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The *Treatise on the Separation and Union of True and Evil Qi* states: When the climate of heaven and earth is mild and warm, the fluids in the meridians remain quiet and peaceful; when the weather is cold and the earth is frozen, the fluids in the meridians become congealed and sluggish; when the weather is hot and the earth heat rises, the fluids in the meridians boil and overflow; when sudden storms arise, the fluids in the meridians surge like waves and rise in mounds. When evil qi enters the vessels, cold causes blood to congeal and stagnate, while heat makes qi moist and lubricated. Deficient evil takes this opportunity to invade and lodge, just as river water reacts to wind.

If one punishes without fault (i.e., attacks healthy qi unnecessarily), it is called great confusion. This reverses and disrupts the major meridians, making the true qi irrecoverable. It mistakes excess for deficiency and evil for true qi. Using acupuncture without principle becomes a thief of qi, depriving the person of righteous qi. Treating compliance as rebellion causes the dispersal and disorder of Ying (Nutritive) and Wei (Defensive) qi. The true qi is lost, only evil remains lodged internally, cutting off long life and causing premature death. Because the Three Regions and Nine Pulses are not understood, longevity cannot be maintained. (If insight is not precise and discerning, and learning is not comprehensive and clear, one will not only disrupt the major meridians but also become a thief of qi, causing harm at every turn. How can one survive long?) Furthermore, because one does not combine the observations with the Four Seasons and Five Elements, one may inadvertently promote mutual overcoming, releasing evil while attacking the righteous qi, thus cutting off human life. (It is not only the ignorance of the Three Regions and Nine Pulses that brings disaster; if one does not understand the sequence of the Four Seasons and Five Elements, it is sufficient to cause death.) When evil qi first invades, it has no fixed location. Pushing it moves it forward; drawing it stops it. If one applies the reducing method when it meets its peak, the disease is immediately cured. (This also explains the tonifying and reducing methods from the *Needle Classic*.)

The *Treatise on Thorough Evaluation of Deficiency and Excess* asks: What are deficiency and excess? When evil qi is flourishing, it is excess; when essence and qi are depleted, it is deficiency. ("Depletion" refers to the reduction of essence and qi, as if taken away.) For a woman nursing an infant who falls ill, what does it mean if the pulse is suspended and small? ("Suspended" means moving like a hanging object.) If the hands and feet are warm, there is hope for survival; if cold, death ensues. If a nursing woman contracts wind-heat, presenting with wheezing, rattling sounds in the throat, and shoulder breathing, what should the pulse be like? In cases of wheezing, rattling, and shoulder breathing, the pulse is typically full and large. If the pulse is slow/relaxed, there is hope for survival; if rapid/tense, death ensues. (This discusses cases where the pulse contradicts the symptoms in nursing women, allowing other signs to verify the prognosis. When both symptoms and pulse are severe, they provide basis for determining life or death. Nursing women with febrile diseases present Yang syndromes. A suspended and small pulse indicates a Yin pulse appearing in a Yang syndrome. However, if the hands and feet are warm, righteous qi still exists. Although the pulse is suspended and small, it is merely not large. Thus, survival is possible. Otherwise, cold hands and feet lead to death. Additionally, for nursing women with wind-heat fever, wheezing, rattling, and shoulder breathing—also Yang syndromes—the pulse should be full and large. Only if the fullness and largeness are accompanied by slowness/relaxation does it indicate the gradual retreat of evil qi and potential survival. If fullness and largeness are accompanied by tension/rigidity, evil qi increases further, leading to death.)

What about intestinal discharge with blood? If the body is hot, death ensues; if cool, survival occurs. (Heat indicates blood corruption, hence death. Coolness indicates the presence of Ying qi, hence survival.) What about intestinal discharge with white foam? If the pulse is deep, survival occurs; if floating, death ensues. (A Yin disease presenting with a Yang pulse contradicts the syndrome, hence death.) What about intestinal discharge with pus and blood? If the pulse is suspended and severed, death ensues; if slippery and large, survival occurs. For conditions belonging to intestinal discharge, if the body is not hot and the pulse is not suspended/severed, what is the prognosis? A slippery and large pulse indicates survival; a suspended and choppy pulse indicates death. One predicts death based on the organ's cycle of overcoming. (Liver dies on Geng/Xin days, Heart on Ren/Gui days, Lung on Bing/Ding days, Kidney on Wu/Ji days, Spleen on Jia/Yi days. This is called predicting death by the organ's cycle. This refers to intestinal discharge conditions; whether bloody stool, white foam, or pus and blood, life and death can be determined according to syndrome and pulse.)

What about mania? If the pulse is large and slippery, the disease will resolve itself over time; if the pulse is small, firm, and tense, death is inevitable and untreatable. (A small, firm, and tense pulse is Yin. A Yang syndrome presenting with a Yin pulse leads to death and is untreatable.) Regarding the pulse of mania, how do deficiency and excess manifest? Deficiency is treatable; excess is fatal. (This means that for mania, obtaining a Yang pulse that is deficient allows for survival. Mania is a Yang syndrome. Therefore, a large and slippery pulse represents a Yang syndrome receiving a Yang pulse, so the disease resolves itself after a long time. If the pulse is small, firm, and tense, it represents a Yin pulse, hence death and untreatability. However, regarding the pulse of mania, one should look for deficiency. A pulse that is large and slippery but contains a deficient quality is treatable. If it carries excess, evil qi is abundant, which is a sign of death.)

What about the deficiency and excess of jaundice? If the pulse is full and large, even in chronic illness, it is treatable; if the pulse is suspended, small, and firm, even in chronic illness, it is untreatable. (In chronic illness, blood and qi are depleted; a full and large pulse is inappropriate, hence untreatable.) Sudden pain in jaundice, mania, convulsions, and madness are all generated by long-term reversal of qi. Disharmony of the Five Zang organs arises from blockage of the Six Fu organs. Headache, tinnitus, and dysfunction of the nine orifices arise from disorders of the stomach and intestines. (This states that the origins of diseases all arise from within.)