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*Lingshu: Wei Qi Xing Chapter* (Full Text)

The Yellow Emperor asked Qibo, saying: I wish to hear about the movement of *Wei Qi* (Defensive Qi), and how its entering and exiting converge. Qibo replied: There are twelve months in a year, and twelve double-hours (*Shichen*) in a day. (The twelve double-hours refer to the twelve Earthly Branches; they are called "Jian" in months and "Shi" in days.) Zi-Wu forms the meridian line, and Mao-You forms the latitude line. (In celestial phenomena, what is fixed constitutes the meridian, and what moves constitutes the latitude. Zi-Wu corresponds to the North and South Poles, remaining stationary, thus forming the meridian. Mao-You constantly rises in the east and sets in the west, with constellations rotating endlessly, thus forming the latitude.) The heavens revolve around the Twenty-Eight Mansions, seven per quadrant, totaling twenty-eight stars. (The sky is divided into four quadrants: East, West, South, and North, with seven mansions each. For example, Jiao, Kang, Di, Fang, Xin, Wei, and Ji are the Seven Mansions of the East; Dou, Niu, Nu, Xu, Wei, Shi, and Bi are the Seven Mansions of the North; Kui, Lou, Wei, Mao, Bi, Zi, and Shen are the Seven Mansions of the West; Jing, Gui, Liu, Xing, Zhang, Yi, and Zhen are the Seven Mansions of the South. These constitute the four sevens, or twenty-eight stars.) Fang and Mao form the latitude, while Xu and Zhang form the meridian. (Fang is located within Mao, and Mao is located within You, hence they form the latitude. Xu is located within Zi, and Zhang is located within Wu, hence they form the meridian.) Therefore, from Fang to Bi belongs to Yang, and from Mao to Xin belongs to Yin. Yang governs the day, and Yin governs the night. (From Fang to Bi, their positions are in Mao, Chen, Si, Wu, Wei, and Shen, so they belong to Yang and govern the day. From Mao to Wei, their positions are in You, Xu, Hai, Zi, Chou, and Yin, so they belong to Yin and govern the night.) Thus, the movement of *Wei Qi* circulates fifty times through the body in one day and night. It travels twenty-five times in Yang during the day and twenty-five times in Yin during the night, circulating through the Five Zang Organs at night. (The movement of *Wei Qi* in the body totals fifty cycles per day and night. Heaven's Yang governs the day, and Yin governs the night; Human Yang governs the Fu Organs, and Yin governs the Zang Organs. Therefore, *Wei Qi* travels twenty-five cycles in the Yang aspect during the day and twenty-five cycles in the Yin aspect during the night. The Yang aspect refers to the exterior and the Fu Organs, while the Yin aspect refers to the interior and the Zang Organs; hence it circulates through the Five Zang Organs at night. The character "Sui" (Year) should be "Zang" (Organ); this is a transcription error.)

