黄帝曰。余闻九针九篇。余亲受其调。颇得其意。夫九针者。始于一而终于九。然未得其要道也。夫九
针者。小之则无内。大之则无外。深不可为下。高不可为盖。恍惚无穷。流溢无极。余知其合于天道
人事四时之变也。然余愿杂之毫毛。浑束为一可乎。
此章帝以九针之道。合而为一。以应天道。夫九针者。始于一以应天。二以应地。三以应人。四以
应时。五以应音。六以应律。七以应星。八以应风。九以应野。始于一而终于九者。合于天地人事四时
之变也。然道之要。唯一而后能贯通。故九针者。小之则无内。大之则无外。深不可为下。高不可为盖。
恍惚无穷。流散无极。今欲如毫毛之繁杂者。浑束为一可乎。
岐伯曰。明乎哉问也。非独针道焉。夫治国亦然。黄帝曰。余愿闻针道。非国事也。岐伯曰。夫治国
者。夫惟道焉。非道何可小大深浅杂合而为一乎。
夫治民与自治。治彼与治此。治大与治小。治国与治家。夫惟道而已矣。故非独针道。治国亦然。
伯以九针之道。合于阴阳。推之可千可万。合之惟归于一。犹庖牺氏之卦象。有变易不易之理。所以修
身齐家治国平天下。总不外乎此。
黄帝曰。愿卒闻之。岐伯曰。日与月焉。水与镜焉。鼓与响焉。夫日月之明。不失其影。水镜之察。不
失其形。鼓响之应。不后其声。动摇则应和。尽得其情。
此言浑束而为一者。合于天之道也。日月丽天。绕地即转。不失其光明之影。司天在上。在泉在下。
如水与镜。不失其照应之形。动静有常。刚柔推荡。如鼓与响。不失其传应之声。言天道也。动摇则应和。
尽得其情者。外可以揣内。内可以揣外。外内相应。天地之道也。
黄帝曰。窘乎哉。昭昭之明不可蔽。其不可蔽。不失阴阳也。合而察之。切而验之。见而得之。若清水明
镜之不失
其形也。五音不彰。五色不明。五脏波荡。若是则内外相袭。若鼓之应桴。响之应声。影之应形。故远
者司外揣内。近者司内揣外。是谓阴阳之极。天地之盖。请藏之灵兰之室。弗敢使泄也。
此言天地之道。而合于人道也。夫六气主外。天之道也。五运主内。地之道也。而人亦应之。六气运
行于上下。以应十二经脉。如升降息。则气立孤危。五运出入于外内。以应五脏之气。如出入废则神
机化灭。是以五音五色之彰明于外者。五脏之气着也。如五脏波荡于内。则五音不彰。五色不明矣。此
外内相袭。若桴鼓影响之相应也。远者司外揣内。应天之道也。近者司内揣外。应地之道也。是谓阴
阳之极。天地之盖。藏之灵兰秘室。不敢妄泄也。杨元如曰。始云高不可为盖。谓天之覆盖于上也。
又曰。天地之盖。谓天包乎地之外。上下合而为盖也。此章始论合束为一以应天道。然后提出天地阴阳
上下外内。犹卦象之始于一而成两。奇偶相合而为三。三而三之成九。九九八十一。以起黄钟之数。是
九针之道。合于天地人事四时之变。如杂之毫毛。若浑然为一。复归于天道之无极也。朱济公曰。九针
者。有九针之名。有九针之式。合而为一。是为微针矣。此篇照应首章之义。
Huangdi said: I have heard of the nine chapters on the Nine Needles. I personally received their principles of regulation and grasped their general meaning. The way of the Nine Needles begins with one and ends with nine, yet I have not attained its essential principle. The Nine Needles are so minute that they have no interior limit, and so vast that they have no exterior boundary; they are so deep that there is no lower bound, and so high that there is no upper cover. They are indistinct and infinite, flowing and overflowing without limit. I know that they accord with the Heavenly Dao, human affairs, and the changes of the four seasons. However, I wish to gather together those things as complex as hairs and bind them into a single unity. Is this possible?
In this chapter, the Emperor intends to unify the way of the Nine Needles into one to correspond with the Heavenly Dao. The Nine Needles begin with one to correspond to Heaven, two to correspond to Earth, three to correspond to Humanity, four to correspond to the Seasons, five to correspond to the Five Tones (Wuyin), six to correspond to the Six Pitch-pipes (Lü), seven to correspond to the Stars, eight to correspond to the Winds, and nine to correspond to the Wilds. Beginning with one and ending with nine corresponds to the changes of Heaven, Earth, Human affairs, and the Four Seasons. However, the essence of the Dao lies in "One," which allows for thorough penetration. Thus, the Nine Needles are so minute that they have no interior limit, and so vast that they have no exterior boundary; they are so deep that there is no lower bound, and so high that there is no upper cover. They are indistinct and infinite, flowing and scattering without limit. Now, can we treat matters as complex as hairs and bind them into a single unity?
