人之所借以生者气也。气者何。阴阳是也。夫阴与阴。可以和而平。可以乖而HT 。善摄与HT
。吉凶于是乎歧之。夫惟摄之不能以皆善也。故偏寒偏热之病。始莫逃于乖HT 之余矣。虽然
。寒也。热也。苟未至于甚。粗工为之而不难。设热积而寒沉。良工犹弗能以为计。况其下
乎。奈之何。俗尚颛蒙恪持方药愈投愈盛。迷不之反。岂知端本澄源。中含至理。执其枢要
。众妙俱呈。且以积热言之。始而凉和。次而寒取。寒取不愈。则因热而从之。从之不愈。则
技穷矣。由是苦寒频岁而弗停。又以沉寒言之。始而温和。次而热取。热取不愈。则因寒
而从之。从之不愈。则技穷矣。由是辛热比年而弗止。嗟夫。苦寒益深。而积热弥炽。辛热
大过。而苦寒愈滋。苟非大圣慈仁明垂枢要生也。孰从而全之。经曰。谓寒之而热者取之阴
。热之而寒者取之阳。所谓求其属也。属也者其枢要之所存乎。斯旨也。王太仆知之。故曰。
益火之原。以消阴翳。壮水之主。以制阳光。又曰。取心者不必齐以热。取肾者不必齐以寒。
但益心之阳。寒亦通行。强肾之阴。热之犹可。吁。混乎千言万语之间。殆犹和璧之在璞也
。其宝久湮岂过焉者石之而弗凿乎。余僭得而推衍之。夫偏寒偏热之病。其免者固千百之一
二。而积热沉寒。亦恐未至于数见也。然而数见者。得非粗工不知求属之道。不能防微杜渐
。遂致滋蔓难图。以成之欤。夫寒之而热者。徒知以寒治热。而不知热之不衰者。由乎真水
之不足也。热之而寒者。徒知以热治寒。而不知寒之不衰者。由乎真火之不足也。
不知真水火不足。泠以寒热药治之。非惟脏腑习熟药反见化于其病。而有者弗
去无者弗至矣。故取之阴。所以益肾水之不足。而使其制夫心火之有余。取之阳。所以
益
心火之不足。而使其胜夫肾水之有余也。其指水火也。属犹主也。谓心肾也。求其属者。言
水火不足。而求之于心肾也。火之原者。阳气之根。即心是也。水之主者。阴气之根。即肾
是也。非谓火为心。而原为肝。水为肾。而主为肺也。寒亦益心。热亦强肾。此太仆达至理
于规矩准绳之外。而非迂士曲生之可以 及矣。彼迂士曲生不明真
水火于寒热之病。有必制必胜之道。但谓药未胜病。久远期之。是以恪守
方药。愈投愈盛。卒至殒灭。而莫之悟。呜呼。悲夫。余见积热沉寒之治。每蹈于覆辙也
。因表而出之以劝。
The qi (vital energy) by which humans rely for life is what we call. What is this qi? It is Yin and Yang. Between Yin and Yin, there can be harmony and balance, or there can be discord and disharmony. Those who are skilled in self-care maintain harmony, and thus fortune and misfortune diverge from this point. Precisely because people cannot always practice skillful care, diseases of bias toward cold or heat inevitably arise from the aftermath of Yin-Yang discord. Nevertheless, if it is merely simple cold or heat, and has not yet reached a severe degree, even mediocre practitioners find it not difficult to treat. However, if heat accumulates while cold sinks deep, even excellent practitioners may struggle to devise a plan, let alone inferior ones.
Why is this? Because popular custom favors ignorance, stubbornly adhering to fixed prescriptions, causing the condition to worsen with each administration, remaining deluded without turning back. How could they know that tracing the root and clearing the source contains profound principles? Grasping the pivotal key causes all subtleties to reveal themselves.
