有关水的意义，我想大家应该很熟悉。水对于我们日常生活是一天也不能缺少的东西，水是生命过程不可缺少的一个重要因素，也是生命最重要的组成部分。我们男的称起来有 100多斤，女的有 90 多斤，但主要的东西是什么呢？是水。大家还可以打开世界地图看一看，占绝大多数的是什么？依然是水，陆地只占很少的一部分。老子说“人法地”，所以，我们人身也是这样，水占绝大部分。从这个组成，从我们的生活经验，水的重要性可以很容易地感受到。二十多年前，唐山发生大地震，死的人有几十万，可是有的人被埋十来日竟又奇迹般的活过来，为什么呢？就是因为有水。所以，一个人一个星期不吃东西是没有问题的，但是不能没有水。西医的看法也是这样，病重了，他最关心的是什么呢？还是这个水。小便量多少？液体量多少？水电解质平不平衡？总之，水对生命来说，它的重要再怎么形容也不过分。再举一个简单的例子，我们要过生活，那你看看这个“活”字怎么来？没有水（氵），活得了吗？所以，要活下来，就必须得靠水。水作为生命的要素，它还有另外一个更重要的层面，这个层面我们可以通过易卦来体悟。易卦里代表水的叫坎（聏）卦，水本来是最阴的东西，用卦象来代表这样一个东西应该都用阴爻，可是我们看一看坎卦却并不是这样，它是阴中挟阳，这就构成了水的一个最重要的要素。有了这个阳，这个水就是真正的活水，就能为生命所用。没有这样的一个阳，这个水是死水一潭，死水对生命有用处吗？没有用处！李白有一首著名的诗，叫《将进酒》，其中有两句这样写道：“君不见黄河之水天上来，奔流到海不复还。”华中理工大学校长杨淑子教授在看到李白的另一首诗“日照香炉生紫烟”时，从现代科学方面作了许多有启示的联系。那么，作为一个中医，我们看到李白的这首《将进洒》会不会有所感受，会不会问个为什么？黄河之水为什么会从天上来？天上哪来的水呢？这就存在一个“搬运”的过程，肯定有一个东西将水搬运到了天上，这个东西就是阳，就是太阳。《内经》讲“地气上为云”，就是指的这个过程。地气怎么上为云呢？阴的东西它总是往下沉的，我们读读《尚书·洪范》的五行就知道：木曰曲直，火曰炎上，土曰稼穑，金曰从革，水曰润下。水总是往下的，人往高处走，水往低处流，你做一个简单的试验就会知道，泼出一碗水，看它往上升还是往下走。所以，水要往上升，要成为云，就必须借助阳气，就必须借助火。因此，水要成为活水，要能循环起来，运动起来，要能真正为生命所用，它就必须借助阳气的作用。坎卦中爻为什么不用阴爻而用阳爻呢？道理就在这里。从坎卦的情况我们了解到，易卦揭示事物是从很深的层面去揭示，这就告诉我们要想弄通中医的理论，易的学问不能不稍加留意。
② 寒义释
按照常理，这个水被阳气蒸动起来了，就应该越蒸越上，蒸蒸日上嘛，但它为什么又会降下来？这里有一个什么因素呢？水被蒸动因阳而上，当到达一定的高度以后，就会遇到一个重要的因素——寒。不是有“高处不胜寒”的诗句吗？高的地方很寒冷，你到西部高原，看看超过海拔几千米的高山，即便是盛夏时节，山脚下郁郁葱葱，而山顶上却白雪皑皑，你会真正感受到高处不胜寒。水被阳蒸成为气，当这个气遇到高处的寒，就又复凝结为水。高处的水越凝越多，当达到一定的重力，再加上其他的一些因素作用，它就会重新降下来，这就是《内经》所说的“天气下为雨”的过程。可见这个黄河之水确实是从天上来的。可是天上的水又从哪里来？这一点李白没有作交代，但是，我们学中医的却应该清楚这一点。上述这个过程，一个上蒸，一个下降，一个下降，一个上蒸，水就变成活水，就“自有源头活水来”。这个水对生命的意义很大，大家想想，靠我们人工来灌溉的植物有多少呢？就整个植物界而言，这只是很少的一部分，大部分要靠老天来灌溉。靠老天，如果没有太阳，没有上面这些因素参与，行吗？不行！水循环不起来，万物利用不了，再多的水也等于零。所以，这个过程，一上一下，太阳起什么作用？寒起什么作用？水起什么作用？太阳、寒、水实在地讲一个都不能少，一环扣一环，少了任何一个，水都循环不起来。前面我们讲“活”离不开水，是从静的层面来讲，这里我们再要讨论“活”，就得从动的层面入手了。所以，太阳寒水这样的搭配，有它很深刻的含义。我们讨论太阳篇，如果从很深的层面去讨论，它实际上就是讲的这个水的循环过程。这个循环过程在任何一个地方卡住了，就成为太阳病。有些时候是在上升的过程中卡住了，有些时候是在下降的过程中卡住了，所以，太阳篇里讲经证、府证。如我们用麻桂二方治疗太阳经证，就是因为在蒸腾上升的这个过程出了障碍，地气不能上为云，所以，我们要用发汗的方法，通过发汗，使汗从皮毛而出，那这个上升的障碍就消除了。水到天上以后，又要云变为雨，这个过程是下降的过程，这个过程障碍了往往就是府证，我们要用五苓散来解决。五苓散是太阳篇很重要的方，张仲景主要用它治疗蓄水，治疗消渴。五苓散为什么能治消渴？它里面没有一样养阴药，没有一样生津药，它用的是白术、茯苓、泽泻、猪苓、桂枝，反而有桂枝这样的辛温药，没有一样生津药，它怎么能够治疗口渴？这个似乎不容易想通，不但你们不通，我也不通。但是，如果你把它放到太阳里，放到自然里，放到水的循环里，这个疑惑就很容易解决。地气上为云了，还要天气下为雨，如果天气不下而为雨，那大地就会出现干旱，这个事实大家都是经历过的。那这个大地干旱在人身上是什么反应呢？地为土，脾主土，开窍于口，所以，这个“干旱”首先就会出现在口上，就会有消渴。五苓散能使天气下为雨，解决这个下降过程的障碍，那当然能治渴了。老子讲：“人法地，地法天，天法道，道法自然。”我们从五苓散为什么能治渴这样一个问题的解决，应该对老子的这段话有所感悟。道法自然是老子讲的最高境界，入到这个境界，你看什么问题都一目了然。学中医的应该很好地领悟老子的这个窍诀。这个窍诀领悟好了，中医在你眼里是满目青山，清清楚楚，明明白白。如果这个窍诀一点没有把握，你不“道法自然”，只是“道法现代”，那中医在你那里，也许就会是“泥牛入海”。整个太阳篇实际上都是讲这样一个问题，大家慢慢地去体味，这个过程很有意思。不管是麻黄汤、桂枝汤、五苓散，还是大青龙、小青龙、越婢汤，这些方都是在讲水。所以，我给太阳篇总结了一句话：治太阳就是治水。治水就要做大禹，不要做鲧！以上是太阳的大体涵义。
3.病释
（1）病之造字
病，对于当医生的讲，应该太司空见惯了，但是，要真正地询问大家懂得这个“病”没有？恐怕就会有不周到的地方。从这个病的造字，我感到中国文字的内涵真是太丰富了。古人讲一指禅，也讲一字禅。一个字里面有很深的涵义，有妙理，有禅机。有些时候只要你悟透了一个字，这门学问的门就被打开了。像病这个字，如果你真正解通了，那中医就没有太大的问题。张仲景在他的《伤寒杂病论》序中写道：“若能寻余所集，则思过半矣。”我这里也斗胆借用这句话，如果病字你真正弄通了，那对于中医也是“思过半矣”。我们首先来看病这个造字，病由疒 + 丙而成，疒是形部，丙是声部。病的形部“疒”在古文字里也是一个单独的字，它的读音是：尼厄切。《说文》解为：“倚也，人有疾病象倚箸之形。”为什么叫倚呢？人有疾病以后就会不舒服，不舒服当然就想靠着，就想躺着。所以，“疒”字就像一个人依靠在一个东西上，是一个象形文字，人生病了就是这副样子。所以，《集韵》说：“疒，疾也。”因此，形部的这个偏旁实际上已经代表了现代意义上的疾病，在英文里可以用 dis-ease这个单词表示。[在古汉字中，“病”字是一个会意字。这个字的左半部，是一个床榻的符号；右半部是一个人的符号。人与床平行，说明人是躺在床上的。这个字后来演化成了“”，也就是今天汉字偏旁中的“疒”。这一段有甲骨文]既然病字的形部偏旁已经代表了广义上的“病”字，那么，偏旁之外，为什么还要加上这个“丙”呢？是不是仅仅为了读音。这个问题记得在第一章里已经有过讨论，声符不仅表音，而且表义，并且声符所表的这个义对于文字是很关键的部分，这一点也希望研究古文字的同道注意。一个形符“疒”，一个声符“丙”，就把疾病所牵涉到的方方面面揭示出来了。现在我们重点来看丙字，丙是十天干里面的一干，位于南方，五行属火。所以，古人云：东方甲乙木，南方丙丁火，西方庚辛金，北方壬癸水，中央戊己土。《说文解字》释云：“丙位南方，万物成炳然。阴气初起，阳气将亏，从一入冂，一者阳也。”炳然就是很茂盛，《素问·四气调神大论》的“夏三月，此为蕃秀”，说的就是这个炳然。阴气初起，阳气将亏，是言夏至一阴生，一阴生后，阴道渐息，阳道渐消。一是什么？一就是阳。这又关系到了易象的问题，文字起源有一种八卦说，这里应该是一个根据。冂，徐锴释为：“门也，大地阴阳之门也。”丙位南方，处夏月，夏月是阳气释放最隆盛的时节，然而盛极必衰，所以，阳气在夏至以后，就要逐渐地转入到收藏，这个“从一入冂”的造字实际上就反映了这个过程。丙的上述意义向我们提出了一个十分深刻的问题。
