Suwen · The Great Discourse on Changes at the Meeting of Qi

The text

The Yellow Emperor asked: The five movements govern in turn, answering heaven's periods above. Yin and yang go and return; cold and heat meet and follow. The true and the stray press against each other; inner and outer come apart. The six channels surge; the five qi tilt and shift. Excess and falling short, exclusive domination and annexation — I wish to hear their beginning, and that they have constant names. May this be heard? Qi Bo bowed his head, bowed again, and answered: How clear a question this is; this is the bright Dao. The High Thearch held it dear; the former teachers transmitted it. Though I am not quick, I once heard its aim. The Emperor said: I have heard: to obtain the right person and not teach is called losing the Dao; to transmit it to the wrong person is to leak heaven's treasure lightly. My virtue is truly thin; it is not enough to receive the utmost Dao. Yet the many sons grieve that it will not be completed. I wish you to keep it for the endless, let it flow toward the boundless. I will take charge of the matter and act by its pattern. How? Qi Bo said: Please let me speak it through. The Upper Classic says: One who has the Dao knows the pattern of heaven above, the pattern of earth below, and the affairs of persons in the middle, and so can last long. This is what it means. The Emperor said: What does this mean? Qi Bo said: The root is qi; it is place. What is placed in heaven is the pattern of heaven. What is placed on earth is the pattern of earth. What penetrates the changes of a person's qi is the affairs of persons. Therefore excess is ahead of heaven; falling short is behind heaven. This is what is called government and transformation, and the person answers it. The Emperor said: In the transformations of the five movements, what of excess? Qi Bo said: In a year when wood goes too far, wind qi travels abroad, and spleen-soil receives the stray. The people fall ill with undigested sloppy stool and lessened food, heavy body and troubled oppression, rumbling intestines and a belly stretched full — answering the Year Star above. When it is severe: sudden anger, dim spinning and illness at the crown. Transforming qi does not govern; birth-qi governs alone. Clouds and things fly and move; grasses and trees are not at rest; when it is worse they shake and fall. Instead there is pain in the flanks and heavy vomiting. When Chongyang is cut off, they die, and it cannot be set right — answering the Great White Star above. In a year when fire goes too far, blazing summer-heat travels abroad, and metal-lung receives the stray. The people fall ill with intermittent heat, little qi, cough and panting, blood overflowing and leaking in a downward rush, a dry throat and deafness, heat in the center and heat in the shoulders and back — answering the Flickering Star above. When it is severe: pain in the chest, the flanks stretched full and aching; pain between the breast, the back, and the shoulder-blades; pain on the inner arms; the body hot, the bones aching, and spreading sores arise. Gathering qi does not travel; growing qi is bright alone. Rainwater, frost, and cold — answering the Chronogram Star above. When Shaoyin or Shaoyang arrives above: fire burns and wearies; springs dry; things scorch and wither. Illness turns to wild speech and frantic leaping; cough and panting with a whistling breath; below, blood overflows and leaks without cease. When Taiyuan is cut off, they die, and it cannot be set right — answering the Flickering Star above. In a year when soil goes too far, rain and dampness travel abroad, and kidney-water receives the stray. The people fall ill with belly pain, cold reversal and a mind that takes no pleasure, heavy body and troubled oppression — answering the Garrison Star above. When it is severe: the flesh wastes; the feet wilt and will not gather; walking brings spasms; pain under the feet; drinks start, the center fills, food lessens; the four limbs will not lift. When change is born and finds its place, zang-qi hides; transforming qi governs alone. Springs gush, rivers overflow; dry marshes give birth to fish; wind and rain arrive in force; earth collapses; scaled creatures appear on land. Illness: a full belly, thin stool, rumbling intestines. If instead the downward rush is severe and Taixi is cut off, they die, and it cannot be set right — answering the Year Star above. In a year when metal goes too far, dry qi travels abroad, and liver-wood receives the stray. The people fall ill with pain under both flanks and in the lower belly; red, aching eyes, sores at the canthi, and ears that hear nothing. When the bleak kill is severe: heavy body and troubled oppression; chest pain drawing the back; both flanks full and aching, drawing the lower belly — answering the Great White Star above. When it is severe: panting, cough, and qi going against; pain in the shoulders and back; the sacrum, the private parts, the thighs, the knees, the hips, the calves, the shins, and the feet all ill — answering the Flickering Star above. Gathering qi is steep; birth-qi is below. Grasses and trees draw in; dark-green things dry and drop. Illness turns to sudden pain; the sides and flanks will not let one turn. Cough against the grain is severe and blood overflows. When Taichong is cut off, they die, and it cannot be set right — answering the Great White Star above. In a year when water goes too far, cold qi travels abroad, and the stray harms heart-fire. The people fall ill with a hot body, a troubled heart, restlessness and pounding; yin reversal, cold above, below, and in