黄帝问于岐伯曰。余闻九针于夫子。众多矣。不可胜数。余推而论之。以为一纪。余司诵之。子听其理。非则语余。
请正其道。令可久传。后世无患。得其人乃传。非其人勿言。岐伯稽首再拜曰。请听圣王之道。黄帝曰。用针之理。必
知形气之所在。左右上下。阴阳表里。血气多少。行之逆顺。出入之合。谋伐有过。知解结。知补虚泻实。上下气门。
明通于四海。审其所在。寒热淋露。以输异处。审于调气。明于经隧。左右肢络。尽知其会。寒与热争。能合而调之。
虚与实邻。知决而通之。左右不调。把而行之。明于逆顺。乃知可治。阴阳不奇。故知起时。审于本末。察其寒热。得
邪所在。万刺不殆。知官九针。刺道毕矣。明于五输。徐疾所在。屈伸出入。皆有条理。言阴与阳。合于五行。五脏六
腑。亦有所藏。四时八风。尽有阴阳。各得其位。合于明堂。各处色部。五脏六腑。察其所痛。左右上下。知其寒温。
何经所在。审皮肤之寒温滑涩。知其所苦。膈有上下。知其气所在。先得其道。稀而疏之。稍深以留。故能徐入之。大
热在上。推而下之。从下上者。引而去之。视前痛者。常先取之。大寒在外。留而补之。入于中者。从合泻之。针所不
为。灸之所宜。上气不足。推而扬之。下气不足。积而从之。阴阳皆虚。火自当之。厥而寒甚。骨廉陷下。寒过于膝。
下陵三里。阴络所过。得之留止。寒入于中。推而行之。经陷下者。火则当之。结络坚下。火所治之。不知所苦。两跷
之下。男阴女阳。良工所禁。针论毕矣。用针之服。必有法则。上视天光。下司八正。以辟奇邪。而观百姓。审于虚实。
无犯其邪。是得天之露。遇岁之虚。救而不胜。反受其殃。故曰必知天忌。乃言针意。法于往古。验于来今。观于窈冥。
通于无穷。粗之所不见。良工之所贵。莫知其形。若神仿佛。邪气之中人也。洒淅动形。正邪之中人也微。先见于色。
不知于其身。若有若无。若亡若存。有形无形。莫知其情。是故上工之取气。乃救其萌芽。下工守其已成。因败其形。
是故工之用针也。知气之所在。而守其门户。明于调气。补泻所在。徐疾之意。所取之处。泻必用员。切而转之。其气
乃行。疾而徐出。邪气乃出。伸而迎之。遥大其穴。气出乃疾。补必用方。外引其皮。令当其门。左引其枢。右推其肤。
微旋而徐推之。必端以正。安以静。坚心无解。欲微以留。气下而疾出之。推其皮。盖其外门。真气乃存。用针之要。
无忘其神。（此处当有岐伯赞叹数语）雷公问于黄帝曰。针论曰。得其人乃传。非其人勿言。何以知其可传。黄帝曰。各
得其人。任之其能。故能明其事。雷公曰。愿闻官能。奈何。黄帝曰。明目者。可使视色。聪耳者。可使听音。捷疾辞
语者。可使传论语。徐而安静。手巧而心审谛者。可使行针艾。理血气而调诸逆顺。察阴阳而兼诸方。缓节柔筋而心和
调者。可使导引行气。疾毒言语轻人者。可使唾痈咒病。爪苦手毒。为事善伤者。可使按积抑痹。各得其能。方乃可行。
其名乃彰。不得其人。其功不成。其师无名。故曰得其人乃言非其人勿传。此之谓也。手毒者。可使试按龟。置龟于器
下。而按其上。五十日而死矣。手甘者。复生如故也。
措词之板实。全经中无有甚于此者。而偏能运实于虚。化板为活。布局之巧。可谓妙想天开。
黄帝向岐伯问道：我从您那里听到了关于九针的知识，内容非常多，数不胜数。我推演并整理这些知识，将其归纳为“一纪”（指一个完整的理论体系或周期）。我将诵读它们，请您聆听其中的道理。如果有错误，请告诉我。
请纠正其中的正道，使其能够长久流传，让后世没有祸患。得到合适的人就传授，不是合适的人就不要说。
岐伯叩头拜了两拜说：请听圣王的道理。
黄帝说：运用针刺的道理，必须知道形体和正气所在的位置，包括左右上下、阴阳表里、血气的多少、运行的逆顺、出入的规律。要谋划攻伐有过失的地方，懂得解开结滞，懂得补虚泻实。要明了上下气门，通晓四海（指人体主要经脉汇聚处），审察其所在之处。对于寒热、淋证、露证等，通过不同的腧穴进行治疗。要审慎地调理气机，明晓经络隧道，了解左右肢络的交会之处。当寒与热相争时，能调和它们；当虚与实相邻时，能决断并疏通它们。如果左右不调和，就要把握并施行治疗。明晓逆顺关系，才知道是否可以治疗。阴阳不出现异常偏颇，就能知道疾病发作的时间。审察本末，观察寒热，得知邪气所在，即使万刺也不会危险。精通九针的功能，针刺之道就完备了。
明晓五输穴（井、荥、输、经、合）的徐疾所在，屈伸出入的规律，都有条理。谈论阴与阳，要与五行相合。五脏六腑，也各有藏纳。四时八风（四季之风及八方之风），都包含阴阳，各得其位，对应于面部的明堂部位。观察各处色部，五脏六腑，检查其疼痛所在，左右上下，了解其寒温情况，属于哪条经脉。审察皮肤的寒温滑涩，知道其所苦。膈有上下之分，知道气所在的位置。先掌握其道，稀疏而疏泄它，稍微深一点以留针，所以能缓慢进针。大热在上，向下推引以清热；病势从下向上发展的，引导其向外散去。看之前疼痛的地方，通常先取该处的穴位。大寒在外，久留针以补益；邪入于中，从合穴泻之。针不能治疗的，用灸法适宜。上气不足，向上推扬以提升；下气不足，积聚而引导它。阴阳皆虚，用火法自当应对。厥逆且寒冷严重，骨缝凹陷处，寒冷超过膝盖，取足三里穴。阴络经过的地方，邪气停留于此。寒邪入于中，推引而行。经脉陷下的，用火法应对。结络坚硬低下，是火法治疗的适应证。不知道所苦的，在两跷脉（阴跷、阳跷）之下，男子取阴侧，女子取阳侧，这是高明医生所禁忌的。针刺的理论讲完了。
使用针刺的法度，必须有法则。上观天光，下察八正（八个节气的气候变化），以避开奇邪，并观察百姓的情况，审慎虚实，不要侵犯邪气。如果是得天之露（指运气反常）、遇岁之虚（指岁运不及），救治而不能胜任，反而会遭受灾殃。所以说必须知晓天的禁忌，才能谈论针刺的意旨。效法古代，验证于未来和现在，观察幽深微妙之处，通达无穷无尽。粗工所看不见的，是良工所珍视的。不知其形，却像神一样仿佛可见。邪气伤人，使人洒淅恶寒、动摇形体。正邪伤人很轻微，先见于面色，身体尚无明显感觉，若有若无，若亡若存，有形无形，难以知其真情。所以上等医生摄取气机，是在疾病萌芽阶段进行救治；下等医生守着已成形的疾病，反而导致形体败坏。
