Loading...
Chapter 3 of 8
博山篇
Good and wise ones, beneath the dragon's form lies the acupoint star. The acupoint star may manifest as Metal form, Wood form, Water form, Fire form, or Earth form—these five constitute the orthodox forms. High-rounded Metal, low-rounded Metal, Metal-with-Water, and Earth-with-Metal are all entirely auspicious forms 🌟; Metal-with-Fire, Metal-with-Wood, Water-wandering, and Fire-blazing are all ominous star configurations ⚠️.
Acupoints have varying postures: without Dragon-Tiger, with paired Dragon-Tiger, with Dragon but no Tiger, with Tiger but no Dragon, left-positioned, right-deviated, left-high-right-low, right-high-left-low, opened, unopened, hanging breast-like, non-hanging breast-like. Forms number in the hundreds: there are reclining postures, grand-seated postures, and towering-standing postures. The reclining one lies on its back, the upper qi descends, and the acupoint should be taken slightly lower; the seated one has the body bent and hidden, qi gathers in the middle, so the acupoint should be taken at the center; the standing one towers high, qi moves upward, so the acupoint should be taken directly at the height.
Five dragons form acupoints—horizontal, straight, flying, submerged, and returning—and acupoint variations are manifold. High places suddenly become low, and low places suddenly become high; north suddenly turns toward south, and west likewise turns toward east. There are those that flash away, those that fly askew, those that face away from water, and those that overlook shores. Acupoints have orthodox forms and variant forms. The orthodox resembles the variant, yet the variant cannot be pinned to a single rule.
Some form in water, some in stone, some scatter across flat ground, some appear on mountain ridges, some hide within field centers, some leap in reverse somersault, some sever and intercept qi, some seize influence from elevated positions. Though configurations are many, the key lies in corroboration and in obtaining water. Hence it is said: "A few volumes of geomantic texts always speak of the great void. Within them are four characters—one is 'True Thusness'." 💡
All the acupoints above are of strange and wondrous shapes. One should use the Happy Mountain (support mountain behind the acupoint), should use the Ghost Star (trailing sand behind the acupoint), should open the Bright Hall, and directly apply the water method. Examine what is appropriate—lose not a single method.
The method of recognizing acupoints: What is true, and what is false? Mountains and waters facing toward are true; mountains and waters turning away are false. What is living, and what is dead? Wind concealed and water reversed, qi gathered—that is living; wind drifting and water scattering, qi dispersed—that is dead. A dragon reverses the water only then becomes a dragon; an acupoint reverses the water only then becomes an acupoint. Why is this so? A dragon obtains water through its opposing momentum; an acupoint obtains water through the sand's reverse embrace. When the dragon approaches its head and reverses to gather water, only then does it become a dragon; when the acupoint is about to coalesce, and the lower sand resists the water, only then does it become an acupoint.
The acupoint's arrangement—orthodox, deviant, great, or small—should be discerned with care. The Hall resembles a bow, the acupoint an arrow, and the facing mountain a target. Hold the bow and arrow, balance the two evenly, take aim, adjust the bow, and release—it must strike; this can be verified. The positioning has visible and hidden aspects: the visible can be seen, the hidden cannot. But the true spot often lies at the center—determine the acupoint by riding the qi to left and right.
A Water Dragon takes the right qi; a Left Dragon takes the left qi. If the right qi is to return, the left sand should embrace leftward; if qi is to return right, the sand should embrace rightward. Those inserted on the left ride the left qi and feed on the left water; those inserted on the right ride the right qi and feed on the right water.
Acupoints may be high, low, large, small, thin, or full. The tailoring should be fitting: high ones should avoid wind; low ones should avoid water; large ones should be worked spaciously; small ones should be worked narrowly; thin ones should sink lower; full ones should float higher. ⚖️ The measure of yin and yang is exquisite in a single mind.
The mystic depths within the acupoint—how can they be discerned? Examine yin and yang, determine the five phases, decide the orientation, investigate life and death, deduce the origins, discuss the star peaks, observe the protrusions (prow-spurs), assess the divisions and unions, regard their visible and hidden aspects, verify their right and wrong, observe their gentle and urgent natures, be cautious in their subtraction and addition, know their avoidances, refine their skill and clumsiness, determine their orthodoxy and deviation, scrutinize their concealment and exposure. Above, ride Metal; below, align with Water; at the center, acupoint in Earth; to the side, imprint Wood; outside, conceal the Eight; inside, conceal the Five—never stray from the subtle, within a single circle.
