A New Interpretation of the Diagnostic Value of Routine Treatment and Contrary Treatment from the Perspective of Textual Criticism
ZHANG Jinsha
ZHOU Weizhu
WANG Tong
TIAN Tian
Abstract：Routine treatment and contrary treatment are important theories in traditional Chinese medicine(TCM),yet their guiding value in clinical practice remains limited,and annotations by commentators on relevant classical texts are still controversial.To address this,this study employs textual criticism methods,combined with the text of the Inner Canon of Huangdi and related literature,to reinterpret the core concepts of routine and contrary treatment and explore their diagnostic value by analyzing the structural framework and key terms of the classical texts.Using fever in cold damage disorders and abscesses as examples,the study demonstrates how to apply the treatment principles of"countering or following the rise and fall of disease trends"under the guidance of the Daoist methodology of"following and utilizing natural tendencies".Based on the characteristic of"initial similarity and eventual divergence"in the progression of primary diseases,the study further points out that the essence of routine and contrary treatment lies in mastering the patterns of disease transmission,refining key diagnostic points,and identifying pathways of vitality,thereby differentiating disease trends and applying treatments in accordance with these pathways.Starting with the example of cold damage disorders,the gradual expansion of this diagnostic and therapeutic cognitive framework may represent the entry point for constructing the disease diagnosis and treatment system in the Treatise on Cold Damage.This approach offers new perspectives for the modern development of routine and contrary treatment.
Keywords：Inner Canon of HuangdiFollowing and utilizing natural tendenciesInitial similarity but eventual differencePatterns of disease transmissionTreatment based on syndrome differentiationRoutine treatmentContrary treatment
Publication Date：2026-01-28
Online Publishing Date：2026-01-30(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：4( 122-125 )