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Chapter 7 of 78
黄帝内经·素问
The Yellow Emperor asked: What is the meaning of the human body having four meridians and twelve connections? Qi Bo answered: The four meridians correspond to the four seasons, the twelve connections correspond to the twelve months, and the twelve months correspond to the twelve经脉. 🩺 The pulse has yin and yang distinctions: those who understand the yang pulses can infer the yin pulses, and those who understand the yin pulses can also infer the yang pulses. The yang pulses, categorized according to the five viscera and five seasons, number five categories, and five times five yields twenty-five types of yang pulses. What is called the yin pulse refers to the true visceral pulse — a failing pulse that shows no stomach qi but only reveals the essential qi of the viscera; once it appears, it indicates the decline of vital qi and an extremely poor prognosis. What is called the yang pulse refers to the yang of the stomach cavity — the manifestation of stomach qi in the pulse 🌿. One who can distinguish the yang pulses knows the location of disease; one who can distinguish the yin pulses knows the time of life or death. The examination sites for the three yang meridians are at the head and neck, while those for the three yin meridians are at the hand, and the principle is the same. One who can distinguish the yang pulses knows the seasonal taboos of disease; one who can distinguish the yin pulses knows the time of life or death. Therefore, one must be careful and proficient in grasping yin and yang, and need not consult with others.
Regarding the yin and yang of pulse manifestations: when the pulse qi departs, it is yin; when it arrives, it is yang; stillness is yin, agitation is yang; slowness is yin, rapidity is yang. Whenever the true visceral pulse is diagnosed: if the liver pulse is suspended and tense, death occurs in eighteen days according to ancient tradition; if the heart pulse is suspended, death in nine days; if the lung pulse is suspended, death in twelve days; if the kidney pulse is suspended, death in seven days; if the spleen pulse is suspended, death in four days.
The two yang meridians, namely the Yangming meridian, when diseased, affect the heart and spleen, and patients often experience difficulties such as disordered urination and defecation that are hard to speak of; in women, irregular menstruation or amenorrhea; if it transforms into wind consumption (wind-caused emaciation), characterized by muscle wasting, and further into sighing fullness (dyspnea and chest fullness), it was called difficult to treat in ancient times. The three yang meridians, namely the Taiyang meridian, when diseased, produce fever and chills, ulcers and swellings in the lower body, weakness and coldness in both feet, and soreness in the calves; transmission leads to dry and lusterless skin, or to tui hernia, namely sagging hernia. The one yang meridian, namely the Shaoyang meridian, when diseased, manifests as shortness of qi, easy coughing, and easy diarrhea; transmission leads to heart palpitation (heart throbbing and restlessness), and further to blockage (obstruction preventing food from passing).
When two yang and one yin combine in disease, the manifestations are fright, back pain, frequent belching, and frequent yawning, termed wind syncope. When two yin and one yang combine in disease, there is abdominal fullness, stuffiness beneath the heart, and a tendency to sigh deeply. When three yang and three yin combine in disease, there is hemiplegia, limpness and weakness of the limbs, and inability to raise the four extremities.
In pulse manifestations: when one yang surges, it is a hook pulse — arriving vigorously and receding weakly; when one yin surges, it is a hair pulse — floating and light; when yang is exuberant and tense, it is a string pulse — like a lute string; when yang qi arrives and then ceases, it is a stone pulse — deep and firm; when yin and yang pass through each other, it is a slippery pulse — smooth and fluent. When yin qi contends internally and yang qi disturbs externally, sweating does not stop, the four limbs are cold and reversed, and reversed qi rises to fumigate the lungs, causing wheezing and dyspnea. The transformation of yin qi is rooted in the harmony of yin and yang. Therefore, when yang is excessively strong, yang qi breaks and disperses, and yin qi follows in waning; when yin is excessively soft, firmness and softness fail to harmonize, and the meridian qi becomes exhausted.
For the category of dead yin, ancient tradition says death occurs within no more than three days; for the category of living yang, ancient tradition says death occurs within no more than four days. What is meant by living yang and dead yin: liver disease transmitting to the heart is living yang; heart disease transmitting to the lungs is dead yin; lung disease transmitting to the kidneys is double yin; kidney disease transmitting to the spleen is repelling yin, which was called difficult to treat in ancient times.
When pathogenic qi binds in the yang meridians, the four limbs swell; when it binds in the yin meridians, there is blood in the stool — one sheng for the first binding, two sheng for the second, and three sheng for the third. When both yin and yang are bound but predominantly yin, with more yin and less yang, it is called stone water, with swelling of the lower abdomen. Two yang binding results in wasting-thirst, three yang binding results in blockage, three yin binding results in edema, and one yin with one yang binding results in throat obstruction. When the yin pulse beats forcefully and is distinct from the yang pulse, it is a sign of pregnancy; when both yin and yang are deficient and dysentery appears, the prognosis is poor. Yang added to yin manifests as sweating; when the yin pulse is deficient and the yang pulse beats forcefully, it is flooding discharge (uterine bleeding).
When three yin all beat forcefully, ancient tradition says death occurs at midnight on the twentieth day; when two yin all beat forcefully, death occurs at dusk on the thirteenth day; when one yin all beats forcefully, death occurs on the tenth day; when three yang all beat forcefully and surge, death occurs on the third day; when three yin and three yang all beat forcefully, with heart and abdominal fullness, complete obstruction of urination and defecation, and inability to perform private functions, death occurs on the fifth day; when two yang all beat forcefully, with febrile disease, ancient tradition calls it difficult to treat, and death occurs within no more than ten days.
— Buguā: This content is based on classic TCM texts and is provided solely for traditional cultural study and reading. It does not constitute any medical diagnosis, medication, or treatment advice; please consult a physician promptly if you feel unwell.