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The form of Heaven and Earth is like an egg, with the Six Directions (Shangxia, Dongxi, Nanbei) contained within, round as a sphere. The sun and moon rise and set, operating above Heaven and below Earth, moving up, down, east, and west in a continuous rotation like a flying wheel. In spring and summer, the sun travels through the Northern Constellations; in autumn and winter, it travels through the Southern Constellations. Where the Sun shines, the Qi is warm; thus, the wind Qi of the four directions each has its predominant excess.

In the regions of Qin and Jin, the local Qi is cold, so Cold diseases are numerous while Summerheat diseases are few. In Wu, Yue, Dian, Qian, and Guangdong, the local Qi is warm, so Cold diseases are common, but Summerheat diseases are particularly severe. Even in the eighth and ninth months, it remains as hot as the dog days. Ignorant physicians there do not understand this; they generally administer formulas for treating Cold, adding fire to fire, and furthermore forbid patients from drinking water or eating melons, leading to conditions that are incurable.

In the Bingwu year of the Wanli era, I presided over the imperial examinations in Guangdong. Many officials and servants in the examination compound suffered from this illness, their groans audible to one another. Physicians all considered it a Cold syndrome. I questioned them, saying, "On such-and-such day, there was wind and rain; did you wear padded cotton clothing?" They all answered according to the truth. I then treated them lawfully with Cooling agents, and they recovered. Governor Yang was surprised by this and requested the prescription. Amidst my busy schedule, I briefly extracted several items and formulas from my mind; Governor Yang then had them printed, titling it *Zhang Sinong's Life-Saving Sayings*. Currently, the printing blocks are stored in the Provincial Administration Commission of Western Guangdong. Governor Yang is indeed a benevolent person, so eager to help others. Since local Qi differs, treatment methods also differ. This is akin to a man from Yue being startled by a fox's tail or a man from Yan suspecting cloth to be a snake skin; such perceptions are constrained by regional limitations. How can one apply medicine uniformly? Seeing only Cold when it is Cold is limited by the present circumstances; failing to recognize Heat when it is Heat is constrained by ancient texts. Fearing great confusion and lack of understanding, I have specially altered my presentation to clarify this.

Lin notes: The shape of the terrain is spherical. Wherever sunlight strikes directly at the equator, the Qi is warm, hence ice seas exist at both poles. Speaking of China, the northwestern plateau sees many Wind-Cold diseases, while the southeastern lowlands see many Damp-Heat diseases. The condition of smallpox/rash is traditionally said to have been contracted by Ma Fu Bo (Ma Yuan) during his southern campaign and subsequently spread to the Central Plains. Generally speaking, Southern Yue belongs to the direction of Sovereign Fire, receiving the Qi earliest. Outside the northern passes, there have been no outbreaks of smallpox to this day, because it is a region where cold water condenses, and the Qi of Sovereign Fire does not reach it. One must thoroughly study and ponder the *Su Wen* chapter on "Different Methods and Appropriate Treaties for Different Regions."