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(Full text of *Suwen: Discussion on Forbidden Acupuncture Points*)

The Yellow Emperor asked, "I wish to hear the specific number of acupuncture contraindications." Qibo replied, "The Zang organs have critical points that must not be overlooked. (Critical points refer to the vital areas of each organ and their vulnerabilities, which should be carefully examined.) The Qi of the Liver arises on the left, (Liver belongs to Wood, prospers in the East, and governs the generating energy; thus, its Qi arises on the left.) The Qi of the Lung is stored on the right, (Lung belongs to Metal, prospers in the West, and governs the gathering energy; thus, its Qi is stored on the right.) The Qi of the Heart distributes to the exterior, (Heart belongs to Fire, governs Yang Qi and is located superiorly; thus, its Qi distributes to the exterior.) The Qi of the Kidney governs the interior, (Kidney belongs to Water, governs Yin Qi and is located inferiorly; thus, its Qi governs the interior.) The Spleen acts as the envoy, (Spleen belongs to Earth, prospers during the four seasons, primarily transforms and transports grain essence to nourish the five Zang organs, hence called the envoy.) The Stomach acts as the market, (Stomach receives and contains food and drink, accommodating everything, hence called the market.) Above the diaphragm and Huan membrane, there are parents within, (Diaphragm refers to the diaphragmatic membrane. Huan refers to the area below the heart and above the diaphragm. Above the diaphragm and Huan membrane lie the Heart and Lung. The Heart is Yang within Yang, the Lung is Yin within Yang; the Heart governs Blood, the Lung governs Qi, together they nourish and protect the body, hence called parents.) Beside the seventh vertebral segment, there is a 'small heart' within, (The human spine has twenty-one segments. Counting from top to bottom, the fourteenth segment; counting from bottom to top, it is the seventh segment. On either side of this level are the Shenshu acupoints. In the middle lies the Mingmen acupoint's external aspect. Human life relies on Yang Qi as its root. Yang Qi superiorly is called Ministerial Fire (Jun Huo), residing in the Heart; Yang Qi inferiorly is called Assistant Fire (Xiang Huo), residing in the Mingmen. Both are locations of true Yang Qi, hence it is said that beside the seventh segment, there is a 'small heart' within.) Following these points brings fortune; violating them brings blame. (Following means adhering to the Qi of the organs; violating means losing true Qi. The eight aspects mentioned above are where the spirit and Qi reside in the body. Adhering to them extends fortune; violating them brings disaster. This is what is meant by the critical points of the Zang organs.)

If the needle pierces the Heart, death occurs within one day, with the manifestation being belching. (This section discusses the harm caused by acupuncture. The Heart is the master of the five Zang and six Fu organs; thus, if pierced, death occurs within one day, the fastest. 'Movement' refers to changes in Qi. The sound associated with the Heart in Qi is belching; the appearance of belching indicates the exhaustion of Heart Qi. Belch sounds like 'Yi Fang'.) If the needle pierces the Liver, death occurs within five days, with the manifestation being incoherent speech. (Speech here refers to talking nonsense without cause. The sound associated with the Liver in Qi is speech; the appearance of incoherent speech indicates the exhaustion of Liver Qi.) If the needle pierces the Kidney, death occurs within six days, with the manifestation being sneezing. (*Zhenyao Jingzhong Lun* states: piercing the Kidney leads to death in seven days. *Sishi Ni Cong Lun* states: the manifestations are sneezing and yawning. The appearance of these symptoms indicates the exhaustion of Kidney Qi.) If the needle pierces the Lung, death occurs within three days, with the manifestation being coughing. (The sound associated with the Lung in Qi is coughing; the appearance of