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The *Suwen* (Basic Questions) first discusses acupuncture and then pulse diagnosis; the *Nanqing* (Classic of Difficult Issues) first discusses pulse diagnosis and then acupuncture. Acupuncture and pulse diagnosis must not be neglected. In ancient times, Bian Que (Yue Ren) could revive the dead, and Hua Tuo could cure diseases; this was not due to supernatural powers, but because they all utilized this method. As time has passed since the sages, later scholars find it difficult to master these skills, so the profound mysteries of acupuncture are rarely heard of in the world today. Nowadays, patients mostly seek physicians for herbal medicine, while few resort to acupuncture.

Xu Wenbo induced abortion through reducing methods with great speed. Once, the Crown Prince of Song, who was skilled in medical texts, saw a pregnant woman in the imperial garden. The Prince diagnosed her pulse himself and determined she was carrying a female fetus. He asked Xu Wenbo to diagnose as well, and Xu stated she was carrying both a male and a female fetus. Impatient, the Prince wished to perform a cesarean section to verify. Xu Wenbo requested to use acupuncture to induce miscarriage instead. He applied the reducing method to Sanyinjiao (SP6) on the foot and the tonifying method to Hegu (LI4) on the hand. The fetus fell immediately upon needling, exactly as Xu Wenbo had predicted.

Fan Jiusi treated a throat abscess in Jiangxia, an event rarely heard of. It is recorded that Cheng Gong, Grand Tutor of Jiazhou, was serving in Jiangxia when his mother suddenly developed a severe abscess in her throat, which rapidly grew and blocked her airway. He ordered physicians to treat her only with herbs and forbade acupuncture to avoid injury. A physician replied, "If qi in the throat is obstructed and cannot ascend or descend, how can herbs work? Even if administered, how can they take effect instantly?" Thus, no physician dared to treat her. Soon, Fan Jiusi, a medical doctor, said, "Apply the medicine with a new brush; the abscess will heal immediately." Cheng Gong provided a new brush. Fan Jiusi dipped the brush tip into the medicine and applied it to the abscess. Upon application, purple blood flowed out immediately, the qi flow gradually restored, and the illness healed. Cheng Gong exclaimed, "This truly reaches the divine mystery!" He invited Fan Jiusi to drink and asked for his prescription. Fan Jiusi laughed and said, "The disease was caused by heat-toxin knotting in the throat, blocking qi circulation. Although Cheng Gong insisted on herbs only and forbade needles, I secretly concealed a small needle in the brush tip, pretending to apply medicine, but actually puncturing the abscess to achieve the effect. Without this, how would purple blood have poured out?" Cheng Gong then realized and rejoiced, saying, "Acupuncture has the power to rescue from critical illness, verified today. As the ancients said: A general who does not assess his soldiers' capabilities cannot win battles; a physician who does not understand the indications of drugs cannot cure illnesses. One must have deep foresight to ensure victory. Without prior insight and long-term vision, a physician cannot guarantee effective treatment."

Generally, the relics of the past are emulated by later generations. The norms left by the ancients are for imitation. Especially regarding acupuncture, its principles are obscure and difficult to explore; those who excel in this subtle art are rare today. Therefore, the sages said: One must not fail to follow the writings of the former sages.

Wang Zuan cured possession through acupuncture, causing a water badger to emerge from the bedding. It is recorded that Wang Zuan studied medical formulas in his youth and excelled in acupuncture and stone therapy, gaining fame far and wide. The daughter of Zhang Fang, a resident of Jiazhou, stayed overnight in the Guangling Temple. A spirit impersonated her husband, possessing her and causing illness. Wang Zuan used acupuncture; after one needle insertion, a water badger emerged from under the girl's bedding, and she recovered.

Qiufu treated a ghostly affliction with success, sparing the soul from sorrow. In the past, Xu Xi, courtesy name Qiufu, was skilled in medical formulas. While serving as Magistrate of Danyang, he often heard ghosts wailing bitterly. Qiufu asked, "Why suffer so much if you are a ghost?" The ghost replied, "I suffer from lower back pain. Though dead, the pain is unbearable. I hear you are skilled in medicine; please help me." Qiufu said, "Ghosts have no form; how can I treat them?" The ghost said, "Bind straw into a human shape, let me inhabit it, and simply needle the acupoints." Qiufu complied, needling Shenshu (BL23) bilaterally and Jianjing (GB21) bilaterally, then performed sacrifices and buried the effigy. The next day, a man appeared to thank him, saying, "Thank you for the treatment and sacrifice. My illness is cured; I am deeply grateful." Then he vanished. Duke Qiufu remarked, "Ghosts are yin entities; yet if they get sick and seek a doctor, and are cured, they still feel gratitude. How much more so for humans? The ghost's surname was Hu, and his given name was Si."

These passages reveal the subtle secrets of the *Zhiwei* (Finger Tracing) treatise, offering direct guidelines for acupuncture.

Needle depth should correspond to tendons and bones; skin and flesh needling requires specific techniques. "Qiao" refers to acupoints; "Qi" refers to appropriate depth. The classics state: When needling the skin, do not injure the bone; when needling the bone, do not injure the marrow. Diseases vary in superficiality or profundity, and needle depth must match accordingly, reaching the proper level without exceeding the boundary. Exceeding causes injury; falling short leads to external stagnation, allowing pathogenic factors to invade. Improper depth becomes a major harm, disturbing the internal zang organs and causing serious illness.

Pain assessment must distinguish between chronic and acute conditions, and differentiate zang/fu organ involvement and cold/heat patterns. "Tong" refers to disease. Illnesses vary in duration (old vs. new), location (zang vs. fu), and nature (cold, heat, deficiency, excess). These must be carefully examined for regulation. Needles vary in length and tip type; one must fully understand tonification and reduction methods and apply them according to the specific condition.

