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Therefore, the sinews (Jin, tendons and ligaments) of the human body are mainly gathered around the joints. The knee joint is the place where the most sinews gather; thus, in the *Huangdi Neijing* (Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon), the knee is also called the "House of Sinews" (Jin Zhi Fu). Wood is characterized by bending and straightening (Qu Zhi); in the body, wood corresponds to sinews. These functions of sinews indeed well embody the bending and straightening nature of wood. On another aspect, many chapters of the *Suwen* (Basic Questions) mention the "Zongjin" (General Sinews). Although the meaning of Zongjin is not singular, it primarily refers to the anterior yin, specifically the penis in males. This meaning of Zongjin can be corroborated by a passage from the *Lingshu·Wuyin Wuwei* chapter: "Eunuchs have their Zongjin removed, injuring their Chong Mai (Penetrating Vessel)." Eunuchs, also known as castrated men in recent times, underwent castration before entering the palace, which is what the *Lingshu* refers to as "removing the Zongjin." This meaning of Zongjin brings us back to the aforementioned concept of Wind (Feng). Wind represents the mutual attraction of male and female; Wind is associated with reproduction and procreation, and Zongjin is the primary reproductive organ. Thus, the Wind in heaven, Wood on earth, Sinews in the body, and Liver in the zang organs fully prove that Laozi's statement "Man models himself on Earth, Earth on Heaven, Heaven on the Dao, and Dao on Nature" is by no means empty words. The relationship between Heaven and Man corresponding to each other is evidenced here conclusively. The *Liji·Yueling Shu* (Commentary on Monthly Ordinances of the Book of Rites) states: "Spring governs generation; the great virtue of Heaven's generation lies in the position of Wood." This sentence from the *Book of Rites* is brilliant. Where lies the great virtue of generation bestowed upon us by Heaven? It lies in the position of Wood. Wood governs Zongjin; if this great virtue were not in the position of Wood, where else could it be? For Zongjin to function, the key is its ability to bend and straighten. Currently, the number of patients with impotence worldwide is increasing; this is because the Zongjin bends but does not straighten. Why does it bend without straightening? There are many reasons for this. One important aspect is moral and ethical. Therefore, such ailments obviously cannot be solved by a few "Viagra"s. As practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), we should focus our thoughts on the Jueyin (Terminal Yin) channel and the Wind-Wood qi. ② The Sequence of the Five Elements In previous chapters, we focused on Water, Fire, Earth, and Metal; now adding Wood, the content of the Five Elements is basically complete. When exploring the Five Elements, besides their respective connotations, the sequence of the Five Elements is still a very worthy aspect to pay attention to. Regarding the sequence of the Five Elements, it has been clearly stipulated in the *Shangshu·Hongfan* (Great Plan): "First is Water, second is Fire, third is Wood, fourth is Metal, fifth is Earth." The sequence of the Five Elements in the Hetu (River Map) is also the same. Thus, the Hetu says: Heaven generates Water with one, Earth completes it with six; Earth generates Fire with two, Heaven completes it with seven; Heaven generates Wood with three, Earth completes it with eight; Earth generates Metal with four, Heaven completes it with nine; Heaven generates Earth with five, Earth completes it with ten. Why is the sequence of the Five Elements like this? Why must it be first Water, second Fire, third Wood, and not first Wood, second Fire, third Water? This is a critical issue. Because this sequence of the Five Elements reveals the origin sequence of various substances on Earth and the emergence sequence of species on Earth, which is undoubtedly an important clue for studying the Earth and humanity. What does the sequence of Water, Fire, Wood, Metal, and Earth indicate? It indicates that the first thing to appear on our Earth was Water. Water is the foundation of all life and an important feature distinguishing Earth from other planets in the solar system. After Water appeared, Fire followed. Why did Water and Fire appear first? The *Suwen·Yinyang Yingxiang Dalun* (Major Discourse on the Correspondence of Yin-Yang and Phenomena) states: "Water and Fire are the omens of Yin and Yang." Thus, the appearance of Water and Fire implies the appearance of Yin and Yang. And "Yin and Yang are the Way of Heaven and Earth, the general principles of all things, the parents of change, and the beginning of life and death." Therefore, after the appearance of Water and Fire, the Five Elements and all things can naturally be generated. Consequently, life on Earth began to gradually emerge after Water and Fire. Of course, this emergence of life occurred with plant life preceding animal life. The representative of plant life is Wood, and the representative of animal life