Study on the Viscera-state Doctrine in Traditional Chinese Medicine based on Metaphorical Theory
基于概念隐喻理论的中医藏象学说考察

This article was aimed to study the viscera-state doctrine from the perspective of metaphorical cognition. Five-element and viscera-state in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) were used as a model. The five-element and viscera-state system is a conceptual metaphor system constructed based on human experiences. It is an analogy based on the "possible world". It is a "metaphor retrace" and a "belief system." This article pointed out that the key aspect of TCM viscera-state doctrine study is not focused on the searching of objective material basis. It is the analysis of its unique language. The important aspect is to reveal on which aspects TCM viscera concepts are verifiable, and the important role of metaphorical cognition in the formation process of TCM viscerastate doctrine.