418 Fire, Water and Qi Transformation—Essential Insights from Liu Du-Zhou • Eran Even

Long before “cold damage” became a checkbox on exams or a buzzword among classical enthusiasts, Dr. Liu Du-Zhou was quietly doing the work—teaching, treating, and writing from a mind steeped in both lineage and clinical experience. He wasn’t just preserving tradition; he was refining it. His approach to the Shang Han Lun was rigorous yet poetic, grounded in clinical realities and shaped by decades of upheaval in 20th-century China. There’s a humility to his voice—a self-proclaimed “still-learning” doctor in his seventies—and a precision that cuts through theory to show how fire and water, yin and yang, truly move through the human body.

In this conversation with Eran Even, we explore Dr. Liu’s remarkable clarity and how it comes through in a slim but potent book that Eran has translated into English. Eran walks us through the experience of engaging deeply with Liu’s thinking, from the literary style of Zhang Zhong-Jing to the physiological relevance of Qi transformation.

Listen into this discussion as we trace the importance of channel theory, the overlooked presence of water pathologies in the modern clinic, the inner workings of fire and fluid dynamics, and how Liu Du-Zhou’s reflections on the six confirmations can shift the way we understand both health and disease.

In This Conversation We Discuss:

• How translating a text becomes a form of apprenticeship
• Why Lu Daojiu matters—and why his voice is needed now
• Water as a modern pathology, not just a classical metaphor
• The quiet power of Ling Gui Zhu Gan Tang in contemporary clinics
• How fire and water still hold the blueprint for balance
• Qì transformation as an invitation to see, not just to fix
• The role of literary style in shaping medical understanding
• Why Dr. Huang focuses on precision, while Lu leans into poetry
• That knowing theory is not about recitation—but recognition
• How small books can carry seismic shifts in perspective
• The importance of footnotes, context, and showing your work
• Why translation is more than words—it’s participation
• The reminder that learning is never finished, and that’s the point

The learning never ends and that’s what makes this field so beautiful!  You can’t ever be bored! ​

Eran Evan, P.hD

I am a Doctor of Chinese Medicine practicing in beautiful Port Moody, British Columbia, Canada. I earned my doctoral degree in 2019 from the prestigious Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, under the guidance and mentorship of Professor Huang Huang. I have been engaged in the study and practice of ‘Jingfang’ (Classical Methods/Formulas) for the last 20 years and teaching for the last several years to students around the world as one of Professor Huang’s close disciples.

I am the translator of Chen Xiuyuan’s Formulas from the Golden Cabinet with Songs, volume 2, co-translator of my teacher Huang Huang’s ‘A Manual of Classic Formulas for Primary Care’  and have had many translations published in various journals and publications around the world.

Aside from my busy clinic and teaching schedule, I am currently working on two translation projects, the first being a clinical handbook based on the work of Liu Duzhou, and the other, a massive Shanghan Zabing Lun compilation and resource.

Links and Resources

Visit Eran at The Chinese Medicine Classics Institute or at www.eraneven.com. 

You can find a copy of The Essential Points on Clinical Patterns in the Shānghán lùn on Amazon.

In the conversation we mentioned Steve Clavey’s longtime interest and translation of Liu Du Zhou’s work in The Lantern. You can find those worthwhile clinical insights in Old Chinese Doctors Talk Shang Han Lun: Liu DuZhou. 

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