黄帝问于岐伯曰。人焉受气。阴阳焉会何气为营。何气为卫。营安从生。卫于焉会。老壮不同气。阴阳异位。愿闻
其会。（以上总冒提清全篇头绪以下浩然直往穷原竟委不必回顾提笔而自曲折赴节）岐伯答曰。人受气于谷。谷入于胃。
以传与肺。五脏六腑。皆以受气。其清者为营。浊者为卫。营在脉中。卫在脉外。营周不休。五十而复大会。阴阳相贯。
如环无端。卫气行于阴二十五度。行于阳二十五度。分为昼夜。故气至阳而起。至阴而止。故曰。日中而阳陇。为重阳。
夜半而阴陇。为重阴。故太阴主内。太阳主外。各行二十五度。分为昼夜。夜半为阴陇。夜半后而为阴衰。平旦阴尽。
而阳受气矣。日中而阳陇。日西而阳衰。日入阳尽。而阴受气矣。夜半而大会。万民皆卧。命曰合阴。平旦阴尽。而阳
受气。如是无已。与天地同纪。（以上三意一气贯注直起直住为第一节）黄帝曰。老人之不夜瞑者。何气使然。少壮之人
不昼瞑者。何气使然。岐伯答曰。壮者之气血盛。其肌肉滑气。道通营卫之行。不失其常。故昼精而夜瞑。老者之气血
衰。其肌肉枯气道涩。五脏之气相搏其营气衰少。而卫气内伐。故昼不精。夜不瞑。（以上专发少壮不同气义精词湛为第
二节亦直起直收与上节为一正一反一常一变）黄帝曰。愿闻营卫之所行。皆何道从来。岐伯答曰。营出于中焦卫出于下
焦。黄帝曰。愿闻三焦之所出。岐伯答曰。上焦出于胃上口。并咽以上。贯膈而布胸中。走腋。循太阴之分而行。还至
阳明。上至舌。下足阳明。常与营俱行于阳二十五度。行于阴亦二十五度为一周也。故五十度而复大会于手太阴矣。黄
帝曰。人有热饮食下胃。其气未定。汗则出。或出于面。或出于背。或出于身半。其不循卫气之道而出何也。岐伯曰。
此外伤于风。内开腠理。毛蒸理泄卫气走之。固不得循其道。此气 悍滑疾见开而出。故不得从其道。故命曰漏泄。（上
焦为宗气所会本节似言卫气者宗气本营卫之所令也故上半节言其常与营俱下半节又怪其不循卫道也）黄帝曰。愿闻中焦
之所出。岐伯答曰。中焦亦并胃中出上焦之后。此所受气者泌糟粕。蒸津液化其精微。上注于肺脉。乃化而为血。以奉
生身莫贵于此。故独得行于经隧。命曰营气。黄帝曰。夫血之与气。异名同类。何谓也。岐伯答曰。营卫者。精气也。
血者。神气也。故血之与气。异名同类焉。故夺血者无汗。夺汗者无血。故人生有两死。而无两生。黄帝曰。愿闻下焦
之所出。岐伯答曰。下焦者。别回肠注于膀胱。而渗入焉。故水谷者。常并居于胃中。成糟粕而俱下于大肠。而成下焦。
渗而俱下。济泌别汁。循下焦而渗入膀胱焉。黄帝曰。人饮酒。酒亦入胃。谷未熟而小便独先下。何也。岐伯答曰。酒
者。熟谷之液也。其气悍以清故后谷而入。先谷而液出焉。黄帝曰。善。余闻上焦如雾。中焦如沤下焦如渎。此之谓也。
（三节畅叙荣卫生会分三焦而又各推其变当作一节读之若分三节文气便促而弱矣）
布局则前单后双。运意则前总后分。两截似各不相顾。而实大气盘旋。真力弥满不拘于分提分应之成法。全以议论
驾驭。其闲笔力又足以副之。词旨圆润。理致深密。耐人涵泳。局阵整肃。尤有正笏垂绅之度。此篇畅发荣卫之源流正
变也。前两节合提笔数项而总叙之一正一变。后分三焦。中叙之又各一正一变也。若拘拘于分。应提笔转支节矣。
黄帝向岐伯问道：人从何处接受水谷之气？阴阳之气如何交会？什么气称为营气，什么气称为卫气？营气从哪里生成？卫气在哪里与营气会合？老年人和壮年人的气血不同，阴阳分布的位置也不同，我希望听听其中的道理。（以上总括全篇头绪，以下文势浩然直下，探究本源直至末端，不必回顾，笔法自然曲折而合乎节律）
岐伯回答说：人通过饮食接受水谷之气。食物进入胃中，由胃传输给肺，五脏六腑都由此获得水谷精微之气。其中清轻的部分化为营气，重浊的部分化为卫气。营气运行在脉管之中，卫气运行在脉管之外。营气周流全身，永不停止，每运行五十周次后重新大会于手太阴肺经。阴阳经脉相互贯通，像圆环一样没有尽头。卫气白天行于阳分二十五周次，夜晚行于阴分二十五周次，以此区分昼夜。所以卫气到达阳分时人便醒来，到达阴分时人便入睡。因此说，正午时分阳气最盛，称为重阳；半夜时分阴气最盛，称为重阴。所以太阴经主管体内（夜间），太阳经主管体表（白天），各运行二十五周次以区分昼夜。半夜时阴气最盛，半夜过后阴气开始衰退，黎明时阴气耗尽，阳气开始受气。正午时阳气最盛，日落时阳气开始衰退，太阳落山时阳气耗尽，阴气开始受气。半夜时营卫之气大会，此时百姓都在睡觉，这叫做“合阴”。黎明时阴气耗尽，阳气开始受气，如此循环往复，与天地运行的规律相同。（以上三层意思一气呵成，直起直收，为第一节）
黄帝说：老年人晚上不睡觉，是什么气导致的？年轻人白天不睡觉，又是什么气导致的？
岐伯回答说：壮年人气血旺盛，肌肉滑润，气道通畅，营卫的运行不失常态，所以白天精神饱满，晚上能安然入睡。老年人气血衰弱，肌肉枯槁，气道涩滞，五脏之气相互搏结，导致营气衰少，卫气内扰（侵犯营气）。所以白天精神不振，晚上不能安睡。（以上专门阐发少壮与老年气血不同的原理，词意精湛，为第二节，也是直起直收，与上一节构成一正一反、一常一变的关系）
