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The theory of Five Movements and Six Qi involves the concepts of Excess (Tai Guo) and Deficiency (Bu Ji), from which Winning (Sheng) and Repaying (Fu) qi arise. "Excess" refers to when the qi is dominant; after dominance, a repaying qi arises, causing severe damage. "Deficiency" refers to when the qi is weak; after weakness, it is overcome by its conquering element, followed by a repaying qi, leading to extreme chaos and ruin. This cycle of winning and repaying follows the natural laws of Heaven and Earth and is inevitable.

Therefore, in the heavens, there are responses corresponding to winning qi manifested by the five planets (Jupiter, Mars, Saturn, Venus, Mercury); on earth, there are responses in the flourishing and declining states of all things; and in humans, there are responses in the form of zang-fu diseases. For instance, if Wood qi is strong and overacts on Earth, Jupiter (Sui Xing) will shine brightly while Saturn (Zhen Xing) appears dim. Earth, being humiliated, has its child Metal act to repay this injury; thus, Metal attacks Wood to rescue the distressed Earth, causing Venus (Tai Bai) to brighten while Jupiter becomes dim. Any qi manifestation in the upper heaven corresponds to disasters below; if the associated constellation or direction is injured, the adverse invasion is particularly severe. The main movements interact through winning and repaying, and their qi patterns are all like this. Regarding disease manifestation: if Wood wins, Liver qi becomes strong, inevitably injuring Spleen Earth. If Liver winning persists, Dryness (Metal) will repay, causing Liver disease. If Dryness winning persists, Fire will repay, causing Lung disease. The five zang organs mutually influence each other's flourishing and declining, and their qi dynamics follow similar principles.

The excess and deficiency in heavenly movement are analogous to deficiency and excess in the human body. Because there is deficiency, there is repaying qi to supplement; because there is strength, there is conquering qi to restrain. Where there is winning, there is repaying; where there is succession, there is repaying. Without deficiency, there is no winning; without winning, there is no repaying. If the qi is balanced and peaceful, how can disease arise? Relying on strength to act tyrannically exhausts the Yuan Qi first, leading inevitably to deficiency. Thus it is said: "Where there is winning, there is repaying; where there is no winning, there is no repaying. A slight winning results in slight repaying; a severe winning results in severe repaying." It is evident that the degree of winning and repaying depends on the flourishing and declining of changes, having no fixed constant. The discussions on heavenly timing, earthly transformation, and human affairs recorded in the *Treatise on the Six Sources and Correct Chronicle* (*Liu Yuan Zheng Ji Lun*) are extremely detailed and comprehensive, presumably to clarify that such constancy exists.

Just as the sixty-four hexagrams and three hundred and eighty-four lines of the *I Ching* elucidate the subtleties of the Way of Change, teaching people to seek principles through the I and derive transformations through images, Confucius stated: "Writing cannot fully express speech, and speech cannot fully express intent." The great significance here aligns with this classic text. The Way of Heaven is originally subtle and not easily fathomed; even at its utmost, sages may not know everything. Therefore, those who study the *I Ching* should know that the Way of Change contains such variations and should not claim that variation ends here. Those who study theories of Movement and Qi should know that the Way of Heaven contains these principles and should not claim that principle ends here. Although change is difficult to predict completely, one can exhaust its mechanisms. Although the Way of Heaven is hard to measure, the theory of Movement and Qi exhausts its wonders.

Since acquiring knowledge, I have often attempted to speculate on each qi using the general principles of the Five Movements. The mutual waxing and waning corresponded correctly eight or nine times out of ten. Even when there were slight discrepancies, it was merely like the limited view of a frog in a well, where perception had not yet reached that point. How could the Way of Heaven truly be unreliable? Now, some ignorant individuals do not initially understand the principles of constancy and change, or flourishing and decline. They fail to distinguish the positions of Fang (Square/Directional), Yuan (Round/Cyclical), Xiang Sheng (Mutual Conquest), Fan Sheng (Reverse Conquest), Zhu Rong (Main Containment), and Cheng Zhi (Succession and Restraint). They stubbornly adhere to forced interpretations of the classics, harming the true meaning, and attempt to use finite years to generalize infinite heavenly ways. Grasping the hidden, subtle, dark, and manifest aspects is indeed not easy through tube-viewing or gourd-measuring; this is exceedingly shallow.

Furthermore, there are those who do not understand qi transformation, such as Ma Zongsu, who falsely used Zhang Zhongjing's name to compile the *Shanghan Lianfa* (Methods for Cold Damage). Using the migration of qi and movement to prescribe formulas for primary diseases is rigid, inflexible, and indeed erroneous. However, there is another group who are biased and固执 (stubborn), disbelieving in the theory of Movement and Qi. They often ask: "What benefit does the study of Movement and Qi have for medicine?" and say, "Diseases occur simultaneously; how can treatment be based on Movement and Qi? Is this not irrelevant?" I advised them: "If you speak thus, you truly do not seek to understand Movement and Qi; how then can it be discussed lightly? Observing the circulation of annual movements relates directly to safety and danger. Or epidemic qi spreads across a region, and everyone suffers from Wind-Warmth; or cold damages the viscera, and everyone suffers from diarrhea and dysentery. That many people suffer the same disease—is this not caused by Movement and Qi?"