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Huangdi Neijing · The Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon
Suwen 70 · The Five Constant Governances
Read in English. Switch to Original for word notes, or select text to ask a question.
The Yellow Emperor asked: “Great emptiness is boundless; the five movements turn and press upon one another. Decline and flourishing differ, loss and gain follow each other. I wish to hear how balanced qi is named and how its orders are recorded.”
Qi Bo replied: “How illuminating the question! Wood is called Spreading Harmony; Fire Rising Brightness; Earth Complete Transformation; Metal Examined Balance; Water Still Accord.”
The Emperor asked: “What of failure to reach?”
Qi Bo said: “Wood is called Abandoned Harmony; Fire Hidden Brightness; Earth Low Supervision; Metal Following Change; Water Dried Flow.”
The Emperor asked: “What are the excessive orders called?”
Qi Bo said: “Wood is called Bursting Generation; Fire Blazing Radiance; Earth Thick Abundance; Metal Firm Completion; Water Spreading Flow.”
The Emperor said: “I wish to hear the signs of these three classes of qi order.”
Qi Bo said: “In Spreading Harmony, Wood’s virtue circulates everywhere. Yang unfolds and yin spreads; the five transformations are evenly displayed. Its qi is upright; nature compliant; use bending and straightening; transformation generation and flourishing; kind grasses and trees; governance outward dispersal; seasonal sign mild warmth; command Wind; zang organ Liver. Liver fears cool clarity; its governing opening is the eye.
Its grain is sesame; fruit plum; fruit substance a stone; seasonal response spring; creatures hairy; domestic animal dog; color blue-green; nourishment sinews; illness internal urgency and spreading fullness; flavor sour; tone Jue; things firm within; number eight.”
In Rising Brightness, correct yang governs and virtue is universally bestowed; the five transformations are balanced. Its qi is high; nature swift; use burning and scorching; transformation luxuriant growth; kind Fire; governance bright illumination; seasonal sign blazing summer heat; command heat; zang organ Heart. Heart fears cold; its governing opening is the tongue.
Its grain is wheat; fruit apricot; fruit substance networked; seasonal response summer; creatures feathered; domestic animal horse; color red; nourishment blood; illness twitching and convulsions; flavor bitter; tone Zhi; things vessel-like; number seven.
Reading note: The irregular supplied 迩 in the illness term follows the contextual twitching reading disclosed earlier. The fruit-substance and things categories retain their distinct supplied labels.
In Complete Transformation, qi accords with Heaven’s beneficence and virtue flows through the four governances; the five transformations are all cultivated. Its qi is level; nature following; use raising and lowering; transformation abundant fullness; kind Earth; governance quiet stability; seasonal sign humid steaming; command dampness; zang organ Spleen. Spleen fears Wind; its governing opening is the mouth.
Its grain is ji millet; fruit jujube; fruit substance flesh; seasonal response long summer; creatures bare-bodied; domestic animal ox; color yellow; nourishment flesh; illness blockage; flavor sweet; tone Gong; things skin-like; number five.
Reading note: 真 in the creature class follows the contextual bare-bodied 倮 reading. 否 is read in the blockage sense here, without assigning a modern disease.
In Examined Balance, gathering proceeds without contention and killing without trespass; the five transformations are clearly displayed. Its qi is clean; nature firm; use scattering and falling; transformation firm gathering; kind Metal; governance forceful restraint; seasonal sign clear sharpness; command dryness; zang organ Lung. Lung fears heat; its governing opening is the nose.
Its grain is rice; fruit peach; fruit substance a shell; seasonal response autumn; creatures armored; domestic animal chicken; color white; nourishment skin and hair; illness cough; flavor acrid; tone Shang; things firm outside; number nine.
In Still Accord, storing proceeds without harm and governance favors descent; all five transformations are ordered. Its qi is clear; nature downward; use moistening and spreading; transformation congealing firmness; kind Water; governance flowing expansion; seasonal sign congealing severity; command cold; zang organ Kidney. Kidney fears dampness; its governing openings are the front and rear private passages.
