Suwen · Explaining the Pulse

The text

What Taiyang calls swelling and pain of the lumbar region and the buttocks: the first month, Taiyang is yin; yin is Taiyang. In the first month yang qi comes out above, yet yin qi is still full; yang has not yet gotten its own place. Thus there is swelling and pain of the lumbar region and the buttocks. Illness of one-sided vacuity becoming lameness: in the first month yang qi thaws, and earth qi comes out. What is called one-sided vacuity: in the cold of winter there is rather an insufficiency. Thus one-sided vacuity becomes lameness. What is called stiffness above pulling the back: yang qi rises greatly and contends; thus there is stiffness above. What is called ringing in the ears: yang qi and the ten thousand things are full above and leap; thus the ears ring. What is called, in the extreme, mania and illness of the summit: yang is all above, and yin qi follows below; below vacuous, above replete; thus mania and illness of the summit. What is called floating becoming deafness: it is all in the qi. What is called entering the center becoming loss of voice: yang, having been full, has already declined; thus there is loss of voice. Inwardly seized, then reversal: it becomes mute and lame. This is kidney vacuity. When the Shaoyin does not arrive, it is reversal. What Shaoyang calls pain in the heart and flanks: it means Shaoyang is full. What is full is the outer face of the heart. In the ninth month yang qi is exhausted and yin qi is full; thus there is pain in the heart and flanks. What is called unable to turn from side to side: yin qi is storing things. When things are stored they do not move; thus one cannot turn from side to side. What is called, in the extreme, leaping: in the ninth month the ten thousand things are all in decline; grasses and trees have finished falling and drop. Then qi leaves yang and goes to yin. Qi is full and grows below yang; thus it is called leaping. What Yangming calls a sprinkling, shaking cold: Yangming is wu. The fifth month is the yin of full yang. Yang is full and yin qi is added to it; thus there is a sprinkling, shaking cold. What is called the shin swelling and the thigh not gathering: this is the yin of full yang in the fifth month. Yang declines in the fifth month, and the first yin qi rises and begins to contend with yang; thus the shin swells and the thigh does not gather. What is called panting above and becoming water: yin qi goes down and then rises again; rising, what is irregular lodges between the zang and the fu; thus it becomes water. What is called chest pain and little qi: water-qi is in the zang and fu. Water is yin qi. Yin qi is in the center; thus the chest hurts and there is little qi. What is called, in the extreme, reversal, aversion to people and to fire, and hearing the sound of wood one startles in alarm: yang qi and yin qi clash; water and fire hate each other; thus one startles in alarm. What is called wanting to shut the doors and windows and dwell alone: yin and yang clash. Yang is exhausted and yin is full; thus one wants to shut the doors and windows and dwell alone. What is called, when the illness arrives, wanting to climb high and sing, to throw off the clothes and run: yin and yang contend again, and outwardly they join in yang; thus one is made to throw off the clothes and run. What is called visiting the grandson vessels, then headache, sniveling, and a swollen abdomen: Yangming joins above. What is above is then its grandson collaterals and the Taiyin; thus headache, sniveling, and a swollen abdomen. What Taiyin calls an illness of distention: Taiyin is zi. In the eleventh month the qi of the ten thousand things is all stored in the center; thus it is called an illness of distention. What is called rising to the heart and becoming a belch: yin is full and rises to the Yangming; the Yangming network belongs to the heart; thus it is said, rising to the heart, it becomes a belch. What is called eating and then vomiting: things are full to overflowing and spill upward; thus there is vomiting. What is called, after passing stool and qi, feeling eased as if it had declined: in the twelfth month yin qi declines below, and yang qi is about to come out; thus it is said, after passing stool and qi, one feels eased as if it had declined. What Shaoyin calls lumbar pain: Shaoyin is the kidney. In the tenth month the yang qi of the ten thousand things is all wounded; thus there is lumbar pain. What is called vomiting, cough, qi rising, panting: yin qi is below, yang qi is above; all yang qi floats and has nothing to lean on and follow; thus vomiting, cough, qi rising, panting. What is called faded, unable to stand long; after sitting long, on rising the eyes are dazzled and see nothing: the yin and yang of the ten thousand things are not yet settled, not yet with a master. Autumn qi has just arrived; a light frost has just fallen, and it is just then killing the ten thousand things. Yin and yang are seized within; thus the eyes are dazzled and see nothing. What is called little qi, given to anger: yang qi is not governing. When yang qi is not governing, yang qi cannot come out. Liver qi ought to govern and has not yet gotten to; thus one is given to anger. Being given to anger is called seething reversal. What is called fear as if someone were about to seize one: autumn qi, the ten thousand things have not yet all departed; yin qi is little, yang qi enters; yin and yang clash; thus there is fear. What is called aversion to the smell of food: the stomach has no qi; thus one hates the smell of food. What is called the face black as the color of earth: autumn qi seizes within; thus the color changes. What is called coughing and then there is blood: the yang vessel is wounded. Yang qi is not yet full above and the vessel is full; when full there is cough; thus blood is seen at the nose. What Jueyin calls mounting swelling, and in women swelling of the lesser abdomen: Jueyin is chen. The third month is the yin within yang; what is irregular is in the center. Thus it is called mounting swelling and swelling of the lesser abdomen. What is called pain of the lumbar region and spine, unable to bow or look up: in the third month there is one stirring, and the ten thousand things flourish; one bows and does not look up. What is called mounting dribbling and skin distention: it means yin is also full and the vessels swell and are not open. Thus it is called mounting dribbling. What is called, in the extreme, a dry throat and heat in the center: yin and yang clash and there is heat; thus the throat is dry.

The line

What Taiyang calls swelling and pain of the lumbar region and the buttocks: the first month, Taiyang is yin; yin is Taiyang. In the first month yang qi comes out above, yet yin qi is still full; yang has not yet gotten its own place. Thus there is swelling and pain of the lumbar region and the buttocks.

The note

Explaining the Pulse puts the suffering of the twelve channels back into the twelve months. Yin and mao are not divination; they are the order in which yang qi comes out of the earth. The pulse has a year of its own.