凡刺之法。必候日月星辰。四时八正之气。气定乃刺之。(气针者必察日之□□温。月之
空满二十□□。□□□□水漏刻及四时正气八节之风义如下。□气定□□所宜也)是故。天温日
明。(阳盛阴衰。)则人血淖液。而卫气污。故血易泻气易行。(血□液则易写。气□□易行)
天寒日阴(阳衰阴胜)则人血凝泣。(□□)而虚气沉(虚则难写。沉则难行)月始生。则血气始
精。卫气始行。(止□□□)月郭满。则血气实。肌肉坚。月郭空。则肌肉减。经□虚卫气去
形独居。是以因天时而调血气也。是以天寒无刺。(营卫疑涩也。)天温无凝。(血气。易行
也。)月生无泻(恐伐其生气)月满无补。(恐助其邪气)月郭空无治。(此以阴气虚邪不能去也
。)故曰月生而泻。是为藏虚。(虚其虚也。)月满而补。血气扬溢。络有留血。命曰重实。(
实其实也)月郭空而治。是为乱经。阴阳相错。真邪不别。沉以留止。(邪气沉留)外虚内乱
。淫邪乃起。星辰者。所以制日月之行也。八正者。所以候八风之虚邪。以时至者也(四正
四隅。谓之八正。即八宫也。八方之气以时而正。谓之八风。从所居之乡来者为实风。从所
术之方来者。为虚风。实风主生长。虚风主杀害。察八正之位。则邪之伤人。虚实可知矣。
)四时者。所以分春秋冬夏之气所在。以时调之也。八正之虚邪。避之勿犯。(人身之气。分
四时而调之。天地之气。候虚风而避之)以身之虚。而逢天之虚。两虚相感其气至骨入则伤
五脏。(人之虚。血气虚也。天之虚如岁露论所云乘年之衰。逢月之空。失时之和。因为贼
风所伤。是谓三虚是也以虚感虚故邪气。深入至骨而伤五脏。)工候救之。弗能伤也。故曰
天忌不可不知也。(工能知而勿犯犯而能救。故可弗伤。凡太乙所居之乡。气有邪正虚实。
出乎天道。所当避忌。故曰天忌。详见九针论。有图在卷三。)
写必用方。(正也。)方者以气方盛也。以月方满也。以日方温也以身方定也。以息方吸
而内
针。(气之来也)乃复候其方吸而转针。(此即先补真气也。)乃复候其方呼而徐引针。(引犹
出也。)故曰泻必用方。其气易行焉。补必用员。(员。活也)员者。行也。行者。移也。(行
者。行其气。移者。导其滞。凡正气不足。则营卫不行血气留滞故用员。以行之补之。)刺
必中其营。(深人血脉。)复以吸排之也。(排。除去也。即下编候吸引针之谓。)故员与方非
针也。(非针之形。言针之用也○按官能篇曰泻必用员补必用方详求其意灵枢言员者流利也
用针员活而迎夺之。故可以泻。方即端正安静之谓。微留疾出。防护真气。故可以补。与本
篇似乎相反。然方员义各有发明。不可执一也。)故养神者。必知形之肥瘦。荣卫血气之盛
衰。血气者人之神。不可不谨养。(形者。神之体神者。形之用故欲养神者。不可不谨养其
形。)
凡针刺的方法，必须观察日月星辰的运行规律以及四季和八个节气的气候变化，待气候稳定之后再进行针刺。（所谓察气，是指必须考察日子的冷暖、月亮的盈亏、漏刻的水滴计时以及四季正气和八节风气的含义如下。气定则知道所适宜的操作。）因此，天气温暖且阳光明媚时（阳气盛而阴气衰），人的血液滑润流动，卫气运行通畅，所以血液容易泻出，气也容易运行。（血液滑润则容易泻，气机通畅则容易行）天气寒冷且阴暗时（阳气衰而阴气胜），人的血液凝滞不畅，虚邪之气下沉（虚证难以泻，沉滞则难以行）。月亮初生时，人的血气开始精纯，卫气开始运行。月亮圆满时，血气充实，肌肉坚实。月亮亏空时，肌肉消瘦，经脉空虚，卫气离去，形体独自存在。所以要顺应天时来调节血气。因此，天气寒冷时不要针刺（因为营卫涩滞）。天气温暖时不要担心血气凝滞（因为血气容易运行）。月亮初生时不要用泻法（恐怕损伤其生气）。月亮圆满时不要用补法（恐怕助长邪气）。月亮亏空时不要治疗（这是因为阴气虚弱，邪气无法去除）。所以说，在月亮初生时用泻法，会导致脏腑虚弱（使本已虚的更虚）。在月亮圆满时用补法，会使血气洋溢，络脉中有留血，这叫做重实（使本已实的更实）。在月亮亏空时进行治疗，会扰乱经脉，导致阴阳错乱，真气与邪气不分，邪气深沉停留。（邪气沉留）造成外虚内乱，淫邪之气由此产生。星辰是用来制约日月运行的。八正（指立春、立夏、立秋、立冬及春分、秋分、夏至、冬至八个节气，对应八方方位）是用来观察八方虚邪之风的，这些风气随着时令到来。（四正位和四隅位称为八正，即八卦宫位。八方之气按时令端正而来，称为八风。从居住之乡来的风叫实风，从所居之乡对面方向来的风叫虚风。实风主生长，虚风主杀害。观察八正之位，就能知道邪气伤人的虚实情况。）四季是用来区分春夏秋冬不同季节之气所在的，要根据时令来调治。对于八正的虚邪之风，要避开不要触犯。（人身之气分属于四季进行调治，天地之气候虚风而避开它）以人体的虚弱，去逢遇天时的虚弱，两虚相感，邪气深入至骨，进入体内就会伤害五脏。（人的虚，指血气虚弱。天的虚如《岁露论》所说，乘年之衰，逢月之空，失时之和，因而被贼风所伤，这叫三虚。以虚感虚，所以邪气深入至骨而伤害五脏。）医生如果能把握时机救治，就不会造成伤害。所以说，天忌（因天时禁忌而不可针刺的情况）是不可不知道的。（医生能知道并避免触犯，触犯了能救治，所以可以不受伤害。凡是太乙神君所居之乡，气有邪正虚实，出于天道，应当避忌，所以叫天忌。详见《九针论》，有图在卷三。）
泻法必须用“方”的原则。（方，指正也。）所谓方，是指人气方盛、月亮方满、日子方温、身体方定、呼吸方吸的时候进针。（这是气到来的时候）然后再等候病人方吸气时转针。（这就是先补益真气的意思）然后再等候病人方呼气时慢慢拔针。（引，就是出的意思）所以说，泻法必须用方的原则，这样气就容易运行。补法必须用“员”的原则。（员，通圆，意为活也）所谓员，就是行，行的意思是移。（行者，是行其气；移者，是导其滞。凡是正气不足，则营卫不行，血气留滞，所以用员法，来行气和补气。）针刺必须中其营分。（深入血脉）再配合吸气时排针。（排，除去也，即下编候吸引针的意思）所以说，员和方不是指针的形状。（不是针的形状，而是指针的运用。按《官能篇》说：泻必用员，补必用方。详细探究其意，《灵枢》说员者流利也，用针圆活而迎夺之，所以可以泻。方即端正安静之意，微留疾出，防护真气，所以可以补。这与本篇似乎相反，然而方圆之义各有发明，不可固执一端。）所以调养精神的人，必须知道形体的肥瘦，营卫血气的盛衰。血气是人的精神所在，不可不谨慎调养。（形是神的躯体，神是形的功用，所以想要养神的人，不可不谨慎养形。）
