Lingshu · Yin and Yang Tied to Sun and Moon

The text

The Yellow Emperor said: I have heard that heaven is yang, earth is yin, the sun is yang, the moon is yin. How do they join with the person? Qi Bo said: Above the waist is heaven; below the waist is earth — therefore heaven is yang, earth is yin. Thus the twelve channel vessels of the foot answer to the twelve months. The moon is born of water; therefore what is below is yin. The ten fingers of the hand answer to the ten days. The sun governs fire; therefore what is above is yang. The Yellow Emperor said: How do they join with the vessels? Qi Bo said: Yin is the birth of yang in the first month; it governs shaoyang of the left foot. Wei is the sixth month; it governs shaoyang of the right foot. Mao is the second month; it governs taiyang of the left foot. Wu is the fifth month; it governs taiyang of the right foot. Chen is the third month; it governs yangming of the left foot. Si is the fourth month; it governs yangming of the right foot. These two yang join in front; therefore they are called yangming. Shen is the birth of yin in the seventh month; it governs shaoyin of the right foot. Chou is the twelfth month; it governs shaoyin of the left foot. You is the eighth month; it governs taiyin of the right foot. Zi is the eleventh month; it governs taiyin of the left foot. Xu is the ninth month; it governs jueyin of the right foot. Hai is the tenth month; it governs jueyin of the left foot. These two yin meet and are exhausted; therefore they are called jueyin. Jia governs shaoyang of the left hand; Ji governs shaoyang of the right hand. Yi governs taiyang of the left hand; Wu governs taiyang of the right hand. Bing governs yangming of the left hand; Ding governs yangming of the right hand. These two fires join together; therefore they are yangming. Geng governs shaoyin of the right hand; Gui governs shaoyin of the left hand. Xin governs taiyin of the right hand; Ren governs taiyin of the left hand. Thus the yang of the foot is shaoyang within yin. The yin of the foot is taiyin within yin. The yang of the hand is taiyang within yang. The yin of the hand is shaoyin within yang. Above the waist is yang; below the waist is yin. As for the five zang: the heart is taiyang within yang, the lung is shaoyin within yang, the liver is shaoyang within yin, the spleen is utmost yin within yin, the kidney is taiyin within yin. The Yellow Emperor said: How does one treat by this? Qi Bo said: In the first, second, and third months, the person's qi is on the left; do not needle the yang of the left foot. In the fourth, fifth, and sixth months, the person's qi is on the right; do not needle the yang of the right foot. In the seventh, eighth, and ninth months, the person's qi is on the right; do not needle the yin of the right foot. In the tenth, eleventh, and twelfth months, the person's qi is on the left; do not needle the yin of the left foot. The Yellow Emperor said: In the five phases, the east, Jia and Yi, wood, is king in spring; spring is the green color, and governs the liver; the liver is foot jueyin. Now you take Jia as shaoyang of the left hand — it does not join the count. Why? Qi Bo said: This is the yin and yang of heaven and earth, not the five phases of the four seasons walking in their next sequence. Moreover yin and yang have names and no form; thus they may be counted to ten, pushed to a hundred, counted to a thousand, pushed to ten thousand — this is what is meant.

The line

Qi Bo said: Above the waist is heaven; below the waist is earth — therefore heaven is yang, earth is yin.

The note

Above the waist is heaven; below the waist is earth. Left and right, sun and moon, the ten days. A person is not outside time. To be tied is to be fastened to the sky.