Yin-Yang Symbol (Tai Chi symbol)

Yin and Yang in Acupuncture and in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)


The idea of harmony and balance are also the basis of yin and yang. The principle that each person is governed by the opposing, but complementary forces of yin and yang, is central to all Chinese thought. It is believed to affect everything in the universe, including ourselves.

Traditionally, yin is dark, passive, feminine, cold and negative; yang is light, active, male, warm and positive. Another simpler way of looking at yin and yang is that there are two sides to everything - happy and sad, tired and energetic, cold and hot. Yin and yang are the opposites that make the whole. They cannot exist without each other and nothing is ever completely one or the other. There are varying degrees of each within everything and everybody. The tai chi symbol, shown above, illustrates how they flow into each other with a little yin always within yang and a little yang always within yin. In the world, sun and fire are yang, while earth and water are yin. Life is possible only because of the interplay between these forces. All of these forces are required for the life to exist. See the table below to understand the relationship between yin and yang.

Yin Forces/Aspects Yang Forces/Aspects

Dark Light
Moon Sun
Water Fire
Passive Active
Descending Ascending
Female Male
Contracting Expanding
Cold Hot
Winter Summer
Interior Exterior
Heavy Light
Bone Skin
Front Back
Interior of Body Exterior of body

The yin and yang is like a candle. Yin represents the wax in the candle. The flame represents the yang. Yin (wax) nourishes and supports the yang (flame). Flame needs the wax for its existence. Yang consumes yin and, in the process, burns brightly. When the wax (yin) is gone, the flame is gone too. Ying is also gone at that time. So, one can see how yin and yang depend on each other for their existence. You cannot have one without the other.

The body, mind and emotions are all subject to the influences of yin and yang. When the two opposing forces are in balance we feel good, but if one force dominates the other, it brings about an imbalance that can result in ill health.

One can compare the concept of yin and yang to the corresponding principle of tridoshas in Ayurveda, the ancient remedy from India. Ayurveda proposes that every person has vata, pitta and kapha. When these are balanced, there is the state of perfect health. When there are imbalances then there is disease.

One of the main aims of the acupuncturist is to maintain a balance of yin and yang within the whole person to prevent illness occurring and to restore existing health. Acupuncture is a yang therapy because it moves from the exterior to the interior. Herbal and nutritional therapies, on the other hand, are yin therapies, as they move from the interior throughout the body. Many of the major organs of the body are classified as yin-yang pairs that exchange healthy and unhealthy influences.

Yin and yang are also part of the eight principles of traditional Chinese medicine. The other six are: cold and heat, internal and external, deficiency and excess. These principles allow the practitioner to use yin and yang more precisely in order to bring more detail into his diagnosis.

Can Acupuncture Help You?

Author: Liz Langdon

Article:
Acupuncture is one of the oldest, most commonly used holistic
healing methods in the world. The method originated in China
more than 2,000 years ago and is one of the basic healing arts
in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).

The practice of Acupuncture involves the insertion of fine,
solid metallic needles into specific points along special
pathways that run throughout the human body.

These specific points are called acupuncture points or
"acupoints." The special pathways are called "meridians" or
"channels."

Once the needles are inserted into the acupoints, they are
manipulated by hand (plucked, twisted) or by low-voltage
electricity.

The symptoms or the type of illness the patient has determine
which acupoints are selected for treatment.

According to TCM, the stimulation of the acupoint by the
acupuncture needle releases or energizes the flow of "Qi," the
vital energy or life force of the body. As the flow of Qi
returns to normal, the health of the body is re-established.

Acupuncture as a treatment method has undergone many clinical
studies in the Western World. The method has gained medical
approval for many specific treatments, although modern science
has yet to explain "how it works."

One of the most common uses is for prevention and management of
post-operative nausea and vomiting (Anaesthesia 2004 Feb;
59 (2): 142-9).

Several studies have also found that acupuncture significantly
reduces nausea and vomiting for cancer patients receiving
chemotherapy (Integrative Cancer Therapies 2005 June; 4
(2): 131-43).

Acupuncture significantly improved fatigue and anxiety in a
study of fibromyalgia patients (Mayo Clinical Proceedings
2006 Sep; 8: (9)).

In another clinical trial, patients with osteoarthritis of the
knee showed improvement in function and pain relief after 26
weeks of acupuncture treatment (Annals of Internal
Medicine 2004 Dec 21; 141 (12): 901-10).

Patients with chronic, non-specific low back pain reported being
pain free at least 12 months out of 24 and had been less likely
to use pain medication with acupuncture treatments (Health
Technology Assessment 2005 Aug; 9 (32): iii-iv, ix-x, 1-108).

