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During the years I followed my mentor Mao Dawen to copy prescriptions and attend clinical consultations, on the 28th day of the fourth lunar month (the birthday of the Medicine King Bodhisattva) and the 30th day of the ninth lunar month (the birthday of the Medicine Master Buddha), whenever it was a sunny weekend, at 5:30 AM, my mentor would come to my former residence at Hubin Lane 6, knock on my door, and shout, "Youzhi, come with me." We would first go to Kuiyuan Pavilion at Guanxiangkou, where Chef Old Wang would personally cook two bowls of stir-fried eel noodles and serve them on the table. After eating, the master would pay the bill (it was his rule to pay when dining out, never letting me spend money). I remember that at that time, a bowl of stir-fried eel noodles cost one yuan and six jiao, equivalent to one day's wages for a salaried worker.

After taking a car to Lingyin Temple, we would head towards Taoguang. Along the way, the master would say, "In the past, the 28th day of the fourth lunar month was like current activities organized by the Chinese Medical Association; colleagues from the TCM community would gather at the Taoguang Teahouse. First, they would meet and ask about business [whether there were many patients]; second, they would exchange academic experiences. Now, very few TCM practitioners go to Taoguang." When reaching the main entrance of the Great Hall of Lingyin Temple, the master would become happy, point his cane at the couplets on the pillars of the Buddhist hall, and read them sentence by sentence: "The cloth bag is peerless, breaking into laughter with hanging smiles; you must not wait for the Three Assemblies of Longhua; The Dharma gate has no duality, the big belly can contain all; visitors rely entirely on wholehearted chanting of the Buddha."

In the past, there was a Medicine Master Hall behind the rear side of the Great Hall of Lingyin Temple, which was later destroyed completely, but I believe it will be restored in the future. Speaking of this Lingyin Temple, the master would again say, "In the late Qing Dynasty, the last repair of Lingyin Temple was done by my father. At that time, bandits and 'Changmao' [Taiping Rebels] frequented the Zhuantang area. Timber transported from Jiande, Fuyang, Lin'an, and Tonglu with yellow flags attached would not be robbed by bandits. My father was a carpenter by trade. Whenever he built houses for employers, seeing children reading loudly inside while he froze on the roof eaves until his skin cracked, he did not fear hardship and earned some money to send us brothers to school."

I supported the master as he slowly climbed the 360 stone steps, first lighting a bundle of incense for the Taoguang Bodhisattva, then kneeling and bowing. The master said, "Poor people who cannot afford medical treatment sometimes come here to scoop some incense ash and carry a bucket of spring water back to treat illnesses. We doctors cure diseases to save lives; if we misdiagnose or mistreat, we harm people. Therefore, doctors must be good physicians, showing mercy in prescribing medication. Herbs can cure diseases or poison people; water can float a boat or capsize it—the principle is the same. One must be familiar with herb properties. Large pharmacies have a thousand types of Chinese herbs, with 500 commonly used. It is already quite good if a TCM practitioner masters 50 herbs well and uses them skillfully. Today, let me first talk about Rhubarb (Da Huang): Rhubarb is a purgative drug for relieving constipation. Named Da Huang because of its yellow color, its function is to eliminate the old and generate the new, extremely swift and powerful, like quelling chaos to achieve peace, hence also known as 'General'. It belongs to the Polygonaceae family herbaceous plants, and the medicinal part is the underground stem. Rhubarb is also called Chuan Jun, Jin Wen, or Huang Liang, produced in Sichuan, Shanxi, Shaanxi, and Yunnan. Bright yellow with red vein patterns is called Jin Wen, with the best quality coming from Wencheng and Guan County in Sichuan, and Hanzhong and Xing'an in Shaanxi. Rhubarb is also produced in Europe, Japan, and Russia, but Chinese-produced ones have thicker nature and flavor, ranking first in the world.

Processing methods of Rhubarb: raw use, cooked use, steamed use (also known as Nine-Processed Rhubarb); soaked in wine enters the Taiyang Meridian, washed with wine enters the Yangming Meridian, charred becomes Rhubarb Charcoal. Rhubarb is bitter and harsh in descending action; for lower Jiao, it must be used raw; if pathogenic factors are upper, such as red eyes, throat swelling, head swelling, or phlegm-heat above the diaphragm, wine is necessary to reach them; one must use wine soaking to guide it upwards to high positions to drive heat downwards.

