素问：五运行大论篇第六十七

Su Wen: Chapter 67 — Major Discussion on the Five Movements and Six Qi

Holistic Paraphrase

This chapter, "Major Discussion on the Five Movements," is an important section of the Yellow Emperor's Inner Classic that discusses the theory of Five Movements and Six Qi (Wu Yun Liu Qi). Its core purpose is to explain the idea that "the yin and yang of heaven and earth cannot be grasped through numerical calculation but must be understood through observable signs and manifestations."

The Yellow Emperor, having established the astronomical framework in the Bright Hall, observed the eight directions, and verified the constant principles of the Five Phases, asked Qi Bo: I have heard that the numbers of the Five Movements are as follows: Earth Movement governs the years of Jia/Ji, Metal Movement governs Yi/Geng, Water Movement governs Bing/Xin, Wood Movement governs Ding/Ren, and Fire Movement governs Wu/Gui. As for the Earthly Branches: Zi/Wu correspond to Lesser Yin, Chou/Wei to Greater Yin, Yin/Shen to Lesser Yang, Mao/You to Bright Yang, Chen/Xu to Greater Yang, and Si/Hai to Receding Yin. These pairings appear to contradict the general rules of yin and yang. What is the reason for this?

Qi Bo replied: These are the yin and yang of heaven and earth, not the yin and yang of the human body. The yin and yang of the human body can be deduced through numbers, extending from ten to a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand. But the yin and yang of heaven and earth cannot be determined by numbers alone; they can only be understood through manifestations (xiang). He cited the Tai Shi Tian Yuan Ce (Record of the Heavenly Origins of Great Beginnings): The crimson celestial qi passes through the lodges Niu and Nu and the Wu division; the yellow celestial qi passes through the lodges Xin and Wei and the Ji division; the green celestial qi passes through the lodges Wei, Shi, Liu, and Gui; the white celestial qi passes through the lodges Kang, Di, Mao, and Bi; the black celestial qi passes through the lodges Zhang, Yi, Lou, and Wei. The so-called Wu and Ji divisions correspond to the lodges Kui, Bi, Jiao, and Zhen, and are the gateway of heaven and earth. This is where climatic changes originate and where the celestial Dao proceeds — one must not remain ignorant of it.

Then Qi Bo explained "above" and "below," and "left" and "right." The so-called "above" refers to the position of the Sitian (Heavenly Governance) qi of the current year; the so-called "below" refers to the position of the Zaiquan (Earthly Springs) qi. The left and right refer to the intercalary qi flanking the Sitian and Zaiquan. For example: when Receding Yin governs the heavens, its left intercalary is Lesser Yin and its right intercalary is Greater Yang; when Lesser Yin governs the heavens, its left intercalary is Greater Yin and its right intercalary is Receding Yin; and so on. This establishes the position of Sitian qi when viewed from the north. The corresponding relationships for Zaiquan are: Receding Yin governing the heavens means Lesser Yang in the springs; Lesser Yin governing the heavens means Bright Yang in the springs; Greater Yin governing the heavens means Greater Yang in the springs; Lesser Yang governing the heavens means Receding Yin in the springs; Bright Yang governing the heavens means Lesser Yin in the springs; Greater Yang governing the heavens means Greater Yin in the springs. This establishes the position of Zaiquan qi when viewed from the south.

The qi above and below interact and exchange; cold and heat mutually overlay each other. When qi and position are mutually compatible, there is harmony; when they are incompatible, illness arises. However, sometimes illness occurs even when qi and position seem compatible, because the "lower qi encroaches upon the upper," indicating an improper position. Regarding the direction of movement, Qi Bo said: That above moves to the right; that below moves to the left. Having revolved for one full cycle, they meet again. Gui Yuqu once said that "that which responds to earth is still." Qi Bo explained: In the movements and stillness of heaven and earth, and in the cyclic progression of the Five Phases, Gui Yuqu saw only one part. Heaven displays celestial signs; earth forms physical shapes. The sun, moon, and five planets move within the Great Void, while the Five Phases attach to the earth. Earth bears the forms of all things; the Great Void distributes the essential qi of heaven. The relationship between form and essence is like that between root and branches. Though the celestial signs are distant when looked up to, they can still be known.

