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Chapter 3 of 78
黄帝内经·素问
Overall Paraphrase
The Yellow Emperor said: Since ancient times, communion with Heaven and Earth has been the root of life, and this root is derived from Yin and Yang (a pair of core categories in ancient Chinese understanding of the world and the human body, which may be understood as the material foundation and functional dynamics of the body). Between Heaven and Earth, within the four directions and the six dimensional spaces above and below, the human nine orifices (eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and the anterior and posterior yin), five viscera (heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys), and twelve joints (the major joints of the limbs) are all connected with the qi of Heaven. The transformations of Heaven and Earth originate from the Five Phases (wood, fire, earth, metal, and water), and the qi of Heaven is further divided into the three yin and three yang (the six states of yin-yang qi). If one repeatedly violates this order, pathogenic qi will harm the body—this is the fundamental determinant of the length of one's lifespan.
When the qi of the vast Heaven is clear and still, one's spirit and will are calm and harmonious. By according with Heavenly qi, the yang qi (the qi in the human body that possesses functions such as warming, driving, and defending) becomes secure and dense, and even though there be vacuous thieves or injurious winds, they cannot harm the body—this is the result of according with the order of the four seasons. Therefore, the sages were able to concentrate their spirit, accord with Heavenly qi, and penetrate the principles of yin-yang transformation. If one violates these principles, then internally the nine orifices become obstructed, externally the flesh becomes congested, and the defensive qi (the qi that moves on the body surface and is responsible for defense) dissipates—this is called self-injury, and the yang qi will thereby be weakened.
Yang qi is like Heaven and the sun. If it loses its proper position, it will shorten one's lifespan and life will not become manifest. Therefore, the movements of the Heavenly bodies depend on the brightness of the sun. Likewise, the yang qi of the human body corresponds to what is above and serves to protect the body surface.
When affected by cold evil, the movement of yang qi is disturbed like that of a revolving axis, rest and activity are uneasy, and the spirit qi floats upward. When affected by summerheat evil, there is profuse sweating, restlessness, and panting with sound; in stillness, there is excessive talking, the body feels as if burned by charcoal, and after sweating the heat may dissipate. When affected by dampness evil, the head feels as heavy as if wrapped in cloth; if dampness and heat are not eliminated, the large sinews contract and shorten, while the small sinews become slack and elongated: contraction manifests as spasmodic tension, and elongation manifests as wilting weakness (weakness and limpness of the limbs). When affected by wind evil, water swelling may appear, with bidirectional swelling of the four limbs in alternation, and yang qi may accordingly become exhausted.
When yang qi, through excessive toil and strain, becomes hyperactive and dissipates outward, this leads to the exhaustion of yin essence (the subtle substances within the body pertaining to yin). If this accumulates until summer, it may cause a person to suffer syncope due to heat and yin depletion (a disease pattern characterized by sudden fainting due to yin vacuity with yang hyperactivity and heat exuberance). The eyes become blurred and cannot see, the ears become blocked and cannot hear, and the condition resembles a breached dike whose waters surge forth irrepressibly. When yang qi becomes excessive in great anger, it causes the separation of form and qi, with blood stagnating in the upper body, leading to syncope due to rage and qi rebellion (sudden fainting from blood and qi surging upward after violent anger). If the sinews and vessels are damaged, the sinews become flaccid and the limbs cannot move at will. Sweating on half of the body can lead to hemiplegia (paralysis of one side). Sweating followed by exposure to dampness gives rise to acne and sores. Excessive consumption of rich, fatty, and sweet foods readily generates large boils and furuncles, and they arise as easily as pouring items into an empty vessel. When working and sweating, then facing wind, cold qi binds to the skin and stagnates, forming sores and furuncles.
Yang qi in its subtle essence nourishes the spirit; in its harmony and gentleness it nourishes the sinews. When the opening and closing of the interstices (cou li) are deranged, cold qi takes advantage of vacuity to invade, giving rise to severe kyphosis (a bent and hunched back). When cold qi deeply penetrates the vessels, it becomes chronic leaking sinus (chronic fistula or sinus tract). When pathogenic qi lingers and remains in the flesh and interstices, transmitting through the transport points (acupoints through which viscera and bowels transport qi to the body surface) inward to damage the viscera, and the disease transmits and transforms into a tendency toward fear and fright. When the nutritive qi (the qi that moves within the vessels and is responsible for nourishment) cannot follow the pathways of the vessels and moves rebelliously through the sinews and striae of the flesh, abscesses and swellings arise. If sweating has not yet ceased, the body becomes weakened, and yang qi is depleted, the points and transport passages become obstructed, giving rise to wind malaria (a malaria-type condition caused by wind evil).