is Earth. Thus, among the Five Elements, Wood appears first after Water and Fire, and Earth comes last. Furthermore, regarding animal life alone, the sequence of the Five Elements can well reveal its evolutionary situation. Therefore, from the Five Elements, we know that the earliest animals to appear on Earth were aquatic animals, which gradually developed into amphibious animals, and finally terrestrial animals. Thus, the Five Elements begin with Water and end with Earth. We previously discussed that the relationship between the Five Elements and animals is: Water corresponds to Scales Creatures (Lin Chong), Fire to Feathered Creatures (Yu Chong), Wood to Hairy Creatures (Mao Chong), Metal to Armored Creatures (Jie Chong), and Earth to Naked Creatures (Luo Chong). Therefore, among animal lives, Scales Creatures were born first; Scales Creatures are aquatic animals, followed by Feathered Creatures, then Hairy Creatures, then Armored Creatures, and finally Naked Creatures. What are Naked Creatures? Humans are the most qualified Naked Creatures! Thus, humans are the last animal life to evolve among all animal lives on Earth. This is completely consistent with the conclusions of modern scientific research. Facing such a conclusion, how should we treat this ancient theory? We should look at it with new eyes and feel deep respect! ③ The Meaning of Wood Generating Fire The Wind-Wood we discussed earlier was mainly from a medical perspective. Now, let us broaden our horizons to see what significance Wood and the generating relationship of the Five Elements have in other aspects, such as society, environment, and even the entire Earth. First, let us look at the significance of Water generating Wood and Wood generating Fire. I think its greatest significance is closely related to the currently hottest topic—Sustainable Development. It can be said that Wood generating Fire is the most critical link in sustainable development. Why say so? Let us think about this question together. What is sustainable development? What is the core issue of sustainable development? Actually, it is an energy issue. If energy can be sustained, then such development is sustainable development. If energy cannot be regenerated or sustained, what sustainable development is there to speak of? Although energy includes many aspects, the most crucial aspect concerning human survival and development is fuel. From the perspective of the Five Elements, fuel belongs to Fire. What produces the Fire of the Five Elements? It is produced by Wood. Therefore, in ancient times, our ancestors used Wood as fuel. Using Wood as fuel is the method of generation of the Five Elements, which is very much in accordance with Nature. In accordance with Nature, of course, it can be sustained. People who have stayed in rural areas in the past will have a deep feeling about this. Previously, rural people cooked with firewood, which they cut themselves from the mountains. After cutting this year, it would grow again next year, year after year, endlessly. A village with dozens of households had only a few mountains, yet they had been cutting firewood there for thousands of years, and the amount remained the same until now. Why? Because Wood can regenerate, which is very important. The United Nations Environment Programme stipulated two basic conditions for sustainable development: first, the energy you utilize must be renewable; second, it must be degradable after use. Using Wood as energy and Wood to generate Fire fits these two conditions very well. Therefore, the development mode of using Wood as fuel is a very complete sustainable development. So, let us return to the modern era. What is the development model of modern times? The fuels we currently use are mainly petroleum and coal. In the previous discussion, Petroleum and Coal have been defined as belonging to the category of Water. Therefore, our current model is actually directly using "Water" to generate Fire. Why can Water generate Fire? Because within Water there is True Yang, and within Water there is Dragon Fire. Therefore, what we are actually burning now is the True Yang within Kan (the trigram Water). This True Yang within Kan, as we emphasized earlier, is used to warm and nourish the vital Qi of the Earth; the life root of the Earth relies on it for nourishment. Now we mine it out for ordinary fire use. Can such True Yang regenerate? It cannot regenerate! It cannot grow back next year like Wood, which grows back after being cut this year. Therefore, mining a little and using a little makes it less. When mining is almost exhausted and there is no more True Yang in Kan, the life root of the Earth loses its source of nourishment. At this time, the Earth truly enters senescence, and all life existing on Earth faces extinction. Traditionally, Wood was used to generate Fire; nowadays, Water is directly taken to generate Fire. Wood generating Fire indicates that in the past, Wood was a main energy source. But what produced this main energy source Wood? It was produced by Water. Water generates Wood, and Wood generates Fire. From this