the center; wild speech and heart pain. Cold qi arrives early — answering the Chronogram Star above. When it is severe: a large belly and swollen shins; panting, cough, soaking sweat, and hatred of wind. Great rain arrives; dust and fog hang thick — answering the Garrison Star above. When Taiyang arrives above: rain, ice, snow, and frost fall out of season; damp qi changes things. Illness turns to a full belly, rumbling intestines, thin stool; food not transforming; thirst and wild dimness. When Shenmen is cut off, they die, and it cannot be set right — answering the Flickering Star and the Chronogram Star above. The Emperor said: Good. And falling short? Qi Bo said: How thorough a question this is. In a year when wood falls short, dryness then travels in force. Birth-qi misses its answer; grasses and trees are late to flourish. When the bleak kill is severe, hard wood splits and clings, all wilted, dark-green and dry — answering the Great White Star above. The people fall ill with cold in the center, pain in the sides and flanks and in the lower belly, rumbling intestines and thin stool. Cool rain arrives in season — answering the Great White Star above; its grain is dark-green. When Yangming arrives above, birth-qi loses its government; grasses and trees flourish a second time; transforming qi then hurries — answering the Great White Star and the Garrison Star above; what it governs is dark-green and early. In the return: blazing summer-heat and flowing fire; the damp nature turns dry; soft and brittle grasses and trees scorch and wither; the lower body is born again; flower and fruit transform together. Illness: cold and heat, sores, prickly heat, swellings, and clots — answering the Flickering Star and the Great White; its grain is white and hard. White dew falls early; gathering and killing qi travel; cold rain harms things; insects eat the sweet and yellow. Spleen-soil receives the stray; red qi transforms late; heart-qi governs late. What is above prevails over lung-metal; white qi then yields; the grain does not complete. Cough and a blocked nose — answering the Flickering Star and the Great White Star above. In a year when fire falls short, cold then travels in force. The government of growth is not used; things flourish and then congeal below. When the bleakness is severe, yang qi does not transform, and glory and beauty are snapped — answering the Chronogram Star above. The people fall ill with pain in the chest, the flanks stretched full, pain in both flanks; pain between the breast, the back, and the shoulder-blades, and on the inner arms; oppressed dimness and a clouded mind; heart pain and sudden loss of voice; the chest and belly large, the flanks below drawing the low back and spine in pain. When it is severe: bent and unable to stretch; the hips as if parted — answering the Flickering Star and the Chronogram Star above; its grain is cinnabar. In the return: dust hangs thick and great rain is about to arrive; black qi is then shamed. Illness: duck-thin stool and a full belly; food and drink will not go down; cold in the center, rumbling intestines; rushing leakage and belly pain; sudden spasm, wilting, and impediment; the feet will not bear the body — answering the Garrison Star and the Chronogram Star above; the dark grain does not complete. In a year when soil falls short, wind then travels in force. Transforming qi does not command; grasses and trees are lush and glorious. When the blowing is severe, they ear but do not set fruit — answering the Year Star above. The people fall ill with undigested sloppy stool and sudden turmoil; heavy body and belly pain; sinews and bones swaying and returning; the flesh sore and aching; easy anger. Zang-qi takes up its work; hibernating creatures attach themselves early; all fall ill with cold in the center — answering the Year Star and the Garrison Star above; its grain is yellow. In the return: the government of gathering is harsh and steep; famous trees turn dark-green and wither. Sudden pain in the chest and flanks, drawing down to the lower belly, with frequent great sighs. Insects eat the sweet and yellow; qi is a guest in the spleen; the yellow grain then lessens. The people eat little and lose the taste; the dark-green grain is then harmed — answering the Great White Star and the Year Star above. When Jueyin arrives above: flowing water does not freeze; hibernating creatures come forth and are seen; storing qi is not used; white then does not return — answering the Year Star above; the people then are well. In a year when metal falls short, blazing fire then travels. Birth-qi is then used; growing qi prevails alone. The many things grow lush; dryness and scorching travel — answering the Flickering Star above. The people fall ill with heavy, dim shoulders and back; blocked nose, sneezing, blood in the stool, and a downward rush. Gathering qi then comes late — answering the Great White Star above; its grain is hard-awned. In the return: cold rain arrives suddenly; then hail, ice, frost, and snow kill things. Yin reversal also bars yang; instead it travels upward: pain at the door of the head, spreading to the crown with heat — answering the Chronogram Star above; the cinnabar grain does not complete. The people fall ill with sores in the mouth; when it is severe, heart pain. In a year when water falls short, dampness then travels in force. Growing qi is used in reverse; its transformation then hurries; summer-heat and rain arrive often — answering the Garrison Star above. The people fall ill with a full belly and a heavy body; soggy leakage and cold sores that run water; pain arising in the waist and