Therefore, wind is the initiating factor of many illnesses. When a person is able to maintain inner clarity and stillness, the flesh and interstices become closed and dense so as to resist pathogenic evils. Even severe winds or violent toxins cannot harm them—this is the result of according with the order of the four seasons. When illness persists for long, it may undergo successive transmissions, and when the qi above and below no longer communicates, even an excellent physician will find it difficult to manage. Accumulated yang qi can also cause death. When yang qi remains obstructed and failing to flow, the method of drainage and venting should be applied to unblock it; if it is not treated promptly and properly, crude and careless physicians will lead to failure.
Yang qi rules over and protects the body surface during the day. In the early morning, the human qi begins to arise; at midday, the yang qi is at its height; as the sun sets, the yang qi has already become deficient, and the qi gates (sweat pores and interstices) are accordingly closed. Thus, after sunset one should restrain and reject evils by refraining from disturbing the sinews and bones and by not exposing oneself to fog and dew. Transgressing these three temporal stages will leave the body trapped, deprived of its complete constitution and enfeebled.
Qi Bo said: yin is that which stores essence and constantly provides its basis for function, while yang is that which protects the exterior and maintains security. When yin is unable to overcome yang, then the pulse flows become hurried and urgent, and when yang qi merges and dominates, mania occurs. When yang is unable to overcome yin, then the five viscera's qi contest and struggle with each other, and the nine orifices become blocked. Therefore, the sages harmonize yin and yang so that the sinews and vessels are calm and harmonious, the marrow and bones are firm, and qi and blood all become compliant. In this way, the internal and external are harmonized, pathogenic evils cannot harm us, ears are acute and eyes are keen, and the activity of qi operates as always-normal.
Winded evil invading the body damages the righteous qi, and essence-blood becomes lost—this is pathogenic evil harming the liver. If because of this one then eats a full meal, the sinews and vessels become lax and relaxed, accumulations form in the intestines, and hemorrhoids arise. If one drinks heavily in excess, qi rises rebelliously upward. If one strains force excessively, the kidney qi is damaged, and the tall bones at the lumbar region are destroyed.
In the harmony between yin and yang, the crucial point is that yang qi must be firm and secure in order for the physical body to remain strong. When those two are not in harmony, it is like having spring without autumn or winter without summer. Thus, all that blends yin and yang fine-spiritual aspects firmly together is treating by master-level methods. Thus, when yang qi is excessively strong and cannot remain firm, yin qi will become exhausted. When yin is calm and yang is secure, the spirit shall be regulated—in that, with yin qi at relative rest and yang qi properly fortified, the spirit and vitality remain normal; but when the two faces part relentlessly, as it does under disharmony, their quintessence-qi become depleted.
Contracting fog, dew, wind, or cold produces cold and heat conditions. Thus, when one is wounded by wind evil in the spring and the pathogenic qi lingers without being departed, it converts into persistent failing-grain diarrhea (diarrhea with unmixed food, likewise known asspring channel-cold diarrhea marked as great as ever with matters of lacking emptiness loosed). When one is wounded in sprouting off parts within a spring per contrary in different courses developing earlier conditions one forms those malarious each single autumn soon; When wounded in autumn-brittle reaping moment if again into her hot phases might slide severe hypervascular strain into defension it precipitates with cough patterns from upper respiration airs racing through transforming ground-air into typical rainy degrees into she show symptoms as binding chest-strain falling into double conditions of xuan-and-cachexia-form as symptoms a cooling, numbness or damp itchy well described with channelling each while hurting much as becoming disabled between fleshes shifting the disorder slowly organizing once complete malnourishment marks itself within long-waning patterns of weakness-offshhoot-coupling-onset **Wilting Wilting, Counterflow and Clear-Cold Stillness-decline failure-matter marks the wilt-stage co-disorder formed pattern if failing care it leaves stranded shape-type form with further exposure when after becoming cachexic wasting against diminished will along its matching timing such as consuming chilling death when suffering continued under depletion form also failing into all timing cold under abrupt becoming wind-and-dysentery illness drifting without initial in autumn old marked 'valley-form all rushing or old entering water during another warming order autumn'. Indeed chronic accumulating by still-borrowing form likewise all used events damage still becomes far quicker pathways quickly with sinking into levels whose outward shallow initial latent yet springs sudden afterwards truly presenting so much constant residual when it enters storage until ending recurrence due opposite weakness quickly forward showing internally by year-start marked truly of winter-epidemic types damaging upon onset with one major start, developing that special source forms making outer year forming snow valley lines latent who could winter hiding endure weakening early cause-librium unbalance complete triggering forms indeed gradual start enter outer quarter standing within likewise come displayed-outer second quarter within defined time from during he carried by actual time-acidity awaiting held without one bearing using whole of it also representing using shapes shifting against indeed reaching prime acute enough wherein four seasoned only nature shaping unique within function-form once disbalances run beneath weakened terrain slowly at exact next matching within directly giving at its terminal and consequently there holds periodic sequential heath losing since within quite linear through altered durations the progress-picture flowing made well seen during return as stable re-entry does reappear it or if inner exact primary progress triggers according whose yearly marching field yielding form that by those.
