The Learning of Cultivating One's Nature

Name: The Learning of Cultivating One's Nature
ISBN: 9787513285810

陈开红China Press of Traditional Chinese Medicine · ChinaMay 2025

3.1

Word count: 109K words
Chapters: 90
ISBN: 9787513285810

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Summary

The author of this book, Chen Kaihong, graduated from Xinjiang College of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Since 2008, he has served as deputy director of the Chaoyang District Health Bureau in Beijing, where he oversaw public health, health emergency response, and community health. In 2015, as deputy secretary and deputy director of the Health and Family Planning Commission (now the National Health Commission), he also took charge of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) work, actively promoting tiered TCM diagnosis and treatment, TCM health service consortiums, TCM service trade, and TCM preventive treatment of disease. He weaves TCM concepts extensively into his own reflections and writing, actively championing traditional ethnic culture. From the perspective of a leader in medical and health work, he turns what he has seen and heard and what he has thought into accessible essays and reflections, actively promoting the TCM notion that prevention matters more than treatment. The book is assembled in diary form from material the author accumulated over many years. Its form is loose but its spirit is cohesive, teaching without appearing to teach. In this complicated society, savoring it slowly can help people calm the mind and settle the spirit, grow in wisdom, and stay away from negative energies such as depression and irritability. The title, The Study of Cultivating One's Nature, echoes the author's earlier book, The Wisdom of Cultivating the Mind, and reflects the excellence of traditional Chinese culture in cultivating the mind and one's nature.

Editor's review

The book's distinctive quality lies in the author's dual identity: a professional background in a TCM college combined with years of health administration experience, having overseen public health, community health, and TCM work. This gives the observations a perspective different from ordinary clinic notes, discussing the TCM idea that "prevention outweighs treatment" within real-world settings such as public health, hierarchical diagnosis and treatment, and health services, so that the reading offers concrete events and concrete reflection. The whole book is assembled in diary form from long accumulation, loose in form but cohesive in spirit; the pieces are short and take small angles, suitable for reading and reflecting in fragmentary moments such as commuting or before sleep. The title, The Art of Cultivating One's Nature, echoes the earlier The Wisdom of Cultivating the Mind, settling on the traditional cultural discipline of cultivating the mind and one's nature. In accessible essays the author discusses calming the mind and settling the spirit and easing irritability, without putting on airs or making abstruse arguments. It should be noted that the book emphasizes reflection and guiding ideas rather than being a systematic TCM theory course or a psychotherapy manual. For readers with a fast pace of work and emotions easily strained, it is more like a small book that can be put down and picked up at any time, offering a reminder to slow down amid a welter of affairs.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Working professionals with a fast pace of work and easily strained emotions who hope to calm and settle themselves through short essays
General readers interested in the TCM idea that prevention matters more than treatment and who prefer accessible essays
Personnel in public health or grassroots health management who want to see how TCM concepts can be woven into practice
Readers who enjoy diary-form essays and fragmented reading

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking a systematic study of TCM theory or pattern-differentiation treatment
People currently experiencing notable depression, anxiety, or other distress who need professional psychological treatment
Readers who prefer rigorous academic argument and have low tolerance for essayistic, reflective writing

Reading tips

Don't aim to finish it in one sitting; read one or two diary entries a day, pause briefly afterward, and reflect on your own recent situation
Jot down the small methods mentioned in the book, pick one or two to practice for a while, then revisit and reflect on the experience
When feeling restless or irritable, dip into short entries at random, not necessarily in order, choosing pieces that match your current mood
Read alongside the earlier book The Wisdom of Cultivating the Mind to appreciate the author's continuous thinking on cultivating the mind and nurturing one's nature

About the publisher

China Press of Traditional Chinese Medicine China · Founded in 1989

China Press of Traditional Chinese Medicine focuses on publishing books in traditional Chinese medicine, covering Chinese medical classics, clinical medicine, acupuncture and tuina, materia medica and formulae, and medical history and literature; its catalogue includes 3,277 titles. Representative books include Xiao Er Yao Zheng Zhi Jue, Shang Han Lun, Yi Xue Zhong Zhong Can Xi Lu, Zhen Jiu Da Cheng, Yi Zong Jin Jian, and Guo Aichun's Annotated Huangdi Neijing Suwen (Second Edition). These works involve writings by historical physicians such as Qian Yi, Zhang Zhongjing, Wang Shuhe, and Zhang Xichun, as well as documentary studies compiled by contemporary authors including Zhao Xin, Zhen Xueyan, Zhang Yongtai, and Wang Xiangang. In terms of publishing characteristics, the press emphasizes collation and annotation of original Chinese medical classics and the systematic presentation of famous physicians' works, balancing the transmission of ancient editions with reference for clinical application. Public information is limited, and no other publishing fields are covered here.

