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The *Bao Ming Quan Jiao Lun* (Treatise on Preserving Life and Completing the Horn) states: The taste of salt is salty because its nature causes fluids to exude from vessels; (Salty flavor derives from bitter and originates from water. Water's nature is moistening, descending, and draining, thus it can generate body fluids in vessels, moistening and渗uting them.) When a string breaks, its sound becomes hoarse and ruined; (When a string breaks, the sound produced is hoarse, ruining the original tone.) When wood is decayed, its leaves fall off; (Old trees inevitably shed their leaves.) In cases of deep-seated disease, the patient exhibits hiccups (Yue, 哕). (Hiccups refer to a turbid and foul sound.) If a person presents these three conditions, it is termed "ruined viscera" (Huai Fu, 坏府); (These three conditions refer to broken strings, falling leaves, and hiccups.) At this stage, toxic medicines cannot cure, and short needles are ineffective; this is because the skin is damaged, muscles are injured, and Qi and Blood contend with each other, turning black. (Pathogens remain inside, so medicines fail and needling is useless. Skin, flesh, blood, and Qi contend and are damaged, causing blood to appear and turn black. This illustrates that to know disease signs, one must recognize omens: just as seeing fluid exuding indicates salty salt, hearing hoarseness indicates breaking strings, and seeing fallen leaves indicates exhausted old wood. These three signs of decline are used to analogize recognizing deep disease through hoarseness; thus, needling and medication fail because skin, flesh, blood, and Qi are no longer harmonious.)

The *Ba Zheng Shen Ming Lun* (Treatise on Eight Norms and Divine Clarity) states: Therefore, when the weather is warm and sunny, human blood flows smoothly, and Wei Qi (Defensive Qi) floats superficially, making blood easy to drain and Qi easy to move; when the weather is cold and cloudy, human blood becomes stagnant and sluggish, and Wei Qi sinks internally. (Sluggishness describes a state like silt in water.) When the moon begins to wax, blood and Qi become refined, and Wei Qi begins to circulate; when the moon is full, blood and Qi are abundant, and muscles are firm; when the moon wanes, muscles diminish, meridians become empty, Wei Qi departs, and only the form remains. Thus, one should regulate blood and Qi according to heavenly timing. Therefore, do not needle when the weather is cold; (Because blood is stagnant and Wei Qi sinks.) do not cause stagnation when the weather is warm; (Implied:顺应 warmth, avoid artificial stagnation or excessive depletion contrary to the natural flow.) do not use draining methods when the moon is waxing; do not use tonifying methods when the moon is full; do not treat when the moon is waning. (This means needling techniques must follow heavenly timing.)

The "Eight Norms" (Ba Zheng, 八正) are used to observe the deficiency pathogens of the eight winds arriving with solar terms. (The Eight Norms refer to the righteous Qi of the eight solar terms. The Eight Winds are: Infant Wind from the East, Great Weak Wind from the South, Rigid Wind from the West, Great Rigid Wind from the North, Ominous Wind from the Northeast, Weak Wind from the Southeast, Plotting Wind from the Southwest, and Breaking Wind from the Northwest. Deficiency pathogens are those that attack when the body is deficient. "Arriving with time" refers to celestial movements corresponding to Taiyi shifting positions, where winds blow toward the central palace before and after the eight solar terms.) The Four Seasons are used to distinguish the locations of Qi in Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter, allowing for timely regulation; one must avoid the deficiency pathogens of the Eight Norms and not offend them. (The location of seasonal Qi refers to: Spring Qi in the meridians, Summer Qi in the collateral vessels, Autumn Qi in the skin, and Winter Qi in the kidney marrow. Touching deficiency pathogens disturbs and damages True Qi; avoiding them prevents illness. Sages avoid pathogens as they would avoid arrows and stones, because pathogens damage True Qi.) When a person's deficiency meets heavenly deficiency, two deficiencies interact, the pathogen reaches the bone, and entering the interior damages the Five Zang Organs; (Deficiency interacts with deficiency, resonating through similar Qi.) if a skilled practitioner detects and treats it promptly, harm will be avoided. (Recognizing the pathology and intervening correctly prevents harm.) Thus it is said: Heavenly taboos must not be unknown. (Humans are tabooed by heavenly factors, hence "Heavenly Taboo"; offending them causes illness, so it must be known.) Deficiency pathogens are the deficiency Qi of the Eight Norms. (The deficiency pathogens of the Eight Norms refer to the deficiency pathogens of the eight solar terms. Because they come from directions of deficiency and invade deficient individuals to cause disease, they are called Eight Norm Deficiency Pathogens.) Righteous pathogens (Zheng Xie, 正邪) occur when the body is fatigued from exertion, pores open due to sweating, and deficiency winds strike; the invasion is slight, so people do not perceive the condition nor see its form. (Righteous pathogens do not come from directions of deficiency. Because the invasion is slight, people do not sense its intent nor see its shape.) Superior physicians intervene at the budding stage; they must first observe the Qi of the Three Regions and Nine Pulses, regulate comprehensively to prevent deterioration, and then treat; thus they are called Superior Physicians. Inferior physicians intervene when the disease has already formed or deteriorated. Treating formed disease implies ignorance of the loss of harmony among the Three Regions and Nine Pulses, leading to further deterioration due to the disease itself.

Therefore, those who nourish Spirit must understand the leanness or robustness of the form, and the abundance or deficiency of Ying Qi (Nutritive Qi), Wei Qi (Defensive Qi), Blood, and Qi. Blood and Qi are the spirit of humans; they must be carefully nourished. (When Spirit is peaceful, longevity extends; when Spirit departs, the form decays; thus, careful nourishment is essential. This elaborates on the meaning of the *Zhen Jing* / Classic of Acupuncture.)