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Previously, we discussed the favorable time for the resolution of Taiyang disease (Taiyang Disease). Now let us take a comprehensive look at the favorable times for the resolution of the Six Channels diseases to examine the differences between Yin and Yang. This difference can be roughly divided into two aspects: First, the favorable times for the resolution of the Three Yang diseases (Taiyang, Yangming, Shaoyang) begin at Yin hour and end at Xu hour, totaling nine hours; the favorable times for the resolution of the Three Yin diseases (Taiyin, Shaoyin, Jueyin) begin at Hai hour and end at Mao hour, totaling five hours. Second, regarding the favorable times for the resolution of the Three Yang diseases, Taiyang is Si-Wu-Wei hours, Yangming is Shen-You-Xu hours, and Shaoyang is Yin-Mao-Chen hours; although these three are consecutive, they do not overlap or intersect. For the favorable times of the Three Yin diseases, Taiyin is Hai-Zi-Chou hours, Shaoyin is Zi-Chou-Yin hours, and Jueyin is Chou-Yin-Mao hours; these three interlace and share common periods. What is the significance of this difference in the favorable times for the resolution of the Six Channels diseases? I believe this significance can also be divided into the following aspects: First, "The Way of Yang is often abundant, while the Way of Yin is often deficient." This is an astronomical term; "abundant" means long and plentiful, while "deficient" means short and lacking. From an astronomical perspective, the Sun represents Yang and the Moon represents Yin; the self-rotation period of the Sun is one year, while that of the Moon is one month; thus, the cycle of Yang is significantly longer than that of Yin. In this regard, the favorable times for the resolution of the Three Yang diseases versus the Three Yin diseases correspond exactly to the principle of "Yang being abundant and Yin being deficient." Looking at other physiological rhythms, in *Suwen: Shanggu Tianzhen Lun* (Plain Questions: Treatise on the Heavenly Origin of Antiquity), when discussing the physiological rhythms of men and women, it states that men follow cycles of eight years, while women follow cycles of seven years. Men reach the exhaustion of Tian Gui (essence related to reproduction) at age 64 (8x8), while women reach it at age 49 (7x7), a difference of fifteen years. This physiological rhythm of Yin and Yang clearly corresponds to the aforementioned phenomenon of Yang being long and Yin being short. Furthermore, Yang corresponds to day and Yin corresponds to night; the favorable times for the resolution of Three Yang diseases mostly occur during the day, whereas those for Three Yin diseases mostly occur at night. From these corresponding relationships, we can see that the establishment of the favorable times for the resolution of the Six Channels diseases has a profound foundation, relying on the entire natural world. Therefore, the issue of favorable times should not be glossed over but deserves careful study. Second, the favorable times for the resolution of the Three Yang diseases do not intersect, each having its own independent three-hour period. Verifying the chapters on the Three Yang diseases, Taiyang disease is mostly exterior cold syndrome, Yangming disease is mostly interior heat syndrome, and Shaoyang disease is located in the half-exterior half-interior region. Therefore, treating Taiyang involves releasing the exterior, treating Yangming involves clearing the interior, and treating Shaoyang involves regulating the pivot; the three are distinct. Although the favorable times for the Three Yin diseases also occupy three hours each, they interlace and share periods. Verifying the chapters on the Three Yin diseases, although Taiyin, Shaoyin, and Jueyin have minor differences, interior deficiency-cold syndromes run through them all; Sini Tang (Four Reversal Decoction) and similar formulas are used not only for Taiyin disease but also generally for Shaoyin and Jueyin diseases. Observing the favorable times for the resolution of the Six Channels diseases as a whole, we see that different times imply different treatments, and same times imply same treatments. From this, we understand why *Suwen: Liujie Zangxiang Lun* (Plain Questions: Treatise on the Six Periods and Viscera Manifestations) states: "One who does not know the annual additions, the flourishing and declining of Qi, and the origins of excess and deficiency cannot be a skilled physician." This is no empty talk. Can times be disregarded? They cannot! The discussion on the outline of Taiyang disease ends here.

Chapter 6: Outline of Yangming Disease

I. Explanation of Yangming

When reading the chapter on Yangming, one should approach it similarly to reading the chapter on Taiyang, starting with the chapter title. In our explanation of the Taiyang chapter title, we have already discussed differentiation, disease, pulse, symptoms, and treatment, so there is no need to repeat that here. Here, we will only examine the meaning of Yangming.

