The substances in nature exist in various forms. Some are objective substances that can be observed with the naked eye. Some are microcosmic substances that can be observed with a microscope. There are also basic substances that cannot be visually observed. Among those different forms, the microscopic character always determines the macroscopic character. Because TCM is a medical approach that originated from the Oriental philosophy and the observation of nature, it is based on the common connections between the human body and its surroundings, and among different parts of the human body. These connections cannot be confirmed simply by the dissection method of Western science. However, it does not mean that the connections do not exist. The meridian system of the human body, for example, reveals the common connection in the human body that is dominated by the water environment. Water is quite common in nature, and is fundamental in distinguishing living things from non-living things. There would be no life forms without this connection. TCM physicians have long realized the role of water in the development of creatures. It is known that water helps transfer matter and information in living things and acts as a carrier of Qi. It is disappointing that many scientists traditionally and still treat “life” as being equivalent to “living things,” and only a few preceding scientists realize the difference between these two forms.
The meridian system in the human body consists of circulating channels. It exists in not only nerves, blood vessels, and lymph nodes, but also microscopic tissue gaps or spaces within the entire living organism. Although the structure of the water molecules and the mechanism of the information transmission could not be precisely known in ancient TCM, the direction for study of these principles was established. Because life is often mistakenly treated as being equivalent to the living creature itself, the special property of water in active lives has not drawn critical attention. For example, CWM observes the human body in an anatomical sense that excludes the connection from its continuous water environment.