This circle is the Circle of Heaven and Earth. Round yet not round, square yet not square, flat yet not flat, long yet not long, short yet not short, narrow yet not narrow, wide yet not wide, pointed yet not pointed, bald yet not bald—it rests in human perception, seemingly present yet seemingly absent—the natural circle. Yin and yang stand herein; the five phases emerge herein. Within the circle is a slight concavity, like water yet not water; outside the circle is a slight rise, like sand yet not sand. Divining yin and yang—how wondrous the ultimate principle! Yin does not depart from yang; yang does not depart from yin—truly marvelous in function. Great yin and yang, small yin and yang; great crossings and degrees, small crossings and degrees; great divisions and unions, small divisions and unions. From one to nine and even to nine-times-nine, all are wonders of yin-yang, wonders of the five phases. 🌀
Good and wise ones, do you know this? Or do you not? This yin and yang have gathering and scattering—how to distinguish? Above small and below large—this is a yin vessel, with a slight protrusion in the middle; above large and below small—this is a yang vessel, with a slight hollow in the middle. Yin qi lies within, its vessel deep and sunken; yang qi lies on the surface, its vessel floating and shallow.
The method of high and low: look before and after, regard left and respond to right, taking the mind as the standard. One step left, one step right, one step forward, one step back—ponder, observe. He is I; I am he. Do not hurry, do not be flustered; it must not be exposed, it must not be sunken. Align the standards, verify within arm's reach; align with the brow above, respond with the heart within.
Shallow within deep, deep within shallow—the hardest to discern. Qi has floating and sinking; earth has thickness and thinness; halos have sizes; wings have heights and lows. A mole within the earth, you must know; a blemish within the earth, you must avoid.
An acupoint arrangement that is round and clean is entirely auspicious; one that protrudes straight and appears pointed must be strenuously avoided. If one side is straight and one side is pointed, the spirit-evils are exposed—the method calls for capping—placing the acupoint high above. If left and right are low bearing pointed-straightness, spirit-evils dart about—the method calls for descending—placing the acupoint below. If the left is pointed-straight and the right is void, or the right pointed-straight and the left void, spirit-evils are skewed—the method calls for avoiding—placing the acupoint at the lower side.
If one recognizes the dragon and fixes the acupoint, it is like a devoted pilgrim having arrived at the journey's end. When the dragon's form halts and a star peak arises, that is the male aspect. Within yang, there must be yin—there must be a hollow: there is the Lesser Yin hollow—a hollow within the halo like a leek leaf; and the Greater Yin hollow—a hollow within the halo like a tin base. If a yang dragon receives a yang acupoint, it portends separation by death and parting in life. When the dragon forms coalesce into the acupoint itself, that is the female aspect. Within yin, there must be yang—there must be a bubble: there is the Lesser Yang bubble—a nodule forming within the halo; and the Greater Yang bubble—a breast-shaped blister within the halo. If a yin dragon receives a yin acupoint, it portends scandalous repute and the ruin of the family. ⚠️
The method of workmanship: examine gentleness and urgency, straightness and obliqueness; examine length and shortness, height and lowness; examine width and narrowness, shallowness and depth; examine singleness and doubleness, orthodoxy and deviation.
The ailments of vessel-forms must be known: confused stone at the head, wave-marks upon the body, arms broken and folded, feet running astray, water severing the shoulder, mountains rupturing the belly, the lip above gaping, the mouth below pointing, the belly bloated and full—these are all acupoint afflictions. If slight, correct them; if severe, abandon them. 🚫
Departing-water grounds must be most avoided. Dragon-Tiger darting out must be most avoided. An impoverished dragon without a table must likewise be avoided. A solitary dragon without a court-mountain must likewise be avoided. If an acupoint has thief-wind, avoid it where needed; if the Bright Hall is sunken low, build it up where needed. Weigh the severity, and carefully cut and tailor.
