Loading...
Chapter 50 of 81
黄帝内经·灵枢
Overall Paraphrase
(There are some character-errors in the original text of this chapter, such as "青风" which should be "温风", and "酒停" which should be "酒悖". The following is a paraphrase based on the received editions and the A-B Classic (Jiayijing).)
The Yellow Emperor asked Shao Yu: "When several people walk together and stand together, of the same age and wearing clothes of the same thickness, should they suddenly encounter violent wind and heavy rain, some fall ill and others do not; sometimes all fall ill, sometimes none do. What is the reason for this?"
Shao Yu said: "In spring there is much warm wind 💨, in summer much hot and yang wind 🔥, in autumn much cool wind 🍂, and in winter much cold wind ❄️. When the wind evil of these four seasons injures people, the patterns of disease are each different."
The Yellow Emperor asked: "How does the wind of the four seasons injure people?" Shao Yu said: "Those with yellowish skin, thin skin, and weak flesh cannot withstand the deficient wind (the abnormal qi of the four seasons, wind evil that takes advantage of deficiency) of spring; those with whitish skin, thin skin, and weak flesh cannot withstand the deficient wind of summer; those with greenish skin, thin skin, and weak flesh cannot withstand the deficient wind of autumn; those with reddish skin, thin skin, and weak flesh cannot withstand the deficient wind of winter."
The Yellow Emperor asked: "Do those with dark skin never fall ill?" Shao Yu said: "Those with dark skin and thick skin and firm flesh are indeed not easily injured by the deficient winds of the four seasons. If a person has thin skin, unfirm flesh, and impure skin color, encountering a deficient wind during long summer (between summer and autumn) may cause illness. One with thick skin and firm flesh will not fall ill even encountering a deficient wind in long summer. One with thick skin and firm flesh must externally suffer cold evil and internally suffer cold invasion—when cold is repeated both internally and externally—only then will they fall ill."
The Yellow Emperor said: "Well spoken."
The Yellow Emperor also said: "That some people can endure pain and others cannot is not a distinction between bravery and timidity. Among the brave, there are those who cannot endure pain: in times of danger they can rush forward, but when encountering pain they stop; among the timid, there are those who can endure pain: upon hearing of danger they become fearful, but when encountering pain they remain unmoved. Among the brave, those who can endure pain are neither fearful in times of danger nor moved by pain. Among the timid, those who cannot endure pain, when encountering danger and pain, roll their eyes, turn their faces away, are too frightened to speak, their qi becomes chaotic from shock, their countenance changes, as if they had died and then returned to life. I have observed these phenomena, but I do not know the reason."
Shao Yu said: "Whether one can endure pain depends on the thickness of the skin, the firmness or laxity of the muscles and flesh—it is not a matter of bravery or timidity."
The Yellow Emperor said: "I wish to hear how bravery and timidity are formed."
Shao Yu said: "The brave have deep-set eye sockets and steady, firm gazes; broad brow and forehead, and direct, uninhibited qi flow; the San Jiao (one of the six fu organs, governing the passage of qi and water) has horizontal, spreading纹理; the heart qi is upright and direct; the liver is large and firm; and the gallbladder qi is full and spread horizontally. When angered, their qi is abundant and their chest expands, the liver qi rises upward and the gallbladder qi overflows laterally, the eye corners seem about to split, both eyes open wide, the hair stands on end, and the complexion turns blue. This is the physical basis from which the brave are formed."
The Yellow Emperor said: "I wish to hear how the timid are formed." Shao Yu said: "The timid have large eyes but insecure spirit qi; the yin-yang qi is not harmonized; the San Jiao has vertical, lax纹理; the xiphoid process of the breastbone is short and small; the liver's attaching system is relaxed; the gallbladder qi is not full and is slack; the stomach and intestines are straight rather than winding; and the flanks are soft and empty. Even when greatly angered, their qi cannot fill the chest; although the liver and lungs rise upward, when the qi fails it falls back down, so they cannot sustain prolonged anger. This is the physical basis from which the timid are formed."
The Yellow Emperor asked: "When a timid person drinks wine, and when angered does not avoid the brave, which organ causes him to behave so?" Shao Yu said: "Wine is the essence of water and grain, the fluid transformed from ripe grain; its qi is plundering and swift (impetuous, quick, and slippery) 🔥. When wine enters the stomach, it causes the stomach to become distended and full, qi to rise counterflow and fill the chest, the liver qi to float upward, and the gallbladder qi to spread laterally. At this moment, he truly can be compared to the brave. But after the wine qi declines, he will feel regret. This state of being in the same category as the brave and not knowing to avoid is called 'wine rebellion'—that is, behavior that is perverse and chaotic after drinking."
Constitutional strength determines whether one falls ill
This chapter begins with the question: "When equally exposed to wind, why do some people fall ill and others not?" Shao Yu's answer points to constitution: those with thick skin and firm flesh are not easily invaded by evil; those with thin skin and weak flesh are susceptible to deficient wind. This is consistent with the Su Wen saying: "When upright qi dwells within, evil cannot interfere"—and "where evil gathers, qi must be deficient." The ancients believed that whether external evil can cause disease depends not only on the severity of the external evil, but also on the body's own ability to resist it.
