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Domesticated poultry such as chickens, geese, and ducks cannot fly, whereas other wild birds can. Some say that domesticated animals grow feathers inside the egg, thus they cannot fly; wild birds grow feathers outside the egg, thus they can fly. Another view holds that in domesticated livestock, only the female incubates the eggs while the male does not, resulting in an excess of Yin energy, hence the inability to fly; in contrast, wild birds are incubated by both male and female, hence their ability to fly. Both explanations are plausible.

Generally, bird eggs have a white shell on the outside and a yellow yolk on the inside. However, upon hatching and forming, the yolk moves to the outside and the albumen (egg white) to the inside. How do we know this? Observe that chickens, geese, and ducks, which hatch feathers within the shell, all have yellow down; whereas flying birds, which grow feathers externally, have yellow bodies and beaks, which serves as verification. This reflects the principle that before the formation of Taiji (Supreme Ultimate), Yin enveloped Yang, and after its formation, Yang envelops Yin.

In the Twelve Earthly Branches corresponding to the Zodiac, Zi (Rat) represents extreme Yin, deep and hidden, paired with the rat because it conceals its tracks. Wu (Horse) represents extreme Yang, manifest and vigorous, paired with the horse because it runs swiftly. Chou (Ox) is Yin, bowing in affection, paired with the ox because it licks its calves. Wei (Goat) is Yang, looking up and observing propriety, paired with the goat because it kneels to nurse. Yin (Tiger) is three Yang energies; when Yang prevails, it becomes violent, paired with the tiger due to its fierce nature. Shen (Monkey) is three Yin energies; when Yin prevails, it becomes cunning, paired with the monkey due to its sly nature. Mao and You represent the gates of the sun and moon; these two zodiac signs each have only one orifice. A rabbit can conceive by licking the male’s fur, representing感应 (mutual influence) without physical intercourse. Chickens mate through treading without visible form, representing intercourse without mutual influence. Chen and Si see the rise of Yang leading to transformation; the dragon is most prominent, followed by the snake, so dragons and snakes correspond to Chen and Si. Dragons and snakes are creatures of change. Xu and Hai involve the gathering and holding of Yin; the dog is most prominent, followed by the pig, so dogs and pigs correspond to Xu and Hai. Dogs and pigs are creatures of tranquility. Some claim that incomplete things are chosen for the zodiac, which is incorrect; among myriad things, how could there be only twelve?

Bi Shaodong was skilled in seal script on tripods. He discussed the character "water" (Shui), stating: The vertical stroke in the middle need not be curved; it is merely drawing a Kan trigram (☵). I then recalled that Zhang You was skilled in small seal script and once said the character "heart" (Xin) is an inverted "fire" (Huo) character. Who would have thought that the character "heart" actually depicts a Li trigram (☲)? The top dot corresponds to the top horizontal stroke; the two side dots correspond to the two middle strokes; the bottom hook corresponds to the bottom horizontal stroke.

Oil-paper, calcined stone, wheat bran, and horse manure grass can all generate fire.

Although it is said that Heaven opened at Zi, Earth expanded at Chou, and Humanity arose at Yin, in practice, the "Three Establishments" refer only to Winter Solstice as the First Establishment, Minor Cold as the Second, and Major Cold as the Third. How do we know this? Calendar making begins at Winter Solstice to observe heavenly qi and await the winds of floral signals. It begins at Minor Cold to observe earthly qi and distinguish human body qi. It begins at Major Cold, with Jueyin Liver meridian as the head, to observe human qi. Are the qi of the Three Establishments not confined to the period before Start of Spring?

Wind and thunder exist in the sky; they have sound but no form, so the Xu and Hai zodiac signs from the Qian trigram are used to pair with them. Thus, the Wind Lord is depicted first like a dog, and the Thunder God first like a pig. Rain belongs to the Kan trigram; Kan represents the middle son, so the Rain Master is depicted like a scholar. Lightning is thunder light; pairing with Zhen trigram against Qian yields Xun trigram. Xun represents the eldest daughter, so the Lightning Mother is depicted like a woman. The four divine flags in ancient imperial processions were all painted.

The attendants of Wenchang Jun (God of Literature) are named Tian Long (Heaven Deaf) and Di Ya (Earth Dumb). Perhaps the Emperor did not wish for wisdom to be fully utilized, so he used deafness and dumbness as allegory. Moreover, how could Heaven and Earth be deaf and dumb?

