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Huangdi Neijing · The Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon
Suwen 68 · The Subtle Meanings of the Six Qi
Read in English. Switch to Original for word notes, or select text to ask a question.
The Yellow Emperor asked: “Ah, how distant Heaven’s Way is! It is like meeting floating clouds or looking into a deep abyss. An abyss can still be measured, but the clouds’ limit is unknown. You repeatedly say to reverently follow Heaven’s Way. I have heard and preserved it, yet privately find it strange and do not understand. Please unfold your intent and explain fully, so it lasts without fading or interruption. May I hear Heaven’s Way?”
Qi Bo bowed twice and touched his head to the ground: “How clear this question about Heaven’s Way! It concerns Heaven’s sequence and the times of flourishing and decline.”
The Emperor asked: “I wish to hear how flourishing and decline operate in Heaven’s six-by-six divisions.”
Qi Bo said: “Above and below have positions; left and right an order. To Shaoyang’s right, Yangming governs; to Yangming’s right, Taiyang; to Taiyang’s right, Jueyin; to Jueyin’s right, Shaoyin; to Shaoyin’s right, Taiyin; to Taiyin’s right, Shaoyang.
These are qi’s markers, observed while facing south. Thus the saying: ‘Follow Heaven’s sequence and the times of flourishing and decline; determine position by the shifting light, stand correctly and await it.’
Above Shaoyang, Fire qi governs and Jueyin appears in the middle. Above Yangming, dry qi governs and Taiyin appears in the middle. Above Taiyang, cold qi governs and Shaoyin appears in the middle. Above Jueyin, Wind qi governs and Shaoyang appears in the middle. Above Shaoyin, heat qi governs and Taiyang appears in the middle. Above Taiyin, damp qi governs and Yangming appears in the middle.
These are the roots. Beneath the root is the intermediate appearance; beneath that appearance is qi’s marker. Root and marker differ, so qi responds with different images.”
The Emperor asked: “Why does qi sometimes arrive when due, sometimes fail to arrive when due, and sometimes arrive in excess?”
Qi Bo said: “Arriving when due is harmony. Failing to arrive when due means the arriving qi is insufficient. Arriving before due means the arriving qi is excessive.”
The Emperor asked: “What follows from failing to arrive when due or arriving before due?”
Qi Bo said: “A proper response follows the order; otherwise it is contrary. Contrariness produces change, and change produces illness.”
The Emperor said: “Good. Please explain its response.”
Qi Bo said: “In things, growth is the response. In qi, the pulse is the response.”
The Emperor said: “Good. I wish to hear how Earth’s order responds to the six divisions and qi positions.”
Qi Bo said: “To the right of Xianming, the bright manifestation, is sovereign Fire’s position. To its right, moving one step backward, ministerial Fire governs. Another step: Earth qi; another: Metal qi; another: Water qi; another: Wood qi; another: sovereign Fire.
Beneath ministerial Fire, Water qi supports and restrains. Beneath Water’s position, Earth qi; beneath Earth’s position, Wind qi; beneath Wind’s position, Metal qi; beneath Metal’s position, Fire qi. Beneath sovereign Fire, yin essence supports.”
The Emperor asked: “Why?”
Qi Bo said: “Extreme ascendancy causes harm; what supports below then restrains it. Restraint allows generation and transformation, displaying flourishing and decline outside. Harm brings failure and disorder and great illness in generation and transformation.”
The Emperor asked: “What of flourishing and decline?”
Qi Bo said: “Outside its position, qi is harmful; in its position, correct. Harmful qi brings severe change; correct qi slight change.”
The Emperor asked: “What is occupying the proper position?”
Qi Bo said: “Wood movement confronting Mao, Fire confronting Wu, Earth confronting the four seasonal transitions, Metal confronting You and Water confronting Zi: these are called yearly meetings, the balance of qi.”
The Emperor asked: “What is an improper position?”
Qi Bo said: “The year does not meet the movement.”