1. Original Meaning of Yangming

What is meant by Yangming? *Suwen: Zhi Zhen Yao Da Lun* (Plain Questions: Treatise on the Most Essential and Important Truths) states: "What is meant by Yangming?" Qibo replied: "It is the combination of two Yangs." The combination of two Yangs constitutes Yangming. What does this "combination" mean? Different interpretations of this combination lead to vastly different connotations of the concept of Yangming. Does combining two Yangs simply mean adding them together? Like a multi-bulb chandelier: turning on one bulb and then another makes it brighter; two bulbs together are brighter still. This brightness is Ming (brightness), and this is Yangming. Many people today understand Yangming this way, and many ancient scholars did as well. Two Yangs added together equal Yangming; isn't Yangming characterized by abundant Qi and Blood? This seems to fit. However, if we analyze this problem carefully and place Yangming within the context of heaven and earth, nature, we will find that the above explanation does not accord with the original meaning of Yangming. "He" (combine) means aggregation or gathering; this "combining" corresponds precisely to "opening," rather than superposition or addition (one plus one equals two). It refers to gathering Yang Qi from a state of generation and release, causing it to transition into a state of accumulation and storage. Only this is called "the combination of two Yangs resulting in brightness," which aligns with the original meaning of Yangming. "The combination of two Yangs" is actually equivalent to "the intersection of two Yins leading to their end." Jueyin mentions "the intersection of two Yins leading to their end"; this is not the addition of two Yins, but rather the end of Yin and the birth of Yang. How could Yangming be the addition of two Yangs? Therefore, "combination" and "end" are equivalent; they signify closure, not addition. This original meaning of Yangming will be successively proven in subsequent discussions.

2. Meridian Meaning of Yangming

The meridian meaning of Yangming mainly includes the Hand Yangming Meridian and the Foot Yangming Meridian. The Foot Yangming Meridian runs along the anterior midline of the body. *Neijing* states that the abdomen is Yin and the back is Yang; the anterior governs descending, and the posterior governs ascending. Since the Foot Taiyang Meridian runs along the posterior midline, Taiyang governs opening and ascending, while Yangming governs closing and descending. Considering the course of the Yangming meridians, does "the combination of two Yangs" mean they combine to dissipate more intensely, or do they close together to consolidate brightness? Readers may ponder this.

3. Organ Meaning of Yangming

The organs associated with Yangming mainly include the stomach and intestines. The stomach is naturally connected to the spleen, and the large intestine is naturally connected to the lung. Moreover, in *Shanghan Lun* (Treatise on Cold Damage), the stomach and intestines are often mentioned together; mentioning the stomach implies the intestines are included. Some practitioners trained in Western medicine who later studied Traditional Chinese Medicine found the phrase "there must be dry feces five or six pieces in the stomach" in the Yangming chapter puzzling and even ridiculous. However, if one understands this mutual correspondence and recognizes that both serve as officials of granaries, it would hardly be laughable. *Suwen* states: "The Six Channels are like rivers, and the stomach and intestines are like the sea." This relationship between the Six Channels and the stomach/intestines, between rivers and the sea, is crucial not only in *Shanghan Lun* but throughout Traditional Chinese Medicine. Especially for the study of TCM therapeutic methods, this is a key point and a secret. Why can the purgative method in TCM treat hundreds of diseases? Why can lesions of the Six Channels and other viscera accumulate in the stomach and intestines and be resolved through purgation? Theoretically, this relies on the aforementioned relationship. The greatest characteristic of this transition from river to sea is the characteristic of descending. I feel that if this key point and secret were thoroughly researched and resolved, TCM would experience a leap in therapeutic methods and technical approaches. Besides the above content, another layer of meaning in the organ aspect of Yangming deserves attention: the relationship between Yangming and the brain. The brain is the Sea of Marrow and belongs to the Extraordinary Fu Organs. In modern medicine, the brain is the seat of the central nervous system, and its functional localization is clear. Using such functional localization to examine *Shanghan Lun*, we discover that almost all syndromes involving mental abnormalities in *Shanghan Lun* are concentrated in the Yangming chapter and are almost always treated using Yangming methods. This leads us to associate the special relationship between Yangming and the brain. On what basis is this relationship established? Humans have four seas; the brain is the Sea of Marrow, and the Yangming stomach and intestines are also considered a sea. Opening a world map, we see that the four seas of nature are interconnected. Are the sea of the brain and the sea of Yangming also interconnected? An article titled "Humans Have Two Brains," published in *Reference News* on September 27, 2000, reported research findings. The author, Professor David Wingert of University College London, found through long-term research that billions of neurons, besides clustering primarily in the brain to form the well-known central nervous system, also cluster extensively in the gastrointestinal tract. He proposed a discipline called "neurogastroenterology," suggesting the gastrointestinal tract could be the body's second brain. Does Professor Wingert's research help us contemplate the relationship between Yangming and the brain?

