典藏书目

See the chapter on "Qi Gate" (Vital Qi Disorders).

See the chapter on "Hot Gate" (Heat Disorders).

Zihe (Zhang Congzheng) said: Li Pingshan usually drank alcohol. One day he fell ill. The physician administered pills steamed with wine. After taking them, the patient felt feverish and subsequently experienced visual hallucinations, seeing heaven and earth turn red. Ultimately, he died from the eruption of Long Huo (Dragon Fire, referring to defluxion of ministerial fire from the Kidney), and could not be saved.

Li Jizhi from Xixi often suffered from eye diseases. While serving as a provincial clerk (Sheng Yuan), every time he took Bu Gan San (Liver-Nourishing Powder), his eyes swelled, nearly causing blindness. He was treated with Yong Xie (Draining and Purging methods, such as emesis or purgation) five to seven times, followed by the administration of cooling agents, after which he recovered to normal.

Zhu Sengshi from Danxia was a monk ordained during the reign of Emperor Zhangzong. When he fell ill, heat accumulated in the Three Yang channels. He often stayed in quiet rooms and dared not look at light; exposure to light caused headaches like needle pricks. He placed ice on his head, but it could not relieve the internal heat. Many physicians failed to diagnose his condition correctly. Later, he was cured in seven days using the three methods of sweating, vomiting, and purging, followed by cooling and settling agents, after which he fully recovered.

Note: For the above cases, if the methods of sweating, vomiting, and purging are not used, the disease cannot be resolved. Only when Yin and Yang are balanced and secret (Yin Ping Yang Mi) can Shen Qi (Spiritual Qi) remain tranquil. Ignorant people indulge their desires, leading to conditions of accumulated heat, which do not arise overnight. Treatment must be conducted accordingly. If one treats without investigating the source and context, how can one avoid harming patients? Below is an appendix on the discussion of accumulated heat and deep-seated cold.

Wang Andao said: What humans borrow for life is Qi. What is Qi? It is Yin and Yang. Yin and Yang can be harmonious and balanced, or they can be discordant and obstructed. Whether one manages them well or poorly determines auspiciousness or misfortune. Since management is not always perfect, diseases of bias toward cold or heat begin to appear amidst the aftermath of Yin-Yang discord. Although these are merely cold or heat syndromes, if they have not reached severity, even mediocre physicians find treatment easy. However, if heat accumulates and cold sinks deeply, even skilled physicians may struggle to devise a plan, let alone inferior ones. Why is it that common practice favors ignorance, rigidly relying on fixed prescriptions, making the condition worse with each dose, yet people remain deluded and do not return to the right path? Do they not know that rectifying the root and clearing the source contains profound principles? Grasping the pivotal key reveals all wonders.

Take accumulated heat as an example: initially use cooling and harmonizing methods; next, use cold-draining methods. If cold-draining fails, follow the heat (induce sweating or other methods based on heat patterns). If following the heat fails, medical skill is exhausted. Thus, bitter-cold herbs are used continuously year after year. Regarding deep-seated cold: initially use mild-warming methods; next, use hot-draining methods. If hot-draining fails, follow the cold. If following the cold fails, medical skill is exhausted. Thus, acrid-hot herbs are used continuously year after year. Alas! The deeper the use of bitter-cold, the more intense the accumulated heat becomes; the excessive use of acrid-hot makes the deep-seated cold more prevalent. Unless a Great Sage shows benevolence and clearly reveals the pivotal key, who can preserve life? The Classic says: "For those made hotter by cold treatments, treat the Yin; for those made colder by heat treatments, treat the Yang." This is called "seeking its affiliation/substance" (Qiu Qi Shu). The "Shu" (affiliation/substance) is where the pivotal key lies. Wang Taipu (Wang Bing) understood this principle, hence he said: "Boost the origin of Fire to dissipate Yin shadows; strengthen the master of Water to control Yang brightness." He also said: "Treating the Heart does not necessarily require uniform heat; treating the Kidney does not necessarily require uniform cold. Merely boost the Yang of the Heart, and cold will circulate freely; strengthen the Yin of the Kidney, and heat will still be manageable." Ah, within thousands of words, this truth is like the He Shi Bi (He's Jade Disc) hidden in uncarved stone.

For cases where cold treatment results in heat, people only know to use cold to treat heat, unaware that the persistence of heat is due to insufficiency of True Water. For cases where heat treatment results in cold, people only know to use heat to treat cold, unaware that the persistence of cold is due to insufficiency of True Fire. Not knowing that True Water and Fire are insufficient, and indiscriminately using cold and heat drugs, not only causes the Zang-Fu organs to become accustomed to the drugs, but the drugs may also be transformed by the pathology. Existing pathogens remain, and new ones arise. Therefore, "treating the Yin" supplements the insufficiency of Kidney Water to constrain the excess of Heart Fire. "Treating the Yang" supplements the insufficiency of Heart Fire to overcome the excess of Kidney Water. Here, "referring to Water and Fire," "Shu" (affiliation) is equivalent to "Zhu" (master), referring to the Heart and Kidney. "Seeking its Shu" means seeking the root of Water and Fire insufficiency in the Heart and Kidney. The "Origin of Fire" is the root of Yang Qi, which is the Heart. The "Master of Water" is the root of Yin Qi, which is the Kidney. It does not mean Fire belongs to the Heart while its Origin belongs to the Liver, nor that Water belongs to the Kidney while its Master belongs to the Lung. Cold can also benefit the Heart; Heat can also strengthen the Kidney. This is the supreme truth of Taipu, transcending standard rules and measurements, beyond the reach of pedantic scholars and narrow-minded individuals.