Components of Rhubarb: contain chrysophanol, emodin, and two resinous substances rhein and aloemodin, besides containing bitter tannins, gallic acid, volatile oils, starch, oxalic acid, lime, etc.

Functions of Rhubarb: Must be proficiently and precisely mastered. It clears excess heat in the Blood level and eliminates有形 accumulation below. In the stomach, it slightly aids insufficient gastric juice and promotes digestion; in the intestines, it stimulates intestinal peristalsis to expel accumulated feces. However, after one purgation, due to Rheo-tannic acid having an astringent effect on the intestines, it may cause slow-moving constipation. A micro-dose (below 1 gram) stops diarrhea and strengthens the stomach; a small dose (1-12 grams) causes purgation; a large dose stops diarrhea; taken raw or added late causes purgation; long decoction stops diarrhea; initial use causes purgation; long-term use leads to slow purgation or stopping diarrhea. Processed Rhubarb significantly reduces purgative action, cooling blood and clearing heat; Rhubarb Charcoal cools blood and stops bleeding.

Indications for Rhubarb: Expels stasis blood, blood obstruction, alternating cold and fever, breaks masses and accumulations, retains fluids and leftover food, cleanses the stomach and intestines, eliminates the old and generates the new, promotes smooth flow of water and grain, regulates the middle and transforms food, harmonizes the five Zang organs, levels the Stomach and directs Qi downward, removes phlegm-solidity, clears heat binding between the intestines, relieves chest and abdominal fullness, treats cold-blood amenorrhea in women, and various pains in the lower abdomen due to old blood retention.

Speaking of the clinical application of Rhubarb, my mentor spoke endlessly: One-fifth of all proprietary Chinese medicines contain Rhubarb, showing its wide range of uses. Rhubarb is not merely a purgative drug for relieving constipation but a multi-functional excellent medicine with antibacterial, antiviral, anti-aging, anti-tumor, jaundice-relieving, enzyme-lowering, astringent, anti-inflammatory, hemostatic, tonifying, bidirectional immune regulation, beauty-promoting, lipid-lowering, weight-reducing, blood-invigorating, stasis-resolving, detoxifying, and blood-purifying effects. Clinically, it is widely used for respiratory, digestive, urinary, mental and nervous system diseases, blood diseases, physical factor diseases, acute abdominal syndromes, traumatic injuries, amenorrhea, conjunctivitis, tonsillitis, etc., across internal, surgical, gynecological, trauma, and ENT departments.

My mentor listed the understanding and application of Rhubarb by famous doctors throughout history, starting with the Medical Sage Zhang Zhongjing. Zhang believed: Rhubarb mainly treats unblocking toxic blockages, thus treating chest and abdominal fullness, constipation, difficult urination, and indirectly treating jaundice, blood stasis, swelling, and pus. Prescribed formulas include Da Xianxiong Tang, treating hardness and pain from the epigastrium down to the lower abdomen that cannot be touched, with severe constipation; Da Chengqi Tang, treating Yangming Fu organ syndrome, interior heat-excess syndrome causing heat syncope, spasms, or mania; Xiao Chengqi Tang, treating slight abdominal fullness and inability to defecate; Houpo Sanwu Tang, treating pain with closure; Dahuang Gansui Tang, treating lower abdominal fullness like a pot, with slightly difficult urination; Dahuang Xiaoshi Tang, treating jaundice with abdominal fullness, difficult and red urination, and spontaneous sweating; Taohe Chengqi Tang, treating lower abdominal urgency and knotting; Tiaowei Chengqi Tang, treating Yangming disease with gastrointestinal dryness-heat, abdominal fullness, and inability to defecate; Dahuang Fuzi Tang, mainly treating unilateral hypochondriac pain, fever, and tight-string pulse; Didang Tang, treating mania, hard and full lower abdomen, with normal urination; Dahuang Huanglian Xiexin Tang, treating epigastric stuffiness, soft upon pressure, with floating pulse below the guan position; Maziren Wan, treating gastrointestinal dryness-heat, dry and knotty stools, and frequent urination; Yinchen Hao Tang, treating damp-heat jaundice; Dahuang Mudan Tang, treating intestinal abscess, swollen and痞 lower abdomen; Dahuang Gancao Tang, treating vomiting immediately after eating; Dahuang Zhechong Wan, treating extreme deficiency from five labors, emaciation, abdominal fullness, and inability to eat; Biejia Jian Wan, treating chronic malaria that does not heal, forming a malaria mass; Jifeng Lihuang Wan, treating abdominal fullness and fluid qi between the intestines; Da Chaihu Tang, treating epigastric fullness and pain upon pressure. There are eighteen prescriptions in total.

