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The Master said: There are conditions of Ben Tun (Rushing Pig), vomiting of pus, fright and terror, and fire pathogen. These four categories of diseases all arise from fright and alarm.

[Commentary]
This chapter only contains the syndrome of Ben Tun, while vomiting of pus, fright/terror, and fire pathogen are briefly omitted or missing; there must be lacunae in the text.

The Master said: The disease of Ben Tun starts from the lower abdomen, rushes upward to the throat, is agonizing during attacks as if one were about to die, and then subsides and stops. All such cases arise from fright and fear.

[Annotation]
Ben Tun is a kidney disease. Because its pathological qi rushes from the lower abdomen up to the throat, resembling the darting and rushing movement of a piglet, it is named Ben Tun. During an attack, kidney qi surges upward to invade the heart, causing agony akin to death; after the attack, the qi weakens and returns to the kidney, leading to cessation. Thus, although the severity of the disease may vary, it invariably arises from fright and fear. Fright injures the heart, and fear injures the kidney; both organs suffer simultaneously. Since water overcomes fire, kidney water invades the heart fire. Therefore, the treatment method should involve draining the kidney and tonifying the heart.

[Collected Annotations]
Zhang Congzheng stated: "Fright" (Jing) occurs when one is unaware of the cause; "fear" (Kong) occurs when one is aware of the cause.
Zhou Yangjun stated: The Shaoyin meridian runs along the throat; due to its connection with this meridian, the upward rush is facilitated.

After inducing sweating, if warm needles (burned needles) are used to induce further sweating, and the needle sites become exposed to cold, resulting in nodular swellings that are red, Ben Tun will inevitably develop. Qi will rush from the lower abdomen to the heart. Apply moxibustion to each nodule once (one zhuang), and administer Guizhi Jia Gui Tang (Cinnamon Twig Decoction with Additional Cinnamon Twig) as the primary formula.

[Annotation]
This passage is identical to that in *Shanghan Lun* (Treatise on Cold Damage). *Shanghan Lun* lacks the three characters "after inducing sweating" but includes the eleven characters "In Taiyang cold damage, adding warm needles will surely cause fright." This version from *Shanghan Lun* is likely correct. It clarifies that the causes for fright are manifold; even cold invading the needle site can induce this condition. The statement "In Taiyang cold damage, adding warm needles will surely cause fright" means that a patient with cold damage, suddenly subjected to warm needles, will certainly experience mental fright; it does not mean that warm needles inevitably lead to a fright disorder. Burned needles refer to warm needles; using burned needles to induce sweating is also a sweating method. Needle sites should be protected from cold. If carelessness allows external cold invasion, fire becomes trapped within the vessels, blood circulation stagnates, leading to the affliction of nodular swelling and redness. Warm needles to induce sweating is a rapid and intense method. If, after needling, the Ying (Nutritive) Qi fails to circulate and resolve the exterior, it indicates the person has innate deficiency of Yang and excess of Yin. Thus, despite the heat of the warm needles, only nodular redness appears. Combined with cold invasion, instead of resolving the exterior, it attracts Yin pathogens. Furthermore, at the time of needling, the Heart was already frightened and deficient, allowing Kidney Water Yin pathogens to ascend and overwhelm Heart Yang, triggering Ben Tun. Ben Tun refers to the Qi of Kidney Water Yin pathogens rushing from the lower abdomen to the heart, resembling a running pig. Applying moxibustion to the nodules first expels external cold pathogens; subsequently administering Guizhi Jia Gui Tang attacks internal Kidney pathogens.

[Collected Annotations]
Zhou Yangjun stated: Ben Tun is the evil of the North, associated with the Kidney. Using warm needles to induce sweat, even if improper in technique, what does it have to do with Shaoyin to produce Ben Tun? Because Taiyang and Shaoyin are interior-exteriorly related. When the needle site is invaded by cold, causing nodular swelling, I know that previous pathogens remain unresolved and new pathogens enter subsequently. Only Cinnamon Twig (Guizhi) can attack Kidney pathogens. Therefore, additional Cinnamon Twig is added to Guizhi Tang: one function to release exterior Wind pathogens externally, and another to vent internal Yin Qi internally. Moxibustion is applied to the nodules first because they swell due to cold, which only moxibustion can dissipate.