所谓易陈者。易言也。难入者。难着于人也。粗守形者。守刺法也。上守神者。守人之血气有余不足可补泻也。神
客者。正邪其会也。神者正气也。客者邪气也。在门者。邪循正气之所出入也。未睹其疾者。先知邪正何经之疾也。恶
知其原者。先知何经之病。所取之处也。刺之微在数迟者。徐疾之意也。粗守关者。守四肢而不知血气正邪之往来也。
上守机者。知守气也。机之动不离其空中者。知气之虚实。用针之徐疾也。空中之机清净以微者。针以得气。密意守气
勿失也。其来不可逢者。气盛不可补也。其往不可追者。气虚不可泻也。不可挂以发者。言气易失也。扣之不发者。言
不知补泻之意也。血气已尽。而气不下也。知其往来者。知气之逆顺盛虚也。要与之期者。知气之可取之时也。粗之
者。冥冥不知气之微密也。妙哉工独有之者。尽知针意也。往者为逆者。言气之虚而小。小者逆也。来者为顺者。言形
气之平。平者顺也。明知逆顺正行无问者。言知所取之处也。迎而夺之者。泻也。追而济之者。补也。所谓虚则实之者。
气口虚而当补之也。满则泄之者。气口盛而当泻之也。宛陈则除之者。去血脉也。邪胜则虚之者。言诸经有盛者。皆泻
其邪也。徐而疾则实者。言徐内而疾出也。疾而徐则虚者。言疾内而徐出也。言实与虚若有若无者。言实者有气。虚者
无气也。察后与先若亡若存者。言气之虚实。补泻之先后也。察其气之已下与常存也。为虚与实若得若失者。言补则
然若有得也。泻则恍然若有失也。夫气之在脉也。邪气在上者。言邪气之中人也高故邪气在上也。浊气在中者。言水谷
皆入于胃。其精气上注于肺。浊溜于肠胃。言寒温不适。饮食不节。而病生于肠胃。故命曰。浊气在中也。清气在下者。
言清湿地气之中人也。必从足始。故曰。清气在下也。针陷脉则邪气出者。起之上。（谓起其陷而使之上也又疑上当作止
谓起之即止无或过也又终始篇有取之上之文谓正取其陷脉之上也三说难定俟高明正之）针中脉则邪气出者。取之阳明合
也。针大深则邪气反沉者。言浅浮之病。不欲深刺也。深则邪气从之入。故曰反沉也。皮肉筋脉各有所处者。言经络各
有所主也。取五脉者死。言病在中。气不足。但用针尽大泻其诸阴之脉也。取三阳之脉者。唯言尽泻三阳之气。令病患
然不复也。夺阴者死。言取尺之五里。五往者也。夺阳者狂。正言也。（正字疑当作狂）睹其色。察其目。知其散复。
一其形。听其动静者。言上工知相五色于目。有知调尺寸小大缓急滑涩。以言所病也。知其邪正者。知论虚邪与正邪之
风也。右主推之。左持而御之者。言持针而出入也。气至而去之者。言补泻气调而去之也。调气在于终始一者。持心也。
节之交三百六十五会者。络脉之渗灌诸节者也。所谓五脏之气。已绝于内者。脉口气内绝。不至反取其外之病处。与阳
经之合。有留针以致阳气。阳气至则内重竭。重竭则死矣。其死也无气以动。故静。所谓五脏之气。已绝于外者。脉口
气外绝不至反取其四末之输。有留针以致其阴气。阴气至则阳气反入。入则逆。逆则死矣。其死也。阴气有余故躁。所
以察其目者。五脏使五色循明。（循即修字）循明则声章。声章者则言。声与平生异也。（此句文义与六节藏象论不同）
诠释之中夹以议论。笔仗坚峭朴浓尔雅尚难抗行。世必谓秦汉诸子为之。试取吕氏春秋淮南子诸篇及郑孔注疏读之。
岂能望其肩背。此篇释九针十二原之义也可见古人口诵心维服膺不舍之意。
所谓“易陈”，意思是容易陈述。所谓“难入”，意思是难以被普通人领会。
粗工（技术低劣的医生）只拘守于形体表象，即只懂得固定的针刺技法；上工（高明的医生）则守护神气，即观察人体血气的有余或不足，从而决定采用补法或泻法。
“神”与“客”相遇，是指正气与邪气相争的状态。“神”指的是正气，“客”指的是邪气。邪气在门户处，是指邪气沿着正气出入的路径进入。
尚未诊察出具体疾病时，首先要预先知道是邪正之气在哪条经脉发生了病变。想要知道疾病的根源，就要预先知道是哪条经脉患病，以及应当选取哪个穴位进行治疗。
粗工只拘守四肢关节部位，而不知道血气中正邪之气的往来变化；上工则守护经气运行的机枢，即懂得调控经气。经气在腧穴中的变动不离于中空之处，这是为了知晓经气的虚实，从而决定用针的徐疾。
腧穴中经气的变动清净而细微，是因为针刺已经得气，必须细心守气，不要使其流失。
