黄帝曰。夫百病之所始生者。必起于燥湿寒暑风雨阴阳喜怒饮食居处。气合而有形得藏而有名。余知其然也。夫百
病者。多以旦慧昼安夕加夜甚何也。岐伯曰。四时之气使然。黄帝曰。愿闻四时之气。岐伯曰。春生夏长。秋收冬藏。
是气之常也。人亦应之。以一日分为四时。朝则为春。日中为夏。日入为秋。夜半为冬。朝则人气始生。病气衰。故旦
慧。日中人气长。长则胜邪。故安。夕则人气始衰。邪气始生。故加。夜半人气入脏。邪气独居于身。故甚也。黄帝曰。
其时有反者何也。岐伯曰。是不应四时之气。脏独主其病者。是必以脏气之所不胜时者。甚以其所胜时者。起也。黄帝
曰。治之奈何。岐伯曰。顺天之时。而病可与期。顺者为工。逆者为粗。黄帝曰。善。余闻刺有五变。以主五输。愿闻
其数。岐伯曰。人有五脏。五脏有五变。五变有五输。故五五二十五输。以应五时。黄帝曰。愿闻五变。岐伯曰。肝为
牡脏。其色青。其时春。其音角。其味酸。其日甲乙。心为牡脏。其色赤。其时夏。其日丙丁。其音征。其味苦。脾为
牝脏。其色黄。其时长夏。其日戊己。其音宫。其味甘。肺为牝脏。其色白。其音商。其时秋。其日庚辛。其味辛。肾
为牝脏。其色黑。其时冬。其日壬癸。其音羽。其味咸。是为五变黄帝曰。以主五输奈何。岐伯曰。藏主冬。冬刺井。
色主春。春刺荥。时主夏。夏刺输。音主长夏。长夏刺经。味主秋。秋刺合。是谓五变。以主五输。黄帝曰。诸原安合。
以致六输。岐伯曰。原独不应五时。以经合之。以应其数。故六六三十六输。黄帝曰。何谓藏主冬。时主夏。音主长夏。
味主秋。色主春。愿闻其故。岐伯曰。病在藏者。取之井。病变于色者。取之荥。病时间时甚者。取之输。病变于音者。
取之经。经满而血者。病在胃及以饮食不节得病者。取之于合。故命曰味主合。是谓五变也。
先将本题正面叙毕。即从时字折出藏字。以下藏时合发。穷原竟委。五花八门有风樯阵马之势。
黄帝说：各种疾病产生的原因，一定起源于燥、湿、寒、暑、风、雨、阴、阳、喜、怒、饮食和居住环境的失调。气与形体结合而产生具体的形态，邪气侵入脏腑而命名相应的病证。我知道这些道理。但是各种疾病，大多在清晨神志清醒，白天病情安定，傍晚症状加重，夜间最为严重，这是为什么呢？岐伯说：这是四季气候变化的影响所致。黄帝说：我想听听关于四季气候变化的道理。岐伯说：春季生发，夏季生长，秋季收敛，冬季闭藏，这是气候运行的常规规律。人体也顺应这一规律。如果把一天分为四个时段来对应四季，那么早晨相当于春季，中午相当于夏季，日落相当于秋季，半夜相当于冬季。早晨时，人体的正气开始生发，病邪之气衰退，所以清晨患者感觉神志清爽；中午时，人体正气旺盛，正气强盛则能克制邪气，所以白天病情安定；傍晚时，人体正气开始衰退，邪气开始滋生，所以傍晚症状加重；半夜时，人体正气内入于脏腑，邪气独自在体表肆虐，所以夜间病情最为严重。黄帝说：为什么有时会出现相反的情况呢？岐伯说：这是因为病情不顺应四季气候的变化，而是由脏腑本身的病变主导。这种情况一定是当遇到克制该脏气的时令时病情加重，而在被该脏气所克的时令时病情好转。黄帝说：治疗应该怎么办呢？岐伯说：顺应天时，就可以预测疾病的预后。顺应天时的医生是高明的大夫，违背天时的医生则是粗劣的医生。黄帝说：好。我听说针刺有五种变化，用来主治五输穴，我想听听其中的数目规律。岐伯说：人有五脏，五脏各有五种变化，每种变化对应五个输穴，所以共有二十五输穴，以对应五行五时。黄帝说：我想听听什么是五种变化。岐伯说：肝属于牡脏（阳脏），其色青，其时属春，其音为角，其味酸，其日干为甲乙。心属于牡脏，其色赤，其时属夏，其日干为丙丁，其音为徵，其味苦。脾属于牝脏（阴脏），其色黄，其时属长夏，其日干为戊己，其音为宫，其味甘。肺属于牝脏，其色白，其音为商，其时属秋，其日干为庚辛，其味辛。肾属于牝脏，其色黑，其时属冬，其日干为壬癸，其音为羽，其味咸。这就叫做五种变化。黄帝说：用这五种变化来主治五输穴是怎么回事？岐伯说：脏气主冬，冬季针刺井穴；面色主春，春季针刺荥穴；时令主夏，夏季针刺输穴；声音主长夏，长夏针刺经穴；口味主秋，秋季针刺合穴。这就叫五种变化，用来主治五输穴。黄帝说：各个原穴如何配合，以形成六个输穴？岐伯说：原穴单独不应对应五时，而是通过经穴来配合，以符合六六三十六之数。黄帝说：为什么说脏气主冬，时令主夏，声音主长夏，口味主秋，面色主春？我想听听其中的缘故。岐伯说：病在脏腑的，取井穴；病变表现在面色的，取荥穴；病情随时间时而轻重的，取输穴；病变表现在声音的，取经穴；经脉充盈而有瘀血的，或者病在胃腑以及因饮食不节制而得病的，取合穴。所以称为口味主合。这就是五种变化。
先将本题正面叙述完毕，随即从“时”字转折引出“藏”字，以下将脏与时合并阐述，探究本源直至末端，内容纷繁复杂，气势如风樯阵马般迅疾有力。
Huangdi said: The origins of all diseases must arise from the imbalances of dryness, dampness, cold, heat, wind, rain, yin, yang, joy, anger, diet, and living environment. When qi combines with form, specific manifestations arise; when pathogens enter the zang-fu organs, corresponding disease names are established. I understand these principles. However, why do most diseases present with clarity in the morning, stability during the day, aggravation in the evening, and severity at night? Qibo replied: This is caused by the influence of the seasonal qi. Huangdi said: I wish to hear about the qi of the four seasons. Qibo said: Spring generates, summer grows, autumn harvests, and winter stores; this is the constant pattern of qi. Humans also respond to it. If we divide a day into four periods corresponding to the seasons, morning corresponds to spring, midday to summer, sunset to autumn, and midnight to winter. In the morning, the healthy qi (Zheng Qi) begins to generate, and the pathogenic qi declines, so the patient feels clear-headed in the morning. At midday, the healthy qi grows; as it grows, it overcomes the pathogen, so the condition is stable during the day. In the evening, the healthy qi begins to decline, and the pathogenic qi begins to generate, so symptoms aggravate in the evening. At midnight, the healthy qi enters the zang organs, leaving the pathogenic qi to dominate the body, so the condition is most severe at night. Huangdi said: Why does sometimes the opposite occur? Qibo said: This is because