Library

Zhang Zhongjing stated: When Shaoyang (Taiyang) disease first begins, treatment should be sought immediately. The preparation of herbal decoctions should not be restricted to morning or night. If a physician delays even slightly, the disease will transmit and change, making it difficult to treat. For herbal medicines that induce sweating, although it is generally said to take three doses per day, if the condition is severe, all three doses may be taken within half a day. Throughout the day and night, one must observe the patient constantly, as if rescuing from fire or drowning, allowing no slackness.

When diagnosing Shaoyang (Taiyang) disease, one must examine carefully from the crown of the head to the soles of the feet. Any omission can lead to serious errors. Zhang Zhongjing said: "Current physicians merely inherit family techniques and adhere rigidly to old methods. In examining illnesses and asking about symptoms, they rely solely on eloquence. After a brief conversation, they prescribe decoctions immediately. They palpate the Cun (inch) position but neglect the Chi (cubit) position; they hold the hand but neglect the foot; they do not compare the Renying (Stomach Meridian pulse at neck) and Duyang (Spleen Meridian pulse at foot) pulses with the three positions (Cun, Guan, Chi); their respiration is rapid and pulse frequent, failing to reach fifty beats without interruption; they fail to observe the color changes in the Mingtang (nose), Que (glabella), and Ting (forehead). To distinguish between life and death under such conditions is truly difficult. Alas! Having claimed to be physicians, who are the masters of people's lives, how can one be so reckless?"

The transmission of Shaoyang (Taiyang) disease moves from the exterior to the interior, progressing from shallow to deep. Thus, the Six Channels (Liu Jing) are affected in sequence. Once the Six Channels have been fully transmitted, there is no mechanism for transmitting again from the beginning. Taiyang is the Yang of Three, located most externally; Yangming is the Yang of Two, inside Taiyang; Shaoyang is the Yang of One, inside Yangming. These three Yang channels constitute the Exterior. Taiyin is the Yin of Three, inside Shaoyang; Shaoyin is the Yin of Two, inside Taiyin; Jueyin is the Yin of One, inside Shaoyin. These three Yin channels constitute the Interior. The numbering proceeds from inside out, hence the order of One, Two, Three. On days 1-2, transmission begins at Taiyang; on days 2-3, it transmits to Yangming; on days 3-4, to Shaoyang; on days 4-5, to Taiyin; on days 5-6, to Shaoyin; on days 6-7, to Jueyin. This describes the normal pattern. Regarding variations, transmission may skip a channel, jump over a channel, or remain confined to a single channel; it cannot be constrained by fixed sequences or limited by specific days. Generally, once transmission reaches Jueyin, the process is complete, and no further transmission occurs. However, Cheng Wuji claimed: "On the sixth day, Jueyin marks the end of transmission; healing should occur on the seventh day. If not healed by the seventh day, transmission restarts from Taiyang, reaching Jueyin again on the twelfth day, marking the end of transmission, with healing expected on the thirteenth day. If not healed by the thirteenth day, it is called 'Guo Jing' (Passing the Channel)." This theory is erroneous. Ma Zhonghua rightly said: "Transmission from Taiyang to Jueyin is like a person entering from outside, moving into the hall, and then into the inner room. For Jueyin to transmit back to Taiyang, it would have to pass through Shaoyin, Taiyin, Shaoyang, and Yangming. How could it suddenly transmit directly to Taiyang?" In the Taiyang Chapter, Zhang Zhongjing states: "In Taiyang disease, if headache persists for seven days or more and heals spontaneously, it is because the pathogen has exhausted its course within that channel. If one wishes to prevent transmission to the next stage, needle the Foot-Yangming channel to stop transmission and achieve cure." This indicates confinement to a single channel. Thus, the Taiyang Chapter states: "Diseases originating in Yang heal in seven days because seven is the number of Yang." If not healed by the seventh day, intending to transmit to Yangming, one should needle the Foot-Yangming channel to intercept and drain the pathogen. Carefully pondering the phrase "Xing Qi Jing Jin" (completing the course within the channel) rather than "Chuan Qi Jing Jin" (transmitting through the channel), Zhang Zhongjing's intent is clear. Cheng Wuji mistakenly interpreted "completing the course within the channel" as "transmitting through all six channels," leading to his theory of re-transmission from Taiyang. Someone asked: "In the Huoluan (Vomiting and Diarrhea) Chapter, it says healing on the thirteenth day is due to the exhaustion of the channel. Does this not mean transmission through all six channels in six days, followed by another cycle of six days, totaling thirteen days? Zhang Zhongjing also said: 'If unresolved after thirteen days, and delirium occurs after passing the channel, purgation is indicated.' Is this not referring to transmission completing on the twelfth day, with non-healing on the thirteenth being 'Guo Jing'?" The answer is: "Jing Jin" refers to completing the course within the specific channel. For example, if Taiyang is affected on day one, day seven represents the completion of the Taiyang channel's course. By analogy, other channels can be calculated similarly. If Yangming is affected on day two, healing on day eight indicates completion of the Yangming channel's course. If Shaoyang is affected on day three, healing on day nine indicates completion of the Shaoyang channel's course. Transmission to the Three Yin channels on days four, five, and six, healing by day twelve, indicates completion of the Jueyin channel's course. By day thirteen, the pathogenic qi is expelled, and mental clarity returns. Hence it is said: 'If beyond thirteen days there is no improvement, and the Cun, Guan, and Chi pulses are sunken, the condition is critical.' Where is there any principle of 're-transmission completing the channel' called 'Guo Jing'? Detailed examination of Zhang Zhongjing's use of 'Guo Jing' shows it either means 'passing Taiyang to form Interior syndrome' or is used generally. In the Yangming Chapter: 'Sweating and delirium with dry stool in the stomach indicate Wind. Purgation is only permissible after Guo Jing.' This means that when dry stool causes delirium and Wind pathogen causes sweating, one must wait until Taiyang exterior symptoms resolve before purging. This refers to passing Taiyang to form Interior syndrome. If Cheng Wuji's theory were correct—that 'Guo Jing' means re-transmission completing on the thirteenth day—then dry stool in the stomach would require waiting until the thirteenth day for purgation. Yet the commentary on this clause states: 'Purgation is allowed only after Taiyang exterior symptoms resolve,' which is self-contradictory. In the Huoluan Chapter: 'After diarrhea, stool should become hard; if the patient can eat, they will heal. If they cannot eat now, but later can eat slightly, and after passing another channel can eat, they should heal one day after passing that channel. If not, it does not belong to Yangming.' This is a general reference to 'Guo Jing.' There is no principle here of 're-transmission completing the channel' called 'Guo Jing'. *Shanghan Kuoyao* follows Cheng Wuji's theory, citing an example of 'Unresolved Guo Jing': 'The classic says unresolved after thirteen days is called Guo Jing.' Zhang Zhongjing actually never wrote this; he mistakenly treated Cheng's commentary as canonical text. For millennia, errors have been inherited, leaving later scholars deaf and blind. Therefore, I reveal this truth."