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Huangdi Neijing · The Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon
Suwen 61 · Water and Heat Sites
Read in English. Switch to Original for word notes, or select text to ask a question.
The Yellow Emperor asked: “Why does Shaoyin govern Kidney, and why does Kidney govern Water?”
Qi Bo replied: “Kidney is utmost yin; utmost yin is abundant Water. Lung is Taiyin, and Shaoyin is the winter vessel. Thus its root is in Kidney and its branch in Lung: both concern accumulated Water.”
The Emperor asked: “How can Kidney gather Water and produce illness?”
Qi Bo said: “Kidney is Stomach’s gate. When the gate does not function freely, Water gathers and follows its own kind. It overflows above and below into the skin and produces swelling. This swelling is illness arising from gathered Water.”
The Emperor asked: “Does all Water illness arise in Kidney?”
Qi Bo said: “Kidney is the female zang organ. Earth qi rising belongs to Kidney and produces watery fluids, hence utmost yin. Courageous exertion and excessive toil bring Kidney sweat. If sweat meets Wind, it can neither enter the zang and fu organs within nor escape through skin outside. It lodges in the dark receptacles and travels beneath skin, transmitting into swelling. Its root is Kidney and its name Wind Water. The dark receptacles are the sweat openings.”
The Emperor asked: “What do the fifty-seven Water transport places govern?”
Qi Bo said: “Kidney’s fifty-seven transport sites are where accumulated yin gathers and Water enters and leaves. Five rows of five above the buttocks are Kidney transport sites. Thus Water illness brings swelling and a large abdomen below, panting and labored breathing above. Inability to lie down means root and branch are both ill. Lung produces panting; Kidney Water swelling. Lung counterflow prevents lying down. Their separate regions convey influence to one another and both receive it: these are places where Water qi remains.
Above each Futu thigh region are two rows of five: Kidney’s streets, where the three yin join in the legs. Above each ankle is one row of six: the descending course of Kidney’s vessel, named Great Chong. All fifty-seven sites are the zang organ’s yin networks where Water lodges.
Reading note: Great Chong retains 大衝 as the passage’s channel designation, not a substituted modern point.
The Emperor asked: “Why select network vessels and flesh divisions in spring?”
Qi Bo said: “In spring Wood begins governing and Liver qi begins arising. Liver qi is urgent and its Wind swift, while the channels remain deep and their qi scant. One cannot enter deeply, so treats network vessels and the intervals between flesh divisions.”
The Emperor asked: “Why select abundant channels and divided interstices in summer?”
Qi Bo said: “In summer Fire begins governing and Heart qi begins growing. Vessels are thin and qi weak, while yang qi remains and overflows. Heat steams the divided interstices and reaches the channels within. Thus abundant channels and divided interstices are selected. Illness leaving on piercing the skin means harmful influence is shallow. The abundant channels are the yang vessels.”
The Emperor asked: “Why select channel transport points in autumn?”
Qi Bo said: “In autumn Metal begins governing; Lung is about to gather and bring decline. Metal is about to overcome Fire. Yang qi is at the he-sea points and yin qi begins to prevail. Damp qi reaches the body, but yin is not yet abundant and cannot enter deeply. Thus select shu-transport points to drain harmful yin and he-sea points to empty harmful yang. Yang qi begins declining, hence selection at the he-sea points.”
The Emperor asked: “Why select jing-well and ying-spring points in winter?”
Qi Bo said: “In winter Water begins governing and Kidney is closing. Yang qi declines and becomes scant; yin qi is firm and abundant. Greater Yang hides and sinks; yang vessels withdraw. Thus select well points to bring yin counterflow down, and spring points to make yang qi replete. Hence the saying: ‘Select well and spring points in winter, and spring brings neither nasal obstruction and discharge nor nosebleed.’ This is its meaning.”
The Emperor said: “You speak of fifty-nine transport sites for heat illness. I have considered the meaning but cannot distinguish their locations. I wish to hear both the places and their meaning.”
Qi Bo said: “Five rows of five on the head release the contrary heat of the yang influences. Dazhu, breast transport, Quepen and back transport: these eight drain heat within the chest. Qi Street, Sanli, upper and lower Juxu/Xialian: these eight drain heat in Stomach.
Yunmen, the shoulder prominence, Weizhong and the marrow hollow: these eight drain heat in the four limbs. Five sites beside the five zang transport regions on each side, ten in all, drain heat in the five zang organs. These fifty-nine sites are the left and right attendants of heat.
Reading note: The supplied 襖骨 retains the contextual shoulder-prominence reading. The declared group counts and total are kept as written.”
The Emperor asked: “Why does injury by cold transmit and become heat?”
Qi Bo said: “When cold is abundant, it generates heat.”
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