Lingshu · Cold and Heat Illness

The text

Cold and heat in the skin: one cannot lie against the mat; the hair is scorched; the nose is dry and withered; there is no sweat. Take the collaterals of the three yang, to fill hand taiyin. Cold and heat in the flesh: the flesh aches; the hair is scorched and the lips are dry and withered; there is no sweat. Take the three yang below, to remove those that have blood; fill foot taiyin, to bring the sweat out. Cold and heat in the bone: the illness has no place of rest; sweat pours without cease. If the teeth are not yet withered, take shaoyin at the collateral of the inner thigh. If the teeth are already withered, it is death, and there is no treating it. Reversal of the bone is the same. Bone impediment: the joints are raised and of no use, and they ache; sweat pours and the heart is vexed. Take the channels of the three yin and fill them. If the body has been wounded, much blood has gone out, and one has been struck by wind-cold, or if one has fallen, and the four limbs are slack and will not gather — this is called body-slackness. Take the three joined crossings below the navel in the lower abdomen. The three joined crossings are yangming and taiyin; three cun below the navel is the pass of the origin. Reversal impediment: reversing qi rises and reaches the abdomen. Take the yin and yang collaterals; look at what governs the illness; drain the yang and fill the yin channels. The arterial vessel on the side of the neck is the person's welcome. The person's welcome is foot yangming, in front of the infant sinew. Behind the infant sinew is hand yangming; it is called supporting-prominence. The next vessel is foot shaoyang; it is called heavenly-window. The next vessel is foot taiyang; it is called heavenly-pillar. The arterial vessel below the armpit is arm taiyin; it is called heavenly-mansion. Yang-welcome headache, the chest full, unable to breathe: take the person's welcome. Sudden loss of voice, qi hard: take supporting-prominence and let blood at the root of the tongue. Sudden deafness, qi veiled, ears and eyes not clear: take heavenly-window. Sudden contraction, epilepsy, dizziness, the feet cannot bear the body: take heavenly-pillar. Sudden dan, inward reversal, liver and lung clashing, blood overflowing at nose and mouth: take heavenly-mansion. These are the five regions of the heavenly-window. Arm yangming has that which enters the cheek and the teeth: it is called great-welcome. For caries of the lower teeth, take it. If the arm hates cold, fill; if it does not hate cold, drain. Foot taiyang has that which enters the cheek and the side teeth: it is called angle-grandchild. For caries of the upper teeth, take it, in front of the nose and cheek. At the time the illness is square, if the vessel is abundant, drain the abundance; if vacuous, fill. Another saying: take it outside the nose. Foot yangming has that which flanks the nose and enters the face: it is called hanging-skull; it belongs to the mouth, enters opposite, and ties to the root of the eye. Look at what has transgression and take it; diminish what has a remainder, increase what is insufficient; the reverse increases it. Foot taiyang has that which communicates through the nape and enters the brain: it belongs rightly to the root of the eye; it is called the eye-tether. For bitter pain of the head and eyes, take it in the nape between the two sinews. Upon entering the brain it diverges: yin qiao and yang qiao. Yin and yang cross; yang enters yin, yin emerges from yang; they cross at the sharp canthus. When yang-qi is abundant, the eyes glare; when yin-qi is abundant, the eyes close. Heat reversal: take foot taiyin and shaoyang; leave the needle in both. Cold reversal: take foot yangming and shaoyin at the feet; leave the needle in both. The tongue slack, drool falling, vexation and oppression: take foot shaoyin. Shaking with cold, shivering, the jaws drumming, no sweat, the abdomen swollen, vexation and oppression: take hand taiyin. When needling vacuity, needle its going; when needling repletion, needle its coming. In spring take the collateral vessels; in summer take the divided texture; in autumn take the qi-opening; in winter take the channel shu. In all these four seasons, take the season as the measure. The collateral vessels treat the skin; the divided texture treats the flesh; the qi-opening treats sinew and vessel; the channel shu treat bone and marrow. The five zang, the body has five regions: the crouching rabbit is the first; the calf is the second — the calf is the gastrocnemius; the back is the third; the shu of the five zang are the fourth; the nape is the fifth. If these five regions have abscess or flat-abscess, it is death. Illness that begins in the hand and arm: first take hand yangming and taiyin, and sweat comes out. Illness that begins in the head: first take nape taiyang, and sweat comes out. Illness that begins in the foot and shin: first take foot yangming, and sweat comes out. Arm taiyin can bring sweat out; foot yangming can bring sweat out. Thus if you take yin and the sweat is too much, stop it at yang. If you take yang and the sweat is too much, stop it at yin. The harms of all needling: if you hit the mark and do not leave, jing leaks; if you do not hit the mark and leave, you bring qi. If jing leaks, the illness grows worse and there is collapse; if you bring qi, it begets abscess and flat-abscess.

The line

Cold and heat in the skin: one cannot lie against the mat; the hair is scorched; the nose is dry and withered; there is no sweat. Take the collaterals of the three yang, to fill hand taiyin.

The note

Skin, flesh, bone: cold and heat go inward layer by layer. Unable to lie against the mat: the shallowest layer is already not at rest. Count from the outside in.