Fire is of great significance to human civilization

and its generative nature refers to the important property that fire can only be generated by burning combustible materials. Ancient physicians interpreted disease pathogenesis through metaphorical cognition

mapping the generative nature of fire to the fire pathogen. Generating fire-heat pathogen under the influence of wind

cold

dampness

dryness

traditional Chinese medicine practitioners eventually developed the concept that "six pathogenic factors all can transform into fire". This article first analyzes the formation process of the generative nature of natural fire. We suggest that because the generative nature of fire is deeply rooted in history

ancient physicians tended to place the metaphorical cause of disease

the fire pathogen

in the position of Y when describing the transformation and generation process of pathogenic factors that have the same structure of X∧C→Y

thus constituting the structure of transformation into fire. Then

we discuss the formation and significance of the concept of "six pathogenic factors all can transform into fire"

which is a representative pathogenesis

and reveal the specific empirical basis of wind transforming into fire

cold and dampness transforming into fire-heat

and extreme dryness transforming into fire

and we analyze the contribution of each of them to other "transforming into fire" pathogeneses. Finally

we show that the widespread existence of the structure of transforming into fire and the absolute predominance of "transforming into fire" pathogenesis in fire and heat pathogenesis are likely due to the generative nature of fire

which in turn has limited the ability of traditional Chinese practitioners to understand the "transforming into fire" pathogenesis as similar to "six pathogenic factors all can transform into fire" .