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Tang Rongchuan stated: "Xing" (Form) refers to the limbs, and "Se" (Color/Complexion) refers to the facial expression. The principles involved are extremely subtle, and pulse diagnosis is even more difficult. Here, I will briefly outline the general rules to provide a pathway for entry. Western medicine has not yet thoroughly investigated the observation of complexion.

The *Classic* states: "Assign the Five Colors to the Five Zang Organs: Green corresponds to the Liver, Red to the Heart, White to the Lung, Yellow to the Spleen, and Black to the Kidney. The Liver harmonizes with the Tendons, the Heart with the Vessels, the Lung with the Skin, the Spleen with the Flesh, and the Kidney with the Bones."

Tang Rongchuan stated: "This explains that the Five Colors are assigned to the Five Zang Organs. When each organ manifests its own true color, one can identify the disease. Since each organ also has specific tissues it harmonizes with, one can locate the site of the pathology. For example, if the complexion is green, it belongs to the Liver; since the Liver harmonizes with the Tendons, one knows the disease lies in the Tendons. The rest follows this pattern."

The *Classic* states: "If the green color resembles dried grass, death ensues; if it resembles the feathers of a kingfisher, life remains. If the yellow color resembles the fruit of the Acanthopanax (Zhi Shi), death ensues; if it resembles the belly of a crab, life remains. If the black color resembles [coal/dust], death ensues; if it resembles the feathers of a crow, life remains. If the white color resembles dry bones, death ensues; if it resembles pig fat, life remains."

Tang Rongchuan stated: "This indicates that among the Five Colors, those that are lustrous indicate life, while those that are withered indicate death. This is because only with the nourishment of Blood and Qi can a lustrous appearance be achieved."

The *Classic* states: "Generally, a predominance of green indicates pain; a predominance of black indicates Bi Syndrome (obstruction); yellow and red indicate Heat; a predominance of white indicates Cold. If all five colors appear, it indicates a mixture of Cold and Heat."

Tang Rongchuan stated: "Green is the color of the Liver. When Green prevails, Liver Wood overacts on Spleen Earth, causing pain. Black is the color of the Kidney. When Black prevails, Cold Water stagnates, causing Bi Syndrome. Yellow and Red are the colors of Fire and Earth, thus indicating Heat. White is the color of Metal, which governs coolness; moreover, what warms the body is Blood. If Blood is scarce, White becomes prominent, indicating a cold constitution. If all five colors appear, it is a sign of chaotic Qi dynamics, thus indicating simultaneous Cold and Heat."

The *Classic* states: "The Ming Tang (Bright Hall) is the nose; Que (Palace Gate) is the area between the eyebrows; Fan (Fence) is the side of the cheek; Bi (Screen) is the ear gate. The bone of the Ming Tang should be high and rising, flat and straight. The Qi of the head and face ascends to the Que Ting. The Wang Gong (Royal Palace) is located at the Xia Ji (Lower Extreme). The Five Zang Organs are arranged sequentially in the center, and the Six Fu Organs flank them on both sides."

Tang Rongchuan stated: "This describes the distribution of facial regions corresponding to the organs for complexion diagnosis. The face is divided into three zones: the upper is Que, and below Que is Ji, which is the Shan Gen (root of the nose). Relative to Que, it is lower; relative to the nose, it is centrally located, hence called 'Ji' (Extreme). This is the Wang Gong, corresponding to the Heart. The nose is below the Wang Gong, hence named Ming Tang. In diagnosis, the Five Zang Organs should be mapped from top to bottom in the center, while the Six Fu Organs follow their respective Zang partners on the sides. Internal conditions manifest externally, following the principle of similarity."

Tu Weisheng stated: "This is the method of assigning organs to facial regions from the *Neijing*. Although slightly different from previous descriptions, the vertical positions have not been inverted. It seems intended to provide multiple references for greater precision."

