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The *Suwen* (Basic Questions) states: The generation of pathogenic factors arises either from Yin or from Yang. Those arising from Yang result from wind, rain, cold, and heat; those arising from Yin result from diet, dwelling, sexual activity, and emotional fluctuations (Lou Quanshan notes: Here, "Yin and Yang" refer to internal and external aspects, summarizing injuries to form and Qi. As Li Dongyuan described regarding internal and external injuries, cold, heat, wind, and dampness belong to Yang as external injuries; diet, sex, and emotions belong to Yin as internal injuries). Thus, excessive joy or anger injures Qi, while cold and heat injure Form; violent anger injures Yin, and violent joy injures Yang; cold injures Form, and heat injures Qi. Injury to Qi causes pain, and injury to Form causes swelling. Therefore, if pain precedes swelling, it is Qi injuring Form; if swelling precedes pain, it is Form injuring Qi (Lou Quanshan notes: It was stated that joy and anger injure Qi, and also that violent anger injures Yin and violent joy injures Yang; it was stated that cold and heat injure Form, and also that cold injures Form and heat injures Qi. Although these statements seem contradictory, their principles have a归宿. Generally speaking, joy and anger affect humans from within, starting with Qi; cold and heat affect humans from without, starting with Form. Specifically, anger rises from below and affects Yin first; joy descends from above and affects Yang first; cold causes human Qi to store internally, so cold pathogens affect Form first; heat causes human Qi to overflow externally, so heat pathogens affect Qi first. This summarizes the texts from the *Tiaojing Lun* and *Yinyang Yingxiang Dalun*). It further states: When pathogenic factors reside in the body's Form, they must first lodge in the skin and hair (mao); if they remain there, they enter the Sun vessels (fine collaterals); if they remain, they enter the Luo vessels (collaterals); if they remain, they enter the Jing vessels (main meridians), connecting internally to the Zang organs and spreading to the Fu organs. When both Yin and Yang are affected, the Zang organs are injured. This is the sequence of pathogens entering from the skin and hair to the extreme of the Zang organs. In such cases, one should treat the Jing vessels. However, some pathogens may enter the Sunluo (fine collaterals), remain there, causing blockage and preventing entry into the Jing vessels, instead overflowing into the Da Luo (major collaterals, i.e., the fifteen Luo vessels) and generating strange diseases (diseases in blood collaterals are called strange pathogens). The *Miocilun Pian* (Chapter on Mysterious Pricking) further states: Pathogens from Heaven, when contracted, harm the Five Zang organs; pathogens from water and grain (dietary cold and heat), when contracted, harm the Six Fu organs (cold harms the intestines and gallbladder, heat harms the stomach and bladder); pathogens from Earth (dampness), when contracted, harm the skin, flesh, sinews, and vessels (excess dampness impedes the circulation of Ying and Wei Qi, harming the skin, flesh, sinews, and vessels). Therefore, a skilled healer treats at the level of the skin and hair (stopping it at the bud stage), next at the level of muscles and skin (saving what has already arisen), next at the level of sinews and vessels (attacking what has already formed), next at the level of the Six Fu organs (treating what has become severe), and lastly at the level of the Five Zang organs. Treating diseases of the Five Zang organs results in half dying and half surviving (treating after the disease pattern has fully established allows for only half recovery). (This text is slightly inferior to that in the *Yinyang Yingxiang Dalun Pian*).

The *Lingshu* (Spiritual Pivot) states: Pathogenic Qi invading humans has no fixed pattern; if it strikes Yin, it flows into the Fu organs; if it strikes Yang, it flows into the Jing vessels. Generally, when the body is struck by wind, it does not necessarily disturb the Zang organs. Thus, when pathogens enter Yin vessels, if the Zang Qi is solid, the pathogens cannot lodge and will return to the Fu organs (*Xieqi Zangfu Bixing Pian*). It further states: The upper half of the body is struck by pathogens, and the lower half is struck by dampness (same *Bingxing Pian*).

The *Suwen* further states: Those who suffer from thief-wind and empty-pathogens receive them in the Yang vessels, which enter the Six Fu organs, resulting in fever, inability to sleep at proper times, wheezing and calling from above, and irregular diet; those whose daily life is irregular receive pathogens in the Yin vessels, which enter the Five Zang organs, resulting in fullness and blockage, diarrhea with undigested food below, and over time, intestinal masses (also written as *pi*, intestinal masses refer to hemorrhoids etc.; see order in *Taiyang Yangming Lun Pian*). It further states: In spring, Heaven's Qi begins to open, Earth's Qi begins to leak, ice melts, waters flow, and meridians connect, so human Qi resides in the vessels. In summer, vessels are full and Qi overflows, entering fine collaterals to receive blood, making the skin firm. In late summer, both vessels and collaterals are abundant, and Qi overflows internally into the muscles. In autumn, Heaven's Qi begins to收 (gather), pores close, and the skin becomes tight. In winter, things are covered and stored, Qi and Blood reside in the center, attaching internally to the bone marrow and connecting to the Five Zang organs. Therefore, pathogens often follow the Qi and Blood of the four seasons to invade and reside; although changes at this point are immeasurable, one must follow the Jing Qi to dispel the pathogens. Once the pathogens are removed, chaotic Qi will not arise (*Sishi Ni Cong Lun Pian*).