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Huangdi Neijing · The Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon
Suwen 65 · Root, Branch and Illness Transmission
Read in English. Switch to Original for word notes, or select text to ask a question.
The Yellow Emperor asked: “Illness has root and branch; needling has contrary and following courses. How do these work?”
Qi Bo replied: “Every needling method must distinguish yin and yang, make before and after correspond, and apply contrary and following approaches appropriately as root and branch shift.
Some conditions in the branch are sought at the branch; some in the root at the root; some in the root at the branch; some in the branch at the root. Thus treatment may succeed by selecting branch, selecting root, taking a contrary approach or taking a following approach. Know contrary and following, and proceed correctly without doubt. Knowing root and branch means ten thousand undertakings, ten thousand appropriate results. Not knowing them is reckless action.”
The Way of yin, yang, contrary and following, root and branch, goes from small to great: one statement reveals harm in a hundred illnesses. It goes from few to many and shallow to broad; one reveals a hundred. Through shallow matters know deep ones, and through what is near examine what is far. Speaking of root and branch is easy, yet their reach is not easily attained.
Treatment that reverses the proper relation is contrary; treatment that obtains it is following.
When illness comes first and counterflow afterward, treat the root. When counterflow comes first and illness afterward, treat the root.
When cold comes first and illness afterward, treat the root. When illness comes first and cold afterward, treat the root.
When heat comes first and illness afterward, treat the root. When heat comes first and central fullness afterward, treat the branch.
When illness comes first and diarrhea afterward, treat the root. When diarrhea comes first and another illness afterward, treat the root. First regulate it, then treat the other illness.
When illness comes first and central fullness afterward, treat the branch. When central fullness comes first and vexation at Heart afterward, treat the root.
People have guest qi and qi of the same kind.
When stool and urine do not pass freely, treat the branch. When they pass freely, treat the root.
When illness begins with excess, proceed from root to branch: treat root first, branch afterward. When illness begins with insufficiency, proceed from branch to root: treat branch first, root afterward.
Carefully observe easing and severity and regulate with judgment. In mild conditions, proceed together; in severe conditions, proceed singly. If difficult stool and urine come first and illness follows, treat the root.
In illness transmitted from Heart, Heart pain comes first; in one day cough; in three days flank and lateral pain; in five days closure and obstruction, bodily pain and heaviness. If not ended in three days, death follows: at midnight in winter, midday in summer.
Lung illness brings panting and cough; in three days painful fullness in the flanks; in one day heaviness and bodily pain; in five days distention. If not ended in ten days, death follows: at sunset in winter, sunrise in summer.
Liver illness brings dizziness of head and eyes and flank fullness; in three days heaviness and bodily pain; in five days distention; in three days pain in waist, spine and lower abdomen with aching shins. If not ended in three days, death follows: at sunset in winter, the early meal in summer.
Spleen illness brings bodily pain and heaviness; in one day distention; in two days pain in lower abdomen, waist and spine with aching shins; in three days pain in the back’s spinal sinews and blocked urination. If not ended in ten days, death follows: when people settle for the night in winter, the late meal in summer.
Kidney illness brings pain in lower abdomen, waist and spine with aching shins; in three days pain in the back’s spinal sinews and blocked urination; in three days abdominal distention; in three days pain in both flanks. If not ended in three days, death follows: full dawn in winter, late afternoon in summer.
Stomach illness brings distention and fullness; in five days pain in lower abdomen, waist and spine with aching shins; in three days pain in the back’s spinal sinews and blocked urination; in five days bodily heaviness. If not ended in six days, death follows: after midnight in winter, after midday in summer.
Bladder illness brings blocked urination; in five days lower-abdominal distention, waist and spine pain and aching shins; in one day abdominal distention; in one day bodily pain. If not ended in two days, death follows: at cockcrow in winter, late afternoon in summer.
Illnesses transmitting successively in this way all have an appointed period of death and must not be needled. If transmission skips one zang organ and stops, or reaches only three or four zang organs, needling is possible.
Reading note: The preceding transmission sequences preserve every supplied day count and seasonal watch without converting them to clock hours or combining successive intervals. The component graphs 月呂 and 骨行 are read as the spinal-muscle and shin regions.
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