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Spring generates, summer grows, autumn harvests, winter stores. This is the normal course of Qi. (This refers to Yang Qi.) Humans also respond to this by dividing a day into four periods: morning corresponds to midday as Summer, sunset corresponds to Autumn, and midnight corresponds to Winter. (After Zi hour, Taiyang Qi rises from the left; rising constitutes Yang. After Wu hour, Taiyang Qi descends from the right; descending constitutes Yin. From the grand scale of a year to the small scale of a day, all follow this pattern; thus, a day is also divided into four periods.) In the morning, Human Qi begins to generate, while Pathogenic Qi declines, so the patient feels clearer in the early hours (Hui). At midday, Human Qi grows strong; being strong allows it to overcome Pathogenic Qi, so the patient remains stable during the day. In the evening, Human Qi begins to decline, and Pathogenic Qi starts to grow, so the condition worsens. At midnight, Human Qi enters the Zang organs, leaving Pathogenic Qi alone in the body, so the condition becomes severe. If there are times when the opposite occurs, it is because the condition does not conform to the Qi of the four seasons, but is instead dominated solely by the Zang organs. The condition will necessarily become severe at times when the Zang Qi is overpowered (e.g., Spleen disease fears Wood; encountering such times causes the disease to worsen). It will improve at times when the Zang Qi is dominant (e.g., Spleen disease favors Fire and Earth; Lung disease favors Earth and Metal; Kidney disease favors Metal and Water; Liver disease favors Water and Wood; Heart disease favors Wood and Fire. Encountering these times means the disease should improve).

Humans have five Zang organs. Each Zang organ has five transformations. Each transformation has five Shu points. Thus, there are twenty-five Shu points (5x5), corresponding to the five seasons. For diseases located in the Zang organs, select the Jing-Well points. (Zang governs Winter; in Winter, puncture Jing-Well points.) For diseases manifesting in facial color, select the Ying-Spring points. (Color governs Spring; in Spring, puncture Ying-Spring points.) For diseases that fluctuate in severity, select the Shu-Stream points. (Time/Season governs Summer; in Summer, puncture Shu-Stream points.) For diseases manifesting in voice/sound, select the Jing-River points. (Sound governs Late Summer; in Late Summer, puncture Jing-River points.) For fullness and blood stasis in the meridians... (For diseases in the Stomach or caused by irregular diet, select the He-Sea points. Hence, taste/flavor governs He-Sea points.) (Flavor governs Autumn; in Autumn, puncture He-Sea points. ○ Note: The needling methods for the five seasons in this chapter correspond to the five Shu points, stating that Winter needles Jing-Well, Spring needles Ying-Spring, Summer needles Shu-Stream, Late Summer needles Jing-River, and Autumn needles He-Sea. This implies Jing-Well corresponds to Winter, Ying-Spring to Spring, Shu-Stream to Summer, Jing-River to Late Summer, and He-Sea to Autumn. Examining the context of other chapters reveals consistency with this text. However, *Nan Jing* Chapter 66 states: "Jing-Well is East/Spring, the beginning of all things; He-Sea is North/Winter, where Yang Qi enters storage." *Nan Jing* Chapter 74 states: "The Classics say spring needles Jing-Well, summer needles Ying-Spring, late summer needles Shu-Stream, autumn needles Jing-River, winter needles He-Sea." This contradicts the current chapter and must be an error in *Nan Jing*.)