coughing indicates the exhaustion of Lung Qi. *Zhenyao Jingzhong Lun* states: piercing the Lung leads to death in five days.) If the needle pierces the Spleen, death occurs within ten days, with the manifestation being swallowing. (The sound associated with the Spleen in Qi is swallowing; the appearance of swallowing movements indicates the exhaustion of Spleen Qi. *Zhenyao Jingzhong Lun* states: piercing the Spleen leads to death in five days. Note: The reason for the varying timeframes for death after injuring the five Zang organs mentioned above lies in the urgency of the Yin-Yang critical points. Generally, the path of life and death is dominated by Yang Qi; thus, injury to Yang is urgent, while injury to Yin is slower. The Heart and Lung reside above the diaphragm and belong to the two Yang organs. The Heart is Yang within Yang, the Lung is Yin within Yang; therefore, Heart injury is most urgent (one day), followed by Lung (three days). The Liver, Spleen, and Kidney reside below the diaphragm and belong to the three Yin organs. The Liver is Yang within Yin, the Kidney is Yin within Yin, the Spleen is Extreme Yin within Yin; therefore, Liver injury is slightly urgent (five days), followed by Kidney (six days), and Spleen is least urgent (ten days). This explains the principle of urgency. Note: In *Zhenyao Jingzhong Lun*, Wang Bing used the numbers of the Five Elements for annotation: Spleen uses the generating number, Lung uses the remainder of the generating number, Kidney uses the remainder of the completion number, and Heart does not mention a number. While this explanation seems reasonable, the inconsistency makes it difficult to fully align, suggesting some forced interpretation. The text in *Sishi Ni Cong Lun* is identical to this chapter, see Chapter 19.) If the needle pierces the Gallbladder, death occurs within one and a half days, with the manifestation being vomiting. (Gallbladder belongs to Shaoyang, is the location of generating Qi, and is one of the six Fu organs. However, it stores essence without draining, resembling a Zang organ. All eleven organs depend on the Gallbladder, making it the Official of Justice and an Extraordinary Fu organ. Injury to it is extremely dangerous and rapid, so this chapter omits other Fu organs and mentions only the Gallbladder. Vomiting originates from the Stomach, but Gallbladder pathology忌讳 (avoids) vomiting; this represents Wood evil invading Earth; the appearance of vomiting indicates death.) If the needle pierces the dorsum of the foot, damaging a major vessel, unceasing blood loss leads to death. (Dorsum of the foot refers to the top of the foot. Major vessel refers to Chongyang (ST42), the Yuan-Source point of the Foot-Yangming Stomach Meridian. The Stomach is the sea of water, grain, Qi, and Blood for the five Zang and six Fu organs. If pierced too deeply causing unceasing blood loss, the sea empties and Qi perishes, inevitably leading to death.) If the needle pierces the face, damaging the flowing vessels, misfortune results in blindness. (Liu [flow] refers to flow. Any blood vessel connecting to the eye is called a Liu vessel. According to *Da Huo Lun*: The essence of the five Zang and six Fu organs all ascend to the eyes to form the brilliance of the eyes. *Lun Ji Zhen Chi Pian* states: Red vessels moving from top to bottom indicate Taiyang disease; from bottom to top, Yangming disease; from outside to inside, Shaoyang disease. These are meanings of Liu vessels. Piercing the face without knowing the Liu vessels and accidentally damaging them injures the essence, causing blindness.) If the needle pierces the head, entering the Naohu acupoint into the brain, death occurs immediately. (Naohu is a Du Meridian acupoint located above the occipital bone, connecting to the brain. The brain is the Sea of Marrow, the gathering place of primal Yang essence. Needle entry into the brain causes leakage of true Qi, hence immediate death.) If the needle pierces under the tongue, damaging the vessel excessively, unceasing blood loss leads to aphonia. (Vessels under the