A continuous sequence of infinitesimal unitary transformations, combined wi
th an operator product expansion for vertex operators, is used to diagonali
ze the quantum sine-Gordon model for beta(2) epsilon (2 pi, infinity). The
leading order of this approximation already gives very accurate results for
the single-particle gap in the strong-coupling phase. This approach can be
understood as an extension of perturbative scaling theory since it links w
eak- to strong-coupling behavior in a systematic expansion. The method shou
ld also be useful for other strong-coupling problems that can be formulated
in terms of vertex operators.