Connecting qi and unblocking meridians follows specific rules regarding duration. The treatise states: For treating hemiplegia and chronic disorders of Ying and Wei, relapses are common because qi fails to connect and meridians fail to circulate smoothly. Although there may be temporary relief, if pathogenic qi overcomes healthy qi, the disease remains unresolved. In such cases, one must connect qi upwards and guide it downwards, regulating breath count and meridian length according to fixed methods. For the three Yang meridians of the hand, nine breaths are needed to traverse four cun of the meridian; for the three Yin meridians of the hand, seven breaths for five cun; for the three Yang meridians of the foot, fourteen breaths for four cun; for the three Yin meridians of the foot, twelve breaths for five cun. Severe cases require double these counts, and inhalation counts are the same. This is the method for connecting qi, unblocking meridians, and regulating breath duration.

Differentiation between interior/exterior collapse and deficiency/excess is essential. The interior/exterior of the five zang organs refers to the Heart and Lung being above the diaphragm, connecting with heavenly qi. The Heart governs vessels, and the Lung governs qi; their brilliance manifests externally in the skin and hair, hence termed "exterior." The Kidney and Liver are below, connecting with earthly qi, storing essence and blood, and filling the bone marrow. If the exterior connection of Heart and Lung is severed, skin and hair wither and fall; if the interior connection of Kidney and Liver is severed, bones become brittle and sinews slacken. Scholars of that era failed to distinguish interior/exterior and deficiency/excess, leading to erroneous use of needles and herbs, resulting in reinforcing excess and draining deficiency—harming the insufficient and benefiting the redundant. Such deaths are effectively murders by the physician.

Do not needle individuals who are extremely fatigued, as this causes qi chaos and spirit collapse. The *Jinci Lun* (Discourse on Forbidden Needling) states: Do not needle severely exhausted persons. Exhaustion leads to panting and sweating, with qi leaking internally and externally, causing qi depletion and chaos, and spirit dissipation.

Be cautious with breathing during needling to prevent syncope and blood stasis. Breathing facilitates the circulation of yin and yang qi throughout the five zang and six fu organs. If breathing is manipulated improperly during needling, yin and yang may become disordered, leading to needle-induced syncope, closed blood flow, and stagnant qi.

One must constantly study ancient meanings to uncover hidden mechanisms. Encountering true masters allows for transcendent enlightenment; receiving instruction from enlightened individuals helps support the critical. Ancient texts have profound literary and philosophical layers, making their hidden meanings hard to exhaust. Some meanings are embedded in characters, others illustrated through hypothetical scenarios. Their subtleties are endless. Only by encountering highly cultivated individuals can one grasp their true interest. One must not force interpretations.

Male and female qi and pulses move according to seasonal degrees. The treatise states: Men, women, the old, and the young differ in climate responses. Spring, summer, autumn, and winter bring different cold and heat. Spring qi generates slow pulse qi; summer heat accelerates pulse movement; autumn dryness makes pulse movement urgent; winter cold causes pulse stagnation. Children's pulses correspond to spring; adults' to summer; those over forty resemble autumn; those over sixty resemble winter. Diseases involve cold/heat, and pulses vary in speed. Each case must be analyzed individually; one cannot uniformly apply the standard measure. The *Nanqing* states: Pulse moving three cun per exhalation and three cun per inhalation is the normal pattern. However, even slightly ill persons deviate from the natural degree, earth's rhythm, and pulse function, differing from normals. Diagnostic standards should consider five beats per respiration as the natural measure. Pulses slower than spring/winter norms or faster than autumn/summer norms require adjustment. For spring/winter patterns, retain the needle until qi arrives; for autumn/summer patterns, remove the needle when the breath cycle completes. This is the principle.

The injection of points according to the "Child-Nourishing" hourly cycles must strictly follow the rules. "Child-nourishing hourly point injection" refers to the method of injecting Jing-River-Shu-Source-He points of the zang and fu organs by hour. Each two-hour period involves five phases of generation (nourishing the child), injecting the five points of Jing, Ying, Shu, Jing, and He. Over twelve hours day and night, qi and blood pass through over sixty points. Each point receives 1/60th of a ke (approx. 1 minute 36 seconds), calculated as 6 fen, 6 li, 6 hao, 6 si, 6 hu, 6 miao. Sixty points make up 100 ke. To determine daily Jing-Ying points, use the Five Zi Jian Yuan method. For example, on a Jia day at Jia-Xu hour, the Gallbladder channel begins with Qiangu (GB44) as the Wood Jing point. Qi flows to the Small Intestine as Fire Ying point, passes QianGu (SI18 - *Note: Text says Qian Gu, likely referring to a specific point in context or typo for SI1/Qiangu logic, but text says 'Qian Gu' then 'Wei Shu Tu', implying Stomach channel transition logic*)... [Text implies flow through Stomach Shu point], then to Yuan point Qiuxu (GB40). Since Fu organs have Yuan points, they do not strictly follow the Jing-Ying generation sequence but serve as gates of yin and yang. Qi proceeds to Large Intestine as Metal Jing point, passes Yangxi (LI5), enters Bladder as Water He point, entering Weizhong (BL40), concluding the cycle. This completes the five-phase flow of five points in the Jia-Xu hour. Other hours follow this pattern.

Now, having carefully determined the appropriate treatments for diseases and the sacred acupuncture methods, widely searching the secret texts of the *Nanqing* and *Suwen*, and deeply examining the subtle insights of various schools' elbow manuals, this work is titled *Lujing Liuzhu Zhimi* (Subtle Fingers of Flowing Notes from the Lu River), established as a rule for future learners.