（2）疾病的相关性
丙代表南方，代表方位。那么，方是干什么的呢？《易·系辞》讲：“方以类聚，物以群分，吉凶生矣。”方是用来聚类的，所以，东方就有东方这一类的东西，南方就有南方这一类的东西。“疒”这个形符加上丙以后，就揭示出一个很关键的问题：疾病的相关性。上面这个问题为什么说很重要呢？因为不管你是什么医学，中医也好，西医也好，藏医也好，蒙医也好，他所探讨的一个关键问题就是疾病的相关性。这个病跟什么因素相关？从发生的角度说，什么因素导致这个疾病，这个发生的相关性是什么？我们探讨一门医学，探讨的最根本的是什么东西？归纳起来就是一个疾病的相关性。21 世纪是生物医学世纪，医学研究将把很大一部分精力放在基因方面，目的就是要解决在基因这个层次的相关性问题。有些疾病像艾滋病或其他什么疾病存在一个易感人群，张三刚接触一次就感染上这个疾病，而李四成天地接触也没有问题，是否在某个基因片断上存在易感基因？如果存在这样的易感基因，那么，对这个相关片断的特殊基因进行处理，使它不再具有易感性，这从疾病的预防角度来说就彻底解决了。所以，无论是疾病的发生还是疾病的治疗，都无外乎是这个相关性问题。在前一章里，我们曾举过三个病例，一个是恶性肿瘤，一个是坐骨神经痛，一个是胃痛，三个疾病的相关因素都是寒湿。寒是北方的气，湿是中央的气，一个北方，一个中央，这就把疾病所相关的最重要的那个因素归结到方上来了。生物医学它把疾病的相关性放在基因这个层次来研究，在基因这个层次来进行攻关。也许到 21世纪后半叶，或者到22世纪，基因这个课题攻破了，那么，相关性的研究将放到后基因的层次。而中医呢？中医这个相关性就放在“方”上。方以类聚，这个类可以很多，可以数不清，正是由这些不同方属下面的“类”导致了众多疾病的发生。所以，疾病的因素再复杂，它也离不开这个方。反过来，我们治疗疾病叫开方，开什么方呢？就是开的上面这个方。如果你是寒导致的疾病，那这个致病的因素在北方。北方你拿不走，但，你可以模拟一个能够对治它的“方”去对付它、去协调它。比如这个“寒”，你可以根据“寒者热之”这个原则，模拟一个南方，就用这个南方去对治上面的北方。南方起来了，北方自然要下去，不可能冬夏在一个时间里出现。中医治病的真实境界其实就是利用药物的不同属性来模拟不同的方，不同的时间、空间。时间可以用药物来模拟，空间也可以用药物来模拟，治疗疾病就是方的转换，就是时空的转换，将人从不健康的疾病时空状态转换到健康的时空状态。有关这个转换，我们将在以后的逐章里详细讨论。所以，总起来说，疾病所相关的关键要素就是这个“方”。病的造字为什么要用“丙”呢？原因就在这里。方以类聚，那么，可以用来聚类的方有多少呢？从基本的角度说有五方，东南西北中，但，如果按易的经卦分则有八方，按年支分有十二方，按节气分有二十四方，按六十四卦分，则有六十四方。我们看罗盘，罗盘上面就有这些不同层次的方分。所以，学中医的应该买罗盘来看一看，罗盘不光是风水先生用，中医也可以用，至少它可以帮助你认识这个方，认识与疾病最相关的这个因素。这里我们先从最基本的方（五方）来讨论，看看每一方里究竟聚有哪些相关的类。
① 时间方
关于水的意义，我想大家应该都很熟悉。水是我们日常生活中一天也不能缺少的东西，是生命过程中不可缺少的一个重要因素，也是生命最重要的组成部分。我们男性体重有一百多斤，女性有九十斤左右，但主要成分是什么呢？是水。大家还可以打开世界地图看一看，占绝大多数的是什么？依然是水，陆地只占很小的一部分。老子说“人法地”（人效法大地），所以，我们人身也是这样，水占绝大部分。从这种组成结构、从我们的生活经验来看，水的重要性可以很容易地感受到。二十多年前，唐山发生大地震，死了几十万人，可是有的人被埋十来天竟然又奇迹般地活过来，为什么呢？就是因为有水。所以，一个人一个星期不吃东西是没有问题的，但是不能没有水。西医的看法也是这样，病人病重了，他们最关心的是什么呢？还是这个水。小便量多少？液体量多少？水电解质是否平衡？总之，水对生命来说，它的重要再怎么形容也不过分。再举一个简单的例子，我们要生活，那你看看这个“活”字怎么构成？没有水（氵），能活得下去吗？所以，要活下来，就必须得靠水。
水作为生命的要素，它还有另外一个更重要的层面，这个层面我们可以通过易卦来体悟。易卦里代表水的叫坎（Kǎn）卦，水本来是最阴的东西，用卦象来代表这样一个东西应该都用阴爻，可是我们看一看坎卦却并不是这样，它是阴中挟阳，这就构成了水的一个最重要的要素。有了这个阳，这个水就是真正的活水，就能为生命所用。没有这样的一个阳，这个水是死水一潭，死水对生命有用处吗？没有用处！李白有一首著名的诗，叫《将进酒》，其中有两句这样写道：“君不见黄河之水天上来，奔流到海不复还。”华中理工大学校长杨淑子教授在看到李白的另一首诗“日照香炉生紫烟”时，从现代科学方面作了许多有启示的联系。那么，作为一个中医，我们看到李白的这首《将进酒》会不会有所感受，会不会问个为什么？黄河之水为什么会从天上来？天上哪来的水呢？这就存在一个“搬运”的过程，肯定有一个东西将水搬运到了天上，这个东西就是阳，就是太阳。《内经》讲“地气上为云”，就是指的这个过程。地气怎么上为云呢？阴的东西它总是往下沉的，我们读读《尚书·洪范》的五行就知道：木曰曲直，火曰炎上，土曰稼穑，金曰从革，水曰润下。水总是往下的，人往高处走，水往低处流，你做一个简单的试验就会知道，泼出一碗水，看它往上升还是往下走。所以，水要往上升，要成为云，就必须借助阳气，就必须借助火。因此，水要成为活水，要能循环起来，运动起来，要能真正为生命所用，它就必须借助阳气的作用。坎卦中爻为什么不用阴爻而用阳爻呢？道理就在这里。从坎卦的情况我们了解到，易卦揭示事物是从很深的层面去揭示，这就告诉我们要想弄通中医的理论，易的学问不能不稍加留意。
② 寒义释
按照常理，这个水被阳气蒸动起来了，就应该越蒸越上，蒸蒸日上嘛，但它为什么又会降下来？这里有一个什么因素呢？水被蒸动因阳而上，当到达一定的高度以后，就会遇到一个重要的因素——寒。不是有“高处不胜寒”的诗句吗？高的地方很寒冷，你到西部高原，看看超过海拔几千米的高山，即便是盛夏时节，山脚下郁郁葱葱，而山顶上却白雪皑皑，你会真正感受到高处不胜寒。水被阳蒸成为气，当这个气遇到高处的寒，就又复凝结为水。高处的水越凝越多，当达到一定的重力，再加上其他的一些因素作用，它就会重新降下来，这就是《内经》所说的“天气下为雨”的过程。可见这个黄河之水确实是从天上来的。可是天上的水又从哪里来？这一点李白没有作交代，但是，我们学中医的却应该清楚这一点。上述这个过程，一个上蒸，一个下降，一个下降，一个上蒸，水就变成活水，就“自有源头活水来”。这个水对生命的意义很大，大家想想，靠我们人工来灌溉的植物有多少呢？就整个植物界而言，这只是很少的一部分，大部分要靠老天来灌溉。靠老天，如果没有太阳，没有上面这些因素参与，行吗？不行！水循环不起来，万物利用不了，再多的水也等于零。所以，这个过程，一上一下，太阳起什么作用？寒起什么作用？水起什么作用？太阳、寒、水实在地讲一个都不能少，一环扣一环，少了任何一个，水都循环不起来。前面我们讲“活”离不开水，是从静的层面来讲，这里我们再要讨论“活”，就得从动的层面入手了。所以，太阳寒水这样的搭配，有它很深刻的含义。我们讨论太阳病篇，如果从很深的层面去讨论，它实际上就是讲的这个水的循环过程。这个循环过程在任何一个地方卡住了，就成为太阳病（Taiyang Disease）。有些时候是在上升的过程中卡住了，有些时候是在下降的过程中卡住了，所以，太阳篇里讲经证、府证。如我们用麻黄汤（Mahuang Decoction）、桂枝汤（Guizhi Decoction）治疗太阳经证，就是因为在蒸腾上升的这个过程出了障碍，地气不能上为云，所以，我们要用发汗的方法，通过发汗，使汗从皮毛而出，那这个上升的障碍就消除了。水到天上以后，又要云变为雨，这个过程是下降的过程，这个过程障碍了往往就是府证，我们要用五苓散（Wuling San）来解决。五苓散是太阳篇很重要的方，张仲景主要用它治疗蓄水（Water Retention）、治疗消渴（Xiao Ke, Polydipsia/Thirst）。五苓散为什么能治消渴？