The saying, “In all things, do not overdo it; excess will surely harm the body,” boils down to the concept of “moderation”—whether it’s eating, working, managing emotions, or enjoying oneself, once you go too far, both your physical and mental health are prone to problems.
This saying is particularly common in traditional Chinese medicine and wellness practices. Its core principle is “too much is as bad as too little,” emphasizing that everything should be done in moderation and avoiding extremes. For example:
Don’t eat until you’re full: Eating until you’re about 70–80 percent full is sufficient; eating until you’re stuffed actually puts a strain on your digestive system.
Don’t overexert yourself: Whether working or exercising, do what you can manage; overworking your body will take its toll as you get older.
Don’t be too idle: Being too idle isn’t good either; spending all day doing nothing will make you feel increasingly listless.
Don’t let joy or anger run wild: Extreme emotions are harmful to the body; excessive joy harms the heart, while uncontrolled rage harms the liver.
So, to truly practice “moderation” means maintaining a balance between activity and rest in daily life—don’t push everything to the limit. Many people today tend to go to extremes in their health practices—such as blindly taking tonics or over-exercising—which actually harms the body. This follows the same principle.
The Story of the Powder Grinder
Clinically, many patients are best treated with powdered medications, which requires grinding the herbs into a fine powder. This task may seem simple, but it’s actually quite tedious. I used to grind them with a mortar and pestle, which was not only exhausting but also produced a coarse powder. For convenience, the pharmacy purchased a small grinder. Although it can only process a small amount of herbal medicine at a time, it’s easy to use, grinds quickly, and—most importantly—produces a sufficiently fine powder. It has saved us a lot of trouble.
However, problems soon arose. The motor of this brand-new grinder burned out after less than half a year of use. Since it was a high-speed motor, it had to be shipped out of town for repairs—a very time-consuming process, and shipping was a hassle as well. To avoid disrupting operations, we had no choice but to purchase a new one. Not long after the second machine was put into use, it began making a lot of noise. The manufacturer suggested replacing the carbon brushes, but just a few days after the replacement, the problem recurred. These frequent malfunctions caught the manufacturer’s attention, so they sent a local sales representative to provide on-site guidance. After observing our operation process, the sales representative remarked, “You’re overfilling the machine when loading the herbs.”
I was quite puzzled, so he explained: “The reason is simple. If the grinder is overfilled, the herbal materials have no room to move, which can easily jam the blades. Once the blades are jammed, the motor enters a short-circuit state; the excessive load then causes it to burn out.”
The sales representative’s words made everything clear to me. Yes, that’s exactly right! To save time during loading, I had always filled the hopper to the brim, regardless of the type of herbal material being ground. While this wasn’t a problem with ordinary herbs, when dealing with hard-to-grind materials like Panax notoginseng, overfilling did indeed make it easy for the grinding blades to jam. It seems I had been overlooking the “question of moderation” all along.
The sales representative continued, “The hopper of a powder grinder is like a person’s stomach. If a person eats too much, they’ll feel uncomfortably full, and their digestion will be affected. If this is true for a living person, how much more so for this hunk of metal? Treat it with care—fill the hopper to about six or seven parts full when loading, and just run it one extra cycle. After all, good things don’t come from rushing!”
After the sales representative left, his offhand remark kept echoing in my ears: “Fill the hopper to about six or seven parts full, and just run it one more time—after all, good things don’t come from rushing!”
It’s a very simple truth, yet one worth pondering repeatedly.
In fact, everything we do requires a sense of moderation. If we exceed that limit, we’re likely to achieve the opposite of what we intended. There are far too many such instances in life; we simply haven’t taken the time to reflect on them.
We often hear older people say that one shouldn’t speak too definitively, go too far, or be too harsh; that eating until you’re only half-full is best for your health; and that drinking just enough to feel a slight buzz is the key to enjoying it.
Often, we need to leave ourselves a little breathing room—speak with some flexibility—so that we have room to maneuver when taking action; Drivers know that there must be an appropriate distance between vehicles—leaving a little buffer allows for adjustments at any time, ensuring you can move forward or backward with confidence; a cup needs space so it won’t overflow when other liquids are added; a balloon needs space so it won’t burst when more air is pumped in; and when people speak, leaving some room ensures they won’t be put on the spot if the unexpected occurs.
“Possibly,” “as much as possible,” “perhaps,” “research,” “consider”… People habitually use these uncertain terms not because they lack confidence, but to leave a little room to accommodate “the unexpected.” Otherwise, if you state something definitively, things often turn out contrary to your wishes.
Therefore, in all matters, leave some leeway and strike the right balance. Don’t make absolute statements; be flexible and adaptable, placing yourself in a position where you cannot be defeated, thereby finding the balance between moderation and perfection.
