Lingshu · Beginning and End

The text

In all the Dao of piercing, it is completed in beginning and end. Know beginning and end clearly, and the five zang are the binding thread; yin and yang are settled. Yin governs the zang; yang governs the fu. Yang receives qi from the four extremities; yin receives qi from the five zang. Therefore those who drain meet it; those who replenish follow it. Know meeting and know following, and qi can be made attuned. The ways of attuning qi must understand yin and yang. The five zang are yin; the six fu are yang. Pass it to later ages; take blood as the covenant. Those who honor it flourish; those who slight it perish. To walk without the Dao and act for the private — one must meet an early disaster. Carefully serving the Dao of Heaven, let me speak beginning and end. Beginning and end take the channel vessels as the binding thread. Hold the pulse-opening and the man's-welcome, to know whether yin and yang have a remainder or are insufficient, whether they are level or not level — the Dao of Heaven is complete. What is called an even person is one who is not ill. Those who are not ill: the pulse-opening and the man's-welcome answer the four seasons; above and below answer one another and come and go together; the vessels of the six channels are not knotted in their movement; root and branch, cold and warmth, keep and govern one another; form, flesh, blood, and qi must match one another — this is called an even person. Those of little qi: the pulse-opening and the man's-welcome are both little and do not match the chi and the cun. Such as these: yin and yang are both insufficient. Replenish yang and yin is exhausted; drain yin and yang slips away. Such as these may be managed with sweet medicine; one cannot drink them to the utmost dose. Such as these: do not moxa. If it is not finished, and on this account one drains them, the qi of the five zang is ruined. The man's-welcome one-fold full: the illness is in foot shaoyang; one-fold full and restless: the illness is in hand shaoyang. The man's-welcome two-fold full: the illness is in foot taiyang; two-fold full and restless: the illness is in hand taiyang. The man's-welcome three-fold full: the illness is in foot yangming; three-fold full and restless: the illness is in hand yangming. The man's-welcome four-fold full, both large and rapid: this is named overflowing yang. Overflowing yang is an outer block. The pulse-opening one-fold full: the illness is in foot jueyin; jueyin one-fold full and restless: in the hand heart-governor. The pulse-opening two-fold full: the illness is in foot shaoyin; two-fold full and restless: in hand shaoyin. The pulse-opening three-fold full: the illness is in foot taiyin; three-fold full and restless: in hand taiyin. The pulse-opening four-fold full, both large and rapid: this is named overflowing yin. Overflowing yin is an inner block; if the inner block will not open — death, not put in order. If the man's-welcome and the taiyin pulse-opening are both full fourfold and above, it is named shut-and-blocked. Those of shut-and-blocked: give them the short term. The man's-welcome one-fold full: drain foot shaoyang and replenish foot jueyin — two drains and one replenishing; take it once a day; one must press and test it; take it sparsely above; when qi is attuned, stop. The man's-welcome two-fold full: drain foot taiyang, replenish foot shaoyin — two drains and one replenishing; take it once in two days; one must press and test it; take it sparsely above; when qi is attuned, stop. The man's-welcome three-fold full: drain foot yangming and replenish foot taiyin — two drains and one replenishing; take it twice a day; one must press and test it; take it sparsely above; when qi is attuned, stop. The pulse-opening one-fold full: drain foot jueyin and replenish foot shaoyang — two replenishings and one drain; take it once a day; one must press and test it; take it sparsely above; when qi is attuned, stop. The pulse-opening two-fold full: drain foot shaoyin and replenish foot taiyang — two replenishings and one drain; take it once in two days; one must press and test it; take it sparsely above; when qi is attuned, stop. The pulse-opening three-fold full: drain foot taiyin and replenish foot yangming — two replenishings and one drain; take it twice a day; one must press and test it; take it sparsely above; when qi is attuned, stop. Why take it twice a day: yangming governs the stomach, greatly rich in grain-qi — therefore one may take it twice a day. If the man's-welcome and the pulse-opening are both