Library

Hua Tuo's Divine Formula on Pathology

Human beings receive from Heaven above and rely upon Earth below; Yang assists them, and Yin supports them. When Heaven and Earth are in harmony, human Qi is smooth; when Heaven and Earth are adverse, human Qi is obstructed. Heaven and Earth have the Four Seasons and Five Elements, manifesting as cold, warmth, movement, and stillness. Their changes: joy manifests as rain, anger as wind, condensation as frost, expansion as a rainbow. The human body has four limbs and five Zang organs, respiration, and waking/sleeping cycles; Jing-Qi flows and scatters; actions belong to Ying (Nutritive) Qi, expansion belongs to Qi, vocalization belongs to sound. Yang acts upon the form, while Yin carefully guards the essence; this parallels Heaven and Earth. Losing this principle leads to steaming heat or cold generation due to obstruction; condensation forms goiters/lumps (Yingliu); sinking forms carbuncles and ulcers (Yongju); excess causes panting; deficiency causes withering. These manifest on the face and limbs. The principles of blockage and flow in Heaven and Earth are exactly like this. Therefore, the waxing and waning of the five planets, the displacement of stars, solar and lunar eclipses, and the flight of comets are disasters and anomalies of Heaven and Earth; irregular cold and warmth represent the steaming and obstruction of Heaven and Earth; rising earth and standing stones represent carbuncles and ulcers of Heaven and Earth; violent winds and rapid rains represent panting and exhaustion of Heaven and Earth; drying rivers and lakes represent the withering and scorching of Heaven and Earth. Those who understand these causes can resolve them with medicines, aid them with acupuncture, transform them through Daoist methods, and assist them with practical affairs. Thus, there are diseases of the body that can be saved, and disasters of Heaven and Earth that can be removed. Human peril, life, and death are endowed by Heaven and Earth. Yin diseases come slowly and depart slowly; Yang diseases come quickly and depart quickly. Yang arises from heat, which brings relaxation; Yin arises from cold, which brings curling and tension. Cold pathogens strike the lower part, heat pathogens strike the upper part, and dietary pathogens strike the middle part. Human movement and stillness are rooted in Heaven and Earth. Knowing humans yields verification from Heaven; knowing Heaven yields verification from humans. Humans model themselves on Heaven; observing the adversity and compliance of Heaven and Earth allows one to know the decline and prosperity of humans. There are a hundred diseases, each with a hundred signs, and each sign with a hundred variations, all arising from the adversity and compliance of Heaven and Earth's Yin and Yang. If one can exhaustively understand this, then half of the understanding is achieved.

Heaven is the patriarch of Yang; Earth is the category of Yin. Yang is the root of life; Yin is the foundation of death. Humans stand between Heaven and Earth, receiving the assistance of Yin and Yang. Those who obtain Yang live; those who obtain Yin die. Yang within Yang is called High Truth (Gaozhen); Yin within Yin is called Nether Ghosts (Yougui). Therefore, those concentrated in Yang have long lives; those concentrated in Yin have short lives. Excess heat is the master of Yang; excess cold is the root of Yin. Yang seeks ascent; Yin seeks descent. Yang moves quickly; Yin moves slowly. Yang's nature is light; Yin's nature is heavy. When Yin and Yang are balanced, Heaven and Earth harmonize, and human Qi is tranquil. When Yin and Yang are adverse, Heaven and Earth are obstructed, and human Qi becomes reversed. Thus, Heaven and Earth become blazingly hot when obtaining Yang, and bitterly cold when obtaining Yin. Yang begins before Zi hour (11 PM - 1 AM) and ends after midday; Yin begins after midday and ends before Zi hour. The waxing and waning of Yin and Yang occur at their respective times, alternating start and end without rest. If humans can follow this, it is called Great Wisdom. The *Jinkui* states: "Nourish Yang at the beginning of Autumn; nourish Yin at the beginning of Spring. Do not let Yang close outwardly; do not let Yin invade outwardly. Fire emerges from Wood; Water is born from Metal. When Water and Fire communicate and assist each other, Upper and Lower seek each other. If humans can follow this, they will never sink or perish." This is what is meant. The ignorant do not know this principle, act improperly, and bring disaster upon themselves. External Wind-Cold-Heat-Dampness and internal hunger/fullness and labor cause ruin, damaging the righteous body and consuming the righteous spirit, binding the body, leading to death. They do not know that pulses have five deaths and Qi has five births; Yin-family pulses are heavy, Yang-family pulses are light. Yang disease with Yin pulse indicates short life; Yin disease with Yang pulse indicates the disease does not take shape. Yang syndromes involve much speech; Yin syndromes involve silence. Much speech is easy to treat; silence is hard to nourish. Yang disease is quiet in the morning; Yin disease is peaceful at night. Yin and Yang move according to the season. Yang deficiency causes confusion in the evening; Yin deficiency causes contention in the morning. Morning and evening interlace, causing Qi to reverse and horizontal flow. The principles of life and death are clear within Yin and Yang. Yin Qi descending but not ascending is called "Severed Collaterals" (Duanluo); Yang Qi ascending but not descending is called "Severed Meridians" (Duanjing). Evil in Yin is called Turbid (Zhuo); evil in Yang is called Clear (Qing). Fire arrives at Kan Door; Water reaches Li Latch. When Yin and Yang correspond, peace is achieved. If Yin is insufficient, aid it with Water Mother; if Yang is insufficient, assist it with Fire Essence. When Yin and Yang are equally aided, they climb their respective peaks. Upper passage of three cun is called the Divine Road of Yang; lower passage of three cun is called the Ghost Path of Yin. Yin should often be reduced; Yang should often be filled. Those dwelling in the center have balanced Yin and Yang. Thus, Yang within Yang receives titles from Immortals; Yin within Yin is named by Underworld Ghosts. Those following Yin mostly perish; those following Yang mostly achieve longevity. Encountering this profound interest, nothing fails to work.