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Question: Why is abdominal fullness considered a syndrome of the Jueyin meridian transmission? Answer: The area above the chest and diaphragm is the domain of clear Yang, belonging to the Shaoyang meridian; the area between the chest/diaphragm and the lower abdomen is the junction of clear and turbid Qi, belonging to the Taiyin meridian; the area around the navel is the domain of the Shaoyin meridian; the lower abdomen is the domain of the Jueyin meridian. When cold damage (Shanghan) transmits to the Jueyin meridian, lower abdominal distension and fullness occur due to the accumulation of turbid Yin, representing an excess pathogen that requires urgent purgation. Another question arises: Blood stasis and dysuria also cause lower abdominal fullness; why is this so? Answer: Blood stasis refers to blood retention in the Taiyang Bladder meridian; dysuria refers to water retention in the Taiyang Bladder meridian. Since the bladder is located below the navel, lower abdominal fullness occurs. However, in blood retention syndrome, there is lower abdominal fullness with normal urination and black stools; in water retention syndrome (dysuria), there is lower abdominal fullness with difficult urination and normal stools. If the pathogen transmits to the Jueyin meridian, there will be constipation and scanty, dark urine, which constitutes a dry feces syndrome. Furthermore, Jueyin disease must present with vexation and fullness, retraction of the testicles, cold extremities, and excessive thirst, which are distinctly different from Taiyang Bladder meridian syndromes.

Question: Why are tongue curling and testicular retraction considered signs of Jueyin meridian transmission? Answer: The Liver governs the tendons of the whole body. When heat pathogens scorch internally, body fluids are depleted and cannot nourish the tendons, resulting in tongue curling and testicular retraction; this requires urgent purgation. Another question arises: Direct invasion by cold (Zhi Zhong) also causes tongue curling and testicular retraction; why is this so? Answer: Direct invasion by cold leads to contraction due to the decline and敛缩 (contraction) of Yang Qi, resembling the closure and storage of all things in winter. In contrast, internal heat consuming fluids resembles the drying up of fluids in summer. However, direct cold invasion presents with a deep and slow pulse, or symptoms such as diarrhea with undigested food and cold breath from the mouth and nose. Jueyin transmission involves extreme vexation, fullness, and thirst, or cracked lips, dry mouth, and a emaciated body like dried firewood, showing significant differences. Moreover, in direct cold invasion, although the tongue may be short and contracted, it remains moist; in Jueyin transmission, the tongue contracts tightly like a lychee shell, becoming necessarily scorched, dry, and devoid of fluids. Another question arises: How is diagnosis performed for women? Answer: Women present with breast retraction, while men present with testicular retraction. By examining the tongue first, the condition becomes clear without the need for detailed questioning. Therefore, the method of diagnosing Shanghan by observing the tongue must be studied carefully.