五畜在《内经》有不同的说法，一种五畜指鸡羊牛马猪，东方鸡，南方羊，中央牛，西方马，北方猪。一种是七篇大论的说法，即五虫：毛虫、羽虫、倮虫、介虫、鳞虫。这个五虫包括人，它泛指一切的动物。现在我们这个时代是肉食的时代，过去小时候一个月能吃上一顿肉，所以，吃肉叫打牙祭，可现在哪餐不是肉，哪顿不是肉？现在的疾病越来越复杂，奇疾怪病也越来越多，而很多高发病率的疾病就与肉食直接相关。从中医的角度，从五畜的角度切入，应该会有文章可做。谈五畜还需要补充一个问题，就是十二生肖的问题。十二生肖应该是大家都很熟悉的，子鼠、丑牛、寅虎、卯兔、辰龙、巳蛇、午马、未羊、申猴、酉鸡、戌狗、亥猪。前些天我在《参考消息》上看到一篇文章，文章报道了一件很有趣的事情，在海湾战争的时候，美国为了预防伊拉克的毒气弹，除了携带很多现代化的设备外，还带有很多的活鸡。为什么带活鸡呢？科学研究表明，鸡对有毒气体的嗅觉，其敏感性远远超过其他一切动物，所以美国人要借助这个鸡来为他报警。为什么对气体最敏感的东西是鸡呢？鸡属酉，酉位西方，肺亦属西方，开窍于鼻，而嗅觉是由鼻来主管的，这就造成了鸡的嗅觉与众不同。这使我意识到了十二生肖的内容不可忽略，它不是随意的，它不仅仅是一个代号，这里面肯定有很深的东西。另外一个是古人用来治疗青腿牙疳的例子，青腿牙疳大概相当与现在的血管性疾病，如静脉炎这一类病。这种病先是脚趾远端一节节地发青，然后逐渐坏死。古人用什么方法治这个疾病呢？就用马乳，母马的奶。喝这个马奶，血管的疾病就会慢慢地痊愈。这是什么道理呢？这也是很有意思的。午马属南方，属火属心，中医讲乳为血化，因此，乳又称白血。而心又主血脉，所以，这个马乳就与血脉有特别的亲和力，有特别的关系。正是因为有这样一种特殊的关系，所以，它能治疗这个血管的病变。以上这些关系告诉我们，研究动物，我们还不能完全像现代医学那样光从营养的角度来考虑，应该还有其他一些方面，也许这些方面的意义更深远、更广大。
⑩ 五谷
五谷，即麦、黍、稷、稻、豆。东方麦，南方黍，中央稷，西方稻，北方豆。五谷我们在第一章里曾经提到过豆，豆入北方，与肾的关系最密切，所以，豆又称肾谷。实际上我们看一颗大豆的外观，它就像一个缩小了的肾。因此，豆类及其制品，对于肾，对于与肾相关的骨和脑就有特殊的作用。比如现在很流行的一个保健食品叫大豆卵磷脂。服用卵磷脂除了调节血脂，改善心脑功能，增加记忆力外，对某些脱发还有很好的作用。而从中医的角度看，这些作用都与北方有关，都与肾有关。所以，研究食物不能光考虑现代的营养学，还要考虑到“方”的因素。五谷里面稻属西方，属肺谷，而肺主皮毛，所以，从美容的角度讲，吃大米恐怕要好一些。南方人的皮肤为什么比北方人细腻，这可能与南方人主食肺谷有关。
○11五志
五志就是怒、喜、思、忧、恐。东方怒，南方喜，中央思，西方忧，北方恐。情志跟疾病的关系我想大家都有感受，不用在此多说。思虑太过会怎么样，忧伤太过会怎么样，恐惧太过会怎么样，这些在《内经》都有明确的记述。这就说明了情志跟疾病的相关性是很密切的，有些疾病就是因情志而起，你用药物治疗，治来治去都不好，对于这类疾病，解铃还需系铃人。在古医案里，有不少是用五志的方法治疗疾病的，五志能够致病，五志亦能解病，这些都是因为有方的因素。
○12五数
五数即一二三四五六七八九十，其中天数五，地数五，合之即五数也。《易·系辞》云：“天一地二，天三地四，天五地六，天七地八，天九地十。”以天地分之即奇数一三五七九为天数，偶数二四六八十为地数，天数为阳，地数为阴。以五方类之，则一六北方水，二七南方火，三八东方木，四九西方金，五十中央土。数的五方的分类实际上就是传统所说的河图数，河图是传统文化中一个最具神秘色彩的东西，孔子曾经感慨地说：“凤鸟不至，河不出图，吾已矣乎！”它不仅与易的起源相关，故《易·系辞》曰：“河出图，洛出书，圣人则之。”而且传统文化的精髓很大一部分就蕴藏在这个河图里。在这里我们暂且不就这个神秘性去探微索隐，而是就这个五数的问题作一个讨论。如果大家要问现代科学最具特征的地方是什么？那我们可以回答，是她的数理逻辑体系，是她的数学体系。而在这个体系中，她对数的认识的最大特征又是什么呢？那就是“抽象”。所以，现代数学是一门纯抽象的科学。而与之相对应，传统文化最具特征的地方则是她的阴阳术数体系。在这个体系中，她对数的认识具有两面性，一方面是抽象，比如我们以上所说的这个方与类，这些看似风马牛不相及的东西，为什么属于一类？为什么能够聚于同一个方下？在这个“方以类聚”的过程中，如果不从事物的许多属性中，撇开非本质的属性，抽出本质属性，那这些风马牛不相及的东西根本就扯不到一块来。所以，在类聚的过程中必须抽象。那么，另一方面呢？另一方面就是不允许抽象。现代数学里，她对数的认识是纯抽象的，比如这个 1，1 就是 1，1就代表 1这个数，除此它不代表任何一个具体的内涵，它不代表任何一个象。任何一个东西，任何一个象都必须统统地抽掉，在这个前提下，我们才能来研究数学。可是在阴阳术数这个体系，它完全不是这样，她的数里有象。所以，《左传》说：物生有象，象生有数。物里面有象，象里面有数。反过来呢，则是数里面有象，象里面有物。因此，传统文化里专门有一门“象数”学，就是探讨象与数之间的关系，进而探讨数与物之间的关系。数不允许“抽象”，它有一个相对固定的内涵，它有一个直接与之关联的“象”，这就是河图的重要内容。一六这两个数表征水，有一个水的内涵，北方的内涵；二七表征火，有火的内涵、南方的内涵；三八表征木，有木的内涵、东方的内涵，余者依次类推。一六为什么会有水的内涵，北方的内涵？这显然不是今天在这里就能解决的问题，但是，这是整个古代文化确知确证了的一个事实。这个事实不容推翻，推翻了它就等于推翻了整个古代文化。而从这个事实，我们可以很清楚地看到传统与现代的一个根本差别。现代的预测学，它根据概率，根据统计，那么古代呢？它就根据这个象数之间的关系。所以，象数学不是一门虚设的学问，它是一门很实在的学问，古人制方的大小，用药的多少，以及每味药的具体用量，就是依据这个象数的学问。
