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Huangdi Neijing · The Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon
Lingshu 64 · Yin and Yang: Twenty-Five Types
Read in English. Switch to Original for word notes, or select text to ask a question.
The Yellow Emperor said: “I have heard of yin and yang types of people. What are they like?”
Bo Gao said: “Between heaven and earth, within the six directions, nothing departs from the five, and people correspond to them. Thus five times five makes the ordering of twenty-five types, excluding the yin and yang types, whose bearing also differs from ordinary people. This I already know. I wish to hear the bodily forms of the twenty-five, the distinctions in the arising of blood and qi, and how to observe the exterior to know the interior.”
The supplied speaker label remains Bo Gao, although the latter part of the speech is a question and the next answer names Qi Bo. No different speaker is silently inserted.
Qi Bo said: “Complete indeed is the question! This is a secret of earlier teachers; even Bo Gao cannot yet make it clear.”
The Yellow Emperor rose from his mat and withdrew respectfully: “I have heard that meeting the right person and not teaching is a repeated loss, while obtaining the teaching and leaking it makes heaven reject one. I wish to receive and understand it, keeping it in a golden coffer without daring to broadcast it.”
Qi Bo said: “First establish the five forms—Metal, Wood, Water, Fire and Earth. Distinguish their five colors and differentiate the people of these five forms; the twenty-five types are then complete.”
The Yellow Emperor said: “I wish to hear it to the end.”
Qi Bo said: “Be careful, be careful. Let me explain. The Wood-form person corresponds to Upper Jue and resembles the Blue-Green Emperor. Such a person has blue-green color, a small head, long face, large shoulders and back, straight body, small hands and well-formed feet. There is talent, mental labor, little strength, much worry and toil in affairs. This form bears spring and summer but not autumn and winter; exposure then brings illness. Its Foot Jueyin bearing is tuo-tuo, relaxed and weighty.
“The Great Jue type corresponds to left Foot Shaoyang, its upper division, with yi-yi, yielding or retiring bearing. The Left Jue type corresponds to right Foot Shaoyang, its lower division, with sui-sui, compliant bearing. The Dai Jue type corresponds to right Foot Shaoyang, its upper division, with tui-tui, forward-pressing bearing. The Divided Jue type corresponds to left Foot Shaoyang, its lower division, with gua-gua, upright, squared bearing.”
Jue is a traditional tone name. The rare metal-written Dai name and all left/right and upper/lower assignments follow this source. The doubled expressions are retained by sound with brief historical senses, not converted into modern personality-test categories.
“The Fire-form person corresponds to Upper Zhi and resembles the Red Emperor. There are red color, broad flesh at the back, a tapering face, small head, well-formed shoulders, back, thighs and abdomen, and small hands and feet. The feet settle firmly when walking, yet the mind is quick and the gait sways. Shoulder and back flesh is full and qi abundant. Wealth is lightly valued, trustworthiness scant, thought plentiful and perception of affairs clear. There is fondness for an attractive appearance and an impatient heart. The text predicts short life and sudden death. This form bears spring and summer but not autumn and winter; exposure in autumn and winter brings illness. Its Hand Shaoyin bearing is he-he, compact and gathered.
“The Solid Zhi type corresponds to left Hand Taiyang, its upper division, with ji-ji bearing, described as superficial or fleshy. The Lesser Zhi type corresponds to right Hand Taiyang, its lower division, with tao-tao bearing. The Right Zhi type corresponds to right Hand Taiyang, its upper division, with jiao-jiao, lively, leaping bearing. The Solid-Divided type corresponds to left Hand Taiyang, its lower division, with zhi-zhi yi-yi, a separated yet self-possessed bearing.”
The broad-back phrase contains a damaged graph. “Solid” translates the type-name component zhi, distinct from the musical tone Zhi. Older glosses differ on ji-ji and tao-tao; the latter includes a joyful reading but is not securely reducible to one English trait. The conduct and lifespan associations remain historical assertions.
