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By Shen Yaozi, at the Autumn Equinox of the Wuxu (戊子) Year.

Facing the infinitely complex and vast world, sages from ancient to modern times, from East to West, have been seeking an answer, a generalization, a summary, a way to simply grasp the operating mechanism of this world. Because human intelligence, power, and life are limited,the more complex knowledge and principles become, the harder they are to control and utilize. Only by using simplicity to manage complexity can one find a way out, a direction, and a place to settle and establish oneself in this ever-changing universe.

Thus, over the past few millennia, humanity has developed various religions, philosophies, debates, and even many laws of natural science, each attempting to explain a certain floor, a certain section, a certain brick, or a certain tile of the grand cosmic edifice.

Figure 1: The universe at various scale levels and their corresponding laws

For example, at the most microscopic level of matter and energy, in the subatomic world, we have quantum physics, particle physics, etc., describing and explaining the underlying laws of all things. At the level between atoms, we have chemistry, describing and explaining the laws of molecular compounds. At the level of human daily life, we have Newtonian mechanics, describing and explaining the relationships of force and motion between objects at the scale of everyday life. In the realm of cosmic bodies, we have relativity, which can interpret the relationships between time, space, and celestial bodies at super-large scales. These theories are concise enough to be explained in a single formula (such as F=M·a), yet their applications are infinitely varied.

Another example is at the level of human society, where we have various religions, sects, or doctrines, each attempting to generalize and summarize the principles of personal, interpersonal, and societal relationships and sustainable operations. Examples include the Confucian Five Relationships, Lao-Zhuang's natural non-action, Buddhism's law of dependent origination and prajna wisdom, and Christian universal love. Ordinary people can grasp these behavioral guidelines, absorb and apply them, and benefit from them for a lifetime. Another example is "The Art of War" by Sun Tzu, with its 13 concise principles, which remains a must-read for military strategists both in China and abroad. It not only influences the field of world military strategy but also has guiding significance in politics, business, management, and market strategy, wherever there is a competitive nature.

These theories concisely and powerfully explain phenomena at various scales, providing people with a basis for understanding, even manipulating and predicting phenomena. However, each theory and generalization is only applicable to its respective scale. Humanity has yet to discover a cross-scale, multi-level, unified theory. For example, Newtonian mechanics can be used in construction but cannot explain black holes; quantum mechanics can be used to manufacture ultra-micro integrated circuits but cannot calculate the mechanical problems of building structures; "The Art of War" helps generals win battles but cannot provide a transcendent life. Precisely because phenomena are infinitely variable and human intelligence is limited, humanity has only found approximate laws at various scale levels for the myriad phenomena of the universe, unable to derive exact solutions, but this is sufficient for understanding and applying phenomena at each scale level.

As for the human body level, it falls within the realm of medicine. Like the world before our eyes, the human body can also be roughly divided into macro-scale phenomena (unrelated to microstructures and details) and micro-scale phenomena (such as cellular and molecular levels); just as the world at the scale of everyday life governed by Newtonian laws is to the world at the extremely micro scale governed by quantum mechanics. The causes of diseases in the human body can be at the macro-scale level or the micro-scale level, and the two are often causally related (see the section on "Macro-scale vs. Micro-scale").

Although modern medicine uses technological instruments to observe the human body in great detail, generating a vast amount of data and explaining many intricacies of the human body, it is still incomplete. How can this be seen? From the fact that the causes of many diseases remain unknown, and only the surface symptoms can be controlled with long-term medication, it is evident. The blind spot of modern medicine lies in its focus on the micro-scale level and the phenomena of tangible substances, without yet constructing laws at the macro-scale level. It is like observing a drop of water from a river or sea under a microscope (micro-scale), and thus never seeing its rushing waves or gentle, graceful forms (macro-scale). Moreover, modern medicine is overly specialized in its divisions. While the analysis and investigation of various diseases are clear and detailed, the sum of all specialties does not yield a holistic view. Superficially precise, it is actually cumbersome, seeing the trees but not the forest. Additionally, its data is excessively complex, truly beyond the capacity of human intelligence to manage effectively. Without the aid of modern technology's computers and electronic instruments, Western doctors would hardly be able to diagnose and treat diseases.

From the history of the development of various disciplines in humanity, it is evident that the maturity of a field of study can be discerned from the conciseness of its conclusions. For instance, quantum mechanics, Newton's laws, and the theory of relativity are all encapsulated in succinct mathematical formulas. Similarly, the theory of evolution in biology, and even Wang Yangming's "the extension of innate knowledge, the unity of knowledge and action," Sakyamuni's "dependent origination and emptiness, emptiness and dependent origination," ... Although modern medicine has generated a vast amount of data, it has yet to distill from this fragmented knowledge a concise law or theorem that describes human phenomena, a solution that can simplify complexity and cure diseases. This implies that modern medicine is still in its infancy, an immature stage.

From the development of basic sciences, it can be observed that humanity first began by understanding everyday macroscopic phenomena and laws (such as Newton's laws), and by leveraging these, developed new tools. With the aid of these new tools (such as telescopes and microscopes), human vision expanded further, leading to the discovery of new phenomena and laws (such as cells and distant celestial bodies), which in turn led to the development of even newer tools (such as electron microscopes and space telescopes), further expanding human vision. Thus, from near to far, from coarse to fine, from shallow to deep, this is the inevitable process by which humanity comes to understand the universe. The development of modern medicine, spanning just over a hundred years, has suddenly been aided by modern technology, seemingly giving it wings. However, on the other hand, it has been a case of forced growth, as modern medicine, with the help of modern technology, skipped the macroscopic scale and delved directly into the microscopic world before observing and summarizing the laws of macroscopic phenomena in the human body.

The development of Chinese medicine began thousands of years ago, without the aid of modern technology, so the objects of observation were all within the sensory range of the human body, and the conclusions drawn were all macroscopic, unrelated to the details of tissues. Moreover, having undergone over a thousand years of inheritance and renewal, its maturity far surpasses that of modern medicine, which has only been around for a little over a hundred years. How can this be seen? From the fact that the Shanghan Zabing Lun from two thousand years ago is still used as a textbook for examinations, and its prescriptions are still applied without decline, capable of treating diseases that modern medicine cannot, it is clear. Classical Chinese medicine allows us to describe the laws and treatment principles of any macroscopic disease in the human body with 2, 5, 6, or even 12 variables. By controlling these variables with acupuncture, Chinese medicinals, etc., it is possible to simplify complexity, to respond to all changes with constancy, much like F=M•a encompasses all macroscopic mechanical problems, encompassing all macroscopic diseases of the human body. This is the ultimate goal of macroscopic medicine, and the reason why a physician/doctor of Chinese medicine can treat all diseases.

However, Chinese medicine, after the Eastern Han Dynasty, went through hundreds of years of war and turmoil, nearly becoming lost. After the Eastern Han Dynasty, a situation of a hundred schools of thought contending, each speaking their own language, formed. The modern development of Chinese medicine has led to a list-style pattern identification model—listing several patterns and corresponding formulas for any disease based on experience (example)—which cannot simplify complexity but instead complicates and trivializes the problem, losing the spirit of classical Chinese medicine.

In summary, traditional Chinese medicine is a mature macroscopic medicine, with concise conclusions but prone to ignoring details; modern medicine is an immature baby, focusing on details but often becoming complicated and losing sight of the whole. "Conciseness" is convenient for application but loses clarity; "complexity" is inconvenient for application but can serve as a reference when used. Although the two are incompatible, they complement each other.