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Huangdi Neijing · The Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon
Lingshu 61 · Five Prohibitions
Read in English. Switch to Original for word notes, or select text to ask a question.
The Yellow Emperor asked Qi Bo: “I have heard that needling has five prohibitions. What are they?”
Qi Bo said: “They prohibit needling what cannot be needled.”
The Yellow Emperor said: “I have heard that needling has five depletions.”
Qi Bo said: “Do not drain what must not be further taken away.”
The Yellow Emperor said: “I have heard that needling has five errors of excess.”
Qi Bo said: “Supplementation and draining must not exceed their measure.”
The Yellow Emperor said: “I have heard that needling has five contrary conditions.”
Qi Bo said: “Illness and pulse contradicting each other are named the five contrary conditions.”
The Yellow Emperor said: “I have heard that needling has nine appropriate uses.”
Qi Bo said: “Clearly knowing the discussion of the nine needles is called the nine appropriate uses.”
The Yellow Emperor said: “What are the five prohibitions? I wish to hear the times when needling is forbidden.”
Qi Bo said: “On Jia and Yi days, when their own qi predominates, do not needle the head or perform the method of dispelling obscuration within the ear. On Bing and Ding days, when their own qi predominates, do not perform the shaking-off-dust method at shoulder, throat or Lianquan. On Wu and Ji days, when their own qi predominates in the four seasonal divisions, do not needle the abdomen, remove claws or drain water. On Geng and Xin days, when their own qi predominates, do not needle the joints at thigh and knee. On Ren and Gui days, when their own qi predominates, do not needle feet and shins. These are the five prohibitions.”
The stem days, self-predominance wording and named methods follow the historical text. “Removing claws” is compressed and uncertain here; no additional technique or modern calendar schedule is supplied.
The Yellow Emperor said: “What are the five depletions?”
Qi Bo said: “Already depleted bodily flesh is the first. After great loss of blood is the second. After great sweating is the third. After great diarrhea is the fourth. Recent childbirth or a great bleeding episode is the fifth. None of these must be drained.”
The Yellow Emperor said: “What are the five contrary patterns?”
Qi Bo said: “Heat illness with a quiet pulse, sweat already emerged and a pulse abundant and agitated is the first contrary pattern. Diarrhea with a surging, large pulse is the second. Fixed obstruction that does not move, wasting or breaking of the fleshy masses, bodily heat and partial loss of the pulse is the third. Excessive discharge with wasting form, bodily heat, a withered white complexion and passage of congealed blood below, the blood condition severe and heavy, is the fourth. Cold and heat with wasting form and a firm, pounding pulse is the fifth.”
The first pattern juxtaposes a quiet pulse with an abundant, agitated pulse after sweat; its compressed sequence is retained without inserting a missing interval. The opening discussion names five errors of excess but gives them no separate detailed list in this chapter.
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