Qibo replied: How clear your question is! This applies not only to the Dao of Acupuncture but also to the governance of a state. Huangdi said: I wish to hear about the Dao of Acupuncture, not state affairs. Qibo said: The governance of a state relies solely on the Dao. Without the Dao, how can small and large, deep and shallow, mixed and pure be integrated into one?
Governance of the people and self-cultivation, governance of others and governance of oneself, governance of great states and small territories, governance of the nation and governance of the family—all rely solely on the Dao. Therefore, this applies not only to the Dao of Acupuncture but also to the governance of a state.
Qibo believed that the Dao of the Nine Needles conforms to Yin and Yang. It can be deduced into thousands or tens of thousands, but when synthesized, it returns to One. This is like the hexagrams of Fuxi, which contain both change and unchangeable principles. Thus, cultivating oneself, regulating the family, governing the state, and bringing peace to the world all revolve around this fundamental truth.
Huangdi said: I wish to hear it completely. Qibo said: It is like the Sun and Moon, water and mirrors, drums and echoes. The brightness of the Sun and Moon does not fail to cast shadows; the clarity of water and mirrors does not fail to reflect shapes; the response of drumbeats and echoes does not lag behind the sound. Movement elicits corresponding harmony, allowing one to fully grasp the situation.
What is meant by binding everything into a single unity here is conforming to the Heavenly Dao. The Sun and Moon adhere to the sky and rotate around the earth, never losing their bright shadows; the Si Tian Qi (Commanding Heavenly Qi) is above, and the Zai Quan Qi (Subterranean Spring Qi) is below, just like water and mirrors, never losing their reflective shapes. Movement and stillness have constancy, and Hardness and Softness push against each other, just like drums and echoes, never losing their responding sounds. This speaks of the Heavenly Dao. To move and elicit harmony, thereby fully grasping the situation, means that the exterior can infer the interior, and the interior can infer the exterior. Exterior and interior correspond to each other; this is the Way of Heaven and Earth.
Huangdi said: How profound! This luminous clarity cannot be obscured. The reason it cannot be obscured is that it does not violate Yin and Yang. By observing them in union and verifying them closely, one sees and understands them, just as clear water and bright mirrors do not lose the shape of objects. If the Five Tones are not manifest and the Five Colors are not distinct, the Qi of the Five Zang Organs will be turbulent. In such cases, the interior and exterior will invade each other, just as drumsticks respond to drums, echoes respond to sounds, and shadows respond to forms. Therefore, from afar, one observes the exterior to infer the interior; from near, one observes the interior to infer the exterior. This is called the ultimate of Yin and Yang, the cover of Heaven and Earth. Please let me store this in the Linglan Chamber and dare not let it leak out.
This passage discusses the Way of Heaven and Earth and its correspondence with the Human Way. The Six Qi governs the exterior, representing the Heavenly Dao; the Five Yun (Movements) governs the interior, representing the Earthly Dao, and humans also respond to them. The Six Qi circulates above and below to correspond to the Twelve Meridians. If ascending and descending cease, the establishment of Qi becomes isolated and precarious. The Five Yun enters and exits internally and externally to correspond to the Qi of the Five Zang Organs. If entry and exit cease, the Divine Mechanism perishes. Therefore, the manifestation of the Five Tones and Five Colors externally indicates the Qi of the Five Zang Organs. If the Qi of the Five Zang Organs is turbulent internally, then the Five Tones will not be manifest and the Five Colors will not be distinct. This is the mutual invasion of interior and exterior, responding like drumsticks and drums, echoes and sounds, shadows and forms. Observing the exterior from afar to infer the interior corresponds to the Heavenly Dao; observing the interior from near to infer the exterior corresponds to the Earthly Dao. This is called the ultimate of Yin and Yang, the cover of Heaven and Earth. Store it in the Linglan Secret Chamber and dare not disclose it recklessly.
Yang Yuanru stated: Initially, it was said that "highness cannot serve as a cover," referring to Heaven's covering from above. Later, it was said that "the cover of Heaven and Earth" refers to Heaven enveloping Earth outside, with upper and lower combining to form a cover. This chapter begins by discussing the unification of diverse elements to correspond with the Heavenly Dao, then brings forth Heaven and Earth, Yin and Yang, upper and lower, exterior and interior. Like the hexagrams starting from One becoming Two, odd and even combining to become Three, and Three multiplied by Three becoming Nine, leading to 81 and thus initiating the number of Huangzhong (Yellow Bell). This shows that the Dao of the Nine Needles corresponds to the changes of Heaven, Earth, Human affairs, and the Four Seasons. Just as hairs are gathered into a浑然 (natural whole) unity, it returns to the Wuji (Limitless) of the Heavenly Dao. Zhu Jigong stated: The Nine Needles have the name of Nine Needles and the form of Nine Needles; unified into one, they become micro-needles. This article echoes the meaning of the first chapter.