当经气来盛时不可用迎而夺之的泻法，因为此时气盛，不宜再补（注：此处原文逻辑需结合上下文，通常“其来不可逢”指气盛不可用补，或指逆其势而刺，但后文解释为“气盛不可补也”，故译为不可补）。当经气已去时不可用追而济之的补法，因为此时气虚，不宜再泻（注：同上，原文解释为“气虚不可泻也”）。
针刺时毫发之差都不能挂漏，是说经气很容易流失。叩击针柄而不发针，是说不懂得补泻的意旨。如果血气已尽，而经气仍不下行，也是失误。
知道经气的往来，是了解经气的逆顺、盛衰和虚实。要把握治疗的时机，是了解经气可取之时。
粗工之所以粗疏，是因为在冥冥之中不知经气的微妙和严密。技艺高超的工匠独自掌握其中的奥妙，是因为完全通晓针刺的意旨。
经气往者为逆，是说经气虚弱且微小，微小即为逆证。经气来者为顺，是说形气平和，平和即为顺证。
明知逆顺并正确施行，无需多问，是说知道应当选取的穴位。
所谓“虚则实之”，是说脉口虚弱就应当用补法。所谓“满则泄之”，是说脉口盛实就应当用泻法。所谓“宛陈则除之”，是去除血脉中的瘀血。所谓“邪胜则虚之”，是说各条经脉如果有邪气盛实的情况，都要用泻法祛除邪气。
“徐而疾则实”，是说缓慢进针、快速出针，可使虚证转为实证（补法）。“疾而徐则虚”，是说快速进针、缓慢出针，可使实证转为虚证（泻法）。
说“实”与“虚”的感觉若有若无，是说实证患者有气感，虚证患者无气感。
观察先后次序，感觉若亡若存，是说根据经气的虚实，决定补泻的先后顺序，并观察经气是否下行或常存。
治疗虚证和实证，感觉若得若失，是说补法之后，患者感觉好像有所获得；泻法之后，患者感觉好像有所失去。
至于经气在脉中的运行，邪气在上部的，是说邪气侵犯人体位置较高，所以邪气在上。浊气在中间的，是说水谷都进入胃中，其精微之气上注于肺，浑浊之气留滞于肠胃。如果寒温不适、饮食不节，就会病生于肠胃，所以称为浊气在中。清气在下部的，是说清湿地气侵犯人体，必定从足部开始，所以称为清气在下。
针刺陷脉以排出邪气，是指提起下陷的皮肤使其向上（也有说法认为是停止针刺或取陷脉之上，三种说法难以确定，等待高明之士校正）。针刺中脉以排出邪气，是取阳明经的合穴。
针刺过深导致邪气反而内陷，是说浅表浮散的病症，不希望深刺。如果深刺，邪气就会随之深入，所以称为反沉。
皮、肉、筋、脉各有所属的部位，是说经络各有其主治范围。
如果取五脉（五脏之脉），会导致死亡，是说病在中焦，气不足，却只用针大量泻诸阴经之脉。如果取三阳之脉，只会导致三阳之气被完全泻尽，使病人萎靡不振、精神恍惚不再恢复。
夺阴气者死，是说取尺泽穴的五里穴，连续五次泻刺。夺阳气者狂，这是正确的说法（“正”字疑当作“狂”）。
观察患者的面色，审视其眼睛，可以知道神气的离散或恢复。统一观察其形体，倾听其动静，是说上工能从目色中辨别五色，并能通过寸口脉的大小、缓急、滑涩来判断病情。
知道邪正之气，是指能论述虚邪之风与正邪之风的区别。
右手推针向前，左手扶持控制，是说持针进出操作。
经气至而拔针，是说补泻得当、经气调和后拔针。调气的关键在于始终如一的心态，即持守心神。
周身三百六十五个节之交会，是络脉渗灌气血的地方。
所谓“五脏之气已绝于内”，是指脉口的经气在内侧断绝，不能到达体表。如果反而去取外部的病处，并与阳经的合穴进行留针以引致阳气，那么阳气到来时，内部的阴气就会再次枯竭。再次枯竭就会死亡。死亡时因为没有气来推动，所以表现为安静。
所谓“五脏之气已绝于外”，是指脉口的经气在外侧断绝，不能到达体内。如果反而去取四肢末端的输穴，并留针以引致阴气，那么阴气到来时，阳气反而会内入。阳气内入则逆乱，逆乱就会死亡。死亡时因为阴气有余，所以表现为躁动。
之所以观察眼睛，是因为五脏的气色反映在五色上。五色循明，则声音彰显。声音彰显，则言语与平素不同。
这段文字在诠释中夹杂着议论，笔力坚峭朴素浓郁，雅致尚难与古人抗衡。世人一定会认为这是秦汉诸子的作品。试着拿《吕氏春秋》、《淮南子》的各篇以及郑玄、孔颖达的注疏来读，怎么能望其项背呢？这一篇解释了九针十二原的意义，可见古人口诵心维、铭记不舍的心意。
The term "Yi Chen" (Easy to State) means it is easy to articulate. The term "Nan Ru" (Difficult to Enter) means it is difficult for ordinary people to comprehend.