版权信息
序言——修身即养性
前言
中医是一门人生的学问（一）
中医是一门人生的学问（二）
轮椅叙事
中医是一门人生的学问（三）
曦星心理丨翠儿
怒放的生命
十二月的飞花
快乐是一剂良药
儿时点滴事
七彩云南一杯茶
破而始立话冬至
教授的田园生活
“心”结疤了
唯实——给2019
元旦的仪式
小寒心读
钝
回神
触摸
柔软心
土豆发芽
慢生慧
春怡然
连翘文化
百叶窗
总有意想不到的乐啊
暂驻足
一段旅程
物无全
从西向东
神秘的力量
缓释
气息
虚度半生
虫和鱼
好时节
医者的就医体验
鲜花隅
鲜花婆婆
容器的意义
在关键的节点回头
女人心中一座山
秋暖
洞晓
走心的暖意
立冬立意
十二月亮相
雪景
无论如何
妙雪今意
相信就是最大的力量
逆行正向
随笔
源自孤独的美丽
惊蛰到了
湿湿的雨
春花赋
“悟在天成”
美丽的口罩
闻思而修
晨有新意
内心的秩序
从不间断的人生
玻璃屋
我的心长草了
父亲的“坐骑”
走进中医自觉的课堂——讲于厚朴中医六期毕业典礼之上
秋叶向着阳光
与茶同行记
飞雪与兰花
大雪节气、大地启暖
雪不大，但不期而遇
冬至动起来
写在发行之前
写在出版之后
三九的第七天
中医是一门价值观养生的学问
半杯咖啡半袋糖
清澈的水珠
怒放的蒲公英
春乐乐
重在人为
芍药花与福鼎茶
逆思（写在母亲节）
茶之原
小鸟喳喳
风雨和声

FAQ

Is this book a TCM health-preservation manual?

No, it is not a systematic health-preservation operations manual. This book records the author's observations and reflections in the form of diary-style essays, focusing on conveying the TCM idea that prevention matters more than treatment and an attitude of cultivating the mind and nurturing one's nature, rather than providing specific health-preservation formulas or conditioning plans. Readers should treat it as a book for conceptual inspiration and mood regulation.

Can I read it without any TCM background?

Yes. The book's language is accessible and consists mainly of essays and reflections; it does not rely on piling up professional jargon, so ordinary readers can understand it by reading entry by entry. The author mostly writes about concrete observations and thoughts from work and life; the barrier to entry is low, making it suitable as introductory essays for understanding TCM concepts.

Does reading this book help when I'm feeling low?

The content can help people calm down and shift their perspective on matters, and it offers some relief for everyday irritability. However, it is not a psychological treatment book. If emotional distress persists or is fairly pronounced, you should still promptly seek professional psychological or medical help, and should not use reading as a substitute for proper treatment.

Does the diary format make the book feel fragmented?

Each entry stands alone and covers diverse topics, so at first glance it does seem scattered, but the whole book unfolds around the main thread of cultivating the mind and nurturing one's nature—loose in form yet unified in spirit. It is advisable not to read it straight through in order; instead, choose entries according to your current mood, and after reading several you will naturally sense the shared concerns running through them.

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About the author

陈开红 Author · Chinese

Chen Kaihong is a Chinese author about whom limited public information is available; neither the dates of birth and death nor a detailed biography has been clearly recorded. Judging from the two works held in the collection, The Study of Cultivating One's Nature and The Wisdom of Cultivating the Mind, his writing centers on health and medical topics while also touching on traditional health preservation and the cultivation of character. The terms “cultivating one's nature” and “cultivating the mind” in the titles suggest an interest in the connections among physical and mental adjustment, emotional management, and everyday health care. He tends to adopt a plain, practical narrative style, translating ideas about well-being into content that readers can readily understand and put into practice. Such writing is generally aimed at general readers, with accessible language and an emphasis on usefulness rather than difficult academic argument. Because available information is still sparse, it is hard to determine his professional background or the full scope of his writing, but the two existing works offer readers of health literature a reference for self-care and mental balance and are suitable for those interested in health preservation and physical and mental harmony.