In a report from Norway in 2002, women in normal, active labor
were offered acupuncture as a means of pain control instead of
traditional pain relief such as an epidural. The results showed
that not only did acupuncture reduce the pain experienced during
labor, it also reduced delivery time (Acta Obstetricia et
Gynecologica Scandinavica 2002 Oct; 81 (10): 943-8).

Many additional studies are posted on the PubMed website
accessible through the http://www.nccam.nih.gov">National Center for
Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM).

Today's medical establishment has a difficult time accepting a
treatment that seems to work, but has no scientific
documentation on how it works. This viewpoint keeps a
viable alternative method of pain control from being prescribed.
A larger percentage of the population should be receiving the
benefit of this natural, holistic treatment - acupuncture.

Regrettably, it is not.

Chinese Medicine Can Provide An Effective Hot Flash Remedy

Author: Linda Bruton

Article:
There is no way to completely avoid hot flashes, but turning to
a hot flash remedy may help ease the intensity and severity of
an attack. It doesn't matter whether or not a doctor prescribes
the hot flash remedy or the treatment is more of a natural
alternative. It never hurts to consider some of the methods
available to the public when it comes to finding an effective
way to relieve hot flashes.

When looking for a worthy hot flash remedy, many people are
turning to the healing properties of Chinese medicine. These
kinds of remedies would exclude the use of man-made chemicals
and drugs. The practice of Chinese medicine has long been used
to deliver a very effective hot flash remedy to women. While
menopause is viewed as one of the main culprits, there are
numerous varieties of hot flashes. For each one, the Chinese
have a description and different approach aimed at providing
relief in a holistic and healthy way.

If you choose to seek out help from the wisdom of Chinese
medicine, you will notice that a Chinese doctor will ask you
questions concerning all areas of your health history. A
complete physical will also take place. You may notice that
special care is taken in analyzing the tongue and your pulse.
After this battery of tests and assessments is complete, the
doctor will determine the type of menopause you are suffering
from. This will also help settle on the best course of action in
providing you with a hot flash remedy.

What to Expect

When entering the world of Chinese medicine, you will most
likely encounter either acupuncture or an herbal hot flash
remedy. Through acupuncture, a doctor will tap into your inner
spirit and energy. Many consider this approach extremely
effective. When dealing with an herbal hot flash remedy, you may
ingest a wide range of herbs that are combined to provide a
well-rounded treatment.

Most often, these herbs are consumed in the form of tea. Some of
the ingredients a doctor may use include ginseng, red raspberry
leaves, evening primrose oil, licorice root, spearmint,
chasteberry, black cohosh and wild yams. These Chinese herbs
have been highly regarded when it comes to a hot flash remedy
and have been used for many centuries.

Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine:

The Philosophy of the Dao

Dao is often described as "the path" or "the way of life" in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and acupuncture, just as its counterpart in ancient India, Ayurveda. The laws of the Dao advocate moderation, living in harmony with nature and striving for balance. Ancient Chinese believed that moderation in all areas of life is essential to a long and fruitful life. We are "fueled" by three treasures: Qi or Chi (pronounced chee), Shen, and Jing. Chi is energy or vital substance, Shen is the spirit, and Jing is our essence. Qi is both the life force (or vital substance) and the organizing principle flowing through all things and establishing their interconnectedness. Chinese believe that every living thing (both human and non-human) has qi. In the body, qi is found in the heart and lungs in circulating blood and oxygen. Shen is the treasure that gives brightness to life and is responsible for consciousness and mental abilities. Sometimes it is compared to soul. Within the individual shen is manifested in personality, thought, sensory perception, and the awareness of self. Jing is responsible for growth, development and reproduction. Jing represents a person's potential for development. (comparable to western concept of genetical inheritance). Chinese believed that everyone is born with a finite amount of Jing. As we go through life, we lose or consume our Jing little by little. Once we lose Jing, it cannot be replaced. It is gone for ever. We lose Jing if we live a wrong or careless living. But Jing can be preserved if we live in moderation. Acupuncture can reduce the loss of Jing.

Role of Acupuncturist in Traditional Chinese Medicine

According to the philosophy of Dao, the role of the acupuncturist is to restore your health and enable you to live a little closer to the Dao, thus preserving your Jing and living to a ripe old age. A number of factors can contribute to the depletion of Jing. Living a life of excess, drinking too much, excessive emotional reactions, working too hard, inappropriate sexual behavior, etc. all were believed to result in the depletion of Jing. Balance in all things was considered the key to good health and long life.

