Library

Huangdi said: Yin and Yang are the Dao (Way/Law) of Heaven and Earth, the general principles of all things, the parents of change, the origin of life and death, and the residence of spiritual illumination. Therefore, in treating disease, one must seek the root. Thus, accumulated Yang forms Heaven, and accumulated Yin forms Earth. Yin is quiet, Yang is active; Yang generates, Yin grows; Yang kills (subdues), Yin stores. Yang transforms Qi (vital energy), Yin forms substance. Extreme cold generates heat, extreme heat generates cold. Cold Qi generates turbidity, Hot Qi generates clarity. If clear Yang descends to the lower part, it causes diarrhea with undigested food (Sun Xie); if turbid Yin ascends to the upper part, it causes abdominal distension. This is the reversal of Yin and Yang, leading to the deviation of disease. Thus, clear Yang becomes Heaven, turbid Yin becomes Earth; Earth Qi rises to form clouds, Heaven Qi descends to form rain; rain comes from Earth Qi, clouds come from Heaven Qi. Therefore, clear Yang exits through the upper orifices, turbid Yin exits through the lower orifices; clear Yang disperses into the Cou Li (interstices of skin and muscle), turbid Yin flows to the Zang organs; clear Yang fills the four limbs, turbid Yin returns to the Fu organs. Water is Yin, Fire is Yang; Yang manifests as Qi, Yin manifests as Flavor. Flavor nourishes Form, Form relies on Qi, Qi generates Essence, Essence undergoes transformation; Essence consumes Qi, Form consumes Flavor, transformation generates Essence, Qi generates Form. Excessive Flavor damages Form, excessive Qi damages Essence, Essence transforms into Qi, and Qi is damaged by Flavor. Yin Flavor exits through the lower orifices, Yang Qi exits through the upper orifices. Strong flavors are pure Yin, weak flavors are Yang within Yin. Strong aromas are pure Yang, weak aromas are Yin within Yang. Strong flavors cause purging, weak flavors promote circulation. Weak aromas induce sweating, strong aromas cause fever. Vigorous Fire (Zhuang Huo) weakens Qi, Mild Fire (Shao Huo) strengthens Qi. Vigorous Fire consumes Qi, Qi feeds on Mild Fire. Vigorous Fire scatters Qi, Mild Fire generates Qi. Pungent and Sweet flavors disperse and are Yang; Sour and Bitter flavors induce vomiting/purging and are Yin. Yin excess leads to Yang disease, Yang excess leads to Yin disease. Yang excess leads to Heat, Yin excess leads to Cold. Extreme cold transforms into heat, extreme heat transforms into cold. Cold damages Form, Heat damages Qi. Qi injury causes pain, Form injury causes swelling. Therefore, pain followed by swelling indicates Qi damaging Form; swelling followed by pain indicates Form damaging Qi. Wind excess causes movement, Heat excess causes swelling, Dryness excess causes dryness, Cold excess causes edema, Dampness excess causes loose stools. Heaven has Four Seasons and Five Elements, which govern growth, flourishing, harvesting, and storing, thereby generating Cold, Heat, Dryness, Dampness, and Wind. Humans have Five Zang organs that transform Five Qi, thereby generating Joy, Anger, Sorrow, Worry, and Fear. Thus, emotional excess damages Qi, climatic extremes damage Form. Sudden anger damages Yin Blood, sudden joy damages Yang Qi. Rebellious Qi rising upward fills the vessels and depletes Form. Unregulated emotions and excessive climatic exposure destabilize life. Thus, extreme Yin transforms to Yang, extreme Yang transforms to Yin. It is said: Winter injury by Cold leads to Warm diseases in Spring; Spring injury by Wind leads to Sun Xie in Summer; Summer injury by Summer Heat leads to Malaria in Autumn; Autumn injury by Dampness leads to Cough in Winter.