“The Earth-form person corresponds to Upper Gong and resembles the ancient Yellow Emperor. There are yellow color, a round face, large head, well-formed shoulders and back, large abdomen, well-formed thighs and shins, small hands and feet and much flesh, with upper and lower parts proportionate. Walking settles firmly on the ground; lifting the feet is light and easy. The heart likes benefiting others, does not delight in power and influence and readily draws close to people. This form bears autumn and winter but not spring and summer; exposure in spring and summer brings illness. Its Foot Taiyin bearing is dun-dun, substantial and weighty.
“The Great Gong type corresponds to left Foot Yangming, its upper division, with wan-wan, pliant bearing. The Added Gong type corresponds to left Foot Yangming, its lower division, with kan-kan, deep, firm bearing. The Lesser Gong type corresponds to right Foot Yangming, its upper division, with shu-shu, pivoting bearing. The Left Gong type corresponds to right Foot Yangming, its lower division, with wu-wu, solitary, unmoving bearing.”
“The Metal-form person corresponds to Upper Shang and resembles the White Emperor. There are a square face, white color, small head, small shoulders and back, small abdomen and small hands and feet, with a seeming bony projection outside the heel. The bones are light, the person clean and restrained, the heart quick, and the bearing quiet yet forceful. This form is suited to official work, bears autumn and winter but not spring and summer, and becomes ill through exposure in spring and summer. Its Hand Taiyin bearing is dun-dun, firm and substantial.
“The Dai Shang type corresponds to left Hand Yangming, its upper division, with lian-lian, edged or angular bearing. The Right Shang type corresponds to left Hand Yangming, its lower division, with tuo-tuo, unburdened bearing. The Left Shang type corresponds to right Hand Yangming, its upper division, with jian-jian, observant bearing. The Lesser Shang type corresponds to right Hand Yangming, its lower division, with yan-yan, grave bearing.”
The rare Dai name and the apparently crossed left/right assignments remain as supplied. The description of a bony projection is not turned into a modern anatomical condition.
“The Water-form person corresponds to Upper Yu and resembles the Black Emperor. There are black color, an uneven face, large head, angular jaw, small shoulders and large abdomen. Hands and feet move; beginning to walk sways the body. The rump is low, the back long and the bearing extended. The text attributes lack of reverence and fear, ready deception and death by punishment to this form. It bears autumn and winter but not spring and summer; exposure in spring and summer brings illness. Its Foot Shaoyin bearing is han-han, moist or clinging.
“The Great Yu type corresponds to right Foot Taiyang, its upper division, with jia-jia, a full-countenanced bearing. The Lesser Yu type corresponds to left Foot Taiyang, its lower division, with yu-yu, winding bearing. The Common type corresponds to right Foot Taiyang, its lower division, with jie-jie, clean bearing. The Constrained type corresponds to left Foot Taiyang, its upper division, with an-an, settled and still bearing. These twenty-five variations of the five forms are the grounds of their mutual overcoming or misleading.”
The Common and Constrained names follow the supplied abbreviated names, not a silently reconstructed musical label. The final “mutual misleading” phrase admits different historical explanations. The moral and fatal associations are the source’s claims, not judgments justified by a person’s color or bodily form.
The Yellow Emperor said: “What if a person has the form but not its color?”
Qi Bo said: “When form overcomes color or color overcomes form, the relevant overcoming time and added year bring illness upon exposure; a lapse then brings anxiety. When form and color agree, the text associates them with wealth, rank and great ease.”
The Yellow Emperor said: “Can the added years when form and color overcome each other be known?”
Qi Bo said: “For people of the upper and lower divisions, the great cautionary ages regularly occur at seven, sixteen, twenty-five, thirty-four, forty-three, fifty-two and sixty-one. These are great cautionary ages for people, when one must keep oneself settled. Exposure brings illness; a lapse brings anxiety. At these times do nothing improper. These are called cautionary years.”
All seven stated ages are retained without converting this historical scheme into an individual risk prediction.
The Yellow Emperor said: “You speak of upper and lower vessel divisions and signs of blood and qi. How do these reveal bodily form and qi?”
Qi Bo said: “Above in Foot Yangming, abundant blood and qi produce a fine, long beard along the cheeks. Scant blood with much qi produces a short beard; scant qi with much blood produces a sparse beard. Scant blood and qi produce no beard and many lines at the mouth corners.
