春生夏长。秋收冬藏。是气之常也。(皆以阳气为言。)人亦应之以一日分为四时朝则为
日中为夏日入为秋。夜半为冬。(自子之后太阳从左而升。升则为阳自午之后太阳从右而降
。降则为阴。大而一岁小而一日。无不皆然故一日亦分四时也。)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。夜半人气入藏。
邪气独居于身。故甚也。其时有反者。是不应四时之气。藏独主其病。是必以藏气之所不胜
时者甚。(如脾病畏木之类。值其时口。故病必甚。)以其所胜时者起也。(如脾病喜火土。
肺病喜土金。肾病喜金水。肝病喜水木。心病喜木火。值其时日。故病当起。)
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 病在脏者。取之井。(
脏主冬。冬刺井。)病变于色者取之荥。(色主春。春刺荥。)病时间时甚者。取之输。(时主
夏。夏刺俞)病变于音者。取之经。经满而血者。(音主长夏。长夏刺经。)病在胃及以饮食
不节得病者。取之于合。故命曰味主合。(味主秋秋刺合○按本篇五时之刺。以应五俞。谓
冬刺井春刺荥夏刺俞。长夏刺经秋刺合者以井应冬荥应春俞应夏。经应长夏。合应秋也。考
他篇文义皆与此同及六十六难曰。井者。东方春也。万物之始生。合者北方冬也。阳气入藏
。七十四难曰。经言春刺井夏刺。荥季夏刺俞。秋刺经冬刺合。与本篇不合。必难经之误也
春生、夏长、秋收、冬藏。这是气运行的常规规律。（这里都是指阳气而言。）人也顺应这一规律，将一日分为四个时段：早晨如同日中（正午）为夏，日落为秋，夜半为冬。（从子时之后，太阳之气从左方上升，上升则为阳；从午时之后，太阳之气从右方下降，下降则为阴。大到一岁，小到一日，没有不是这样的，所以一日也分为四时。）早晨人气开始生发，病气衰退，所以清晨病情缓解（慧）。中午人气旺盛，旺盛则能战胜邪气，所以白天病情安稳。傍晚人气开始衰退，邪气开始滋生，所以病情加重。夜半人气入于脏腑，邪气独居于身，所以病情最重。如果有时出现相反的情况，是因为不顺应四时的气机，而是由五脏单独主导病情。这必定是在脏气所不胜的时辰病情加重。（例如脾病畏木之类，遇到木旺的时辰，所以病情必然加重。）而在脏气所胜的时辰病情好转。（例如脾病喜火土，肺病喜土金，肾病喜金水，肝病喜水木，心病喜木火，遇到这些时辰，所以病情应当好转。）
人有五脏，五脏有五变，五变有五输穴，所以五五共二十五输穴，以对应五时。病在脏者，取井穴。（脏主冬，冬刺井穴。）病变表现在面色者，取荥穴。（色主春，春刺荥穴。）病情时轻时重者，取输穴。（时主夏，夏刺输穴。）病变表现在声音者，取经穴。（音主长夏，长夏取经穴。）若经脉满盛而有瘀血者。（病在胃及因饮食不节而得病者，取合穴。所以称为味主合。）（味主秋，秋刺合穴。○按：本篇关于五时的针刺方法，以对应五输穴，即谓冬刺井、春刺荥、夏刺输、长夏刺经、秋刺合。意思是井应冬、荥应春、输应夏、经应长夏、合应秋。考证其他篇章的文义都与本篇相同。而《六十六难》说：“井者，东方春也，万物之始生；合者，北方冬也，阳气入藏。”《七十四难》说：“经言春刺井，夏刺荥，季夏刺输，秋刺经，冬刺合。”这与本篇不合，一定是《难经》的错误。）
Spring generates, summer grows, autumn harvests, winter stores. This is the normal course of Qi. (This refers to Yang Qi.) Humans also respond to this by dividing a day into four periods: morning corresponds to midday as Summer, sunset corresponds to Autumn, and midnight corresponds to Winter. (After Zi hour, Taiyang Qi rises from the left; rising constitutes Yang. After Wu hour, Taiyang Qi descends from the right; descending constitutes Yin. From the grand scale of a year to the small scale of a day, all follow this pattern; thus, a day is also divided into four periods.) In the morning, Human Qi begins to generate, while Pathogenic Qi declines, so the patient feels clearer in the early hours (Hui). At midday, Human Qi grows strong; being strong allows it to overcome Pathogenic Qi, so the patient remains stable during the day. In the evening, Human Qi begins to decline, and Pathogenic Qi starts to grow, so the condition worsens. At midnight, Human Qi enters the Zang organs, leaving Pathogenic Qi alone in the body, so the condition becomes severe. If there are times when the opposite occurs, it is because the condition does not conform to the Qi of the four seasons, but is instead dominated solely by the Zang organs. The condition will necessarily become severe at times when the Zang Qi is overpowered (e.g., Spleen disease fears Wood; encountering such times causes the disease to worsen). It will improve at times when the Zang Qi is dominant (e.g., Spleen disease favors Fire and Earth; Lung disease favors Earth and Metal; Kidney disease favors Metal and Water; Liver disease favors Water and Wood; Heart disease favors Wood and Fire. Encountering these times means the disease should improve).
Humans have five Zang organs. Each Zang organ has five transformations. Each transformation has five Shu points. Thus, there are twenty-five Shu points (5x5), corresponding to the five seasons. For diseases located in the Zang organs, select the Jing-Well points. (Zang governs Winter; in Winter, puncture Jing-Well points.) For diseases manifesting in facial color, select the Ying-Spring points. (Color governs Spring; in Spring, puncture Ying-Spring points.) For diseases that fluctuate in severity, select the Shu-Stream points. (Time/Season governs Summer; in Summer, puncture Shu-Stream points.) For diseases manifesting in voice/sound, select the Jing-River points. (Sound governs Late Summer; in Late Summer, puncture Jing-River points.) For fullness and blood stasis in the meridians... (For diseases in the Stomach or caused by irregular diet, select the He-Sea points. Hence, taste/flavor governs He-Sea points.) (Flavor governs Autumn; in Autumn, puncture He-Sea points. ○ Note: The needling methods for the five seasons in this chapter correspond to the five Shu points, stating that Winter needles Jing-Well, Spring needles Ying-Spring, Summer needles Shu-Stream, Late Summer needles Jing-River, and Autumn needles He-Sea. This implies Jing-Well corresponds to Winter, Ying-Spring to Spring, Shu-Stream to Summer, Jing-River to Late Summer, and He-Sea to Autumn. Examining the context of other chapters reveals consistency with this text. However, *Nan Jing* Chapter 66 states: "Jing-Well is East/Spring, the beginning of all things; He-Sea is North/Winter, where Yang Qi enters storage." *Nan Jing* Chapter 74 states: "The Classics say spring needles Jing-Well, summer needles Ying-Spring, late summer needles Shu-Stream, autumn needles Jing-River, winter needles He-Sea." This contradicts the current chapter and must be an error in *Nan Jing*.)