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"Contracting cold in winter" refers to the pathogenesis of being affected by an excessive accumulation of the closing and storing energy of winter. "Not storing essence" and "acupoint massage/exercise (Anqiao)" refer to premature discharge, where the spring-like generating command is executed during winter, resulting in a deficiency of the Qi that nourishes life. These are two distinctly different meanings. Wang Haogu confused them into one, and Zhang Jingyue and Yu Jiayan followed suit in agreeing with him. This implies that there are only diseases of premature discharge in winter, but no diseases of excessive storage, which is an illogical view. Furthermore, "Winter not storing essence" and "Winter Anqiao" mentioned in the *Neijing* (Inner Canon) are not discussed in succession with the four seasons. Why? Because these primarily illustrate the principle of Yang expanding and Yin contracting, specifically contrasting with the condition of summer heat without sweating; they do not align with the cyclic Qi of the four seasons and five elements. In contrast, "Contracting cold in winter" is discussed in succession with "Contracting wind in spring," "Contracting summer-heat in summer," and "Contracting dampness in autumn." All of these result from the excess of the primary Qi of their respective seasonal commands.

Regarding "contracting cold in winter," external cold forces the Wei Qi (Defensive Qi) inward, causing Ying Qi (Nutritive Qi) to be scorched and consumed. The skin should be warm in winter and cool in summer. If one wears thin clothes and sleeps outdoors in winter, the skin becomes cold, the Cou Li (pores/skin texture) become dense, and the Wei Qi cannot extend or relax properly. It accumulates internally within the Ying division, secretly consuming body fluids. There is a concern that internal heat may become excessively strong, threatening to burn the body. The eighty-four thousand pores of the human body are pathways for Qi to enter and exit; if Qi cannot circulate, it must stagnate internally. Western medicine distinguishes between carbon gas (carbon dioxide/toxic waste gases) and oxygen (vital air). Oxygen corresponds to balanced Qi, while carbon gas corresponds to stagnant, turbid toxic gases. When winter cold binds the Wei Qi, causing it to stagnate without relaxation, it transforms into carbon gas. Is it not reasonable that its manifestation as a warm disease (Wen Bing)?

"Not storing essence," on the other hand, involves the leakage of Ying Qi outward, which differs from the above. However, although the pathogenesis of these two conditions is different, they often arise among the poor. Why? Those engaged in manual labor sweat at inappropriate times, leading to not storing essence; those who are idle wear thin clothes and sleep outdoors, leading to contracting cold. Their illnesses stem from either premature discharge or excessive obstruction. Although both manifest as warm diseases, their treatment methods differ. For those not storing essence, it is appropriate to consolidate the root and nourish Yin; for those contracting cold, it is appropriate to disperse stagnation and release the exterior. To claim that "not storing essence is the same as contracting cold" and to treat deficiency as excess—would such erroneous treatments not lead to death?