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Chapter 23 Wide Promulgation of the five Qi1 23-150-2 Where the five flavors enter: sour [flavor] enters the liver. acrid [flavor] enters the lung. Bitter [flavor] enters the heart. salty [flavor] enters the kidneys. sweet [flavor] enters the spleen. These [relationships] are called “the five enterings.” When the qi in the five [depots] have a disease:2 In the heart it causes belching.3 In the lung it causes coughing.4 1 1764/53: “宣 is 發,‘to develop.’ 明 is 顯,‘manifest.’ 五氣 is 五藏之氣,‘the qi of the five depots.’ ” 2 Zhang Jiebin: “The qi of the five depots cause diseases through reverse movements .” Gao Jiwu/291: “The pathological changes resulting from a loss of balance of the qi of the five depots.” 3 Wang Bing: “It reflects fire flaming upwards. smoke leaves together with the flames. The heart does not accept anything dirty. Hence belching leaves from it.” Zhang Jiebin: “噫 is 噯氣, ‘belching.’ one may examine the entire [Shen nong] ben jing 神農本經: it does not mention the sign 噯氣 even once and refers only to 噫. Hence the latter is the [former]. ... [These quotations from the Nei jing demonstrate:] the heart, the spleen, and the stomach, [diseases in all] these three depots have this sign. Because of an oppression of fire and soil the qi [of these depots] cannot expand freely. Hence this sign results.” Zhang Zhicong: “The reason is that stomach qi rises contrary [to its normal direction] to the heart and thereby causes belching.” SWJZ: “噫 is 飽食息, ‘the breath [after one] has eaten to utter sufficiency.’ ” Gao shishi: “噫 is 微噯氣, ‘weak belching.’ ” Zhang Zhicong: “噫 is 不平之氣, ‘unbalanced qi.’ ” li Guoqing: “following the statement in the Shuo wen, many authors have explained 噫 as ‘belching.’ In fact, though, (and apparent from references in the Guang yun 廣韻, the Ji yun 集韻, the Zhong hua da zi dian 中華大字典) 噫 means ‘to sigh.’ When the qi of the heart is oppressed and cannot move freely, one often notices the pathocondition of sighing. Hence 心為噫 should be interpreted as the sound of sighing.” Based on a discussion of the association of the term 噫 with the three depots ‘heart,’ ‘spleen,’ and ‘stomach’in the Nei jing, Gao Jiwu/40 suggest to interpret 噫 as ‘belching’ when it appears related to the stomach and the spleen, but as ‘sighing’ when it is related to the heart. yao shaoyu identifies 噫 as “[emitting] qi but no sound.” 4 Wang Bing: “It reflects the unyielding hardness of metal. When one knocks at it it produces a sound. Hence when evil strikes the lung, coughing is the result.” 402 Huang Di nei jing su wen In the liver it causes talkativeness.5 In the spleen it causes swallowing.6 In the kidneys it causes yawning 7 In the stomach it causes qi to move contrary [to its regular course], it causes hiccup 8 5 Wang Bing: “It reflects the branches and twigs of trees and the branching off of physical appearances. speech displays what is hidden. Hence it leaves from the liver .”yao shaoyu: “Talkativeness is that by which oppressions [of qi] in the center are changed to expansions. The liver likes expansion and dislikes oppression. Hence it generates talkativeness to change the oppression of the qi to expansion.” Gao shishi: “語 is 多言, ‘talkative.’ ” 6 Wang Bing: “It reflects the enclosing and containing carried out by the soil. all things return to [its] interior and are accepted by it. Hence [the spleen qi] causes the swallowing.”Zhang Zhicong: “The main task of the spleen is to enable the stomach to pass its liquids. When the qi of the spleen has a disease and is unable to pour liquids into the [remaining] four depots, then these liquids, contrary [to their normal direction of movement], overflow at the mouth which is the orifice of the spleen. Hence the sign of ‘swallowing’ results.” 7 Wang Bing: “It reflects water flowing down.When it rises,it creates clouds and fog. The qi is blocked in the stomach. Hence yawning is generated there. When the major yang qi is balanced and unimpeded it fills the heart and leaves through the nose.This then generates sneezing.” yao shaoyu: “欠 is 呵欠, ‘to yawn.’ This is a disorderly and indolent arrival of spirit qi. now, the kidneys store the essence. When the essence is depleted, the spirit qi becomes disorderly and indolent and this causes yawning. 嚏 is 噴嚏, ‘to sneeze.’ This is an arrival of lung qi proceeding to the outside. The kidneys are associated with cold. [Their] qi easily freezes and coagulates. The kidneys are the son [depot] of the lung...

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