Its grain is beans; fruit chestnut; fruit substance moist; seasonal response winter; creatures scaled; domestic animal pig; color black; nourishment bone marrow; illness counterflow; flavor salty; tone Yu; things moist; number six.
Thus generate without killing, grow without punishment, transform without domination, gather without harm and store without suppression. This is called balanced qi.
Abandoned Harmony is called the overcoming of generation. Generating qi does not govern; transforming qi rises, growing qi balances itself and gathering commands come early. Cool rain falls at times; Wind and clouds arise together. Grasses and trees flourish late, turn blue-green and dry, wither and fall. Things flower and fruit; skin and flesh fill within.
Its qi gathers; use accumulation; movement twisting, contraction and alternations of tension and relaxation; outbreak startlement; zang organ Liver; fruits jujube and plum; fruit substances stones and shells; grains ji millet and rice; flavors sour and acrid; colors white and blue-green; domestic animals dog and chicken; creatures hairy and armored; governing conditions mist, dew and chilling cold; tones Jue and Shang; illnesses shaking, movement, flowing discharge and fear. It follows Metal’s transformation.
Lesser Jue accords with half-Shang; Jue Above with Balanced Jue; Shang Above with Balanced Shang. Illness brings disabled limbs, abscesses, swellings, sores and ulcers; sweet produce becomes worm-affected and harmful influence injures Liver. Gong Above accords with Balanced Gong.
When desolating, severe killing occurs, blazing heat and boiling surge arise in return. Calamity is at Three: this is counteraction. Its governing creatures are flying creatures, borers, maggots and pheasants; thunder then forms.
Reading note: Half-Shang follows the classical half, 半, gloss of the supplied 判商; it is not silently replaced with Lesser Shang. Above, Lesser and Balanced retain distinct tone/qi labels. The creature list and calamity at Three remain as supplied; Three is a position designation, not a count of calamities.
Hidden Brightness is called the overcoming of growth. Growing qi does not unfold; storing qi spreads instead. Gathering qi governs itself and transforming commands balance. Cold clarity rises repeatedly; summer-heat commands weaken. Things arise through the transformation they receive but are born without growing, forming fruit while still immature and becoming old on encountering transformation. Yang qi is bent and hidden; hibernating creatures hide early.
Its qi is constrained; use violent outbreak; movement alternation of manifestation and concealment; outbreak pain; zang organ Heart; fruits chestnut and peach; fruit substances networked and moist; grains beans and rice; flavors bitter and salty; colors dark and red; domestic animals horse and pig; creatures feathered and scaled; governing conditions ice, snow, frost and cold; tones Zhi and Yu; illnesses clouding, confusion, grief and forgetfulness. It follows Water’s transformation.
Lesser Zhi accords with Lesser Yu; Shang Above with Balanced Shang. Harmful influence injures Heart. When chilling, freezing severity occurs, violent rain and prolonged downpour answer. Calamity is at Nine. Its governing actions are sudden downpour, thunder and startling shocks, with sinking, sustained excessive rain.
Low Supervision is called diminished transformation. Transforming qi gives no command and generating governance alone manifests. Growing qi is ordered but rain misses its time; gathering qi is balanced. Wind and cold arise together. Grasses and trees flourish beautifully but flower without fruit, completing only empty husks.
Its qi disperses; use still settlement; movement sores, surging, divided rupture, abscesses and swelling; outbreak damp stagnation; zang organ Spleen; fruits plum and chestnut; fruit substances moist and stoned; grains beans and sesame; flavors sour and sweet; colors blue-green and yellow; domestic animals ox and dog; creatures bare-bodied and hairy; governing conditions violent gusts and shaking outbreaks; tones Gong and Jue; illnesses retained fullness and blockage. It follows Wood’s transformation.
Lesser Gong accords with Lesser Jue; Gong Above with Balanced Gong; Jue Above with Balanced Jue. Illness brings undigested-food flux and harmful influence injures Spleen. When shaking, uprooting and flying occur, blue-green dryness, scattering and falling answer. Its calamity is in the four corners. It governs breaking ruin, tigers and wolves. Clear qi then acts and generating governance is humiliated.
