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Huangdi Neijing · The Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon
Suwen 57 · Channels and Networks
Read in English. Switch to Original for word notes, or select text to ask a question.
The Yellow Emperor asked: “When network vessels become visible, their five colors differ: blue-green, yellow, red, white and black. Why?”
Qi Bo replied: “Channels have constant colors, while networks have no fixed pattern of change.”
The Emperor asked: “What are the channels’ constant colors?”
Qi Bo said: “Heart is red; Lung white; Liver blue-green; Spleen yellow; Kidney black. These also correspond to the colors of their channel vessels.”
The Emperor asked: “Do yin and yang networks also correspond to their channels?”
Qi Bo said: “Yin networks’ colors correspond to their channels. Yang networks’ colors change without a fixed pattern, following the four seasons. Abundant cold congeals and roughens them, producing blue-green and black. Abundant heat makes them fluid and lustrous, producing yellow and red. These are normal colors and mean no illness. All five colors together mean cold and heat.”
The Emperor said: “Good.”
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