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The Lung is referred to as the "Canopy" (Hua Gai), and its function is to maintain the clearing, descending, and regulating of Qi throughout the body. When Qi rebels upward, it causes Ke (cough); when Phlegm moves, it causes Sou (phlegmy cough). The nature of the syndrome—whether Cold, Heat, Deficiency, or Excess—and whether the cause is External or Internal must be carefully differentiated.

If the Lung is affected by Cold, the cough will necessarily be accompanied by thin Phlegm, a pale complexion, aversion to Wind, and excessive nasal discharge; the appropriate treatment is to Warm the Lung and Consolidate the Wei (Defensive) Qi. If the Lung is affected by Heat, the cough will necessarily be accompanied by thick Phlegm, a red face, fever, wheezing, and chest fullness; the appropriate treatment is to Descend Fire, Clear Heat, and resolve Phlegm. If Lung Qi is Deficient, the cough will necessarily be accompanied by rebellious Qi, sweating, a pale face, and undigested food in the stool (Sun Xie); the appropriate treatment is to Tonify the Spleen and Astringe the Lung. If Lung Qi is Excessive/Full, the cough will necessarily be paroxysmal (Dun Ke), with the patient holding their head in pain, a red face, and vomiting after eating; the appropriate treatment is to Benefit the Diaphragm and transform Phlegm.

External causes lie in the Six Evils (Liu Yin: Wind, Cold, Summer-heat, Dampness, Dryness, Fire), while internal causes lie in the Zang-Fu organs; each has its own specific treatment methods, but various external therapy techniques should not be delayed.

Specific manipulation techniques are as follows: Fen Yin Yang (divide Yin and Yang) [200 times], Tui San Guan (push Three Gates) [100 times], Tui Liu Fu (push Six Bowels) [100 times], Tui Fei Jing (push Lung Meridian) [200 times], Qia Er Men Shan (pinch Two Gate Doors) [24 times], Qia Er Ren Shang Ma (pinch Two People Mounting Horses) [24 times], Rou Fei Shu (knead Feishu BL13) [200 times], Qia Wu Zhi Jie (pinch Five Finger Nodes) [24 times], Qia He Gu (pinch Hegu LI4) [24 times], Yun Ba Gua (move Eight Trigrams) [100 times], Rou Da Zhi Gen (knead root of the thumb) [100 times], Qia Jing Ning (pinch Jingning) [24 times], Tian Men Ru Hu Kou (Heaven's Gate enters Tiger's Mouth) [50 times].

If there is Phlegm obstruction and wheezing, add Qia Xiang Dao (pinch Guide) [36 times] and Qia Ban Men (pinch Board Door) [24 times]. If there is Phlegm knotting and blockage, add Yun Ba Gua (move Eight Trigrams) [100 times]. If it is dry cough, add Tui Liu Fu (push Six Bowels) [100 times]. If it is phlegmy cough, add Tui Fei Jing (push Lung Meridian), Tui Pi Jing (push Spleen Meridian), Qing Shen Shui (clear Kidney Water), and Yun Ba Gua (move Eight Trigrams) [each 100 times]. If there is wheezing, add Fei Jing Zou Qi (fly through meridians and move Qi) [50 times]. All pushing manipulations should use Scallion Water as a medium.

Note: Ancient sages stated that various diseases are easy to treat, but cough is difficult to cure. This is because the etiology of cough is complex and multifaceted. Xu Huixi (Xu Lingtai) spent thirty years before he could effectively treat cough, demonstrating how difficult treating cough can be. Physicians must determine how to differentiate syndromes and apply treatments accordingly, striving for hundred-percent efficacy, so as to deserve the title of a skilled practitioner. (Tili Zi)