Therefore, at dawn, when Yin is exhausted, Yang Qi emerges from the eyes. When the eyes open, Qi ascends to the head, follows the neck down to the Foot-Taiyang Bladder Meridian, follows the back down to the tip of the little toe. (This section describes *Wei Qi* traveling through the Yang aspect during the day, starting from the Foot-Taiyang Meridian, circling the six Fu Organs, and reaching the Kidney Meridian, constituting one cycle. The Taiyang Meridian starts at Jingming (BL1), hence it emerges from the eyes. However, the eyes are the gathering point of the major meridians; the essence and Yang Qi of all five Zang and six Fu organs ascend to the eyes to form vision. Thus, when Yin is exhausted at dawn, Yang Qi reaches the eyes, causing them to open. Upon opening, *Wei Qi* ascends from Jingming to the head, follows the neck down along the Foot-Taiyang Meridian, and descends along the back to Zhizhin (BL67) at the tip of the little toe.) Its dispersed branches separate at the outer canthus, descend to the Hand-Taiyang Small Intestine Meridian, and reach the lateral side between the little finger and ring finger. (Dispersed means the qi that runs separately. The movement of *Wei Qi* does not strictly follow the sequential transmission of meridians; thus, it begins descending from the inner canthus to the Foot-Taiyang Meridian, while its dispersed branch travels from the outer canthus to the Hand-Taiyang Meridian. Descending to the lateral side between the little finger and ring finger refers to Shaose (SI1).) Another dispersed branch separates at the outer canthus, descends to the Foot-Shaoyang Gallbladder Meridian, and enters the space between the little toe and the second toe. (This is the path from Taiyang to the Hand and Foot-Shaoyang meridians. The outer canthus refers to Tongziliao (GB1) of the Foot-Shaoyang Gallbladder Meridian. The space between the little toe and the second toe refers to Qiaoyin (GB44).) Ascending along the lateral side of the Hand-Shaoyang Sanjiao Meridian, it descends to the space between the fingers. ("Fence side" should be "lateral side"; there should be words for "second finger" after "little finger," referring to Guanchong (SJ1) of the Hand-Shaoyang Sanjiao Meridian.) Another branch ascends to the front of the ear, converges with the mandibular pulse, injects into the Foot-Yangming Stomach Meridian, descends to the dorsum of the foot, and enters the space between the toes. (This is the path from Shaoyang to the Hand and Foot-Yangming meridians. Converging with the mandibular pulse refers to descending from Chengqi (ST1) and Jiache (ST6) to inject into the Foot-Yangming Meridian. "Five toes" should be "middle toe," referring to Lidui (ST45). "Han" is pronounced "he gan qie".) Its dispersed branch goes from under the ear, descends into the Hand-Yangming Large Intestine Meridian, enters the space between the thumb and index finger, and enters the palm. (The collateral of the Hand-Yangming Large Intestine Meridian enters the ear, so it descends along this meridian from the ear. There should be words for "index finger" after "thumb," referring to Shangyang (LI1).) When it reaches the foot, it enters the sole, exits the medial malleolus, descends into the Yin aspect, and converges again with the eyes, thus completing one cycle. (This part, entering the sole from the Yangming meridian and exiting the medial malleolus, travels through the Foot-Shaoyin Kidney Meridian into the Yin aspect. The collateral of Shaoyin is the Qiao Mai (Vessel), which connects to the inner canthus, thus converging again with the eyes and intersecting with Jingming (BL1) of the Foot-Taiyang Bladder Meridian. This is the sequence of *Wei Qi* during the day, ending with the Foot-Shaoyin Meridian after traversing the six Yang meridians of the hands and feet, constituting one cycle. Note: *Wei Qi* travels in the Yang aspect during the day but also involves the Foot-Shaoyin Kidney Meridian to complete a full cycle. Examining the *Xieke Chapter*, it states: "Wei Qi travels in Yang during the day and Yin at night, often passing through the spaces of the Foot-Shaoyin to travel through the five Zang and six Fu organs." If so, why does it never leave the Kidney Meridian regardless of day or night? The root of human life lies only in Essence and Qi. Qi is Yang, and Yang must be born from Yin; Essence is Yin, and Yin must be born from Yang. Therefore, Ying Qi (Nutritive Qi), originally belonging to Yin, must descend from the Lungs; Wei Qi, originally belonging to Yang, must ascend from the Kidneys. This is the meaning of "Wei originates from the Lower Jiao." The Kidney belongs to Water, and Water is the root of Qi. Thus, the Upper Qi Sea is at Danzhong (CV17), and the Lower Qi Sea is at Dantian. The Lung and Kidney organs are the fundamental roots of Yin-Yang generation and nourishment.)

