黄帝问于岐伯曰。余闻九针于夫子。众多矣。不可胜数。余推而论之。以为一纪。余司诵之。子听其理。非则语余。
请正其道。令可久传。后世无患。得其人乃传。非其人勿言。岐伯稽首再拜曰。请听圣王之道。黄帝曰。用针之理。必
知形气之所在。左右上下。阴阳表里。血气多少。行之逆顺。出入之合。谋伐有过。知解结。知补虚泻实。上下气门。
明通于四海。审其所在。寒热淋露。以输异处。审于调气。明于经隧。左右肢络。尽知其会。寒与热争。能合而调之。
虚与实邻。知决而通之。左右不调。把而行之。明于逆顺。乃知可治。阴阳不奇。故知起时。审于本末。察其寒热。得
邪所在。万刺不殆。知官九针。刺道毕矣。明于五输。徐疾所在。屈伸出入。皆有条理。言阴与阳。合于五行。五脏六
腑。亦有所藏。四时八风。尽有阴阳。各得其位。合于明堂。各处色部。五脏六腑。察其所痛。左右上下。知其寒温。
何经所在。审皮肤之寒温滑涩。知其所苦。膈有上下。知其气所在。先得其道。稀而疏之。稍深以留。故能徐入之。大
热在上。推而下之。从下上者。引而去之。视前痛者。常先取之。大寒在外。留而补之。入于中者。从合泻之。针所不
为。灸之所宜。上气不足。推而扬之。下气不足。积而从之。阴阳皆虚。火自当之。厥而寒甚。骨廉陷下。寒过于膝。
下陵三里。阴络所过。得之留止。寒入于中。推而行之。经陷下者。火则当之。结络坚下。火所治之。不知所苦。两跷
之下。男阴女阳。良工所禁。针论毕矣。用针之服。必有法则。上视天光。下司八正。以辟奇邪。而观百姓。审于虚实。
无犯其邪。是得天之露。遇岁之虚。救而不胜。反受其殃。故曰必知天忌。乃言针意。法于往古。验于来今。观于窈冥。
通于无穷。粗之所不见。良工之所贵。莫知其形。若神仿佛。邪气之中人也。洒淅动形。正邪之中人也微。先见于色。
不知于其身。若有若无。若亡若存。有形无形。莫知其情。是故上工之取气。乃救其萌芽。下工守其已成。因败其形。
是故工之用针也。知气之所在。而守其门户。明于调气。补泻所在。徐疾之意。所取之处。泻必用员。切而转之。其气
乃行。疾而徐出。邪气乃出。伸而迎之。遥大其穴。气出乃疾。补必用方。外引其皮。令当其门。左引其枢。右推其肤。
微旋而徐推之。必端以正。安以静。坚心无解。欲微以留。气下而疾出之。推其皮。盖其外门。真气乃存。用针之要。
无忘其神。（此处当有岐伯赞叹数语）雷公问于黄帝曰。针论曰。得其人乃传。非其人勿言。何以知其可传。黄帝曰。各
得其人。任之其能。故能明其事。雷公曰。愿闻官能。奈何。黄帝曰。明目者。可使视色。聪耳者。可使听音。捷疾辞
语者。可使传论语。徐而安静。手巧而心审谛者。可使行针艾。理血气而调诸逆顺。察阴阳而兼诸方。缓节柔筋而心和
调者。可使导引行气。疾毒言语轻人者。可使唾痈咒病。爪苦手毒。为事善伤者。可使按积抑痹。各得其能。方乃可行。
其名乃彰。不得其人。其功不成。其师无名。故曰得其人乃言非其人勿传。此之谓也。手毒者。可使试按龟。置龟于器
下。而按其上。五十日而死矣。手甘者。复生如故也。
措词之板实。全经中无有甚于此者。而偏能运实于虚。化板为活。布局之巧。可谓妙想天开。
Huangdi asked Qibo, saying: "I have heard from you about the Nine Needles. The content is vast and numerous, beyond counting. I have deduced and discussed it, considering it as one 'Ji' (a complete cycle or system of theory). I will recite it; you listen to its principles. If there are errors, please tell me. Please correct the right path, so that it may be passed down for a long time, bringing no disaster to future generations. Pass it on only when you find the right person; do not speak of it if the person is not suitable."
Qibo bowed twice with his head touching the ground and said: "Please listen to the way of the Sage King."
Huangdi said: "The principle of using needles requires knowing the location of the form and Qi, including left and right, upper and lower, yin and yang, exterior and interior, the abundance and scarcity of blood and Qi, the reverse and smooth flow, and the convergence of entry and exit. One must plan to attack where there is excess, know how to untie knots, know how to tonify deficiency and drain excess. One must understand the Qi gates above and below, clearly connect with the Four Seas (major confluences of meridians), examine their locations. For cold, heat, strangury, and dew-like syndromes, treat them via different Shu points. Be prudent in regulating Qi, clear about the meridian tunnels, and fully aware of the intersections of the left and right limb collaterals. When cold and heat contend, be able to harmonize them; when deficiency and excess are adjacent, know how to resolve and unblock them. If left and right are not harmonized, grasp the situation and apply treatment. Understanding reverse and smooth states allows one to know what is treatable. If yin and yang are not abnormal, one can know the time of onset. Examining the root and branch, observing cold and heat, and locating the pathogen ensures that ten thousand punctures will not fail. Knowing the functions of the Nine Needles completes the art of needling.