它里面没有一样养阴药，没有一样生津药，它用的是白术、茯苓、泽泻、猪苓、桂枝，反而有桂枝这样的辛温药，没有一样生津药，它怎么能够治疗口渴？这个似乎不容易想通，不但你们不通，我也不通。但是，如果你把它放到太阳里，放到自然里，放到水的循环里，这个疑惑就很容易解决。地气上为云了，还要天气下为雨，如果天气不下而为雨，那大地就会出现干旱，这个事实大家都是经历过的。那这个大地干旱在人身上是什么反应呢？地为土，脾主土，开窍于口，所以，这个“干旱”首先就会出现在口上，就会有消渴。五苓散能使天气下为雨，解决这个下降过程的障碍，那当然能治渴了。老子讲：“人法地，地法天，天法道，道法自然。”我们从五苓散为什么能治渴这样一个问题的解决，应该对老子的这段话有所感悟。道法自然是老子讲的最高境界，入到这个境界，你看什么问题都一目了然。学中医的应该很好地领悟老子的这个窍诀。这个窍诀领悟好了，中医在你眼里是满目青山，清清楚楚，明明白白。如果这个窍诀一点没有把握，你不“道法自然”，只是“道法现代”，那中医在你那里，也许就会是“泥牛入海”。整个太阳篇实际上都是讲这样一个问题，大家慢慢地去体味，这个过程很有意思。不管是麻黄汤、桂枝汤、五苓散，还是大青龙汤（Da Qinglong Decoction）、小青龙汤（Xiao Qinglong Decoction）、越婢汤（Yuebi Decoction），这些方都是在讲水。所以，我给太阳篇总结了一句话：治太阳就是治水。治水就要做大禹，不要做鲧！以上是太阳的大体涵义。
3. 病释
（1）病之造字
病，对于当医生的讲，应该太司空见惯了，但是，要真正地询问大家懂得这个“病”没有？恐怕就会有不周到的地方。从这个病的造字，我感到中国文字的内涵真是太丰富了。古人讲一指禅，也讲一字禅。一个字里面有很深的涵义，有妙理，有禅机。有些时候只要你悟透了一个字，这门学问的门就被打开了。像病这个字，如果你真正解通了，那中医就没有太大的问题。张仲景在他的《伤寒杂病论》序中写道：“若能寻余所集，则思过半矣。”我这里也斗胆借用这句话，如果病字你真正弄通了，那对于中医也是“思过半矣”。我们首先来看病这个造字，病由疒 + 丙而成，疒是形部，丙是声部。病的形部“疒”在古文字里也是一个单独的字，它的读音是：尼厄切。《说文》解为：“倚也，人有疾病象倚箸之形。”为什么叫倚呢？人有疾病以后就会不舒服，不舒服当然就想靠着，就想躺着。所以，“疒”字就像一个人依靠在一个东西上，是一个象形文字，人生病了就是这副样子。所以，《集韵》说：“疒，疾也。”因此，形部的这个偏旁实际上已经代表了现代意义上的疾病，在英文里可以用 dis-ease 这个单词表示。[在古汉字中，“病”字是一个会意字。这个字的左半部，是一个床榻的符号；右半部是一个人的符号。人与床平行，说明人是躺在床上的。这个字后来演化成了“”，也就是今天汉字偏旁中的“疒”。这一段有甲骨文]既然病字的形部偏旁已经代表了广义上的“病”字，那么，偏旁之外，为什么还要加上这个“丙”呢？是不是仅仅为了读音。这个问题记得在第一章里已经有过讨论，声符不仅表音，而且表义，并且声符所表的这个义对于文字是很关键的部分，这一点也希望研究古文字的同道注意。一个形符“疒”，一个声符“丙”，就把疾病所牵涉到的方方面面揭示出来了。现在我们重点来看丙字，丙是十天干里面的一干，位于南方，五行属火。所以，古人云：东方甲乙木，南方丙丁火，西方庚辛金，北方壬癸水，中央戊己土。《说文解字》释云：“丙位南方，万物成炳然。阴气初起，阳气将亏，从一入冂，一者阳也。”炳然就是很茂盛，《素问·四气调神大论》的“夏三月，此为蕃秀”，说的就是这个炳然。阴气初起，阳气将亏，是言夏至一阴生，一阴生后，阴道渐息，阳道渐消。一是什么？一就是阳。这又关系到了易象的问题，文字起源有一种八卦说，这里应该是一个根据。冂，徐锴释为：“门也，大地阴阳之门也。”丙位南方，处夏月，夏月是阳气释放最隆盛的时节，然而盛极必衰，所以，阳气在夏至以后，就要逐渐地转入到收藏，这个“从一入冂”的造字实际上就反映了这个过程。丙的上述意义向我们提出了一个十分深刻的问题。
（2）疾病的相关性
丙代表南方，代表方位。那么，方是干什么的呢？《易·系辞》讲：“方以类聚，物以群分，吉凶生矣。”方是用来聚类的，所以，东方就有东方这一类的东西，南方就有南方这一类的东西。“疒”这个形符加上丙以后，就揭示出一个很关键的问题：疾病的相关性。上面这个问题为什么说很重要呢？因为不管你是什么医学，中医也好，西医也好，藏医也好，蒙医也好，他所探讨的一个关键问题就是疾病的相关性。这个病跟什么因素相关？从发生的角度说，什么因素导致这个疾病，这个发生的相关性是什么？我们探讨一门医学，探讨的最根本的是什么东西？归纳起来就是一个疾病的相关性。21 世纪是生物医学世纪，医学研究将把很大一部分精力放在基因方面，目的就是要解决在基因这个层次的相关性问题。有些疾病像艾滋病或其他什么疾病存在一个易感人群，张三刚接触一次就感染上这个疾病，而李四成天地接触也没有问题，是否在某个基因片断上存在易感基因？如果存在这样的易感基因，那么，对这个相关片断的特殊基因进行处理，使它不再具有易感性，这从疾病的预防角度来说就彻底解决了。所以，无论是疾病的发生还是疾病的治疗，都无外乎是这个相关性问题。在前一章里，我们曾举过三个病例，一个是恶性肿瘤，一个是坐骨神经痛，一个是胃痛，三个疾病的相关因素都是寒湿。寒是北方的气，湿是中央的气，一个北方，一个中央，这就把疾病所相关的最重要的那个因素归结到方上来了。生物医学它把疾病的相关性放在基因这个层次来研究，在基因这个层次来进行攻关。也许到 21世纪后半叶，或者到22世纪，基因这个课题攻破了，那么，相关性的研究将放到后基因的层次。而中医呢？中医这个相关性就放在“方”上。方以类聚，这个类可以很多，可以数不清，正是由这些不同方属下面的“类”导致了众多疾病的发生。所以，疾病的因素再复杂，它也离不开这个方。反过来，我们治疗疾病叫开方，开什么方呢？就是开的上面这个方。如果你是寒导致的疾病，那这个致病的因素在北方。北方你拿不走，但，你可以模拟一个能够对治它的“方”去对付它、去协调它。比如这个“寒”，你可以根据“寒者热之”这个原则，模拟一个南方，就用这个南方去对治上面的北方。南方起来了，北方自然要下去，不可能冬夏在一个时间里出现。中医治病的真实境界其实就是利用药物的不同属性来模拟不同的方，不同的时间、空间。时间可以用药物来模拟，空间也可以用药物来模拟，治疗疾病就是方的转换，就是时空的转换，将人从不健康的疾病时空状态转换到健康的时空状态。有关这个转换，我们将在以后的逐章里详细讨论。所以，总起来说，疾病所相关的关键要素就是这个“方”。病的造字为什么要用“丙”呢？原因就在这里。方以类聚，那么，可以用来聚类的方有多少呢？从基本的角度说有五方，东南西北中，但，如果按易的经卦分则有八方，按年支分有十二方，按节气分有二十四方，按六十四卦分，则有六十四方。我们看罗盘，罗盘上面就有这些不同层次的方分。所以，学中医的应该买罗盘来看一看，罗盘不光是风水先生用，中医也可以用，至少它可以帮助你认识这个方，认识与疾病最相关的这个因素。这里我们先从最基本的方（五方）来讨论，看看每一方里究竟聚有哪些相关的类。
① 时间方
Regarding the significance of water, I believe everyone should be quite familiar with it. Water is something indispensable in our daily life, an essential factor in the process of life, and also the most important component of life. Males weigh over 100 jin (approx. 50 kg), females around 90 jin (approx. 