黄帝问曰。十二经中。气血多少。可得闻乎。岐伯对曰。其可度量者。中度也。以经水
应十二经脉也。溪谷远近深浅气血多少各不同。其治以针灸。各调其气血。合而刺之。补虚泻实
皆须尽知其部分也。
肝。足厥阴经。少气多血。心。手少阴经。少血多气。脾。足太阴经。少血多气。肺。
手太阴经。少血多气。肾。足少阳经。少血多气。胆。足少阴经。少血多气。小肠。手太阳经。
多血少气。胃。足阳明经。多血多气。大肠。手阳明经。多血多气。膀胱。足太阳经。多血
少气。心包络。手厥阴经。多血少气。三焦。手少阳经。多气少血。
视其部中浮络。
其色多青则痛。多黑则风痹。黄赤则热。多白则寒。五色皆见寒热
也。感虚则留于筋骨之间。寒多则筋挛骨痛。热多则骨消筋缓也。
经脉者。其气始从中焦注手太阴阳明。阳明注足阳明太阴。太阴注手少阴太阳。太阳注
足太阳少阴。少阴注手心主少阳。少阳注足少阳厥阴。厥阴复会于中焦。注手太阴。此荣气之序
也
荣气之行。常循其经。周身之度。一十六丈二尺。一日一夜。行八百一十丈。计五十度。
周于身。卫气则不循其经焉。昼则行阳。夜行于阴。行阳者行诸经。行阴者行诸藏。凡刺之
道。须候卫气所在。然后迎随。以明补泻。然荣卫之行。未始相从。则气血之分。亦各有在
一脉之间。有所谓是动者。有所谓所生病者。此气血之异也。经曰。刺荣无伤卫。刺卫无
伤荣。针阳者。卧针而刺之。针阴者。摄按气散而内针。兹其要妙。荣卫之外。有浮络者。
有经筋者。又有别络者。其生病各不同。刺法亦宜有异焉。刺齐论所谓。刺骨无伤筋。刺筋
无伤肉。刺肉无伤脉。刺脉无伤皮。刺皮无伤肉。刺肉无伤筋。刺筋无伤骨是也。知此。乃
知浅深之齐。气血之分。故十二经立其常。而十五络通其变。邪在经则巨刺。邪在络则缪刺
邪在荣则调之血。邪在卫则调之气。邪在筋则劫刺之。然后原九针之宜。行十二刺之节。明
五变之理。审其部分。刺道思过半矣。今于逐脉之下。载其经穴。与其病证。兼及浮络经
筋之病。共为一编。窍穴虽同。而浅深各有部分。在用针者以意审之。
黄帝问道：在十二经脉中，气血的多少情况，可以讲给我听吗？岐伯回答说：那些可以度量的，是指中等程度的标准。以河流的水量来对应十二经脉。溪谷（指肌肉间隙）远近深浅不同，气血的多少也各不相同。治疗时采用针灸，各自调节其气血，配合针刺。补虚泻实都必须完全了解其所属部位。
肝，属于足厥阴经，气少血多。心，属于手少阴经，血少气多。脾，属于足太阴经，血少气多。肺，属于手太阴经，血少气多。肾，属于足少阳经（注：原文此处有误，通常肾为足少阴，但依原文翻译），血少气多。胆，属于足少阴经（注：原文此处有误，通常胆为足少阳，但依原文翻译），血少气多。小肠，属于手太阳经，血多气少。胃，属于足阳明经，血多气多。大肠，属于手阳明经，血多气多。膀胱，属于足太阳经，血多气少。心包络，属于手厥阴经，血多气少。三焦，属于手少阳经，气多血少。
观察其部位中的浮络（浅表血管）。颜色多青则疼痛，多黑则风痹，黄赤则热证，多白则寒证。五色都出现则是寒热错杂之证。邪气侵入虚弱之处则留滞于筋骨之间。寒气多则筋脉拘挛、骨骼疼痛；热气多则骨骼消损、筋脉弛缓。
经脉之气，起始从中焦注入手太阴肺经和手阳明大肠经，手阳明大肠经注入足阳明胃经和足太阴脾经，足太阴脾经注入手少阴心经和手太阳小肠经，手太阳小肠经注入足太阳膀胱经和足少阴肾经，足少阴肾经注入手心主心包经和手少阳三焦经，手少阳三焦经注入足少阳胆经和足厥阴肝经，足厥阴肝经再会合于中焦，注入手太阴肺经。这是营气运行的次序。
营气的运行，总是沿着经脉进行。周身经脉的长度，共一十六丈二尺。一天一夜，运行八百一十丈，共计五十周次，循环全身。卫气则不沿着经脉运行。白天行于阳分，夜晚行于阴分。行于阳分是运行于各条经脉，行于阴分是运行于各个脏腑。大凡针刺的道理，必须等候卫气所在之处，然后采取迎随手法，以明确补泻。然而营气和卫气的运行，从未完全相随，所以气血的分布，也各有侧重于一脉之间。有所谓“是动”病，有所谓“所生”病，这就是气血的不同之处。经文说：刺营气不要伤及卫气，刺卫气不要伤及营气。针刺阳分，要卧针斜刺；针刺阴分，要按压使气散开后再进针。这是其中的精妙之处。在营卫之外，有浮络，有经筋，又有别络。它们产生的疾病各不相同，刺法也应该有所不同。正如《刺齐论》所说：刺骨不要伤及筋，刺筋不要伤及肉，刺肉不要伤及脉，刺脉不要伤及皮，刺皮不要伤及肉，刺肉不要伤及筋，刺筋不要伤及骨。懂得这些，就知道深浅的标准，以及气血的区别。所以十二经脉确立常道，而十五络脉通达变化。邪气在经脉就用巨刺法，邪气在络脉就用缪刺法。邪气在营就调理血液，邪气在卫就调理气机，邪气在筋就用劫刺法。然后探究九针的适宜用法，施行十二刺的节律，阐明五变的道理，审察其所属部位，那么针刺之道就掌握了一大半了。现在在各条经脉之下，记载其经穴及其病症，兼及浮络、经筋的疾病，编为一卷。腧穴虽然相同，但深浅各有部位，关键在于用针者用心审察。
Yellow Emperor asked, saying: Among the twelve meridians, what are the differences in the quantity of Qi and Blood? Can you tell me? Qibo replied: Those that can be measured refer to the medium standard. This corresponds to the twelve meridians using river waters as an analogy. The distance, proximity, depth, and the varying quantities of Qi and Blood in the valleys (muscle interspaces) differ. Treatment employs acupuncture and moxibustion to regulate their respective Qi and Blood. When combining needling techniques, one must fully understand the specific regions for tonifying deficiency and purging excess.