Tang Rongchuan stated: "Ming Tang is now called Zhun Tou (tip of the nose); Wang Gong is now called Shan Gen (root of the nose); Que is now called Yin Tang (between eyebrows); Fan is now called Jia (cheek); Bi is now called Er Men (ear gate). Ancients did not shave beards, so they did not diagnose the area below the chin. Modern diagnostic manuals mention 'Heart-Forehead, Kidney-Chin,' but these are assignments by mediocre physicians. Although modern people shave, Qi and Color do not manifest there, so it cannot be used for diagnosis. Internally, the Lung, Heart, Liver, and Kidney systems attach to the spine. Only the Spleen and Stomach are lower and do not directly attach to the spine. However, the root of the spleen membrane attaches to the spine. Thus, the Pishu acupoint is on the back, showing that all Five Zang Organs reside in the center of the body. Therefore, in diagnosis, they correspond to the center of the face, while the Six Fu Organs correspond to the sides according to their zang-fu relationships."

The *Classic* states: "Above the Que corresponds to the Pharynx and Larynx."

Tang Rongchuan stated: "Que is the area between the eyebrows; above Que is the highest point. The position of the Pharynx and Larynx is above all other organs, so it corresponds to above the Que."

Tu Weisheng stated: "From this, we see that previous assignment methods were not precise enough. Since the face reflects the interior, and the Pharynx/Larynx is a critical passageway, it cannot be omitted. Previously assigning the Heart region to the forehead to observe throat diseases was less appropriate than this method. However, although the positions differ, the underlying principle is the same, and it should not be harshly criticized."

The *Classic* states: "The center of the Que corresponds to the Lung."

Tang Rongchuan stated: "Commonly known as Yin Tang. The Lung resides in the chest, higher than the other four Zang Organs, so it corresponds here."

The *Classic* states: "The Xia Ji (Lower Extreme) corresponds to the Heart."

Tang Rongchuan stated: "Xia Ji is the Shan Gen. The Heart is below the Lung. Since the Lung corresponds to the center of the Que, the Heart should correspond here."

The *Classic* states: "Straight down (the nasal bridge) corresponds to the Liver."

Tang Rongchuan stated: "In physiognomy, this is called Nian Shou, i.e., the nasal bridge. The Liver is assigned here because, in the abdomen, half of the Liver is above the diaphragm and half below. Its position is actually below the Heart and Lung, so it corresponds here. Physicians after the Tang and Song dynasties assigned the Liver to the left cheekbone and the Lung to the right cheekbone, based on the theory of West-Metal and East-Wood, but this is not the inherent positional order of the Zang Organs. Furthermore, old theories held that the Liver is below the Spleen, stating that the Lower Jiao belongs to the Liver and Kidney. They did not realize that Water generates Wood, so the Liver is indeed connected to the Kidney. However, anatomically, the Liver is half above and half below the diaphragm. The Spleen is below the diaphragm, above the fatty membrane, close to the Stomach and connecting to the Small Intestine. Traditional Chinese Medicine physicians rarely saw visceral anatomy, losing the truth, leading Westerners to mock them and claim Huangdi and Qibo were wrong initially. But ancient sages' meticulous examination surpassed Westerners; this sequence shows the sages' precise determination of organ positions. Meridians and acupoints are unknown to Westerners. Claiming ancients had clear vision of viscera is empty talk insufficient to convince Westerners. Even regarding dissection, ancient creations must have involved some form of dissection. Moreover, when Emperor Xuanyuan fought at Banquan and Zhuolu, dissection would not have been difficult."

The *Classic* states: "To the left of the Liver corresponds to the Gallbladder."

Tang Rongchuan stated: "Mentioning the left implies the right. It says the Liver corresponds to the nasal bridge; the areas flanking the nasal bridge correspond to the Gallbladder."

The *Classic* states: "Below corresponds to the Spleen."

Tang Rongchuan stated: "'Below' refers to the Zhun Tou. The nasal bridge is above, and the Zhun Tou is below, hence called 'below.' The Spleen is in the cavity, actually below the Liver and above the fatty membrane, so it corresponds below the nasal bridge. Here, Ming Tang is the nose's correspondence; since the Spleen commands the Five Zang Organs, diagnosing the Zhun Tou is most important."

The *Classic* states: "Fang Shang corresponds to the Stomach."

Tang Rongchuan stated: "The meaning of 'Fang Shang' is unclear. Old theories say it is above the mouth and beside the nostrils. I interpret 'Fang' as two boats joined together, likely referring to the two nostrils, shaped like parallel boats. Thus, if Zhun Tou is Ming Tang, the two nostrils are Fang Shang. The Classic states: 'Five Zang are in the center, Six Fu flank the sides.' Since the nasal tip belongs to the Spleen, the sides of the nostrils naturally belong to the Stomach."

