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2026.07.16

What Are the Thirteen Branches of Zhuyou? Origins, Curriculum and How to Enrol

What are the thirteen branches of Zhuyou? Zhuyou (also called the Zhuyou arts) is an ancient stream of Chinese medicine that treats body and mind as one, listed since ancient times among the thirteen branches of the Imperial Medical Academy. This article explains the origins of Zhuyou, its four-stage curriculum, and how to enrol.

What Is Zhuyou?

"Zhu" means invocation, "you" means the source of illness; Zhuyou means finding the root of imbalance and treating it with mind-methods, intention and talismanic methods.
From the Yuan dynasty onward, Zhuyou was listed among the thirteen medical branches of the Imperial Medical Academy; being ranked thirteenth, it came to be called "the thirteen branches of Zhuyou."
Unlike acupuncture and herbal decoctions, Zhuyou emphasizes the interplay of mind-method, breath-method, talismanic method and intention.

The Origins of Zhuyou

The study of Zhuyou can be traced to high antiquity and is recorded in many classical medical texts — an ancient stream of Chinese medicine that values the unity of body and mind. It holds that a person's body, mind and energy are interconnected, and that through concentration of spirit, talismanic method and the guidance of intention, body and mind can be helped back to balance. Because its methods are unusual and transmitted orally, those able to inherit it fully have always been few.

What Fahsilin Teaches: A Complete Four-Stage Path

Introductory class: the origins of Zhuyou, case studies, the meaning of the number-codes, and how numbers correspond to the twelve meridians and affect body and mind.
Intermediate–advanced class: the use of common secret characters and symbols, how to invoke the empowering energy of the Zhuyou masters, and an introduction to basic talismanic method.
Zhuyou practitioner course: the essence of the chairman's twenty years of private notes, diagnosis and repair through the Yijing, Zhuyou point-opening method, and feng-shui arrangement.
Taoist medicine: Zhuyou transfer and dispatch of illness, Qi Men Dun Jia diagnosis, Qi Men herbal arrangement, and the arrangement of the eight extraordinary meridians.

Why Study Zhuyou at Fahsilin

The teacher, Urgyen Topden Rinpoche, was born into a family of Chinese medicine with a family transmission of the thirteen branches of Zhuyou; in 2012 he founded the Chinese Medicine Zhuyou Thirteen-Branch Research Association (today the Chinese Taoist Medicine Zhuyou Research Association) and serves as its chairman. He is also a Nyingma vajra master of Tibetan Buddhism, carrying the lineage of Dudjom Rinpoche and his root teacher Urgyen Tenzin Rinpoche — a dual transmission of tantra and Chinese Zhuyou medicine rarely seen in Taiwan, which makes this course's transmission especially complete.

What are the thirteen branches of Zhuyou?

The thirteen branches of Zhuyou are a traditional Chinese wisdom of care rooted in the Yellow Emperor's Classic, listed in ancient times among the thirteen branches of the Imperial Medical Academy, treating body and mind with mind-method, breath-method and talismanic method.

Can I study without a background in Chinese medicine?

Yes. The course is arranged step by step from the introductory class, from simple to deep; even those with no background can begin.

What is the fee? How do I enrol?

The fee and course dates vary by class; you are welcome to enquire and enrol through our official LINE.

How is the Zhuyou course arranged and how do I enrol?

Fahsilin's Zhuyou (the thirteen branches) is taught personally by Urgyen Topden Rinpoche in four stages — introductory, intermediate–advanced, practitioner and Taoist medicine; arrangement and enrolment are both through our official LINE, and enrolment is open regardless of region.

Further Reading & Enrolment

Overview of the Zhuyou thirteen-branch course: https://www.indharma.com/kecheng.php?id=1
Meet the presiding master, Urgyen Topden Rinpoche: https://www.indharma.com/master-utopden.html

The Zhuyou described here is a study of traditional culture and the care of body and mind, not a medical treatment, and cannot replace proper medical care.