The Yellow Emperor asked: Is the earth below, and is it the very lowest? Qi Bo said: Earth is below humanity, yet suspended within the Great Void. The Yellow Emperor asked: What supports it? Qi Bo said: It is borne aloft by the Great Qi (atmosphere). The functions of the six qi are: dryness makes things dry, heat causes steaming, wind brings movement, dampness moistens, cold makes things firm, and fire warms. Therefore wind and cold reside below, dryness and heat above, dampness occupies the center, and fire roams within and between them. When cold and heat, and the other six qi, enter the earth, they cause transformation and generation in the empty spaces. Thus, when dryness qi prevails, the earth becomes parched; when heat qi prevails, the earth becomes hot; when wind qi prevails, the earth trembles; when dampness qi prevails, the earth becomes muddy; when cold qi prevails, the earth cracks; when fire qi prevails, the earth hardens.

The Yellow Emperor asked: How does one diagnose the qi of heaven and earth? Qi Bo said: The victory, defeat, and cycling between the qi of heaven and earth are not manifested in pulse diagnosis. The Mai Fa (Pulse Methods) says: The natural transformations of heaven and earth cannot be judged through pulse diagnosis. This is exactly the meaning.

Asked how to judge the "intercalary qi," Qi Bo said: One must follow where the qi of that particular year resides, and observe the left and right intercalary qi. The diagnostic principle is: compliance with the qi brings harmony; defiance of the qi brings illness; being not in one's proper position brings illness; displacement or swapping of positions brings illness; losing one's position is dangerous; reverse presentation of the cun and chi pulses is a critical sign; alternation of yin and yang in disorder is a critical sign. First establish the year, determine the dominant qi of that year, then observe whether the left and right intercalary qi correspond. Only then can one discuss life, death, compliance, and rebellion.

Regarding the relationship between the six qi and the human body and all things, Qi Bo elaborated through the Five Phase generation and control system:

• 🌿 The East generates wind: Wind generates wood; wood generates sourness; sourness generates the liver; the liver generates sinews; sinews generate the heart. In heaven, it is wind; on earth, it is wood; in the body, it is the sinews; in qi, it is softness; in the organs, it is the liver. Its nature is warmth; its virtue is harmony; its function is movement; its color is blue-green; its transformation is luxuriant growth; it corresponds to hairy creatures; its government is dispersal and issuance; its change manifests as breakage and toppling; its calamity is falling and dropping; its flavor is sour; its emotion is anger. Anger harms the liver, but grief overcomes anger; wind harms the liver, but dryness overcomes wind; sourness harms the sinews, but pungency overcomes sourness.

• 🔥 The South generates heat: Heat generates fire; fire generates bitterness; bitterness generates the heart; the heart generates blood; blood generates the spleen. In heaven, it is heat; on earth, it is fire; in the body, it is the vessels; in qi, it is vitality; in the organs, it is the heart. Its nature is hot; its virtue is manifestation and brightness; its function is restlessness; its color is red; its transformation is flourishing; it corresponds to feathered creatures; its government is brilliance and clarity; it commands qi to gather and steam; its change manifests as scorching heat; its calamity is burning and blaze; its flavor is bitter; its emotion is joy. Joy harms the heart, but fear overcomes joy; heat harms qi, but cold overcomes heat; bitterness harms qi, but saltiness overcomes bitterness.

• 🌾 The Center generates dampness: Dampness generates earth; earth generates sweetness; sweetness generates the spleen; the spleen generates flesh; flesh generates the lungs. In heaven, it is dampness; on earth, it is earth; in the body, it is flesh; in qi, it is fullness; in the organs, it is the spleen. Its nature is tranquil and transformative; its virtue is moistening; its function is transformation and generation; its color is yellow; its transformation is repletion; it corresponds to naked creatures; its government is stillness and calm; it commands qi to generate clouds and rain; its change manifests as torrential downpours; its calamity is dampness permeating and erosion; its flavor is sweet; its emotion is pensiveness. Pensiveness harms the spleen, but anger overcomes pensiveness; dampness harms flesh, but wind overcomes dampness; sweetness harms the spleen, but sourness overcomes sweetness.

• ⚪ The West generates dryness: Dryness generates metal; metal generates pungency; pungency generates the lungs; the lungs generate skin and body hair; skin and hair generate the kidneys. In heaven, it is dryness; on earth, it is metal; in the body, it is skin and hair; in qi, it is completion; in the organs, it is the lungs. Its nature is cool and clear; its virtue is pure and severe; its function is firmness and solidity; its color is white; its transformation is contraction and gathering; it corresponds to shelled creatures; its government is sharp and urgent; it commands qi to generate mist and dew; its change manifests as killing and withering; its calamity is decay and falling; its flavor is pungent; its emotion is sorrow. Sorrow harms the lungs, but joy overcomes sorrow; heat harms skin and hair, but cold overcomes heat; pungency harms skin and hair, but bitterness overcomes pungency.

