本文原文精彩、透徹，將中西醫的各自特點精髓在娓娓敘述中盡皆表明，而譯文則用語地道，文辭嚴謹而精確，且不失文采，希望對大家有所啟示！！！
中醫學被翻譯為傳統中國醫學，她同現代醫學簡稱西醫的最大區是什麼呢？有人說在於所使用的藥物不同，比如中醫喜歡用植物藥，而西醫用化學合成藥；有人說在於技術手段上，中醫用針刺，而西醫用刀割。其實不然，中西醫的最大差別在於思維方式和價值取向，也就是形而上的哲學思想的不同。
面對同樣的人，面對同樣的疾病，如果站的角度不同，觀察和瞭解的東西也就不同，這正如瞎子摸象，每個人瞭解的都是真理，但是僅僅是真理的一部分。
中醫學源於中國哲學－道，道的哲學講究“道法自然，無為而治。”中醫學認為，人類能夠在地球上生存至今的原因，不是因為我們有醫生，醫院，藥物，而是因為我們有天賦的防病治病的本能。這就是自然之道，因此研究瞭解學習掌握自然之道，就是醫生的職責，幫助發揮人的天賦的本能，就是中醫防病治病之道。
2000多年前的名醫扁鵲，曾經救活了一個被認為是已經死亡的王子，當人們稱贊他能起死回生的時候，他嚴肅地說：“余非能生死人，因其自當生，余能使之起爾。”（《史記》）扁鵲的話不是謙遜的托詞，而是揭示了中醫治病救人的最基本道理，患者有生機，有自癒的能力，醫生給予幫助，最終靠患者本身的能力存活。
基於這一準則，中醫學對人是如何預防和自癒疾病，做了細緻入微的觀察和體驗，發現了人體“氣”的存在，以及氣在人體內的運行路線和經常的停留地點，也就是人們常說的經絡和穴位，通過調節氣的運行，達到治療疾病的目的，也就是針刺，艾灸，按摩，推拿的基本原理。
其次，中醫學不會孤立，割裂地看待局部疾病。而是把人和人所處的自然環境和社會環境看成是有機的整體。把人的當作活的整體，而不是各種組織器官的組合。因此，中醫學特別重視研究人與自然，與社會，人體內部各種器官組織之間的關係，以及相互的作用和影響。當然這種關係是看不見摸不著的。中醫學還創創造了陰陽五行等理論高度概括總結了這種關係，使得今天人們還在運用這些理論來指導新的臨床實踐。
中國醫學講陰陽，重視事務的兩個方面，尤其注重內因。而西方人似乎治看重一方面，特別是外因。中國人講蒼蠅不叮無縫的的雞蛋，西醫似乎只關心蒼蠅。就吃飯而言，食物的色香味形固然很重要，更重要的是吃飯人的心情、胃口。啃骨頭比吃肉香，眾人搶著吃飯香，偷來的東西吃著香，同樣的飯，如果調動了人的心情、胃口，感覺就不一樣了。
再者，中醫強調預防為主，最好的醫生應該是能在早期預防和發現疾病的，而不是病人已經病勢沉重才來救死扶傷的人。中醫原來中國人把疾病分成不同的發展階段，小毛病，輕微的不舒服叫“恙”。感冒、發燒，偶染風寒，叫做“疾”，因為它來得快，去得也快。病久了，或者嚴重了才叫做“病”，相當於英文的“SICK”。還有就是身體內長了腫瘤，像羊肉串一樣，就是“患”了。 良性的相當於英文的“TUMOR”，惡性的就是“CANCER”了。
說到癌症，西醫只能等到癌細胞出現以後，才能治療。而治療也只是局部和部分切除，然後輔助放射線治療化療。而中醫認為冰凍三尺非一日之寒。癌細胞不是一天長成的，而是一個漸變的過程。高明的醫生應該並且能夠在癌細胞沒有發生質變之前，就把它消滅在萌芽中。如果已經有了癌細胞，中醫認為那也如同在一棵樹上結了幾個壞果子，僅僅把果子摘了（手術），或者噴農藥殺死幾個果子（化療），根本無濟於事。真正根治的辦法就是把樹砍掉。否則癌細胞還會長，也許由於你的手術和化療傷害了人的免疫系統，癌細胞會長得更多更快。
在治療上，中醫講究身心全面的調整。打個比方，86年世界盃馬拉度納連過英格蘭5名隊員，把球射入球門。如果是中醫看待這件事，他會認為，馬拉度納無疑是出色的，但是能夠射入這個球還離不開其他隊員的配合呼應。是11個人合作的結果。再往大處講，有教練的指揮，隊醫的治療，替補隊員的鼓勵，是全隊的功勞，還有球迷的聲援。更大地說離不開阿根廷的足球環境，整個國家的經濟文化等。如果是西醫看待這件事，他就會認為是馬拉度納進的球，是馬拉度納左腳踢進的，是馬拉度納左腳大拇趾觸的球，是大拇趾的角質細胞起了關鍵作用，進而他會研究到DNA片斷，甚至某個基因。
中藥處方講究配伍，講君臣佐使。而西醫則只見樹木不見森林，聽說某種中藥有效，馬上分析，提取所謂的有效成分，這不是在找馬拉度納的大拇趾嗎？結果當然是失敗的。
As I talk with my foreign friends, one of the most often asked questions is the difference between traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and Modern medicine.