My mentor explained the understanding of Rhubarb in Tang Dynasty Huang Jing's *Xinxiu Bencao*, Song Dynasty *Rizhouzi Zhujiabencao*, Jin Dynasty Zhang Yuansu's *Zhenzhunang* chapter, Ming Dynasty Li Shizhen's *Bencao Gangmu*, Ming Dynasty Miao Xi Yong's *Bencao Jingshu*, Li Tushan's *Bencao Tutie*, Qing Dynasty Huang Gongxiu's *Bencao Qiuyuan*, Zhang Yinan's *Bencao Chongyuan*, Ye Tianshi's *Bencao Jingjie*, and foreign theories. He also discussed the application insights passed down by Mr. Wang Xiangyan. Finally, he specifically emphasized that it is contraindicated for those without heat stagnation in the blood level. This single purgative herb, Rhubarb, took my mentor half a day to explain fully.

My mentor spent a full year narrating common herbs one by one: Ginseng (including Codonopsis, Pseudoginseng, American Ginseng), Asparagus Root, Lantana Herb, Antelope Horn (Buffalo Horn Slices), Salvia Root, Notoginseng Root, Cornus Fruit, Angelica Sinensis, Dragon Teeth, Poria, Reishi Mushroom, Schisandra Berry, Gecko, Prepared Rehmannia Root, Placenta (Kan Qi), Goji Berries, Qinghao, Bupleurum, Coix Seed, Astragalus, Atractylodes Macrocephala, Phellodendron Bark, Scutellaria Root, White Silkworm, Aurantium Fruit (Real), Atractylodes Lancea, Schizonepeta, Pinellia (Pinellia with Bamboo Juice, Immortal Pinellia, Ginger Pinellia, Processed Pinellia), Acorus, Earthworm, Polygonum Multiflorum, Dendrobium (Huoshan, Jinchai, Tiepi, Tongpi), Three-leaf Green, Banlangen, Agrimony, Polygonatum, Eucommia, Yam, Perilla Leaf and Stem, Achyranthes Bidentata, Cordyceps Sinensis, Anemarrhena, Safflower (Saffron), Trichosanthes Peel, Licorice, White Peony Root, Cinnamon Twig, Ephedra, Gypsum, Fritillaria Thunbergii, Fritillaria Cirrhosa, etc.

Every time my mentor taught me medical skills, it felt as if he brought me into the profound and extensive temple of TCM. From Yin-Yang and Five Elements to the Five Zang and Six Fu organs, from observation, listening, questioning, and pulse-taking to the Six Excesses and Seven Emotions, from Four Qi and Five Flavors to establishing laws and selecting formulas, everywhere displayed the brilliance of our motherland's medicine in the river of history. The content was interwoven seamlessly and exquisitely clear. My mentor nurtured me with his life's blood and paternal love. Listening, listening, it seemed as if my mentor was holding me while learning to walk and run. Whenever I grasped the essence of my mentor's teachings, I felt a sense of sublimation and soaring. More than thirty years have passed. Whenever I encounter difficulties, the integrated blocks of my mentor's thinking appear in my mind, guiding me to find unique paths and hit the key points, allowing many difficult and complicated diseases to be solved easily. Many instances remain vividly in memory.

