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Those who contract the Six Excesses (Liu Yin, 六淫) and fall ill immediately are said to have a "Shang" (Injury, 伤) if the condition is mild, or a "Zhong" (Strike/Severe Injury, 中) if it is severe. Those who contract the Six Excesses but do not fall ill immediately, instead manifesting symptoms after a period of time, are collectively referred to as having "Fu Xie" (Latent Pathogenic Factors, 伏邪). If an already manifested illness is treated improperly, causing the pathology to lie latent within, it is also called "Fu Xie". If the initial contraction was treated improperly, damaging the Zheng Qi (Upright Qi, 正气) internally and allowing the pathogen to sink inward, resulting in a temporary false recovery followed by relapse, this is also called "Fu Xie". If an illness has been treated and cured but the root cause was not completely eradicated, leaving residual pathogens to lie latent and later recur, this is also called "Fu Xie". These latent pathogens include Latent Dryness (Fu Zao, 伏燥), Latent Cold (Fu Han, 伏寒), Latent Wind (Fu Feng, 伏风), Latent Dampness (Fu Shi, 伏湿), Latent Summerheat (Fu Shu, 伏暑), and Latent Heat (Fu Re, 伏热).

The sequence of the four seasons is: Spring corresponds to Wind, Summer to Summerheat, Late Summer to Dampness, Autumn to Dryness, and Winter to Cold; all of these have external causes. Fire, however, originally has no direct external cause. Yet, the *Huangdi Neijing* (Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon) states that the generation of myriad diseases arises from Wind, Cold, Summerheat, Dampness, Dryness, and Fire; thus, Fire is included to make six, and such diseases are named "Six Excesses" (Liu Yin, 六淫). This is because Wind, Summerheat, Dampness, Dryness, and Cold affect the exterior, while Fire responds internally; therefore, the internal Fire is induced by these five external factors. Consequently, Fire merely circulates among them, which is why later physicians proposed the theory that "the Five Qi all transform into Fire" (Wu Qi Jie Cong Huo Hua, 五气皆从火化).

All latent Warmth-Heat illnesses are Latent Fire. Although the initial pathogenic factor contracted may differ between Cold Injury (Shang Han, 伤寒) and Summerheat Injury (Shang Shu, 伤暑), once latent for a long time, they undergo fermentation, steaming, and transformation, emerging beyond their proper season, ultimately all returning to the transformation into Fire. The "Latent Fire Syndrome" described in Traditional Chinese Medicine corresponds to "Internal Inflammation" in Western medicine. Wang Bingheng stated: "Wind, Cold, Summerheat, and Dampness can all transform into Fire; blood and Qi stagnation and steaming invariably generate Fire, which is why Fire syndromes are particularly numerous in humans." Zhu Xinnong stated: "In the Southeast, the heavenly climate is often hot, and the earthly qi is often damp, making Damp-Heat and Damp-Warmth syndromes most common, while true Cold Injury syndromes are rare. Even if one claims that winter sees many true Cold Injury syndromes, this is not entirely accurate. Based on historical cases, it is consistently observed that in regions south of the Yangtze River, whenever the winter is unusually warm, upon contracting a cold, although there is exterior Cold, the interior predominantly contains Latent Fire. Treating all cases according to Latent Fire yields precise results without error. Therefore, Wei Liuzhou stated: 'Zhuang Huo' (Exuberant Fire, 壮火) is the thief of ten thousand diseases." John Chalmers stated: "Inflammation is the source of hundred diseases." The principles of TCM and Western medicine are identical. Nevertheless, although both are Latent Fire, Damp-Fire and Dry-Fire are distinctly different. Using methods for treating Dry-Fire on Damp-Fire will suppress the Dampness while trapping the Heat further, inevitably leading to fullness and obstruction, vomiting and hiccups, aversion to cold, obscured heat sensation, borborygmus, and diarrhea, and potentially clouding the clear orifices, delirium and coma, spontaneous sweating, cold limbs, jaw clenching with inability to speak, or limb spasms and convulsions. Conversely, using methods for treating Damp-Fire on Dry-Fire adds dryness to dryness, akin to fanning flames, inevitably leading to scorching heat, Xiao Ke (Wasting-Thirst, 消渴), extreme heat with confusion and mania, wind stirring leading to spasms and syncope, and potentially flaring nostrils with hoarseness, curled tongue and retracted scrotum, exhaustion of Yin with floating of Yang, internal closure with external collapse. Therefore, prescribing medication based on symptoms must rely on the presenting signs of either Dry-Fire or Damp-Fire. When distinctions are clear, mis-treatment naturally decreases.