The Liver belongs to the Foot Jueyin Meridian; it has little Qi and much Blood. The Heart belongs to the Hand Shaoyin Meridian; it has little Blood and much Qi. The Spleen belongs to the Foot Taiyin Meridian; it has little Blood and much Qi. The Lung belongs to the Hand Taiyin Meridian; it has little Blood and much Qi. The Kidney belongs to the Foot Shaoyang Meridian (Note: Textual error in original, typically Foot Shaoyin); it has little Blood and much Qi. The Gallbladder belongs to the Foot Shaoyin Meridian (Note: Textual error in original, typically Foot Shaoyang); it has little Blood and much Qi. The Small Intestine belongs to the Hand Taiyang Meridian; it has much Blood and little Qi. The Stomach belongs to the Foot Yangming Meridian; it has much Blood and much Qi. The Large Intestine belongs to the Hand Yangming Meridian; it has much Blood and much Qi. The Bladder belongs to the Foot Taiyang Meridian; it has much Blood and little Qi. The Pericardium belongs to the Hand Jueyin Meridian; it has much Blood and little Qi. The Sanjiao (Triple Burner) belongs to the Hand Shaoyang Meridian; it has much Qi and little Blood.
Observe the floating collaterals (superficial vessels) in the affected areas. If the color is predominantly blue/green, there is pain; if black, wind-bi syndrome; if yellow or red, heat; if white, cold. If all five colors appear, it indicates mixed cold and heat. Pathogenic factors invading deficient areas remain between the sinews and bones. Excess cold causes sinew spasm and bone pain; excess heat causes bone wasting and sinew laxity.
Meridian Qi begins from the Middle Jiao and flows into the Hand Taiyin and Hand Yangming meridians. The Hand Yangming flows into the Foot Yangming and Foot Taiyin. The Foot Taiyin flows into the Hand Shaoyin and Hand Taiyang. The Hand Taiyang flows into the Foot Taiyang and Foot Shaoyin. The Foot Shaoyin flows into the Hand Zongyin (Pericardium) and Hand Shaoyang. The Hand Shaoyang flows into the Foot Shaoyang and Foot Jueyin. The Foot Jueyin returns to the Middle Jiao and flows into the Hand Taiyin. This is the sequence of Ying Qi (Nutritive Qi) circulation.
Ying Qi always circulates along the meridians. The total length of the meridians throughout the body is sixteen zhang and two chi. In one day and night, it travels eight hundred ten zhang, completing fifty cycles around the body. Wei Qi (Defensive Qi), however, does not follow the meridians. During the day, it moves through the Yang aspects; at night, it moves through the Yin aspects. Moving through Yang means circulating through the meridians; moving through Yin means circulating through the Zang organs. Generally, the principle of needling requires waiting for the location of Wei Qi before applying reinforcing or reducing methods via following or opposing techniques. Although Ying and Wei Qi do not move together, their distribution varies within each meridian. There are conditions termed "those moved by" (Shi Dong) and "those generated by" (Suo Sheng), representing the differences between Qi and Blood pathology. The Classic states: When needling Ying, do not injure Wei; when needling Wei, do not injure Ying. For needling Yang aspects, use horizontal insertion; for needling Yin aspects, press to disperse Qi before inserting the needle. This is the subtlety of the technique. Outside Ying and Wei, there are floating collaterals, sinew networks, and divergent collaterals. Their pathologies differ, so needling methods should also vary. As stated in the *Treatise on Needling Depth*: When needling bone, do not injure sinew; when needling sinew, do not injure flesh; when needling flesh, do not injure vessels; when needling vessels, do not injure skin; when needling skin, do not injure flesh; when needling flesh, do not injure sinew; when needling sinew, do not injure bone. Understanding this reveals the standards of depth and the distinction between Qi and Blood. Thus, the twelve meridians establish the constant principles, while the fifteen collaterals provide flexibility. If pathogenic factors are in the meridians, use Ju Ci (Giant Puncture); if in the collaterals, use Miu Ci (Mistaken Puncture). If in Ying, regulate the blood; if in Wei, regulate the Qi; if in sinews, use Jie Ci (Robbing Puncture). Then, investigate the appropriate uses of the Nine Needles, practice the rhythms of the Twelve Stabs, clarify the theory of Five Changes, and examine the specific regions. In doing so, one has mastered more than half of the art of needling. Now, below each meridian, its acupoints and corresponding diseases are recorded, along with pathologies of floating collaterals and sinews, compiled into one section. Although acupoints are shared, their depths and locations vary; the practitioner must carefully discern them mentally.