黄帝问曰∶余闻九针于夫子，众多博大，不可胜数。余愿闻要道，以属子孙，传之后世，着之骨髓，藏
之肝肺，歃血而受，不敢妄泄，令合天道，必有终始，上应天光星辰历纪，下副四时五行，贵贱更立，冬阴夏
阳，以人应之奈何？愿闻其方。岐伯对曰∶妙乎哉问也！此天地之至数。帝曰∶愿闻天地
之至数，合于人形血气，通决死生，为之奈何？岐伯曰∶天地之至数，始于一，终于九焉。一者天，二者
地，三者人，因而三之，三三者九，以应九野。故人有三部，部有三候，以决死生，以处百病，以调虚实，
而除邪疾。帝曰∶何谓三部？岐伯曰∶有下部，有中部，有上部，部各有三候，三候者，有天有地有人也，
必指而导之，乃以为真。上部天，两额之动脉；上部地，两颊之动脉；上部人，耳前之动脉。中部天，手太阴
也；中部地，手阳明也；中部人，手少阴也。
下部天，足厥阴也；下部地，足少阴也；下部人，足太阴也。故下部之天以候肝，地以候肾，人以候脾胃
之气。帝曰∶中部之候奈何？岐伯曰∶亦有天，亦有地，亦有人。天以候肺，地以候胸中之气，人以候
心。帝曰∶上部以何候之？岐伯曰∶亦有天，亦有地，亦有人。天以候头角之气，地以候口齿之气，人以候耳
目之气。三部者，各有天，各有地，
各有人。三而成天，三而成地，三而成人。三而三之，合则为九，九分为九野，九野为九藏。故神藏五，形
藏四，合为九藏。五脏已败，其色必夭，夭必死矣。
帝曰∶以候奈何？岐伯曰∶必先度其形之肥瘦，以调其气之虚实，实则泻之，虚则补之。必先去其血脉而
后调之，无问其病，以平为期。帝曰∶决死生奈何？岐伯曰∶形盛脉细，少气不足以息者危。
形瘦脉大，胸中多气者死。形气相得者生。参伍不调者病。三部九候皆相失者死。上下左右之脉相应如参舂
者病甚。上下左右相失不可数者死。中部之候虽独调，与众脏相失者死。中部之候相减者死。目内陷者死。
帝曰∶何以知病之所在？岐伯曰∶察九候独小者病，独大者病，独疾者病，独迟者病，独热者病，独寒者病，
独陷下者病。以左手足上，
上去踝五寸按之，庶右手足当踝而弹之，其应过五寸以上，蠕蠕然者不病；其应疾，中手浑浑然者病；中手徐
徐然者病；其应上不能至五寸，弹之不应者死。是以脱肉身不去者死。中部乍疏乍数者死。其脉代而钩者，
病在络脉。九候之相应也，上下若一，不得相失。一候后则病，二候后则病甚，三候后则病危。所谓后者，应
不俱也。察其腑脏，以知死生之期，必先知经脉，然后知病脉，真脏脉见者胜
死。足太阳气绝者，其足不可屈伸，死必戴眼。帝曰∶冬阴夏阳奈何？岐伯曰∶九候之脉，皆沉细悬绝者
为阴，主冬，故以夜半死。盛躁喘数者为阳，主夏，故以日中死。是故寒热病者，以平旦死。热中及热病者，
以日中死。病风者，以日夕死。病水者，以夜半死。其脉乍疏乍数乍迟乍疾者，日乘四
季死。形肉已脱，九候虽调，犹死。七诊虽见，九候皆从者不死。所言不死者，风气之病及经月之病，
似七诊之病而非也，故言不死。若有七诊之病，其脉候亦败者死矣，必发哕噫。必审问其所始病，与今之所
方病，而后各切循其脉，视其经络浮沉，以上下逆从循之，其脉疾者不病，其脉迟者病，脉不往来者死，皮
肤着者死。帝曰∶其可治者奈何？岐伯曰∶经病者治其经，孙络病者治其孙络血，血病身有痛者治其经络。其
病者在奇邪，奇邪之脉则缪
刺之。留瘦不移，节而刺之。上实下虚，切而从之，索其结络脉，刺出其血，以见通之。瞳子高者太
阳不足，戴眼者太阳已绝，此决死生之要，不可不察也。手指及手外踝上五指留针。
玉机真脏论∶溉（古代切）窳（音愈） （渠殒切）瞀（莫候切）
三部九候论∶歃（所甲切，饮血也） （古营切）蠕（而匀切）
Yellow Emperor asked, saying: I have heard from the Master about the Nine Needles; their content is numerous and extensive, beyond counting. I wish to hear the essential principles, so that I may pass them down to my descendants and transmit them to future generations, engraving them in my bones, storing them in my liver and lungs, accepting them through a blood-drinking ritual, and daring not to leak them lightly, making them conform to the Way of Heaven, having both beginning and end, corresponding above to the light of heaven, stars, and calendars, and below matching the four seasons and five phases. With noble and base succeeding each other, winter being Yin and summer being Yang, how should humanity correspond to this? I wish to hear the method.