thighs; the hollows of the knees, the calves, the thighs, and the knees not easy; troubled oppression, wilted feet, and cold reversal; pain under the feet; when it is severe, swollen insteps. Storing qi does not gather; kidney qi is not level — answering the Chronogram Star above; its grain is black millet. When Taiyin arrives above: great cold is often raised; hibernating creatures store themselves early; the ground piles hard ice; sunlight does not govern. The people fall ill with cold below; when it is severe, a full belly and floating swellings — answering the Garrison Star above; what it governs is yellow grain. In the return: a great wind bursts forth suddenly; grasses lie flat, trees drop; birth and growth are not fresh. The face's color changes from time to time; sinews and bones split together; the flesh aches and spasms; the eyes see as if through a glare. Things crack and split; sores arise in the flesh. Qi gathers in the midriff; pain in the heart and belly. Yellow qi is then harmed; the grain does not come to harvest — answering the Year Star above. The Emperor said: Good. I wish to hear of the seasons. Qi Bo said: How thorough a question this is. When wood falls short: if spring has the transformation of singing branches and easy measure, then autumn has the government of fog, dew, and clear cool. If spring has the domination of bleak cruelty and harm, then summer has the return of blazing heat that burns and melts. Its blight is in the east; its zang is the liver; its illness lodges within in the sides and flanks, and without in the joints. When fire falls short: if summer has the transformation of clear brightness and showing light, then winter has the government of stern frost and cold. If summer has the domination of bleak freeze and bite, then out of season there is the return of dusty dark and great rain. Its blight is in the south; its zang is the heart; its illness lodges within in the breast and flanks, and without in the channels and collaterals. When soil falls short: if the four corners have the transformation of dusty cloud and moistening, then spring has the government of singing branches and breaking drums. If the four corners put forth the change of shaking, pulling, blowing, and rising, then autumn has the return of the bleak kill and long rains. Its blight is in the four corners; its zang is the spleen; its illness lodges within in the heart and belly, and without in the flesh and the four limbs. When metal falls short: if summer has the command of showing light and steaming press, then winter has the answering of hard freeze and gathered severity. If summer has the change of scorching and burning, then autumn has the return of hail, ice, frost, and snow. Its blight is in the west; its zang is the lung; its illness lodges within in the breast, flanks, shoulders, and back, and without in skin and hair. When water falls short: if the four corners have the transformation of rushing moisture and dusty cloud, then out of season there is the answering of a mild wind that gives birth and puts forth. If the four corners put forth the change of dusty dark and sudden pouring, then out of season there is the return of blowing, tossing, shaking, and pulling. Its blight is in the north; its zang is the kidney; its illness lodges within in the waist, spine, bone, and marrow, and without in the valleys of the flesh, the calves, and the knees. The government of the five movements is like a balance: what is high is pressed down; what is low is lifted; what transforms is answered; what changes is returned. This is the pattern of birth, growth, transformation, completion, gathering, and storing — the constant of qi. Lose the constant, and heaven and earth are blocked on all four sides. Therefore it is said: The stillness and motion of heaven and earth take spiritual brightness as their record; the going and return of yin and yang take cold and heat as their signs. This is what it means. The Emperor said: Your words on the changes of the five qi and the answering of the four seasons may be called thorough. But the stirring and disorder of qi — it arises where it happens to meet; it puts forth with no constant meeting; disaster joins all at once. How does one await it? Qi Bo said: The stirring and change of qi is indeed not constantly present; yet virtue, transformation, government, command, disaster, and change do not share the same signs. The Emperor said: What does this mean? Qi Bo said: The east gives birth to wind; wind gives birth to wood. Its virtue is laid-out harmony; its transformation is birth and glory; its government is easing and opening; its command is wind; its change is shaking and putting forth; its disaster is scattering and falling. The south gives birth to heat; heat gives birth to fire. Its virtue is to show and make plain; its transformation is lush growth; its government is bright shining; its command is heat; its change is to melt and dissolve; its disaster is to burn and weary. The center gives birth to dampness; dampness gives birth to soil. Its virtue is steaming moisture; its transformation is abundance made ready; its government is quiet rest; its command is dampness; its change is sudden pouring; its disaster is long rain and collapse. The west gives birth to dryness; dryness gives birth to metal. Its virtue is clean clarity; its transformation is tight gathering; its government is forceful and keen; its command is dryness; its change is the bleak kill; its disaster is dark-green falling. The north gives birth to cold; cold gives birth to water. Its virtue is bleak chill; its transformation is clear quiet; its government is