因此，医生使用针刺，要知道气所在的位置，守住其门户。明晓调气的方法，知道补泻所在，徐疾的意义，以及所取的部位。泻法要用圆活的手法，切按并旋转针具，使气运行，快速进针而缓慢出针，邪气才能排出，伸展针体以迎击邪气，扩大针孔，使气迅速外出。补法要用方正的手法，外拉皮肤，使其对准针孔，左手牵引枢机，右手推按皮肤，微微旋转并缓慢推进。必须端正庄重，安静安心，坚定心志不懈怠。想要微留针，待气至后快速出针，推压皮肤，盖住外门，真气才能留存。用针的要领，不要忘记精神专注。（此处应当有岐伯赞叹的几句话）
雷公问黄帝说：针刺理论说，得到合适的人就传授，不是合适的人就不要说。怎么知道谁可以传授呢？
黄帝说：根据每个人的特点，任用他们的能力，所以他们能明白这些事。
雷公说：愿意听闻官能（人的特长与职能）。怎么样呢？
黄帝说：目力敏锐的人，可以让他观察面色；听力灵敏的人，可以让他听取音律；敏捷善言辞的人，可以让他传达论语（医理）；缓慢安静、手巧而心思周密的人，可以让他施行针艾；梳理血气并调节各种逆顺，观察阴阳并综合各方疗法；关节舒缓、筋脉柔和且心境平和协调的人，可以让他做导引行气；言语轻佻毒辣、轻视他人的人，可以让他用唾痈咒病（一种心理或巫术疗法）；指甲锋利、手法狠毒、做事容易伤人的，可以让他按压积聚、抑制痹症。每个人发挥他的才能，方法才能可行，名声才能彰显。得不到合适的人，功业就不能成功，老师的名声也会受损。所以说，得到合适的人就传授，不是合适的人就不传。说的就是这个意思。手劲狠毒的人，可以用来试按乌龟。把乌龟放在容器下，用手按在乌龟上面，五十天后乌龟就死了。手劲温和甘柔的人，乌龟会像原来一样复活。
这段文字措辞刻板坚实，全篇中没有比这更严重的，但却能把实写虚，化板为活，布局巧妙，可谓妙想天开。
Huangdi asked Qibo, saying: "I have heard from you about the Nine Needles. The content is vast and numerous, beyond counting. I have deduced and discussed it, considering it as one 'Ji' (a complete cycle or system of theory). I will recite it; you listen to its principles. If there are errors, please tell me. Please correct the right path, so that it may be passed down for a long time, bringing no disaster to future generations. Pass it on only when you find the right person; do not speak of it if the person is not suitable."
Qibo bowed twice with his head touching the ground and said: "Please listen to the way of the Sage King."
Huangdi said: "The principle of using needles requires knowing the location of the form and Qi, including left and right, upper and lower, yin and yang, exterior and interior, the abundance and scarcity of blood and Qi, the reverse and smooth flow, and the convergence of entry and exit. One must plan to attack where there is excess, know how to untie knots, know how to tonify deficiency and drain excess. One must understand the Qi gates above and below, clearly connect with the Four Seas (major confluences of meridians), examine their locations. For cold, heat, strangury, and dew-like syndromes, treat them via different Shu points. Be prudent in regulating Qi, clear about the meridian tunnels, and fully aware of the intersections of the left and right limb collaterals. When cold and heat contend, be able to harmonize them; when deficiency and excess are adjacent, know how to resolve and unblock them. If left and right are not harmonized, grasp the situation