A mediocre practitioner (Cu Gong) only adheres to physical forms, meaning they merely memorize fixed acupuncture techniques; a superior practitioner (Shang Gong) guards the Shen (Spirit/Mind), meaning they observe the excess or deficiency of the body's Blood and Qi to determine whether to apply tonification or sedation.
The meeting of "Shen" and "Ke" refers to the interaction between Zheng Qi (Upright Qi) and Xie Qi (Evil Qi). "Shen" denotes Zheng Qi, while "Ke" denotes Xie Qi. When Xie Qi is at the "gate," it means the pathogenic factors enter along the pathways where Zheng Qi enters and exits.
Before diagnosing the specific disease, one must first know which meridian is affected by the conflict between Zheng Qi and Xie Qi. To understand the origin of the disease, one must first identify which meridian is diseased and which acupoint should be selected for treatment.
The subtlety of acupuncture lies in the speed of needle manipulation, i.e., the concept of Xu (slow) and Ji (fast).
Mediocre practitioners only guard the joints of the four limbs, unaware of the movement of Zheng and Xie Qi within the Blood and Qi channels; superior practitioners guard the "Ji" (mechanism/trigger point of Qi), meaning they know how to regulate the flow of Qi. The movement of Qi does not depart from the hollow center of the acupoint; this allows one to perceive the deficiency or excess of Qi and decide on the speed of needle insertion and withdrawal.
The movement of Qi in the hollow center is pure and subtle because the De Qi (arrival of Qi) has been achieved; one must carefully guard the Qi and not let it dissipate.
When Qi arrives and is abundant, one should not use the method of "Feng" (meeting/to intercept); as stated, when Qi is abundant, tonification should not be used. When Qi has departed and is deficient, one should not use the method of "Zhui" (pursuing); as stated, when Qi is deficient, sedation should not be used.
Not even a hair's breadth can be missed; this emphasizes that Qi is easily lost. Tapping the needle handle without inserting it indicates a lack of understanding of the principles of tonification and sedation. If Blood and Qi are exhausted but Qi does not descend, it is also a failure.
Knowing the coming and going of Qi means understanding its direction (Ni/Shun), abundance, and deficiency. Grasping the timing for treatment means knowing the appropriate moment when Qi is accessible.
The mediocrity of inferior practitioners lies in their ignorance of the subtle and intricate nature of Qi in the unseen realm. The unique skill of the master lies in their complete mastery of the intent of acupuncture.
Qi moving away is considered "Ni" (Reverse); this indicates Qi is deficient and minute, and minuteness constitutes a reverse condition. Qi arriving is considered "Shun" (Smooth); this indicates balanced Form and Qi, and balance constitutes a smooth condition.
Clearly knowing the reverse and smooth conditions and acting correctly requires no further questioning; this means knowing which points to select.
"Ying Er Duo Zhi" (Meeting and Depriving) is the Sedation method; "Zhui Er Ji Zhi" (Pursuing and Assisting) is the Tonification method.
"To make Empty Real" (Xu Ze Shi Zhi) means that if the pulse at the Cun Kou (Radial Artery) is weak, one should apply tonification. "To Drain Fullness" (Man Ze Xie Zhi) means that if the pulse at the Cun Kou is excessive, one should apply sedation. "To Remove Stagnation and Stasis" (Wan Chen Ze Chu Zhi) means to remove blood stasis from the vessels. "To Defeat Excess Evil" (Xie Sheng Ze Xu Zhi) means that if any meridian has an excess of evil, one should sedate to drain the pathogen.
"Slow Insertion and Fast Withdrawal makes Real" (Xu Er Ji Ze Shi) refers to slowly inserting and quickly withdrawing the needle, which tonifies (makes real). "Fast Insertion and Slow Withdrawal makes Empty" (Ji Er Xu Ze Xu) refers to quickly inserting and slowly withdrawing the needle, which sedates (makes empty).