Following Change is called broken gathering. Gathering qi comes late, generating qi rises, and growth and transformation unite their virtue. Fire governance unfolds and all kinds multiply.
Its qi rises; use restless sharpness; movement clangor, restriction, clouding and counterflow; outbreak cough and panting; zang organ Lung; fruits plum and apricot; fruit substances shelled and networked; grains sesame and wheat; flavors bitter and acrid; colors white and red; domestic animals chicken and sheep; creatures armored and feathered; governing conditions bright blazing heat; tones Shang and Zhi; illnesses sneezing, cough, nasal obstruction and nosebleed. It follows Fire’s transformation.
Lesser Shang accords with Lesser Zhi; Shang Above with Balanced Shang; Jue Above with Balanced Jue. Harmful influence injures Lung. When blazing light is fierce, ice, snow, frost and hail answer. Calamity is at Seven. Its governing creatures are hidden scaled creatures, pigs and mice. Yearly qi arrives early and great cold arises.
Dried Flow is called returning to yang. Storing commands do not arise; transforming qi flourishes and growing qi spreads. Hibernating creatures do not hide. Soil is moist but springs diminish; grasses and trees extend their branches, with abundant flowers and flourishing growth.
Its qi stagnates; use seepage and discharge; movement firm stoppage; outbreak dryness and withering; zang organ Kidney; fruits jujube and apricot; fruit substances moist and fleshy; grains shu millet and ji millet; flavors sweet and salty; colors yellow and dark; domestic animals pig and ox; creatures scaled and bare-bodied; governing conditions dusty oppression and dark clouding; tones Yu and Gong; illnesses wilting, counterflow and hardness below. It follows Earth’s transformation.
Lesser Yu accords with Lesser Gong; Gong Above with Balanced Gong. Illness brings retention and closure; harmful influence injures Kidney. Dark dust and sudden rain call forth shaking, breaking and uprooting. Calamity is at One. Hairy creatures appear, including foxes and he animals.
Change and transformation do not remain stored. What exploits danger and acts arrives without being summoned. Violent cruelty without virtue brings calamity back upon itself. Slight excess has slight counteraction; severe excess severe counteraction. This is qi’s constant order.
Reading note: In the color field the supplied 値 follows the contextual yellow 黅 reading, distinct from its earlier grain-field usage. 惣 in the animal list is read through the attested 狢, he; no exact modern species is imposed. Calamity at One retains its numbered-position wording.
Bursting Generation is called opening and thrusting forth. Earth loosens and discharges; blue-green qi extends. Yang harmony spreads transformation and yin follows. Generating qi transforms fully and all things flourish.
Its transformation is generation; qi fine vigor; governance dispersal; command extending branches; movement shaking, dizziness and dian illness; virtue sounding growth and opening cracks; change shaking, breaking and uprooting; grains sesame and rice; domestic animals chicken and dog; fruits plum and peach; colors blue-green, yellow and white; flavors sour, sweet and acrid; seasonal image spring; channels Foot Jueyin and Shaoyang; zang organs Liver and Spleen; creatures hairy and armored; things firm within and outside; illness anger.
Greater Jue accords with Shang Above. Zhi Above makes its qi contrary, with vomiting and diarrhea. If it does not attend to its virtue, gathering qi counteracts: autumn qi becomes forceful and sharp, and in severe cases brings killing. Clear qi arrives greatly, grasses and trees wither and harmful influence injures Liver.
Blazing Radiance is called abundant flourishing. Yin qi transforms within and yang flourishes outside. Blazing summer heat spreads transformation and things prosper.
Its transformation is growth; qi high; governance movement; command resounding manifestation; movement burning and reckless disturbance; virtue warm summer heat and oppressive steaming; change fierce blaze and boiling; grains wheat and beans; domestic animals sheep and pig; fruits apricot and chestnut; colors red, white and dark; flavors bitter, acrid and salty; seasonal image summer; channels Hand Shaoyin and Taiyang, Hand Jueyin and Shaoyang; zang organs Heart and Lung; creatures feathered and scaled; things vessel-like and moist; illnesses laughter, intermittent fever, sores, ulcers, flowing blood, frenzy, wild behavior and red eyes.
