During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, there appeared a situation of "nine schools and ten schools" and "a hundred schools of thought contend" in China's academic and ideological circles. Many schools have discussed the idea of "preserving health and saving life", which can be regarded as China's early theory of preserving health. The main points are as follows.
The thought of "man everywhere, the earth follows the sky, the sky follows the Tao, and the Tao follows the nature" in Laozi's Tao Te Ching is the origin of his health-preserving thought, while his thought of "being indifferent and complacent, taking it as an immortal medicine" and his thought of "abstinence and happiness" are important theories for nourishing the soul, which have a far-reaching impact on future generations.
Zhuang Zizong inherited Laozi's learning, and also strongly advocated conforming to nature, "conditioning the four seasons", "meditation", "forgetting myself" and "no desire", and advocated using qigong to guide health preservation methods, getting rid of the old and absorbing the new, thus prolonging life.
Confucius pointed out that "people who sleep in the bedroom from time to time, eat improperly and work too much will be killed by disease", recognizing that daily life is related to health and emphasizing the importance of food, clothing, housing and transportation. He put forward that "food is not tired of essence, food is not tired of detail" and "meat is defeated and not eaten." Don't eat bad color, bad taste, lost cooking, and occasionally. ""eat without words, sleep without words. "He said," A wise man and a benevolent man must be disciplined, righteous, cheerful and timely, and do no harm to others. Although he lives a long life, isn't it appropriate? "According to the characteristics of different times, Confucius put forward that" a gentleman has three precepts. When you are young, your blood gas is uncertain, so you should quit. It is also strong and bloody, and it is fighting; I am also old and my blood gas is declining, so I have to quit. "
Xunzi's thought of self-cultivation is positive and pragmatic. He pointed out that we should pay attention to health in peacetime, and regular exercise can prevent diseases and promote abstinence. "Although the desire is endless, it can be as close as possible; Although you can't go, you can be frugal and advocate using "ceremony" to regulate your behavior and achieve the purpose of controlling people's desires. It is pointed out that "whoever uses blood and blood should be enlightened by courtesy, and it will be chaotic if it is not used;" When eating, drinking, dressing, moving and living, you can know the festival with courtesy, but if you don't do this, you will be in trouble. " "A gentleman can use justice to overcome selfish desires. "Through the ceremony, he can manage his health, cultivate his morality, save his life and achieve the goal of longevity.
Guanzi believes that "essence" is very important to life, and advocates preserving health and nourishing essence. He said that "essence is self-generated, its appearance is safe and glorious, and the internal organs are the source", so it is necessary to abstain from abstinence and preserve essence. He also advocates the method of conforming to nature and keeping in good health. "When living, frugality, cold and summer comfort, good for health and good for life."
Lu's Spring and Autumn Annals integrated the thoughts of various theories at that time. Put forward to take advantage of harm and protect god's longevity; Advocating exercise to prevent diseases, "If the shape does not move, the essence will not flow, and if the essence does not flow, the qi will be depressed, and the head will be swollen like the wind, and the ear will be donated like deafness."
It can be seen that the idea of preserving one's health and saving one's life existed for a long time in ancient China, and was associated with ancient philosophy. The discussion on health preservation is not limited to health preservation or medical monographs, but also rich in health preservation content in many literary works or other works.
In Lun Heng, written by Wang Chong in the Eastern Han Dynasty, there are "nourishing qi, saving, being cautious, loving essence and self-care, taking medicine, and prolonging life", which are about health preservation methods and principles. He also put forward the view that people's strength and life span are first related to tax examination.
In the Southern and Northern Dynasties, Yan's family instructions strongly opposed the wrong concept of health preservation and advocated seeking truth. "Love the heart, cherish the breath, lie down carefully, greet comfortably, avoid eating and drinking, avoid poisonous bait", which means "I will abide by it and will not tear it apart for death". He also taught his children to cherish life and health, but not to drag out an ignoble existence, but to bravely serve the country.
In Lei Ju of Literature and Art, a great book in the Tang Dynasty, it is said that "nourishing the spirit is the foundation of health preservation, followed by shaping, keeping the spirit clear and moderate, and being safe on all sides". It is a valuable idea to enrich the skin, fill the stomach, stop cravings and finally stay healthy.
Su Dongpo, a great writer in the Song Dynasty, also wrote Dongpo Health Collection and Su Shen Liang Fang, which are rich in health content and have high practical value. He advocates eating more vegetables and less meat, which can make you healthy. Advocating effective travel can make people feel happy and keep fit; He also introduced some prescriptions that can "cure all diseases and make the body light and live longer". Poetry, painting and calligraphy are his specialties.
Feng Menglong's Sanyan in Ming Dynasty also contains some health preserving contents. For example, as the saying goes, "wine is the flame that burns the flesh, and color is the steel knife that cuts the meat." If you have more money, you will avoid hurting people's seedlings and be smokeless. " "Drinking is the best, lust is the hero, and injustice cannot take money" is also the meaning of abstinence, self-cultivation and life-saving.
Many other literary works, such as A Dream of Red Mansions, also involve health preservation. Those who are interested can experience it themselves, so I won't go into details here. It is precisely because the content of health care involves different cultural origins in China, so the idea and method of attaching importance to health care is widely accepted by the people in China, with deep and wide influence.