4. Luck (Yunqi) Meaning of Yangming

The luck meaning of Yangming has two layers: one is the lung and large intestine mentioned earlier, and the other is Dryness Metal. In this section, we will focus on the latter. Yangming corresponds to Dryness in Heaven and Metal in Earth. Why is "the combination of two Yangs" paired with Dryness Metal? This is similar to why Taiyang is paired with Cold Water; understanding this significance is crucial for resolving issues in the Yangming chapter.

(1) Meaning of Dryness

The key to "the combination of two Yangs" lies in "combination," the meaning of which we discussed earlier: aggregating Yang Qi to prevent dispersion. So, what is the meaning of Dryness? *Shuowen Jiezi* states: "Zao (Dryness) is Gan (Dry)." Zao is Gan, hence "dryness" is often used as a compound word. Here, readers should note that we use the traditional character "Gan" (乾), which in traditional script is the same character as the Qian Hexagram in the *I Ching*. Gan (as in dry) and Gan (Qian, the hexagram) are heterophonic characters with the same form. Why should "dry" share the same form as "Qian"? This involves a significant issue. In the Later Heaven Bagua arrangement, the Qian Hexagram is located in the northwest direction. Mentioning northwest, one naturally associates it with dryness. Before writing this passage, I was invited to the northwest to consult on an American patient. Before boarding the plane, I wore a shirt, but upon landing, I had to wear a sweater. The cold weather wasn't the main issue—more clothes could solve that—but as someone from the south, I found the dryness unbearable. By the second day, my lips cracked, and by the third day, they blistered. Why is the northwest so dry? This shows that the shared form of "dry" and "Qian" is not merely a borrowing but carries deeper implications. Dryness is relative to dampness, just as cold is relative to heat. When we previously discussed cold, we approached it from the perspective of heat; here, we can discuss dryness from the perspective of dampness to see how dryness changes within Yin and Yang. To study dampness, let us start with its etymology. The radical of Shi (Dampness) is "water" (氵), indicating a connection to water; its phonetic component is Xian (显). What is Xian? A word often used with Xian is Ming (bright/clear). What allows us to perceive clarity or brightness? During the day, it is the sun; at night, it is lamps. Both the sun and lamps are symbols of Yang; Yang enables manifestation and brightness. Thus, Xian is Yang, and Yang is Xian. Once the meaning of Xian is understood, the meaning of Shi becomes easy to grasp. What is dampness? How is it formed? Water combined with Yang creates dampness; when Yang steams and agitates water, creating a misty vapor, it becomes dampness. Dampness is related to water, but where does it come from? It comes from water. Hence, water and dampness are often mentioned together, yet they differ. This difference lies in "Xian" (manifestation/Yang). Although dampness originates from water, it is not water itself; it requires the dispersion and steaming action of Yang Qi to create a vaporizing and misty momentum before it becomes dampness. Thus, the dispersion and steaming of Yang Qi is a condition for constituting dampness. Consider a simple example: among the four seasons, spring, summer, autumn, and winter, when is there much dampness and when little? Naturally, spring and summer have much dampness, while autumn and winter have little. Looking at directions, which places have much dampness and which have little? Southeast is Yang, so it has much dampness; Northwest is Yin, so it has little dampness. Why does this difference in dampness exist? Clearly, it is due to differences in the degree of Yang Qi's dispersion and steaming. In spring and summer, Yang Qi rises vigorously, bringing much dampness with it. In autumn and winter, Yang Qi transitions from dispersion to aggregation; once aggregated, there is no steaming. Without steaming, the condition for constituting dampness is lacking, so autumn and winter naturally have little dampness. This natural lack of dampness in autumn and winter brings up an important related issue: dryness. Dryness and dampness are opposites; much dampness naturally means little dryness, and little dampness naturally means much dryness. Why is it dry in autumn and winter? Why is the northwest dry? Simply put, it is because dampness is scarce, meaning the steaming action of Yang Qi is reduced. Thus, the issue of dampness and dryness returns to Yin and Yang. Exploring things requires grasping their essence; what is the essence of things? As discussed earlier, it is Yin and Yang. Therefore, discussing dampness and dryness at this level grasps the essence, which is what *Neijing* calls "seeking the root." Once the meanings of dryness and dampness at this level are clear, looking back at the Nineteen Pathogenesis Formulas, we realize that the absence of explicit mention of dryness is neither an oversight nor strange. Actually, mentioning dampness and heat implies dryness is present. When Yang Qi disperses, it creates dampness and heat; when Yang Qi aggregates, dryness arises. Therefore, whether dryness or dampness, they are merely different states of Yin and Yang. Liu Hejian and Yu Jiayan, considering themselves brilliant, added a formula for dryness to the pathogenesis list; while it seemed necessary, it was actually superficial and superfluous. Regarding the meaning of dampness and dryness, we can also view it through the lens of I Ching hexagrams. The fifth hexagram of *Zhouyi* is Xu Hexagram (Need/Nourishment), represented textually as Water over Heaven. The upper trigram is Water/Kan, and the lower trigram is Heaven/Qian. The Yi system originally had three branches; the commonly known *Zhouyi* is only one of them, the others being Lianshan and Guicang. *Zhouyi* starts with Qian Heaven, *Lianshan* starts with Gen Mountain, and *Guicang* starts with Kun Earth. In *Guicang*, the Xu Hexagram is called Ru Hexagram. What is Ru? Ru means moist/damp. Therefore, the Xu Hexagram is specifically used to discuss "dampness." If we wish to discuss the concept and issue of dampness on a two-dimensional plane, the Xu Hexagram is indispensable. Looking at the Xu Hexagram, the Ru Hexagram, and this "dampness" hexagram, what is dampness? Water in the sky is dampness. Water diffusing and misting in the air is dampness. Why is water in the sky? Why does it diffuse in the air? It cannot happen without the steaming of Yang Qi. If Yang Qi cannot steam and instead aggregates, water cannot remain in the sky or diffuse; instead, water can only descend and cannot "moisten" upwards to become dampness. Without dampness, dryness naturally arises.

