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Huangdi said: I wish to hear why a person who does not eat will die after seven days. Bo Gao replied: Allow me to explain the reason. The stomach is one chi five cun in circumference, five cun in diameter, and two chi six cun in length. It is coiled and curved, capable of holding three dou five sheng of water and grain. Of this, grain usually remains two dou, and water one dou five sheng, filling the Upper Jiao (Upper Burner) and allowing Qi to escape; its subtle, vigorous, and slippery essence rapidly descends to the Lower Jiao (Lower Burner), irrigating the various intestines downwards. The small intestine is two cun and a half in circumference, eight fen and a fraction less than a fen in diameter, and three zhang two chi in length, capable of holding two dou four sheng of grain and six sheng and more than half a he of water. The returning intestine is four cun in circumference, one cun and a fraction less than a cun in diameter, and two zhang one chi in length, capable of holding one dou of grain and seven sheng and a half of water. The broad intestine is eight cun in circumference, two cun and more than half a cun in diameter, and two chi eight cun in length, capable of holding nine sheng and one-eighth of a he of grain. The total length of the stomach and intestines is five zhang eight chi four cun, capable of holding nine dou two sheng and more than half a he of water and grain. This is the quantity of water and grain that the stomach and intestines can hold.

A normal person is different. When the stomach is full, the intestines are empty; when the intestines are full, the stomach is empty. They alternate between emptiness and fullness, thus allowing Qi to move up and down, keeping the Five Zang Organs stable, blood vessels harmonious and smooth, so that Spirit can reside. Therefore, Spirit is the refined essence derived from water and grain. Thus, within the stomach and intestines, there should remain two dou of grain and one dou five sheng of water. Hence, a normal person defecates twice a day, each time expelling two sheng and a half, totaling five sheng per day. Over seven days, five times seven equals thirty-five, i.e., three dou five sheng, at which point the retained water and grain are exhausted. Therefore, if a normal person does not eat or drink for seven days and dies, it is because the refined essence, Jing, Qi, Jin, and Ye (body fluids) from water and grain have all been exhausted.

The narrative first states the facts and then presents the theory; the wording is clean and precise.

Huangdi asked Qibo: I have learned acupuncture methods from the Master. What the Master says never departs from Ying-Wei (Nutrient and Defensive Qi) and Blood-Qi. The Twelve Primary Meridians belong internally to the Fu Organs and connect externally to the limbs and joints. Does the Master correlate them with the Four Seas? Qibo answered: Humans also have Four Seas and Twelve Meridian Waters. The Meridian Waters all flow into the Seas. The Seas have directions of East, West, South, and North, hence called the Four Seas. Huangdi said: How does the human body correspond to this? Qibo said: Humans have a Sea of Marrow, a Sea of Blood, a Sea of Qi, and a Sea of Water and Grain. These four seas correspond to the four natural seas. Huangdi said: The Master’s correlation of humans with the Four Seas of Heaven and Earth is profound. I wish to hear how they correspond. Qibo replied: One must first clearly understand Yin-Yang, Interior-Exterior, and Ying-Shu (Five Shu points). Once these are known, the Four Seas are determined. Huangdi said: How are they determined? Qibo said: The Stomach is the Sea of Water and Grain; its Shu points are located above at Qichong (ST30) and below at Zusanli (ST35). The Chong Mai (Penetrating Vessel) is the Sea of the Twelve Meridians; its Shu points are located above at Dazhu (BL11) and below at Shangjuxu (ST37) and Xiaguxu (ST39). Danzhong (CV17) is the Sea of Qi; its Shu points are located above at the upper and lower parts of the vertebral column (Dingchuan BL15/Shenzhu BL12 area) and anteriorly at Renying (ST9). The Brain is the Sea of Marrow; its Shu points are located above at Baihui (GV20, the crown) and below at Fengfu (GV16). Huangdi said: Regarding these Four Seas, what brings benefit and what brings harm? What leads to life and what to failure? Qibo said: Following the natural order leads to life; opposing it leads to failure. Knowing how to regulate brings benefit; not knowing how to regulate brings harm. Huangdi said: What are the patterns of reversal in the Four Seas? Qibo said: If the Sea of Qi has excess, there is Qi fullness in the chest, panting, and redness of the face. If the Sea of Qi is deficient, there is shortness of breath and inability to speak. If the Sea of Blood has excess, one often feels their body is large, feeling stifled without knowing where the illness lies. If the Sea of Blood is deficient, one often feels their body is small, feeling confined without knowing where the illness lies. If the Sea of Water and Grain has excess, there is abdominal fullness. If the Sea of Water and Grain is deficient, there is hunger but an inability to accept food. If the Sea of Marrow has excess, the body feels light and energetic, exceeding normal limits. If the Sea of Marrow is deficient, there is dizziness, tinnitus, soreness of the calves, vertigo, blindness, lassitude, and a desire to lie still. Huangdi said: I have heard of the patterns of reversal and compliance. How should they be regulated? Qibo said: Carefully observe and treat their Shu points to tonify deficiency and reduce excess, without causing harm. Those who follow the order will recover; those who oppose it will fail. Huangdi said: Excellent.

The layout is orderly and leisurely, and the brushwork is clear and elegant. Like the chapters *Ben Shen* and *Jue Qi*, this chapter describes internal injury syndromes. However, its depiction here is particularly exquisite.