Lingshu · Yin and Yang, Clear and Turbid

The text

The Yellow Emperor said: I have heard that the twelve channel vessels answer to the twelve channel-waters; their five colors each differ, clear and turbid are not the same. A person's blood and qi are as one — how do they answer? Qi Bo said: If a person's blood and qi could indeed be as one, then all under heaven would be one — how would there be disorder? The Yellow Emperor said: I asked of one person, not of the many under heaven. Qi Bo said: One person also has disordered qi; the many under heaven also have disordered people; they join as one, that is all. The Yellow Emperor said: I wish to hear of the clear and turbid of a person's qi. Qi Bo said: What receives grain is turbid; what receives qi is clear. The clear pours into yin; the turbid pours into yang. The turbid that is clear rises and issues at the throat. The clear that is turbid then travels downward. Clear and turbid interfering with each other is called disordered qi. The Yellow Emperor said: Yin is clear and yang is turbid; the turbid has the clear, the clear has the turbid. How does one tell clear and turbid apart? Qi Bo said: The great distinction of qi: the clear pours upward into the lung; the turbid runs downward into the stomach. The stomach's clear qi rises and issues at the mouth; the lung's turbid qi pours down into the channels and gathers within in the sea. The Yellow Emperor said: All the yang are turbid — which yang is especially so? Qi Bo said: Hand taiyang alone receives the turbid of yang; hand taiyin alone receives the clear of yin. The clear travels upward into the empty openings; the turbid travels downward into all the channels. All the yin are clear; foot taiyin alone receives the turbid. The Yellow Emperor said: How does one treat them? Qi Bo said: The clear: its qi is slippery; the turbid: its qi is rough — this is the constant of qi. Thus to needle yin, go deep and leave it; to needle yang, go shallow and do it swiftly; when clear and turbid interfere, regulate them by the count.

The line

The Yellow Emperor said: I have heard that the twelve channel vessels answer to the twelve channel-waters; their five colors each differ, clear and turbid are not the same. A person's blood and qi are as one — how do they answer?

The note

Clear and turbid differ, like the twelve channel-waters. What receives grain is turbid; what receives qi is clear. When clear and turbid are disordered, yin and yang in the vessels cannot match their names.