perspective, Water is ultimately the source of energy. Why does the sequence of the Five Elements start with Water? This is probably related to this issue. Since Water is the ultimate source of energy, what is the difference between the above two methods of obtaining Fire? An important difference is that the process of Wood generating Fire is a process that Nature can completely control and grasp. Why is this a controllable and graspable process by Nature? Let us look at the process of Water generating Wood and Wood generating Fire. We harvest Wood to generate Fire, harvesting Wood as fuel; this process is entirely artificial, and Nature cannot control it. You want to cut how much, you want to chop how much, it is entirely up to human will. However, the quantity of this Wood is completely controlled by Nature. How much Wood Water can generate, and the regeneration speed of Wood, humans cannot dominate; it is entirely decided by Water, entirely decided by Nature. If you cut too much and it does not grow back, what can you humans do? You can only close the mountain to nurture the forest. Therefore, everyone carefully pondering this process of Water generating Wood and Wood generating Fire can feel that it is a very interesting process. But our direct taking of Water to generate Fire, using the True Yang within Kan as Fire, is a completely different process. In this process, Nature has absolutely no way to control it; it is entirely up to us humans, entirely up to OPEC. I want to extract tens of thousands of barrels a day, so I extract tens of thousands of barrels; I only care about the price per barrel of crude oil, regardless of how much True Yang remains in the water. Therefore, this process becomes one that Nature has absolutely no way to control or grasp. How can such a process be sustained? Earlier we listed the two basic conditions for sustainable development stipulated by the United Nations Environment Programme. In my opinion, these two conditions are not sufficiently profound. The most fundamental and profound should be: any development that conforms to Nature and is controllable by Nature is sustainable development; conversely, any development that does not conform to Nature and cannot be controlled or grasped by Nature is unsustainable development. Why did Laozi discuss "The Dao models itself on Nature" at the highest level of realm? On one hand, Laozi saw that human nature has a side that detaches from Nature and acts arbitrarily; on the other hand, he tells us that only the Dao that models itself on Nature is the true long-lasting Dao. II. The Outline of Jueyin Disease Regarding the outline of Jueyin Disease, we mainly expand on the content of Article 326: "What characterizes Jueyin disease is excessive thirst (Xiao Ke), Qi rushing up to strike the Heart, heat and pain in the center of the chest, hunger but no desire to eat, vomiting roundworms after eating, and diarrhea that does not stop after purgation." Article 326 is the outline article of Jueyin disease, i.e., the pathogenesis article of Jueyin disease, and also the longest among the outline articles of the Six Channels. Below, we will discuss the various symptoms described in the article separately. 1. Xiao Ke (Excessive Thirst) (1) General Meaning of Xiao Ke The first symptom discussed in the Jueyin outline article is Xiao Ke. What does Xiao Ke mean? Ke is thirst, which everyone should be clear about. However, some people who are thirsty do not necessarily want to drink water, or drinking a little to moisten the mouth is enough; thus, there is a syndrome of thirst without desire to drink. Such thirst is thirst without consumption (Xiao). Then, what is Xiao Ke? Obviously, it is both thirsty and able to drink water, and after drinking, the thirst is quickly relieved, but the mouth becomes thirsty again very soon. This is the general meaning of Xiao Ke. Why does Jueyin disease lead to Xiao Ke? Many physicians throughout history have believed it is caused by Heat in the Liver and Stomach consuming Body Fluids (Jin Ye), including modern standard textbooks which hold this view. However, thinking carefully about this problem, we feel that explaining Jueyin's thirst solely by Heat damaging fluids may not be appropriate. Jueyin's thirst should have its own special significance. Why say so? The reasoning is clear: if we explain Xiao Ke by excessive Heat consuming fluids, how can the Heat in Jueyin compare with the Great Heat of Yangming? The Baihu Jia Renshen Tang (White Tiger Plus Ginseng Decoction) syndrome of Yangming presents with dryness on the tongue and restlessness, desiring to drink several liters of water. Therefore, if we talk about excessive Heat consuming fluids, this Xiao Ke should logically be placed in the Yangming chapter. The outline article for Yangming should be changed to: "What characterizes Yangming disease is Xiao Ke, and the Stomach and Intestines are solid." But Zhang Zhongjing did not do this; instead, he placed Xiao Ke at the head of the Jueyin outline syndrome. This clearly tells us that the thirst in Jueyin has a different cause. Although thirst is an