高明的医生施治于病发之前。作为中华医学的重要原则，它要求医者精通病理、医理，对病症、病势、病程等有超强的预见力、判断力和控制力，做到早发现，早预防，早治疗，其核心在于预防——预防疾病的发作，预防疾病的转移、变化与传播。它也体现了中国人“未雨绸缪”“防患于未然”的治事智慧。

　　Great Physicians Treat Before

　　the Outbreak of an Illness

　　The best physicians start treatment before the outbreak of an illness. This important principle of Chinese medicine requires a doctor to have a thorough command of pathology and medicine, as well as an exceptional ability to anticipate, judge and manage the signs, nature and course of a disease. This enables early discovery, early prevention and early treatment, the essence of which is prevention – preventing the outbreak, metastasis, development and transmission of a disease. This is also an example of Chinese wisdom in"preparing for rain before a storm" and"guarding against disaster before it occurs".

　　引例

　　是故圣人不治已病，治未病；不治已乱，治未乱。(《黄帝内经·素问·四气调神大论》)（所以圣明的人不是在发病后才施治，而是在发病前就已经预防；不是在情况混乱后才治乱，而是在发生前就已经做好防范。）

　　Thus the wise begin treatment before the outbreak of a disease, rather than after; they do not quell disorder after it erupts, but take preventative measures before it emerges. (Yellow Emperor's Internal Canon of Medicine)