(2) Why Dryness is Paired with Metal

In *Neijing*, Dryness Qi is paired with Metal, hence "Dryness Metal" is often used as a compound term. Why is Dryness paired with Metal? Having understood the meaning of Dryness discussed above, this question is easy to resolve. Among the Five Elements, Metal is the heaviest in substance. Why is it the heaviest? Because of its gathering, condensing, and descending nature. This gathering and descending nature causes Yang Qi to settle and condense; once settled, it does not evaporate, water goes down and does not rise, and dryness is produced. This is the reason for pairing Dryness with Metal. Laozi said: "Being and non-being generate each other; difficult and easy complete each other; long and short contrast each other; high and low fill each other; sound and voice harmonize each other; front and back follow each other." Actually, dryness and dampness share this relationship. We see that the hexagram accompanying the aforementioned Xu Hexagram is Song Hexagram (Conflict/Litigation). The image of the Song Hexagram is exactly the inverse of the Xu Hexagram, i.e., Heaven over Water forms Song. Since Xu Hexagram represents moisture and dampness, Song Hexagram must represent dryness and dryness. We can view Song Hexagram representing dryness from two aspects: first, continuing the previous logic, Heaven over Water means Qian Yang rises and Kan Water descends; water goes down and does not rise, hence it is dry; second, litigation matters, historically called official disputes, belong to Metal in the Five Elements, and the connection between Metal and Dryness has been described above. From these two aspects, Song Hexagram indeed represents dryness. Comparing Song and Xu hexagrams clarifies the relationship between dryness and dampness.

(3) Qi Associated with Dryness and Dampness