○13五毒
除了上述这些因素，这里再补充一个五毒，五毒即贪、嗔、痴、慢、嫉。这是佛家的一个概念，在这里提出这个概念，是希望大家思考这样一个问题，即行为的善恶，特别是心灵世界的善恶与疾病有没有相关性。《易·系辞》云：“积善之家必有余庆，积不善之家必有余殃。”《素问·上古天真论》云：“恬淡虚无，真气从之，精神内守，病安从来。”恬淡虚无的状态，一定是祛除了五毒的状态，还有贪、嗔、痴、慢、嫉，这个心境不可能恬淡，不可能虚无。而一旦趋入这个境界，就会真气从之，就会精神内守，就不会有疾病的发生。由斯可见，道德的问题就不仅仅是一个宗教的问题、社会的问题，也是医学的问题。
以上我们粗略地讨论了方的涵义。在每一方里，所辖的这些“类”在表面上看虽有很大的差别，但就其本质而言，却是相同的，却是等价的。正因为这个等价性，造成了中医在诊断上和治疗上的灵活性和多样性。看似不同，看似不规范，看似公说公有理，婆说婆有理，但实际是大同，是殊途同归。这叫你有你的打法，我有我的打法，打法虽不同，但都不能违反“方”的原则。著名红学家周汝昌先生在谈到中国文化的魅力时，用了两个“最”字来形容，一个是“‘咬文嚼字’是中国文化最高之境界。”一个是“汉字是人类最高智慧的结晶。”我们从病字的释义，引出了疾病的相关性，而从这个过程我们可以感受到周先生的确是过来人，他的这个形容绝非孟浪之语。
（3）何以用“丙”
有关病的造字，我们转入另一个话题。由上述讨论可知，病字用丙是为了用方，而用方的目的是为了揭示疾病的相关性。既然用丙即是用方，那我们就要提出一个问题，这个造字完全可以选甲，为什么一定要选丙呢？天干从甲开始，你用天干应该首先用甲。如果当初造字的圣人选择了甲，那我们今天不读得“丙”而应该读得“甲”。我想光是声符，光是发音，应该没有太大的关系。这只是一个习惯的问题，就像没过门的毛脚媳妇喊阿姨喊惯了，过门后突然要改叫妈，真是周身的不自在。但是，这个没关系，时间一长，两三个月后，你就习惯了，自在了。所以，光从声部来解释造字为什么一定要用丙，这个理由不充分。
① 君主之官，神明出焉
病之用丙肯定有它的特异性。怎么样一个特异性呢？丙在十天干里属南方，属火、属心，这个南方，这个火，这个心有什么作用呢？也许不学医的人很难领会这个作用。我们现在换一个角度来谈，从《素问》的“灵兰秘典论”来谈。《素问》里面有很多的医学模式，有生物的医学模式，有宇宙的医学模式，有心理的医学模式，也有社会的医学模式。这个“灵兰秘典论”就是从社会的角度来谈医学。从这个角度上述的这个南方、这个心有什么意义呢？论曰：“心者君主之官，神明出焉。”君主之官是一个什么概念呢？我想大家都很清楚，如果就一个国家言，在美国就是总统，在中国就是主席。一个主席，一个总统，他对国家的关键性、决定性作用，这个不用多说。所以，《素问·灵兰秘典论》在谈完十二官的各自作用后总结说：“凡此十二官者，不得相失也。故主明则下安，以此养生则寿，殁世不殆，以为天下则大昌。主不明则十二官危，使道闭塞而不通，形乃大伤，以此养生则殃，以为天下者，其宗大危，戒之戒之！”主明则下安，君主之官明，则整个身体，整个十二官就会安定，用这样的方法来养生，你就会获得长寿。所以，你要想把身体搞好，要想长命，就是要想方设法使这个主明。历史的经验更是这样，我们回顾几千年的历史，哪一朝哪一代遇上明君，天下就安定，老百姓就得利。如果遇到昏君当道，那就惨了，那自然天下大乱，百姓受苦。从《素问·灵兰秘典论》我们知道，这个心、这个南方火是一个主宰，是整个身体的关键，健康也好，长寿也好，夭折也好都关系在这个心上，这个南方上。因此，病与不病，就要看这个心。病之造字为什么一定选丙呢？道理就在这里。前面我们提到中医这门医学是“攻心”而不是“攻城”，从这个造字可以得到证实。兵法云：攻心为上，攻城为下。所以，你只知道攻城，而不知道攻心，那你不是中医，或者你成不了上医。而什么是攻城呢？什么是攻心呢？大家可以思考。
② 十九病机
五畜在《黄帝内经》中有不同的说法。一种说法认为五畜是指鸡、羊、牛、马、猪，分别对应东方（鸡）、南方（羊）、中央（牛）、西方（马）、北方（猪）。另一种说法出自《素问》七篇大论，即“五虫”：毛虫、羽虫、倮虫、介虫、鳞虫。这五虫包括人类，泛指所有的动物。我们现在的时代是一个肉食的时代，过去小时候一个月才能吃上一顿肉，所以吃肉被称为“打牙祭”，而现在哪一餐不是肉，哪一顿不是肉？现在的疾病越来越复杂，奇奇怪怪的病也越来越多，而许多高发病率的疾病与肉食直接相关。从中医的角度，从五畜的角度切入，应该会有文章可做。谈论五畜还需要补充一个问题，就是十二生肖的问题。十二生肖应该是大家都很熟悉的：子鼠、丑牛、寅虎、卯兔、辰龙、巳蛇、午马、未羊、申猴、酉鸡、戌狗、亥猪。前些天我在《参考消息》上看到一篇文章，报道了一件很有趣的事情：在海湾战争期间，美国为了预防伊拉克的毒气弹，除了携带很多现代化设备外，还带了很多活鸡。为什么要带活鸡呢？科学研究表明，鸡对有毒气体的嗅觉敏感性远远超过其他一切动物，所以美国人要借助鸡来为他们报警。为什么对气体最敏感的东西是鸡呢？鸡属酉，酉位西方，肺亦属西方，开窍于鼻，而嗅觉是由鼻来主管的，这就造成了鸡的嗅觉与众不同。这让我意识到了十二生肖的内容不可忽略，它不是随意的，它不仅仅是一个代号，这里面肯定有很深的东西。另外一个是古人用来治疗青腿牙疳的例子。青腿牙疳大概相当于现在的血管性疾病，如静脉炎这一类病。这种病先是脚趾远端一节节地发青，然后逐渐坏死。古人用什么方法治这个疾病呢？就用马乳，即母马的奶。喝这个马奶，血管的疾病就会慢慢地痊愈。这是什么道理呢？这也是很有意思的。午马属南方，属火，属心，中医讲乳为血化，因此，乳又称白血。而心又主血脉，所以，这个马乳就与血脉有特别的亲和力，有特别的关系。正是因为有这样一种特殊的关系，所以，它能治疗这个血管的病变。以上这些关系告诉我们，研究动物，我们还不能完全像现代医学那样光从营养的角度来考虑，应该还有其他一些方面，也许这些方面的意义更深远、更广大。
