任脉为病。男子内结七疝。女子带下瘕聚。脉来寸口紧细。实长至关者。任脉也。动苦少腹绕脐下引横骨。阴中切
痛。又若腹中有气。如指上抢心。不得俯仰拘急。
任脉为阴脉之海。起于会阴上中极。而同足厥阴太阴少阴并行。循关元历石门气海。而会足少阳冲脉于阴交。历建
里而会手太阳少阳之阳明于中脘。以上喉咙。会阴维于天突廉泉。至目下之中央承泣而终。其脉之起真阴也。地道也。
然地道之能通。必由天气之下降。故天癸者。天之元气降而为精气。以充于地。而后真阴生。真阴充。然后地道通。于
是太冲脉盛。而月事以时下。若任脉虚。太冲脉衰。天癸竭。而地道不通。则形坏而无子也。然阴在内。虽为阳之守。
而真阴之充。必由谷神之满足。年岁之时至。然后天元坚定。所谓天癸至。而地道始通也。是以真阴必由于真阳。及年
四十。而阴气自半。则以阳之盛极而衰。为阴所袭。而所袭之阴。乃穷阴而非真阴矣。是虽真阴之衰。而实真阳之衰也。
要之任脉之为病。病在阴中无阳。故男子内结七疝。女子带下瘕聚。此为结阴。若夫脉来紧细。实长至关者。则所谓阴
气之袭也。故病动苦少腹绕脐下阴中切痛。又苦腹中有气。如指上抢心。拘急不得俯仰。此虽为无阴之症。实为无阳之
症。盖阴中苟有真阳。则真阴充满。和顺自得。上会三阴三阳。以至于两目之间。而无病矣。
任脉发生病变，男子会出现腹内结聚成七种疝气，女子会出现带下病及腹中瘕积聚块。脉象在寸口部位表现为紧细且实长，延伸至关部，这是任脉的脉象。患者常感到少腹部疼痛，环绕肚脐向下牵引至横骨部位，阴部有剧烈刺痛感。另外，若腹中有气上冲，感觉像手指向上顶撞心窝，导致身体僵硬拘急，无法前俯后仰。
任脉是阴脉的海汇，起始于会阴穴，向上经过中极穴，并与足厥阴肝经、足太阴脾经、足少阴肾经并行。它循行经过关元穴、石门穴、气海穴，在阴交穴与足少阳胆经和冲脉相会。经过建里穴，在中脘穴与手太阳小肠经、手少阳三焦经以及手阳明大肠经相会。然后上行至喉咙，在天突穴和廉泉穴与阴维脉相会，最终到达眼下中央的承泣穴结束。任脉的起源在于真阴，也就是地道（指女性生殖生理）。然而，地道的通畅，必须依靠天气的下降。所谓“天癸”，就是天的元气下降转化为精气，以充养地道，然后真阴才能生成。真阴充足，地道才能通畅。于是太冲脉旺盛，月经按时来潮。如果任脉虚弱，太冲脉衰退，天癸枯竭，地道不通，就会导致形体衰败而不能生育。
然而，阴在内，虽然作为阳的守持者，但真阴的充盈，必须依赖水谷精微（谷神）的满足和年龄阶段的到来，然后天元之气才能坚定。这就是所谓的“天癸至”，地道才开始通畅。因此，真阴必然依赖于真阳。到了四十岁，阴气自然减半，这是因为阳气盛极而衰，被阴邪所侵袭。而被侵袭的这种阴，是穷尽之阴，而非真阴。这虽然是真阴的衰退，但实际上是真阳的衰退。
总之，任脉的病变，病机在于阴中没有阳。所以男子出现腹内结聚的七种疝气，女子出现带下和瘕聚，这属于结阴证。至于脉象紧细、实长至关部，这就是所谓的阴气侵袭所致。因此病症表现为少腹绕脐下连阴中的剧烈疼痛，又苦于腹中有气上冲心窝，身体拘急不能俯仰。这虽然看似是无阴的症状，实际上却是无阳的症状。因为如果阴中有真阳，那么真阴就会充满，气血和顺自得，能够上会三阴三阳，以至于两目之间，就不会生病。
When the Ren Mai (Conception Vessel) is diseased, men develop internal accumulations known as the seven types of hernia (Qishen), and women suffer from leukorrhea (Dai Xia) and abdominal masses (Jia Ju). The pulse at the Cun Kou (Radial Artery) appears tight, fine, solid, and long, extending to the Guan position; this characterizes the Ren Mai. Patients often experience pain in the lower abdomen that wraps around the umbilicus and radiates downward to the Henggu area, with sharp cutting pain in the genital region. Additionally, if there is Qi rising in the abdomen, feeling like a finger pushing up against the heart, it causes stiffness and urgency, preventing flexion or extension of the body.