Yu Above accords with Balanced Zhi; its gathering is simultaneous and its illness convulsive stiffness. With Zhi Above, gathering qi comes late. If its governance becomes violently fierce, storing qi counteracts. Chilling severity appears at times; when extreme, rainwater, frost, hail and cutting cold arrive. Harmful influence injures Heart.
Thick Abundance is called extensive transformation. Substantial virtue is clear and still; following growth brings fullness. Utmost yin fills within and transformed things become complete. Smoky dust and oppressive dimness appear over thick Earth; great rain falls at times. Damp qi acts and dry governance is driven away.
Its transformation is rounded completion; qi abundance; governance stillness; command complete provision; movement damp accumulation and combined storage; virtue soft moisture, heaviness and saturation; change thunderous shock, sudden gusts, downpour and collapse; grains ji millet and sesame; domestic animals ox and dog; fruits jujube and plum; colors yellow, dark and blue-green; flavors sweet, salty and sour; seasonal image long summer; channels Foot Taiyin and Yangming; zang organs Spleen and Kidney; creatures bare-bodied and hairy; things flesh and kernels; illnesses abdominal fullness and inability to lift the four limbs. Great Wind arrives swiftly and harmful influence injures Spleen.
Firm Completion is called gathering and drawing inward. Heavenly qi is clean and earthly qi clear. Yang follows while yin governs transformation. Dryness carries out its governance and things complete their formation. Gathering qi spreads abundantly; transformation reaches widely but does not endure.
Its transformation is completion; qi cutting; governance severity; command sharpness; movement sudden breaking, sores and spreading affliction; virtue mist, dew and desolating chill; change severe killing, withering and fall; grains rice and shu millet; domestic animals chicken and horse; fruits peach and apricot; colors white, blue-green and red; flavors acrid, sour and bitter; seasonal image autumn; channels Hand Taiyin and Yangming; zang organs Lung and Liver; creatures armored and feathered; things shells and networks; illnesses panting cries, oppression in the chest and raised breathing.
Zhi Above accords with Balanced Shang. Its generation is simultaneous and its illness cough. If governance changes violently, fine trees do not flourish and tender plants scorch at their tops. Growing qi comes to rescue: great Fire streams forth, blazing heat arrives and vines are about to wither. Harmful influence injures Lung.
Spreading Flow is called sealed storage. Cold governs the transformation of things; Heaven and Earth freeze severely. Storing governance spreads and growing commands do not rise.
Its transformation is piercing cold; qi firmness; governance quiet; command flowing downpour; movement drifting, discharge, drenching and surging; virtue congealing chill and cold mist; change ice, snow, frost and hail; grains beans and ji millet; domestic animals pig and ox; fruits chestnut and jujube; colors black, red and yellow; flavors salty, bitter and sweet; seasonal image winter; channels Foot Shaoyin and Taiyang; zang organs Kidney and Heart; creatures scaled and bare-bodied; things moist and full; illness distention.
With Yu Above, growing qi does not transform. If governance goes too far, transforming qi rises greatly and dusty darkness fills the meeting of qi. Great rain falls at times and harmful influence injures Kidney.
Reading note: The supplied 値 in these color lists follows the contextual yellow reading; 真 follows the bare-bodied creature reading. Greater, Lesser, Above and Balanced tone labels and all channel, flavor and creature pairings are kept distinct.
Thus it is said: “If virtue is not constant, what is overcome comes in counteraction. If governance keeps its proper pattern, what is overcome shares its transformation.” This is the meaning.
The Emperor asked: “Heaven is deficient in the northwest, cold on the left and cool on the right. Earth is incomplete in the southeast, hot on the right and warm on the left. Why?”
Qi Bo said: “These are differences of yin and yang qi, height and depth, abundance and scantness. The southeast is yang; yang essence descends, hence heat on the right and warmth on the left. The northwest is yin; yin essence is borne upward, hence cold on the left and coolness on the right.
Thus Earth has high and low places and qi warmth and coolness. High places have cold qi; low places hot qi. Going into cold and cool conditions brings distention; warm and hot conditions bring sores. Discharging below ends distention; sweating ends sores. These are the usual opening and closing of interstices and differences of greater and lesser qi.”