45 kg), but what is the main constituent? It is water. You can also open a world map to see what occupies the vast majority? Still water; land occupies only a very small part. Laozi said "Man follows Earth" (Ren Fa Di), so our human body is the same: water constitutes the vast majority. From this composition and from our life experience, the importance of water can be easily felt. More than twenty years ago, the Tangshan earthquake occurred, killing hundreds of thousands of people, yet some individuals buried for ten days miraculously survived. Why? Because there was water. Therefore, a person can go without food for a week without issue, but cannot survive without water. Western medicine holds a similar view; when a patient is critically ill, what do they care about most? Still this water. How much urine output? What is the fluid volume? Is the electrolyte balance maintained? In short, no matter how one describes it, the importance of water to life cannot be overstated. Let me give another simple example: if we want to live, look at how the character "Huó" (Living) is formed. Without water (the radical 氵), can one live? Thus, to survive, one must rely on water.
As an element of life, water has another, more significant dimension, which we can comprehend through the Hexagrams of the *I Ching* (Book of Changes). The hexagram representing water is called Kǎn (Kǎn Trigram). Water is inherently the most Yin substance; logically, a hexagram representing such a substance should consist entirely of Yin lines. However, looking at the Kǎn trigram, it is not so; it contains Yang within Yin. This constitutes a crucial element of water. With this Yang, the water becomes true living water, capable of serving life. Without such Yang, the water is stagnant dead water; does dead water have any use for life? No! Li Bai wrote a famous poem titled *Qiang Jin Jiu* (Bring in the Wine), containing two lines: "Do you not see the Yellow River's waters come from heaven, rushing to the sea never to return?" Professor Yang Shuzi, former president of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, made many insightful connections from a modern scientific perspective when reading Li Bai's other poem "Sunlight Illuminates the Incense Burner, Raising Purple Smoke." So, as a practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), upon seeing Li Bai's *Qiang Jin Jiu*, would we feel anything? Would we ask why? Why does the Yellow River's water come from heaven? Where does the water in heaven come from? This implies a process of "transportation"; surely something transported the water to the heavens. That something is Yang, specifically the Sun. The *Neijing* (Inner Canon) states "Earthly Qi ascends to become clouds," referring to this process. How does earthly Qi ascend to become clouds? Yin substances always sink downward. Reading the Five Elements in the *Shangshu Hongfan* (Book of Documents), we know: Wood bends and straightens, Fire flares upward, Earth plants and harvests, Metal yields and changes, Water moistens and flows downward. Water always flows down; people walk up, water flows down. A simple experiment will show this: splash a bowl of water and see if it rises or falls. Therefore, for water to rise and become clouds, it must rely on Yang Qi, specifically Fire. Consequently, for water to become living water, to circulate, move, and truly serve life, it must rely on the action of Yang Qi. Why does the middle line of the Kǎn trigram use a Yang line instead of a Yin line? The reason lies here. From the Kǎn trigram, we understand that the *I Ching* reveals things from a deep level. This tells us that to thoroughly understand TCM theory, one cannot neglect the study of the *I Ching*.
② Explanation of Cold
