Library

Perspiration is the body fluid excreted through the steaming and transformation of Yang Qi (Yang Energy) and Yin Essence (Yin Fluids). The *Huangdi Neijing* (Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon) states: "Human perspiration is named after the rain of heaven and earth." Essentially, perspiration relies on Yang Qi for its movement and operation, while Yin Essence serves as its material basis. If there is an excess of Yin Essence but a deficiency of Yang Qi, perspiration cannot occur spontaneously; failure to perspire leads to death. If there is an excess of Yang Qi but a deficiency of Yin Essence, perspiration may occur spontaneously, but excessive sweating can lead to spasms (Jing), which is also fatal. Alternatively, if heat pathogen scorches the body preventing sweat from emerging, this too is fatal. In cases where there is an excess of Yin Essence and a deficiency of Yang Qi, compounded by the condensing effect of cold pathogenic factors, making spontaneous perspiration impossible, one must use pungent-warm herbs with light flavors and rapid action to stimulate Yang Qi. This is the method used by Zhang Zhongjing in treating Cold Damage (Shanghan). The *Treatise on Cold Damage* (*Shanghan Lun*) consistently focuses on rescuing Yang Qi. Conversely, in cases where there is an excess of Yang Qi and a deficiency of Yin Essence, exacerbated by the scorching effect of warm-heat rising energy, leading to spontaneous or absent perspiration, one must use pungent-cool herbs to stop spontaneous sweating, and sweet-cool/sweet-moist herbs to nourish and replenish Yin Essence as the material for normal perspiration. This establishes the mechanism for proper sweating. This is the method used in this treatise (*Wenbing Tiaobian*) for treating Warm-Heat diseases. This treatise consistently focuses on preserving Yin Essence. These are the general principles explaining why Cold Damage requires inducing sweating, whereas Warm-Heat diseases absolutely contraindicate inducing sweating. Since the Tang and Song dynasties, many have misunderstood this, leading each author to write their own books on Cold Damage, thereby causing harm to patients suffering from Warm-Heat diseases. Alas! Is this due to the Way of Heaven, or human error?

The original text asks: "Someone asks: Heaven has Six Qi—Wind, Cold, Summer-Heat, Dampness, Dryness, and Fire. Classics explicitly list symptoms and establish rules for Wind, Cold, Summer-Heat, and Dampness, but do not explicitly list Dryness and Fire. Does Dryness and Fire have no diseases to discuss?" The answer is: The *Suwen* (Basic Questions) states that spring injury by Wind, summer injury by Summer-Heat, autumn injury by Dampness, and winter injury by Cold exist because these four climatic factors have specific governing seasons, thus corresponding to specific diseases. Dryness and Fire lack independent governing seasons; therefore, they do not cause isolated diseases but rather manifest within various other diseases. This is analogous to Earth (Spleen/Stomach in Five Elements theory) lacking a fixed position, instead flourishing at the end of the Chen, Xu, Chou, and Wei hours. They are not listed separately because it was believed there were no distinct Dryness/Fire diseases. I consider this argument forced and speculative, unworthy of trust. It stems from over-reverence for classics leading to pedantic interpretation. Spring Wind, Summer Fire, Long Summer Damp-Earth, Autumn Dryness, Winter Cold—this is what is meant by distributing the Five Phases across the four seasons. When the classic says "diseases occurring before the Summer Solstice are called Warm," it refers to Fire. "Summer injury by Summer-Heat" refers to the central Earth of Long Summer. "Autumn injury by Dampness" refers to early autumn, when the damp-earth qi of the preceding season has not yet fully dissipated. Generally, heavenly commands are weak at the beginning of a season and strong at the end. Regarding "true autumn injury by Dryness," I believe this omission is due to lost bamboo slips over long ages. Yu Jiayan's correction is indeed correct, but he should not have forcibly altered the classic text, as detailed in Article 47 of Lower Jiao Cold-Dampness. To now compare Dryness and Fire to Earth flourishing across all four seasons is highly erroneous. What flourishes across the four seasons is Damp-Earth, not Dryness and Fire! Despite Mr.'s brilliance, his confusion regarding the Six Qi is indeed a rare oversight.