  Before addressing connections between Chinese philosophy and Chinese medicine it is necessary to make two clarifications on the meaning of the term Chinese medicine. Chinese medicine could in principle refer to: (1) the full range of medical systems used in contemporary China, including Western biomedicine; (2) the traditional indigenous Chinese medicine that is conventionally referred to as Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM); and (3) other indigenous medical systems, distinct from but TCM, practiced by non-Chinese or minorities who live in areas that historically were part of China or are now part of the Peoples Republic of China, for example, Korean and Tibetan medicine. For purposes of this essay I use the term Chinese medicine only to refer to TCM, but including issues of the integration of TCM and Western medicine. Second, Chinese medicine, in the sense of TCM just discussed, includes a wider range of practices than does Western medicine. In particular it includes: (1) “medicine” in its conventional sense of practices that cure or prevent disease, treat disease and injury and assist in childbirth, etc.; (2) a range of practice to prevent disease in the broadest sense by maintaining health, including practices associated with the martial arts such as Taijiquan (also known as T’ai chi); and (3) a range of practices that extend health by seeking longevity. In particular, a clear account of Chinese medicine cannot confine itself to the first of these only.