According to common sense, once water is agitated by Yang Qi, it should steam upwards continuously. But why does it descend? What factor is involved here? Water rises due to Yang agitation; when it reaches a certain height, it encounters an important factor—Cold. Is it not said in poetry, "The heights are too cold to bear"? High places are very cold. If you go to the western plateau and look at mountains exceeding several thousand meters in altitude, even in midsummer, while the foothills are lush, the peaks are covered in snow. You will truly feel that the heights are too cold to bear. When water is steamed by Yang into vapor, and this vapor encounters the Cold at high altitudes, it condenses back into water. As the water at high altitudes condenses more and more, reaching a certain gravitational weight and influenced by other factors, it descends again. This is the process described in the *Neijing* as "Heavenly Qi descends as rain." Thus, the Yellow River's water indeed comes from heaven. But where does the water in heaven come from? Li Bai did not explain this, but those studying TCM should be clear on this point. In the above process, one ascends via steaming, one descends; one descends, one ascends via steaming. Water becomes living water, having "its own source of living water." The significance of this water to life is great. Think about it: how many plants are irrigated by human effort? In the entire plant kingdom, this is a small minority; most rely on Heaven (nature) for irrigation. Relying on Heaven, without the Sun and the aforementioned factors, would it work? No! If the water cycle cannot function, all things cannot utilize it; no matter how much water there is, it equals zero. Therefore, in this process of ascending and descending, what role does the Sun play? What role does Cold play? What role does Water play? In reality, the Sun, Cold, and Water are all indispensable. They are linked like rings; if any one is missing, the water cycle cannot function. Previously, we discussed that "living" cannot do without water, speaking from a static perspective. Here, discussing "living" again requires entering from a dynamic perspective. Thus, the pairing of Taiyang (Solar) and Han-Shui (Cold-Water) has profound meaning. When we discuss the Taiyang chapter, if analyzed from a deep level, it essentially discusses this water circulation process. If this circulation process gets blocked anywhere, it becomes Taiyang Disease (Taiyang Bing). Sometimes it blocks during the ascent, sometimes during the descent. Hence, the Taiyang chapter discusses Jing (Meridian) syndromes and Fu (Organ) syndromes. For instance, we use Mahuang Decoction (Mahuang Tang) and Guizhi Decoction (Guizhi Tang) to treat Taiyang Jing syndromes because obstacles occurred in the steaming and ascending process, preventing Earthly Qi from ascending to become clouds. Therefore, we use diaphoresis (sweating method) to eliminate sweat from the skin and hair pores, thereby removing the ascending obstacle. Once water reaches the heavens, clouds must turn to rain; this is a descending process. Obstacles in this process often constitute Fu syndromes, which we resolve using Wuling San (Five-Ling Powder). Wuling San is a very important formula in the Taiyang chapter. Zhang Zhongjing mainly used it to treat Water Retention (Ju Shui) and Xiao Ke (Polydipsia/Thirst). Why can Wuling San treat Xiao Ke? It contains no Yin-nourishing herbs or fluids-generating herbs. It uses Baizhu (Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma), Fuling (Poria), Zexie (Alismatis