灵枢：卫气第五十二

Ling Shu: Wei Qi, Chapter 52

Overall Paraphrase

The Yellow Emperor said: The five viscera are the storehouses of essence, spirit, soul, and will; the six bowels are the organs that receive water and grain, digest, and transmit them. The qi transformed from water and grain enters the five viscera internally and connects to the limbs and joints externally. Among them, that which floats externally and does not follow the meridian pathways is called Wei Qi (defensive qi—qi that moves outside the vessels, governing defense and warmth); that which is refined and moves within the meridians is called Ying Qi (nutritive qi—qi that moves inside the vessels, governing nourishment). Ying and Wei, yin and yang, accompany each other; internally and externally they interpenetrate, like a ring without an end, continuous and unbroken—who can exhaust them? Yet they are divided into yin and yang, each having its root and branch (root being the foundation and point of origin; branch being the tip and site of manifestation), deficiency and excess, separation and union. One who can distinguish the yin and yang of the twelve meridians will know whence disease arises; one who examines the location of deficiency and excess will grasp the height or depth of the disease site; one who knows the qi streets of the six bowels (pathways where meridian qi converges and circulates) will understand how to untie stagnation and grasp the pivotal points at the key gates; one who can understand firmness and weakness of deficiency and excess will know where supplementation and drainage should be applied; one who knows the root and branch of the six meridians can face all disease conditions without confusion.

Qi Bo said: Your Majesty's discourse is truly profound! Please allow me to explain in detail. The root of the Foot Taiyang Bladder Meridian is at five cun above the heel; its branch is at the mingmen connecting the two eyes. What is called mingmen (here referring to the eyes) is the eyes. The root of the Foot Shaoyang Gallbladder Meridian is near the foot-qiaoyin point; its branch is in front of the ear—what is called the "window cage" is the ear. The root of the Foot Shaoyin Kidney Meridian is within the range of three cun above and below the medial malleolus; its branch is at the Shenshu points on the back and the two collateral vessels beneath the tongue. The root of the Foot Jueyin Liver Meridian is at five cun above the Xingjian point; its branch is at the Ganshu point on the back. The root of the Foot Yangming Stomach Meridian is at the Lidui point; its branch is at Renying and the cheek region, flanking the hang-sang (upper throat and palate). The root of the Foot Taiyin Spleen Meridian is at four cun above and in front of the Zhongfeng point; its branch is at the Pishu point on the back and the root of the tongue. The root of the Hand Taiyang Small Intestine Meridian is behind the prominent bone on the outside of the wrist; its branch is one cun above the mingmen (eyes). The root of the Hand Shaoyang Sanjiao Meridian is at two cun above the space between the little finger and ring finger; its branch is at the upper corner behind the ear and the outer canthus of the eye. The root of the Hand Yangming Large Intestine Meridian is in the elbow bone, ascending to the Bieyang region; its branch is below the cheekbone on the face. The root of the Hand Taiyin Lung Meridian is within the cunkou (radial pulse site); its branch is at the pulsating site of the axillary artery. The root of the Hand Shaoyin Heart Meridian is at the tip of the sharp bone behind the palm; its branch is at the Xinshu point on the back. The root of the Hand Jueyin Pericardium Meridian is at two cun between the two tendons behind the palm; its branch is at three cun below the axilla.

In general, when examining these root and branch sites: if the lower part is deficient, there will be cold reversal; if the lower part is excess, there will be fever; if the upper part is deficient, there will be dizziness; if the upper part is excess, there will be heat pain. Therefore, for excess conditions, use methods of severance and arrest; for deficiency conditions, use methods of guidance and lifting.

Now discussing the qi streets: the chest has a qi street, the abdomen has a qi street, the head has a qi street, and the leg has a qi street. Thus, qi in the head converges at the brain; qi in the chest converges at the chest and breast and the back shu points; qi in the abdomen converges at the back shu points and the pulsating points beside the umbilicus on the Chong Meridian; qi in the leg converges at the Qichong point, Chengshan point, and below the ankle. To needle these sites with filiform needles, one must first press down, wait until qi responds beneath the finger, and then insert the needle. The ancient texts record the following as treatable: headache, dizziness with collapse, abdominal pain with fullness and sudden distension, and newly formed accumulations. Pain that is movable is easy to cure; accumulations that do not hurt are difficult to cure. The "treatable" conditions above are the scope of acupuncture recorded in ancient texts, for theoretical study only, and do not constitute modern diagnostic or therapeutic advice.

