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The *Yin Yang Ying Xiang Da Lun* (Great Treatise on Yin and Yang Corresponding to Phenomena) states: Yin and Yang are the Way of Heaven and Earth, (referring to the Dao of transformation and generation.) the general principles of all things, (referring to the function of nourishment and growth. Yang provides righteous Qi for growth, while Yin acts as the host to establish stability, thus serving as the general principles of all things.) the parents of change, (referring to the functions of different categories of things. Why? The eagle transforms into a dove, field mice transform into yellow orioles, rotting grass transforms into fireflies, sparrows entering large waters transform into clams, and pheasants entering large waters transform into giant clams; all these become distinct entities through transformation.) the origin of life and death. (Referring to the use of cold and heat. All things rely on the warmth of Yang Qi to live and die due to the coldness of Yin Qi; thus, the origin of life and death is the operation of Yin and Yang.) They are also the residence of divine spirit, (explaining that the multitude of life, death, and changes exists because the Divine Spirit governs within them.) In treating disease, one must seek the root. (Yin and Yang, along with the life, death, and changes of all categories, interact within the human body; therefore, the principle of treatment is to first seek the root.) Thus, accumulated Yang Qi forms Heaven, and accumulated Yin Qi forms Earth. Yin is quiet, Yang is active/dry; Yang generates, Yin grows; Yang kills/suppresses, Yin stores. (Clarifying the distinct uses of Heaven and Earth in generating and suppressing. Shennong said: Heaven uses Yang to generate and Yin to grow; Earth uses Yang to suppress and Yin to store. Kun represents Yin, located in the southwest corner, during the transition of June and July, when all things flourish abundantly. How can it be said that Yang has no role in growth? Qian represents Yang, corresponding to Xu and Hai divisions, during the transition of September and October, when all things are harvested and suppressed. Who says Yang has no role in suppression? From this, the principle of Yin growing and Yang suppressing becomes visible.) Yang transforms into Qi, Yin takes form. Extreme cold generates heat; extreme heat generates cold. Cold Qi generates turbid Yin; hot Qi generates clear Yang. If clear Yang is below, it causes diarrhea with undigested food; if turbid Yin is above, it causes distension. This is the reversal of Yin and Yang, leading to the deviation and progression of disease. Therefore, clear Yang rises to form Heaven, and turbid Yin descends to form Earth. Earth Qi rises to become clouds; Heaven Qi descends to become rain. Rain originates from Earth Qi, and clouds originate from Heaven Qi. (Yin Qi condenses and rises, combining to form clouds; Yang Qi disperses and flows downward, pouring out as rain. Rain applies transformation from clouds, hence it is said "rain comes from Earth." Clouds rely on Qi interaction, hence it is said "clouds come from Heaven." Such is the principle of Heaven and Earth, and similarly, clear and turbid Qi in the human body.) Thus, clear Yang exits through the upper orifices, and turbid Yin exits through the lower orifices; (Qi originating from Heaven tends toward the upper; Qi originating from Earth tends toward the lower, each following its kind. Upper orifices refer to the ears, eyes, mouth, and nose; lower orifices refer to the anterior and posterior yins.) Clear Yang disseminates through the interstices (Cou Li), and turbid Yin travels to the Five Zang Organs; (Interstices refer to the pores for excretion, so clear Yang can disseminate; Five Zang Organs are places of storage, so turbid Yin can travel there.) Clear Yang fills the four limbs, and turbid Yin returns to the Six Fu Organs. (The four limbs move externally, so clear Yang fills them; the Six Fu Organs digest internally, so turbid Yin returns to them.) Water belongs to Yin, Fire belongs to Yang. (Water is cold and still, thus Yin; Fire is hot and dry, thus Yang.) Yang manifests as Qi, Yin manifests as Flavor. (Qi is dispersed and formless, thus governed by Yang; Flavor is substantial and tangible, thus governed by Yin.) Flavor nourishes Form, Form relies on Qi, Qi transforms into