extremely common syndrome, looking back at the outline articles of the Six Channels, only the Jueyin outline mentions thirst. This prompts us that Xiao Ke is the most likely syndrome to appear in Jueyin disease and is also the most important syndrome of Jueyin disease. Therefore, for the diagnosis of Jueyin disease, Xiao Ke becomes an important basis. (2) Why Does Jueyin Cause Thirst? Why is Xiao Ke an important characteristic of Jueyin disease, and why does Jueyin disease most easily cause thirst? First, we can experience the process of thirst. The reason humans feel thirsty is that there is no fluid in the mouth and tongue, making them dry. Therefore, when describing thirst in Yangming disease, the dryness of the tongue is often mentioned. Thus, what are the sensory organs for the process of thirst? They should be the mouth and tongue. The mouth is the orifice of the Spleen, and the tongue is the sprout of the Heart. Therefore, when we speak of mouth and tongue, we are actually speaking of the Heart and Spleen, and Fire and Earth. Thirst must come from the mouth and tongue, must come from the Heart and Spleen, must come from Fire and Earth. This indicates that Jueyin is the factor most likely to affect the mouth, tongue, Heart, Spleen, Fire, and Earth, which is an important premise for thirst in Jueyin disease. Thirst is actually quite similar to drought. In Heaven and Earth, it is called drought; in humans, it is called thirst. Both are due to a lack of water to moisten. As mentioned earlier, water in rivers, lakes, and seas is inherently quiet; thus, water cannot moisten all things by itself and must rely on the action of other intermediaries to moisten all things. What is this intermediary? One of the most important intermediaries is Jueyin, which is Wood. Because Wood is generated by Water and is the son of Water, in the Five Elements, nothing is closer to Water than Wood. Hence, predecessors described this relationship as "Yi and Gui share the same source" (Yi Gui Tong Yuan). Yi Gui Tong Yuan is actually Water and Wood sharing the same source. Since they share the same source, it is naturally easiest to obtain. The Heart, as Fire in the Five Elements, is the son of Wood, generated by Wood. Therefore, for the sprout and orifice of the Heart—the tongue—to receive moisture, it must rely on Wood absorbing water to nourish upwards, relying on the intermediary role of Wood. This is one aspect. On the other hand is the relationship between Wood and Earth. Why can Wood keep Earth moist, or why can Jueyin ensure the moistening of the Spleen's orifice? Looking at nature makes this clear. In places with abundant vegetation, moisture retention is often good. Especially in primeval forests, regardless of spring, summer, autumn, or winter, the soil quality is moist. In places without vegetation, on the Loess Plateau, or in deserts, the situation is completely different; the soil quality there is often very dry. It can be seen that although Taiyin is called Wet Earth, without Wood, this Earth cannot be wet. We previously discussed "Dragons fighting in the wild, their blood black and yellow." Dragons bring clouds and rain, and are certainly important factors in keeping Heaven and Earth from drying out. Dragons belong to the East, and Dragons return to Wood. This thoroughly proves the key role of Wood in the process of moistening all things. Therefore, under normal circumstances, Jueyin can keep the sprouts and orifices of the Heart and Spleen—the mouth and tongue—fully moistened, thus preventing thirst. Once Jueyin suffers from pathology, the sprouts and orifices of the Heart and Spleen cannot receive moisture, and Xiao Ke occurs naturally. (3) Differentiating Thirst among the Six Channels We have discussed the special relationship between Jueyin and thirst above. Although Jueyin disease easily causes thirst, we should also see that it is not the only factor. Therefore, except for Taiyin which does not mention thirst, all other channels have thirst. It is necessary to differentiate the characteristics of thirst in each of the Six Channels. First, let us look at the thirst of the Three Yang channels. Thirst in Taiyang appears in Taiyang Fu syndromes, caused by unfavorable Qi transformation of Taiyang; thus, thirst in Taiyang must be accompanied by floating pulse, fever, and difficulty urinating. Next is thirst in Yangming. Thirst in Yangming is caused by excessive Heat consuming fluids, so it is often accompanied by the Four Major Syndromes: Great Heat, Great Sweating, Great Restlessness and Thirst, and Surging Pulse. Remaining is thirst in Shaoyang. Thirst in Shaoyang is caused by unfavorable pivot mechanism, affecting opening and closing, and affecting the Sanjiao (Triple Burner); thus, thirst in Shaoyang is often accompanied by signs of unfavorable pivot mechanism, such as alternating chills and fever, fullness and distress in the chest and hypochondrium, string-taut and thin pulse, bitter taste in the mouth, dry throat, and vertigo. Thirst in the Three Yang channels each has its characteristics, and differentiation will not be too difficult.