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A question was asked: The theories of Five Movements and Six Qi (Wuyun Liuqi), although discussed in the *Neijing* (*Inner Canon*), are often omitted or briefly mentioned in other medical texts. Their principles are profound and subtle, not easily grasped. I wish for you to elucidate them. Zhu Danxi said: At the beginning of learning medicine, one should first understand the changes in disease mechanisms (Bingji) and treat patients according to their physical constitutions. If one immediately delves into the study of Movements and Qi, one risks falling into the error of Ma Zongsu and his followers, who claimed things like "a person born on a certain day suffers from a disease in a certain meridian on a certain day, treated with such-and-such herb."

Another question arose: The five zang and six fu organs of humans correspond externally to heaven and earth. When the qi and movements governed by the eight winds change in motion and stillness, human qi responds accordingly. Is this not appropriate? If one does not know this, a physician has not penetrated the underlying principles; how can they regulate the body? The answer is: Yang Taishou once said: One must observe the Five Movements and Six Qi daily, recording wind, rain, darkness, and brightness. Some illnesses arise according to the season; some arise later due to latent pathogens (Fuqi); some are triggered by pre-existing conditions. With thorough experiential understanding, over time, one will naturally reach the highest level. Ding Yuanji wrote the *Outline of Movements and Qi*, stating: The compilation of the *Outline* is based entirely on the *Neijing* and Liu Wenshu's *Discussion of Profound Secrets*. Where language is concise but meaning rich, annotations are added below; where main text explanation is insufficient, marginal notes are used; for easy-to-understand points, only marginal notes are provided; for deep meanings, diagrams are listed; names are marked with ink smudges.

The classic states: Where yin resides, the pulse does not respond. This refers to the three yin meridians collectively, not solely Shaoyin. Wang Bing (Wang Taipu) annotated under Taiyin and Jueyin that this occurs because Shaoyin is close in position, thereby neglecting the original qi. He determined left and right positions not by location but by what people tend toward, an interpretation that is also forced. Thus, books by Ma Zongsu and others discuss everything based on the location of Minister Fire (Xianghuo). This is what Zhu Danxi called losing the purport of the classics, which we do not follow today.

"Movement and Qi" refers to the Five Movements of Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water derived from the combination of the Ten Heavenly Stems, and the Six Qi of Wind, Cold, Summer Heat, Dampness, Dryness, and Fire derived from the correspondence of the Twelve Earthly Branches. The combination of stems is as follows: Jia and Ji years combine to form Earth Movement; Yi and Geng years combine to form Metal Movement; Bing and Xin years combine to form Water Movement; Ding and Ren years combine to form Wood Movement; Wu and Gui years combine to form Fire Movement. The correspondence of branches is as follows: Zi and Wu correspond, both years possessing Monarch Fire (Junhuo) Qi; Chou and Wei correspond, both years possessing Damp-Earth Qi; Yin and Shen correspond, both years possessing Minister Fire Qi; Mao and You correspond, both years possessing Dry-Metal Qi; Chen and Xu correspond, both years possessing Cold-Water Qi; Si and Hai correspond, both years possessing Wind-Wood Qi. Movements and Qi intermingle, and stems encounter branches. There are five movements and six qis, which do not match evenly. Generally, because Monarch Fire occupies the supreme position, no specific movement is established for it. There are only five movements; the Wu-Gui Fire Movement corresponds to the position of Minister Fire. The classic says: "Monarch Fire acts by name, Minister Fire acts by position." Therefore, the six qis are not superimposed upon Monarch Fire. Consequently, movements cycle every five years, while qis circulate through six periods. Over sixty years, movements may be excessive (Taiguo), deficient (Bují), or balanced (Pingyun). There are also Great Movement (Dayun), Principal Movement (Zhuyun), and Guest Movement (Keyun). For example, in a Jia year, Yang Earth is excessive; in a Ji year, Yin Earth is deficient. When the ruling Heaven (Sitian) qi matches the movement qi, it is called Balanced Qi. If excess is controlled by Sitian, or deficiency combines with the annual branch, it is called Year Meeting (Suihui). If the monthly stem matches, or the day and hour stems at the start of the first qi match, it is called Stem Virtue Match (Gande Fu); all these are considered Balanced Qi. In the generation of things and response of pulses, there is no precedence. Great Movement refers to the movement governed by the annual stem for the whole year. Principal Movement begins with Wood Qi from the Day of Great Cold each year, proceeding through mutual generation until Water Qi ends. Each movement governs 73 days, consistently every year. Guest Movement, for instance in a Jia year, starts with Earth, also from the Day of Great Cold, proceeding through mutual generation, each governing 73 days, changing yearly. Currently, physicians mainly use Great Movement. Principal and Guest Movements exist theoretically.

