盖闻人之生。气之聚也。形者生之舍。气者生之元。形无气则坏。气无形则散。形气也者。相须而不可离者
也。设有偏胜。体态异焉。总而言之。其要有八。曰动、曰静、曰强、曰弱、曰俯、曰仰、曰屈、曰伸。八法交参。则
虽行住坐卧之际。作止语默之间。不外乎此。诊之之法。以表里言。则动者、强者、仰者、伸者、为在表。静者、弱者、
俯者、屈者、为在里。是容貌表里之分也。以阴阳言。则动者、强者、仰者、伸者、皆属阳。静者、弱者、俯者、屈者、
皆属阴。是容貌阴阳之分也。以寒热分之。则在表属阳者多热。在里属阴者多寒。是容貌寒热之分也。以虚实
分之。则阳道实。阴道虚。阳常有余。阴常不足。是容貌虚实之分也。然以表里阴阳寒热虚实。八者合观。将
动静中各有俯仰。强弱中各有屈伸。而变化无穷。则就动静强弱俯仰屈伸八者合观。将表里中各有寒
热。阴阳中各有虚实。而变化亦无穷。且夫动静交相养也。强弱交相济也。俯仰屈伸。交相为用也。得其中。
则之八者。皆不可言病。不得其中。则之八者。皆可言病。然而中无定体。病不易言。盖天有寒暑。人有阴阳。
体有劳逸。年有老少。寒则多屈。热则多伸。阴则多俯。阳则多仰。劳则多强。逸则多弱。少则多动。老则多静。
而况老少劳逸阴阳寒暑。又皆有动静强弱之殊。俯仰屈伸之辨乎。然则天之于寒暑也。人之于阴阳也。
体之于劳逸也。年之于老少也。四者。果能随时以处中。方可因证而知病。不然。将以常为变。以变为常。未
识厥中。焉知允执。其不颠倒也者几希。
It is heard that human life is the aggregation of Qi (vital energy). The form is the residence of life, and Qi is the origin of life. Without Qi, the form will deteriorate; without form, Qi will dissipate. Form and Qi are mutually dependent and inseparable. If there is an imbalance between them, the physical posture will differ. In summary, the key points are eight: movement (Dong), stillness (Jing), strength (Qiang), weakness (Ruo), bending forward (Fu), looking up/extension (Yang), flexion (Qu), and extension (Shen). These eight methods intersect and interweave, so whether in walking, standing, sitting, or lying down, or during action/stopping and speaking/silence, they do not go beyond these eight manifestations. The method of diagnosis, regarding exterior and interior (Biao-Li), states that movement, strength, looking up, and extension belong to the exterior; stillness, weakness, bending forward, and flexion belong to the interior. This is the distinction of exterior and interior in appearance. Regarding Yin and Yang (Yin-Yang), movement, strength, looking up, and extension all belong to Yang; stillness, weakness, bending forward, and flexion all belong to Yin. This is the distinction of Yin and Yang in appearance. Differentiating by cold and heat (Han-Re), those in the exterior belonging to Yang are mostly heat patterns, and those in the interior belonging to Yin are mostly cold patterns. This is the distinction of cold and heat in appearance. Differentiating by deficiency and excess (Xu-Shi), the path of Yang is excess, and the path of Yin is deficiency; Yang is often in surplus, while Yin is often insufficient. This is the distinction of deficiency and excess in appearance. However, observing the eight aspects of exterior-interior, Yin-Yang, cold-heat, and deficiency-excess together, one finds that within movement and stillness there are respective bending and extending, and within strength and weakness there are respective flexion and extension, leading to infinite changes. Thus, observing the eight aspects of movement-stillness, strength-weakness, bending-extending, and flexion-extension together, one finds that within exterior-interior there are respective cold-heat, and within Yin-Yang there are respective deficiency-excess, also leading to infinite changes. Moreover, movement and stillness nourish each other; strength and weakness supplement each other; bending-extending and flexion-extension serve each other. Achieving the mean (Zhong) means none of these eight can be called pathological; failing to achieve the mean means any of these eight can be called pathological. However, the "mean" has no fixed form, and disease is not easy to define. Generally, heaven has cold and heat; humans have Yin and Yang; the body has labor and rest; age has youth and old age. Cold leads to more flexion; heat leads to more extension; Yin leads to more bowing; Yang leads to more looking up; labor leads to more strength; rest leads to more weakness; youth leads to more activity; old age leads to more stillness. Furthermore, among youth and old age, labor and rest, Yin and Yang, cold and heat, there are differences in movement-stillness and strength-weakness, and distinctions in bending-extending and flexion-extension. Therefore, regarding heaven's cold and heat, humans' Yin and Yang, the body's labor and rest, and age's youth and old age, if these four can be managed to maintain the mean according to circumstances, then one can understand disease through symptoms. Otherwise, one will mistake the normal for the abnormal, and the abnormal for the normal. Not understanding the "mean," how can one know how to properly uphold it? The chances of avoiding inversion and disorder would be slim.