The Emperor asked: “What of long and short life?”
Qi Bo said: “Where yin essence is borne, people live long. Where yang essence descends, people have short lives.”
The Emperor said: “Good. How are their illnesses treated?”
Qi Bo said: “Disperse and cool northwestern qi; gather and warm southeastern qi. This is called different treatment for the same illness.”
Thus cold or cool qi is treated with cold or cool measures, moving water and soaking. Warm or hot qi is treated with warm or hot measures, strengthening the guard within. One must accord with the qi to bring balance. For appearances that are not genuine, reverse this.
Reading note: The supplied cold-with-cold and warm-with-warm wording, followed by the exception, is retained rather than silently replaced with a different therapeutic formula.
The Emperor said: “Good. Why do generation, transformation and length of life differ within one region?”
Qi Bo said: “Height and depth of terrain make it so. Yin qi governs lofty places; yang qi low, sunken places. Prevailing yang precedes Heaven’s timing; prevailing yin follows it. This is Earth’s constant order and the Way of generation and transformation.”
The Emperor asked: “Does this also mean long and short life?”
Qi Bo said: “In high places, qi brings longevity; in low places, their qi—the supplied clause is incomplete. These are differences of greater and lesser Heaven and Earth. Small differences produce small variations; great differences great variations.
Thus treating illness requires clarity about heavenly patterns and earthly order, alternating yin and yang ascendancy, qi’s early and late arrival, human longevity and short life, and the periods of generation and transformation. Only then can human form and qi be understood.
Reading note: The predicate after 下者其氣 is absent in the supplied text. It is not silently supplied from a parallel edition.”
The Emperor said: “Good. Why do some years have no illness even though a zang organ’s qi neither responds nor acts?”
Qi Bo said: “Heavenly qi restrains it, and qi has something it follows.”
The Emperor said: “I wish to hear it fully.”
Qi Bo said: “With Shaoyang governing Heaven, Fire qi confronts below and Lung qi follows upward. White rises and Metal acts; grasses and trees suffer calamity. Fire appears as burning and weariness; Metal changes and is depleted. Great summer heat moves, with cough, sneezing, nasal discharge and bleeding, blocked nose, sores, cold and heat and swelling.
Wind moves on Earth and dust and sand fly. There is Heart pain, Stomach-cavity pain, counterflow and obstruction of the diaphragm. Its action is violent and swift.”
With Yangming governing Heaven, dry qi confronts below and Liver qi follows upward. Blue-green rises and Wood acts; Earth then suffers calamity. Chilling qi arrives repeatedly, trees are cut down and grasses wither. Illness brings flank pain, red eyes, shaking, trembling and sinew wilting preventing prolonged standing.
Sudden heat arrives and Earth becomes hot. Yang qi breaks out from constraint; urination changes. Cold and heat resemble intermittent fever; severe cases bring Heart pain. Fire moves and seeds wither, running water does not freeze and hibernating creatures appear.
With Taiyang governing Heaven, cold qi confronts below and Heart qi follows upward; Fire becomes bright. Red rises and Metal suffers calamity. Cold clarity arises at times; when it prevails, water freezes. Fire qi is high and bright, with Heart heat, vexation, dry throat, frequent thirst, nasal discharge and sneezing, grief and repeated yawning.
When heat qi moves recklessly, cold returns in counteraction. Frost falls out of season. Forgetfulness is frequent; severe cases bring Heart pain. Earth becomes moist and Water spreads abundantly. Cold lodges; sinking yin transforms dampness and qi changes things. Drink accumulates inside, bringing central fullness and no appetite, skin discomfort and numb flesh, and hindered sinews and vessels. Severe cases bring swelling and abscesses at the body’s rear.
Reading note: The supplied 皮讪 is unclear and is rendered broadly as skin discomfort, without inventing a distinct modern diagnosis.
With Jueyin governing Heaven, Wind qi confronts below and Spleen qi follows upward; Earth becomes abundant. Yellow rises and Water suffers calamity. Earth’s action changes, with heaviness, wasting flesh, reduced food and altered mouth sensation. Wind moves through great emptiness; clouds and things shake, eyes turn and ears ring.
