典藏书目

9. Clear spirit, bright luster of complexion, resonant voice, light body, moist skin, and harmonious yet full pulse are signs of easy recovery. If suddenly there is lockjaw with difficulty in speaking and restlessness, and the pulse becomes deep, hidden, or imperceptible, followed by chills and sweating leading to calmness, this indicates impending resolution. If excessive drinking leads to symptom dissipation, knowing that sweat is brewing for resolution; if sudden ability to eat and a floating pulse indicate stomach harmony and pathogenic factors returning to the exterior for resolution. If onset occurs at Zi hour (11 PM - 1 AM), it must resolve at Wu hour (11 AM - 1 PM), as Yang aids Yin; if onset occurs at Wu hour, it must resolve at Zi hour, as Yin follows Yang.

[Note] Diseases that are easy to heal show clear spirit, bright complexion, long voice, light body, moist skin, and harmonious-full pulse; these are all non-lethal signs, hence called "Sheng Zheng" (signs of life/recovery). If such signs of life are present, but suddenly there is lockjaw, muteness, severe irritability, and six pulses becoming deep/hidden, careful observation is required; this is not a change to ominous, but rather a sign of struggle between healthy Qi and pathogenic factors, heralding "Zhan Han" (chills and sweating), a兆兆 of healing. In cold damage diseases with thirst, mostly Yang patterns are easy to heal. If suddenly drinking like normal, with rapid dispersion without stagnation, knowing that sweat is brewing for resolution. Cold damage usually involves inability to eat; if suddenly able to eat and pulse is floating, knowing that Stomach Qi is harmonious and pathogens return to the exterior for resolution. If not immediately resolved, it is because Yin and Yang have not found their timing. Onset at Zi hour resolves at Wu hour, as Yang nourishes Yin; onset at Wu hour resolves at Zi hour, as Yin transforms following Yang.

10. In fatal syndromes of Cold Damage, Yang patterns showing Yin pulses, unceasing high fever with spiritless pulse, Yin Toxin or Yang Toxin persisting for six to seven days, withered complexion and ruined voice, mostly lead to death. Heart Qi exhaustion manifests as smoke-like facial color, solitary remaining Yang, coma, fixed gaze, and head shaking. Blackness around the mouth, abdominal distension, unceasing dysentery, soft sweat, and Yin Jaundice are due to Spleen failure. Lung Qi exhaustion shows floating pulse without Stomach Qi, oily sweat, and ceaseless panting. Reversed cyanosis of lips and corners of mouth, cold sweat on limbs, curled tongue, and retracted testicles indicate Liver distress. Black face, elongated and withered/dirty teeth, loss of urination and defecation indicate Kidney worry. Inability to take water/grain, intermittent and scattered pulse, incessant hiccups make life hard to retain. Severe wind-heat causing spasms, heavy damp-heat heatstroke hastening death. Forcibly inducing sweat in Shaoyin damaging channel blood, bleeding from mouth, nose, and eyes, named Jue Jie (exhaustion of Jue). Restlessness after sweating, refusal to eat, fever, restless pulse indicate Yin-Yang Intersection, a form of death. Cold extremities lasting less than seven to eight days, cold skin with restlessness difficult to calm, is named Zang Jue (Viscera Cold). Cold with no pulse, if pulse suddenly emerges is ominous. Cold with dysentery should imply inability to eat; if suddenly able to eat, it is named Chu Zhong (Elimination of the Middle).

[Note] Diseases have life and death; treatments have ease and difficulty. Some illnesses heal without medicine; fatal diseases cannot be saved even with medicine. Why? Because of the prosperity or decline of Yin/Yang and Healthy Qi/Pathogens. Healthy Qi prosperous, Pathogen declining leads to life; Yin prosperous, Yang declining leads to death. In Cold Damage Yang patterns, seeing Floating, Large, Rapid, Agitated, Slippery Yang pulses means easy recovery and life; seeing Deep, Micro, Choppy, Weak, Taut Yin pulses means difficult treatment and death. Thus, Yin disease showing Yang pulses lives; Yang disease showing Yin pulses dies. Unceasing high fever, pathogen excess, pulse losing spirit, healthy Qi deficiency, pathogen excess, therefore death. Yin Toxin and Yang Toxin represent extreme hyperactivity failing to generate/transform; withered complexion and ruined voice represent internal and external essence depletion, thus both indicate death. Body color like smoke, coma, fixed gaze, head shaking: this is Yang pathogen remaining alone, attacking the Heart leading to exhaustion. Blackness around mouth, abdominal distension, unceasing dysentery, soft sweat, Yin Jaundice: this is Spleen exhaustion. Pulse only floating without Stomach Qi, oily sweat, ceaseless panting: this is Lung exhaustion. Reversed cyanosis of lips/mouth, cold sweat on limbs, curled tongue, retracted scrotum: this is Liver exhaustion. Black face, elongated/withered/dirty teeth, loss of urine/stool: this is Kidney exhaustion. Inability to take fluids, life has no reliance. Intermittent/scattered pulse, True Qi decaying. Incessant hiccups, Yuan Qi not stored. Forcibly inducing sweat in Wind-Warmth causing spasms; forcibly inducing sweat in Damp-Warmth named Heavy Heatstroke, both hasten death. Forcibly inducing sweat in Shaoyin, disturbing channel blood, bleeding from mouth/nose/eyes, named Xia Jue Shang Jie (Lower Jue Upper Exhaustion). All above are signs of death. Restlessness after sweating, refusal to eat, persistent fever, not alleviated by sweat, restless pulse: named Yin-Yang Intersection, form of death. Cold reversal not returning, reaching seven/eight days, body/skin cold and restless, no moment of calm: named Zang Jue, Yin pathogen extremely prosperous, True Yang flying away. Generally, severe cold reversal often has no pulse; taking Si Ni Tang or Bai Tong Tang, if pulse slowly continues, True Yang gradually recovers; if pulse suddenly emerges, it is false vitality returning (terminal lucidity). Generally, cold reversal with dysentery implies inability to eat; now suddenly able to eat, named Chu Zhong. Zhong refers to Stomach. Chu means removal. It means Stomach Qi is gone; even if able to eat, it does not benefit the Stomach. Thus Zhang Zhongjing said: Chu Zhong means death. Generally, patients unable to eat who suddenly become able to eat and then die, are also of this category.