Rhizoma), Zhuling (Polyporus), and Guizhi (Cinnamomi Ramulus). It even contains Guizhi, a pungent-warm herb, and lacks any fluids-generating ingredient. How can it treat thirst? This seems difficult to comprehend. Not only do you not understand, nor do I. However, if you place it within Taiyang, within nature, within the water cycle, this doubt is easily resolved. Earthly Qi ascends to become clouds, and Heavenly Qi must descend as rain. If Heavenly Qi does not descend as rain, the earth suffers drought—a fact everyone has experienced. What is the manifestation of this earthly drought in the human body? Earth corresponds to Earth Element, Spleen governs Earth, and opens into the mouth. Therefore, this "drought" first appears in the mouth, resulting in Xiao Ke (Polydipsia). Wuling San enables Heavenly Qi to descend as rain, resolving the descending obstacle, thus naturally treating thirst. Laozi said: "Man follows Earth, Earth follows Heaven, Heaven follows Dao, Dao follows Nature." From solving why Wuling San treats thirst, we should gain insight into Laozi's words. "Dao follows Nature" is the highest realm spoken by Laozi. Entering this realm, one sees everything clearly. Students of TCM should well comprehend this key secret of Laozi. If this secret is well comprehended, TCM appears before your eyes as green mountains everywhere, clear and distinct. If this secret is grasped poorly, and you do not "follow Nature" but merely "follow Modernity," then TCM in your hands might become like "a clay ox entering the sea" (disappearing without a trace). The entire Taiyang chapter essentially discusses this issue. Take your time to savor it; the process is interesting. Whether Mahuang Decoction, Guizhi Decoction, Wuling San, Da Qinglong Decoction (Great Green Dragon Decoction), Xiao Qinglong Decoction (Small Green Dragon Decoction), or Yuebi Decoction, these formulas all discuss water. Thus, I summarize the Taiyang chapter with one sentence: Treating Taiyang is treating Water. To treat water, one must act like Yu the Great (who controlled floods by dredging), not like Gun (who failed by building dams)! Above is the general meaning of Taiyang.
3. Explanation of Disease
(1) Etymology of the Character "Bing" (Disease)
For doctors, "Bing" (Disease) is commonplace. However, if we truly ask everyone if they understand this character "Bing," there would likely be shortcomings. From the etymology of this character, I feel the connotation of Chinese characters is incredibly rich. The ancients spoke of "One Finger Zen" and "One Character Zen." A single character contains deep meanings, subtle principles, and Chan (Zen) insights. Sometimes, if you fully comprehend one character, the door to this knowledge opens. Like the character "Bing"; if you truly decipher it, TCM presents few problems. Zhang Zhongjing wrote in the preface of his *Shanghan Zabing Lun* (Treatise on Cold Damage and Miscellaneous Diseases): "If you can follow my collected works, half of your thinking will be complete." I boldly borrow this sentence: if you truly understand the character "Bing," then for TCM, "half of your thinking is complete." First, let us look at the formation of the character "Bing." It consists of the radical 疒 (bed/sickness) and the phonetic component 丙 (Bing). The radical 疒 is also a standalone character in ancient scripts, pronounced "Ni E Qie." The *Shuowen Jiezi* explains: "Leaning; the form of a person leaning against furniture when sick." Why "leaning"? When sick, one feels uncomfortable and wishes to lean