In order to increase their understanding of the Dao, the Chinese developed two concepts that together form the basis of Chinese thought: yin and yang and the more detailed system of the five elements.

The Dialects of Chinese

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What are usually called the "dialects" of Chinese are really separate languages, all descended from the Chinese of the T'ang Dynasty. They are all about as far apart from each other now as English and Dutch. However, they are all written with the same characters (with some exceptions), which means that an educated person can understand (mostly) their written forms, and for cultural and political reasons, as well as their historical origin, are regarded by the Chinese as part of the same language.

The picture of the languages has changed somewhat over the years. Older sources (e.g. John DeFrancis, The Chinese Language, Fact and Fantasy, Hawaii, 1984; S. Robert Ramsey, The Languages of China, Princeton, 1987; and Nathan Sivin, editor, The Contemporary Atlas of China, Houghton Mifflin, 1988) say that there are seven different languages, or six, since sometimes Gan is linked with Hakka, or with Xiang. More recently, Lynn Pan, in The Encyclopedia of the Chinese Overseas [Harvard, 1999], lists ten languages, where Jin is separated from Mandarin, Hui from Wu, and Pinghua from Yue. Now, however, in The Sino-Tibetan Languages (edited by Graham Thurgood and Randy J. LaPolla [Routledge Language Family Series, Routledge, London, 2003]), Jerry Norman ("The Chinese Dialects: Phonology") states, "If one takes mutual intelligibility as the criterion for defining the difference between dialect and language, then one would have to recognize not eight [or seven, etc.] but hundreds of 'languages' in China" [p.72]. This appears to resolve the issue. What previously were regarded as separate languages, like Cantonese, are in fact families of languages. It is therefore not surprising that the "splitters" (those who like to divide groups, as opposed to "lumpers," who like to combine groups -- a typological difference) should begin to divide the old languages into new ones. If there are really "hundreds" of languages involved, however, further splitting becomes pointless.

Within each of the groups of languages, there are also true dialects, which means that they are mutually intelligible. In Pan's book and The Sino-Tibetan Languages many dialects are shown for all the language groups. The confusion over all this -- couldn't everyone tell what forms of speech are mutually intelligible? -- was certainly due to the difficulties of doing research in China in the 20th century. From revolution, to war, to revolution, to totalitarianism, China until recently was not the best place for graduate students wandering around with tape recorders asking strange questions. Such behavior would often have evoked suspicion, arrest, or worse.

The table gives a classification of languages and dialects based on a combination of older sources and The Sino-Tibetan Languages. The 10 languages identified on the map from Pan's The Encyclopedia of the Chinese Overseas are given in boldface; but the overall organization is in terms of the three groups and six "dialect familes" of The Sino-Tibetan Languages [p.6]. While Gan and Xiang and now definitely separated, Hakka has come to be included under Gan -- though this is not consistently seen in the book. Some population figures are given for the older seven language classification. These are given as percentages of the total Chinese speaking population, as a number in millions (M), and, from another source, as a number in thousands (k). These count those for whom the languages are their first languages. The figure of 952,000,000 speakers for Mandarin given elsewhere is for people who speak Mandarin at all. This is considerably larger than the 715 million number below, not just because the population has grown in the last twenty years, but also because Mandarin in the national language of China, taught in schools around the country. Areas where the languages are spoken are given after the language name(s). Names of cities and provinces in Pinyin are given in italics.

• Northern
  • Mandarin, North, Southwest, 71.5%, 715 M, 679,250 k
    • Northern
      • Northern, Peking [Beijing]
      • Jin, Shanxi
      • Northwestern, Kansu [Gansu]
    • Southern, Nanking [Nanjing]
    • Southwestern, Szechwan [Sichuan]
• Central
  • Wú, Shanghai, Zhejiang, 8.5%, 85 M, 80,750 k
    • Wú (I), Suzhou, Shanghai
    • Wú (II), Wenzhou, Chekiang [Zhejiang]
    • Hui, Anhui
  • Gàn, Kiangsi [Jiangxi], 2.4%, 24 M, 22,800 k
    • Hakka, Guandong, Jiangxi, scattered, 3.7%, 37 M, 35,150 k
  • Xiang, Hunan, 4.8%, 48 M, 45,600 k
    • Old Xiang, countryside
    • New Xiang, NW Hunan, cities
• Southern
  • Min³, Fukien [Fujian], 4.1%, 41 M, 38,950 k
    • Northern Min³, Foochow [Fuzhou], 1.3%, 13 M
    • Southern Min³, Amoy-Swatow, 2.8%, 28 M
  • Yuè, Cantonese, Guandong, Guangxi, 5.0%, 50 M, 47,500 k
    • Pingua, Guangxi