岐伯回答说：上焦出于胃的上口，沿着咽喉向上，穿过膈肌，分布于胸中，走向腋下，沿着手太阴肺经的路线运行，返回至足阳明胃经，上行至舌部，下行至足阳明经。它通常与营气一起，白天行于阳分二十五周次，夜晚行于阴分二十五周次，完成一周。所以经过五十周次后，重新在手太阴肺经大会。
黄帝说：如果人吃了热食进入胃中，热气尚未完全消散，就会出汗。有的汗出在面部，有的出在背部，有的出在身体的一半，这些汗液不遵循卫气运行的常规路径而出，这是为什么呢？
岐伯回答说：这是因为外感风邪，导致腠理（毛孔）张开，体内热气蒸腾，腠理泄开，卫气随之走散，确实无法遵循其正常通道。这种卫气性质剽悍滑疾，遇到腠理开张就直接外出，所以不能从其正道而行，因此命名为“漏泄”。（上焦是宗气汇聚之处，本节似乎在谈论卫气，其实宗气本是由营卫所化生并指挥的，所以上半部分讲其常与营气俱行，下半部分又疑惑其不遵循卫气之道）
岐伯回答说：中焦也位于胃中，处于上焦之后。这里所受纳的水谷精气，分离糟粕，蒸发津液，化生精微物质，向上注入肺脉，进而转化为血液，以供养生命身体，没有什么比这更珍贵的了。所以它独自行走在经脉隧道中，被称为营气。
岐伯回答说：营气和卫气属于精气，血属于神气。所以血和气虽然名称不同，但本质同类。因此，失血的人不能再发汗，大汗淋漓的人不能再放血。所以人生中有两种情况会导致死亡（夺血复汗，或夺汗复血），而没有两种情况同时存在还能生存的道理。
岐伯回答说：下焦分别回肠，将液体渗入膀胱。所以水谷常常共同居住在胃中，消化后成为糟粕，一起下行进入大肠，形成下焦的功能状态，进一步过滤分离汁液，沿着下焦渗入膀胱。
黄帝说：人饮酒，酒也进入胃中，谷物还未完全消化，小便却单独先排出，这是为什么呢？
岐伯回答说：酒是熟谷制成的液体，它的性质剽悍且清稀，所以虽然晚于谷物进入胃中，却早于谷物转化为液体排出体外。
黄帝说：说得好。我听说上焦如雾，中焦如沤，下焦如渎，说的就是这种情况。（第三节详尽叙述营卫生会的源流及变化，分为三焦论述，又各自推演其变，应作为一节阅读，若分为三节则文气显得急促微弱）
本文布局前单后双，运思前总后分。两段看似互不相顾，实则大气盘旋，真力弥满，不拘泥于分段提领的固定格式，全凭议论驾驭。其间笔力足以支撑全文，词旨圆润，理致深密，耐人寻味。章法整肃，更有端庄持重的风度。本篇畅发营卫的源流及其正变之理。前两节合并提起数项内容总叙，一正一变；后分述三焦，中间叙述又各有一正一变。如果拘泥于分段应对提笔转支节的程式，就失去了文章的灵动。
Huangdi asked Qibo: From where does the human body receive Qi? How do Yin and Yang Qi intersect? Which Qi is called Ying (Nutrient) Qi, and which is called Wei (Defensive) Qi? From where does Ying Qi arise? Where does Wei Qi meet with Ying Qi? The Qi of the elderly and the vigorous differs; their Yin and Yang are distributed in different locations. I wish to hear about their intersection. (The above summarizes the main thread of the entire chapter; the following text flows naturally from beginning to end, exploring the origin to the conclusion, without looking back, with natural twists and turns conforming to rhythm.)
Qibo replied: Humans receive Qi from grain. Grain enters the stomach, is transmitted to the lungs, and all five zang organs and six fu organs receive Qi from it. The clear and light part becomes Ying Qi, while the turbid and heavy part becomes Wei Qi. Ying Qi circulates within the vessels, while Wei Qi circulates outside the vessels. Ying Qi circulates endlessly, completing fifty cycles before reuniting. Yin and Yang meridians interconnect like a ring without beginning or end. Wei Qi travels through the Yin aspects