• 🌊 The North generates cold: Cold generates water; water generates saltiness; saltiness generates the kidneys; the kidneys generate bone marrow; marrow generates the liver. In heaven, it is cold; on earth, it is water; in the body, it is bones; in qi, it is hardness; in the organs, it is the kidneys. Its nature is bitter cold; its virtue is frigidity; its function is closure and storage; its color is black; its transformation is austerity and stillness; it corresponds to scaled creatures; its government is quiet and tranquil; it commands qi to generate sleet and snow; its change manifests as freezing and bitter cold; its calamity is hail and ice; its flavor is salty; its emotion is fear. Fear harms the kidneys, but pensiveness overcomes fear; cold harms blood, but dryness overcomes cold; saltiness harms blood, but sweetness overcomes saltiness.

The chapter concludes with a summary: The qi of the five directions take turns governing the seasons, each having its own sequence of dominance. Not being in its proper position constitutes pathogenic qi; being in its proper position constitutes righteous (normal) qi. In terms of disease manifestation, when qi and position are compatible, illness is mild; when incompatible, illness is severe. If the qi governing the year is excessive, it will restrain the qi it normally overcomes and will in turn bully the qi it cannot overcome; if deficient, it will be bullied by the qi it cannot overcome, which will take advantage of its weakness, and will also be slighted and counter-bullied by the qi it normally overcomes. Those who bully other qi will themselves fall prey to pathogenic influence. The reason those who bully others become afflicted is that they have lost their sense of awe and their restraint has vanished.

🧠 Deep Understanding

Core Theoretical Principles 💡

The core of this chapter lies in distinguishing "manifestation (xiang) versus number (shu)" and establishing the framework of "Sitian/Zaiquan — Left and Right Intercalary Qi" within the doctrine of the Five Movements and Six Qi. Qi Bo explicitly states that the yin and yang of heaven and earth cannot be deduced through simple numerical calculations but require observation of "celestial signs" and "qi transformation." This is the foundational mode of thinking in Chinese medical yunqi theory: incorporating years, seasons, climate, phenology, and the functional systems of the human body into a single dynamic system model.

Several key medical principles emerge in this chapter:

1. The Gateway of Heaven and Earth and the Five Qi Traversing the Heavens: The five colored celestial qi passing through specific segments of the twenty-eight lodges provides the astronomical groundwork for the assignment of the Heavenly Stems to the Five Movements. The ancients used this to demonstrate that the pairing of the Five Movements was not arbitrary but grounded in long-term observation of celestial phenomena.
2. Sitian, Zaiquan, and Left/Right Intercalary Qi: This spatial model describes the distribution of the six qi over the course of a year. Sitian governs the first half of the year, Zaiquan governs the second half, and the intercalary qi on both sides govern the four seasons. It embodies a combined perspective of "position — time — qi transformation."
3. qi Compatibility Brings Harmony; Incompatibility Brings Illness: Health and disease are understood as depending on whether the qi of the year falls in its proper position and whether the guest and host qi are mutually compatible. This resembles the modern concept of "matching between internal and external environments."
4. The Great Qi Uplifts the Earth: This proposes that the earth is a body suspended in the Great Void, upheld by the atmosphere. It is a simple, naturalistic view of cosmic structure that abandons mythological supports.
5. The System of Five Directions — Five Phases — Five Organs — Five Emotions: Through the generative and controlling cycles of the Five Phases, wind, heat, dampness, dryness, cold, and fire are linked to the five organs, five flavors, five emotions, and five classes of creatures, creating a holistic model for explaining human physiology, psychology, and the mechanisms of disease. The pairings "grief overcomes anger, fear overcomes joy, anger overcomes pensiveness, joy overcomes sorrow, pensiveness overcomes fear" belong to the theory of emotional mutual conquest.
6. Excess Restrains What It Normally Overcomes and Bullies What It Cannot Overcome; Deficiency Invites Counter-Bullying: This is the yunqi-specific expression of the Five Phase cheng (overbearing) and wu (insulting) relationships, illustrating how both excess and deficiency in qi transformation disrupt balance, and how "bullying in return brings harm upon oneself" highlights the danger of losing restraint.

Modern Perspective 🌟

The theory of Five Movements and Six Qi demonstrates the ancient Chinese systematic observation of temporal rhythms, climatic shifts, and their relationship to human health, containing seeds of early preventive and ecological medicine. It integrated celestial motion, seasonal climate, phenology, and human physiology and pathology into a unified framework in search of periodic laws — a valuable holistic approach.