Dialect Family	Initials	Finals	Tones	Syllables
Mandarin	16	39	4	2496
Gan	19	59	6	6726
Hakka	17	69	6	7038
Xiang	23	37	6	5106
Min	15	57	7	5985
Wu/Shanghai	27	50	7	9450
Yue/Cantonese	20	53	9	9540

It is noteworthy that the extension of Mandarin into the Southwest was in part the result of veterans being settled there after the Mongols were ejected from China and the Ming Dynasty founded.

The table is a comparison of dialect families from The Sino-Tibetan Languages [p.127]. The statistics, of course, are from representative languages in each group. I have rearranged the list to move the apparently more conservative languages towards the bottom of the table, though, of course, not all the indications are consistent. With the largest number of tones and of syllables, Cantonese wins as the most conservative, but then Xiang and Shanghai both have more initials than Cantonese -- and Hakka has an anomalously large number of finals and syllables. Mandarin has clearly undergone the greatest phonetic simplification.

Examples of Dialect Differences Between
Peking, Shanghai and, Canton

---

In the table superscript numbers are the tones, and brackets contain Pinyin writings (with superscript tones where HTML does not contain the appropriate diacritic).

	Shanghai	Peking
p-	pu1 "wave"	po1 [bo1]
p'-	p'u1 "slope"	p'o1 [po1]
b-	bu2 "old woman"	p'o2 [pó]
t-	tong1 "east"	tong1 [dong1]
t'-	t'ong1 "be open"	t'ong1 [tong1]
d-	dong2 "be alike"	t'ong2 [tóng]
k-	kuong1 "light"	kuang1 [guang1]
k'-	k'uong1 "frame"	k'uang1 [kuang1]
g-	guong2 "mad, wild"	k'uang2 [kuáng]
	Cantonese	Peking
-t/0	kat7a "cough"	k'e2 (sou4) [ké(sòu)]
-t/0	pat7a "brush"	pi3 [bi3]
-t/0	yüt7b/8 "moon"	yüeh4 [yuè]
-t/0	yat7a/8 "sun, day"	jih4 [rì]
-k/0	paak7b "hundred"	pai3 [bai3]
-k/0	sik7a "color"	(yen2)se4 [(yán)sè]
-k/0	kwok7byü4 "national language"	kou2yü3 [guóyu3]
-p/0	t'aap7b "pagoda"	t'a3 [ta3]
-p/0	yap8 "enter"	ju4 [rù]
-p/0	sap8 "ten"	shih2 [shí]

The Wu dialect of Shanghai is noteworthy because it retains the distinction between voiced and unvoiced, aspirated and unaspirated stops that existed in T'ang Chinese. In Mandarin the voiced stops have disappeared. In these examples, the voiced stops have seen assimilated to the aspirated ones.

Cantonese is noteworthy because it retains from T'ang Chinese a greater variety of finals. In Mandarin, a syllable must end in a vowel or in n or ng. In Cantonese, syllables can also end in p, t, k, or m as well. Words borrowed from Chinese into Korean, Japanese, and Vietnamese often also preserve evidence of the older final consonants. Thus "China" (Mandarin Zhongguó, "Middle Country") in Korean is Chung-guk and in Japanese Chû-koku. Both of them have an extra consonant in "country" where Mandarin doesn't -- but Cantonese (Jòong-gwok) does.

I had a lingustics professor once who said that you could get a kind of "instant Proto-Indo-European" by combining Greek vowels and Sanskrit consonants. Well, we can get a kind of "instant T'ang Chinese" by combining Shanghai initials and Cantonese finals. The evidence is poor for older versions of Chinese. Cantonese also preserves the larger number of tones that T'ang Chinese had. Mandarin only has four now, but Cantonese has six, or even nine if the tones of finals that end in stops are counted separately, which they sometimes are.

The most daring theory is that the Chinese of Confucius's day didn't even have tones. Evidence for this is that other members of the Sino-Tibetan language family do not have tones, while the nearby family of the Daic languages (like Thai) all have tones. In another adjacent language family, the Austroasiatic (Mon-Khmer) group, some languages have tones (like Vietnamese) and others do not. It is tempting to see the phenomenon as a South-East Asian Sprach Bund where the Daic tones have influenced some languages in the Sino-Tibetan and Austroasiatic families.