and apply treatment. Understanding reverse and smooth states allows one to know what is treatable. If yin and yang are not abnormal, one can know the time of onset. Examining the root and branch, observing cold and heat, and locating the pathogen ensures that ten thousand punctures will not fail. Knowing the functions of the Nine Needles completes the art of needling.
Understanding the five Shu points (Jing-Well, Ying-Spring, Shu-Stream, Jing-River, He-Sea) regarding speed and location, flexion and extension, entry and exit, all follow order. Discussing yin and yang aligns with the Five Elements. The Zang and Fu organs also have their respective stores. The eight winds of the four seasons all contain yin and yang, each occupying its proper position, corresponding to the Mingtang (face areas). Observing the color sections of the face, examining the Zang and Fu organs, checking their pain sites, and determining the cold or warmth on the left and right reveals which meridian is involved. Examine the cold, heat, slipperiness, and roughness of the skin to know their suffering. The diaphragm has upper and lower parts; know the location of the Qi. First master the method: diffuse sparsely, then penetrate slightly deeper to retain the needle, thus entering slowly. For great heat in the upper part, push downwards to disperse it. For conditions rising from below, guide them outward to dissipate. Where pain occurred previously, usually select that point first. For great cold in the exterior, retain the needle to tonify. For pathogens entering the interior, drain via the He-Sea points. Where needling is ineffective, moxibustion is appropriate. For insufficiency of Upper Qi, push upwards to raise it. For insufficiency of Lower Qi, accumulate and guide it. If both Yin and Yang are deficient, fire therapy should be used. In cases of Jue (reversal) with severe cold, where bone crevices are sunken and cold exceeds the knees, use Zusanli (ST36). Where Yin collaterals pass, pathogens may stagnate. If cold enters the interior, push and move it. If meridians are sunken, use fire therapy. If collateral networks are knotted and hard, they are treated by fire therapy. If the specific suffering is unknown, at the lower aspects of the two Qiao vessels (Yin and Yang Qiao), males use the Yin side and females use the Yang side; this is forbidden by skilled practitioners. The discussion on needling is now concluded.