full threefold and above, it is named yin and yang both overflowing. Such as these: if they do not open, the blood vessels close and block; qi has nowhere to travel; it overflows in the center; the five zang are wounded within. Such as these: if on this account one moxas them, they change and become another illness. In all the Dao of piercing: when qi is attuned, stop. Replenish yin and drain yang, and the voice of qi grows more clear; ear and eye are keen. Do the reverse, and blood and qi will not travel. What is called qi arriving and there being effect: drain and vacancy increases; vacancy: the pulse is as large as before and not firm. If it is firm as before, though one happens to speak of the former state, the illness has not left. Replenish and repletion increases; repletion: the pulse is as large as before and still more firm. If it is as before and not firm, though one happens to speak of ease, the illness has not left. Therefore replenish and there is repletion; drain and there is vacancy. Though the pain does not follow the needle, the illness must decline and leave. One must first understand the illnesses to which the twelve channel vessels give birth — only then can beginning and end be passed on. Therefore yin and yang do not shift places; vacant and replete do not overturn one another — take them on their channels. In all that belongs to piercing: three piercings reach grain-qi. Crooked pathogen joins in error; yin and yang change their dwelling; against and with are reversed; sinking and floating miss their places; the four seasons are not obtained; lingering overflow — they wait on the needle and leave. Therefore one piercing and yang pathogen goes out; a second piercing and yin pathogen goes out; a third piercing and grain-qi arrives; when grain-qi arrives, stop. What is called grain-qi arriving: already replenished and there is repletion, already drained and there is vacancy — therefore one knows grain-qi has arrived. When pathogenic qi alone has left: yin and yang are not yet attuned, and one already knows the illness is healing. Therefore it is said: replenish and there is repletion; drain and there is vacancy. Though the pain does not follow the needle, the illness must decline and leave. When yin is abundant and yang declines: first replenish the yang, then drain the yin, and attune them. When yin is vacant and yang is abundant: first replenish the yin, then drain the yang, and attune them. The three vessels move between the big toes; one must examine their replete and vacant. If vacant and one drains them, this is called doubled vacancy; doubled vacancy, and the illness grows worse. In all piercing of these: press them with the finger; if the vessel moves and is replete and rapid, drain it swiftly; if vacant and slow, then replenish it. Do the reverse, and the illness grows worse. In their movement: yangming is above, jueyin is in the center, shaoyin is below. The breast-transports strike the breast; the back-transports strike the back. If the shoulder and upper arm are vacant, take them above. For a doubled tongue, pierce the tongue-pillar with the sword needle. If the hand flexes and will not extend, the illness is in the sinews. If it extends and will not flex, the illness is in the bone. In the bone, keep the bone; in the sinews, keep the sinews. To replenish: if one side is replete, take it deep, press the wound sparsely, to send pathogenic qi out to the utmost. If one side is vacant, pierce it shallow, to nourish the vessel; press the wound swiftly, and do not let pathogenic qi enter. Pathogenic qi comes tight and swift; grain-qi comes slow and attuned. If the vessel is replete, pierce it deep, to let its qi out. If the vessel is vacant, pierce it shallow, so that jing-qi cannot go out, to nourish the vessel, and let only pathogenic qi go out. In piercing the various pains, their vessels are all replete. Therefore it is said: from the waist upward, hand taiyin and yangming both govern it; from the waist downward, foot taiyin and yangming both govern it. Illness above: take it below. Illness below: take it high. Illness in the head: take it at the foot. Illness in the waist: take it at the hollow of the knee. Illness born in the head: the head is heavy. Born in the hand: the arm is heavy. Born in the foot: the foot is heavy. Those who put illness in order first pierce that from which the illness was born. Spring qi is in the hairs; summer qi is in the skin; autumn qi is in the divided flesh; winter qi is in sinew and bone. To pierce these illnesses, take each season as the