Abstract：Diabetic nephropathy（DN）is one of the common causes of end-stage kidney disease，and controlling its progression is crucial for delaying kidney failure. Professor GONG Baowen，a renowned traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）practitioner in Shantou，holds unique insights into treating DN with TCM theory. Professor GONG posits that the fire of the Life Gate（kidney yang） serves as the foundation of vital activities， and the progression of DN closely correlates with the decline of this fire. Adopting adding firewood under the cauldron as the core therapeutic principle，he implements stage-based treatment for DN. This article systematically reviews the etiology，pathogenesis，and treatment strategies for DN，accompanied by one case report demonstrating Professor GONG's application of the adding firewood under the cauldron method， aiming to provide new perspectives for managing DN from the perspective of yang deficiency.