However, one must objectively recognize:

• Fleming stem-and-branch deduction is not causal proof. Assignments such as Jia/Ji transforming to Earth and Yi/Geng to Metal are derived chiefly from observation, induction, and Five Phase classification, not from modern meteorological or epidemiological causality. They more closely resemble "model analogy" than reproducible scientific law.
• They cannot be used for individual disease prediction or clinical diagnosis. This chapter itself states that "the transformations of heaven and earth cannot be judged by pulse diagnosis," showing that the ancients recognized the macroclimate of heaven and earth cannot substitute for specific diagnosis of the human body. Later practices of "calculating illness" or "selecting formulas" based on yunqi exceed the original intention and must be approached cautiously.
• "The Great Qi uplifts the Earth" is a simple naturalistic view, not a modern gravitational theory. While it dismisses mythological supports, it does not possess the significance of modern celestial mechanics.
• The mutual conquest of the five emotions reveals that emotions may interact and regulate one another, but mechanically mapping them to the five organs and interpreting them through Five Phase conquest is a philosophical analogy. Modern psychology recognizes the importance of emotional regulation but does not adopt linear formulas like "grief conquers anger."

On the whole, the historical value of this chapter lies in establishing a structured model for contemplating the relationship between "heaven — earth — humanity," rather than in offering directly applicable treatment protocols. It should be studied as traditional culture and as part of the history of Chinese medical theory, not as a predictive tool or clinical basis.

Insights for Wellbeing ⚡

Some practical, non-therapeutic insights can be drawn from this chapter for everyday living:

• Align with the four seasons and the transitions of cold and heat: Wind, cold, heat, dampness, dryness, and fire are basic fluctuations of the natural environment. Daily routines, clothing, and diet should adjust with the seasons, minimizing prolonged exposure to extreme climates.
• Harmonize the five flavors in diet: Sour, bitter, sweet, pungent, and salty correspond respectively to the five organs, but overindulgence of any single flavor may damage its associated organ. Everyday diet should balance the five flavors rather than favor one.
• Let emotions regulate one another: Anger, joy, pensiveness, sorrow, and fear are normal emotions; excessive persistence may affect body and mind. One can use activities of different qualities to modulate emotions — for instance, quiet rest to ease anger, moderate activity to dispel worry.
• Value "being in one's proper position is righteousness": Maintain regularity in daily life, moderation in diet, and balance in emotion, so that body and mind remain in their "proper positions," reducing discomfort from internal-external imbalances.
• Approach yunqi rationally: Awareness of climatic change can remind one to protect against seasonal factors, but one should not panic excessivelyIt's a practical approach to insight":** "Understand climate changes for what they are, and use them gently as prompts; do not let any single year perceived as 'unlucky' cause undue anxiety or take the place of medical advice."

📚 Related Knowledge

• Related Concepts:

  • Five Movements and Six Qi (Wu Yun Liu Qi): The Heavenly Stems transform into the Five Movements and the Earthly Branches into the Six Qi, used to infer yearly climatic shifts and disease trends.
  • Sitian and Zaiquan: The governing qi of the upper and lower halves of the year respectively; Sitian governs the first half, Zaiquan the second.
  • Left and Right Intercalary Qi: The supplemental qi flanking Sitian and Zaiquan, each governing a quarter of the year.
  • Gateway of Heaven and Earth: The Wu and Ji divisions corresponding to the Kui, Bi, Jiao, and Zhen lodges, regarded by the ancients as the portal for the alternation of yin and yang qi within each year.
  • Mutual Conquest of Five Emotions: Anger, joy, pensiveness, sorrow, and fear mutually constrain one another according to Five Phase conquering relations.
  • Five Phase Cheng and Wu: Excessive conquering is called "cheng" and reverse restriction is called "wu." This chapter uses the frame to explain the effects of qi transformation in excess and deficiency.

• Further Reading:

  • Su Wen · Tian Yuan Ji Da Lun (Great Treatise on the Origins of Heaven's Precision)
  • Su Wen · Liu Wei Zhi Da Lun (Great Treatise on Subtle Principles of the Six Divisions)
  • Su Wen · Qi Jiao Bian Da Lun (Great Treatise on Changes in the Interaction of Qi)
  • Su Wen · Zhi Zhen Yao Da Lun (Great Treatise on Essential Principles of Treatment)
  • Ling Shu · Ben Shen (Original Spirit)

This content is based on classical Chinese medical texts and is provided solely for the study of traditional culture. It does not constitute medical diagnosis, prescription, or treatment advice. If you experience discomfort, please consult a qualified healthcare professional in a timely manner.