Therefore, as the sun travels one Mansion (She), the human Qi circulates once through the body plus 8/10ths of a cycle; (The following discusses the quantity of *Wei Qi* circulation. The heavens revolve around the Twenty-Eight Mansions once a day, and human *Wei Qi* circulates fifty times day and night. Taking fifty cycles as the actual number and dividing by twenty-eight, the precise number for the sun traveling one mansion would be one cycle plus 7.85 hundred-thousandths of a body cycle. Saying "one cycle plus 8/10ths" is similar to the heavens exceeding one degree by a fractional amount. The meaning of the fractional amount is explained later. She is synonymous with Su. According to Sima Qian's *Lushu* and *Tianguan*, the Twenty-Eight Mansions are referred to as Twenty-Eight Shes. They are called Shes because they are the resting places of the Seven Planets.) As the sun travels two Mansions, human Qi circulates three times through the body plus 6/10ths of a cycle; (For two mansions, the precise number is three cycles plus 5.71 ten-thousandths of a body cycle. The mention of 6/10ths includes the fractional remainder. Subsequent cases follow this pattern.) As the sun travels three Mansions, human Qi circulates five times through the body plus 4/10ths of a cycle; (Precisely, five cycles plus 3.57 ten-thousandths, with the rest being the remainder.) As the sun travels four Mansions, human Qi circulates seven times through the body plus 2/10ths of a cycle; (Precisely, seven cycles plus 1.42 ten-thousandths, with the rest being the remainder.) As the sun travels five Mansions, human Qi circulates nine times through the body; (Precisely, eight cycles plus 9.28 thousandths, with the rest being the remainder.) As the sun travels six Mansions, human Qi circulates ten times through the body plus 8/10ths of a cycle; (Precisely, ten cycles plus 7.14 ten-thousandths, with the rest being the remainder.) As the sun travels seven Mansions, human Qi circulates twelve times through the body plus 6/10ths of a cycle; (Precisely, twelve cycles plus 4.9 ten-thousandths, with the rest being the remainder. This represents the count of the seven mansions in one quadrant.) As the sun travels fourteen Mansions, human Qi circulates twenty-five times through the body with a remainder of 2/10ths. Yang ends in Yin, and Yin receives the Qi. (Seven mansions represent half a day; fourteen mansions represent the period from Fang to Bi, i.e., one full day. Human Qi should circulate exactly twenty-five times. Currently, for every mansion the sun travels, human Qi circulates one cycle plus 8/10ths, leaving a remainder of 1.4 ten-thousandths per mansion. Summing over fourteen mansions yields a total remainder of 2/10ths for the day. When the day ends, Yang ends; when Yang ends, Yin receives Qi to become night.)

When it first enters Yin, it usually flows from the Foot-Shaoyin Kidney Meridian into the Kidney, from the Kidney into the Heart, from the Heart into the Lungs, from the Lungs into the Liver, from the Liver into the Spleen, and from the Spleen back into the Kidney to complete a cycle. (This describes *Wei Qi* traveling through the Yin aspect at night, starting from the Foot-Shaoyin Kidney Meridian to circulate through the five Zang organs. Its order follows the generating cycle [Note: The text says "Xiang Ke" (mutual overcoming/restraining), but the sequence Kidney->Heart->Lung->Liver->Spleen->Kidney actually follows the Generating Cycle (Water->Wood->Fire->Earth->Metal->Water) if we consider the standard generating order, OR it follows the Overcoming cycle if interpreted differently. However, the text explicitly lists Kidney->Heart->Lung->Liver->Spley. Let's stick to the text's description of the flow]. Actually, Kidney(Water) -> Heart(Fire) is Overcoming. Heart(Fire) -> Lung(Metal) is Overcoming. Lung(Metal) -> Liver(Wood) is Overcoming. Liver(Wood) -> Spleen(Earth) is Overcoming. Spleen(Earth) -> Kidney(Water) is Overcoming. So it IS the Overcoming/Restraining cycle.] Thus, Kidney, Heart, Lung, Liver, and Spleen transmit in sequence for one cycle, then return to the Kidney.) Therefore, at night, as the sun travels one Mansion, human Qi circulates once through the Yin Zang organs plus 8/10ths of a cycle. (The exact numbers and remainders are as described previously.) It also completes twenty-five cycles like daytime travel before converging again with the eyes. (When *Wei Qi* circulates twenty-five times in the Yin aspect, the night ends. When the night ends, Yin is exhausted. When Yin is exhausted, human Qi emerges again from Jingming in the eyes to travel in the Yang aspect. This constitutes the measure of fifty cycles day and night.) Yin and Yang together in one day and night have a combined remainder of 4/10ths of the body cycle and 2/10ths of the organ cycle. Hence, people's waking and sleeping times vary in earlyness or lateness due to these incomplete remainders. (Earlier, fourteen mansions corresponded to half a day, with a remainder of 2/10ths of the body cycle. Thus, for one full day and night, twenty-eight mansions, and fifty cycles of human Qi, the total remainder is 4/10ths of the body cycle and 2/10ths of the organ cycle. The term "remainder" implies that Qi has excess that is not fully accounted for, leading to variations in people's wake-sleep schedules.)

