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The three Yin meridians of the hand travel from the zang organs to the hand, and the three Yang meridians of the hand travel from the hand to the head. The three Yang meridians of the foot travel from the head to the foot, and the three Yin meridians of the foot (from the foot) ascend to the abdomen; these key points must be carefully studied. (The Lung Meridian of Hand-Taiyin, Heart Meridian of Hand-Shaoyin, and Pericardium Meridian of Hand-Jueyin all travel from the zang organs to the hand. The Large Intestine Meridian of Hand-Yangming, Small Intestine Meridian of Hand-Taiyang, and Sanjiao Meridian of Hand-Shaoyang all travel from the hand to the head. The Bladder Meridian of Foot-Taiyang, Gallbladder Meridian of Foot-Shaoyang, and Stomach Meridian of Foot-Yangming all travel downward from the head to the foot. The Spleen Meridian of Foot-Taiyin, Kidney Meridian of Foot-Shaoyin, and Liver Meridian of Foot-Jueyin all travel upward from the foot into the abdomen. Beyond the twelve regular meridians, there is the Du Mai (Governing Vessel), which originates at the Pingyi point [Huiyin] and ends at the Shangyingjiao point inside the upper lip. The Ren Mai (Conception Vessel) originates at the Huiyin point and ends at the Xiayingjiao point. Combined with the aforementioned twelve meridians, there are fourteen meridians in total.)

The Luo-connecting point of the Lung Meridian is Lieque (LU7); the Luo-connecting point of the Large Intestine Meridian is Pianli (LI6). The Stomach Meridian has Fenglong (ST40) as its Luo point; the Spleen Meridian details Gongsun (SP4) as its Luo point. The Luo-connecting point of the Heart Meridian is Tongli (HT5); the Luo-connecting point of the Small Intestine Meridian is Zhizheng (SI7). The Luo-connecting point of the Bladder Meridian is Feiyang (BL58); the Luo-connecting point of the Kidney Meridian is Dazhong (KI4). The Neiguan (PC6) point belongs to the Pericardium Meridian of Hand-Jueyin; the Waiguan (TE5) point houses the Sanjiao Meridian of Hand-Shaoyang. The Luo-connecting point of the Gallbladder Meridian is Guangming (GB37); do not forget the Ligou (LR5) point of the Liver Meridian. The Ren Mai originates at Pingyi (Huiyin, CV1); the Du Mai connects at Changqiang (GV1). Furthermore, the Great Luo of the Spleen is named Dabao (SP21); the Great Luo of the Stomach, Xuli (ST15), is located on the left side. (Each of the regular meridians has only one Luo-connecting point, whereas the Spleen and Stomach meridians each have two. Why? Because the zang-fu organs consider the Spleen and Stomach as their root, and the twelve meridians all receive qi from them.)

At Yin hour, the Lung Meridian is active; at Mao hour, the Large Intestine Meridian; at Chen hour, the Stomach Meridian; at Si hour, the Spleen Meridian; at Wu hour, the Heart Meridian; at Wei hour, the Small Intestine Meridian; at Shen hour, the Bladder Meridian; at You hour, the Kidney Meridian; at Xu hour, the Pericardium Meridian; at Hai hour, the Sanjiao Meridian; at Zi hour, the Gallbladder Meridian; at Chou hour, the Liver Meridian.

Remember the meridians with abundant blood and qi: the hand meridian is the Large Intestine, and the foot meridian is the Stomach. There are six meridians with scanty blood but abundant qi: Sanjiao, Gallbladder, Kidney, Heart, Spleen, and Lung. There are four meridians with abundant blood but scanty qi: Bladder, Small Intestine, Liver, and Pericardium.

Inspection (Wang), Auscultation and Olfaction (Wen), Inquiry (Wen), and Palpation (Qie) are called the Four Diagnostic Methods. Here, we select the concise and essential statements from various books and list them below.

The forehead corresponds to the Heart, the nose to the Spleen, the left cheek to the Liver, the right cheek to the Lung, and the cheekbones to the Kidney; thus, the facial regions can be observed. Green corresponds to the Liver, White to the Lung, Red to the Heart, Yellow to the Spleen, and Black to the Kidney; thus, the five colors of the face can be observed. One observes the generation and restriction relationships through the regions, and the presence or absence of spirit through the five colors. Generally, external contraction disorders may allow for a slightly turbid complexion, while chronic diseases should avoid presenting a fresh and lustrous color. Only when yellow appears on the face and eyes, neither withered nor floating/greasy, is it a sign of impending recovery.