Cult Med Psychiatry. 1994 Dec; 18(4): 463-81.

Rhythm in Chinese thinking: a short question for a long tradition.

You H.

Department of Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.

This paper tries to shed a fresh light on the use of several key terms in traditional Chinese medicine (and philosophy) related to the theory of so-called systematic correspondence. Drawing on some influential works in Chinese science and civilization (e.g., Marcel Granet, Joseph Needham, Nathan Sivin), the paper argues that the idea of rhythm, properly defined, should become an organizing idea in studying the traditions of Chinese thinking and practice in medicine as well as in general. Rhythmicity is not periodicity (though they are inseparable from one another) and the idea of rhythm is more useful (than for example the notion of correspondence) for medical anthropology. The paper is divided into three parts: 1) the idea of rhythm in some key terms of traditional Chinese medicine, 2) the Chinese theory of resonance versus the idea of rhythm, and 3) the relation of resonance, rhythm and ecstatic experiences with respect to medical anthropology. An acquaintance with the arguments of my previous article in these pages will be helpful but not necessary for the present paper.