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The Spleen and Stomach as the Root of Life presents Li Dongyuan’s Pi-Wei Lun (Treatise on the Spleen and Stomach), one of the foundational works in the history of traditional Chinese medicine. Li Dongyuan (1180-1251), also known as Li Gao, was one of the Four Great Masters of the Jin-Yuan period and the founder of the Spleen-Stomach School. His medical system placed the spleen and stomach at the center of health and disease and profoundly influenced later generations of Chinese medicine.In this edition, Peipei Qiao provides a new English translation accompanied by modern annotations designed to make Li Dongyuan’s medical thought more accessible to contemporary readers. The annotations clarify key concepts, terminology, formulas, theoretical relationships, and historical context, while connecting passages throughout the text to help readers understand Pi-Wei Lun as a coherent medical system rather than simply as a collection of classical writings.At the heart of Li Dongyuan’s system is his influential theory of Yin Fire, together with his understanding of spleen and stomach qi, the ascending and descending movements of qi, internal injury, constitutional weakness, and the effects of diet, physical exhaustion, and emotional strain on health and disease.This translated and annotated edition seeks to preserve the conceptual framework of the original Chinese medical text while presenting its ideas in clear English for modern study. Particular attention is given to the relationships among Li Dongyuan’s major theories and to the clinical reasoning underlying his discussions of patterns, formulas, and treatment principles.Designed for practitioners, students, researchers, and readers of traditional Chinese medicine, this volume offers both an English translation of a major Chinese medical classic and a modern annotated guide to one of the most influential medical systems in the history of Chinese medicine.