Tu Weisheng stated: "I find Rongchuan's explanation somewhat forced. Although 'Fang' means two boats joined, nostrils are round, not boat-shaped. If diagnosing the Stomach via the two nostrils is correct, then larger openings like the mouth must also have organ associations? I believe 'Fang Shang' should be interpreted as the mouth area. Whether this aligns with the sage's intent remains to be seen by experts."

The *Classic* states: "The Center corresponds to the Large Intestine."

Tang Rongchuan stated: "This 'Center' should be calculated combining the Cheek (Fan) and the Nose. The midpoint between the cheek and the nose is the Center. Since the cheek is Fan and the nose tip is Ming Tang, the space between can be named Center. The Stomach is near the nose, and the Large Intestine connects to the Stomach, so the position fits."

The *Classic* states: "Flanking the Large Intestine corresponds to the Kidney."

Tang Rongchuan stated: "There are two Kidneys, so they correspond to the two sides of the cheeks, the lowest lateral points. The Kidney resides low, making this assignment suitable. Later practitioners assigned it to Chengjiang below the mouth. Not knowing ancients didn't shave beards, the area below the mouth was covered, and Qi/Color wasn't visible, so the *Neijing* didn't use it for diagnosis. Assigning the Kidney to the cheeks allows bilateral diagnosis, fitting the theory."

The *Classic* states: "Above Mian Wang corresponds to the Small Intestine; below Mian Wang corresponds to the Bladder and Zi Chu (Uterus)."

Tang Rongchuan stated: "'Mian Wang' has no old interpretation. However, Ming Tang is where one faces the King, so it likely refers to the nasal tip. The Bladder and Uterus are below the umbilicus, equal in position to the Kidney. Since the two Kidneys are posterior, they are assigned to the sides. The Bladder and Uterus are anterior, so they are assigned anteriorly, below the nose, hence 'below Mian Wang.' The Small Intestine connects to the Stomach and is the Fu organ of the Heart, making its position hard to fix. Its mesentery connects to the Liver, Gallbladder, and Spleen. So it is assigned at the junction of Gallbladder/Stomach and Liver/Spleen, above the nasal tip and flanking the nose, hence 'above Mian Wang.' I note: later practitioners used simple methods like Left-Liver/Right-Lung, Heart-Forehead, Kidney-Chin, Nose-Spleen. These are simple but less detailed than the *Neijing* method."

Tang Rongchuan stated: "Que belongs to the Lung. Eyebrows grow beside Que, so they should belong to the Lung. People often associate eyebrows with the Liver, but they truly belong to the Lung. The *Classic* says: 'In Wind-Lung syndrome, diagnosis is on the eyebrows.' This proves eyebrows are an outlet of Lung Qi. However, Liver Blood must interact with Lung Qi to generate eyebrows. All hair is Blood transformed into Qi and manifested. Blood alone cannot generate hair; Qi alone cannot either. The eye region is governed by the Liver orifice. From the Liver/Eye region, Qi ascends to the sides of Que, governed by the Lung. Because Liver Blood interacts with Lung Qi, eyebrows are generated. The Lung is the Canopy (Hua Gai), so physiognomy books call eyebrows Hua Gai. Liver Wood governs anger and insults Lung Metal, being hard to control; thus, people with thick eyebrows tend to be fierce. From Que to Ming Tang, the Five Zang are distributed, with Six Fu on the sides, which is detailed. Only the San Jiao and Pericardium are not distributed. I infer from the text: San Jiao is the Fu of the Kidney. Since Kidney is assigned to Fan (cheek), San Jiao should be assigned to Bi (ear gate). The Kidney opens into the ears, and the San Jiao meridian circles the ears protecting the Kidney orifice. Diagnosing San Jiao via Bi is accurate. As for the Pericardium, it can be inferred to correspond to the sides of Shan Gen."

Tang Rongchuan stated: "Scattered in the Classic are signs of terminal illness, such as hair standing on end, sweat like oil, loss of large muscles, sunken large bones, curled lips and tongue, retracted scrotum, and flaring nostrils. These cannot be fully listed. Understanding the correspondence of organs allows one to comprehend ten thousand cases. Especially, the eyes require careful observation. Reading the *Shanghan Lun* and *Jingui Yaolue* will reveal all knowledge."