The Yellow Emperor said: *Wei Qi* moves up and down in the body without a fixed schedule. How should one observe the Qi to apply acupuncture? (Without a fixed schedule means it may go up or down, Yin or Yang, with varying timings.) Bogao said: The meridians have varying amounts of Qi, and days have varying lengths. Spring, Autumn, Winter, and Summer each have their own principles. One should generally take dawn (Pingdan) as the standard and the end of the night as the beginning. (Although the solstices and equinoxes result in different day and night lengths, the method for observing Qi must use dawn as the benchmark, as it is the time of Yin-Yang intersection.) Therefore, in one day and night, water drips for one hundred ke (water-clock units). Twenty-five ke is the measure of half a day. This continues indefinitely until sunset, adjusting the standard according to the length of the day for acupuncture treatment. (One day and night equals one hundred ke, recorded by water clocks by the officials of the sky. Twenty-five ke is one-quarter of one hundred, representing half a day. Dividing the day into two gives Day and Night. Dividing the day into four seasons gives Morning as Spring, Noon as Summer, Sunset as Autumn, and Midnight as Winter. Thus, one should take dawn as the start of Yang and sunset as the end of Yang, observing the Yin-Yang standards according to the day's length for acupuncture.) Carefully observe the timing; disease progression can be predicted. Missing the timing or violating the patterns results in untreatable diseases. (Missing the timing and violating patterns means failing to understand the climate of the four seasons and the waxing and waning of Yin and Yang, leading to incorrect treatment.) It is said: To treat Excess conditions, puncture where the Qi comes; to treat Deficiency conditions, puncture where the Qi goes. (Excess refers to strong pathogenic Qi. Deficiency refers to weak healthy Qi. Treating Excess by puncturing its arrival means迎 (Ying - opposing/reducing) the arriving Qi. Treating Deficiency by puncturing its departure means following (Sui - supporting/nourishing) the departing Qi.) This explains observing the timing of Qi's presence or absence to determine Excess or Deficiency for acupuncture. Therefore, carefully observe where the Qi is located to puncture; this is called "Meeting the Time" (Fengshi). If the disease is in the Three Yang meridians, one must wait until the Qi is in the Yang aspect to puncture; if the disease is in the Three Yin meridians, one must wait until the Qi is in the Yin aspect to puncture. (Puncturing when the disease is in Three Yang requires waiting for Qi in the Yang aspect; for Three Yin, waiting for Qi in the Yin aspect. This is the method of puncturing *Wei Qi*, called Fengshi. Meeting the Time means aligning with the Yin-Yang climatic conditions.) At the first ke after water drops, human Qi is in the Taiyang Meridian; at the second ke, in the Shaoyang Meridian; at the third ke, in the Yangming Meridian; at the fourth ke, in the Yin aspect. (This starts from dawn. Taiyang, Shaoyang, and Yangming refer to both Hand and Foot meridians collectively, while Yin aspect refers specifically to the Foot-Shaoyin Kidney Meridian. This is one cycle of *Wei Qi* in the Yang aspect.) At the fifth ke, human Qi is in the Taiyang Meridian; at the sixth ke, in the Shaoyang Meridian; at the seventh ke, in the Yangming Meridian; at the eighth ke, in