Dr. Dominique Hertzer: The Book of Changes (Yijing) in Chinese Medicine: Exploring "Pluralist Rationalities" of Divination and Chinese Medicine

The deep connection between the Yijing and Chinese Medicine (CM) dates back to the historical origins of the Yijing. In the Shuogua (Explaining the Trigrams) commentary, trigrams are linked to specific body parts, and the hexagram and line texts reference the head, neck, arms, back, abdomen, and legs. Focusing on yin and yang transformations, the Yijing is foundational to understanding CM – both belonging to traditional Chinese knowledge systems. Historically, a dialectical relationship has existed between medical and divinatory explanation: accurate prognosis stems from precise diagnosis, ideally enabling prevention. From this shared basis, various methods integrating the Yijing into CM have developed and persist today. This leads to an intriguing question: why do CM and the Yijing remain vital and widely practiced despite a century of modernization and scientification in China? The introduction of Western Medicine (WM) triggered extensive discourse on how both systems might coexist. China has since developed a unique model: the “Integration of Western and Chinese Medicine.” Does this reflect official legitimization, or distinct rationalities? How do these rationalities interact? What does this mean for the Yijing’s role in CM?