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Deficiency injuries are divided among the five Zang organs, and what is stored within these five Zang organs is nothing other than Essence (Jing) and Qi. Essence belongs to Yin and is the "Water" of the human body; Qi belongs to Yang and is the "Fire" of the human body. When Water and Fire function correctly, they transform into Essence and Qi; when Water and Fire lose harmony, Heat or Cold syndromes arise. This occurs because partial damage leads to partial excess. Therefore, Fire must not be absent from Water; without Fire, Yin will prevail and Cold diseases will arise. Water must not be absent from Fire; without Water, Yang will prevail and Heat diseases will arise. As long as Yin and Yang are carefully distinguished, there will be no omission in the treatment of deficiency injuries. For instance, if Kidney Water is deficient, this is Yin deficiency; one should only greatly tonify True Yin and absolutely must not further attack Yang Qi. If Mingmen Fire is deficient, this is Yang deficiency; one should only greatly tonify Original Yang and absolutely must not further injure Yang Qi. This is because if Yang Qi is already insufficient and one attacks its Yin, Yin will also be damaged; if Yin is already insufficient and one further injures its Yang, Yang will perish. The treatment of deficiency and excess syndromes is fundamentally different. In excess syndromes, Yin and Yang are solidly abundant; removing the excess restores balance. In deficiency syndromes, Yin and Yang are insufficient; removing what remains causes both to fail, how can life be sustained? Therefore, the key to treating deficiency is: for those with Yin deficiency and much Heat, pungent-drying herbs are most disliked, lest they assist Yang pathogenic factors; bitter-cold herbs are especially contraindicated, lest they destroy vital energy. One prefers purely sweet herbs that strengthen Water, tonifying Yin to harmonize Yang, so that rigid Yang is controlled by soft Yin, defying fire naturally descends, and Yang returns to Yin. For those with Yang deficiency and much Cold, cooling-moistening herbs are most disliked, lest they assist Yin pathogenic factors; pungent-dispersing herbs are especially contraindicated, lest they injure Yin Qi (here referring to dissipating Yang Qi). One should only use sweet-warm herbs that benefit Fire, tonifying Yang to harmonize Yin, so that Yin-Cold naturally contracts due to lack of a master, and Yin follows Yang. Thus, for Qi deficiency, supplementation should focus on the Upper Jiao; for Essence deficiency, supplementation should focus on the Lower Jiao; for Yang deficiency, supplementation should include warming; for Yin deficiency, supplementation should include clearing. This is indeed the distinction in treating Yin and Yang. If Qi is deficient due to Essence deficiency, one should naturally tonify Essence to generate Qi; if Essence is deficient due to Qi deficiency, one should naturally tonify Qi to generate Essence. Furthermore, if Yang has lost Yin as its anchor and dispersed, how else but by tonifying Yin can scattered Qi be gathered? If Water has failed due to loss of Fire's warmth, how else but by tonifying Fire can dying Yin be revived? This is the subtle application of mutual assistance between Yin and Yang. Therefore, those skilled in tonifying Yang must seek Yang within Yin, so that Yang receives assistance from Yin and its generation is endless; those skilled in tonifying Yin must seek Yin within Yang, so that Yin receives elevation from Yang and its source is inexhaustible. Thus, dividing Yin and Yang by Essence and Qi means Yin and Yang cannot be separated; dividing Yin and Yang by Cold and Heat means Yin and Yang cannot be confused. This is the separation and union of Yin-Yang, pathogenic and righteous factors. Understanding the treatment of Yin-Yang, pathogenic and righteous factors allows Yin and Yang to harmonize and the Way of Life to be attained.

People know there is only one type of Yin deficiency, but do not know there are two types. If the "Water" within Yin is deficient, the disease lies in Essence and Blood; if the "Fire" within Yin is deficient, the disease lies in Spirit and Qi. Generally, when Yang declines, Qi departs, causing confusion of spirit and consciousness—is this not Fire deficiency? When Yin declines, the form deteriorates, causing flaccidity of limbs—is this not Water deficiency? Now, facing symptoms of spirit departing and form deteriorating, if one does not investigate the root of Water and Fire but still treats it as Wind, danger is inevitable. Consider the analogy of Heaven's Dao: the phenomenon is obvious. Drought brings dryness; dryness brings Wind. This is the transformation of Wood-Wind following Dryness; Dryness is a sign of Yin deficiency. Therefore, in treating conditions resembling Wind, one should specifically cultivate and tonify True Yin to save the root; once Yin Qi recovers, Wind and Dryness will naturally disappear. However, external contraction does not absolutely exclude deficiency syndromes; Qi deficiency constitutes a deficiency syndrome. Internal injury does not absolutely exclude excess syndromes; stagnation constitutes an excess syndrome. To treat deficiency, observe whether it is in Yin or Yang and directly tonify it; to treat excess, observe whether it is due to Phlegm or Qi and temporarily open it up. Between internal injury and external contraction, and between deficiency/excess and attacking/tonifying, one must most carefully examine presence/absence and severity to adjust treatment. There are even cases where Original Qi is chronically deficient, leading to sudden collapse, with no Phlegm above, incontinence below, eyes closed, and deep coma. This is a syndrome of Jue-Jie (collapse and exhaustion), which has nothing to do with Wind pathogenic factors. Unless large doses of Shenfu Decoction (Ginseng and Aconite Decoction) or seven-year-old Moxa are used to break conventions and reverse the condition, how can one hope to restore True Qi at the moment it is about to vanish? If one cannot distinguish exterior-interior, nor differentiate deficiency-excess, but merely names it "Wind" and uses many Wind herbs, one fails to realize that Wind herbs are all drying, and drying further injures Yin; Wind herbs are all dispersing, and dispersing further injures Qi. Treating internal injury as external contraction, and insufficiency as excess, is hastening death.