“Below in Foot Yangming, abundant blood and qi produce fine, long lower-body hair reaching the chest. Much blood with scant qi produces fine but shorter hair reaching the navel, a high lifting of the feet when walking, little flesh on the toes and feet prone to cold. Scant blood with much qi produces fleshiness and susceptibility to cold swellings. Scant blood and qi produce no hair, or sparse, withered hair, with susceptibility to wilting, reversal and foot obstruction.”
The beard and lower-body hair sequences, including their supplied scant-blood/scant-qi assignments, are not reversed to match variant readings.
“Above in Foot Shaoyang, abundant qi and blood produce a fine, long continuous beard. Much blood with scant qi produces a fine, short continuous beard. Scant blood with much qi produces little beard. Scant blood and qi produce none; exposure to cold and damp brings susceptibility to obstruction, bone pain and withered nails.
“Below in Foot Shaoyang, abundant blood and qi produce fine, long shin hair and fleshy outer ankles. Much blood with scant qi produces fine, short shin hair and firm, thick skin at the outer ankles. Scant blood with much qi produces sparse hair and thin, soft outer-ankle skin. Scant blood and qi produce no hair and lean outer ankles without flesh.”
The sparse-hair clause contains an anomalous bird-related graph in this source; its immediate hair-and-ankle context is retained without adding a different body site.
“Above in Foot Taiyang, abundant blood and qi produce fine brows with long hairs. Much blood with scant qi produces poor brows and many fine lines on the face. Scant blood with much qi produces much facial flesh. Harmonious blood and qi produce a fine complexion.
“Below in Foot Taiyang, abundant blood and qi fill the heel flesh and make the heel firm. Scant qi with much blood leaves the heel empty. Scant blood and qi cause frequent sinew turning and pain below the heel.”
The facial-line phrase has an uncertain small/few graph in the source; its texture sense is preserved. No missing fourth condition is inserted into the lower sequence.
“Above in Hand Yangming, abundant blood and qi produce a fine moustache; scant blood with much qi, a poor one; scant blood and qi, none. Below in Hand Yangming, abundant blood and qi produce fine armpit hair and fleshy, warm fish regions of the hands. Scant blood and qi produce thin, cold hands.”
“Above in Hand Shaoyang, abundant blood and qi produce fine, long brows and good ear color. Scant blood and qi leave the ears scorched and poorly colored. Below in Hand Shaoyang, abundant blood and qi make the gathered or clenched hand fleshy and warm. Scant blood and qi make it cold and thin. Scant qi with much blood makes it thin with many visible vessels.”
“Above in Hand Taiyang, abundant blood and qi produce much hair around the mouth and a fleshy, level face. Scant blood and qi produce a thin face with poor color. Below in Hand Taiyang, abundant blood and qi fill the palm with flesh; scant blood and qi make it thin and cold.”
The Yellow Emperor said: “Are there concise principles for needling the twenty-five types?”
Qi Bo said: “Fine brows indicate much blood and qi in Foot Taiyang; poor brows indicate little. Stoutness with luster indicates excess blood and qi. Stoutness without luster indicates excess qi and insufficient blood. Thinness without luster indicates insufficiency of both. Carefully examine excess and insufficiency of form and qi and regulate them; contrary and favorable conditions can then be known.”
The Yellow Emperor said: “How are their yin and yang channels needled?”
Qi Bo said: “Palpate Cunkou and Renying to regulate yin and yang. Follow the channels and networks for congealing, roughness, knots and blocked passage. These all produce painful obstruction in the body; when severe, movement stops, hence the congealing and roughness. Bring qi to warm such places and stop when blood harmonizes.
“In knotted networks the vessel knots and blood does not move; opening them restores movement. Thus excess qi above is guided downward. Insufficient qi above is pushed and rested. Where qi lingers and does not arrive, meet it accordingly. One must understand the channel pathways clearly to manage them. When cold and heat contend, guide them into movement. For old, retained blood that has not knotted, follow its condition and address it. First clearly know the twenty-five types, then the locations of blood and qi left and right, above and below: the concise needling principles are complete.”
The supplied “push and rest” wording and the final old-blood phrase are retained without inventing a missing procedural object or changing “not knotted” to its opposite.
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