Fire releases its violence and Earth becomes hot. Great heat consumes and melts; red influence pours downward. Hibernating creatures appear repeatedly and running water does not freeze. Its onset is triggered swiftly.
With Shaoyin governing Heaven, heat qi confronts below and Lung qi follows upward. White rises and Metal acts; grasses and trees suffer calamity. Illness brings panting, vomiting, cold and heat, sneezing, nasal discharge and bleeding and a blocked nose.
Great summer heat circulates; severe cases bring burning sores and ulcers. Metal melts and stone flows. Earth then becomes dry and clear; chilling qi arrives repeatedly. Flank pain and frequent deep sighs occur. Severe killing acts and grasses and trees change.
With Taiyin governing Heaven, damp qi confronts below and Kidney qi follows upward. Black rises and Water changes; dust, cloud and rain obscure things. The chest is obstructed; there is genital wilting and greatly declining qi, with inability to rise or function. At that time waist and buttock pain instead arise, preventing easy turning.
Counterflow occurs; Earth stores yin and great cold approaches. Hibernating creatures settle early. There is blockage and pain below Heart; Earth cracks and ice hardens. Lower-abdominal pain sometimes interferes with eating. When Metal is mounted, it stops and Water increases; flavor becomes salty, while moving Water diminishes it.
Reading note: The final compressed Metal/Water/flavor sequence is retained without inventing a new medicinal preparation or a missing causal relation.
The Emperor asked: “In some years pregnancy does not develop, and treatment does not restore completeness. What qi causes this?”
Qi Bo said: “The six qi and five classes have mutual overcoming and restraint. Similar influences strengthen them and different influences weaken them. This is Heaven and Earth’s Way and the constancy of generation and transformation.
Thus with Jueyin governing Heaven, hairy creatures are still, feathered creatures develop and armored creatures fail to complete. With Jueyin at the Spring, hairy creatures develop, bare-bodied creatures diminish and feathered creatures fail to develop.”
With Shaoyin governing Heaven, feathered creatures are still, armored creatures develop and hairy creatures fail to complete. At the Spring, feathered creatures develop while armored creatures diminish and fail to develop.
With Taiyin governing Heaven, bare-bodied creatures are still, scaled creatures develop and feathered creatures fail to complete. At the Spring, bare-bodied creatures develop and scaled creatures fail to complete.
With Shaoyang governing Heaven, feathered creatures are still, hairy creatures develop and bare-bodied creatures fail to complete. At the Spring, feathered creatures develop, armored creatures diminish and hairy creatures fail to develop.
With Yangming governing Heaven, armored creatures are still, feathered creatures develop and armored creatures fail to complete. At the Spring, armored creatures develop, hairy creatures diminish and feathered creatures fail to complete.
Reading note: The source repeats armored creatures in the first sequence; this apparent tension is retained instead of changing one class.
With Taiyang governing Heaven, scaled creatures are still and bare-bodied creatures develop. At the Spring, scaled creatures diminish and bare-bodied creatures fail to develop. Encountering a movement under which the respective class cannot complete makes the condition severe.
Thus governing qi has its restraints, and an established year what it generates. Earthly qi restrains what it overcomes; heavenly qi restrains what overcomes it. Heaven restrains color and Earth form. The five classes flourish or decline according to what suits their qi. Thus pregnancies may fail to develop and treatment fail to complete them: this is qi’s constant order, called being rooted within.
What is rooted outside also has five forms. Hence the distinctions in generation and transformation: five qi, five flavors, five colors, five classes and five appropriate conditions.
The Emperor asked: “What does this mean?”
Qi Bo said: “What is rooted within is called the spiritual mechanism. When spirit departs, the mechanism rests. What is rooted outside is called established qi. When qi stops, transformation ends. Thus each has what restrains it, overcomes it, generates it and completes it.
Not knowing what the year imposes and the similarities and differences of qi leaves one unfit to speak of generation and transformation. This is the meaning.”
