Lingshu · Discourse on the Nine Needles

The text

The Yellow Emperor said: I have heard the nine needles from you; they are many and broad and great, and I still cannot wake to them. I dare ask: whence were the nine needles born, and by what cause do they have names? Qi Bo said: The nine needles are the great numbers of heaven and earth. They begin at one and end at nine. Therefore it is said: one takes law from heaven, two from earth, three from the person, four from the seasons, five from the tones, six from the pitches, seven from the stars, eight from the winds, nine from the wilds. The Yellow Emperor said: How does one make the needle answer the number nine? Qi Bo said: When the sage arises, it is the numbers of heaven and earth. One, and nine it; therefore the nine wilds are established. Nine, and nine it: nine nines are eighty-one, so as to raise the number of the Yellow Bell. Thus the needle answers number. The first is heaven. Heaven is yang. Of the five zang, what answers heaven is the lung. The lung is the cover of the five zang and six fu. The skin is what the lung joins; it is the yang of the person. Therefore one makes a needle for it: the head must be large and the tip keen, so that it cannot go deep and yang qi goes out. The second is earth. What the person uses to answer soil is the flesh. Therefore one makes a needle for it: the body must be tubular and the tip round, so that it cannot injure the divisions of the flesh; if injured, qi is able to be exhausted. The third is the person. What the person uses to complete life is the blood vessels. Therefore one makes a needle for it: the body must be large and the tip round, so that one can press the vessel without sinking, so as to bring the qi, and let pathogenic qi go out alone. The fourth is the seasons. The seasons are the four seasons and the eight winds lodging as guests in the channels and networks, becoming tumor-illness. Therefore one makes a needle for it: the body must be tubular and the tip sharp, so that one can drain heat and issue blood, and stubborn illness is exhausted. The fifth is the tones. The tones are the division of winter and summer, divided at zi and wu; yin and yang part; cold and heat contend; two qi beat together and join as swelling and pus. Therefore one makes a needle for it: the tip must be like a sword-edge, so that one can take great pus. The sixth is the pitches. The pitches attune yin and yang and the four seasons and join the twelve channel vessels. Vacant pathogen lodges as a guest in the channels and networks and becomes sudden impediment. Therefore one makes a needle for it: the point must be like a yak-hair, both round and keen, the mid-body slightly large, so as to take sudden qi. The seventh is the stars. The stars are the person's seven orifices. Pathogen lodges as a guest in the channels and becomes painful impediment, dwelling in the channels and networks. Therefore one makes a needle for it: the point like a mosquito's beak; quiet, go slowly; slight, stay long; correct qi relies on this; true and pathogenic both go; come out with the needle and nourish. The eighth is the winds. The winds are the eight joints of the person's thighs and arms. The vacant winds of the eight corrects, the eight winds, injure a person and lodge inwardly between the bone-seams, the lumbar spine joints, and the interstices, becoming deep impediment. Therefore one makes a needle for it: the body must be long, the tip sharp, so that one can take deep pathogen and distant impediment. The ninth is the wilds. The wilds are between the person's joint-seams and the skin. Overflowing pathogen flows and spills through the body, like the look of wind-water, and the lingering cannot pass the hinges and great joints. Therefore one makes a needle for it: the point like a rod, the edge slightly round, so as to take great qi that cannot pass the joints. The Yellow Emperor said: Do the long and short of the needles have numbers? Qi Bo said: The first is called the chisel needle. It takes its law from the cloth-needle; one and a half inches from the tip it is suddenly made keen; it is one inch and six fen long; it governs heat in the head and body. The second is called the round needle. It takes its law from the wadding-needle; the body is tubular and the edge is egg-shaped; it is one inch and six fen long; it governs treating qi among the divisions of the flesh. The third is called the spoon needle. It takes its law from the keenness of millet; it is three inches and a half long; it governs pressing the vessel and taking qi, so that the pathogen goes out. The fourth is called the sharp needle. It takes its law from the wadding-needle; the body is tubular and the tip is sharp; it is one inch and six fen long; it governs swelling-heat and issuing blood. The fifth is called the lance needle. It takes its law from the sword-edge; it is two and a half fen wide, four inches long; it governs great swelling and pus, where two heats contend. The sixth is called the round-keen needle. It takes its law from the yak-needle; the tip is made slightly large, the body instead small, so that it can be inserted deep; it is one inch and six fen long; it governs taking swellings and impediment. The seventh is called the hair-fine needle. It takes its law from the fine hairs; it is one inch and six fen long; it governs cold and heat, pain and impediment, in the networks. The eighth is called the long needle. It takes its law from the qi-needle; it is seven inches long; it governs taking deep pathogen and distant impediment. The ninth is called the great needle. It takes its law from the sharp needle; the edge is slightly round; it is four inches long; it governs taking great qi that does not go out at the joints. The forms of the needles are complete. These are the laws of the size and the long and short of the nine needles. The Yellow Emperor said: I wish to hear how the form of the body answers the nine wilds. Qi