🧠 Deep Understanding

Core Principles 💡

• Ying and Wei share the same origin; yin and yang accompany each other: Ying qi moves within the vessels, Wei qi moves outside the vessels; both originate from the essence of water and grain, interpenetrating internally and externally and circulating without end, forming the basic model of qi and blood movement in the human body.
• The root-branch system of the twelve meridians: Each meridian has a "root" and a "branch"; branches are mostly located on the head, face, and torso, while roots are mostly located at the extremities of the limbs, especially near the wrists and ankles. The ancients thereby established a meridian diagnostic approach based on "distal judgment and upper-lower connection."
• Qi street theory: The four major qi streets of the head, chest, abdomen, and leg are pathways where meridian qi converges horizontally and circulates regionally, complementing the vertical flow of the twelve meridians, reflecting the network view of human qi movement as "vertically there are meridians, horizontally there are streets."
• Deficiency-excess, cold-heat, and the principle of supplementation and drainage: By examining the root and branch sites above and below, one assesses deficiency and excess. Lower deficiency produces cold reversal, lower excess produces heat; upper deficiency produces dizziness, upper excess produces heat pain. The treatment principle—"stop and arrest the excess, guide and lift the deficient"—embodies the core principle of supplementing deficiency and draining excess.

Modern Perspectives 🌟

• The view of Ying-Wei qi transformation: Ying qi and Wei qi can be seen as the ancients' general summary of integrated functions such as circulation, immunity, nutrition, and temperature regulation, but they cannot be mapped one-to-one onto modern physiological concepts.
• Root-branch and distal connections: The root-branch system of the twelve meridians emphasizes the correspondence between distal extremities and the head, face, and torso. This has rough analogies with modern theories of neural segments, fascial chains, and reflex zones, but the ancients' localizations are vague and subject to transmission errors, and cannot be directly equated with modern anatomy.
• Qi street divisions: The head qi street lies in the brain, the chest qi street in the breast and back, the abdominal qi street around the umbilical arteries, and the leg qi street in the lower limbs—these roughly correspond to regions of current interest such as the brain, cardiopulmonary system, abdominal aorta, and dense neurovascular areas of the lower limbs. This has some regional functional value, but remains an ancient empirical hypothesis.
• "Pain that is movable is easy to cure; accumulations without pain are difficult to cure": This observation is intuitively consistent with differences in prognosis between moveable masses and fixed, painless masses, and has inspired later differentiation and treatment of accumulations, but cannot be used as a basis for modern diagnosis or prognosis.
• Acupuncture section: The needling points and indications described in this passage reflect only the ancients' therapeutic thinking; specific operations must be performed by qualified practitioners and should not be self-administered.

Health Cultivation Insights ⚡

• Protect the head qi street: The head qi street converges at the brain; daily life should ensure adequate sleep and avoid staying up late and excessive emotional agitation, reducing upper-qi disorders such as dizziness and head distension.
• Smooth the chest qi street: The chest qi street lies at the chest, breast, and back. Moderate chest-expanding exercise and practicing deep breathing assist the smooth movement of chest qi and avoid prolonged sitting with a hunched chest.
• Regulate the abdominal qi street: The abdominal qi street is related to diet and the Chong Meridian. Eating with moderation, avoiding binge eating, and keeping the abdomen warm benefit spleen and stomach qi movement.
• Facilitate the leg qi street: The leg qi street lies in the lower limbs. Appropriate walking and lower-limb activity, avoiding prolonged stillness, helps qi and blood circulation. The above are general health suggestions and do not target any specific disease.

📚 Related Knowledge

• Related concepts: Ying and Wei qi, the twelve meridians, root and branch, qi streets, the four seas, the Chong Meridian, supplementing deficiency and draining excess, shu points, yuan-source points
• Further reading: Ling Shu · Ying Wei Sheng Hui, Ling Shu · Hai Lun, Ling Shu · Ben Shu, Su Wen · Yin Yang Ying Xiang Da Lun, Nan Jing · Liu Shi Er Nan

Bu Gua Reminder: This content is based on classical Chinese medicine texts and is provided solely for the study and research of traditional culture. It does not constitute any medical diagnosis, medication, or treatment advice; if you feel unwell, please seek medical attention promptly.