⑩ 五谷
五谷，即麦、黍、稷、稻、豆。东方麦，南方黍，中央稷，西方稻，北方豆。五谷我们在第一章里曾经提到过豆，豆入北方，与肾的关系最密切，所以，豆又称肾谷。实际上我们看一颗大豆的外观，它就像一个缩小了的肾。因此，豆类及其制品，对于肾，对于与肾相关的骨和脑就有特殊的作用。比如现在很流行的一个保健食品叫大豆卵磷脂。服用卵磷脂除了调节血脂，改善心脑功能，增加记忆力外，对某些脱发还有很好的作用。而从中医的角度看，这些作用都与北方有关，都与肾有关。所以，研究食物不能光考虑现代的营养学，还要考虑到“方”的因素。五谷里面稻属西方，属肺谷，而肺主皮毛，所以，从美容的角度讲，吃大米恐怕要好一些。南方人的皮肤为什么比北方人细腻，这可能与南方人主食肺谷有关。
○11 五志
五志就是怒、喜、思、忧、恐。东方怒，南方喜，中央思，西方忧，北方恐。情志跟疾病的关系我想大家都有感受，不用在此多说。思虑太过会怎么样，忧伤太过会怎么样，恐惧太过会怎么样，这些在《黄帝内经》都有明确的记述。这就说明了情志跟疾病的相关性是很密切的，有些疾病就是因情志而起，你用药物治疗，治来治去都不好，对于这类疾病，解铃还需系铃人。在古医案里，有不少是用五志的方法治疗疾病的，五志能够致病，五志亦能解病，这些都是因为有方的因素。
○12 五数
五数即一二三四五六七八九十，其中天数五，地数五，合之即五数也。《易·系辞》云：“天一地二，天三地四，天五地六，天七地八，天九地十。”以天地分之即奇数一三五七九为天数，偶数二四六八十为地数，天数为阳，地数为阴。以五方类之，则一六北方水，二七南方火，三八东方木，四九西方金，五十中央土。数的五方的分类实际上就是传统所说的河图数，河图是传统文化中一个最具神秘色彩的东西，孔子曾经感慨地说：“凤鸟不至，河不出图，吾已矣乎！”它不仅与易的起源相关，故《易·系辞》曰：“河出图，洛出书，圣人则之。”而且传统文化的精髓很大一部分就蕴藏在这个河图里。在这里我们暂且不就这个神秘性去探微索隐，而是就这个五数的问题作一个讨论。如果大家要问现代科学最具特征的地方是什么？那我们可以回答，是她的数理逻辑体系，是她的数学体系。而在这个体系中，她对数的认识的最大特征又是什么呢？那就是“抽象”。所以，现代数学是一门纯抽象的科学。而与之相对应，传统文化最具特征的地方则是她的阴阳术数体系。在这个体系中，她对数的认识具有两面性，一方面是抽象，比如我们以上所说的这个方与类，这些看似风马牛不相及的东西，为什么属于一类？为什么能够聚于同一个方下？在这个“方以类聚”的过程中，如果不从事物的许多属性中，撇开非本质的属性，抽出本质属性，那这些风马牛不相及的东西根本就扯不到一块来。所以，在类聚的过程中必须抽象。那么，另一方面呢？另一方面就是不允许抽象。现代数学里，她对数的认识是纯抽象的，比如这个 1，1 就是 1，1就代表 1这个数，除此它不代表任何一个具体的内涵，它不代表任何一个象。任何一个东西，任何一个象都必须统统地抽掉，在这个前提下，我们才能来研究数学。可是在阴阳术数这个体系，它完全不是这样，她的数里有象。所以，《左传》说：物生有象，象生有数。物里面有象，象里面有数。反过来呢，则是数里面有象，象里面有物。因此，传统文化里专门有一门“象数”学，就是探讨象与数之间的关系，进而探讨数与物之间的关系。数不允许“抽象”，它有一个相对固定的内涵，它有一个直接与之关联的“象”，这就是河图的重要内容。一六这两个数表征水，有一个水的内涵，北方的内涵；二七表征火，有火的内涵、南方的内涵；三八表征木，有木的内涵、东方的内涵，余者依次类推。一六为什么会有水的内涵，北方的内涵？这显然不是今天在这里就能解决的问题，但是，这是整个古代文化确知确证了的一个事实。这个事实不容推翻，推翻了它就等于推翻了整个古代文化。而从这个事实，我们可以很清楚地看到传统与现代的一个根本差别。现代的预测学，它根据概率，根据统计，那么古代呢？它就根据这个象数之间的关系。所以，象数学不是一门虚设的学问，它是一门很实在的学问，古人制方的大小，用药的多少，以及每味药的具体用量，就是依据这个象数的学问。
○13 五毒
除了上述这些因素，这里再补充一个五毒，五毒即贪、嗔、痴、慢、嫉。这是佛家的一个概念，在这里提出这个概念，是希望大家思考这样一个问题，即行为的善恶，特别是心灵世界的善恶与疾病有没有相关性。《易·系辞》云：“积善之家必有余庆，积不善之家必有余殃。”《素问·上古天真论》云：“恬淡虚无，真气从之，精神内守，病安从来。”恬淡虚无的状态，一定是祛除了五毒的状态，还有贪、嗔、痴、慢、嫉，这个心境不可能恬淡，不可能虚无。而一旦趋入这个境界，就会真气从之，就会精神内守，就不会有疾病的发生。由斯可见，道德的问题就不仅仅是一个宗教的问题、社会的问题，也是医学的问题。
以上我们粗略地讨论了方的涵义。在每一方里，所辖的这些“类”在表面上看虽有很大的差别，但就其本质而言，却是相同的，却是等价的。正因为这个等价性，造成了中医在诊断上和治疗上的灵活性和多样性。看似不同，看似不规范，看似公说公有理，婆说婆有理，但实际是大同，是殊途同归。这叫你有你的打法，我有我的打法，打法虽不同，但都不能违反“方”的原则。著名红学家周汝昌先生在谈到中国文化的魅力时，用了两个“最”字来形容，一个是“‘咬文嚼字’是中国文化最高之境界。”一个是“汉字是人类最高智慧的结晶。”我们从病字的释义，引出了疾病的相关性，而从这个过程我们可以感受到周先生的确是过来人，他的这个形容绝非孟浪之语。