The method of acupuncture must observe the movements of the sun, moon, and stars, as well as the qi of the four seasons and the eight solar terms. Only when the qi is stable should needling be performed. (Observing qi requires examining the warmth or coldness of the day, the waxing or waning of the moon, the water clock measurements, and the principles of the regular qi of the four seasons and the wind of the eight solar terms as follows. When qi is stable, one knows what is appropriate.) Therefore, when the weather is warm and sunny (yang is abundant and yin is deficient), human blood becomes fluid and lubricated, and defensive qi (Wei Qi) flows smoothly; thus, blood is easily drained and qi moves readily. When the weather is cold and cloudy (yang is deficient and yin is excessive), human blood becomes stagnant and sluggish, and deficient qi sinks (deficiency makes draining difficult, sinking makes movement difficult). When the moon begins to wax, human blood and vital qi begin to become refined, and defensive qi starts to circulate. When the moon is full, blood and vital qi are substantial, and muscles are firm. When the moon is empty (waning), muscles diminish, meridians become empty, defensive qi departs, and the form remains alone. Hence, one must regulate blood and qi according to heavenly timing. Therefore, do not needle when the weather is cold (because Ying and Wei qi are likely obstructed). Do not worry about coagulation when the weather is warm (because blood and qi move easily). Do not use reducing methods when the moon is waxing (for fear of damaging its generating qi). Do not use tonifying methods when the moon is full (for fear of assisting pathogenic qi). Do not treat when the moon is empty (because yin qi is deficient and pathogenic qi cannot be expelled). Thus it is said: Reducing at the time of the waxing moon causes organ deficiency (making the deficient more deficient). Tonifying at the time of the full moon causes blood and qi to overflow, with residual blood in the collaterals, termed double excess (making the excessive more excessive). Treating at the time of the empty moon disrupts the meridians, causing yin and yang to become confused, true qi and pathogenic qi indistinguishable, and pathogens sinking and stagnating. This leads to external deficiency and internal chaos, allowing pernicious pathogens to arise. The stars serve to regulate the movements of the sun and moon. The Eight Rectitudes (Eight Solar Terms corresponding to eight directions) serve to monitor the vacuous evil winds from the eight directions, arriving with their respective seasons. (The four cardinal directions and four intercardinal directions are called the Eight Rectitudes, corresponding to the eight palaces. The qi of the eight directions arrives correctly with the season, called the Eight Winds. Wind coming from the direction of residence is Real Wind, which governs growth; wind coming from the opposite direction is Vacuous Wind, which governs destruction. Observing the positions of the Eight Rectitudes reveals the nature of pathogenic injury.) The four seasons serve to distinguish the locations of spring, summer, autumn, and winter qi, allowing for regulation according to time. One must avoid the vacuous evil winds of the Eight Rectitudes and not offend them. (Human qi is regulated according to the four seasons; heaven and earth qi are avoided when they manifest as vacuous winds.) If a person's