The Emperor asked: “Qi begins and generates transformation; disperses and gives form; spreads and brings abundant development; ends and changes the image. Their ultimate principle is one. Yet the five flavors provide differing support, generation and transformation vary in strength, maturation in amount, and beginning and ending differ. Why?”
Qi Bo said: “Earthly qi restrains them. Without Heaven they are not generated; without Earth they do not grow.”
The Emperor said: “I wish to hear the Way.”
Qi Bo said: “Cold, heat, dryness and dampness differ in their transformations. With Shaoyang at the Spring, cold potency does not arise. Its flavor is acrid; treatment bitter and sour; grains blue-green and red. With Yangming at the Spring, damp potency does not arise. Its flavor is sour, qi damp; treatment acrid, bitter and sweet; grains red and white.
With Taiyang at the Spring, hot potency does not arise. Its flavor is bitter; treatment bland and salty; grains ji millet and black millet. With Jueyin at the Spring, cool potency does not arise. Its flavor is sweet; treatment sour and bitter; grains blue-green and red. Its qi is concentrated and flavor true.
With Shaoyin at the Spring, cold potency does not arise. Its flavor is acrid; treatment acrid, bitter and sweet; grains white and red. With Taiyin at the Spring, dry potency does not arise. Its flavor is salty, qi hot; treatment sweet and salty; grains ji millet and black millet.
When transformation is full, saltiness keeps its place. When qi is concentrated, acrid transforms and both are treated together.
Reading note: At the Spring retains 在泉, the lower governing position. The supplied 値 in these grain fields follows the contextual ji-millet reading; it is not treated as the same word as 値 in the color lists.”
Thus supplementing above and below follows their qi; treating above and below opposes it. Regulate according to the cold, heat, flourishing and decline where the influence resides.
Thus treatment may be taken above or below, within or outside, seeking the excess or fault. Those able to withstand potency receive strong medicinals; those unable to withstand it weak medicinals.
When qi is contrary, illness above is treated below, illness below above, and illness in the center from the sides. Treat heat with cold but administer it warm; treat cold with heat but administer it cool. Treat warmth with coolness and administer it cold; treat coolness with warmth and administer it hot.
Thus dissolve or reduce, cause vomiting or discharge below, supplement or drain. The same methods apply to longstanding and new illness.
The Emperor asked: “What if illness is in the center but neither replete nor firm, now gathering and now dispersing?”
Qi Bo said: “How comprehensive the question! Without a fixed accumulation, seek the zang organ. Supplement deficiency. Use medicinals to remove harm and food to follow and support them; move water and soak. Harmonize inside and outside, and the illness can end completely.”
The Emperor asked: “Are there limits to taking preparations with or without toxic potency?”
Qi Bo said: “Illness may be longstanding or new, prescriptions large or small, with or without toxic potency. There must be a constant measure. Strongly potent medicinals treat until six parts out of ten of the illness are removed; ordinarily potent ones seven; mildly potent ones eight; those without such potency nine.
Grains, meat, fruits and vegetables complete removal through food nourishment. Do not exceed the measure and injure correct qi. If not fully ended, repeat according to the method. First consider the year’s qi. Do not attack Heaven’s harmony, add abundance to abundance or empty what is already deficient, leaving a person Heaven’s calamity. Do not bring in harmful influence or lose correct qi and cut short a long life.
Reading note: The four supplied 毒 categories and six/seven/eight/nine-out-of-ten proportions concern how much illness is removed before nourishment completes the course. They are not converted into drug weights or dosing limits.”
The Emperor asked: “In longstanding illness, qi may follow the proper course yet health not return. Illness has gone but the person remains wasted. What is done?”
Qi Bo said: “How illuminating this sage’s question! Transformation cannot be replaced and timing cannot be opposed. When channels and networks are open and blood and qi follow their course, restore insufficiency and bring it into accord with the whole. Nourish and harmonize, remain still and await the time. Carefully guard qi and do not let it shift. Form then becomes manifest and generating qi grows: this is called the sage king.
Thus the Great Essentials says: ‘Do not replace transformation or oppose timing. Nourish and harmonize; await its return.’ This is the meaning.”
The Emperor said: “Good.”
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