（3）何以用“丙”
有关病的造字，我们转入另一个话题。由上述讨论可知，病字用丙是为了用方，而用方的目的是为了揭示疾病的相关性。既然用丙即是用方，那我们就要提出一个问题，这个造字完全可以选甲，为什么一定要选丙呢？天干从甲开始，你用天干应该首先用甲。如果当初造字的圣人选择了甲，那我们今天不读得“丙”而应该读得“甲”。我想光是声符，光是发音，应该没有太大的关系。这只是一个习惯的问题，就像没过门的毛脚媳妇喊阿姨喊惯了，过门后突然要改叫妈，真是周身的不自在。但是，这个没关系，时间一长，两三个月后，你就习惯了，自在了。所以，光从声部来解释造字为什么一定要用丙，这个理由不充分。
① 君主之官，神明出焉
病之用丙肯定有它的特异性。怎么样一个特异性呢？丙在十天干里属南方，属火、属心，这个南方，这个火，这个心有什么作用呢？也许不学医的人很难领会这个作用。我们现在换一个角度来谈，从《素问》的“灵兰秘典论”来谈。《素问》里面有很多的医学模式，有生物的医学模式，有宇宙的医学模式，有心理的医学模式，也有社会的医学模式。这个“灵兰秘典论”就是从社会的角度来谈医学。从这个角度上述的这个南方、这个心有什么意义呢？论曰：“心者君主之官，神明出焉。”君主之官是一个什么概念呢？我想大家都很清楚，如果就一个国家言，在美国就是总统，在中国就是主席。一个主席，一个总统，他对国家的关键性、决定性作用，这个不用多说。所以，《素问·灵兰秘典论》在谈完十二官的各自作用后总结说：“凡此十二官者，不得相失也。故主明则下安，以此养生则寿，殁世不殆，以为天下则大昌。主不明则十二官危，使道闭塞而不通，形乃大伤，以此养生则殃，以为天下者，其宗大危，戒之戒之！”主明则下安，君主之官明，则整个身体，整个十二官就会安定，用这样的方法来养生，你就会获得长寿。所以，你要想把身体搞好，要想长命，就是要想方设法使这个主明。历史的经验更是这样，我们回顾几千年的历史，哪一朝哪一代遇上明君，天下就安定，老百姓就得利。如果遇到昏君当道，那就惨了，那自然天下大乱，百姓受苦。从《素问·灵兰秘典论》我们知道，这个心、这个南方火是一个主宰，是整个身体的关键，健康也好，长寿也好，夭折也好都关系在这个心上，这个南方上。因此，病与不病，就要看这个心。病之造字为什么一定选丙呢？道理就在这里。前面我们提到中医这门医学是“攻心”而不是“攻城”，从这个造字可以得到证实。兵法云：攻心为上，攻城为下。所以，你只知道攻城，而不知道攻心，那你不是中医，或者你成不了上医。而什么是攻城呢？什么是攻心呢？大家可以思考。
② 十九病机
The "Five Livestock" (Wu Chu) has different interpretations in the *Huangdi Neijing* (Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon). One interpretation states that the Five Livestock refer to chickens, sheep, cattle, horses, and pigs, corresponding respectively to the East (chicken), South (sheep), Center (cattle), West (horse), and North (pig). Another interpretation comes from the Seven Major Treatises of the *Suwen* (Basic Questions), referring to the "Five Creatures": hairy creatures (mammals), feathered creatures (birds), naked creatures (humans/insects), shelled creatures (reptiles/amphibians), and scaled creatures (fish/reptiles). These five creatures include humans and generally refer to all animals. Our current era is an era of meat consumption. In the past, when I was a child, we could only eat meat once a month, so eating meat was called "sacrificing teeth" (a term for having a special meal with meat). Now, which meal is not meat, which bite is not meat? Diseases today are becoming increasingly complex, and strange or rare diseases are becoming more common. Many high-incidence diseases are directly related to meat consumption. From the perspective of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), approaching this topic through the lens of the Five Livestock should yield