Part Three

Theory of Five Movements and Six Qi

1. Theory of Five Movements and Six Qi and Hangzhou Climate

Motherland's medicine believes that climate is closely related to the human body. *Neijing* states: "Those who treat diseases must understand the Way of Heaven and Geography, the alternation of Yin and Yang, the sequence of Qi, the longevity and shortness of life of humans, and the periods of generation and transformation, so that one can know the form and Qi of humans." The so-called "Way of Heaven" refers to the changes in celestial body movements; "Geography" refers to local suitability; "Sequence of Qi" refers to climate variations. The ancients discovered that variations have periodic laws. *Neijing·Tianyuanji Dalun*: "Heaven uses six as a segment, Earth uses five as a system. Completing the Qi of Heaven takes six periods as one preparation; completing the records of Earth takes five years as one cycle... Combining five and six yields seven hundred and twenty Qi, constituting one era of thirty years; one thousand four hundred and forty Qi constitutes one cycle of sixty years. Deficiency and excess are all visible here." It proposes a sixty-year cycle. Its year-naming method matches Heavenly Stems (Jia, Yi, Bing, Ding, Wu, Ji, Geng, Xin, Ren, Gui) sequentially with Earthly Branches (Zi, Chou, Yin, Mao, Chen, Si, Wu, Wei, Shen, You, Xu, Hai). For example, Jiazi, Yichou, etc., so the sixty-year cycle is also called "Jiazi". The matching of stems and branches is not only used for counting but corresponds to Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water (called "Five Movements") and Wind, Cold, Summer Heat, Dampness, Dryness, Fire (called "Six Qi"), having certain climatological significance, called the "Theory of Five Movements and Six Qi", abbreviated as "Theory of Yunqi". Ancient doctors often used this to infer climate variations and disease incidence in a specific year. Is this inference and law subjective idealistic speculation? Or does it conform to objective reality? Let us observe the scientific nature of the Theory of Five Movements and Six Qi using the climate of the Hangzhou region: For example, 1976 was a Bingchen year. According to the theory, it was predicted to be a year of excessive Cold Qi. Looking at the actual climate, that winter was bitterly cold, West Lake ice was very thick, rare for decades, with a minimum temperature reaching minus 10.5 degrees Celsius. Before the previous Jiazi cycle, in 1916, a severe cold of minus 10.5 degrees also occurred. Again, 1978 was a Wuwu year, with the annual movement being excessive Fire-Heat. That summer was scorching hot, with a maximum temperature reaching 42.1 degrees Celsius, causing many illnesses and injuries due to summer heat.

Besides climate cold and heat, the Theory of Five Movements and Six Qi also points out meteorological variations such as wind, rain, dryness, and dampness. Looking at meteorological data from 1951 to 1970 available at hand, 1957 was a Dingyou year, and 1967 was a Dingwei year, both being years of "clear dryness prevalence," which should be relatively dry. From climate data, the average humidity in 1957 was 16.7 millibars, the lowest in 20 years; precipitation in 1967 was 945.6 mm, the least in 20 years; 1962 was a Renyin year, with luck indicating "wind prevails greatly," recording 67 days with winds stronger than Level 6, the most in 20 years; 1961 was a Xinchou year: 1964 was a Jiachen year. The theory considers these years as "rain and dampness prevalence." From data, the average humidity in 1961 was 18.1 millibars, and rainfall in 1964 was 2356.1 mm, both the highest in 20 years, etc. The calculation of Yunqi coincides well with reality, indicating that the Theory of Five Movements and Six Qi is a law derived from long-term practice by the ancients and has a certain scientific nature.