What a wonderful philosophy of life!
In traditional Chinese medicine, there is a concept known as the “Five Labors and Seven Injuries.” The Five Labors are described in the Huangdi Neijing: Suwen: Chapter on the Five Qi as follows: “Prolonged visual strain injures the blood; prolonged lying down injures the qi; prolonged sitting injures the flesh; prolonged standing injures the bones; and prolonged walking injures the tendons.”
These five basic daily activities—looking, lying down, sitting, standing, and walking—should not be overdone; prolonged looking, lying down, sitting, standing, or walking can all harm the body.
I often advise patients to exercise regularly, but some struggle to find the right balance and end up overdoing it, which actually harms their health.
Some patients practice Tai Chi, which is originally an excellent form of exercise; however, squatting for too long or standing for too long can easily damage the bones and lead to bone spurs. There are frequent reports of this online, but in reality, this isn’t a problem with Tai Chi itself—it’s a matter of moderation.
Sleeping is a pleasure, but oversleeping is no longer a pleasure; instead, it becomes a burden and actually harms the body. Most office workers can relate to this: during the week, with a regular work schedule, they feel fine, but come the weekend—when they sleep in until 11 or 12 in the morning—they feel increasingly lethargic and weak all over. This is a case of “prolonged lying down depleting vital energy”; sleeping too long leads to qi deficiency. If merely sleeping in on the weekend has this effect, what would happen if one slept like this every day?
Some people, before retirement, work regularly, maintain a normal daily routine, and follow a consistent schedule. But after retiring, with nothing to do, they develop the habit of sleeping in, waking up past 10:00 a.m. every morning. After a while, their bodies become increasingly weak, their physical condition deteriorates, and they end up less healthy than when they were working. The key here is moderation: sleeping too much and resting excessively not only fails to strengthen the body but actually makes it weaker.
I often advise patients with qi deficiency not to stay up too late at night—staying up late damages both yin and yang—and not to get up too late in the morning, as lying in bed for too long also damages qi.
The lungs govern qi; lying in bed for too long damages qi—and it damages not only qi but also the lungs themselves!
Teachers typically spend a lot of time standing, and standing for extended periods also harms the body. Among teachers, cases of lumbar disc herniation or knee osteoarthritis are all too common.
The kidneys govern the bones; prolonged standing damages the bones. In fact, this doesn’t just harm the bones—essentially, it also affects the kidneys. Therefore, people who work while standing for long periods are prone to kidney deficiency.
The essence and energy of the body’s five organs all ascend to the eyes. The substance most closely related to the eyes is blood: “When the eyes receive blood, they can see.” Furthermore, the eyes are the orifice of the liver; the liver meridian connects to the eyes, and the liver stores blood, which nourishes the eyes. Overuse of the eyes first depletes liver blood; once the blood stored by the liver is depleted, the body’s blood is also depleted.
In daily life, many people do not take care of their eyes; they read for long periods, stay up late, spend excessive time online, or are glued to the television, leading to dry eyes and a rapid decline in vision. Such patients should pay attention to moderating their eye use in daily life; after reading for a period of time, they should go outside to gaze into the distance or perform eye exercises. For the elderly, reading books and newspapers or watching television and movies should be limited to 1–2 hours at a time, and sessions should not be prolonged. Patients with anemia should be even more careful to maintain this balance; if this balance is not properly maintained, it will ultimately harm not only the eyes but also the body’s yin blood—and even the entire body.
In addition to the harm caused by prolonged visual strain, lying down, sitting, standing, and walking, there is also the harm caused by overeating, which damages the spleen; intense anger, which damages the liver; lifting heavy objects or sitting for long periods on damp ground, which damages the kidneys; exposure to cold and cold beverages, which damage the lungs; worry and overthinking, which damage the heart; and exposure to wind, rain, cold, and heat, which harm the body. Extreme fear and lack of moderation also damage one’s spirit. The ancients summarized these as the “Five Labors and Seven Injuries.” It is evident that looking, lying down, sitting, standing, and walking are the most common activities in people’s daily lives; these activities have the greatest impact on a person, and they also influence one another. Therefore, everyone must be mindful in their daily lives and work: whether engaging in physical or mental labor, one must exercise moderation and avoid excess. It is important to balance work and rest, regulate the nervous system and the mind and body—this is the correct path to health preservation.
The issue of moderation extends beyond the Five Labors and Seven Injuries; it applies to everything in life. Whether one goes too far or falls short, neither approach yields the desired result. In daily life, we often notice the drawbacks of falling short but forget the principle that “too much is as bad as too little.”