tongue refer to Lianquan (RN23) of the Ren Meridian, the Biao aspect of the Foot-Shaoyin Kidney Meridian. Excessive damage to the vessel with unceasing blood loss injures the Kidney; Kidney deficiency leads to lack of Qi, causing aphonia. According to *Youhui Wu Yan Pian*: The Foot-Shaoyin meridian ascends to connect with the tongue, ending at the horizontal bone and the epiglottis. *Mai Jie Pian* states: Internal depletion and reversal lead to aphonia and paralysis, due to Kidney deficiency. Thus, aphonia originates from the Kidney, without doubt.) If the needle pierces the distributed collaterals under the foot, damaging the main vessel, failure of blood to exit leads to swelling. (Distributed collaterals under the foot refer to the superficial, scattered collaterals on the sole. Pathogen in the collaterals but piercing the main vessel is too deep. If blood does not exit, Qi will stagnate following the needle, causing swelling.) If the needle pierces Weizhong (BL40), damaging a major vessel, the person falls, and complexion fades. (Weizhong is the Weizhong acupoint of the Foot-Taiyang Bladder Meridian. Piercing Weizhong and damaging the major vessel injures Yin Qi within the Yang meridian, causing the person to fall and lose complexion. Character ' ' is same as 'Xi'. Pu sounds like 'Fu'.) If the needle pierces Qichong (ST30), damaging the vessel, failure of blood to exit leads to swelling in the groin. (Qichong is another name for Qichong, an acupoint of the Foot-Yangming Stomach Meridian. 'Pu' should be 'Xi', referring to the mouse/groin area. Piercing Qichong without hitting the acupoint but hitting the adjacent vessel, if blood does not exit, swelling will occur in the groin.) If the needle pierces the spinal interspace, damaging the spinal marrow, kyphosis results. (Yu refers to kyphosis/hunchback. Piercing the spine too deeply and accidentally damaging the spinal marrow injures the essence and Qi in the lumbar and back bones, causing curling inability to straighten. Yu sounds like 'Yongzhu'.) If the needle pierces above the breast, damaging the breast tissue, swelling occurs, and the root erodes. (Above and below the breast are traversed by the Foot-Yangming meridians. The breast is the chamber where Qi and Blood of the chest converge. Piercing acupoints above the breast and accidentally damaging the breast tissue causes Qi stagnation, leading to swelling. Swelling must ulcerate, and erosion spreads to the breast root, making healing difficult. Shi is same as 'Shi'.) If the needle pierres Quepen (ST12), penetrating too deeply inward, Qi leaks, causing wheezing and reverse coughing. (Quepen is located in the depression above the clavicle, a pathway for the meridians of the five Zang and six Fu organs. Piercing Quepen too deeply damages the internal vessels and injures Zang Qi, causing wheezing and reverse coughing, as all five Zang organs can induce wheezing and reverse coughing.) If the needle pierces the Fish Belly area, penetrating too deeply, swelling occurs. (Fish Belly refers to the pulse path of the Hand-Taiyin Lung Meridian. Piercing too deeply inward attracts pathogen, causing swelling.) Do not puncture when greatly intoxicated, as it causes Qi disorder. (Great intoxication disrupts Qi and Blood; puncturing then increases the disorder.) Do not puncture when greatly angry, as it causes Qi rebellion. (Anger naturally causes Qi to rebel; puncturing while angry exacerbates the rebellion.) Do not puncture those who are greatly fatigued, (Great fatigue depletes Qi; puncturing further consumes Qi.) Do not puncture those who have just eaten full meals, (Just after eating, Grain Qi is abundant and Meridian Qi is unsettled; puncturing risks easy leakage of Qi.) Do not puncture those who are greatly hungry, (Hunger causes Qi deficiency; puncturing further injures Qi.) Do not puncture those who are greatly thirsty, (Thirst indicates scanty fluids; puncturing further destroys Yin.) Do not puncture those who are greatly startled. (Startle causes Qi to become timid; puncturing scatters Qi further.) If the