The Emperor asked: “What of an Earth-movement year with Taiyin above; a Fire-movement year with Shaoyang or Shaoyin above; a Metal-movement year with Yangming above; a Wood-movement year with Jueyin above; or a Water-movement year with Taiyang above?”
Qi Bo said: “Heaven joins with it.”
Thus the Heavenly Origin Register calls it a heavenly tally. What if a heavenly tally coincides with a yearly meeting?
Qi Bo said: “It is the meeting of the Supreme-One Heavenly Tally.”
The Emperor asked: “What are their higher and lower ranks?”
Qi Bo said: “A heavenly tally is like an enforcer of law; the yearly position like an issuer of commands; the Supreme-One Heavenly Tally like a person of high rank.”
The Emperor asked: “What happens when harmful influence strikes?”
Qi Bo said: “Striking the enforcer of law produces swift, dangerous illness. Striking the issuer of commands produces slow, lingering illness. Striking the high-ranking person produces violent illness and death.”
The Emperor asked: “What happens when positions are exchanged?”
Qi Bo said: “A sovereign occupying the minister’s position follows the order; a minister occupying the sovereign’s position runs contrary. Contrariness brings illness soon and harm swiftly. Following brings illness remotely and harm slightly. This concerns the two Fires.
Reading note: The supplied sovereign/minister position exchange is preserved without reversing the two statements.”
The Emperor said: “Good. I wish to hear about their steps.”
Qi Bo said: “A step is sixty degrees with a remainder. Across twenty-four steps, the accumulated surplus fills one hundred ke and makes one day.
Reading note: Ke retains the historical time division; the source’s degrees, steps and one-hundred-ke day are not converted into modern clock time.”
The Emperor asked: “How do the six qi respond to changes of the five phases?”
Qi Bo said: “Positions have beginnings and endings; qi has initial and middle portions. Above and below differ, so the way of seeking them differs.”
The Emperor asked: “How are they sought?”
Qi Bo said: “Heavenly qi begins with Jia, earthly qi with Zi. Zi and Jia joining is called establishment of the year. Carefully observe its timing and qi can be assigned its period.”
The Emperor asked: “I wish to hear the early and late beginnings and endings of the year’s six qi.”
Qi Bo said: “How clear the question! In a Jia-Zi year, the heavenly count of the first qi begins at water-clock mark 1 ke and ends at 87 ke and a half. The second begins at 87 ke 6 fen and ends at 75 ke. The third begins at 76 ke and ends at 62 ke and a half.
The fourth begins at 62 ke 6 fen and ends at 50 ke. The fifth begins at 51 ke and ends at 37 ke and a half. The sixth begins at 37 ke 6 fen and ends at 25 ke. This is called the initial six, Heaven’s count.”
In a Yi-Chou year, the first qi’s heavenly count begins at 26 ke and ends at 12 ke and a half. The second begins at 12 ke 6 fen and ends at water-clock mark 100 ke. The third begins at 1 ke and ends at 87 ke and a half.
The fourth begins at 87 ke 6 fen and ends at 75 ke. The fifth begins at 76 ke and ends at 62 ke and a half. The sixth begins at 62 ke 6 fen and ends at 50 ke. This is called six-two, Heaven’s count.
In a Bing-Yin year, the first qi’s heavenly count begins at 51 ke and ends at 37 ke and a half. The second begins at 37 ke 6 fen and ends at 25 ke. The third begins at 26 ke and ends at 12 ke and a half.
The fourth begins at 12 ke 6 fen and ends at water-clock mark 100 ke. The fifth begins at 1 ke and ends at 87 ke and a half. The sixth begins at 87 ke 6 fen and ends at 75 ke. This is called six-three, Heaven’s count.
In a Ding-Mao year, the first qi’s heavenly count begins at 76 ke and ends at 62 ke and a half. The second begins at 62 ke 6 fen and ends at 50 ke. The third begins at 51 ke and ends at 37 ke and a half.
The fourth begins at 37 ke 6 fen and ends at 25 ke. The fifth begins at 26 ke and ends at 12 ke and a half. The sixth begins at 12 ke 6 fen and ends at water-clock mark 100 ke. This is called six-four, Heaven’s count.