The five-color—five-element—four-season matching as a constitutional view
The original text matches yellow, white, green, red, and black skin colors with spring, summer, autumn, winter, and long summer respectively. The underlying logic is the five-element engenderment and control cycle: spring wood controls earth, so those with yellow skin, thin skin, and weak flesh cannot withstand spring wind; summer fire controls metal, so those with white skin, thin skin, and weak flesh cannot withstand summer wind; autumn metal controls wood, so those with greenish skin, thin skin, and weak flesh cannot withstand autumn wind; winter water controls fire, so those with reddish skin, thin skin, and weak flesh cannot withstand winter wind; long summer earth controls water, so those with dark skin, thin skin, and weak flesh cannot withstand the deficient wind of long summer. This is an early constitutional classification model based on the correspondence between heaven and humanity.
"Pain endurance" and "bravery/timidity" are two different dimensions
This chapter explicitly proposes that whether one can endure pain depends on the thickness of the skin and the firmness, fragility, tension, or laxity of the muscles; while bravery and timidity are related to the spirit of the eyes, San Jiao纹理, the form of the liver and gallbladder, and the structure of the chest and flanks. That is to say, a person's ability to endure pain does not mean they are brave; and a person's bravery does not mean they can endure pain. The two must not be conflated.
Bravery and timidity are based on physical form
The ancients believed that bravery and timidity were not purely psychological traits but had physical structural foundations. The brave have deep-set eyes, horizontal San Jiao纹理, large firm livers, and full expanded gallbladders, hence when angered their qi is abundant and chest expands; the timid have large but unstable eyes, vertical San Jiao纹理, relaxed liver systems, and slack underfilled gallbladders, hence even when angered their qi cannot fill the chest. This reflects the unity of form and spirit: physical structure can affect emotional expression.
Wine has a plundering nature that temporarily alters bravery and timidity
Wine is the essence of water and grain, the liquid transformed from ripe grain; its qi is impetuous, quick, and slippery. Upon entering the stomach, it causes the stomach to swell, qi to rise contrary, and liver to float and gallbladder to spread; thus the timid, after drinking, can briefly stand up to the brave. But this is the effect of an external substance, not their own true bravery or timidity; when the qi fails, they return to their original state. The ancients called this "wine rebellion."
Constitution and disease onset: Modern medicine also acknowledges that nutritional status, baseline health, skin barriers, and immune function can influence responses to infection and cold. However, mapping skin color to the four seasons in such a mechanical way belongs to a five-element classification model and cannot be used as modern epidemiological evidence.
Pain tolerance: Modern research confirms that pain threshold and tolerance are influenced by multiple factors—genetics, neurology, psychology, and culture. The ancients attributed pain endurance to the thickness of skin and the firmness of muscles and flesh, which is an macroscopic-level observation with some reasonable component, but it is not the whole picture.
Bravery/timidity and organ morphology: Judging bravery or timidity based on deep-set eyes, San Jiao纹理, and liver or gallbladder size has no support from modern anatomical evidence. It is more like an ancient observational model of "form-spirit correlation" and should not be taken literally; however, the idea that "physical state influences emotional expression" remains enlightening.
Alcohol and behavior: Alcohol suppresses the central nervous system, reduces fear and judgment, and tends to generate impulsive behavior—which aligns with the description of "wine rebellion." However, whereas the ancients understood "wine's plundering nature" at the level of principle and qi mechanism, modern perspective emphasizes alcohol's potential harm to health, and especially does not support using alcohol to embolden oneself or regulate emotions.
Avoid deficient winds and protect the body's surface: During seasonal transitions or when sweating is exposed to wind, one should promptly add clothing and wipe away sweat, avoiding direct blowing cold wind. The ancients emphasized that "deficient wind" exploits deficiency; daily prevention against wind-cold remains worth learning from.
Strengthen the body so that muscles become firm: Moderate exercise and regular routine help keep the skin and interstices dense and the sinews and bones strong. The key is long-term consistency, not pursuing extremes of cold tolerance or pain endurance.
Do not judge bravery by pain endurance: Pain tolerance varies individually. A person's ability to withstand pain should not be used to judge their bravery or weakness, nor should one feel ashamed of fearing pain. When encountering pain or discomfort, one should promptly attend to the body's signals.
View alcohol rationally: This chapter states that alcohol can temporarily alter bravery and timidity, but that is merely external agitation and not true emotional capacity. In daily life, one should drink little or not at all, and especially not use alcohol to handle emotions, boost courage, or aid sleep.
Related Concepts
Further Reading
——Note from Bu Gua: This content is based on the medical classics of traditional Chinese medicine and is provided solely for the study of traditional culture. It does not constitute any medical diagnosis, medication, or treatment recommendation. If unwell, please seek medical attention in a timely manner.
Please translate the above content into English, maintaining the original format and structure.