twenty-five times during the day and twenty-five times during the night, distinguishing day from night. Thus, when Qi reaches the Yang aspect, one awakens; when it reaches the Yin aspect, one rests. Therefore, it is said that at noon, Yang Qi is abundant, constituting "Double Yang"; at midnight, Yin Qi is abundant, constituting "Double Yin." Thus, the Taiyin meridian governs the interior (night), and the Taiyang meridian governs the exterior (day), each traveling twenty-five times to distinguish day from night. At midnight, Yin Qi is most abundant; after midnight, Yin Qi begins to decline. At dawn, Yin Qi is exhausted, and Yang Qi begins to receive energy. At noon, Yang Qi is abundant; at sunset, Yang Qi begins to decline. When the sun sets, Yang Qi is exhausted, and Yin Qi begins to receive energy. At midnight, there is a great meeting of Qi, and all people sleep; this is called "Union with Yin." At dawn, Yin Qi is exhausted, and Yang Qi begins to receive energy. This cycle continues endlessly, aligning with the rhythms of heaven and earth. (The above three ideas flow as one breath, rising and falling directly, forming the first section.)
Huangdi said: Why do the elderly not sleep well at night? What causes this? Why do the young and vigorous not sleep during the day? What causes this?
Qibo replied: In the vigorous, blood and Qi are abundant, muscles are smooth, and the pathways for Qi are open. The circulation of Ying and Wei Qi remains normal. Thus, they are energetic during the day and sleep soundly at night. In the elderly, blood and Qi are deficient, muscles are withered, and Qi pathways are obstructed. The Qi of the five zang organs conflicts, leading to a deficiency of Ying Qi and an internal disturbance of Wei Qi (attacking Ying Qi). Thus, they lack energy during the day and cannot sleep at night. (This section specifically expounds on the principle that Qi and Blood differ between youth and old age, with precise language, forming the second section, acting as a direct counterpart—normal vs. abnormal—to the previous section.)
Huangdi said: I wish to hear from where Ying and Wei Qi originate and travel.