Essence, and Essence transforms into Metabolism. (Form consumes Flavor, so Flavor returns to Form. Qi nourishes Form, so Form returns to Qi. Essence consumes Qi, so Qi returns to Essence; Metabolism generates Essence, so Essence returns to Metabolism.) Essence consumes Qi, and Form consumes Flavor. (When Qi transforms, Essence is generated; when Flavor is harmonious, Form grows, hence the term "consume.") Metabolism generates Essence, and Qi generates Form. (Subtle fluids are formed only by blood; the existence of physical form relies on Qi circulating and establishing Ying; thus, these two each receive their life source.) Excessive Flavor damages Form, and excessive Qi damages Essence. (Exceeding moderation causes this.) Essence transforms into Qi, and Qi is damaged by Flavor. (If Essence receives metabolic nourishment, it consumes Qi; if Essence self-generates, it does not consume Qi. If Essence and Blood knot internally, stagnating into foul decay attacking the Stomach, then the Five Flavors will arrogantly fail to enter. During pregnancy, Essence transforms for a hundred days, making it susceptible to damage from dietary flavors.) Yin Flavor exits through the lower orifices, and Yang Qi exits through the upper orifices. (Flavor has substance, so it flows downward to the excretory orifices; Qi is formless, so it exits upward through the respiratory gate.) Strong Flavor is Yin, weak Flavor is Yang within Yin; Strong Qi is Yang, weak Qi is Yin within Yang. (Yang is Qi; strong Qi is Pure Yang. Yin is Flavor; strong Flavor is Pure Yin. Thus, weak Flavor is Yin containing Yang; weak Qi is Yang containing Yin.) Strong Flavor causes purging, weak Flavor causes unblocking; weak Qi causes sweating, strong Flavor causes fever. (Yin Qi moistens downward, so strong Flavor causes purging; Yang Qi flares upward, so strong Qi causes fever. Weak Flavor is less Yin, thus unblocking; weak Qi is less Yang, thus sweating. Sweating refers to perspiration.) Vigorous Fire (Zhuang Huo, pathological hyperactivity) causes Qi to decline; Gentle Fire (Shao Huo, physiological warmth) causes Qi to strengthen. (Fire that is too vigorous declines after peak; Fire that is mild and moderate strengthens.) Vigorous Fire consumes Qi; Qi nourishes Gentle Fire. Vigorous Fire scatters Qi; Gentle Fire generates Qi. (Qi generates Vigorous Fire, hence "Vigorous Fire consumes Qi." Gentle Fire nourishes Qi, hence "Qi nourishes Gentle Fire." Because Vigorous Fire consumes Qi, Qi encounters Vigorous Fire and dissipates; because Gentle Fire benefits Qi, Qi encounters Gentle Fire and grows.) Excess Yin injures Yang; excess Yang injures Yin. (The victor is not diseased; the defeated is diseased.) Yang excess leads to Heat; Yin excess leads to Cold. Extreme Cold produces apparent Heat; extreme Heat produces apparent Cold. (Things reverse at the extreme, just as Vigorous Fire's Qi declines and Gentle Fire's Qi strengthens.) Cold damages Form; Heat damages Qi. (Cold obstructs Wei Qi, thus damaging Form; Heat depletes Ying Qi internally, thus damaging Qi.) Qi injury causes pain; Form injury causes swelling. (Qi injury causes heat to knot in muscle layers, causing pain; Form injury causes cold to press on skin and interstices, causing swelling.) Therefore, pain followed by swelling indicates Qi injuring Form; swelling followed by pain indicates Form injuring Qi. (First Qi symptoms affecting Form is "Qi injuring Form." First Form symptoms affecting Qi is "Form injuring Qi.") Wind excess causes tremors/shaking; (Wind excess causes all things to shake, hence "movement.") Heat excess causes swelling; (Heat excess causes internal stagnation of Yang Qi, leading to sudden edema; severely, Ying Qi reverses in muscle textures, gathering into abscess swelling,) Dryness excess causes dryness; (Dryness excess depletes body fluids, causing skin dryness.) Cold excess causes edema; (Cold excess causes Yin Qi to knot at the sweat pores (Xuan Fu); pores close tightly, Yang Qi attacks internally, causing edema.) Dampness excess causes loose stools. (Dampness excess attacks the Spleen and Stomach internally; Spleen and Stomach affected by dampness cannot separate water and grain, leading to large intestine transmission and diarrhea.) Therefore, excessive joy and anger damage Qi; excessive cold and heat damage Form. (Joy and anger arise from Qi, hence "joy and anger damage Qi." Cold and