Suwen · Further Discourse on the Channels

The text

The Yellow Emperor asked: A person's dwelling, stillness and movement, courage and timidity — does the pulse change on their account? Qi Bo replied: In any person, startle, fear, rage, labor, stillness and movement — all are change. Thus walking at night makes panting come out from the kidney; overflowing qi illnesses the lung. A fall, and fear: panting comes out from the liver; overflowing qi harms the spleen. Startle and fear: panting comes out from the lung; overflowing qi injures the heart. Crossing water and stumbling: panting comes out from the kidney and the bones. At such a time, in the courageous, qi moves and it ends; in the timid, it lodges and becomes illness. Therefore it is said: the Dao of examining illness is to observe a person's courage and timidity, bone, flesh, and skin. If one can know the condition, that is the method of examination. Thus when drink and food are very full, sweat comes out from the stomach. Startle that seizes the jing: sweat comes out from the heart. Carrying a heavy load and walking far: sweat comes out from the kidney. Running hard in fear: sweat comes out from the liver. Shaking the body in bitter labor: sweat comes out from the spleen. Thus in spring, autumn, winter, and summer — the yin and yang of the four seasons — illness is born from over-use. This is the constant. Food-qi enters the stomach; jing is scattered to the liver, and qi overflows into the sinews. Food-qi enters the stomach; turbid qi returns to the heart, and jing overflows into the vessels. Vessel-qi flows in the channels; channel-qi returns to the lung. The lung faces the hundred vessels and delivers jing to the skin and hair. Hair and vessels join their jing and set qi in motion in the fu. When the jing of the fu is spiritually bright, it remains in the four zang, and qi returns to the balance. When the balance is level, the qi-opening becomes an inch, by which death and life are decided. Drink enters the stomach; jing-qi drifts and overflows, and is delivered upward to the spleen. Spleen-qi scatters jing and returns it upward to the lung; it opens and attunes the water-roads, and delivers downward to the bladder. Water-jing is spread to the four sides; the five channels run together. This joins the four seasons, the five zang, yin and yang; measuring is taken as the constant. When the taiyang zang arrives alone, there is reversal, panting, vacuous qi going against — this is yin insufficient and yang with surplus. Exterior and interior should both be drained; take the lower shu. When the yangming zang arrives alone, this is yang-qi doubly joined. One should drain yang and fill yin; take the lower shu. When the shaoyang zang arrives alone, this is reversal-qi; the front of the shin is suddenly large. Take the lower shu. Shaoyang arriving alone is the excess of the one yang. When the taiyin zang beats, use the heart to examine the true. The qi of the five pulses is little; stomach-qi is not level — this is the three yin. It is fitting to treat the lower shu: fill yang and drain yin. The one yang crying out alone is shaoyang reversal. Yang joins above; the four pulses contend and stretch; qi returns to the kidney. It is fitting to treat the channels and collaterals: drain yang and fill yin. When the one yin arrives, this is the government of jueyin. True vacuity and pain in the heart; reversal-qi lingers and presses; it issues as white sweat. Attune the food and harmonize the medicines; treatment is at the lower shu. The Emperor said: What image has the taiyang zang? Qi Bo said: It takes the image of the three yang, and is floating. The Emperor said: What image has the shaoyang zang? Qi Bo said: It takes the image of the one yang. The one-yang zang is slippery and not replete. The Emperor said: What image has the yangming zang? Qi Bo said: It takes the image of the greatly floating. The taiyin zang beats — this speaks of hidden drumming. When the two yin beat and arrive, the kidney is sunken and does not float.

The line

Food-qi enters the stomach; jing is scattered to the liver, and qi overflows into the sinews.

The note

Dwelling, stillness and movement — the pulse changes with them. Food-qi enters the stomach; turbid qi returns to the heart. This further discourse on the channels first tells how qi walks from one mouthful of grain into the blood of a whole body.