The wise tread the dragon; the skillful obtain the acupoint. Obtaining the acupoint and treading the dragon—eighteen in ten succeed; treading the dragon to seek the acupoint—eleven in ten succeed.
The distinction between what may insert and what may not:
The five auspicious stars may be selected and used; the four ominous stars should never be recklessly cut. Broad favors the dragon, adverse favors the water; the ominous transformed into auspicious—the principle must be pondered. Discuss the five stars to distinguish noble and base; discuss transmissions and transformations to distinguish fortune and calamity; discuss form and substance to distinguish auspiciousness and inauspiciousness. Unite yin and yang, transform yang and yin, weigh the tight and the loose, support the dragon-spirit, and auspicious ones should be approached, ominous ones shunned. The Golden-Thread Palace, the Jade-Binding Position—when clearly distinguished, they are supreme blessings.
Correlation-response framework:
Nine aspects, hundred forms—what is, what is not, true or not true—seen with the eyes, perceived with the heart's eye. Rise, rise, rise; fall, fall, fall; come, come, come; mound, mound, mound. The yang essence revolves; the yin blood follows. Know the stallion and mare, recognize female and male. Thread the needle's eye, hold the wing-shoulders, take from the staff, place upon the finger. The spiral texture solid, the earthly station transverse, the twin stars shining—resolving passage and communion. The trans-earth method is no empty transmission. Test it—does it verify; is it so, or not? Recognize the five earths as the orthodox scripture.
Some open halls, some pierce grottoes, some raise mounds—all have their methods. Some open gates, some release waters, some take roadways—all must be precise. The foundations of practical application have their special craft. I instruct you all—you must strive diligently. 📜
The central principle of the "On Acupoints" chapter lies in the notion that "the acupoint is the pivot where yin and yang converge." The entire discourse unfolds around three fundamental propositions:
Form carries qi: The five-phase forms (Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth) of the acupoint star serve as carriers of qi; auspiciousness depends on the generative or destructive combinations between forms. Metal-with-Water and Earth-with-Metal constitute generative-mutual succession, hence auspicious; Metal-with-Fire and Metal-with-Wood represent destructive-clashing contention, hence inauspicious. This is not merely aesthetic judgment of shapes but a simple preliminary codification of geological structure and the gathering and scattering of vital energy.
Orientation determines truth; concealment and scatter determine life and death: Whether an acupoint is true or false lies not in the beauty of its shape but in whether mountains and waters face toward the acupoint site. Where mountains and waters face inward, it is true; where they turn away, it is false. The gathering and dispersal of vital qi depend on the relationship between wind and water—wind concealed and water reversed means qi gathers (life); wind drifting and water scattering means qi disperses (death). This is the master framework for determining an acupoint's authenticity and life throughout the entire discourse.
Yin and yang are mutually rooted; one circle is the ancestral principle: "This circle is the Circle of Heaven and Earth"—the ultimate mystery of the acupoint lies in a single halo that is seemingly present yet absent, neither square nor round. Within the circle is slight concavity like water; outside, slight rise like sand. Yin does not leave yang; yang does not leave yin. Within vast yin-yang lies small yin-yang, from one to nine and even nine-times-nine, nested in layers—constituting a holistically corresponding cosmic model.
Examined from a contemporary perspective, several layers of valuable methodological core may be extracted from the "On Acupoints" text:
Systems-thinking orientation: Acupoint assessment does not examine an isolated point but places the acupoint within the holistic system of "Dragon—Acupoint—Sand—Water—Orientation" for integrated judgment. This mode of thinking, wherein the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, is highly consonant with modern systems theory. In siting decisions, the requirement for "corroboration and obtaining water" is fundamentally a search for the optimal solution through multi-factor synergy.
The view of orthodox and variant: "The orthodox resembles the variant; the variant cannot be fixed by a single rule." There is no rigid boundary between orthodox and variant forms, or between normal and exceptional states. This idea of holding the constant while managing the variable aligns with the strategy of "pattern recognition plus exception handling" found in modern complex-systems theory.
Comparison and calibration: The metaphor "the Hall resembles a bow, the acupoint an arrow, and the facing mountain a target" reveals a core method—determining positions through multiple reference frames. Bright-and-hidden comparison, riding qi left and right, looking before and regarding after—these fundamentally constitute a cross-verification protocol for spatial positioning. This method remains valid today in siting, surveying, and planning.