Take accumulated heat as an example: initially, cool and mild medicines are used; subsequently, cold-natured medicines are employed to drain it. If draining with cold fails to cure, one follows the heat trend with further medication. If following the heat still fails to cure, then skills are exhausted. Consequently, bitter-cold medicines are used continuously year after year. Similarly, regarding sunken cold: initially, warm and mild medicines are used; subsequently, hot-natured medicines are employed to dispel it. If dispelling with heat fails to cure, one follows the cold trend with further medication. If following the cold still fails to cure, then skills are exhausted. Consequently, acrid-hot medicines are used incessantly year after year.
Alas! The deeper the use of bitter-cold medicines, the more blazing the accumulated heat becomes; the excessive use of acrid-hot medicines makes the sunken cold grow even more abundant. Unless a Great Sage shows benevolence and clearly reveals the pivotal key, how can life be preserved? The Classics state: "When treating heat with cold and the heat does not subside, seek treatment in Yin; when treating cold with heat and the cold does not resolve, seek treatment in Yang." This is referred to as "seeking its affiliation" (Qiu Qi Shu). What is "affiliation"? It is likely where the pivotal key resides. This principle was understood by Wang Taipu (Wang Bing), hence he said: "Enrich the source of Fire to dissipate the shadows of Yin; strengthen the master of Water to control the brilliance of Yang." He also said: "When treating the Heart, one need not uniformly apply hot medicines; when treating the Kidney, one need not uniformly apply cold medicines. Merely enrich the Yang of the Heart, and even cold medicines will circulate freely; strengthen the Yin of the Kidney, and even hot medicines are permissible."
These words are mixed among thousands of phrases, much like the Hebi (He Stone/Jade) hidden within uncut jade. Its treasure value has been long submerged; is it not because it has not been carved? I presumptuously deduce and expand upon this. Diseases of bias toward cold or heat, those that escape this fate account for only one or two in a thousand. Conditions of accumulated heat and sunken cold are perhaps not seen frequently either. Yet, why are they seen so often? Is it not because mediocre practitioners do not know the way of seeking affiliation, failing to prevent minor issues from becoming major, leading to rampant spread that is difficult to manage, thereby resulting in such outcomes?
Regarding "treating heat with cold but the heat does not subside," people only know to use cold to treat heat, unaware that the reason the heat persists is due to insufficiency of True Water (Kidney Yin). Regarding "treating cold with heat but the cold does not resolve," people only know to use heat to treat cold, unaware that the reason the cold persists is due to insufficiency of True Fire (Heart Yang).
Not knowing that True Water and Fire are insufficient, and coldly using cold and hot medicines to treat them, not only causes the Zang-Fu organs to become accustomed to the drugs, reversing their effect on the disease, but also leads to the absence of necessary Qi and the failure of beneficial Qi to arrive. Therefore, "seeking in Yin" is to benefit the insufficiency of Kidney Water, enabling it to control the excess of Heart Fire. "Seeking in Yang" is to benefit the insufficiency of Heart Fire, enabling it to overcome the excess of Kidney Water. Here, "Water and Fire" refer to the Heart and Kidney. "Affiliation" implies "Master," referring to the Heart and Kidney. "Seeking its affiliation" means that when Water and Fire are insufficient, one seeks the root in the Heart and Kidney.
"The Source of Fire" is the root of Yang Qi, which is the Heart. "The Master of Water" is the root of Yin Qi, which is the Kidney. It does not mean that Fire belongs to the Heart while its Source belongs to the Liver, nor that Water belongs to the Kidney while its Master belongs to the Lung. Cold medicines can also benefit the Heart; hot medicines can also strengthen the Kidney. This demonstrates that Taipu transcended ultimate principles beyond standard rules and measurements, whereas pedantic scholars and rigid healers cannot reach this level. Those pedantic scholars, unclear about True Water and Fire in cold-heat diseases, ignore the inevitable ways of control and victory. They merely claim that the medicine has not yet conquered the disease and promise results over a long period. Thus, they strictly adhere to fixed prescriptions, administering more medicine leads to worsening conditions, ultimately resulting in death without realization. Alas, how tragic! I observe that treatments for accumulated heat and sunken cold often tread on old tracks of failure. Therefore, I elucidate this to offer advice.