significant insights. Discussing the Five Livestock requires supplementing with another issue: the Twelve Earthly Branches (Zodiac signs). The Twelve Earthly Branches should be familiar to everyone: Rat (Zi), Ox (Chou), Tiger (Yin), Rabbit (Mao), Dragon (Chen), Snake (Si), Horse (Wu), Goat (Wei), Monkey (Shen), Rooster (You), Dog (Xu), Pig (Hai). A few days ago, I read an article in the *Reference News* reporting an interesting incident: during the Gulf War, in order to prevent Iraqi chemical gas attacks, besides carrying much modern equipment, the Americans also brought many live chickens. Why bring live chickens? Scientific research indicates that chickens have a sense of smell for toxic gases far more sensitive than any other animal, so the Americans relied on chickens to serve as early warning systems. Why is the creature most sensitive to gases the chicken? The chicken corresponds to You (Rooster), which is located in the West. The Lung also belongs to the West, opens into the nose, and olfaction is governed by the nose. This results in the chicken's unique sense of smell. This made me realize that the content of the Twelve Earthly Branches cannot be ignored; it is not arbitrary, nor merely a code name; there must be profound meaning within it. Another example is the ancient method used to treat "green leg and gum disease" (Qing Tui Ya Gan). This condition is roughly equivalent to modern vascular diseases, such as phlebitis. This disease first presents with the distal toes turning blue segment by segment, followed by gradual necrosis. What method did the ancients use to treat this disease? They used mare's milk. Drinking this milk would slowly cure the vascular disease. What is the reasoning behind this? It is also very interesting. The Horse corresponds to Wu (Noon), which is in the South, belongs to Fire, and corresponds to the Heart. TCM teaches that milk is transformed from blood; therefore, milk is also called "white blood." Since the Heart governs the blood vessels, mare's milk has a special affinity and relationship with the blood vessels. Precisely because of this special relationship, it can treat vascular lesions. These relationships tell us that when studying animals, we cannot rely solely on nutrition from the perspective of modern medicine; there must be other aspects, perhaps with deeper and broader significance.
⑩ The Five Grains
