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Chapter 54 explanations on the needles 54-281-6 Huang Di asked: “I should like to hear an explanation of the ‘nine needles’ and the Way of depletion and repletion.”1 Qi Bo responded: “as for ‘when piercing a depletion, then replenish it,’ [that is, pierce until] there is heat below the needle. {When the qi is replete, then heat is present.}2 as for ‘when there is fullness, then discharge it,’ [that is, pierce until] there is cold below the needle. {When the qi is depleted, then cold is present.}3 as for ‘what is densely compacted and old, eliminate it,’ [that is,] let the bad blood.4 1 The following phrases ending with the character 者 may be quotations from a larger text named 九鍼 Jiu zhen,“The nine needles.”This text appears to have also been the basis of Ling shu 1, titled 九鍼十二原. from 刺虛則實之者 to 九針之名各不同形 者these phrases are to be found in Ling shu 1 without commentary. a large part of Su wen 54 is a commentary to this text (see also note 15 below). 2 Zhang Jiebin: “ ‘There is heat below the needle’ is: the cold turns into heat. When [the region below the needle] is hot, then the proper qi has arrived and the depletion has been replenished. Hence, this is a supplementation.” 3 Zhang Jiebin: “ ‘There is cold below the needle’ is: the heat turns into cold. When [the region below the needle] is cold, then the evil qi has arrived and the repletion has been depleted. Hence, this is a drainage.” 4 Wang Bing: “菀 is 積, ‘accumulation.’ 陳 is 久, ‘old.’ 除 is 去, ‘to remove.’That is to say, when blood has accumulated in the network vessels for a long time, one pierces [these vessels] with a needle and removes it.” 971/56: “This makes it very clear that the phrase 去宛陳 (in Su wen 14) is a therapy whereby blood is let by piercing the network vessels.” see also 1617/35, 919/1, and 117/38. 16 Huang Di nei jing su wen as for ‘in case evil dominates, deplete it,’ [that is,] remove the needle and do not press [the hole pierced].5 as for ‘slow and quick results in repletion,’ [that is,] slowly remove the needle and quickly press the [hole pierced].6 as for ‘quick and slow results in depletion,’ [that is,] quickly remove the needle and slowly press the [hole pierced].7 54-282-1 as for ‘when one speaks of ‘repletion and depletion,’’8 these are [differences in the] quantities of cold and warm qi.9 as for ‘sometimes it is not present, sometimes it is present,’ that is, it is fast and cannot be recognized.10 5 Wang Bing: “ ‘evil’ is a term for what is not proper. When qi is present which is not [the qi] of the respective conduit, then this [qi] is called ‘evil.’This is not a reference to a domination by an evil which is the essence of a demonic poison. When the needle is withdrawn, one must not press the hole; rather the transporter is to be opened to achieve a conduit depletion in that the evil qi is drained through effusion.” 6 Wang Bing: “ ‘slowly remove [the needle]’ is to say: one removes it only after one has had a hold of the conduit qi for quite a while. ‘Quickly press’ is to say: once the needle has been completely removed from the hole, one quickly presses it. This prevents the proper qi from flowing away and safeguards the completion of the conduitvessel qi. Hence, [the text states:] ‘slow and quick results in replenishment.’” 7 Wang Bing: “ ‘Quickly remove the needle’ is to say: When the needle has been inserted into the hole to a degree where it has reached the conduit-vessels, then it is quickly removed again. ‘slowly press’ is to say: When the needle has been removed from the hole entirely,one slowly presses it.This allows the evil qi to flow away and the essence qi to stabilize. Hence, [the text states:] ‘quick and slow results in depletion.’” 8 This quotation from the text which appears in Ling shu 1 (see note 1 above) may itself be regarded as a commentary to an earlier text. 9 Wang Bing: “ ‘Cold’ and ‘warm’ refer to the yin and yang qi of the conduit-vessels.” 10 Wang Bing: “That is to say: those who are ignorant cannot recognize it immediately . now, since it cannot be recognized immediately, ‘it is as if it were not present...

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