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*Suwen: Yin Yang Yingxiang Dalun* (The Great Treatise on the Correspondence of Yin and Yang in the Basic Questions)

Huangdi said: Yin and Yang are the Dao (Way/Law) of Heaven and Earth, the general principles of all things, the parents of change, the origin of life and death, and the residence of spiritual clarity. (All matters regarding the change, generation, destruction, and spiritual clarity of Heaven, Earth, and all things ultimately do not exceed the principle of Yin and Yang; thus, Yin and Yang are the root of all affairs.) In treating disease, one must seek the root. (Since all myriad changes originate from Yin and Yang, and pathogenesis, drug properties, pulse diagnosis, and therapeutic discussions are most closely related to this, therefore, whoever treats disease must necessarily seek the root, whether rooting in Yin or rooting in Yang. Only by finding the root can treatment be applied. The detailed meanings throughout this chapter have been seen in Chapter 1 of the "Yin Yang Category"; listing it as the first chapter in this category again is because the way of treating disease emphasizes the root, so it is specially highlighted and placed at the beginning. Readers should cross-reference them. I observe: The "root" means the source, the beginning, that which explains why all things are as they are. There is no flowing water without a source, nor a tree without roots. Clearing the source makes the water clear naturally; watering the roots makes the branches flourish. This is none other than the way of seeking the root. Thus, Huangdi said: In treating disease, one must seek the root. Confucius said: If the root is chaotic but the branches are to be governed, this is impossible. This sacred heart-mind transmission originates from a consistent principle. It can be seen that adapting to changing circumstances must never neglect the root, especially in diseases, where one must prioritize examining and obtaining the root. Once the root is known, there are no remaining ambiguities. However, the character "root," when combined, is singular; when divided, it is infinite. What is meant by "singular when combined" is precisely the Yin and Yang mentioned in this chapter. There is no one who does not understand Yin and Yang yet can comprehend affairs, nor one who does not understand Yin and Yang yet can comprehend diseases. This is the great root of Heaven, Earth, and all things, which must not be unknown. What is meant by "infinite when divided" is that with change, there must be phenomena; with phenomena, there must be a root. In all matters, there are aspects that cannot be ignored, which is where the root lies. Let us briefly list some examples: Death takes Life as its root; to save from death, do not injure Life. Pathogenic factors take Healthy Qi (Zheng Qi) as their root; to attack pathogens, one must protect Healthy Qi. Yin takes Yang as its root; if Yang exists, there is life; if Yang exhausts, there is death. Stillness takes Movement as its root; with movement, there is vitality; without movement, there is stagnation. Blood takes Qi as its root; when Qi arrives, it moves; when Qi departs, it coagulates. Symptoms take the Pulse as their root; an auspicious pulse indicates an auspicious outcome, while an ominous pulse indicates an ominous outcome. The earlier condition is the root of the later condition; what comes from here must go back through here. Urgency takes Slowness as its root; who is urgent and worrisome, who is slow and carefree? The interior is the root of the exterior; what harm is there if the exterior is solid, but internal collapse is terrifying? The lower part is the root of the upper part; to nourish the seedlings, one must first consolidate the roots; cutting the lower parts will inevitably cause the upper parts to wither. Deficiency takes Excess as its root (Note: Context implies the interdependence or therapeutic focus); removing excess pathogens is not difficult, but how can one bear to attack deficiencies? Truth takes Falsehood as its root; the shallow only know the immediate appearance, while the profound discern clearly amidst ambiguity. As for physicians, their root lies in scholarly effort; if scholarly effort is insufficient, how can one investigate things to extend knowledge? Particularly taboo is being unwilling to face difficulties and becoming self-satisfied. For patients, their root lies in understanding medicine; encountering practitioners with rudeness prevents obtaining wise doctors, and particularly taboo is preferring miscellaneous remedies and acting arbitrarily. All these, although insufficient to exhaust the subtleties of seeking the root, allow for inferring three instances from one, enabling classification by analogy. In short, the way of seeking the root is nothing else but ensuring no injury to Life. Liezi said: The sage does not examine survival or death, but examines the reason why. Huainanzi said: The reason Bian Que is valued is that he knows where the disease arises. The reason Sages are valued is that they know where chaos originates. Wang Yingzhen said: When seeing phlegm, do not merely treat phlegm; when seeing blood, do not merely treat blood; when there is no sweat, do not forcibly induce sweating; when there is heat, do not aggressively clear heat; when wheezing arises, do not deplete Qi; when essence leaks, do not astringe excessively. Understanding the interest within allows one to become a hero among physicians. Practicing medicine without recognizing Qi, from where do therapeutic methods derive? It is laughable to see laymen reach this point before attaining true understanding. These are truly words about knowing the root; learners should reflect upon them. The meaning in Chapter 5 of the "Root and Branch Category" is relevant and should be cross-referenced with this chapter.)