Buddhism and Taoism speak of the Ten Kings of the Underworld, likely derived from the meaning of the Ten Heavenly Stems. Among them, Yanluo Wang (King Yama) is the most revered, corresponding to Wu Earth, though his position is ancient. The term "Seven-Sevens" (Qiqi) likely takes from the flow of the Ten Stems; at the seventh stem, there is restriction. For example, if Jiazi is first, the seventh day encounters Geng for restriction. Similarly, if Gengzi is first, the seventh day encounters Bing for restriction. Considering the Twelve Earthly Branches: if Zi is first, the seventh day encounters Wu for clash. If Chou is first, the seventh day encounters Wei for clash. Following this logic, and referring to the I Ching concept of "returning on the seventh day," where from the first line to the sixth line completes, and the seventh day returns to the first line, this also illustrates the principle.

Someone asked if wine intoxicates people because it is brewed with toxic substances like Aconitum carmichaelii (Wutou). A guest refuted this, saying: Incorrect! Substances like Wutou do not cause intoxication. Wine is formed because rice and yeast have opposing natures; rice flowers open by day, wheat flowers by night, reflecting the opposition of Zi and Wu, hence wine causes intoxication. I countered: In the south, vinegar is also made from rice and wheat; why does vinegar not intoxicate? Furthermore, in the north there are grape, pear, and jujube wines, and in the south honey, tree sap, and coconut palm wines, all of which cause intoxication. Is it really due to the opposition of rice and wheat? Or perhaps both parties felt ashamed. I then told them: Wine tastes pungent and sweet, brewed from the essence of rice and wheat. Its nature is extremely pure Yang, allowing it to traverse meridians and enter interstices. Upon entering the mouth, it does not stay in the stomach but circulates through all pulses. Hence, after intoxication, breath becomes coarse and skin flushes red. Those who can drink may consume large quantities without hesitation; if it stayed in the stomach, how could the stomach's capacity hold so much? Vinegar cannot intoxicate because its sour taste belongs to Yin, with a nature of convergence and retention; it not only fails to intoxicate but also limits consumption. Other alcohols are not made from rice or wheat but still possess the nature of extreme pure Yang. Without fermentation, they do not become wine. Only coconut sap and tree sap require no fermentation, being natural in nature.

Why is wind in crevices called "Thief Wind"? Answer: Wind on a flat surface is like opening the mouth to exhale warmly; wind under eaves is like blowing cold air. Since blowing cold air must be avoided, how much more so wind in crevices? Iron objects are square, round, flat, and thick, suitable for sitting or leaning on; only knives and awls are avoided because they are thin and sharp. Wind in seams is like a blade; wind in gaps is like an awl.

Danxi stated: Pure wine should be drunk cool. "Pure wine" refers to wine that is neither strong nor weak, with balanced aroma and flavor. "Cool" means slightly cool. In his later years, Sima Guang acquired a concubine and asked her skills; she replied she could warm wine, illustrating this point. The stomach prefers cold and dislikes heat; the spleen prefers warmth and dislikes cold. Drinking pure wine cool initially uses its coolness to nourish the stomach, then its warmth to nourish the spleen. Those who prefer hot wine often suffer from epigastric pain due to heat injuring blood stasis. Those who prefer cold wine often suffer from abdominal pain, loss of appetite, and vomiting due to cold injuring the spleen.

Meng Wanghu, from Huai'an, heard voices in his ears, all ancestors discussing family matters, causing disturbance. He invited Liu Chunzhai for treatment. Chunzhai diagnosed: Acute illness is Fire; strange illness is Phlegm. He prescribed Gun Tan Wan (Rolling Phlegm Pill) to purge, and the patient recovered.

Mr. Li Kezhai, serving in the Ministry of War, sat in the hall when a crane suddenly flew in, behaving familiarly and refusing to leave. It spoke to Doctor Liu Chunzhai: "A crane once flew to my home, and my second son passed the Jinshi examination. Now another crane has arrived, implying my eldest son will surely pass!" Soon, the crane broke its leg. Li felt displeased and asked if anyone could set bones. A man replied: "I possess a secret bone-setting formula. Human and animal principles are likely similar." Li ordered preparation immediately. The formula used: ground beetle (Eupolyphaga seu Steleophaga), baked dry on a new tile; copper coin soaked in vinegar seven times; natural copper, frankincense (Resina Olibanum), myrrh (Resina Myrrhae), and rapeseed kernel in equal parts. Ground into fine powder. Take 1.5 fen, mixed with wine and administered. The crane's leg healed. For humans, take after meals for upper body injuries; take on an empty stomach for lower body injuries. Mr. Li passed this formula to Liu Chunzhai.