measure. Therefore to pierce the fat, take the measure of autumn and winter; to pierce the thin, take the measure of spring and summer. Illness that aches is yin; pain that the hand presses and does not obtain is yin — pierce it deep. Illness above is yang. Illness below is yin. Itching is yang — pierce it shallow. Illness that first arose in yin: first put the yin in order, then put the yang in order. Illness that first arose in yang: first put the yang in order, then put the yin in order. To pierce heat-reversal: leave the needle and it turns to cold. To pierce cold-reversal: leave the needle and it turns to heat. To pierce heat-reversal: two yin and one yang. To pierce cold-reversal: two yang and one yin. What is called two yin: pierce yin twice. What is called one yang: pierce yang once. In long illness, pathogenic qi has entered deep. To pierce this illness: insert deep and leave it long; on alternate days pierce it again. One must first attune left and right, take away the blood vessels. The Dao of piercing is complete. In all the method of piercing, one must examine form and qi. If form and flesh have not slipped away, there is little qi, and the pulse is also restless — those of restlessness and reversal must be treated by crossing-piercing. Scattered qi can be gathered; gathered qi can be spread. Dwell deep and in a still place; watch the coming and going of the spirit. Close the door and stop the window; hun and po do not scatter. Set the intent on one, the spirit on one; the parting of jing and qi — do not hear a person's voice, so as to gather the jing. One must unify the spirit; let the will be in the needle. Go shallow and leave it; be faint and keep it floating, to move the spirit. When qi arrives, rest. Man inward, woman outward: hold firm and do not let it out; keep carefully and do not let it in — this is called obtaining qi. In all the forbiddings of piercing: newly entered, do not pierce; newly pierced, do not enter. Already drunk, do not pierce; already pierced, do not drink. Newly angry, do not pierce; already pierced, do not be angry. Newly labored, do not pierce; already pierced, do not labor. Already full, do not pierce; already pierced, do not fill. Already hungry, do not pierce; already pierced, do not hunger. Already thirsty, do not pierce; already pierced, do not thirst. In great startle and great fear, one must settle the qi, then pierce. Those who come by carriage: have them lie and rest for as long as a meal, then pierce. Those who come from walking out: have them sit and rest for as long as walking ten li, then pierce. In all these twelve forbiddings: the vessels are disordered, qi is scattered and against; ying and wei and channel-qi miss their order. If on this account one pierces, yang illness enters yin, yin illness goes out as yang, and pathogenic qi is born again. The coarse worker does not examine — this is called felling the body. The form overflows; then brain and marrow melt; the fluids do not transform; the five flavors slip away — this is called losing qi. The vessel of taiyang, at its end: the eyes stare upward, there is backward-bending and tugging; the color is white; the skin is cut off and then there is cutting-off sweat; cutting-off sweat, and then it is the end. The end of shaoyang: the ears are deaf; the hundred joints all slacken; the eye-tether is cut off; the eye-tether cut off — in a day and a half there is death. The death: the color is green-blue and white — then death. The end of yangming: the mouth and eyes move; a tendency to startle; wild speech; the color yellow; its channels above and below are abundant and will not travel — then it is the end. The end of shaoyin: the face is black; the teeth are long and fouled; the belly swells and closes; above and below do not communicate — then it is the end. The end of jueyin: heat in the center, the throat dry, a tendency to pass urine, the heart vexed; in the extreme the tongue rolls, the eggs shrink upward — then it is the end. The end of taiyin: the belly swells and closes; one cannot breathe. Qi belches; a tendency to vomit; vomiting, then it is against; against, then the face is red; if not against, above and below do not communicate; if above and below do not communicate, the face is black, the skin and hair are scorched — then it is the end.

The line

In all the Dao of piercing, it is completed in beginning and end.

The note

Beginning and end are one complete coming and going of yin and yang. Completed in beginning and end: the hand-method may be few; this coming and going cannot be few.