Of course, what is mentioned above is only the prediction of the Theory of Five Movements and Six Qi for the whole year's climate, which is relatively rough and far from the entire content of the theory. Among the Five Movements, there are Principal Movement and Guest Movement; among the Six Qi, there are Principal Qi and Guest Qi; among Guest Qi, there is the Si Tian Qi filling Heaven and the Zai Quan Qi approaching Earth, etc. Comprehensive analysis can predict the meteorological change laws for the first and second halves of the year, each month, and every solar term. For example, 1979 was a Jiwei year. Ji represents Earth Movement. The annual stem is Yin, representing deficiency. The characteristic of the annual movement is the Qi overcoming Ji; winning means Wood Qi takes charge, and wind prevails greatly. Wind moves swiftly and changes rapidly; the Earthly Branch Wei belongs to Earth element. The deficient Earth Movement receives assistance from the Earthly Branch Wei Earth and turns into balanced Qi. The Six Qi are Taiyin Damp Earth Si Tian Qi. Balanced Qi receives assistance from Si Tian Qi and turns into dampness predominance. Since the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches match the Si Tian Qi, both being Earth, it is called a Taiyi Tianfu Year. Therefore, the luck characteristics of that year are windy and rainy, with violent changes. Looking at the Guest and Principal Qi of that year, the Third Qi is Shaoyang Ministerial Fire, so the early summer climate is relatively hot. In the second half of the year, the Taiyang Cold Water Zai Quan Qi gradually becomes strong, so since the leap sixth month in the second half, caused by cold air, temperatures are low, and typhoons frequently attack with continuous rain. Looking further at the overlay of Guest and Principal Qi: The Principal Qi of the Third Qi is Shaoyang Ministerial Fire, and the Guest Qi is Taiyin Damp Earth. The Principal Qi of the Fourth Qi is Taiyin Damp Earth, and the Guest Qi is Shaoyang Ministerial Fire. The Third and Fourth Qi compete with damp-heat. To summarize: The Si Tian Taiyin Damp Earth, the Zai Quan Taiyang Cold Water, the Wood Qi overcoming Ji, and the damp-heat of the Third and Fourth Qi engage in close combat, resulting in a struggle of Wind, Cold, Dampness, and Heat, leading to variable climates. This reacts in late autumn crops with poor growth, premature withering of branches, and many pests and diseases; reacting in the human body, due to dampness predominance, dampness being sticky, heavy, and turbid, causes limb flaccidity, dizziness, and dull appetite. Because Wind, Cold, and Dampness mix; cold and heat are unpredictable, Lung Qi's dispersing and descending functions fail, making one susceptible to external pathogens; due to summer fire abundance and body heat, while Cold-Dampness is a Yin pathogen causing stagnation, assisted by Wind to bind the skin, internal heat is depressed and difficult to dissipate, thus internal fire blazes, damaging Yin and causing irritability and dry throat. According to Motherland's medicine syndrome differentiation, patients with hepatitis and gastroenteritis caused by damp-heat pathogens saw a significant increase in incidence that year, and the recurrence rate for those with a history of hepatitis was also higher.

Climate change is a complex phenomenon affected by many factors. When using the Theory of Five Movements and Six Qi to predict climate, one should also consider geographical location, cosmic changes, human factors, etc., and cannot mechanically apply it. Moreover, the theory formed two thousand years ago, limited by historical conditions, could not be perfect and precise. But from the above introductions and actual observation data, the Yunqi theory in Motherland's medicine is also a precious heritage worthy of further study and research.

2. Theory of Five Movements and Six Qi and Epidemics in Hangzhou

(Keywords) Prediction and Incidence, Yunqi Overlap. The Theory of Five Movements and Six Qi is a discipline studying the impact of natural climate changes on all things in the universe, especially human life activities. Zhang Jingyue said: "Since I gained knowledge, I have often speculated on the meaning of five and six, tracking Qi to predict, and their Qi waxing and waning matches ten out of eight or seven times. Even if there are slight mismatches, it is just the view of a frog in a well." Based on this, I observed the climate and epidemic incidence in Hangzhou over decades: such as the hepatitis outbreaks around New Year's Day in 1959 and 1987, edema disease in 1961, summer heat injury in 1978... What are the reasons? The Yunqi theory predicted the incidence laws of epidemics, helping us gain insights.

Prediction and Actual Incidence

In 1959, the Si Tian Qi was Jueyin Wind Wood, the Zai Quan Qi was Shaoyang Ministerial Fire, the Middle Movement was Shao Gong, Earth Movement was deficient, called Bei Jian Zhi Ji. The Si Tian Qi overcame the Middle Movement from below. The overlap of Yunqi was a Tianxing Year of top overcoming bottom. Its Qi was evil and harmful. The annual Ji Earth deficiency was overcome by the Si Tian Jueyin Wind Wood. That year, Wind-Dampness pathogens prevailed. According to Hangzhou meteorological data records: