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Chapter 68 of 78
黄帝内经·素问
Overall Paraphrase
The Yellow Emperor sighed: How profound are the celestial movements! Like gazing at floating clouds or peering into an abyss—though the abyss may be measured, the clouds are boundless. You have repeatedly spoken of reverently upholding the Way of Heaven, and I have recorded your words yet harbored doubts. Could you elaborate thoroughly, so that this knowledge may be transmitted without interruption?
Qi Bo replied with solemn reverence: This concerns the sequential patterns of heaven and earth, and the laws governing the waxing and waning of qi.
The Yellow Emperor asked: What of the waxing and waning within the "six-six nodes" of the celestial Way? Qi Bo said: The qi of heaven and earth has positions above and below, and a left-right order. To the right of Lesser Yang (one yang qi, nascent yang) lies Bright Yang (two yang qi, yang at its peak) governing; to the right of Bright Yang lies Greater Yang (three yang qi, yang about to exhaust) governing; to the right of Greater Yang lies Receding Yin (one yin qi, yin nascent) governing; to the right of Receding Yin lies Lesser Yin (two yin qi, yin gradually prevailing) governing; to the right of Lesser Yin lies Greater Yin (three yin qi, yin most abundant) governing; to the right of Greater Yin returns to Lesser Yang. This is what is called the manifestation of qi (the external signs of the six qi), the order observed facing south. Hence it is said, "Following the celestial order, at times of waxing and waning, move with the light and fix positions, stand upright and wait"—one observes the positions of qi by tracking the movement of sunlight.
Each qi also has its root (fundamental qi) and intermediate manifestation (the associated qi appearing between): Above Lesser Yang, 🔥fire qi governs, with Receding Yin (wind qi) as its intermediate; above Bright Yang, dryness qi governs, with Greater Yin (dampness qi) as its intermediate; above Greater Yang, cold qi governs, with Lesser Yin (heat qi) as its intermediate; above Receding Yin, 💨wind qi governs, with Lesser Yang (fire qi) as its intermediate; above Lesser Yin, heat qi governs, with Greater Yang (cold qi) as its intermediate; above Greater Yin, 🌊dampness qi governs, with Bright Yang (dryness qi) as its intermediate. Below the root lies the intervening qi, and below the intervening qi lies the manifesting qi. When root and manifestation differ, the signs produced by qi transformation vary accordingly.
The Yellow Emperor asked: Sometimes qi arrives punctually with the solar terms, sometimes a term arrives but qi has not come, and sometimes qi arrives before the term. Why? Qi Bo said: Arriving promptly is called "harmony"; failing to arrive when expected means the arriving qi is insufficient; arriving early means the arriving qi is excessive. The Yellow Emperor pressed further on the consequences, and Qi Bo said: What corresponds with the season is favorable; what does not correspond is contrary. When contrary, variations arise; when variations arise, disease follows. The growth of all things is a response to seasonal qi, and changes in the pulse reflect the movement of qi.
The Yellow Emperor then asked how geography corresponds to the positions of the six qi. Qi Bo said: To the right of the manifest light (the position of sun rising in the east) is the position of Monarch Fire (fire of the heart, root of yang qi for the whole body); one step to its right, Minister Fire (fire assisting the monarch's fire, governing warmth and propulsion) takes charge; another step brings earth qi; another, metal qi; another, water qi; another, wood qi; and within yet another step, it returns to Monarch Fire. This is the cycle of the six qi in their geographical order.
The Yellow Emperor asked why each position of qi has another qi beneath it to "bear and restrain" (接承和制约): Qi Bo replied, this is the principle that "when excessive, harm arises; when borne, restraint occurs" —when a particular qi becomes excessive it causes disaster, and only when another qi comes to bear and restrain it is the balance of transformation maintained. When restraint is appropriate, transformation and generation proceed in good order; when excess knows no restraint, chaos and ruin ensue, bringing forth great illness.
On waxing and waning and the position of "wei": Qi Bo explained that when qi is not in its proper position it is evil; when in its proper position, it is upright. Evil brings radical change; upright admits only mild change. So-called proper positions: wood movement facing Mao (wood position in the east), fire facing Wu (south), earth facing the four seasonal months (months belonging to earth), metal facing You (west), water facing Zi (north)—these are called Sui Hui (year gatherings), years of even qi. When the year movement fails to correspond with the earthly branch position, it is "not in position."
The Emperor asked about the union of the five movements with the controlling qi of heaven. Qi Bo said: In years of earth movement, Greater Yin appears above; in fire-movement years, Lesser Yang or Lesser Yin; in metal years, Bright Yang; in wood years, Receding Yin; in water years, Greater Yang. These are called Tian Fu—the year movement in conjunction with heaven's governing qi. What partakes of both Tian Fu and Sui Hui is called Taiyi Tian Fu.
Qi Bo further used official rank as an analogy for the "nobility" of these three year types: Tian Fu is like an enforcer of law (an official administering punishment), Sui Hui is like an executor of orders (an official implementing commands), and Taiyi Tian Fu is like a noble figure (one of sovereign dignity). When evil qi strikes in different years, the resulting conditions differ: those struck by the enforcer fall ill rapidly and critically; those struck by the executor fall ill slowly and enduringly; those struck by the noble one fall ill with acute severity and mortal danger.
On the matter of exchanging positions between monarch and minister: Qi Bo explained, when Monarch Fire occupies a ministerial position, this is compliant; when Minister Fire assumes a monarchical position, this is contrary. Compliance brings disease that stays distant and mild; contrariety entails disease that is near and severe—this pertains specifically to the "two fires," Monarch Fire and Minister Fire (the two major fire principles of the body's physiology).
The emperor's next purpose extended to the meaning of "step." Qi Bo explained: A step comprises sixty-plus degrees (approximately 60.875 days), six steps encompassing the full seven hundred sixty five and one quarter days completed by the loop of time from twenty-four steps to create twenty-four solar-stages boundaries of stability are compactly clarified. Regarding qi response of variation conforming over years and across variations Qielao takes sixqi to "五 行 transitional counter-equations they run after details built—en percent of the intended text intended then later follows:
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