the Yin aspect. (This is the second cycle of *Wei Qi* in the Yang aspect.) At the ninth ke, human Qi is in the Taiyang Meridian; at the tenth ke, in the Shaoyang Meridian; at the eleventh ke, in the Yangming Meridian; at the twelfth ke, in the Yin aspect. (This is the third cycle of *Wei Qi* in the Yang aspect.) At the thirteenth ke, human Qi is in the Taiyang Meridian; at the fourteenth ke, in the Shaoyang Meridian; at the fifteenth ke, in the Yangming Meridian; at the sixteenth ke, in the Yin aspect. (This is the fourth cycle of *Wei Qi* in the Yang aspect.) At the seventeenth ke, human Qi is in the Taiyang Meridian; at the eighteenth ke, in the Shaoyang Meridian; at the nineteenth ke, in the Yangming Meridian; at the twentieth ke, in the Yin aspect. (This is the fifth cycle of *Wei Qi* in the Yang aspect.) At the twenty-first ke, human Qi is in the Taiyang Meridian; at the twenty-second ke, in the Shaoyang Meridian; at the twenty-third ke, in the Yangming Meridian; at the twenty-fourth ke, in the Yin aspect. (This is the sixth cycle of *Wei Qi* in the Yang aspect.) At the twenty-fifth ke, human Qi is in the Taiyang Meridian; this is the measure of half a day. (At twenty-five ke, counting previous intervals, it has circulated six times through the body plus the Hand and Foot Taiyang meridians. This corresponds to the sun traveling seven mansions, marking half a day. Note: Twenty-five ke is one-quarter of the daily cycle, yet *Wei Qi* only circulates six times plus a fraction. Calculating the full day, it would only be twenty-five cycles, which contradicts the theory of fifty cycles. Perhaps the "two" in "Qi is in Taiyang Two" is a typo, or one ke is treated as half a ke, which would match the total. There may be other interpretations; future scholars should correct this.) From Fang to Bi, fourteen mansions, water drops fifty ke, the sun travels half a degree. (Fourteen mansions from Fang to Bi are Yang, governing one day, corresponding to fifty ke. Fourteen mansions from Mao to Xin are Yin, governing one night, also corresponding to fifty ke. Day has forty ke, night has sixty ke; the sun travels one degree less than the heavens in total. Thus, in this fifty-ke day, the sun travels half a degree in the heavens.) Returning to travel one mansion, water drops three ke and 4/7ths of a ke. (This states that returning to travel one mansion, the water clock should drop three ke and 4/7ths. If dividing one hundred ke by twenty-eight, each mansion should receive three ke and 5.71 ten-thousandths of a ke, which matches 4/7ths closely. This section approximates the total of twenty-eight mansions, ignoring the specific degrees of each mansion.) The General Principle states: Usually add the sun's travel degree to the mansion degree, and human Qi will be in the Taiyang Meridian. Therefore, as the sun travels one mansion, human Qi travels through the Three Yang meridians and the Yin aspect. Always continuing thus, Heaven and Earth share the same standard. (By adding the sun's travel degree to the mansion degree, both heavenly motion and human Qi can be known. This summarizes the preceding text, stating that humans and heaven/earth share the same standard.) Complex and intricate, ending and beginning anew, one day and night, water drops one hundred ke and finishes. (Complex and intricate means orderly amidst chaos. Thus, ending and beginning anew, day and night cycle endlessly. "HT" is pronounced "pu ba qie".)