needle pierces the inner thigh, damaging a major vessel, unceasing blood loss leads to death. (Major vessels of the inner thigh refer to between Jimen (SP11) and Xuehai (SP10) of the Foot-Taiyin Spleen Meridian. Unceasing blood loss leads to Spleen Qi collapse, resulting in death.) If the needle pierces Kerenren (GB7), penetrating too deeply into the vessel, internal leakage and deafness result. (Kerenren is an acupoint of the Foot-Shaoyang Gallbladder Meridian. Piercing too deeply penetrates into the vessel. Pus forms at the bottom of the ear, called internal leakage. Damaging the meridian Qi causes deafness.) If the needle pierces the knee patella, releasing fluid, limping results. (Bin refers to the kneecap. The knee is the residence of tendons. Piercing below the patella releases fluid; fluid leakage leads to tendon withering, causing limping. Bin sounds like 'Pin' or 'Pin'. Bo sounds like 'Buhuo'.) If the needle pierces the Arm-Taiyin vessel, excessive bleeding leads to immediate death. (Arm-Taiyin is the Lung vessel. Lung governs Qi to circulate Ying and Wei; excessive blood loss cuts off Ying and Wei, Qi scatters, leading to death.) If the needle pierces the Foot-Shaoyin vessel, causing double deficiency and bleeding, the tongue becomes stiff and difficult to speak. (Foot-Shaoyin is the Kidney vessel. The Shaoyin meridian runs along the throat and connects to the base of the tongue. If the Kidney is already deficient and bleeding is induced by needling, it is double deficiency, causing difficulty in speaking.) If the needle pierces the chest (Ying), penetrating too deeply into the Lung, wheezing and reverse breathing occur. (The Lung is close to the chest; accidental injury causes Lung Qi to leak upward, resulting in wheezing, reverse breathing, and仰息 [breathing with head tilted back].) If the needle pierces the elbow center, penetrating too deeply, Qi gathers there, leading to inability to flex or extend. (Elbow center refers to Chize (LU5) of the Hand-Taiyin Lung Meridian and Quze (PC3) of the Hand-Jueyin Pericardium Meridian. Deep penetration injures Qi; Qi leaks here and gathers, causing inability to move limbs.) If the needle pierces three cun below the inner thigh, penetrating too deeply, enuresis results. (Meridians of the inner thigh are the Foot-Sanyin meridians, converging on the genitalia. Only the Shaoyin meridian in the thigh has a channel but no acupoint. Three cun below Qichong is Wuli (LR11) of the Foot-Jueyin Liver Meridian, treating intestinal heat and urinary retention. If pierced too deeply causing enuresis, it likely refers to this point. However, Yinbao (LR9) of Jueyin and Jimen (SP11) of Yangming also treat enuresis; if pierced too deeply, urination may instead become uncontrollable.) If the needle pierces the axilla and hypochondrium, penetrating too deeply, coughing results. (Axilla and hypochondrium are locations of the Lung. Deep penetration injuring the Lung causes coughing.) If the needle pierces the lower abdomen, damaging the bladder and causing urine leakage, abdominal fullness results. (Damaging the bladder causes Bladder Qi to leak, urine exits externally, and lower abdominal fullness occurs.) If the needle pierces the calf muscle (Chanchang), penetrating too deeply, swelling occurs. (Chanchang refers to the calf muscle. Muscle is thick and Qi is deep,不易行散 [hard to disperse]; deep penetration causes swelling.) If the needle pierces above the orbital rim, penetrating into the bone and damaging vessels, lacrimation and blindness result. (Kuang refers to the eye socket. The eyes are the gathering place of Zong Mai [convergent vessels]. Piercing above the orbit and deeply into the bone damages the vessels connecting to the eye, causing unceasing tearing (lacrimation) and blindness.) If the needle pierces the joints, releasing fluid, inability to flex or extend results. (Waist and spine are the large joints of the body. Elbows and knees are the joints of the four limbs. All tendons attach to the joints. Fluid release leads to tendon withering, causing inability to move.)