The Five Grains are wheat, broomcorn millet, coix seed (Job's tears), rice, and beans. Wheat corresponds to the East, broomcorn millet to the South, coix seed to the Center, rice to the West, and beans to the North. We mentioned beans in Chapter One. Beans enter the North and have the closest relationship with the Kidney (Zang organ responsible for storing essence, governing birth, development, reproduction, water metabolism, and grasping Qi); therefore, beans are also called the "Kidney Grain." In fact, looking at the appearance of a soybean, it resembles a miniature kidney. Therefore, beans and their products have special effects on the Kidney, and on the bones and brain associated with the Kidney. For example, a popular health food today is soy lecithin. Taking lecithin not only regulates blood lipids, improves heart and brain function, and increases memory but also has a good effect on certain types of hair loss. From the perspective of TCM, these effects are all related to the North and the Kidney. Thus, when studying food, one cannot consider only modern nutrition but must also take into account the factor of "Direction/Region" (Fang). Among the Five Grains, rice belongs to the West and is the "Lung Grain." Since the Lung governs the skin and body hair, from an aesthetic perspective, eating rice might be better. Why is the skin of Southerners finer than that of Northerners? This may be related to Southerners' staple diet of Lung grain.
○11 The Five Emotions
The Five Emotions are anger, joy, worry/pensiveness, grief/sorrow, and fear. Anger corresponds to the East, joy to the South, pensiveness to the Center, sorrow to the West, and fear to the North. I believe everyone has felt the relationship between emotions and disease, so there is no need to elaborate here. What happens if one ponders too much? What happens if one grieves too much? What happens if one fears too much? These are clearly recorded in the *Huangdi Neijing*. This illustrates that the correlation between emotions and disease is very close. Some diseases arise from emotional causes; if you treat them with drugs, they may not improve despite repeated treatments. For such diseases, "the one who tied the bell must untie it." In ancient medical cases, there are many instances of treating diseases using the Five Emotions. The Five Emotions can cause disease, and the Five Emotions can also resolve disease. All of this is due to the factor of "Direction/Region" (Fang).