Regarding the six qis, there are Ruling Heaven (Sitian), Ruling Earth (Zaiquan), Proper Transformation (Zhenghua), Counter Transformation (Duihua), Principal Qi (Zhuqi), and Guest Qi (Keqi). For example, if the annual branch is Zi, both Zi and Wu years have Shao Yin Monarch Fire as Sitian. Zi represents Counter Transformation, Wu represents Proper Transformation. Counter transformation corresponds to the emptiness of the ruling command, Proper transformation corresponds to its reality. Other branches follow this pattern. Zi, Wu, Mao, and You form one category: if Zi and Wu years have Monarch Fire Sitian, then Mao and You years must have Dry Metal Zaiquan; if Mao and You years have Dry Metal Sitian, then Zi and Wu years must have Monarch Fire Zaiquan. Yin, Shen, Si, and Hai form another category; Chen, Xu, Chou, and Wei form another. The rules for Sitian and Zaiquan are consistent across these categories.

Principal Qi begins with Wood Qi from the Day of Great Cold each year, proceeding through mutual generation until Water Qi ends. Each qi governs slightly more than 60 days, unchanging for millennia. Guest Qi begins with the third branch after the annual branch. For a Zi year, the third branch after Zi is Xu. Xu belongs to Water, so Water Qi starts from the Day of Great Cold as the First Qi, located at the left intermediate of Zaiquan; Wood is the Second Qi, at the right intermediate of Sitian; Fire is the Third Qi, the Sitian Fire Qi; Earth is the Fourth Qi, at the left intermediate of Sitian; Metal is the Fifth Qi, the Dry Metal of Zaiquan; Water is the Final Qi, at the right intermediate of Zaiquan. Each qi also governs slightly more than 60 days, changing annually, hence called Guest Qi. When guest is added to principal, if guest wins, it follows; if principal wins, it opposes. It is also said: Sitian governs the first half of the year, Zaiquan governs the second half. This is the general rule of Guest Qi superimposed on Principal Qi.

Sitian is above, Zaiquan is below, and Movement/Qi is in the middle. If Sitian controls or generates Movement, it is called "Above descending to Below," which is favorable (Shun), with differences in generation and control. If Movement controls or generates Sitian, it is called "Below ascending to Above," which is unfavorable (Ni), with variations in severity. When Sitian and Movement are identical, it is called Heaven符 (Tianfu) (e.g., Ding-Si, Ding-Hai). When the annual branch and Movement combine, it is called Year Meeting (Suihui) (e.g., Ding-Mao, Bing-Zi). When Zaiquan and Movement are identical, it is called Same Heaven符 (Tongtianfu) (e.g., Geng-Zi, Geng-Wu). When Movement and Zaiquan combine, it is called Same Year Meeting (Tongsuihui) (e.g., Xin-Chou, Xin-Wei). When Sitian, Movement, and Annual Branch all match, it is called Great Unity Heaven符 (Taiyi Tianfu) (e.g., Wu-Wu, Yi-You, Ji-Wei, Ji-Chou).

For instance, Wu is Fire Sitian, Wu is Fire Movement, and the Wu branch belongs to Fire; thus it is called Taiyi, a title of respect. Among these five, Tianfu acts as the Law Enforcer. Those struck by the Middle Law Enforcer suffer rapid and critical illness. Suihui acts as the Order Executor. Those struck by the Middle Order Executor suffer slow and lingering illness. Taiyi Tianfu acts as the Noble Person. Those struck by the Middle Noble Person suffer sudden death. The sages detailed this in the classics to warn people to be cautious and avoid being affected. Even if affected, knowing the cause prevents reckless medication, benefiting future generations profoundly. Nevertheless, the book on Movements and Qi merely opened the door for ancients. Should experts rigidly adhere to methods without seeking the spirit beyond them? Consider: winter warmth out of season, summer cold out of season, spring dryness out of season, autumn heat out of season. These four irregular qis can also cause disease. Consider: Spring Qi moves west, Autumn Qi moves east, Summer Qi moves north, Winter Qi moves south. Lowlands retain Spring Qi; highlands retain Winter Qi. Heaven is deficient in the northwest, causing much wind; Earth is incomplete in the southeast, causing much dampness. Moreover, within a hundred li, weather differs; across a thousand li, temperature varies. Local climates differ, and diseases often follow local conditions. How can they all be compared using Movements and Qi? One must adapt to circumstances and act appropriately according to time, thereby uncovering the unspoken wisdom of the ancients.

Alas, Cheng Dezhai, Ma Zongsu, and others recklessly claimed that a person born on a certain day would suffer a certain meridian disease on a certain day, treated with certain herbs, recovering on a certain day via sweating, or facing danger on a certain day. This violates and confuses the classic purport; among foolish physicians, none are worse. Later generations, viewing classics as verbose, discarded them. Others, failing to read and comprehend the principles, found no entry point and abandoned them. Thus, few contemporary physicians understand their intent.

I have now compiled this work, titled *Yiqi Yilan* (Easy View of Movements and Qi), using discussions to clarify principles, diagrams to highlight essentials, and rhymes for memorization. It may offer slight benefit to beginners. However, in my old age, my mind is dim, and words cannot fully express thoughts. I hope future scholars will correct and refine it. Preface by Wang Ji of Puli, Qimen.