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The True Fire of the Mingmen (Gate of Life) is stored within the two Kidneys, and the True Water of the Xingmen (Gate of Nature) is stored within the single Heart. People only speak of the True Fire of the Mingmen, but do not investigate what the True Water of the Xingmen is. Why? Because the True Yang Fire can generate the True Yin Water. Little do they know that Xing and Ming mutually generate each other, and Water and Fire cannot fail to interact for even a moment. The Water generated by Tianyi (One in Heaven) is the beginning of our bodily formation; within this Water, True Fire can be generated, yet people have not thoroughly investigated this.

Moreover, preserving the True Yin Water allows the True Yang Fire to remain constant and not dissipate; if True Yin declines, True Yang has no attachment, flies upward and outward, transforming into Pathogenic Fire, which can then deplete the True Yin Water. Is this not dangerous!

The nature of Fire is originally dry, fierce, and expansive, yet the Ministerial Fire (Xianghuo, an auxiliary fire residing in the Kidney) in the Kidney tends toward closure and storage. The nature of Water is originally soft, weak, and hibernating, yet the Essence of the Heart, through its tripartite integration, exclusively governs clarity and drainage. Thus we know that Xing (Heart/Fire) changes according to position; Water and Fire are originally not two distinct Qi.

Exhaling produces Water; this is Yang transforming into Yin. Evaporating Water produces Qi; this is Yin transforming into Yang. A lamp does not extinguish because of the oil/grease; this is Yang relying on Yin. Water does not freeze because of Fire; this is Yin relying on Yang. They require each other in this manner, allowing us to understand their natures.

When tonifying Heart Qi and benefiting Heart Essence yields no effect, one knows it is due to the decline of Mingmen Fire and insufficiency of Kidney Water. Why? The Fire of the Mingmen is the root of Heart Fire; the Essence of Kidney Water is the source of Heart Essence. If the Heart lacks Water, solitary Fire rebels upward; if the Kidney lacks Fire, Cold Water condenses downward. When Water is weak and Fire flares, Metal of the Lung is overcontrolled; Yang flames fly in the Upper Jiao, generating diseases such as cough, asthma, and hemoptysis. This is Lower Deficiency leading to Upper Excess. When Fire is weak and Water is rigid (cold), Wood of the Liver loses nourishment; turbid Yin coagulates in the Lower Jiao, generating diseases such as strangury, edema/swelling, and cold sperm. This is Upper Deficiency leading to Lower Excess. When Water and Fire are balanced, Yin and Yang have no excess or deficiency.

The authority of the Spleen lies in the Kidney; the authority of the Stomach lies in the Heart. From below upward, Water moistens Earth (Spleen); from above downward, Fire generates Earth (Spleen). Spleen Earth belongs to Yin, born from Ministerial Fire, moving vigorously without cease. Stomach Earth belongs to Yang, transmitting to the Large Intestine, receiving infinitely. All are governed by the Kidney which controls grasping Qi; thus Earth is generated by Fire. When Spleen is deficient, Stomach stagnates and appetite fails; when Spleen is full/excess, Stomach transforms and appetite functions. All are regulated by the Lung which controls expelling Qi, thus ensuring the flow of Qi mechanism. Therefore, whenever treating Spleen and Stomach disorders, one should prioritize regulating Lung Qi and communicating between Heart and Kidney.

Phlegm in the human body causes the most harm. Its surge is like a tide; its decline is like the ebb. Wind, Cold, Dampness, and Dryness arise with Qi; constitution being Excess or Deficiency arises with the person. Turbid phlegm is thick; clear phlegm is thin. There is no place among the Five Zang and Six Fu organs where phlegm does not exist; its ascending and descending has no fixed time; it is incompatible with Healthy Qi, much like dark clouds and miasmic fog in heaven and earth.

Qi and Blood throughout the body are all interconnected. Thus, ancients used acupuncture to unblock the exterior, moving from outside to inside to harmonize Qi and Blood; they used herbs to unblock the interior, moving from inside to outside to harmonize Qi and Blood. The principle is the same. As for "when there is free flow, there is no pain; when there is pain, there is no free flow," this refers to the original state of free flow now becoming blocked. Whether internal or external, once one area is unblocked, pain ceases. One should unblock the Twelve Meridians and Zang-Fu organs according to their respective locations. If one unblocks other areas, the painful site remains unknown, while other areas may instead become pulled or agitated.

Tonification: beware of administering too hastily and causing sudden stagnation. Purging: beware of attacking too urgently and using harsh/drastic agents. Improper use of either can cause harm. For example, improper purging of Heat may leave Heat unresolved while Cold reappears; Cold and Heat occupy their respective positions, making both warming and cooling therapies contraindicated, leaving even good physicians at a loss. The same applies to purging Cold.

People only know that failing to store Essence in Winter leads to disease, but do not realize that failing to store Essence in Summer is even more severe. I have seen frail individuals during intense summer heat often complaining of suffocating breathlessness. Those who die from Heatstroke (Zhongshu) die directly due to this Qi blockage/suffocation. After sexual emission, people often experience shortness of breath, which is not far different from the Qi blockage in summer heat. The Classic says: "Heat injures Qi," and also: "Blazing Fire consumes Qi." Therefore, I say the blazing power of Summer exceeds the cold of Winter. If Essence is not stored, robust individuals may develop latent summerheat in Autumn, while frail individuals may die immediately from Heatstroke.