Understanding the five Shu points (Jing-Well, Ying-Spring, Shu-Stream, Jing-River, He-Sea) regarding speed and location, flexion and extension, entry and exit, all follow order. Discussing yin and yang aligns with the Five Elements. The Zang and Fu organs also have their respective stores. The eight winds of the four seasons all contain yin and yang, each occupying its proper position, corresponding to the Mingtang (face areas). Observing the color sections of the face, examining the Zang and Fu organs, checking their pain sites, and determining the cold or warmth on the left and right reveals which meridian is involved. Examine the cold, heat, slipperiness, and roughness of the skin to know their suffering. The diaphragm has upper and lower parts; know the location of the Qi. First master the method: diffuse sparsely, then penetrate slightly deeper to retain the needle, thus entering slowly. For great heat in the upper part, push downwards to disperse it. For conditions rising from below, guide them outward to dissipate. Where pain occurred previously, usually select that point first. For great cold in the exterior, retain the needle to tonify. For pathogens entering the interior, drain via the He-Sea points. Where needling is ineffective, moxibustion is appropriate. For insufficiency of Upper Qi, push upwards to raise it. For insufficiency of Lower Qi, accumulate and guide it. If both Yin and Yang are deficient, fire therapy should be used. In cases of Jue (reversal) with severe cold, where bone crevices are sunken and cold exceeds the knees, use Zusanli (ST36). Where Yin collaterals pass, pathogens may stagnate. If cold enters the interior, push and move it. If meridians are sunken, use fire therapy. If collateral networks are knotted and hard, they are treated by fire therapy. If the specific suffering is unknown, at the lower aspects of the two Qiao vessels (Yin and Yang Qiao), males use the Yin side and females use the Yang side; this is forbidden by skilled practitioners. The discussion on needling is now concluded.
The service of using needles must have laws. Look up at the heavenly light, look down at the Eight Norms (eight seasonal climatic changes), to avoid strange pathogens, and observe the people. Examine deficiency and excess carefully; do not violate the pathogens. If one encounters heavenly anomalies or years of deficiency, and fails to cure, one may suffer misfortune oneself. Thus, it is said: one must know the Heavenly Taboos before speaking of the intent of needling. Follow the ancients, verify with the present and future, observe the profound and obscure, and connect with the infinite. What the crude practitioner cannot see is what the skilled practitioner values. Though invisible, it seems like a divine presence. When evil qi attacks humans, it causes shivering and trembling of the body. When normal evil qi attacks, it is subtle; it first appears in the complexion, without immediate bodily sensation, seeming to exist and not exist, appearing and disappearing, having form and lacking form, making its true nature hard to discern. Therefore, the superior practitioner captures the Qi and saves it at its萌芽 (sprouting/initial stage); the inferior practitioner waits until the disease is established, thereby ruining the form.
Thus, when a practitioner uses needles, they must know where the Qi is located and guard its gateways. They must be clear about regulating Qi, knowing where to tonify or drain, the meaning of slow and fast techniques, and the points selected. To drain, use a circular technique: press and rotate the needle so that Qi flows, insert quickly and withdraw slowly so that evil qi exits, extend the needle to welcome the pathogen, enlarge the aperture, and let the Qi exit rapidly. To tonify, use a square technique: pull the skin externally to align with the gate, draw the pivot with the left hand, push the skin with the right hand, rotate slightly and push slowly. Be upright and solemn, peaceful and quiet, firm-hearted and unrelenting. Desire slight retention, then after Qi arrives, withdraw quickly, push the skin, and cover the outer gate so that True Qi remains. The essence of needling lies not forgetting the Spirit. (Here there should be several words of praise from Qibo.)
Leigong asked Huangdi, saying: "The theory of needling says: 'Pass it on only when you find the right person; do not speak of it if the person is not suitable.' How do we know who is suitable to receive the transmission?"
Huangdi said: "Assign tasks according to each person's aptitude, utilizing their abilities, so that they can excel in their duties."
Leigong said: "I wish to hear about 'Guan Neng' (functions/aptitudes based on individual traits). How does it work?"
Huangdi said: "Those with keen eyesight can be made to observe colors. Those with acute hearing can be made to listen to sounds. Those who are agile and eloquent can be made to transmit teachings. Those who are calm, steady, dexterous in hands, and meticulous in mind can be made to perform acupuncture and moxibustion, regulating blood and Qi, adjusting reversals and smoothness, observing Yin and Yang, and integrating various methods. Those with flexible joints, soft sinews, and a harmonious heart can be made to practice Daoyin and Qi circulation. Those whose speech is sharp, toxic, and dismissive can be made to use spit-massage and incantations for tumors and diseases. Those with sharp nails, harsh techniques, and a tendency to cause injury in their actions can be made to press accumulations and suppress bi-syndromes. Each utilizes their ability; thus methods can be implemented, and their names become prominent. If the right person is not found, success cannot be achieved, and the teacher's reputation will suffer. Hence it is said: 'Pass it on only when you find the right person; do not transmit if the person is not suitable.' This is what is meant. A person with a 'toxic' (harsh/heavy) hand can be used to test pressing on a turtle. Place the turtle under a vessel and press on top with the hand; after fifty days, the turtle dies. A person with a 'sweet' (gentle/mild) hand will cause the turtle to revive as before."
The wording here is rigid and substantial, more so than anywhere else in the classic, yet it manages to turn substance into void and rigidity into vitality. The layout is ingenious, truly a product of heavenly inspiration.