The insertion-eligibility decision checklist: The five sets of "should not insert / may insert" conditions set forth in the text are essentially a negation-type checklist for environmental suitability assessment. Qi discordant, qi unfinished, dragon unconverged, qi absent, qi immobile—five indications against insertion; extraordinary markings, waist-knots, flat plains, natural severances, extraordinary bone-structure—five indications for insertion. Translating vague sensations of qi into operational criteria of right and wrong constitutes an embryonic precursor of early "environmental assessment."
The deductive logic of the correlation-response framework: Correlating mountain-master, years and fates, public positions, years and months, seat and orientation, mountains and waters, coming and going, life and death—these eight dimensions constitute a complete framework of spatiotemporal correspondence deduction. Although the causal chain of verification lacks confirmation from modern science, their methodological posture of "multi-dimensional cross-analysis" may be borrowed for decision-making reference.
Transforming applications in the modern living environment:
| Classical Concept | Modern Transformation | Application Scenario |
|---|---|---|
| Distinguishing the acupoint's authenticity | Assess whether the core spatial position forms a centric relationship with its surroundings | Residential placement, office spatial arrangement, landscape design |
| Concealing wind, gathering qi | Assess whether the space avoids direct strong winds and scattered water flow | Architectural siting, interior ventilation design |
| High avoids wind, low avoids water | Spaces at different elevations should resolve their primary contradiction accordingly | Wind protection for high-rises, moisture and flood prevention in lowlands |
| Spacious for large, narrow for small | Spatial scale and design density should match each other | Unit layout design, functional zoning |
| The measure of yin and yang lies in a single mind | Design solutions ultimately require comprehensive intuitive judgment atop rational analysis | Design decisions, scheme selection |
| Acupoint-affliction recognition | Defining checklists of environmental hard defects: jumbled stone, wave-marks, breaks, darts | Site assessment, project feasibility analysis |
| Slight—correct; severe—abandon | Minor flaws may be remedied; grave deficiencies should be decisively abandoned | Investment decisions, risk control |
| The wise tread the dragon; the skillful obtain the acupoint | Experienced practitioners achieve significantly higher accuracy than novices (acupoint-to-dragon 18/? vs dragon-to-acupoint 11/?) | Professional division of labor and the value of expertise |
"This circle—the Circle of Heaven and Earth" is the most philosophically profound expression in the "On Acupoints" text. The halo of the acupoint—round yet not round, square yet not square, flat yet not flat, long yet not long—is seemingly present and seemingly absent, resting in human perception. This reveals a profound epistemological proposition: the most subtle reality does not reside in determinate shapes but at the boundary between determinacy and indeterminacy.
Yin does not leave yang; yang does not leave yin: Yin and yang are not binary oppositions but inter-embedded and mutual-transforming. Within yin is yang (yang-within-yin requires a hollow); within yang is yin (yin-within-yang requires a bubble). This follows the lineage of the I Ching's statement "one yin and one yang constitute the Dao," while also forming an intriguing resonance with modern physics' unification of symmetry and symmetry-breaking.
From one to nine and even nine-times-nine—all are yin-yang: From one to nine to nine-times-nine is a numerical deduction and also a layering of yin-yang within yin-yang. The universe is structurally a self-similar fractal—every level repeats the fundamental pattern of yin-yang interpenetration. The single "circle" of the acupoint is a miniature sample of this vast structure.
"He is I; I am he": In the process of locating the acupoint, the boundary between observer and observed dissolves. This cognitive state of unity between subject and object is akin to the Daoist "sitting in forgetfulness" and the Chan Buddhist "forgetting self and objects." True judgment does not arise from external standards but from resonance between the mind and the earth's vein. This epistemically suggests that certain kinds of spatial judgment may require transcending purely analytical frameworks of thought.
"Seen with the eyes; perceived in the heart's eye": What the eye sees in form must ultimately be confirmed by the "eye within the heart"—what is seen is the bodily form; what is adjudicated is the inner heart. This constitutes a philosophy of judgment itself: the confirmation of truth requires dual verification—external observation and internal insight arising simultaneously.