frozen severity; its command is cold; its change is biting freeze; its disaster is ice, snow, frost, and hail. Therefore watch the motion: there is virtue and transformation, government and command, change and disaster. Things come from this; the person answers this. The Emperor said: You have spoken of watching the year — falling short and going too far — and of answering the five stars above. Now virtue, transformation, government, command, blight, and change are not constantly present; they stir all at once. Do the stars also change for this? Qi Bo said: They travel by receiving heaven; therefore they do not stir in vain, and there is nothing they do not answer. What stirs all at once is the change at the meeting of qi; they do not answer that. Therefore it is said: they answer the constant; they do not answer the sudden. This is what it means. The Emperor said: How do they answer? Qi Bo said: Each follows the transformation of its qi. The Emperor said: Their travel — slow or swift, against or with — what of this? Qi Bo said: To linger long upon the path, to keep station against it and grow small: this is called inspecting what is below. To leave upon the path, leave and come quickly, to bend and pass by: this is called inspecting what was left behind and passed over. To linger long and circle, now leaving, now attaching: this is called deliberating disaster and its virtue. What answers near is small; what answers far is large. When the rays are large, one times the ordinary, the transformation is severe; two times the ordinary, the blight is at hand. When they are small, one times less than the ordinary, the transformation is reduced; two times less is called looking down from close — inspecting the transgression and the virtue of what is below. Virtue brings blessing; transgression brings the axe. So when the image appears: high and far, it is small; low and near, it is large. Therefore when large, joy and anger are near; when small, disaster and blessing are far. When the year's movement goes too far, the movement-star leaps north. When movement and qi agree, each travels by the path. Therefore when the year's movement goes too far, the awe-star loses color and takes on its mother's; when it falls short, the color takes on what it does not prevail over. Those who take the likeness stare and stare, and do not know the subtlety. In the anxious fitting of it, who can tell which is good? To travel in vain without a sign — this is what makes kings and watchers afraid. The Emperor said: How do disasters answer? Qi Bo said: They also each follow their transformation. Therefore when the time arrives there is fullness and decline; in encroachment there is against and with; in lingering and keeping station there is more and less; in the form that appears there is good and ill; in the lodge they belong to there is prevailing and being prevailed over; in the signs that answer there is auspicious and inauspicious. The Emperor said: Good and ill — what is meant? Qi Bo said: There is joy and there is anger; there is sorrow and there is loss; there is moisture and there is dryness. These are the constants of the image. You must watch them carefully. The Emperor said: These six — do high and low differ? Qi Bo said: The image appears high or low; the answering is one. Therefore the person also answers it. The Emperor said: Good. Virtue, transformation, government, and command — their stillness and motion, increase and decrease — what of all this? Qi Bo said: Virtue, transformation, government, command, disaster, and change cannot add to one another. Domination and return, fullness and decline, cannot increase one another. Going and coming, small and large, cannot pass one another. In use, ascent and descent cannot be without one another. Each follows its motion and returns — that is all. The Emperor said: How does illness arise? Qi Bo said: Virtue and transformation are the auspicious of qi; government and command are the showing of qi; change and shift are the record of return; blight and disaster are the beginning of injury. When qi prevails over qi, there is harmony; when they do not prevail, there is illness. Heavily affected by the stray, and it is severe. The Emperor said: Good. This is what is called a discourse of jing and light, the work of the great sages, making the great Dao plain, penetrating the endless, searching out the boundless. I have heard: one who speaks well of heaven must answer in the person; one who speaks well of the ancient must be proven in the present; one who speaks well of qi must make it plain in things; one who speaks well of answering is one with the transformations of heaven and earth; one who speaks well of transformation and of change penetrates the pattern of spiritual brightness. If not you, who could speak the utmost Dao? Then he chose a good sign and stored it in the numinous room; he read it every dawn, and named it Changes at the Meeting of Qi. Without fasting and restraint he did not dare to open it. Transmit it with care.

The line

The Yellow Emperor asked: The five movements govern in turn, answering heaven's periods above. Yin and yang go and return; cold and heat meet and follow. The true and the stray press against each other; inner and outer come apart. The six channels surge; the five qi tilt and shift. Excess and falling short, exclusive domination and annexation — I wish to hear their beginning, and that they have constant names. May this be heard?

The note

Where qi meets, change is born. Domination and return are the going back and forth between years. Watching the meeting matters more than watching a single movement.