典藏书目

Chapter 69 states: The classics say, "Tonify deficiency, sedate excess, and for neither-deficient-nor-excess conditions, treat via the affected meridian." What does this mean?

The response is: For deficiency, tonify its mother; for excess, sedate its child. One should first tonify, then sedate. Regarding "neither-deficient-nor-excess conditions, treat via the affected meridian," this refers to a disease originating from the regular meridian itself, without invasion by other pathogenic factors. Therefore, one should directly select points from that specific meridian, hence the phrase "treat via the affected meridian."

The term "classics" here refers to the *Ling Shu · Jing Mai* (Spiritual Pivot · Meridians) chapter. "Deficiency" refers to the deficiency of blood and qi; "excess" refers to the abundance of blood and qi. "Tonify" means applying the tonification method during needle manipulation; "sedate" means applying the sedation method. "Treat via the affected meridian" implies selecting and needling points appropriate to the primary meridian involved. "Mother" refers to that which generates me (in the Five Elements theory); "child" refers to that which I generate. The *Jing Mai* chapter records that all twelve meridians follow the principles: "Sedate when excessive, tonify when deficient, and treat via the meridian when neither excessive nor deficient," as well as "Tonify the mother in deficiency, sedate the child in excess." This is because the child can cause the mother to become full, and the mother can cause the child to become empty. For example, in liver deficiency, one would tonify its mother's He-Sea point, which is Ququan (LR 3), the He-Sea point of the Foot Jueyin Liver Meridian. In liver excess, one would sedate its child's Ying-Spring point, which is Xingjian (LR 2), the Ying-Spring point of the Foot Jueyin Liver Meridian. The two sentences "first tonify, then sedate" are interpreted by Master Hua (Shou) as referring to the later passage stating that when yang qi is insufficient and yin qi is excessive, one should first tonify yang and then sedate yin. However, this interpretation does not fit the context here; it is either an error or an interpolated text. If sorrow and worry injure the heart, cold form and cold drinks injure the lungs, anger and qi rebellion injure the liver, improper diet and fatigue injure the spleen, and sitting long in damp places or forcing entry into water injures the kidneys—these constitute diseases arising from the regular meridians themselves, not injuries from the five pathogenic factors. In such cases, one selects the appropriate points on the primary meridian for needling, without needing to employ the methods of tonifying the mother or sedating the child.

Chapter 70 states: The classics say, "In spring and summer, needle shallowly; in autumn and winter, needle deeply." What does this mean?

The response is: In spring and summer, yang qi ascends to the exterior, and human qi also resides at the exterior; therefore, one should needle shallowly. In autumn and winter, yang qi sinks to the interior, and human qi also resides in the interior; therefore, one should needle deeply.

The *Ling Shu · Zhong Shi* (Spiritual Pivot · Beginning and End) chapter says: "Spring qi is in the hair follicles, summer qi is in the skin, autumn qi is in the muscle layers, and winter qi is in the sinews and bones; these are the characteristics of the four seasons' qi." Diseases contracted during these four seasons vary according to the depth of the healthy qi; thus, practitioners using acupuncture to treat diseases should select depths based on the seasonal distribution of qi. By "yang qi," we refer to the climatic qi of heaven and earth; by "human qi," we refer to theying and wei qi within the body. The "upper" mentioned above refers to the superficial layers of skin and flesh, while the "lower" below refers to the deeper layers of sinews and bones. Shallow or deep needling must accurately target the pathological site.

Master Hua states: During spring and summer, yang qi floats upward, and human qi follows suit; thus, needling should be shallow to prevent excess. During autumn and winter, yang qi sinks downward, and human qi follows suit; thus, needling should be deep to prevent insufficiency. The classic says, "First conform to the annual climate, do not violate the harmony of nature," which refers to this principle.

What is meant by "in spring and summer, each draws forth one yin; in autumn and winter, each draws forth one yang"?

The response is: Spring and summer are warm; one must "draw forth one yin." Initially inserting the needle, sink it deeply to the regions of the kidney and liver. Upon obtaining deqi (needle sensation), guide and hold the yin qi. Autumn and winter are cold; one must "draw forth one yang." Initially inserting the needle, place it shallowly and lift it to the regions of the heart and lung. Upon obtaining deqi, push and insert the yang qi. This is called "drawing forth one yin in spring and summer" and "drawing forth one yang in autumn and winter."

"Draw forth" means to obtain or utilize. "Warm" refers to the warm seasonal climate; "cold" refers to the cold seasonal climate. The classic states that in spring and summer, one nourishes yang; since yang is abundant, yin may be insufficient, so one must obtain yin qi to nourish yang. In autumn and winter, one nourishes yin; since yin is abundant, yang may be insufficient, so one must obtain yang qi to nourish yin. "Sinking" (chen) means inserting the needle deeply to the positions of the kidney and liver to draw yin qi out to the yang level. "Floating" (fu) means inserting the needle shallowly to the positions of the heart, lung, skin, and blood to push yang qi into the yin level.

Commentary: Master Hua states: The warmth of spring and summer requires drawing forth one yin, which embodies the principle of nourishing yang in spring and summer. Initially inserting the needle, sink it to the kidney and liver regions. Wait for deqi, then lift the needle to the heart and lung levels; this is what is meant by drawing forth one yin. The cold of autumn and winter requires drawing forth one yang, embodying the principle of nourishing yin in autumn and winter. Initially inserting the needle, place it shallowly in the heart and lung regions. Wait for deqi, then push the needle deeply to the kidney and liver levels; this is what is meant by drawing forth one yang. However, the theory of drawing forth yin and yang is merely Yu Ren (Bian Que) deducing the rationale behind such practices. In actual acupuncture tonification and sedation, there are appropriate methods inherent to the condition; one need not be strictly bound by this specific theory.