author
Gao Li
1180–1251
A major voice in traditional Chinese medicine, this Jin-dynasty physician is best remembered for linking many illnesses to weakness in the spleen and stomach. His writings helped shape a lasting medical tradition built on careful observation, nourishment, and recovery.
1 Audiobook
脾胃論
by Gao Li
About the author
Known as Li Gao and also by the name Li Dongyuan, he lived from 1180 to 1251 and came from Zhending in what is now Hebei. Later readers remembered him as one of the four great masters of Jin and Yuan medicine, and his work became especially influential in the study of internal medicine.
He is closely associated with the idea that many illnesses begin with damage to the spleen and stomach, especially through overwork, poor diet, and strain. That approach made him the leading figure behind what is often called the "Invigorating the Earth" school of medicine, which emphasized restoring the body's center rather than treating symptoms alone.
His best-known book is the Pi Wei Lun (Treatise on the Spleen and Stomach), and other works are also attributed to him in major library and catalog records. Even centuries later, his name remains important for readers interested in the history of Chinese healing and the development of classical medical theory.