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The theory of Five Movements and Six Qi (Wuyun Liuqi) is rigid and inflexible, which is indeed not believed by those with insight. However, its main purport lies in detailing the numerous transformations of the Six Qi (Wind, Cold, Summer-heat, Dampness, Dryness, Fire). Cold may contain Heat, and Heat may contain Cold; pathogenic factors and healthy Qi intermingle, with changes being complex and countless, beyond record. Its purpose is twofold: to clarify the source of people's diseases, and to illustrate the manifestations of people's conditions. Clarifying the source of disease means stating that when humans contract diseases from the Six Qi, one should carefully deduce the contracted Qi to see if it is mixed with other Qi, requiring concurrent treatment. Illustrating the condition means that since the Qi of Heaven and Earth transforms unpredictably, the Qi of the human body also transforms unpredictably, so the disease condition cannot be rigidly fixed by a single standard. For instance, winter is indeed governed by Cold Qi, yet sometimes external Heat (Ke Re) descends, hence there are warm periods in winter, known as "warmth out of season" (Fei Shi Zhi Nuan). When a person contracts an exterior syndrome in winter, one does not know whether it is due to contracting Cold or due to contracting the out-of-season warmth. This is the source that must be examined. When Cold Qi is above, Yang Qi hides within the earth, so the surface is bitterly cold while well springs remain warm. Applying this to the human body, it means that external contraction of Cold leads to internal stagnation transforming into Heat; this is how the condition can be illustrated by analogy. This is the main purport of those discussing the movements and qi. Taking the major points, omitting the trivial details, discarding the errors, and verifying physical principles on the human body, this depends on the skillful reader.

Deficiency (Xu) refers to the deficiency of Healthy Qi (Zheng Qi), meaning the depletion of a person's Qi and Blood. Excess (Shi) refers to the excess of Pathogenic Factors (Xie) (all internal and external Cold, Heat, and other pathogens, regardless of whether they are tangible or intangible, as long as they stagnate and cause harm, requiring urgent dissipation, are all considered Excess Pathogens); it does not mean that a person's Qi and Blood are robust and solid. Therefore, it is said that Deficiency contains Excess, and Excess contains Deficiency. (This means Healthy Qi is inherently deficient, while Pathogenic Factors are inherently excessive.) In cases of pure Deficiency without Excess, only tonification is used. In cases of Deficiency combined with Excess, both attacking (pathogens) and tonifying (Healthy Qi) must be employed simultaneously. If it is Excess without Deficiency, then directly attack it. For example, if a deficient person suffers from food stagnation, for mild cases, add digestive-promoting herbs to the tonifying formula; for severe cases, add purgative herbs, achieving results almost instantly. Quack doctors claim that pure tonification is required, waiting for the Qi to become vigorous so that food digestion occurs naturally. By delaying time and missing the opportunity, other syndromes often arise. Even if success is achieved by chance, the patient has suffered for too long; no one whose illness persists for a long time remains unharmed in their Original Qi (Yuan Qi). Calling it tonification, but actually causing harm, what is the point? There is Deficient Cold, there is Excess Cold (such as overeating raw and cold foods, or stagnation of Cold Phlegm); there is Deficient Heat, there is Excess Heat. Knowing Excess Heat but not Deficient Heat, or knowing Deficient Cold but not Excess Cold, both characterize quack doctors.