heat prevail over Form, hence "cold and heat damage Form." Specifically, Heat damages Qi, Cold damages Form.) Violent anger injures Yin; violent joy injures Yang. (Anger causes Qi to rise; Joy causes Qi to sink. Thus, sudden Qi rising injures Yin, sudden Qi sinking injures Yang.) Rebellious Qi ascends, filling the vessels and separating from the Form. (Rebellion refers to rebellious Qi. Rebellious Qi ascends, filling the meridians, causing Divine Spirit to float away, thus leaving the body.) Unregulated joy and anger, excessive cold and heat, make life unstable. (*Ling Shu Jing* states: The wise nourish life by adapting to the four seasons and tempering cold and heat, harmonizing joy and anger and living peacefully. If joy and anger are irregular, and cold and heat excessive, how can the innate Qi last long?) Thus, extreme Yin transforms into Yang; extreme Yang transforms into Yin. (This applies to contracting Cold or Heat pathogens.) Heaven and Earth are the upper and lower of all things; (Observing their covering and bearing reveals the upper and lower of all things.) Yin and Yang are the male and female aspects of Blood and Qi; (Yin governs Blood, Yang governs Qi; Yin generates females, Yang generates males.) Left and Right are the pathways of Yin and Yang; (Interstitial Qi circulates left and right, so left and right are the pathways. Yin Qi moves right, Yang Qi moves left.) Water and Fire are the omens of Yin and Yang; (Observing Water and Fire reveals the omens of Yin and Yang.) Yin and Yang are the driving force of all things. Thus, Yin inside is the guardian of Yang; Yang outside is the servant of Yin. (Yin is quiet, thus guarding Yang; Yang is active, thus serving Yin.) At forty years old, Yin Qi is halved, and daily activities decline. (At forty, interstices loosen, vitality fades, hair turns gray, marking the stage of declining daily activity.) At fifty, the body feels heavy, and hearing and vision dim. (A gradual stage of decline.) At sixty, impotence occurs, Qi greatly declines, nine orifices become obstructed, deficiency below and excess above lead to flowing tears and snot. (A severe stage of decline.) Thus, those who know this become strong; those who do not age prematurely. ("Knowing" refers to understanding the seven losses and eight gains, the way to preserve vigor and protect life.) The foolish lack; the wise have surplus. Surplus brings clear hearing and vision, light and strong body; the elderly regain strength, the vigorous become better regulated. Therefore, the Sage engages in non-action, delights in tranquility and simplicity, indulges desires and wills in the preservation of emptiness, thus achieving infinite lifespan, ending with Heaven and Earth. This is the Sage's method of self-cultivation. (The Sage does nothing useless to harm the useful, does not harm nature but follows it, thus living long to end with Heaven and Earth.)

Heaven is deficient in the northwest, so the northwest is Yin, and humans' right ear and eye are less bright than the left. (Above, modeling Heaven.) Earth is incomplete in the southeast, so the southeast is Yang, and humans' left hand and foot are less strong than the right. (Below, modeling Earth.) The East is Yang; Yang's essence gathers above. Gathering above makes the upper bright and lower empty, making ears and eyes sharp but hands and feet inconvenient. The West is Yin; Yin's essence gathers below. Gathering below makes the lower full and upper empty, making ears and eyes dull but hands and feet convenient. If both are exposed to pathogens, those above affect the right more severely; those below affect the left more severely. This is where Heaven and Earth's Yin and Yang are incomplete, so pathogens reside there. (Yin and Yang correspond to Heaven and Earth like water in a vessel; round vessel makes round water, curved vessel makes curved water. Human Blood and Qi are similar; thus, if Marrow is insufficient, pathogenic Qi remains.) Thus, Heaven has Essence, Earth has Form; Heaven has Eight Disciplines, Earth has Five Principles. (Yang is Heaven, descending Essence Qi to transform; Yin is Earth, spreading Harmonious Qi to form. Five Elements are the wells of generation; Eight Winds are the disciplines of change. Eight Disciplines refer to eight-year cycles. Five Principles refer to the logic of Five Element generation.) Thus, they can be the parents of