○12 The Five Numbers
The Five Numbers refer to one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. Among them, the Heavenly Numbers are five, and the Earthly Numbers are five; combined, they form the Five Numbers. The *Xi Ci Zhuan* (Great Commentary) of the *I Ching* (Book of Changes) states: "One is Heaven, Two is Earth; Three is Heaven, Four is Earth; Five is Heaven, Six is Earth; Seven is Heaven, Eight is Earth; Nine is Heaven, Ten is Earth." Divided by Heaven and Earth, the odd numbers one, three, five, seven, nine are Heavenly Numbers, and the even numbers two, four, six, eight, ten are Earthly Numbers. Heavenly Numbers are Yang, and Earthly Numbers are Yin. Classified by the Five Directions, one and six correspond to Water in the North, two and seven to Fire in the South, three and eight to Wood in the East, four and nine to Metal in the West, and five and ten to Earth in the Center. The classification of numbers by the Five Directions is actually what tradition calls the Hetu (River Map) numbers. The Hetu is the most mysterious element in traditional culture. Confucius once lamented: "If the phoenix does not come, and the River does not produce the map, my time is up!" It is not only related to the origin of the *I Ching*, hence the *Xi Ci Zhuan* says: "When the River produces the map and the Luo River produces the writing, the sages model themselves upon them." Moreover, a large part of the essence of traditional culture is hidden within this Hetu. Here, we will not delve into its mystery but will discuss the issue of the Five Numbers. If you ask what is the most characteristic feature of modern science, we can answer: it is its mathematical logic system, its mathematical system. And within this system, what is the greatest characteristic of its understanding of numbers? That is "abstraction." Therefore, modern mathematics is a purely abstract science. Correspondingly, the most characteristic feature of traditional culture is its Yin-Yang and numerical divination system. Within this system, its understanding of numbers has two sides. On one hand, it involves abstraction. For example, the "Direction/Region" and "Category" mentioned above: why do things that seem unrelated belong to the same category? Why can they gather under the same Direction/Region? In the process of "things gathering by category," if one does not set aside non-essential attributes among the many attributes of things and extract essential attributes, then these unrelated things simply cannot be grouped together. Therefore, abstraction is necessary in the process of categorization. Then, what about the other side? The other side is that abstraction is not allowed. In modern mathematics, the understanding of numbers is purely abstract. For example, the number 1 is just 1; 1 represents the number 1. Apart from this, it does not represent any specific connotation or image (Xiang). Any thing or image must be completely stripped away under this premise before we can study mathematics. However, in the Yin-Yang and numerical divination system, it is completely different; its numbers contain images. Therefore, the *Zuo Zhuan* states: "Things generate images, and images generate numbers." Things contain images, and images contain numbers. Conversely, numbers contain images, and images contain things. Therefore, traditional culture has a specialized discipline called "Image-Number Studies" (Xiangshu), which explores the relationship between images and numbers, and further, the relationship between numbers and things. Numbers are not allowed to be "abstract"; they have a relatively fixed connotation and a direct associated "image." This is an important content of the Hetu. The numbers one and six represent Water, possessing the connotation of Water and the North; two and seven represent Fire, possessing the connotation of Fire and the South; three and eight represent Wood, possessing the connotation of Wood and the East; the rest follow similarly. Why do one and six have the connotation of Water and the North? This is obviously not a problem that can be solved here today, but it is a fact firmly known and verified by ancient culture. This fact cannot be overturned; overturning it is equivalent to overturning the entire ancient culture. From this fact, we can clearly see a fundamental difference between tradition and modernity. Modern prediction studies rely on probability and statistics. What about ancient times? They relied on the relationship between images and numbers. Therefore, Image-Number Studies is not a fictitious discipline; it is a very practical one. The ancients determined the size of prescriptions, the quantity of herbs used, and the specific dosage of each herb based on this knowledge of images and numbers.
○13 The Five Poisons
In addition to the above factors, let us supplement with the Five Poisons: greed, anger, ignorance, arrogance, and jealousy. This is a Buddhist concept. Bringing up this concept here is to encourage everyone to think about whether the goodness or badness of behavior, especially the goodness or badness of the spiritual world, is correlated with disease. The *Xi Ci Zhuan* of the *I Ching* states: "A family that accumulates goodness will surely have surplus blessings; a family that accumulates evil will surely have surplus disasters." The *Suwen: Shanggu Tianzhen Lun* (Treatise on the True Qi of Antiquity) states: "With tranquility and emptiness, true Qi follows; with spirit kept inward, how can disease arise?" A state of tranquility and emptiness must be a state where the Five Poisons have been eliminated. With greed, anger, ignorance, arrogance, and jealousy, this state of mind cannot be tranquil or empty. Once entering this realm, true Qi will follow, spirit will be kept inward, and disease will not occur. From this, we can see that moral issues are not only religious or social issues but also medical issues.