the condition does not correspond to the seasonal qi, but is dominated by the independent pathology of the zang organs. Such conditions will definitely aggravate during the time when the organ qi is overcome by the season, and improve during the time when the season is overcome by the organ qi. Huangdi said: How should they be treated? Qibo said: By following the timing of heaven, the prognosis of the disease can be predicted. Those who follow are skilled physicians; those who go against are crude physicians. Huangdi said: Good. I have heard that acupuncture has five variations, which govern the Five Shu points. I wish to hear their numerical order. Qibo said: Humans have five zang organs. Each zang organ has five variations. Each variation has five Shu points. Thus, there are twenty-five Shu points, corresponding to the five seasons. Huangdi said: I wish to hear what the five variations are. Qibo said: The Liver is a Yang organ (Mu Zang). Its color is green, its season is spring, its note is Jue, its taste is sour, and its heavenly stems are Jia and Yi. The Heart is a Yang organ. Its color is red, its season is summer, its heavenly stems are Bing and Ding, its note is Zhi, and its taste is bitter. The Spleen is a Yin organ (Pin Zang). Its color is yellow, its season is late summer, its heavenly stems are Wu and Ji, its note is Gong, and its taste is sweet. The Lung is a Yin organ. Its color is white, its note is Shang, its season is autumn, its heavenly stems are Geng and Xin, and its taste is pungent. The Kidney is a Yin organ. Its color is black, its season is winter, its heavenly stems are Ren and Gui, its note is Yu, and its taste is salty. These are called the five variations. Huangdi said: How do these govern the Five Shu points? Qibo said: The Zang organs govern winter; in winter, one punctures the Jing-Well points. The complexion governs spring; in spring, one punctures the Ying-Spring points. The season governs summer; in summer, one punctures the Shu-Stream points. The voice governs late summer; in late summer, one punctures the Jing-River points. The taste governs autumn; in autumn, one punctures the He-Sea points. This is called the five variations governing the Five Shu points. Huangdi said: How do the Yuan-Source points combine to form six Shu points? Qibo said: The Yuan-Source points alone do not correspond to the five seasons; they are combined with the Jing-River points to correspond to the number six. Thus, there are thirty-six points (6x6). Huangdi said: Why is it said that the Zang organs govern winter, the season governs summer, the voice governs late summer, the taste governs autumn, and the complexion governs spring? I wish to hear the reason. Qibo said: For diseases located in the zang organs, take the Jing-Well points. For diseases manifesting in the complexion, take the Ying-Spring points. For diseases that fluctuate in severity over time, take the Shu-Stream points. For diseases manifesting in the voice, take the Jing-River points. For fullness in the meridians with blood stasis, or for diseases in the Stomach and those caused by irregular diet, take the He-Sea points. Therefore, it is said that the taste governs the He-Sea points. This is called the five variations.
The main topic is first narrated positively, then transitions from "time" to "zang". Thereafter, zang and time are discussed together, tracing the origin to the end. The content is multifaceted, possessing the momentum of wind-driven sails and cavalry charges.