Next, in a Wu-Chen year, the first qi begins again at 1 ke. It is always so, without end: the circuit finishes and begins anew.
The Emperor asked: “I wish to hear the yearly observations.”
Qi Bo said: “How comprehensive the question! After one solar circuit, heavenly qi begins at 1 ke; after two circuits, at 26 ke; after three, at 51 ke; after four, at 76 ke; after five, at 1 ke again. This is called one order.
Thus Yin, Wu and Xu years meet at the same qi timing; Mao, Wei and Hai years likewise; Chen, Shen and Zi years likewise; Si, You and Chou years likewise. The ending returns to the beginning.”
The Emperor said: “I wish to hear its application.”
Qi Bo said: “In speaking of Heaven, seek the root; of Earth, seek the position; of people, seek the meeting of qi.”
The Emperor asked: “What is the meeting of qi?”
Qi Bo said: “Between the positions above and below, within qi’s meeting, is where people dwell.”
Thus above the Heavenly Pivot, heavenly qi governs; below it, earthly qi governs. At their meeting, human qi follows and all things pass through. This is the meaning.
The Emperor asked: “What are initial and middle?”
Qi Bo said: “The initial portion totals thirty degrees with a remainder. The middle qi follows the same rule.”
The Emperor asked: “What are initial and middle for?”
Qi Bo said: “They distinguish Heaven and Earth.”
The Emperor said: “I wish to hear it fully.”
Qi Bo said: “The initial is earthly qi; the middle heavenly qi.”
The Emperor asked: “How do they rise and descend?”
Qi Bo said: “Qi’s rising and descending are Heaven and Earth’s alternating operation.”
The Emperor said: “I wish to hear how they operate.”
Qi Bo said: “After rising comes descent; what descends is called Heaven. After descending comes ascent; what rises is called Earth. Heavenly qi descends and flows on Earth; earthly qi rises and soars in Heaven. Thus high and low call to one another, ascent and descent depend on one another, and change occurs.”
The Emperor said: “Good. May I hear about cold meeting dampness, dryness confronting heat, and Wind encountering Fire?”
Qi Bo said: “Qi has overcoming and returning counteraction. In their action there is virtue and transformation, use and change. When disruptive change occurs, harmful qi occupies it.”
The Emperor asked: “What is harmful influence?”
Qi Bo said: “A thing’s arising follows transformation; its extreme comes through change. Change and transformation pressing together are the origin of completion and failure. Thus qi goes and returns; its operation is slow or swift. These four produce transformation and change: this is how Wind arrives.”
The Emperor asked: “Slowness, swiftness, going and returning generate Wind and produce transformation and change, following shifts of flourishing and decline. Why do completion and failure, leaning on and hidden within one another, move among them?”
Qi Bo said: “Completion and failure, dependence and concealment arise from movement. Movement without rest produces change.”
The Emperor asked: “Is there an appointed period?”
Qi Bo said: “No generation and no transformation: that is the period of stillness.”
The Emperor asked: “Can generation and transformation cease?”
Qi Bo said: “If entering and leaving cease, the spiritual mechanism transforms and disappears. If rising and descending stop, qi’s established support is isolated and endangered. Without entering and leaving there can be no birth, growth, maturity, aging and ending; without rising and descending no generation, growth, transformation, gathering and storage.
Thus every vessel of existence has rising, descending, entering and leaving. Such vessels are the dwelling of generation and transformation. When a vessel disperses, its parts separate and generation and transformation cease. Nothing lacks entering and leaving; nothing lacks rising and descending. Transformation may be small or great, its periods near or far. These four movements are present, and constancy in maintaining them is precious. Reversal of the constant brings calamity and harm.
Thus it is said: ‘Without form, there is no affliction.’ This is the meaning.”
The Emperor said: “Good. Is there anything neither generating nor transforming?”
Qi Bo said: “How comprehensive the question! Only the true person joins in unity with the Way.”
The Emperor said: “Good.”
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