At left are examples of the Cantonese tones, using the notation in Teach Yourself Cantonese by R. Bruce [Teach Yourself Books, Hodder and Stoughton, 1970, 1976, pp.12-13]. Different tone symbols are not needed for the 7th, 8th, and 9th tones (in other treatments, as in the table above, the 7th and 8th tones are styled 7a and 7b, while the 9th tone becomes the 8th). These words will look different in A Concise Cantonese-English Dictionary by Yang Mingxin [Guangdong Higher Education Publishing House, 1999]. First of all, the latter uses an adapted Pinyin alphabet, where "x" is used for "s" and "g" for final "k." Second, although Pinyin introduced the use of Greek-like accents to show tones, the Dictionary reverts to the old Wade-Giles way of simply numbering the tones with superscripts. Also, the Dictionary uses simplified forms of some of the characters. I have used the unsimplified characters in Bruce where these are available. The Yale system of Romanization, with discussion of some alternatives (though not the Pinyin) is used in the English-Cantonese Dictionary, by Kwan Choi Wah, et al. [The Chinese University Press, Hong Kong, 1991].

Dictionaries or grammars of Shanghai Chinese in English seem to all be out of print.

A nice example of a difference between Mandarin and Cantonese is a surname. This is Wú in the former, Ng in the latter. The Cantonese name is one of many words that are simply a syllabic ng. There is also a syllabic m in Cantonese, which is , "not," in Mandarin. That is the only word with that pronunciation in A Concise Cantonese-English Dictionary [pp.260-262]. Although it seems like there ought to be, there is no syllabic n in Cantonese. There is more than one character used for the Cantonese surname. At right, we see the traditional character first, then a recent simplified one to the right of the pronunciation. This was also the name of the Kingdom of Wu, one of the states of the Three Kingdoms Period in Chinese history, and of the modern language of Shanghai. At far right is an alternative character used, at least in Cantonese, for the surname. My only question is that the first character (with its simplification) and the second are pronounced differently. In Mandarin, the first has a 2nd tone, the second a 3rd. In Cantonese, the first has a 4th tone, the second a 5th (with the symbols used in Teach Yourself Cantonese). I originally learned of the two possible characters from a young woman whose name actually was Ng, but I didn't know then to ask about the different tones. Perhaps someone can help me out.

Note that the Cantonese spellings in the table above are from Teach Yourself Cantonese, while, as noted, A Concise Cantonese-English Dictionary uses a form of Pinyin adapted from Mandarin. Thus, words traditionally ending in t/k/p are written d/g/b in the latter.

Conhecer a Escrita Chinesa

The Contrast between Classical and Modern Chinese

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Although both ancient and modern Chinese are written with the same characters, the modern daughter languages have become very different from the ancient one. One of the most conspicious differences is just that the terse, monosyllabic nature of Classical Chinese has given way to many more particles, polysyllabic words, and periphrastic idioms. The following story, given in both Classical Chinese and a translation into modern Mandarin, illustrates the difference. This is also a salutary example for one's view of government, as Confucius indeed makes clear to his students. [I am unaware of the origin of this text.]

The modern Mandarin pronunciation is given for the Classical characters because the ancient pronuncation, indeed the pronunciation before the T'ang Dynasty, is unknown. Even that of the T'ang is reconstructed and uncertain. The extreme simplifiction of Mandarin phonology, which would render the Classical language ambiguous if used as a spoken language today (too many words now being pronounced the same), explains the polysyllablic character of the modern language and the reduction of many characters to morphemes.

The same Classical text that can today be read as Mandarin could as well be read with Korean, Vietnamese, or Japanese versions of the Chinese words, or the Korean, Vietnamese, or Japanese translations of the words. None of those languages is even related to Chinese, but since mediaeval, or even modern, Koreans, Vietnamese, and Japanese often wrote in Chinese, without, however, really speaking the language, their own renderings of the characters was customary. Since the ancient pronunciation of the Classical language is unknown, Sino-Korean, Sino-Vietnamese, and Sino-Japanese reading are really just as "authentic" for Classical Chinese as a Modern Mandarin reading. Indeed, much of our evidence for the T'ang pronuncation of Chinese is from the Korean, Vietnamese, and Japanese readings, which were contemporary borrowings.

