安ān身shēn之zhī本běn,，必bì資zī於yú食shí

What does 安身之本，必資於食 (ān shēn zhī běn, bì zī yú shí) mean?

安身之本，必資於食 (ān shēn zhī běn, bì zī yú shí) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞). Word for word it reads "The foundation of a peaceful body must rely on food." In use it means: Before reaching for medicines or complex treatments, attend to diet. Proper daily nourishment is the most fundamental form of medical care, and no treatment succeeds when nutrition is neglected. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Earth note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Dog.

Literally: "The foundation of a peaceful body must rely on food."

The reading

Sun Simiao placed his chapter on dietary therapy before his chapter on herbal prescriptions, a deliberate statement of priority. The body is built and maintained by what a person eats daily, not by what a physician prescribes occasionally. A diet that matches one's constitution, season, and labor does more sustained good than any formula. Neglecting the kitchen while perfecting the pharmacy inverts the natural order of healing.

What kind of proverb it is

• Typeshīcí 詩詞
• FocusPresent-minded
• Element土 Earth
• Zodiac tie狗 Year of the Dog

Source Sun Simiao, Qianjin Yaofang (Essential Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Gold), Tang dynasty

Sits beside

Keep reading

Return to the Proverb Pond to draw another of the eighty-seven, or hear one read aloud. Read the rest of its chapter in Harmony, Virtue & Balance, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Dog, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.