Library

In the Qianxian (Prior Heaven) diagram of the *Yijing* (Classic of Changes), the Qian trigram is located above and in the south; in the Hou Tian (Posterior Heaven) diagram, the Kun trigram is located below and in the northwest. This aligns perfectly with the principles of the *Huangdi Neijing* (Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon). The Ti (substance/essence) and Yong (function/application) present each other mutually, generating and sustaining all things for observation. The human body is a microcosm of heaven and earth; is this not truly so? The *Xici Zhuan* (Commentary on the Appended Phrases) explains the Qianxian round diagram: "Counting the past proceeds forward; knowing the future proceeds backward." "Counting the past proceeds forward" refers to the function of the Posterior Heaven, which is the generation cycle of the Five Phases (Wu Xing); the theory in the *Neijing* that human life can reach a hundred years is based on this. "Knowing the future proceeds backward" refers to reversing the overcoming cycle of the Five Phases to transform it into a generating cycle; this is the secret principle of treatment by Xuanyuan (the Yellow Emperor) and Qibo. Moving from the positions of the Posterior Heaven diagram backward to those of the Qianxian diagram constitutes the Great Dao of Golden Elixir, which is the function of gathering and clustering the Five Phases. I have often said that one must attain the status of half an immortal to deserve the title of "Famous Physician"; this is certainly not idle talk.

In years of major epidemics, there are often difficult-to-identify syndromes. Physicians lack certainty and indiscriminately administer prescriptions, resulting in many premature deaths. To grasp the general key, one should examine the Sitian (Chief Qi governing the first half of the year) and Zaiquan (Subordinate Qi governing the second half of the year) over a three-year cycle, deducing where the climatic anomalies lie, and then combine this with the Sitian and Zaiquan of the current year. Medication prescribed based on this analysis, while not necessarily perfect, will be close to correct.

When studying the *Suwen* (Basic Questions), one listens with the ears but comprehends with the heart and kidneys; when reading it together with the *Lingshu* (Spiritual Pivot), one also engages the lungs. This shows that each sensory orifice encompasses the Five Phases, just as heaven and earth permeate each other.

Yu Jia Yan (from Jiangxi) possessed great talent and a liberal writing style, specifically deceiving people with exaggerated claims. However, his discussions on Warm Diseases (Wen Bing) reveal numerous flaws, though people fail to recognize his forced associations. There is no clear boundary between Wen diseases (warmth-related illnesses) and Wen diseases (plague-related infectious diseases), causing later students to often confuse them without clear distinction. Therefore, I emphasize this point repeatedly here.

Zhang Zhongjing, the Prefect of Changsha, never mentioned stir-frying Ejiao (Donkey-hide Gelatin). This was merely adding feet to a snake (doing something superfluous) by later generations. The use of Ejiao is specifically intended to nourish the deep, subterranean waters (metaphorically referring to its ability to nourish Yin and anchor Yang); if stir-fried, where would the properties of these deep waters remain?

"In cold damage, if the pulse is floating and slippery, this indicates heat on the exterior and cold on the interior." Here, the heat and cold of the exterior refer to their functional manifestations, while the cold and heat of the interior refer to their substantial nature. It means that the root of heat disease lies in cold; once the cold pathogen manifests and transforms into heat, both substance and function become hot. This is the literary style of the Han dynasty.

"If the pulse of the Hand Shaoyin channel beats strongly in women, she is pregnant." "If the Yin pulse beats forcefully and differs distinctly from the Yang pulse, it is called pregnancy." A vigorous Hand Shaoyin pulse is a sign suitable for pregnancy; even unmarried girls may exhibit this. If this condition persists beyond the appropriate time without conception, excessive hyperactivity becomes pathological, a situation seen frequently. If the Yin pulse beats forcefully and differs distinctly, pregnancy has already occurred. One sentence should be interpreted loosely (referring to normal physiological variations), and the other strictly (referring to pathological or specific signs). This reflects the norm that women's Chixi (Cun Cun) pulses are often strong at the Chi position and weak at the Cun position. The phrase "Yang differs" means different from the usual pulse pattern; at this time, the Cun pulse also feels surging and slippery, hence the statement that a strong beating of the Shaoyin pulse indicates pregnancy.

Regarding dreams in the *Neijing*, although they are categorized by Zang-Fu organs and Yin-Yang, the main focus is always on the Heart and Liver. Why? Because there is no case where the Shen (Spirit) and Hun (Ethereal Soul) are calm yet the dreams are chaotic.