For example, the character for "mountain," now read shan in Mandarin, turns up as san in Korean, in Vietnamese as so^. n or núi, and in Japanese as san, sen, zan, or yama -- the last versions in Vietnamese and Japanese being the native words. Similarly, we find the name of Japan itself, "Sun Source," as Rìben [Wade-Giles Jihpên] in Mandarin, Yatbóon in Cantonese, Ilbon in Korean, Nhâ.t-Bàn in Vietnamese, and Nippon or Nihon in Japanese. The Cantonese word is, of course, cognate to the Mandarin. The Korean, Vietnamese, and Japanese are all borrowings from Chinese, pronounced in the local manner. Native words for "sun" are hae in Korean, ma.t giò^. i ("face of the sky") in Vietnamese, and hi in Japanese (e.g. hi-no-maru, "circle of the sun," "sundisk"). The Japanese borrowed word for "sun" in isolation is nichi, but this is just the pronunciation of niti, where the final i as been added because Japanese syllables cannot end in t. In compounds, the i can drop out, so nichi-hon (*hi-moto in the unused pure Japanese reading) becomes nit-hon. At that point different things can happen. The t can be lost in assimilation to the h, getting us Nihon, OR the h can revert to its original p, with the t getting assimilated and doubled with it, getting us Nippon.

Another example concerns the present capital of Japan. The Míng capitals of China were Nánjing (Nanking) and then Beijing (Peking), which simply mean, respectively, "Southern Capital" and "Northern Capital." The capital of Japan from 794 to 1868 was Kyôto, which meant "Capital District." Then the capital was moved to Edo, which was renamed the "Eastern Capital." In Chinese that would be Dongjing. In Japanese, however, that is pronounced Tôkyô. In Vietnamese it is Ðông-Kinh (or Tonkin). The Vietnamese version preserves more of the Chinese consonants, but both Japanese and Vietnamese versions reveal that "capital" originally started with a k, which has become palatalized (to a j) in Mandarin. The k is also preserved in early modern Western versions of Chinese words, like "Nanking" and "Peking" themselves.

Chinese departments in colleges sometimes expect students to learn Mandarin even though they only want to read Classical Chinese or Sino-Korean, Sino-Vietnamese, or Sino-Japanese. This imposes a vast unnecessary burden on them, but even teachers and scholars of Chinese sometimes have trouble accepting that the ancient language is not the modern one and that the ancient language is part of the civilization of Korea, Vietnam, and Japan as much as of modern China. It is as though students of Latin were told they would have to learn Italian as well.

Once when Confucius was passing near the foot of Mount Tai in a chariot, there was a married woman weeping at a grave mound, and dolorously too. Confucius politely rested his hands on the front rail of the chariot and listened to her weeping. He sent Zilu (Tzu-lu) to inquire of her, saying; "From the sound of your weeping, it seems that you indeed have many troubles."

Classical Chinese:
Mandarin Translation:

Then the woman said; "It is true. My father-in-law died in a tiger's jaw; my husband also died there. Now, my son has also died there." Confucius said, "Why do you not leave this place?" The woman said: "Here there is no harsh and oppressive government."

Classical Chinese:
Mandarin Translation:
Classical Chinese:
Mandarin Translation:

PARA OS NOSSOS AMIGOS DE LINGUA INGLESA

Description of Acupuncture

Acupuncture is a type of health care system. It is said that this system is in practice, especially in Chine, since more than 2,500 years. According to the acupuncture theory, disruptions in the energy flow patterns (Qi) in the body are considered as the main reason behind occurrence of disease. By acupuncture therapy these imbalances are corrected through puncturing identifiable points. Despite being in vogue in China for thousands years acupuncture was rarely used in the America till 1972. It was after 1972 (when President RM Nixon visited Chine) that the America and Europe started applying acupuncture techniques to Western medicines.

Acupuncture is a group of procedures that involves stimulating anatomical locations using various techniques. These anatomical locations (commonly known as points) can be on the skin or in the skin. The approach of diagnosis and treatment of diseases, through American acupuncture, is based on the medical traditions from other countries like China , Korea . Japan etc. The mechanism behind acupuncture treatment is to stimulate acupuncture points, through electrical stimulation or manual manipulation, by penetrating them with the help of solid but thin metallic needles.

Acupuncture Needles

In fact initially the acupuncture needles were categorized by the FDA ‘experimental medical devices’ in United States . However, now the acupuncture needles are regulated like other surgical devices. These needles are produced under good manufacturing practices and single-use sterility standards.

