Humming with Elephants: A Translation and Discussion of the Great Treatise on the Resonant Manifestations of Yin and Yang
Published in spring 2018, this book is a translation of the fifth chapter in the Yellow Emperor's Inner Classic, Plain Questions (Huang Di Nei Jing, Su Wen 黃帝內經，素問) . It offers a rare glimpse into a radically different way of interacting with the world from the perspective of ancient Chinese medicine, philosophy, and cosmology through a conversation between the mythological Yellow Emperor and his medical advisor that was recorded about two thousand years ago. Dr. Wilms combines her elegant literal translations with a wide selection of medical commentaries and quotations from philosophical and cosmological texts, as well as her personal insights, based on three decades of sinological scholarship and many years of teaching Chinese medicine students.
From the back cover: "Here is a guide on how to fulfill our most basic human role of harmonizing Heaven and Earth, offering real Medicine for the body, heart, spirit, for society, and for the universe. May this book make a genuine contribution to creating a healthier, more sustainable and harmonious way for humans to live “between Heaven and Earth” by taking us back full circle to the wisdom of the ancient Chinese sages."
“The message in this book is not just about medicine for humans. It IS Medicine for Heaven and Earth.” — The Nagas of Whidbey Island
Humming with Elephants is a much-needed book in Chinese Medicine. Sabine Wilms is the best translator of ancient texts that I know. Her clarity, sincerity and understanding of ancient Chinese texts is unparalleled. Her thoughtful and comprehensive explanations leave space in the readers’ minds, allowing them to absorb the philosophy behind the words. (Lillian Pearl Bridges Author of “Face Reading in Chinese Medicine”)
This book contains
A literal English translation of the Han period classic side-by-side with the original Chinese source text in traditional characters;
A wide selection of historical commentaries, often presenting a range of possible interpretations and disagreements between historical and contemporary scholars and clinicians;
Contemporary clinical commentary and a foreword by Z'ev Rosenberg;
A personal discussion by Sabine Wilms, with clinical pearls from Dr. Rihui Long, based on their years of team-teaching this material;
362 pages of beautiful laid-out text;
About two dozen gorgeous illustrations by Remee Gemo (cover), Keith Schreiber (photography), Sunjae Lee (paintings), and some photography by Sabine Wilms and Momo Wilms-Crowe.
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“Sabine Wilms is a treasure in the field of Chinese medicine scholarship and practice. Her devotion to translating classical texts enriches us all.”
“…I have enough understanding of the language and classical grammar to feel when a translation might be lacking, but not enough to be confident in an alternative interpretation. Your book is perfect for this unique predicament and is helping me better understand the process of translation. I also love that you leave some things open to interpretation and alternative meanings—I feel like this is rarely done so explicitly in classical studies. The honesty of it is a gift to future readers, practitioners, and translators.”
