestors — what has survived the test of time can truly be called its essence.
中文原文 / Chinese Original
1.发展模式相同：中西医发展模式都是在人类医学实践中不断完善发展而形成的模式；
2.内涵本质相同：都包含着人类智慧与经验；
3.贡献相同：都为人类健康做出巨大的贡献和不断的改进；
4.发展道路相同：随着我们社会的发展和科技的进步，两种模式都在不断的完善与发展；
5.过程相同：发展过程中都受到精神指导，都曾产生过天命的思想，对上天敬畏之心。
6.联系相同：中西医都与其他学科联系众多，也与它们与时俱进。它们殊途同归，都为人健康。如今，是个瞬息万变的时代，所以，放于如今，中西医同样需要与时俱进，联系当代人类生活的同时彼此联系。中西医都需要辩证继承，创新发展。
7.来源相同：在原始社会至奴隶社会期间，中医和西医发展都存在”神灵主义”且受原始宗教信仰的影响。具体体现在：”巫术”在西医中的运用以及西医模式中”巫医”的存在，中医学中”医源于巫”的观点。
8.指导思想相同：（文艺复兴前）中西医发展中都蕴含着自然哲学的思想，都试图利用自然界的物质属性来解释人的生命属性。在西方的古希腊、东方的中国等地都相继产生了朴素的辩证的整体医学观，将生命元素与自然物质属性匹配。
西医的发展是从神灵主义的医学模式开始的，具有迷信色彩，认为万物由神主宰，属于唯心主义。随着科学技术的进步，自然科学高度发展，细胞学说等理论的发明，为西医现代医学模式的发展奠定了基础。之后，世界文明科技更是飞速发展，使得依赖于科技的西医也获得了巨大进步，人们信赖科学，是这个医学门类得到了人们更多的关注与认同。
中医学的医学模式的基本精神在《黄帝内经》中已经被奠定，一直传承至今。
中医学具有整体观念和辩证论证的基本特点，重视治未病和实用主义，重视人和自然的统一。现代中医学在古代中医文化的基础上取精弃粕，结合现代科学技术不断完善发展。
中医学是以理论为第一要义的，经验只是在理论指导下的实践的积累。中医理论讲究辩证论治，是从人对自身乃至宇宙万物的生命及其能量流动的深刻体验出发的，中医治病的原理就是调整人身的能量动态使之归于平衡的常态，中医的一切理论都是围绕这种能量状态的消长变化展开的。中医，根源于中国儒释道文化，它更讲人道，更柔和。而西医，注重逻辑与结果。但不得不说，正因如此，西医的体系与标准性更强。所以，西医治疗程度取决于病人病症达标程度，它更多的是果决。一言以蔽之，中西医各有优劣，收其长，避其短，合作共赢。
中医的推广不如西医深刻。美国电影推拿讲了一个爷爷给孙子治病使用了针灸跟拔罐却被误会为虐待儿童的故事，这就反应了中医在国外不被理解的现状。在国外如此不受待见，更何况国内，过去五四运动全盘西化，文革打压四旧让中医元气大伤，新时代到来中医也被打上江湖骗子的名号，这些都让人心痛。本是国之精粹，却弃之糟粕。而西医却被世界接纳，这是我们中医应该学习借鉴的地方。如今中医大放异彩，我们作为岐黄一员应肩负责任，壮大中医。
最后，中医治人，西医治病。西医的治病理论是把疾病杀死，而中医是为了达到一个人身体里的和谐平衡。中医由观察人而发展出来，而西医是从动物实验总结而来。中医是通过先人亲自实践经过几千年而传承下来，流传下来的都可谓精髓。
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