Some would say the difference is mostly in the medicine: TCM doctors use herbs, while Western medicine doctors apply chemical and synthesized medicine. Some would say they differ technically: TCM pierce with an acupuncture needle, but Western doctors cut with an operation knife.
But I think the biggest difference lie in the difference between ways of thinking and choice of value, which is a difference in philosophical thinking.
The same disease of the same person, if seen from different angels, would have seemed different to different doctors. This is just like several blind men feeling an elephant. Every one of them learn only part of the truth.
TCM originates from Taoism, an ancient Chinese philosophy which emphasizes on following the principle of the Nature and managing things in a simple and easy way.
The theories of TCM hold that the reason the human being exist on the Earth is not because we have doctors, hospitals or medicines, but that we are gifted with a nature capacity to prevent and recover from illnesses.
The doctors' responsibility is then to help exert this nature gift of people's.
Bian Que (407-310 BC), China 's ancient medical scientist and founder of pulse diagnosis, was recorded to save a prince who had been believed to have died. When people were marveling about his ability to save the dead, he told seriously: ``I can not save dead people. I saved him because there was life in him and I could waken it.''
Bian's words reveals the basic principle of TCM, which is to help the patients recover their natural vitality and ability to cure themselves.
Based on that theory, TCM make detailed observation and collect experience of human beings illness prevention and curing system. As a result, they found the existence of {qi}, or vital energy. They discovered th channels of circulation of vital energy and the points where it is strong, or as is commonly known, the acupuncture points.
That discovery then became the basis of TCM, which is to cure diseases by regulating the circulation of {qi} in acupuncture, moxibustion and {tuina}, medical massage.
That basic theory decides that TCM will not isolate the part of body that is sick from the other parts of body. The human body is an inter-related whole instead of a combination of individual organs.
The study of TCM focus on researching relation between Man and the Nature, Man and the society, and the influence and function of different organs of the body on each other.
These relations are explained with the theory of {yin} and {yang}, and the five elements, which are still used by TCM doctors to direct their clinical practice.
While TCM focuses on the internal factor, Western medicine pay attention more to the external ones. The Chinese say a fly would not sting an egg without a crack, but Western doctors would have attributed all the fault to the fly.
A second difference between the two medicines is probably that TCM focuses on prevention more.
TCM maintains that the best doctor discovers an illness in its earliest stage and put it down then, instead of not saving someone until he is very sick.
Ancient Chinese has different terms for an illness in its different phases.
The difference of the two medicines can be shown in their ways of treating cancer.
Western medicine would not treat until malignant tumor appears. The treatment would be removal of the part that is sick and chemotherapy.
But TCM thinks the forming of cancer cells is a gradual process. A good doctor should wipe them off when they are still developing.
In treating cancer, TCM thinks the tumor is like several bad fruits on a malignant tree. To remove the fruits (removal operation) or to kill the fruits with pesticide (chemotherapy) will not help in the long run. The best thing to do is to chop the tree of illness from the root. Otherwise the bad fruits will keep growing. And because the operation and chemotherapy hurt the immune system, cancer cells will grow faster.
A more radical example might help explain how TCM look at the whole matter of fitness and treatment for people.
Maradonna the great soccer player broke through five of England 's players on the 1986 World Cup and scored the winning goal for Argentina .
A TCM doctor would say Maradonna is good but the goal is impossible without the help of all other 10 players, the logistics people and even the support of fans.
A Western doctor would attribute the goal to Maradonna, and his left foot, then probably his left foot thumb, the cutin cell of the left foot, the DNA of the cell and a gene...
The same thing happens in the use of medicine. Chinese herbal recipes include different ingredients with different functions, which works on different aspects of the problem. But Western medicine would extract a certain herb that works on an illness. That is quite like using Maradonna's big toe to score a goal.