An excellent book for the new student! This text provides insight into the depth and subtlety of traditional Chinese medicine by delving into the linguistic and cultural wellsprings of China’s venerable past. The authors’ knowledge, thoughtfulness, and dedication to their topic clearly radiate from every page. Steven Given, Dean of Clinical Education at Yo San University, has this to say of the book: "Their interweaving of language, religion and culture results in a cogent and highly readable discourse that ties together the elements of culture and medicine. Zhang and Rose’s examination of the etymology and structure of the Chinese language is a major contribution to our understanding of how traditional Chinese medicine functions today."

In her foreword to the book, Harriet Beinfield, co-author of Between Heaven and Earth, a Guide to Traditional Chinese Medicine, made the following remarks: "[The authors] have performed a great service by clearing a path into the formidably dense thicket that constitutes Chinese medicine in the West. This text provides . . . a window of inestimable value into a world of meaning that satisfies a yearning on the part of many who hunger to know the substrate from which Chinese medicine emerges."