This is how Acupuncture works

Number of studies conducted on humans and animals produced positive results which show that acupuncture can make various biological responses that could be either local (at the site of application or close to application site) or at distance. Responses produced through acupuncture are mainly mediated through neurons to various structures within the CNS (Central Nervous System). This leads to pathways activation affecting different physiological systems, both physiological systems, in the brain and in periphery. Endogenous Opioids plays major role in acupuncture analgesia. There are proven results which show that opioid peptides are generated during acupuncture and they have partial affects in analgesic acupuncture effects. Acupuncture stimulation can activate pituitary gland and hypothalamus that could produce broad systemic effects. Some studies revealed that changes in the blood flow and alterations in neurohormones and neurotransmitters can be obtained through acupuncture stimulation. Some studies have proven that acupuncture stimulation can produce immune functions alterations. However, scientists are yet to decide on which physiological changes produce the clinical effects.

Medical conditions that could be treated with acupuncture

In America , acupuncture is practiced as a therapeutic intervention. There are differences between various researchers regarding use of acupuncture in treatment of various diseases. However, al most all researchers agree that acupuncture can produce useful effects. Following are some of the medical conditions in which use of acupuncture is commonly accepted by the researchers as an alternative treatment, part of comprehensive management program or adjunct treatment.

• Nausea and vomiting (occurred as post-operative condition and chemotherapy treatment).
• Post operative dental pain
• Stroke rehabilitation
• Addiction
• Tennis elbow, osteoarthritis, myo-fascial pain, low back pain
• Fibro-myalgia, menstrual cramps, headaches
• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• Asthma

Side effects of Acupuncture

Following are some of the commons side effects of the acupuncture.

• Accidental puncture of lung that can lead to pneumothorax (partial collapse of lung)
• Liver infection like viral hepatitis
• Bacterial infection at site of application.

The above side effects can be avoided by maintaining good hygiene and obtaining the treatment from a qualified expert acupuncturist.

Acunpuntura

Acupuntura é uma técnica milenar, de origem chinesa, cujo objetivo é curar as doenças através da aplicação e manipulação de agulhas que são introduzidas em pontos específicos do corpo humano situados em canais nos quais circula a energia.

A introdução das agulhas nos pontos específicos do corpo humano promove alterações em seu potencial elétrico permitindo que as energias sejam fortalecidas e equilibradas.
Estas são vigorosas quando existe saúde e circulam livremente pelos canais energéticos que envolvem o organismo humano.

Qi e Energia: Tradução, Tradição, Traição

Dr. Marcus Vinicius Ferreira
médico acupunturista

Trabalho apresentado no III Congresso da Sociedade Médica Brasileira de Acupuntura
Santa Catarina, outubro de 1996

Introdução e Objetivo

A tradução dos termos pertencentes à Medicina Tradicional Chinesa (MTC) tem sido um dos fatores que dificultam a sua perfeita compreensão no Ocidente. Poucos acupunturistas tem a possibilidade de entender os ideogramas em seu sentido original, tendo que recorrer a traduções que não espelham fielmente o sentido encontrado em sua origem. Algumas destas traduções se tornaram clássicas, fazendo com que vícios de tradução fossem mantidos como verdade aceita, e transmitidos geração após geração de acupunturistas. Com o surgimento de sinólogos interessados em MTC, tornou-se possível o questionamento de alguns termos usados correntemente. Neste trabalho, iremos analisar como a tradução de "Qi" em "Energia" pode frustrar a real compreensão do sentido do ideograma.

Material e Métodos

Serão analisadas, em princípio, as origens e a formação etimológica do ideograma, seguindo-se a verificação do sentido deste ideograma em vários dicionários e compilações de ideogramas. Após o estabelecimento dos significados possíveis, inclusive comparando as opiniões dos sinólogos, passaremos a analisar as traduções constantes dos livros mais importantes sobre acupuntura, desde Soulié de Morant até a atualidade.

Resultado e Discussão

A Visão dos Dicionários

Somente uma das fontes consultadas [2] se refere ao termo "energia" como tradução para Qi, entre 31 (trinta e um) significados associados ao ideograma. Os significados mais comumente encontrados foram: air, atmosphere, breath, ether, essence, spirit, vapor, heart, feelings, disposition, temper, care, flavor [1,2,4]. Analisando a formação do ideograma, vemos que ele se compõe do radical Ch’i, cujo significado seria vapores que sobem do chão e formam nuvens acima [1] acrescentando-se ao radical o ideograma 3461 [2] significando "arroz". A leitura final seria "o movimento de uma substância invisível" [3]. A versão para o japonês do termo "energy" nos leva a "seiryoku"( associação dos ideogramas 3480 e 715), e não até "ki" (ideograma 2480) [2,4].

