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The breast is the pathway of the Foot-Yangming Stomach Meridian; the nipple belongs to the Foot-Jueyin Liver Meridian. Nursing mothers who do not know how to regulate their lifestyle may experience qi rebellion due to anger, qi stagnation due to depression, and damp-heat accumulation from consuming rich and greasy foods. This leads to the failure of Jueyin (Liver) qi to circulate freely, causing the orifices to be blocked and milk to fail to flow out. The blood in the Yangming (Stomach) meridian boils with heat, leading to severe heat and suppuration (formation of pus). There are also cases where the nursing infant has phlegm-stagnation in the chest-diaphragm area and has hot breath. When the infant falls asleep while suckling, blowing hot air into the breast orifice, nodules (hard lumps) may form. At the initial stage, one must endure the pain, massage the area until it softens slightly, and suckle to ensure milk flows through, which will naturally cause the nodule to dissipate. If this opportunity for treatment is missed, it will inevitably develop into a carbuncle or boil. Treatment method: Disperse the stagnation of the Jueyin (Liver) meridian using Qingpi (Exocarpium Citri Reticulatae); clear the heat of the Yangming (Stomach) meridian by finely grinding Shigao (Gypsum Fibrosum); move turbid blood using the nodes of raw Gancao (Radix Glycyrrhizae Preparata); reduce swelling and guide out toxicity using Gualouzi (Semen Trichosanthis), or add Moyao (Resina Olibani), Qingjuye (Folium Citri Reticulatae Viride), Zaojiaoci (Spina Gleditsiae Sinensis), Jinyinhua (Flos Lonicerae Japonicae), and Danggui (Radix Angelicae Sinensis). Whether used as a decoction or powder, modifications can be made at will. However, it must be taken with a small amount of wine. If two or three moxa cones are applied to the swollen area, the effect will be even more rapid. Mediocre physicians, eager to show off, often use needles and knives to incise, causing excruciating pain, which is truly pitiable! As for those who feel unappreciated by their husbands or in-laws, accumulating sorrow, anger, and depression day and night, leading to the decline and obstruction of Spleen qi and the horizontal rebellion of Liver qi, hidden nodules may form, resembling large chess pieces, without pain or itching. Decades later, they ulcerate into sunken sores, named "Naiyan" (Breast Rock Cancer). Because the sore's shape is indented like a rock cave, it is incurable. However, if at the very beginning, the root of the disease can be resolved by clearing the mind and calming the spirit, followed by appropriate treatment, recovery is possible. My clan niece-in-law suffered from this disease at age eighteen. Her physical condition and pulse were slightly excess, but her temperament was irritable. Although she had a harmonious marriage, she struggled with her mother-in-law. I prescribed Qingpi Tang (Citrus Exocarp Decoction) from herbal classics, interspersed with Jiawei Siwu Tang (Modified Four Substances Decoction), combined with channel-regulating formulas. She recovered within two months.

Conception occurs after the union of essence and blood. Chu Cheng’s theory that gender is determined first puzzled me. Later, I read Li Dongyuan’s writings, which state: One or two days after menstruation ends, the Blood Sea is just cleared; essence exceeds blood, and conception results in a male fetus; four or five days later, blood vessels are vigorous, essence does not exceed blood, and conception results in a female fetus. This is an accurate discussion. The *I Ching* states: The Dao of Qian forms males, the Dao of Kun forms females. Qian and Kun represent the nature of Yin and Yang; left and right represent the pathways of Yin and Yang; male and female represent the manifestations of Yin and Yang. The father’s essence and the mother’s blood meet through mutual influence; essence is the active agent. Blood captures the essence to form the child, reflecting that all things originate from Qianyuan (Heavenly Origin); blood forms the uterus, reflecting that all things are nourished by Kunyuan (Earthly Origin). Through the interaction of Yin and Yang, pregnancy condenses. The place where the fetus is stored is called the Zi Gong (Uterus). It has a stalk below and two branches above, one reaching to the left and one to the right. When essence exceeds blood, Yang becomes dominant, receiving Qi in the left uterus, forming a male fetus; when essence does not exceed blood, Yin becomes dominant, receiving Qi in the right uterus, forming a female fetus. Some ask: I understand the distinction between males and females. But what about men who cannot be fathers, women who cannot be mothers, and individuals with both male and female characteristics? How should these be classified? I reply: Men who cannot be fathers suffer from deficient Yang Qi; women who cannot be mothers suffer from obstructed Yin Qi. Individuals with dual characteristics are formed because Yin body is invaded by mixed/impure Qi, resulting in various types. For example, females with male characteristics include two types: one can be a wife to a man and a husband to a woman; another can be a wife but not a husband. Some females possess complete male characteristics, which represents a severe case of impure Qi invasion. Someone asks: Does impure Qi invasion only occur in the Yin body, and why are the resulting forms so different? I say: The Yin body is deficient, making it susceptible to impure Qi invasion. When impure Qi invades, Yin and Yang mix without a clear dominance, unable to belong strictly to the left or right. Qi is received between the two branches, and the form develops according to the severity of the impure Qi received. Therefore, the combined characteristics vary and cannot be uniform.