The service of using needles must have laws. Look up at the heavenly light, look down at the Eight Norms (eight seasonal climatic changes), to avoid strange pathogens, and observe the people. Examine deficiency and excess carefully; do not violate the pathogens. If one encounters heavenly anomalies or years of deficiency, and fails to cure, one may suffer misfortune oneself. Thus, it is said: one must know the Heavenly Taboos before speaking of the intent of needling. Follow the ancients, verify with the present and future, observe the profound and obscure, and connect with the infinite. What the crude practitioner cannot see is what the skilled practitioner values. Though invisible, it seems like a divine presence. When evil qi attacks humans, it causes shivering and trembling of the body. When normal evil qi attacks, it is subtle; it first appears in the complexion, without immediate bodily sensation, seeming to exist and not exist, appearing and disappearing, having form and lacking form, making its true nature hard to discern. Therefore, the superior practitioner captures the Qi and saves it at its萌芽 (sprouting/initial stage); the inferior practitioner waits until the disease is established, thereby ruining the form.
Thus, when a practitioner uses needles, they must know where the Qi is located and guard its gateways. They must be clear about regulating Qi, knowing where to tonify or drain, the meaning of slow and fast techniques, and the points selected. To drain, use a circular technique: press and rotate the needle so that Qi flows, insert quickly and withdraw slowly so that evil qi exits, extend the needle to welcome the pathogen, enlarge the aperture, and let the Qi exit rapidly. To tonify, use a square technique: pull the skin externally to align with the gate, draw the pivot with the left hand, push the skin with the right hand, rotate slightly and push slowly. Be upright and solemn, peaceful and quiet, firm-hearted and unrelenting. Desire slight retention, then after Qi arrives, withdraw quickly, push the skin, and cover the outer gate so that True Qi remains. The essence of needling lies not forgetting the Spirit. (Here there should be several words of praise from Qibo.)
Leigong asked Huangdi, saying: "The theory of needling says: 'Pass it on only when you find the right person; do not speak of it if the person is not suitable.' How do we know who is suitable to receive the transmission?"
Huangdi said: "Assign tasks according to each person's aptitude, utilizing their abilities, so that they can excel in their duties."
Leigong said: "I wish to hear about 'Guan Neng' (functions/aptitudes based on individual traits). How does it work?"
Huangdi said: "Those with keen eyesight can be made to observe colors. Those with acute hearing can be made to listen to sounds. Those who are agile and eloquent can be made to transmit teachings. Those who are calm, steady, dexterous in hands, and meticulous in mind can be made to perform acupuncture and moxibustion, regulating blood and Qi, adjusting reversals and smoothness, observing Yin and Yang, and integrating various methods. Those with flexible joints, soft sinews, and a harmonious heart can be made to practice Daoyin and Qi circulation. Those whose speech is sharp, toxic, and dismissive can be made to use spit-massage and incantations for tumors and diseases. Those with sharp nails, harsh techniques, and a tendency to cause injury in their actions can be made to press accumulations and suppress bi-syndromes. Each utilizes their ability; thus methods can be implemented, and their names become prominent. If the right person is not found, success cannot be achieved, and the teacher's reputation will suffer. Hence it is said: 'Pass it on only when you find the right person; do not transmit if the person is not suitable.' This is what is meant. A person with a 'toxic' (harsh/heavy) hand can be used to test pressing on a turtle. Place the turtle under a vessel and press on top with the hand; after fifty days, the turtle dies. A person with a 'sweet' (gentle/mild) hand will cause the turtle to revive as before."
The wording here is rigid and substantial, more so than anywhere else in the classic, yet it manages to turn substance into void and rigidity into vitality. The layout is ingenious, truly a product of heavenly inspiration.