all things. (Heaven transforms Qi, Earth forms Form; Five Principles operate, Eight Winds stir; storing, harvesting, growing, and developing without missing timing, thus becoming the parents of all transformations.) Clear Yang goes up to Heaven, turbid Yin returns to Earth. The movement and stillness of Heaven and Earth are governed by the Divine Spirit. (Clear Yang goes up, turbid Yin returns down, but their movement and stillness are governed by the Divine Spirit.) Heaven Qi connects with the Lung, (accepting the purest Qi to symbolize Heaven.) Earth Qi connects with the throat, (accepting turbid food and drink to symbolize Earth.) Wind Qi connects with the Liver, (Wind generates Wood.) Thunder Qi connects with the Heart, (Thunder resembles Fire with sound.) Grain Qi connects with the Spleen, (Grain is hollow, Spleen accepts it.) Rain Qi connects with the Kidney, (Kidney governs Water.) The Six Meridians are like rivers, (flowing incessantly.) The Intestines and Stomach are like seas, (because they accept and contain.) The Nine Orifices are the Qi of water influx. (Clarity symbolizes inner brightness of water; influx symbolizes flow.) Using Heaven and Earth as Yin and Yang, (matching human affairs to images, pointing near to Heaven and Earth as Yin and Yang.) Sweat of Yang is named after the rain of Heaven and Earth, (Sweat excretes from interstices, which is the release of Yang Qi. Analogous to Heaven and Earth, cloud rising and rain falling are similar.) Qi of Yang is named after the fierce wind of Heaven and Earth. (Yang Qi disperses, fierce wind flies, thus corresponding.) Fierce wind resembles Thunder; rebellious Qi resembles Yang. Therefore, if treatment does not follow the Discipline of Heaven or use the Principle of Earth, disasters will arrive. (Violating Heaven's Discipline and Earth's Principle causes Six Meridians to reverse and Five Qi to injure each other; once True Qi is injured, disaster's arrival is known.)

Thus, Heavenly pathogenic Qi, upon contact, harms the Five Zang Organs; (Eight Winds emit pathogens acting as meridian winds, touching Five Zang Organs, causing disease via pathogenic Qi, so Heavenly pathogenic Qi harms Five Zang Organs.) Cold and heat of food and drink, upon contact, harm the Six Fu Organs; (Heat harms Stomach and Bladder, Cold harms Intestines and Gallbladder Qi.) Dampness of Earth, upon contact, harms Skin, Flesh, Tendons, and Vessels. (Excess Dampness stops Ying and Wei vessels, so contact harms Skin, Flesh, Tendons, and Vessels.) Therefore, for light pathogens, use dispersing methods; (Light pathogens leave when dispersed.) For heavy pathogens, use reducing methods; (Heavy pathogens are reduced.) For declining pathogens, use manifesting methods. (As pathogenic Qi declines, attacking expels pathogens, making True Qi firm and Blood color manifest.) For Deficiency of Form, warm with Qi; for Deficiency of Essence, tonify with Flavor. (Wei Qi warms muscles, fills skin, plumps interstices, controls opening/closing; thus, warming Wei Qi suffices Form. Kidneys govern Water, storing Essence of Five Zang and Six Fu; thus, when Five Zang are abundant, they excrete. Therefore, Essence deficiency is treated by tonifying Five Zang with Flavor.) For high pathology, induce vomiting; (Yu means to disperse upwards.) For low pathology, guide to exhaust; (Yin means to drain downwards.) For middle-fullness, purge from within. (Nei means inside the abdomen.) For tangible pathogens, soak the form to induce sweat; (Xie refers to Wind Pathogen; Wind attacking the exterior requires sweating.) For pathogens in the Skin, induce sweat to expel; (External pathogens expelled by sweating.) For fierce/harsh pathogens, press and gather; ( , refers to speed/swiftness. Han refers to sharpness. If climate is swift and sharp, press to gather/restrain.) For Excess patterns, scatter and purge. (Yang Excess is scattered; Yin Excess is drained.) Examine Yin and Yang to distinguish Soft and Hard, (Yin is Soft, Yang is Hard.) Treat Yin diseases by addressing Yang, treat Yang diseases by addressing Yin. (This refers to drawing Yang from Yin, Yin from Yang, treating right with left, left with right.) Stabilize Blood and Qi, keeping each in its place. For Blood Excess, decussate/drained; (Jue means to break open Blood.) For Qi Deficiency, guide and pull. (Che reads as Dao, Yi means guide/pull, so Qi flows smoothly.)