Bo said: Let me speak of how the form of the body answers the nine wilds. The left foot answers the beginning of spring; its days are wuyin and jichou. The left flank answers the spring equinox; its day is yimao. The left hand answers the beginning of summer; its days are wuchen and jisi. The chest, throat, and head answer the summer solstice; its day is bingwu. The right hand answers the beginning of autumn; its days are wushen and jiwei. The right flank answers the autumn equinox; its day is xinyou. The right foot answers the beginning of winter; its days are wuxu and jihai. The waist, the rump, and the lower orifices answer the winter solstice; its day is renzi. The six fu, below the diaphragm, and the three zang answer the center province. Their great prohibition: the great prohibition is the days when Taiyi is in its place, and all the wu and ji days. All these nine are good for waiting where the eight corrects are, what they govern left and right, above and below. If the body has a swelling one wishes to treat, do not break and treat it on the day that faces it. These are called the taboo days of heaven. If the form is at ease and the will is bitter, illness is born in the vessels; treat it with moxa and needling. If the form is bitter and the will is at ease, illness is born in the sinews; treat it with warm iron and pulling. If the form is at ease and the will is at ease, illness is born in the flesh; treat it with needle and stone. If the form is bitter and the will is bitter, illness is born in the throat and gasping; treat it with sweet medicines. If the form is often startled and afraid, the sinews and vessels do not pass, illness is born as numbness; treat it with pressing and fermented medicines. This is called the form. The qi of the five zang: the heart governs belching; the lung governs coughing; the liver governs speech; the spleen governs swallowing; the kidney governs yawning. The qi of the six fu: the gallbladder is anger; the stomach is qi reversing and hiccup; the large and small intestines are discharge; the bladder not binding is leaking urine; overflow of the lower jiao is water. The five flavors: sour enters the liver; acrid enters the lung; bitter enters the heart; sweet enters the spleen; salty enters the kidney; bland enters the stomach. These are called the five flavors. The five joinings: if essence-qi joins the liver, there is worry; if it joins the heart, there is joy; if it joins the lung, there is worry; if it joins the kidney, there is fear; if it joins the spleen, there is dread. These are called the qi of the five jing joining the zang. The five aversions: the liver averses wind; the heart averses heat; the lung averses cold; the kidney averses dryness; the spleen averses damp. These are what the qi of the five zang averse. The five fluids: the heart governs sweat; the liver governs tears; the lung governs snivel; the kidney governs spittle; the spleen governs drool. These are where the five fluids go out. The five labors: long looking injures blood; long lying injures qi; long sitting injures flesh; long standing injures bone; long walking injures sinew. These are the illnesses of the five long labors. The five goings: sour goes to the sinews; acrid goes to qi; bitter goes to blood; salty goes to bone; sweet goes to flesh. These are called the five goings. The five restraints: if the illness is in the sinews, do not eat sour; if in qi, do not eat acrid; if in bone, do not eat salty; if in blood, do not eat bitter; if in flesh, do not eat sweet. If the mouth craves and wishes to eat them, they must not be many; one must restrain oneself. This is named the five restraints. The five issuings: yin illness issues from the bone; yang illness issues from the blood; yin illness issues from the flesh; yang illness issues in winter; yin illness issues in summer. The five pathogens: if pathogen enters yang, it is madness; if pathogen enters yin, it is blood-impediment; if pathogen enters yang and turns, it is withdrawal; if pathogen enters yin and turns, it is loss of voice. Yang entering yin: the illness is quiet. Yin going out to yang: the illness is given to anger. The five zang: the heart stores the spirit; the lung stores the po; the liver stores the hun; the spleen stores intention; the kidney stores jing and will. The five governings: the heart governs the vessels; the lung governs the skin; the liver governs the sinews; the spleen governs the muscles; the kidney governs the bones. Yangming has much blood and much qi; taiyang has much blood and little qi; shaoyang has much qi and little blood; taiyin has much blood and little qi; jueyin has much blood and little qi; shaoyin has much qi and little blood. Therefore it is said: needle yangming, issue blood and qi; needle taiyang, issue blood and beware qi; needle shaoyang, issue qi and beware blood; needle taiyin, issue blood and beware qi; needle jueyin, issue blood and beware qi; needle shaoyin, issue qi and beware blood. The foot yangming and taiyin are surface and interior; shaoyang and jueyin are surface and interior; taiyang and shaoyin are surface and interior. These are called the yin and yang of the foot. The hand yangming and taiyin are surface and interior; shaoyang and the heart-governor are surface and interior; taiyang and shaoyin are surface and interior. These are called the yin and yang of the hand.

The line

Qi Bo said: The nine needles are the great numbers of heaven and earth. They begin at one and end at nine. Therefore it is said: one takes law from heaven, two from earth, three from the person, four from the seasons, five from the tones, six from the pitches, seven from the stars, eight from the winds, nine from the wilds.

The note

The nine needles take their law from heaven, earth, the person, the seasons, the tones, the pitches, the stars, the winds, and the wilds. The shape of a needle comes from number. When number stands, the needle is no longer a wire.