Qibo replied: What an excellent question! This is the supreme number of Heaven and Earth.
The Emperor said: I wish to hear the supreme number of Heaven and Earth, how it combines with human form and blood qi, and how to understand and decide life and death. How should this be done?
Qibo said: The supreme number of Heaven and Earth begins with one and ends with nine. One represents Heaven, two represents Earth, three represents Humanity. Multiplying these by three yields nine, corresponding to the Nine Fields (Jiuyé). Thus, the human body is divided into three regions (Bù), each containing three pulse positions (Hòu), used to decide life and death, treat hundred diseases, regulate deficiency and excess, and eliminate pathogenic diseases.
The Emperor said: What are the three regions?
Qibo said: There is the Lower Region, the Middle Region, and the Upper Region. Each region has three pulse positions. These three positions correspond to Heaven, Earth, and Humanity. One must point them out and guide them to grasp the truth.
The Upper Region's Heaven is the arterial pulse at the temples on both foreheads.
The Upper Region's Earth is the arterial pulse at the cheeks on both sides.
The Upper Region's Humanity is the arterial pulse in front of the ears.
The Middle Region's Heaven is the Hand Taiyin (Lung Meridian).
The Middle Region's Earth is the Hand Yangming (Large Intestine Meridian).
The Middle Region's Humanity is the Hand Shaoyin (Heart Meridian).
The Lower Region's Heaven is the Foot Jueyin (Liver Meridian).
The Lower Region's Earth is the Foot Shaoyin (Kidney Meridian).
The Lower Region's Humanity is the Foot Taiyin (Spleen Meridian).
Thus, the Heaven position of the Lower Region observes the Liver, the Earth position observes the Kidneys, and the Humanity position observes the Qi of the Spleen and Stomach.
The Emperor said: How are the pulses of the Middle Region observed?
Qibo said: It also has Heaven, Earth, and Humanity. Heaven observes the Lungs, Earth observes the Qi in the chest, and Humanity observes the Heart.
The Emperor said: What does the Upper Region observe?
Qibo said: It also has Heaven, Earth, and Humanity. Heaven observes the Qi of the head and horns (temples), Earth observes the Qi of the mouth and teeth, and Humanity observes the Qi of the ears and eyes.
These three regions each have Heaven, Earth, and Humanity. Three threes combine to form Heaven, three threes combine to form Earth, and three threes combine to form Humanity. Three multiplied by three equals nine; the nine divide into nine fields, and the nine fields correspond to nine Zang organs. Therefore, there are five Shen (Spirit) Zang and four Xing (Form) Zang, totaling nine Zang organs. If the essence of the five Zang organs fails, the complexion will inevitably become dull and lifeless; if the complexion is dull and lifeless, death is certain.
The Emperor said: How is the observation conducted?
Qibo said: One must first measure the fatness or thinness of the body to adjust for the deficiency or excess of Qi. Excess is treated with draining methods, deficiency with tonifying methods. One must first remove blood stasis before regulating the condition. Regardless of the disease, the goal is balance.
The Emperor said: How is life and death decided?
Qibo said: If the body is robust but the pulse is fine/thin, and there is shortness of breath insufficient for respiration, the condition is critical. If the body is emaciated but the pulse is large, and there is excessive Qi in the chest, death will occur. If the form and Qi are compatible, the patient lives. If the pulses are irregular and unharmonious, there is disease. If all three regions and nine positions show deviation, death will occur. If the pulses of the upper and lower, left and right respond to each other like the alternating pounding of a mortar, the disease is severe. If the pulses of the upper and lower, left and right are disordered and cannot be counted, death will occur. If the Middle Region's pulse is harmonious alone but deviates from the other Zang organs, death will occur. If the Middle Region's pulse diminishes, death will occur. If the eyes are sunken, death will occur.