Huiweng suffered from Aconitum heterophyllum (Wuhui) poisoning. His head felt heavy, sweating profusely, increasingly fatigued, and his whole body turned black, nearing death. In the deep mountains, lacking medicine, he recalled that Emperor Zhi of Han survived by drinking water. He drew fresh water and drank continuously, vomiting heavily and recovering.

Huiweng had a foot ailment. A Daoist priest performed acupuncture and moxibustion/warming techniques. He immediately felt relief and was delighted, thanking him richly and gifting a poem: "For years supported by a slender cane, One needle brings miraculous effect. Laughing children watch me exit, No longer the lame old man I was." The priest left after receiving the poem. Days later, the foot ailment worsened significantly, worse than before acupuncture. Huiweng urgently sent men to find the priest, but he was nowhere to be found. Sighing, Huiweng said: "I do not wish to punish him, but only to retrieve his poem, fearing he might use it to mislead others."

The malaria demon is small and cannot afflict giants, hence "strong men do not suffer from malaria." People of Jin state said: "Gentlemen do not suffer from malaria." People of Shu called malaria "slave malaria."

Qingxiang Zaji records that in Shu, there was a "Hai Market," held every other day, similar to malaria occurring every other day. Jiangnan people disliked using the character "malaria," so they called it only "Hai." Customs in Jing and Wu regions selected days of Yin, Shen, Si, and Hai for markets, hence the name Hai Market. (Hai pronounced 'jie').

Observing predecessors' treatments for phlegm, their theories were detailed, but mixing concepts made legislation difficult. Presuming my ignorance, I attempt analysis. Phlegm is a disease name, transformed from saliva (Xian). Saliva is the fluid of the spleen. The spleen surrounds the stomach and covers the Tai Cang (Upper Abdomen). Its shape resembles a horse's hoof. Its saliva has no place to reside and flows directly into the stomach, which is the palace of the spleen; their qi connects. In healthy individuals, saliva merely nourishes stomach earth, irrigates surroundings, and facilitates downward movement of food. If qi stagnates, or is scorched by fire, or steamed by damp-heat, it becomes thick, turbid, and coagulates into phlegm. Once transformed into phlegm, unlike saliva, it lacks true qi. Thus, food sinks in the stomach, and more phlegm is vomited, like duckweed floating on water. Thick warm clothing easily attracts external cold; excessive flavors easily attract internal heat.

Treating emaciated patients by having them drink human milk or deer blood is not entirely appropriate. Why? When infants suckle, they retain their Yuan Qi (Original Qi); this is "living milk," enabling growth and weight gain. Squeezing and consuming it removes the Yuan Qi, leaving only dead matter. It moistens intestines and fills the belly but eventually causes phlegm accumulation in the diaphragm. What benefit is there?

Ancients had a method of drinking deer blood by inserting a silver tube into the Tian Tu acupoint of the deer and sucking. This allows the blood to pass with the Yuan Qi, acting as a blood-invigorator, providing great tonification without killing the deer. Butchering and drinking the blood removes the Yuan Qi, resulting in "dead blood." It merely fills the intestines and breaks blood stasis. What benefit is there? These two cases serve as warnings.

Winter snowflakes must not be allowed into the eyes, lest they cause eye disease and blindness.

Patients with yaws (Yangmei Chuang) must take Smilax glabra rhizome (Tufuling). If tea is mistakenly consumed, it will cause deafness, incurable for life.

Sun Simiao attributed diseases to Heaven. Elders of Yizhou verified medicine through the state.

Leek is named "Grass Zhongru"; melon is named "Natural Baihu Tang".

Li Xiji said: Principles are merely horizontal and vertical, like the character "ten" (Shi). Numbers end at ten, and principles end there too. The character "king" (Wang) remains unchanged in regular, cursive, seal, and clerical scripts, standing independently supporting Heaven, Earth, and Humanity. Altering it makes it not a king.

When desires arise in the mind, stop by thinking of ugly, sinister, or monstrous things; stop by thinking of worries about life and career; stop by contemplating the filthy sack of a woman, her aging, sickness, death, and the horrifying state of skeletons. Then desire can cease.

Establishing the destiny of the world depends on agriculture; resolving doubts depends on divination; entrusting life and death depends on medicine. These three are major affairs of the world, which former kings dared not neglect.

The earth regards the sea as its Kidney, hence seawater is salty. Humans regard the Kidney as the sea, hence urine is salty.

Pedantic scholars cannot discuss Chan (Zen); rigid scholars cannot discuss the Dao.