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Huangdi Neijing · The Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon
Suwen 54 · Explaining the Needles
Read in English. Switch to Original for word notes, or select text to ask a question.
The Yellow Emperor asked: “I wish to hear the explanation of the nine needles and the Way of deficiency and repletion.”
Qi Bo replied: “‘Needle deficiency and make it replete’ means warmth beneath the needle; qi becoming replete produces warmth. ‘Discharge fullness’ means cold beneath the needle; qi becoming deficient produces cold. ‘Remove longstanding stagnation’ means release bad blood. ‘Empty out prevailing harmful influence’ means withdraw the needle without pressing.
‘Slow then quick makes repletion’ means withdraw slowly and press quickly. ‘Quick then slow makes deficiency’ means withdraw quickly and press slowly. Speaking of repletion and deficiency means cold or warmth and the amount of qi. ‘As though absent, as though present’ means the rapid change cannot be recognized. ‘Examine after and before’ means know the illness’s sequence. ‘Make deficiency or repletion’ means the practitioner must not lose the method. ‘As though gaining, as though losing’ means departing from the method.
The nine needles are most subtle in the essentials of deficiency and repletion because each has its proper use. The timing of supplementation and draining accords with qi’s opening and closing. The nine needles have different names and forms because each fully addresses its appropriate supplementation or draining.”
“Needle repletion and await deficiency” means retain the needle until yin qi arrives abundantly, then remove it. “Needle deficiency and await repletion” means yang qi arrives abundantly and warmth appears beneath the needle, then remove it. “Channel qi has arrived: guard it carefully and do not lose it” means do not alter the procedure.
“Depth and shallowness are in the intent” means know whether illness is inside or outside. “Near and far are as one” means the signs at deep and shallow levels are treated equally. “As though above a deep abyss” means not daring to fall. “Hand as though holding a tiger” means firm strength. “Spirit attends to none of the many things” means stilling intent and observing the patient without looking left or right.
“Let intent have no crooked descent” means upright correctness. “One must rectify spirit” means looking into the patient’s eyes and governing spirit so qi moves easily.
Sanli means three cun below the knee. What is called the instep region is easily distinguished when the knee is raised. Juxu means the solitary shin hollow when the foot is lifted. Xialian means the hollow below.
Reading note: The supplied 跗之 and 鴬 are retained through the instep and shin context; the named sites are not assigned modern point numbers.
The Emperor said: “I have heard that the nine needles correspond above to Heaven, Earth, four seasons, yin and yang. I wish to hear their arrangement so it may be transmitted to later generations as a constant standard.”
Qi Bo said: “One is Heaven; two Earth; three the human being; four the seasons; five the tones; six the pitch standards; seven the stars; eight the winds; nine the regions. Bodily form also responds to these. Each needle has its appropriate use, hence nine needles.
Human skin responds to Heaven, flesh to Earth, vessels to the human being, sinews to the seasons, voice to tones, and the combined qi of yin and yang to pitch standards. Teeth, face and eyes respond to stars; entering and leaving breath to winds; the nine openings and three hundred sixty-five networks to the regions.
Thus the first needle treats skin; second flesh; third vessels; fourth sinews; fifth bone; sixth regulates yin and yang; seventh benefits essence; eighth removes Wind; ninth frees the nine openings and removes obstructing qi in three hundred sixty-five joints. This means each has its own governance.”
Human Heart and intention respond to the eight winds; human qi to Heaven. Hair, teeth, ears, eyes and the five voices respond to the five tones and six pitch standards. Human yin, yang, vessels, blood and qi respond to Earth. Liver and eyes respond to Nine; nine openings and three hundred sixty-five.
Human One observes movement and stillness; Heaven Two observes the five colors. The seven stars correspond, to observe hair lacking luster. The five tones, One, observe gong, shang, jue, zhi and yu. The six pitch standards’ excess and insufficiency correspond to Earth Two. One observes height and depth and excess. The nine regions correspond to One joint transport site, to observe closed joints.
Three, the human being, changes One division. Human observation concerns teeth, leakage, much blood and little. Ten divisions and the change of jue; five divisions observe relaxation and urgency; six divisions, insufficiency; three divisions, cold joints; the ninth division. The four seasons concern human cold, warmth, dryness and dampness. The four seasons respond as One to observe contrariness; One, the four directions, each makes an explanation.
Reading note: This supplied numerical passage is disordered and contains incomplete relations. Its words, tone names and numerical sequence are retained at clause level without reconstructing a new correspondence table or adding missing anatomy.
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