The Emperor said: How do we know where the disease is located?
Qibo said: Observe the nine positions. The position that is uniquely small indicates disease; uniquely large indicates disease; uniquely rapid indicates disease; uniquely slow indicates disease; uniquely hot indicates disease; uniquely cold indicates disease; uniquely depressed indicates disease.
Place the left hand on the patient's foot, five cun above the ankle, and press down. With the right hand, tap the ankle. If the response travels more than five cun upward and feels rhythmic/worm-like (Rúrú), there is no disease. If the response is rapid and feels浑浑 (Húnhún - thick/muddled) under the fingers, there is disease. If it feels徐徐 (Xúxú - slow/gradual), there is disease. If the response does not reach five cun upward, or if tapping produces no response, death will occur. Therefore, if the flesh has wasted away but the pulse remains, death will occur. If the Middle Region's pulse is occasionally sparse and occasionally rapid, death will occur. If the pulse is Dai (intermittent) and Gou (hooked), the disease is in the Luo (Collateral) vessels.
The correspondence of the nine positions should be consistent throughout, upper and lower alike, without deviation. If one position lags behind, there is disease; if two lag behind, the disease is severe; if three lag behind, the condition is critical. "Lagging behind" means the responses are not simultaneous. By observing the Fu (Hollow) organs, one can know the time limit of life and death. One must first know the normal meridians, then know the pathological pulses. When the True Zang pulse appears, death is inevitable.
When the Qi of the Foot Taiyang meridian is exhausted, the feet cannot flex or extend, and death occurs with eyes staring upward (Dàiyǎn).
The Emperor said: What does "Winter is Yin, Summer is Yang" mean?
Qibo said: If the pulses of the nine positions are all deep, fine, suspended, and cut off, they are Yin pulses, associated with Winter, so death often occurs at midnight. If the pulses are vigorous, restless, panting, and rapid, they are Yang pulses, associated with Summer, so death often occurs at noon.
Therefore, patients with Cold-Heat diseases die at dawn (Pingdan). Patients with Heat within or Heat diseases die at noon. Patients with Wind diseases die at dusk. Patients with Water diseases die at midnight. If the pulse is alternately sparse, rapid, slow, and rapid, death occurs during the transition of the four seasons. If the flesh and muscles have already wasted away, even if the nine positions are harmonious, death will still occur.
If the seven diagnostic signs are seen, but the nine positions follow the seasonal norms, the patient will not die. The statement "will not die" refers to Wind diseases and menstrual disorders, which resemble the seven diagnostic signs but are not actually them, hence stated as non-fatal. However, if the seven diagnostic signs are present AND the pulse conditions are also failed, death is inevitable, accompanied by hiccups and belching.
One must carefully inquire about the initial onset of the disease and the current symptoms, then palpate the pulses individually, observing the floating and sinking of the meridians, following the upward/downward and reverse/compliant patterns. A rapid pulse indicates no disease; a slow pulse indicates disease; a pulse without flow indicates death; skin adhering tightly to the bone indicates death.
The Emperor said: How are those who can be treated treated?
Qibo said: For Jing (Meridian) diseases, treat the meridians. For Sunluo (Sun Collaterals) diseases, treat the bleeding of the sun collaterals. For Blood diseases with body pain, treat the meridians and collaterals. If the disease lies in Qiexie (Abnormal Pathogens), use Mici (Misplaced Needle) therapy for their specific pulses. For chronic wasting diseases that do not move, puncture according to solar terms. For Upper Excess and Lower Deficiency, palpate and follow the vessels, seek out knotted collateral vessels, puncture to release blood, thereby achieving circulation.
High pupils indicate Taiyang deficiency; staring eyes (Dàiyǎn) indicate Taiyang exhaustion. This is the key to deciding life and death and must be examined carefully. Leave needles in the fingers and five cun above the lateral malleolus of the hand.
*Yuji Zhenzang Lun*: Gài (ancient pronunciation), Yǔ (sound Yu), Qúyǔn (pronunciation), Màò (Mòhòu pronunciation).
*Sānbù Jiǔhòu Lun*: Shà (Suǒjiǎ pronunciation, drinking blood), Yíng (Gǔyíng pronunciation), Rú (Éryún pronunciation).