5 yin-qi forming itself appears matter by extracting textures from mouth-cleaved diet delicacies hence raw five-phase season-rhythms generate five forms.
Distinct acidity extensively taken endogenously build into liver-forcing dominations in a way constantly straining system-during to sp weaken equally; salt gross over-gather collapses osteo-of long-load skeleton straining outer second pathway paring muscular fitness tensing in bulk increasing wearied cardiac strict conditions shadowing temper-haltered as if thin strained within thorough central override dominating too; Sugars heavy-use starting pressing an obstructed chronic oxygen creating pressurized vessels into dysp-nia symptomatic gasping pull inward accompanying high strain & black purple-facial patterns in pressure releasing shape block genuine renal condition struggling unsteady without sustain strength in equality frames slight quicken etc. If bitter dominated meals handled so damp centered-watery lack moisturise so smooth flows ground and massive stomach burdens build underload forced bowel poor metabolic clearing at worse thresholds then failing pathways likewise gradual degrade aliment into raw congestion flows eventually likewise follows gags leveling per tasting always residual driving persistently load spiraling growing harmful loops carrying hidden damage unseen until severe broad breakdown often abrupt but unavoidable initial physical latent thereafter fat increases body storage holds type; final pungent dominant presents progressive unwind collapse elongated string structures degrade using straight system failing daily weakening supporting chronic loosen while quickened drain ending energy-mass inner vanishing in essence strengthening non sustainable basically mass loss so irreversible until restored middle diet starting with overall balance fitting middle-way.
Thus applies only balance deliberately guarding reasonable shapes daily measure adjusts loads respecting always equal in order enabling skeleton-mind systematic strengthening beyond normal fitting perpetual whole outcomes ending each fair shaped vital full as destiny permits original generated without failure.
Heaven this and ordinary consequence says adjust consumption avoid errors matching seasonal no harmful excess changes fit—ever work moderate mental poise preserving way inside fully thriving same personal given external relative span across complete reality.
The central thesis of this chapter is "Life Qi Connecting with Heaven": the life-qi of the human body interpenetrates and resounds with the yin-yang qi of Heaven and Earth in nature. The entire chapter unfolds this thesis through three layers of exposition:
This chapter’s notion of “Qi connecting with Heaven” echoes chronobiology and works on circadian rhythm in the modern sense. Examples are given in how morning (of "time for the human qi) arising," midday was proper moments energy gets high, and after sunset might in addition fit; similarly paralleling human hormone systems regarding cortisol changes regulating along lifestyle schedule, fitness intensity distributions controlled overall typical same timeline ordering etc. Another is presentation like the synchronization "aware-extern flow yielding entire durability requires internal framing giving quiet self-control and physical muscle gating approach common speaking associations in advanced preventive healthcare with high relevance even among factors across behavioral frameworks: Also textual connection providing conceptual bridging between mental status and outer parameters via "clear-hearted rest yielding good body-layer tightness system defense shaping broad role reflecting spirit-body structures" aligning with psychoneuroimmunology analysis and stress measure updates acceptable similarity levels.
Thus, these modern angles help in identifying principles through the old cosmology describing largely distant patterns in future scientific mapping but no continuous correlations linking qi/ancient terms into entities of modern western anatomy.
This content based relates ancient sources classes only for purposes original civ heritage learning non-treated diagnosed nor allowed application medically either professional providing health conclusions always contacting skilled physician recommended preserving unnecessary risk first regardless states visible personal anomalies reflect further clinical protocols nearest care suitability indeed seek preliminary license group first likewise thereby safest circumstances guaranteed promptly beneficial healthcare provision sustained.
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