Qibo replied: Ying Qi originates from the Middle Jiao (Middle Burner), and Wei Qi originates from the Lower Jiao (Lower Burner).
Huangdi said: I wish to hear from where the Three Jiaos originate.
Qibo replied: The Upper Jiao emerges from the upper opening of the stomach, ascends along the pharynx, pierces the diaphragm, and spreads in the chest. It moves to the axilla, follows the course of the Hand-Taiyin Lung Meridian, returns to the Foot-Yangming Stomach Meridian, ascends to the tongue, and descends to the Foot-Yangming Meridian. It usually travels together with Ying Qi, twenty-five times in the Yang aspects during the day and twenty-five times in the Yin aspects during the night, completing one cycle. Thus, after fifty cycles, it reunites at the Hand-Taiyin Lung Meridian.
Huangdi said: If a person consumes hot food or drink, and the heat has not yet settled, sweat appears. Sometimes it appears on the face, sometimes on the back, sometimes on half the body. These sweats do not follow the regular pathway of Wei Qi. Why is this?
Qibo replied: This is due to external wind pathogenic factors injuring the body, causing the couli (pores) to open. Internal heat steams and causes the couli to leak. Wei Qi scatters and indeed cannot follow its proper channel. This Qi is fierce and slippery; upon encountering open couli, it exits immediately. Therefore, it cannot follow its proper path and is named "Leakage" (Lou Xie). (The Upper Jiao is the gathering place of Zong (Pectoral) Qi. This section seems to discuss Wei Qi, but Zong Qi is originally generated by Ying and Wei and commands them. The first half discusses its normal course with Ying Qi, and the second half questions why it deviates from the Wei Qi path.)
Huangdi said: I wish to hear from where the Middle Jiao originates.
Qibo replied: The Middle Jiao also resides in the stomach, behind the Upper Jiao. The Qi received here separates dregs, evaporates fluids, and transforms fine essences. These ascend to the lung vessels, transform into blood, and nourish the living body. Nothing is more precious than this. Thus, it travels exclusively through the vessel tunnels and is called Ying Qi.
Huangdi said: Blood and Qi have different names but are of the same category. What does this mean?
Qibo replied: Ying and Wei Qi belong to Essence-Qi, while blood belongs to Spirit-Qi. Therefore, although blood and Qi have different names, they are of the same category. Thus, those who lose blood should not be subjected to sweating, and those who suffer excessive sweating should not lose blood. Therefore, there are two ways to die (losing blood and then sweating, or sweating excessively and then losing blood), but there is no way to survive both simultaneously.
Huangdi said: I wish to hear from where the Lower Jiao originates.
Qibo replied: The Lower Jiao separates from the ileum and渗 (seeps) into the bladder. Thus, water and grain often reside together in the stomach. After digestion, they become dregs and descend together into the large intestine, forming the function of the Lower Jiao. They filter and separate juices, seep along the Lower Jiao, and enter the bladder.
Huangdi said: When a person drinks wine, it also enters the stomach. Before the grain is fully digested, urine alone is excreted first. Why is this?
Qibo replied: Wine is the liquid of fermented grain. Its Qi is fierce and clear. Although it enters the stomach after the grain, it transforms into fluid and exits before the grain.
Huangdi said: Excellent. I have heard that the Upper Jiao is like mist, the Middle Jiao like foam/fermentation, and the Lower Jiao like a ditch. This is what is meant. (The third section elaborately narrates the source and intersection of Ying and Wei Qi, dividing them by the Three Jiaos and deducing their variations. It should be read as one section; if divided into three, the textual momentum would become abrupt and weak.)
The layout is single-sided initially and double-sided later; the intent is general initially and specific later. The two parts seem unrelated but actually possess a swirling grand qi and full strength, unconstrained by rigid segmentation rules. The argumentation drives the text, supported by sufficient literary power. The wording is rounded, and the logic is profound, inviting contemplation. The structure is orderly, possessing the dignity of holding a tablet and wearing official robes. This chapter thoroughly expounds the sources and variations of Ying and Wei Qi. The first two sections collectively raise several points for a general narrative, presenting one normal and one abnormal case. The latter part divides into the Three Jiaos, with intermediate narration presenting another normal and abnormal case. If constrained by rigid segmentation responding to introductory prompts, the text would lose its vitality.