or lie down. Thus, the character 疒 resembles a person leaning against something; it is an ideogram. This is how a sick person looks. Therefore, the *Jiyun* says: "疒 means disease." Thus, this radical already represents disease in the modern sense, translatable to the English word "dis-ease." [In ancient Chinese characters, "Bing" is a compound ideograph. The left half is a symbol of a bed; the right half is a symbol of a person. The person and bed are parallel, indicating the person is lying in bed. This character later evolved into the modern form, specifically the radical 疒 found today. This stage exists in Oracle Bone Script.] Since the radical already represents "disease" in a broad sense, why add the component "Bing"? Is it merely for pronunciation? This question was discussed in Chapter 1. Phonetic components not only indicate sound but also meaning, and this meaning is crucial to the character. Researchers of paleography should note this. The form component 疒 and the phonetic component 丙 reveal all aspects related to disease. Now, let us focus on the character 丙. Bing is one of the Ten Heavenly Stems, located in the South, belonging to the Fire Element. Thus, the ancients said: East Jia-Yi Wood, South Bing-Ding Fire, West Geng-Xin Metal, North Ren-Gui Water, Center Wu-Ji Earth. The *Shuowen Jiezi* explains: "Bing is in the South; all things appear flourishing (Bing Ran). Yin Qi begins to arise, Yang Qi is about to decline. From 'Yi' (One/Yang) entering 'Jiong' (Enclosure)." Bing Ran means very flourishing. The *Suwen: Sibiao Diaoshen Dalun* (Basic Questions: Major Treatise on Regulating the Spirit According to the Four Seasons) mentions "The three months of Summer, this is the time of flourishing beauty," referring to this Bing Ran. Yin Qi beginning to arise, Yang Qi declining, refers to the generation of one Yin at the Summer Solstice. After one Yin arises, the path of Yin gradually grows, and the path of Yang gradually diminishes. What is "Yi" (One)? Yi is Yang. This relates to the problem of Yi imagery. There is a theory regarding the origin of writing involving the Eight Trigrams, which serves as a basis here. Jiong, explained by Xu Kai, means: "Door; the gate of Yin and Yang of the Great Earth." Bing is in the South, in the summer month. Summer is the season when Yang Qi release is most vigorous. However, extreme prosperity leads to decline. Thus, after the Summer Solstice, Yang Qi gradually turns to storage. The formation "From Yi entering Jiong" actually reflects this process. The aforementioned meanings of Bing raise a profound question for us.
(2) Correlation of Disease
Bing represents the South, representing direction. So, what is Fang (Direction/Square) for? The *Yi Xici* (Commentary on the Appended Phrases of the Book of Changes) states: "Directions gather by kind, things divide by group; fortune and misfortune arise." Fang is used for categorization. Thus, the East has Eastern kinds of things, and the South has Southern kinds of things. Adding the phonetic component Bing to the form component 疒 reveals a critical issue: the correlation of disease. Why is this important? Regardless of whether it is TCM, Western medicine, Tibetan medicine, or Mongolian medicine, a key issue explored is the correlation of disease. What factors is this disease correlated with? From the perspective of occurrence, what factors cause this disease, and what is the correlation of its occurrence? When exploring a medical discipline, what is the fundamental thing we explore? Summarized, it is the