Above, we briefly discussed the meaning of "Direction/Region" (Fang). Within each Direction/Region, although the "categories" it governs appear greatly different on the surface, essentially they are the same and equivalent. Precisely because of this equivalence, TCM possesses flexibility and diversity in diagnosis and treatment. They may seem different, seemingly irregular, seemingly each party has its own reason, but in reality, they are largely the same, arriving at the same goal via different paths. It is like saying: you have your way of fighting, I have mine. Although the methods differ, none can violate the principle of "Direction/Region." Mr. Zhou Ruchang, a famous Redologist, used two "mosts" to describe the charm of Chinese culture: one is "'Chewing words and swallowing characters' is the highest realm of Chinese culture." The other is "'Chinese characters are the crystallization of the highest wisdom of humanity.'" From the definition of the character for disease, we drew out the correlation of diseases. Through this process, we can feel that Mr. Zhou is indeed an experienced person; his description is certainly not rash speech.
(3) Why Use "Bing" (丙)?
Regarding the creation of the character for disease, we turn to another topic. From the above discussion, we know that the character for disease uses "Bing" (the third Heavenly Stem) to utilize the concept of "Direction/Region," and the purpose of using "Direction/Region" is to reveal the correlations of diseases. Since using Bing is using Direction/Region, we must raise a question: this character could have chosen Jia (甲, the first Heavenly Stem); why must it choose Bing? The Heavenly Stems start with Jia; if you use Heavenly Stems, you should use Jia first. If the sage who created the character had chosen Jia, we would not read it as "Bing" today but as "Jia." I think the phonetic component, the pronunciation, probably doesn't matter much. It is just a matter of habit. Like a bride-to-be who is used to calling her mother-in-law "Auntie"; after marriage, suddenly having to change to "Mother" makes one uncomfortable all over. But this doesn't matter; after a while, two or three months later, you get used to it and feel comfortable. Therefore, explaining why the character must use Bing solely from the phonetic aspect is insufficient.
① The Official of the Sovereign, Where Divine Spirit Emerges
The use of Bing for disease definitely has its specificity. What kind of specificity? Bing, among the Ten Heavenly Stems, belongs to the South, Fire, and the Heart. What role do this South, this Fire, and this Heart play? Perhaps those who do not study medicine find it hard to appreciate this role. Let us change our angle and discuss it from the "Ling Lan Mi Dian Lun" (Secret Classic of Spiritual Orchid Hall) in the *Suwen*. The *Suwen* contains many medical models: biological, cosmic, psychological, and social. The "Ling Lan Mi Dian Lun" discusses medicine from a social perspective. From this perspective, what is the significance of the South and the Heart mentioned above? The text states: "The Heart is the official of the sovereign, from whom divine spirit emerges." What is the concept of the official of the sovereign? I think everyone is clear. If speaking of a country, in America it is the President, in China it is the Chairman. The critical and decisive role of a chairman or president for a country needs no elaboration. Therefore, after discussing the respective functions of the twelve officials in the *Suwen: Ling Lan Mi Dian Lun*, it summarizes: "All these twelve officials must not lose harmony. If the ruler is enlightened, the subordinates are peaceful; using this for health preservation leads to longevity, danger-free throughout life, and great prosperity for the world. If the ruler is not enlightened, the twelve officials are in danger, the channels become blocked and不通 (unconnected), the form suffers greatly; using this for health preservation leads to disaster, and for ruling the world, the lineage faces great peril. Beware, beware!" If the ruler is enlightened, the subordinates are peaceful. If the official of the sovereign is enlightened, the entire body and the twelve officials will be stable. Using this method for health preservation grants longevity. Therefore, if you want to improve your body and live long, you must try every means to make this "ruler" enlightened. Historical experience confirms this. Reviewing thousands of years of history, whenever a wise ruler encountered a dynasty, the world was peaceful, and the people benefited. If a foolish ruler held power, it was miserable; naturally, the world fell into chaos, and the people suffered. From the *Suwen: Ling Lan Mi Dian Lun*, we know that the Heart and the Southern Fire are the masters, the key to the entire body. Whether healthy, long-lived, or dying young, it all relates to this Heart, this South. Therefore, whether one is sick or not depends on this Heart. Why must the character for disease choose Bing? The reason lies here. Earlier, we mentioned that TCM is "attacking the heart/mind" rather than "attacking the city." This character creation confirms it. Military strategy says: Attacking the heart/mind is superior; attacking the city is inferior. So, if you only know how to attack the city and do not know how to attack the heart/mind, you are not a TCM practitioner, or you cannot become a superior physician. What is attacking the city? What is attacking the heart/mind? Everyone can ponder this.
② Nineteen Pathogenesis Mechanisms