Nourish the Heart First in Health Preservation

Name: Nourish the Heart First in Health Preservation
ISBN: 9787561346167

吴思振Apr 2017

3.5

Word count: 115K words
Chapters: 17
ISBN: 9787561346167

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Summary

When you are ill, only you know it; and a illness of the mind must be cured with a medicine for the mind. When the mind is tranquil, the body is still; when the mind breeds illness, the body falls ill too. Nourish my mind, quiet my nature; nourish the mind and quiet the nature, and you will always be calm and settled. Nourishing the mind and curbing desires is the best medicine; quieting the nature and freeing it of worry brings peace and health to the mind. Fame, profit, power and position are all like morning dew; do not let cravings burden your mind with illness. Know the morning dew, and you know your fate; act with joy and you will be free of lopsided ills. Eating well and drinking well are not as good as nourishing the mind well; a good name and good profits are not as good as a quiet mind. Good doctors and good medicine are not as good as an open heart; wealth and high status are not as good as a good conscience.

Editor's review

Grounded in traditional ideas of health cultivation, Nourishing Health Begins with Nourishing the Mind places the "mind" at the very center of health. The book unfolds around themes such as mental tranquility, curbing desires and freeing oneself from worry, and looking lightly on fame, profit, power and position, conveying the life wisdom of "nourishing the mind and quieting the nature" through condensed, rhymed phrasing. Its value lies not in offering specific medical plans or dietary lists, but in reminding readers that adjusting emotions and one's state of mind is often the precondition for a settled body. Comparisons such as "eating well and drinking well are not as good as nourishing the mind well" are plain in language yet thought-provoking, making the book suitable for dipping into for readers who feel restless in a fast-paced life and are easily worn down by external things. There is no need to read it in one sitting; it is better kept on a desk or by the bed, reading a few pages a day and using its lines to reflect on one's own state. It should be noted that the book focuses on spiritual cultivation and life philosophy and does not involve modern medical diagnosis or treatment advice; readers who feel unwell should still see a doctor. Overall, this is a lightweight book on the mind and nature, suitable as companion reading for daily self-reminders.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Office workers under heavy work pressure who often feel restless and want to regulate their emotions through reading
Readers interested in traditional health cultivation ideas who hope to improve their life state starting from mindset
Middle-aged and older readers who enjoy short aphoristic texts and fragmented reading
People prone to anxiety over fame and gain who want to practice looking lightly on external things

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking specific treatment plans or medical guidance for illnesses
Academic readers who prefer systematic theoretical discussion and require rigorous argumentation
Readers expecting practical health methods such as recipes or exercise plans

Reading tips

Read three to five pages before bed each night; after closing the book, sit quietly for a moment and feel the meaning of "nourishing the mind and quieting the nature."
Keep a pen ready, underline lines that move you, review them once a week, and write down your state of mind that day.
As you read, compare the content with your own recent sources of anxiety; do not rush, but focus on repeated savoring.

前言：养生更要会养心
第一章：观念养心必读篇
第二章：防病养心必读篇
第三章：生活养心必读篇（一）
第三章：生活养心必读篇（二）
第四章：儿童养心必读篇
第五章：女人养心必读篇
第六章：男人养心必读篇
第七章：老年养心必读篇（一）
第七章：老年养心必读篇（二）
第八章：急救养心必读篇
第九章：性格养心必读篇
第十章：怡情养心必读篇（一）
第十章：怡情养心必读篇（二）
第十章：怡情养心必读篇（三）
第十一章：箴言养心必读篇
后记

FAQ

Can this book replace a doctor's treatment advice?

No. The book discusses mental adjustment and life philosophy; it is a work of spiritual cultivation and does not involve diagnosis, medication, or treatment plans. Readers who feel unwell or ill should see a doctor in good time and treat this book simply as daily reading that helps adjust their mood.

Is the content suitable for young people?

Yes. The book's reminders about looking lightly on fame and gain, reducing cravings, and keeping the mind quiet are equally valuable for young people facing workplace competition and material anxiety. Since young readers have less life experience, some lines may not resonate deeply yet; it can be read repeatedly as a long-term companion.

Do I need to read it from beginning to end in order?

No. The book consists mainly of condensed rhymed phrases and short chapters that are relatively independent, so it is suitable for opening to any page. If you want a systematic feel for its thinking, you can read it through once and then return to the parts that resonate most.

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About the author

吴思振 Author

Wu Sizhen: publicly available information is limited, and the only confirmed details are his name and a single health-related work. His representative book is Nourishing Life Begins with Nourishing the Heart, catalogued under health. The title suggests a focus on the relationship between health cultivation and one's state of mind and emotions, emphasizing inner care in maintaining well-being. As for the available material, Wu Sizhen's nationality, dates of birth and death, professional background and writing career are not clearly recorded, so a full biography cannot be outlined. What can be established is that he came to public attention through one health guide written for general readers, a work of everyday health advice whose topic is close to daily life and suitable for readers interested in physical and mental care. With so little biographical material, any introduction to Wu Sizhen can only follow the lead of his work and center on how it expresses ideas about health cultivation, leaving other details to be completed when more information becomes available.