A Visão dos Sinólogos

J.Needham aponta a impossibilidade da perfeita tradução de Qi, preferindo citá-lo sem o traduzir. [12, 14]. M.Granet utiliza várias traduções, de acordo com o contexto onde é o termo é empregado [16-23]. O único sinólogo que insiste na tradução de Qi como "energia" é M.Porkert [40,41], no que é contestado diretamente por outros [14,26]. Alguns sinólogos mantém posições contraditórias, traduzindo Qi de formas diferentes em suas obras [5,6,7 e 12,13 e 14, 34-38]. Outros preferem definir Qi como um conceito, sem o traduzir [25,29,33]. Outros não chegam a uma conclusão quanto à definição (matéria? energia?) e à tradução [25,37 e 38]. Uma explicação do termo aplicada à MTC se encontra em P.Unschuld [28]. O significado mais comumente encontrado é breath (air) [7,24,28,30-32,37,38] ou souffle [16-23]. Alguns sinólogos contestam explicitamente o uso exclusivo de "energia" como tradução para Qi. [14,25,26,28].

A Visão dos Acupunturistas

S.de Morant define Qi como um "fluide", "influx", que traduz "faute de mieux", por "énergie". Notamos aí que a palavra "énergie" é utilizada textualmente por falta de um termo que possa melhor traduzir o sentido original do ideograma, sentido que não era desconhecido por S.de Morant [42]. A Escola Francesa que se desenvolve à partir daí passa a se referir ao Qi definitivamente como "energia", sem quaisquer questionamentos quanto à validade desta tradução [43,44,46]. Uma alteração no termo empregado vai ser encontrada eventualmente em Huard et als.(souffle vital)[45] e C.Larre e E.de la Vallée (souffle)[56]. Somente B.Auteroche e P.Navailh se referem à multiplicidade de traduções para Qi e adotam as possibilidades "Qi, sopro e energia" em seu texto [55]. Note-se que mesmo Van Nghi, apesar de sua origem oriental (vietnamita) cede ao uso de "energia" [44]. Y.Manaka e I.Urqhart também utilizam "energia" relativamente a Qi [47], o que demonstra não ser a tradução um problema exclusivamente encontrado nos autores ocidentais. "Essentials...", produzido em inglês na China, traduz como "vital energy" [54]. M.Porkert, escrevendo não como sinólogo e sim como praticante de acupuntura, passa a definir Qi como "a particular "constellation" of energy" [52]. T.Kaptchuk, J.O’Connor e D.Bensky assumem a impossibilidade de tradução adequada para Qi [49, 53]. Maciocia igualmente aponta a dificuldade de traduzir corretamente Qi, afirmando "...I have chosen to left it untranslated..." [58], mas cede ao costume e, na mesma obra, páginas adiante, qualifica Qi como "energia" [59-61]. J.Ross usa "Energia" em sua obra, mas, contraditoriamente, afirma "...o Qi tem atributos tanto energético quanto material." [57].

Conclusões

O uso exclusivo de "energia" como tradução para o termo Qi pode levar à incompreensão de todos os significados implicitos do ideograma. Dependendo do contexto onde é empregado, o significado real pode diferir sensivelmente, e consagrar uma tradução do ideograma em detrimento das outras possíveis faz com que o sentido do texto se torne fora do alcance, especialmente dos praticantes da MTC que não possuem noções da escrita chinesa. Ainda mais grave é a deturpação do sentido em que se emprega a palavra "energia", que em algumas situações adquire significação completamente diversa da encontrada nos textos chineses, até mesmo indo contra as bases culturais de onde se origina o termo Qi. Muitas vezes encontramos sentido de concretude onde a intenção do ideograma era abstrata, dando origem a termos questionáveis como: diagnóstico energético, patogenia e patologia energéticas, etc. É interessante notarmos a razoável incidência da expressão "energia vital" ou "força vital" como tradução para Qi [13,34,36,38,45,54], o que nos leva a supor ter havido influência do Vitalismo (doutrina que teve alguma importância do séc.XVII até o início deste século e que influenciou fortemente a homeopatia) no processo de incorporação da acupuntura à cultura ocidental. Atualmente alguns sinólogos estudam especificamente MTC, e existe maior interesse dos praticantes de MTC pela cultura e língua chinesa, o que traz novas possibilidades quanto à compreensão dos termos médicos pertencentes à cultura chinesa. A tradução imperfeita pode nos levar à má compreensão de aspectos por vezes fundamentais da MTC. Poderíamos então estabelecer a inconveniência da tradução dos termos que não têm contrapartida na cultura ocidental, tais como Qi, Yin, Yang, Jing, entre outros.