Huangdi said: I have heard that ancient sages discussed human morphology, distinguished Zang organs, traced meridians, integrated the Six Combinations, and followed meridian pathways. Acupoints have names, valleys connect to bones, and divisions follow order. The changes of Yin and Yang in four seasons have rules, and internal-external correspondences have interior-exterior relationships. Is this true? Qibo replied: The East generates Wind, Wind generates Wood, Wood generates Sour, Sour enters the Liver, Liver generates Tendons, Tendons nourish the Heart, and the Liver opens into the Eyes. In Heaven it is Mystery, in Humanity it is Dao, in Earth it is Transformation. Transformation generates Five Flavors, Dao generates Wisdom, Mystery generates Spirit. Spirit manifests as Wind in Heaven, Wood in Earth, Tendons in Body, Liver in Zang, Green in Color, Jue note in Music, Shout in Sound, Grasping in Movement, Eye in Orifice, Sour in Flavor, Anger in Emotion. Anger damages the Liver, Sorrow overcomes Anger; Wind damages Tendons, Dryness overcomes Wind; Sour damages Tendons, Pungent overcomes Sour.

The South generates Heat, Heat generates Fire, Fire generates Bitter, Bitter enters the Heart, Heart generates Blood, Blood nourishes the Spleen, and the Heart opens into the Tongue. In Heaven it is Heat, in Earth it is Fire, in Body it is Vessels, in Zang it is Heart, Red in Color, Zhi note in Music, Laughter in Sound, Grief in Movement, Tongue in Orifice, Bitter in Flavor, Joy in Emotion. Joy damages the Heart, Fear overcomes Joy; Heat damages Qi, Cold overcomes Heat; Bitter damages Qi, Salty overcomes Bitter.

The Center generates Dampness, Dampness generates Earth, Earth generates Sweet, Sweet enters the Spleen, Spleen generates Flesh, Flesh nourishes the Lungs, and the Spleen opens into the Mouth. In Heaven it is Dampness, in Earth it is Earth, in Body it is Flesh, in Zang it is Spleen, Yellow in Color, Gong note in Music, Singing in Sound, Hiccups in Movement, Mouth in Orifice, Sweet in Flavor, Pensiveness in Emotion. Pensiveness damages the Spleen, Anger overcomes Pensiveness; Dampness damages Flesh, Wind overcomes Dampness; Sweet damages Flesh, Sour overcomes Sweet.

The West generates Dryness, Dryness generates Metal, Metal generates Pungent, Pungent enters the Lungs, Lungs generate Skin and Hair, Skin and Hair nourish the Kidneys, and the Lungs open into the Nose. In Heaven it is Dryness, in Earth it is Metal, in Body it is Skin and Hair, in Zang it is Lung, White in Color, Shang note in Music, Crying in Sound, Cough in Movement, Nose in Orifice, Pungent in Flavor, Sorrow in Emotion. Sorrow damages the Lungs, Joy overcomes Sorrow; Heat damages Skin and Hair, Cold overcomes Heat; Pungent damages Skin and Hair, Bitter overcomes Pungent.

The North generates Cold, Cold generates Water, Water generates Salty, Salty enters the Kidneys, Kidneys generate Marrow, Marrow nourishes the Liver, and the Kidneys open into the Ears. In Heaven it is Cold, in Earth it is Water, in Body it is Bones, in Zang it is Kidney, Black in Color, Yu note in Music, Groaning in Sound, Trembling in Movement, Ear in Orifice, Salty in Flavor, Fear in Emotion. Fear damages the Kidneys, Pensiveness overcomes Fear; Cold damages Blood, Dryness overcomes Cold; Salty damages Blood, Sweet overcomes Salty.

