Heng Dao Descends into the Central, Divergent Paths of Following and Reversing: TCM and Daoist Practical Systems in the Central Qi Genealogy of Warring States Daoism

Previous studies examining the intellectual connections between Daoism, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and Daoist religion have mostly remained at the level of generalized analogical comparison based on the "monistic qi theory". They have neither anchored analysis in the unified ontological framework of "Heng Dao – Central Qi", nor integrated the metaphysical foundation with life practice through the three-stage virtue system of Bu De – Kong De – Xuan De. As a result, the lineage between the two traditions is often obscured by superficial discursive differences. Taking the two-tiered framework of "transcendent Heng Dao, operative Central Qi" from the Mawangdui Silk Manuscript Laozi as its core anchor, and carrying forward the unified paradigm established in this research series, this paper situates TCM and Daoist religion within the broader genealogy of Warring States Daoism defined by "shared ontological foundation, divergent practical paths". It systematically reconstructs the ontological structure, virtuous core and practical pathways of both traditions. This study demonstrates that TCM and Daoist religion both inherit Laozi’s fundamental paradigm of "distinction between substance and function, isomorphism of Dao and De", and share the existential ground of "Heng Dao as substance, Central Qi as function, harmony as vital impetus". In the dimension of virtue, both follow the three-stage core framework of Bu De – Kong De – Xuan De, and extend it downward to the level of particular material properties. TCM maps onto the virtue hierarchy through "treating disease before onset – vital qi abiding within – guiding according to inherent propensity", while Daoist religion does so through "upholding oneness and non-action – subtle unity of form and spirit – neither forgetting nor forcing". In the dimension of practice, the two traditions form two distinct pathways: "regulating the body by following the natural order" and "attaining immortality through reverse cultivation". Each has developed a three-stage operational system. TCM realizes the forward progression from curing illness to health preservation through "rectifying the form and expelling pathogens – regulating qi and harmonizing the center – nourishing spirit and upholding the root". Daoist religion achieves reverse transcendence from foundational preparation to immortality through "building the foundation and mending leaks – upholding the center and mediating union – direct penetration of the central yellow". One outward and one inward, one following and one reversing, the two traditions jointly constitute the two integral wings of life practice in Warring States Daoism. They represent a paradigmatic manifestation of the "Heng Dao – Central Qi" system moving from philosophical speculation to concrete life cultivation.