Rituals as Medicine: Understanding Li in Classical Chinese Medical Practice

Course overview

In classical Chinese medicine, healing was never separate from living in harmony with nature and society. The Confucian concept of Li - ritual propriety, sincerity, and right conduct - was seen as a medicine for the heart-mind (xin). It guided physicians in cultivating balance, regulating emotions, and acting with clarity and compassion. This course explores how Li functioned as both ethical foundation and diagnostic framework, revealing how ancient physicians linked moral cultivation with the regulation of qi, emotion, and perception.