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Chapter 62. Discourse on Regulating the Conduits
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Chapter 62 Discourse on regulating the Conduits 62-334-2 Huang Di asked: “I have heard of a statement in the Laws of Piercing: ‘a surplus, drain it; an insufficiency, supplement it.’ What is that to say: ‘surplus’? What is that to say: ‘insufficiency’?” Qi Bo responded: “There are five [states of] surplus and there are also five [states of] insufficiency. What is it that [you, Huang] Di, would like to ask?” 62-334-4 [Huang] Di: “I should like to hear all about it.” Qi Bo: “The spirit [may] be present in surplus and it [may] be insufficient. The qi [may] be present in surplus and it [may] be insufficient. The blood [may] be present in surplus and it [may] be insufficient. The physical appearance [may] be present in surplus and it [may] be insufficient. The will [may] be present in surplus and it [may] be insufficient. In all these ten [states] the qi differs.”1 62-334-6 [Huang] Di: “Man has the essence qi and the body liquids, the four limbs and the nine orifices, 1 Wang Bing: “The spirit is associated with the heart; the qi is associated with the lung; the blood is associated with the liver; the physical appearance is associated with the spleen; and the will is associated with the kidneys. since each of them has its [own] affiliation, [their qi states] differ.”Gao shishi: “The spirit, the qi, the blood, the physical appearance, and the will, each may be in [a state of] surplus, each may be in [a state of] insufficiency. The [states of] qi differ in all these [states of] surplus and insufficiency, hence, this is discussed in detail in the text below.” 102 Huang Di nei jing su wen the five depots and the 16 sections,2 as well as the 365 joints;3 they [may] develop the one hundred diseases. When the one hundred diseases develop, there is always a depletion or a repletion [involved]. now, you, sir, tell me there are [only] five [states of] surplus and there are also five [states of] insufficiency. How are they generated?”4 62-334-9 Qi Bo: “all [these states] are generated by the five depots.5 now, the heart stores the spirit, the lung stores the qi, the liver stores the blood, the spleen stores the flesh, the kidneys store the will, and this completes the physical appearance.6 2 yang shangshan: “The nine orifices and the five depots add up to 14. The four limbs together are the hands and feet. Hence, there are 16 sections.” Wang Bing: “as for the ‘16 sections,’ the hands and feet are two, the nine orifices are nine and the five depots are five. Together this adds up to 16 regions.” Gao shishi: “The 16 sections of the physical body include the two elbows, the two arms, the two popliteal fossae, the two thighs, the body’s front and back, left and right, as well as the head’s front and back, left and right.” Zhang Zhicong: “The 16 sections are the conduit vessels of the 16 regions.There are twelve conduit vessels of the hands and feet, two walker vessels, one supervisor vessel, and one controlling vessel, altogether 16 sections.”Tanba: “Gao shishi’s remarks are superior to the ancient commentaries.” 3 Wang Bing: “ ‘365 joints’does not refer to the bone joints; these are the [365] locations where the spirit qi leaves and enters [the body].” 4 Wang Bing: “That is to say, the number of diseases the body may have is large, but the number of diseases mentioned [by Qi Bo] is small. How is this to be explained?” 5 Wang Bing: “That is, by the five spirit depots.” 6 Wang Bing: “That is to say: Why are all the diseases generated by the five depots? Because they store the spirits and form the physical appearance.” Gao shishi: “The generation of the one hundred diseases is always tied to the five depots. Hence, all are [44.201.199.251] Project MUSE (2024-03-29 07:34 GMT) Chapter 62 103 {The mind penetrates [everything], in the interior it links up with bones and marrow, thereby completing the physical appearance of the body. >The five depots.11 62-335-7 [Huang] Di: “To supplement or drain, how to proceed?” Qi Bo: “When the spirit has [assumed a state of] surplus, then drain blood from the small network [vessels].12 When letting blood, do not push deeply. Do not hit the...