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Huangdi Neijing · The Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon
Suwen 30 · Explaining the Yangming Vessel
Read in English. Switch to Original for word notes, or select text to ask a question.
The Yellow Emperor asked: “In illness of the Foot Yangming vessel, a person dislikes people and fire and is startled by the sound of wood. Bells and drums do not move the person, yet a wooden sound causes alarm. Why? I wish to hear the reason.”
Qi Bo replied: “Yangming is Stomach’s vessel. Stomach is Earth. Being startled by the sound of wood occurs because Earth dislikes Wood.”
The Emperor said: “Good. Why the dislike of fire?”
Qi Bo said: “Yangming governs flesh. Its vessel has abundant blood and qi. When harmful influence lodges there it produces heat; extreme heat produces aversion to fire.”
The Emperor asked: “Why the dislike of people?”
Qi Bo said: “Yangming counterflow brings panting and distress. Distress brings aversion to people.”
The Emperor asked: “Why do some who pant die while others survive?”
Qi Bo said: “If counterflow connects with the zang organs there is death; if it connects with the channels there is survival.”
The Emperor said: “Good. In severe illness a person throws off clothing and runs, climbs high places singing, or eats nothing for several days yet leaps walls and mounts roofs. Such feats were never ordinarily possible. Why does illness instead make them possible?”
Qi Bo said: “The four limbs are the roots of the yang influences. When yang flourishes, the limbs are replete. Through that repletion the person can climb high.”
The Emperor asked: “Why does the person throw off clothing and run?”
Qi Bo said: “Heat flourishes throughout the body; therefore the person casts off clothing and wants to run.”
The Emperor asked: “Why does the person speak wildly, curse without regard for closeness or distance, and sing?”
Qi Bo said: “Flourishing yang makes the person speak wildly and curse without regard for close relations or strangers, and have no wish to eat. Having no wish to eat, the person runs about wildly.”
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