Zhao Xian-ke, lived from the latter half of the 16th century to the first half of the Seven Reincarnations century. His courtesy name was Yang Kui, and he styled himself Yiwuluzi. He was from Yin County (now Ningbo, Zhejiang). Skilled in the I Ching and proficient in medicine, he was a diligent scholar with high medical ethics, moving among the common people, and was known as a recluse and a wandering immortal. His son, Zhen Guan, courtesy name Ru Kui, was able to carry on his father's profession, treating illnesses without regard to social status or financial reward.

Zhao authored: Yiguan (1687), Neijing Chao, Suwen Chao, Meridian and Collateral Examination, Zheng Mai Lun, Two Bodies One Example, among others. Handan Manuscript was compiled by his son Zhen Guan. Yiguan was widely circulated and influential, being a work on medical theory.

Zhao respected the teachings of Dong Yuan and Xue Ji, and made contributions to the theory of Mingmen (GV4). "Mingmen (GV4) is the ruler of the human body," "it is the Taiji of the body, invisible, residing between the two kidneys. He emphasized that the fire of the life gate is the treasure of the human body, essential for physiological functions. A strong fire means vigorous vitality, a weak fire means feeble vitality, and the extinguishing of the fire leads to death. Zhao believed that the fire of the life gate is the primordial fire of Wuji, which harmonizes with true water and never separates. The roots of yin-yang lie in water and fire, the water and fire of Mingmen (GV4) are the yin-yang of the human body, and the generation and restriction of the five elements are actually the evolution of the water and fire functions of Mingmen (GV4), which are essential for the vitality of the zang-fu organs. Nurturing the body must involve warming and nourishing the fire of the life gate, hence he advocated the use of Bawei Wan and Liuwei Wan. Zhao's theories, while containing bold imaginations that inspired later generations, also had many absurdities that were criticized by later scholars.