Anyone who practices Tai Chi knows that only when movements are kept within a certain degree can one freely transition between Yin and Yang and truly experience the essence of combining firmness and suppleness. If a movement is performed too forcefully, it fails to embody suppleness and manifests only firmness—only Yang. Since Yin is the foundation of Yang, without this foundation, firmness cannot be considered true Yang. Therefore, practicing Tai Chi is all about finding the right balance; Tai Chi that loses this balance in its movements cannot be considered true Tai Chi.
This principle applies not only to practicing Tai Chi but also to health preservation and disease treatment. Clinically, we often say that treating a disease is 30 percent treatment and 70 percent self-care—this is precisely the underlying principle.
Take stomach ailments, for example. Typically, after a period of medication, stomach discomfort improves significantly. However, once the medication is stopped, the symptoms often recur. Patients frequently complain to their doctors, asking why their stomach ailments weren’t completely cured—or, to borrow a common saying, why the “root” of the problem wasn’t “eradicated”?
Can the root of a stomach ailment be eradicated? Is it even possible to do so?
Many patients with stomach ailments do not eat at regular times, overeat, consume foods that are too acidic or too cold, and enjoy strong tea, coffee, and the like. These are all triggers for stomach ailments. If these unhealthy lifestyle habits are not changed, relying solely on medication for treatment is like neglecting the root cause while addressing the symptoms. As the saying goes, “Wildfires cannot burn it all; the spring breeze blows and it grows again.” To completely cure a stomach ailment, one must follow the principle of “three parts treatment, seven parts nourishment”—learning to nurture and cherish your stomach is the fundamental rule of treatment.
To nurture a healthy stomach, you must first develop the habit of eating three regular meals a day in fixed portions. Don’t eat until you’re stuffed when you’re idle, only to feel uncomfortably bloated, or combine two meals into one when you’re busy. Urban office workers, in their rush to get to work each day, often skip breakfast, which is very harmful to the stomach.
Second, for those with poor digestive function, it is recommended to eat small, frequent meals. If it is not yet time for a main meal, you can have a light snack, but not too much—remember, this is not a substitute for a main meal, which should still be eaten as usual. Focus on soft, tender foods; avoid eating too many chewy or crunchy items.
Third, people with stomach ailments must avoid smoking, alcohol, coffee, and strong tea.
Fourth, those with sensitive stomachs should minimize their intake of cold foods and fruits.
Fifth, people with sensitive stomachs should not return to work or exercise immediately after eating. It’s best to rest for a while and wait until the food in the stomach has been mostly digested before resuming work; taking a slow walk is also beneficial for digestion.
Sixth, maintain a positive mindset; depression and irritability are major no-nos for those with stomach ailments.
Medication can only address one-third of the problem; the remaining three-quarters require self-care. If you take medication long-term in an attempt to completely cure a stomach ailment, only to end up developing new stomach problems as a result, it’s simply not worth it. For example, patients with acid reflux who take medications like omeprazole long-term to suppress stomach acid may end up with their gastric wall cells being chronically suppressed, eventually leading to atrophic gastritis. Identifying the root cause of the stomach ailment, correcting bad habits, and combining this with moderate medication—that is the true way to eradicate the problem at its source!
This principle applies not only to stomach ailments but to the treatment of many diseases as well. The purpose of medication is to curb the progression of the disease; once the course of the illness is altered, it will begin to improve. At this point, by correcting the factors that previously contributed to the disease’s progression and aligning with the physiological laws of the five internal organs, the disease can be cured at its root.
If one blindly relies on medication or over-treats the condition, it not only wastes social resources but also fails to help the patient. Without addressing the root cause of the disease, it can never be truly cured. Treating illness is like waging war. As The Art of War by Sun Tzu states: “Therefore, to win every battle is not the highest form of skill; to subdue the enemy’s army without fighting is the highest form of skill.”
Elderly farmers in rural areas all know that too much rain can lead to flooding, while a prolonged lack of rain can lead to drought. Only moderate rainfall is the prerequisite for a bountiful harvest. Favorable weather is not characterized by light winds and heavy rain, nor by strong winds and little rain; only moderate rainfall can be considered truly favorable.
When feeding material into a grinder, one must leave one-third unfilled; in Tai Chi movements, one must leave one-third unfulfilled; in treating stomach ailments with medication, one should use only one-third of the dose; when pouring tea, fill the cup only seven-tenths full; when pouring wine, fill it only eight-tenths full; even the rainfall needed for farming requires a reasonable balance.
This applies to treating illnesses with medicine, to waging war with troops, and to how we conduct ourselves in life and handle our affairs! We can gain insight into truth from the small details of daily life, and through that truth, we can gain a deeper understanding of life itself. In our conduct and actions, we must also leave a “third” of leeway! This is the way of things: though it may seem slightly imperfect, it is, in fact, perfection itself!