correlation of disease. The 21st century is the century of biomedicine. Medical research will devote much energy to genes, aiming to solve correlation issues at the genetic level. Some diseases, like AIDS or others, have susceptible populations. Zhang San contracts the disease after one exposure, while Li Si is exposed daily without issue. Is there a susceptibility gene fragment? If such a gene exists, processing this specific gene fragment to remove susceptibility would completely solve prevention from a disease prevention perspective. Thus, both disease occurrence and treatment revolve around this correlation issue. In the previous chapter, we cited three cases: malignant tumor, sciatica, and stomachache. The correlating factors for all three were Cold-Dampness. Cold is the Qi of the North; Dampness is the Qi of the Center. North and Center bring the most important correlating factors of the disease back to "Fang" (Direction). Biomedicine studies disease correlation at the genetic level. Perhaps in the latter half of the 21st century or the 22nd century, if the genetic topic is conquered, correlation research will move to the post-genetic level. And TCM? TCM places this correlation on "Fang" (Direction/Prescription). Directions gather by kind. These kinds can be numerous, countless. It is precisely these "kinds" under different directional categories that lead to the occurrence of numerous diseases. Thus, no matter how complex the disease factors, they cannot escape this "Fang." Conversely, when we treat disease, we write a prescription (Kai Fang). What kind of Fang do we write? We write the Fang mentioned above. If the disease is caused by Cold, the pathogenic factor is in the North. You cannot take away the North, but you can simulate a "Fang" that can counteract it and coordinate it. For example, for this "Cold," based on the principle "Treat Cold with Heat," you can simulate a South, using this South to counteract the aforementioned North. When the South arises, the North naturally recedes; Winter and Summer cannot coexist in the same time. The true realm of TCM treatment is actually utilizing the different attributes of herbs to simulate different Fangs, different times, and spaces. Time can be simulated by herbs; space can also be simulated by herbs. Treating disease is the transformation of Fang, the transformation of time and space, converting humans from unhealthy disease time-space states to healthy time-space states. Regarding this transformation, we will discuss it in detail in subsequent chapters. Therefore, generally speaking, the key element correlated with disease is this "Fang." Why does the character "Bing" use "Bing"? The reason lies here. Directions gather by kind. How many Fangs can be used for categorization? Fundamentally, there are five directions: East, South, West, North, Center. But according to the Eight Trigrams of the *I Ching*, there are eight directions; according to the Earthly Branches, twelve directions; according to solar terms, twenty-four directions; according to the sixty-four hexagrams, sixty-four directions. Look at a Luopan (Feng Shui Compass); it contains these different hierarchical divisions of Fang. Therefore, students of TCM should buy a Luopan to examine. The Luopan is not just for Feng Shui masters; TCM practitioners can use it too. At least it helps you recognize this Fang, the factor most correlated with disease. Here, we start discussing from the basic Fang (Five Directions) to see what relevant kinds gather in each direction.
① Time Fang