The Ren Mai is the sea of Yin meridians. It originates at Huiyin (CV1), ascends through Zhongji (CV3), and runs parallel with the Foot Jueyin Liver Meridian, Foot Taiyin Spleen Meridian, and Foot Shaoyin Kidney Meridian. It passes through Guanyuan (CV4), Shimen (CV5), and Qihai (CV6), meeting the Foot Shaoyang Gallbladder Meridian and Chong Mai (Penetrating Vessel) at Yinjiao (CV7). It continues through Jianli (CV11) and meets the Hand Taiyang Small Intestine Meridian, Hand Shaoyang Sanjiao Meridian, and Hand Yangming Large Intestine Meridian at Zhongwan (CV12). It then ascends to the throat, meeting the Yin Wei Mai (Yin Linking Vessel) at Tiantu (CV22) and Lianquan (CV23), finally terminating at Chengqi (ST1), located centrally below the eye. The origin of this vessel lies in True Yin (Zhen Yin), which corresponds to the "Earthly Dao" (referring to female reproductive physiology). However, for the Earthly Dao to be unobstructed, it must rely on the descent of Heavenly Qi. What is called Tian Gui (Heavenly Water/Gonadal Essence) is the primordial Qi of Heaven descending and transforming into essence to nourish the Earth, thereby generating True Yin. Once True Yin is sufficient, the Earthly Dao becomes patent. Consequently, the Chong Mai becomes vigorous, and menstruation occurs at regular intervals. If the Ren Mai is deficient and the Chong Mai declines, leading to the exhaustion of Tian Gui and obstruction of the Earthly Dao, the physical form deteriorates, resulting in infertility.
Although Yin resides internally and serves as the anchor for Yang, the fullness of True Yin depends on the sufficiency of Grain Spirit (Gu Shen, derived from food essence) and the arrival of specific age stages, after which the Heavenly Yuan (Primordial Qi) becomes firm. This is what is meant by "when Tian Gui arrives, the Earthly Dao begins to flow." Therefore, True Yin must rely on True Yang. Upon reaching forty years of age, Yin Qi naturally halves. This decline occurs because when Yang Qi reaches its peak and begins to wane, it is invaded by Yin pathogens. The invading Yin is exhausted Yin (Qiong Yin), not True Yin. Thus, although this manifests as a deficiency of True Yin, it is essentially a deficiency of True Yang.
In summary, diseases of the Ren Mai stem from a condition where Yin lacks Yang. Hence, men develop internal accumulations of the seven hernias, and women suffer from leukorrhea and abdominal masses; this is termed "Accumulated Yin" (Jie Yin). Regarding the pulse being tight, fine, solid, and long to the Guan position, this indicates an invasion by Yin Qi. Therefore, the symptoms include severe pain in the lower abdomen wrapping around the umbilicus to the genitals, and distress from abdominal Qi rushing upward to the heart, causing stiffness and inability to bend or straighten. Although these appear as symptoms of Yin deficiency, they are actually symptoms of Yang deficiency. For if True Yang existed within the Yin, True Yin would be abundant, harmonious, and self-content, connecting with the Three Yin and Three Yang meridians up to the space between the eyes, and no disease would occur.