Thus: Heaven and Earth are the upper and lower of all things; Yin and Yang are the male and female of Blood and Qi; Left and Right are the pathways of Yin and Yang; Water and Fire are the signs of Yin and Yang; Yin and Yang are the initial power of all things. It is said: Yin inside is the guardian of Yang; Yang outside is the servant of Yin. Huangdi asked: How to follow Yin and Yang? Qibo said: Yang excess causes body heat, closed Cou Li, rough breathing, inability to bend or stretch, no sweat but heat, dry teeth, vexation, abdominal fullness leading to death; tolerable in Winter, intolerable in Summer. Yin excess causes body cold, sweating, frequent chills, cold extremities, abdominal fullness leading to death; tolerable in Summer, intolerable in Winter. This is the variation of alternating Yin-Yang excess, the form of disease. Huangdi asked: How to regulate these two? Qibo said: Knowing the Seven Losses and Eight Benefits allows regulation; not knowing them leads to premature aging. At forty, Yin Qi halves, daily activities decline. At fifty, body heavy, ears and eyes dull. At sixty, impotence, Qi greatly declines, nine orifices obstructed, lower deficiency upper excess, tears and mucus flow. Thus, knowledge brings strength, ignorance brings old age. The wise observe unity, the foolish observe differences; the foolish lack, the wise have surplus. Surplus brings bright senses and strong body; the old become vigorous, the young become healthy. Thus, sages engage in non-action, enjoy tranquility, and align with emptiness, achieving infinite lifespan with Heaven and Earth.

Heaven is deficient in the Northwest, so the Northwest is Yin, and humans' right ear/eye are less acute than the left. Earth is incomplete in the Southeast, so the Southeast is Yang, and humans' left hand/foot are weaker than the right. Huangdi asked why. Qibo said: The East is Yang, Yang essence gathers above, making the upper bright and lower empty, hence acute senses but clumsy limbs. The West is Yin, Yin essence gathers below, making the lower full and upper empty, hence dull senses but agile limbs. Thus, same pathogen affects the right side more if above, and the left side more if below, due to incomplete Heaven-Earth Yin-Yang. Heaven has Essence, Earth has Form, Heaven has Eight Disciplines, Earth has Five Regions, thus becoming parents of all things. Clear Yang rises to Heaven, turbid Yin returns to Earth. Heaven-Earth movement is governed by Spirit, enabling cyclic growth and storage. Only worthy people emulate Heaven to nourish the head, Earth to nourish the feet, and Human affairs to nourish the Five Zang. Heaven Qi connects to the Lungs, Earth Qi connects to the throat. Wind Qi connects to the Liver, Thunder Qi connects to the Heart, Grain Qi connects to the Spleen, Rain Qi connects to the Kidneys. The Six Meridians are rivers, the intestines and stomach are seas, the nine orifices are water outlets. Sweat is named after Heaven's rain, Qi is named after Earth's wind. Violent Qi resembles thunder, rebellious Qi resembles Yang. Treating without following Heaven's discipline or Earth's principle brings disaster.

Pathogenic wind arrives swiftly like wind and rain. Good physicians treat at the hair/skin level, then muscle/skin, then tendons/vessels, then Fu organs, then Zang organs. Treating Zang organ disease results in half death, half survival. Heavenly pathogens damage Zang organs; dietary cold/heat damage Fu organs; earthly dampness damages skin/muscle/tendons/vessels. Skilled needle practitioners draw Yang from Yin, Yin from Yang, treat right with left, left with right, know the other through self, know the interior through exterior, observe excess/deficiency, detect errors early, and avoid danger. Skilled diagnosticians observe color and pulse to distinguish Yin/Yang, examine clarity/turbidity to locate disease, watch breathing and listen to voice to identify suffering, observe pulse qualities (weight, depth, slipperiness, roughness) to determine disease origin. Accurate diagnosis ensures no error.

Thus: Early stage disease can be cured by acupuncture; peak stage waits for decline. Light pathogens are dispersed, heavy pathogens are reduced, deficient states are strengthened. Form deficiency is warmed by Qi; Essence deficiency is tonified by Flavor. High pathology induces vomiting; low pathology promotes drainage; middle fullness is purged internally; external pathogens induce sweat via soaking; superficial pathogens are released by sweating; fierce pathogens are restrained by massage; excess patterns are scattered and purged. Examine Yin/Yang to distinguish soft/hard, treat Yin for Yang disease, Yang for Yin disease, stabilize Blood/Qi, keep them in place. Blood excess requires lancing/draining, Qi deficiency requires guiding/nourishing.