Saying that the sensation of "Real" and "Empty" seems to exist and not exist means that patients with a Real condition feel the presence of Qi, while those with an Empty condition do not.
Observing the sequence of prior and subsequent actions, feeling as if something is lost or retained, refers to determining the order of tonification and sedation based on the deficiency or excess of Qi, and observing whether Qi descends or remains constant.
Treating Empty and Real conditions, feeling as if gaining or losing, means that after tonification, the patient feels as though they have gained something; after sedation, the patient feels as though they have lost something.
Regarding the movement of Qi in the meridians: Pathogenic factors located in the Upper part indicate that pathogens invade high positions, hence the pathology is in the upper body. Turbid Qi located in the Middle part indicates that food and drink enter the Stomach; their essence ascends to the Lung, while turbid residues remain in the Intestines and Stomach. If there is improper exposure to cold or heat, or irregular diet, diseases arise in the Intestines and Stomach, hence it is called Turbid Qi in the Middle. Clear Qi located in the Lower part indicates invasion by damp and cold earthy pathogens, which necessarily begins from the feet, hence it is called Clear Qi in the Lower.
Needling the "Xian Mai" (Sunken Meridpoints) to expel evil implies lifting sunken skin upward (Note: There are conflicting interpretations regarding stopping needling or targeting above the sunken point; these three views are hard to resolve and await correction by experts). Needling the "Zhong Mai" (Central Meridians) to expel evil involves selecting the He-Sea points of the Yangming Meridian.
Needling too deeply causing the evil to sink back inward means that for superficial and floating diseases, deep needling is undesirable. Deep needling causes the pathogen to follow the needle inward, hence it is called "reverse sinking."
Skin, flesh, tendons, and vessels each have their specific locations, meaning each meridian has its specific domain of governance.
Taking the Five Pulses (of the Five Zang organs) leads to death; this describes a case where the disease is internal and Qi is insufficient, yet the practitioner excessively sedates all Yin meridians. Taking the Three Yang Pulses results only in the complete depletion of San Yang Qi, leaving the patient listless and unresponsive.
Depriving Yin Qi leads to death, specifically referring to five successive sedations at the Wuli (LI33) point on the Chi (Cubital fossa) area. Depriving Yang Qi leads to mania (Note: The character "Zheng" [Correct] is suspected to be a typo for "Kuang" [Mania]).
Observing the complexion and examining the eyes allows one to know if the Shen (Spirit) is scattered or restored. Unifying observation of the form and listening to movements means that a superior practitioner discerns the Five Colors in the eyes and adjusts the Cun Kou pulse characteristics (size, rate, tension, slipperiness, roughness) to diagnose the disease.
Knowing the Evil and Upright Qi means being able to discuss the differences between False Evil winds and True Evil winds.
Pushing the needle forward with the right hand while holding and controlling with the left hand refers to the manipulation of needle insertion and withdrawal.
Removing the needle when Qi arrives means withdrawing after the tonification or sedation has regulated the Qi. Regulating Qi depends on maintaining a consistent mental state throughout the process (Zhong Shi Yi).
The intersections of the joints, totaling 365, are the sites where collateral vessels permeate and irrigate various segments.
The phrase "The Qi of the Five Zang Organs is already exhausted internally" refers to the interruption of Qi at the Cun Kou pulse on the interior side, failing to reach the exterior. If one instead treats external disease sites and retains needles at the He-Sea points of Yang meridians to draw out Yang Qi, the arrival of Yang Qi will cause a second exhaustion of internal Yin Qi. Second exhaustion leads to death. Death occurs due to the lack of Qi to move, resulting in stillness.
The phrase "The Qi of the Five Zang Organs is already exhausted externally" refers to the interruption of Qi at the Cun Kou pulse on the exterior side, failing to reach the interior. If one instead treats the Shu points of the four extremities and retains needles to draw out Yin Qi, the arrival of Yin Qi will cause Yang Qi to retreat inward. Inward retreat leads to reversal, and reversal leads to death. Death occurs due to excess Yin Qi, resulting in restlessness.
The reason for observing the eyes is that the Qi of the Five Zang manifests in the Five Colors. When the colors are clear and bright, the voice becomes resonant. A resonant voice indicates speech different from one's normal state.
This text mixes interpretation with commentary. Its style is firm, austere, simple, and elegant, yet it may still struggle to rival the ancients. People might assume it was written by the philosophers of the Qin and Han dynasties. However, comparing it with chapters from *Lüshi Chunqiu*, *Huainanzi*, and the commentaries of Zheng Xuan and Kong Yingda, one cannot hope to match their shoulders and backs. This chapter explains the meaning of the Nine Needles and the Twelve Original Points, revealing the ancient practice of reciting aloud, comprehending mentally, and holding firmly in mind without letting go.