Library

*Lihé Zhenxie Lun* (Treatise on the Separation and Union of True and Pathogenic Qi) states: When heaven and earth are mild and warm, the Jing water (meridian qi/blood) remains quiet; when heaven is cold and earth frozen, the Jing water becomes congealed and sluggish; when heaven is hot and earth warm, the Jing water boils and overflows; when sudden storms arise, the Jing water surges like waves. When pathogenic factors enter the vessels, cold causes blood vessels to become congealed and sluggish, while heat causes qi to become moist and scattered. Deficient pathogens take this opportunity to invade, just as Jing water reacts to wind.

If one punishes that which has committed no fault (i.e., attacks healthy Zheng Qi instead of Xie Qi), it is called great confusion. One reverses the major meridians, making the True Qi irrecoverable. Treating excess as deficiency, and pathogen as truth, using acupuncture without principle, one becomes a thief of Qi, depriving people of their righteous Qi. Treating compliance as rebellion causes Ying and Wei (Nutritive and Defensive Qi) to scatter and disarray. The True Qi is lost, only the pathogen remains internally lodged, cutting off long life and bringing premature disaster upon humans. Not knowing the Three Regions and Nine Pulses prevents longevity. (If insight is not precise and learning not comprehensive, one will disrupt the major meridians and become a thief of Qi, causing harm at every turn; how can one survive long?) Because one does not combine these with the Four Seasons and Five Elements, one adds mutual overcoming [pathology], releasing the pathogen while attacking the righteous Qi, thus cutting off human longevity. (It is not only the ignorance of the Three Regions and Nine Pulses that causes harm; if one does not know the sequence of Qi in the Four Seasons and Five Elements, it is sufficient to cause the extinction of living beings.)

Wherever the pathogen lodges, there is no fixed location. Pushing it moves it forward; pulling it stops it. Encountering it and applying draining methods, the disease is immediately cured. (This also explains the tonifying and draining methods from the *Zhenjing* / Classic of Acupuncture.)

*Tongping Xushi Lun* (General Discussion on Excess and Deficiency) states: What are excess and deficiency? When pathogenic Qi is flourishing, it is excess; when Essence and Qi are depleted, it is deficiency. ("Depletion" refers to the reduction of Essence and Qi, as if taken away.)

If a nursing woman falls ill with fever and the pulse is suspended and small, what happens? ("Suspended" means moving like a hanging object.) If the hands and feet are warm, she lives; if cold, she dies. If a nursing woman contracts wind-heat, with wheezing and shoulder breathing, what is the pulse? For those with wheezing and shoulder breathing, the pulse is excess and large. If slow, she lives; if rapid/tight, she dies. (This discusses cases where the pulse contradicts the illness in nursing women. There are other signs to verify; if both symptoms and pulse are severe, they provide basis for determining life or death. Nursing women with fever have Yang syndromes. A suspended-small pulse indicates a Yin pulse appearing in a Yang syndrome. However, if hands and feet are warm, Righteous Qi still exists. Although the pulse is suspended-small, it is not extremely weak, so survival is possible. Otherwise, cold hands and feet lead to death. Furthermore, nursing women with wind-heat, wheezing, and shoulder breathing have Yang syndromes. The pulse should be excess and large. Only if it is excess-large yet slow does it indicate the pathogen receding and survival possible. If it is excess-large yet rapid/tight, pathogenic heat increases, leading to death.)

What about intestinal bleeding? If the body is hot, death ensues; if cool, survival occurs. (Heat indicates blood corruption, hence death; coolness indicates Ying Qi remains, hence survival.)

What about passing white mucus from the intestines? If the pulse is deep, survival; if floating, death. (Yin disease showing Yang pulse contradicts the syndrome, hence death.)

What about passing pus and blood from the intestines? If the pulse is suspended and severed, death; if slippery and large, survival.

For intestinal conditions, if the body is not hot and the pulse is not suspended-severed, what happens? Slippery and large indicates survival; suspended and choppy indicates death. Prediction is made based on organ cycles. (Liver diseases die on Geng/Xin days; Heart diseases die on Ren/Gui days; Lung diseases die on Bing/Ding days; Kidney diseases die on Wu/Ji days; Spleen diseases die on Jia/Yi days. This is called predicting by organ timing. This refers to intestinal conditions involving bleeding, white mucus, or pus/blood, where life or death can be decided according to syndrome and pulse.)

What about Dian diseases (epilepsy/head disorders)? If the pulse is large and slippery, it resolves itself after a long time; if small, firm, and rapid, it is untreatable death. (Small, firm, and rapid pulse indicates Yang disease showing Yin pulse, hence untreatable death.)

What if the Dian disease pulse is deficient? Deficient is treatable; excess is fatal. (This means Dian disease, being a Yang syndrome, survives if the pulse shows Yang characteristics but is deficient. Large and slippery pulses represent Yang syndrome matching Yang pulse, allowing self-resolution. Small, firm, and rapid pulses represent Yin pulse, leading to death. Thus, the Dian pulse should ideally show deficiency. It must be large, slippery, yet contain deficiency to be treatable. If it contains excess, pathogenic Qi is surplus, indicating a fatal prognosis.)

What about the excess/deficiency of Xiao Dan (wasting-thirst diabetes-like conditions)? Pulse excess and large allows prolonged treatment; pulse suspended, small, and firm indicates untreatable chronic disease. (In chronic disease, Blood and Qi decline; the pulse should not be excess-large, hence untreatable.)

Jaundice with sudden pain, Dian disease, turbid mania, arise from long-term reversal of Qi. Imbalance of the Five Zang organs arises from obstruction of the Six Fu organs. Headache, tinnitus, and dysfunction of the nine orifices arise from the stomach and intestines. (This states that diseases originate internally.)