deficiency meets heavenly deficiency, the two deficiencies interact, and the qi penetrates to the bone, injuring the five zang organs internally. (Human deficiency refers to the deficiency of blood and qi. Heavenly deficiency, as described in the *Sui Lu Lun*, occurs when one encounters the decline of the year, the emptiness of the moon, and the disharmony of the season, thereby being injured by thief wind; this is called Triple Deficiency. Because deficiency interacts with deficiency, pathogenic qi enters deeply to the bone and injures the five zang organs.) A skilled practitioner who anticipates and treats can prevent injury. Thus, it is said that the Heavens' Taboos must not be unknown. (If a practitioner knows and avoids these taboos, or can rescue if violated, injury can be prevented. Wherever Taiyi resides, qi has aspects of pathogenic/regular and excess/deficiency, arising from heavenly dao, which must be avoided; hence the term Heavens' Taboos. See detailed explanations in *Jiu Zhen Lun*, with diagrams in Volume 3.)
Reducing methods must employ the principle of "Fang" (Square/Upright). Fang implies uprightness. It applies when human qi is flourishing, the moon is full, the day is warm, the body is settled, and the patient is inhaling when the needle is inserted (this is the arrival of qi). Then, wait for the patient to inhale again to rotate the needle (this initially tonifies true qi). Then, wait for the patient to exhale to slowly withdraw the needle (withdrawal is extraction). Thus, reducing must use the principle of Fang, making qi move easily. Tonifying methods must employ the principle of "Yuan" (Round/Active). Yuan means active. Activity means movement. (Movement refers to circulating qi; moving refers to guiding stagnation. When righteous qi is insufficient, Ying and Wei do not circulate, and blood and qi stagnate; thus, Yuan method is used to circulate and tonify.) Needling must penetrate the Ying level (deep into blood vessels). Then, withdraw the needle during inhalation (withdrawal means removal, i.e., withdrawing the needle upon observing inhalation as described later). Thus, Yuan and Fang do not refer to the shape of the needle (they refer to the application of the needle. According to the *Guan Neng Pian*: Reducing uses Yuan, Tonifying uses Fang. Investigating closely, *Ling Shu* states Yuan means fluent; using a round and active needle to meet and drain allows for reducing. Fang means upright and quiet; slight retention and rapid withdrawal protect true qi, allowing for tonification. This seems contrary to the current chapter, but the meanings of Yuan and Fang each have their own elucidation and should not be rigidly applied.) Therefore, those who nourish the spirit must know the fatness or thinness of the form, and the abundance or deficiency of Ying, Wei, blood, and qi. Blood and qi are the spirit of humans and must be carefully nourished. (Form is the vessel of the spirit; spirit is the function of the form. Thus, to nourish the spirit, one must carefully nourish the form.)