Constructive and Defensive Qi Meeting

The Yellow Emperor asked Qi Bo, saying: “From where does a person receive qi? Where do yin and yang meet? Which qi is called camp qi? Which qi is called guard qi? Where does camp qi arise? Where do guard qi and camp qi meet? The qi of the elderly and the young differs, and the positions of yin and yang are also not the same. I wish to hear about their meeting.”

Qi Bo replied: “A person receives qi from food. Food enters the stomach, then is transmitted to the lung. The five zang organs and six fu organs all receive qi from this. Among it, the clear part is camp qi, and the turbid part is guard qi. Camp qi moves within the blood vessels, while guard qi moves outside the blood vessels. Camp qi circulates without cease, completing fifty circuits and then reuniting in a great meeting. Yin and yang interpenetrate each other, like a ring with no end. Guard qi moves through the yin aspect for twenty-five circuits and through the yang aspect for twenty-five circuits, dividing into day and night. Therefore, when qi reaches the yang aspect, a person awakens and becomes active; when it reaches the yin aspect, a person falls asleep and rests. Hence it is said that at noon, yang qi is at its peak, called double yang; at midnight, yin qi is at its peak, called double yin. Thus, the greater yin governs the interior, and the greater yang governs the exterior. Each completes twenty-five circuits, dividing into day and night. Midnight is the time when yin qi is at its peak. After midnight, yin qi begins to decline, and by dawn, yin qi is exhausted, and yang qi begins to receive qi. Noon is the time when yang qi is at its peak. After the sun inclines westward, yang qi begins to decline, and by sunset, yang qi is exhausted, and yin qi begins to receive qi. At midnight, camp qi and guard qi have their great meeting. All people lie down and rest. This is called the union of yin. At dawn, yin qi is exhausted, and yang qi receives qi. Thus it circulates without end, matching the patterns of heaven and earth.”

The Yellow Emperor asked: “Elderly people cannot sleep at night—what qi causes this? Young and robust people do not doze during the day—what qi causes this?” Qi Bo replied: “In robust people, qi and blood are abundant, the muscles are smooth, the qi pathways are unobstructed, and the movement of camp qi and guard qi does not deviate from normal patterns. Therefore, they are spirited during the day and sleep soundly at night. In elderly people, qi and blood are depleted, the muscles are withered, the qi pathways are rough and stagnant, the qi of the five zang organs clashes with each other, camp qi is diminished, and guard qi stirs within. Therefore, they are not spirited during the day and cannot sleep at night.”

The Yellow Emperor said: “I wish to hear about the movement of camp qi and guard qi—from which pathways do they both arise?” Qi Bo replied: “Camp qi issues from the middle burner, and guard qi issues from the lower burner.”

The Yellow Emperor said: “I wish to hear about the issuing locations of the three burners.” Qi Bo replied: “The upper burner issues from the upper opening of the stomach. It follows the esophagus upward, passes through the diaphragm, spreads into the chest, goes toward the armpit, follows the course of the hand greater yin channel, returns to the hand yang brightness channel, goes upward to the tongue, and goes downward following the foot yang brightness channel. It constantly moves together with camp qi, completing twenty-five circuits in the yang aspect and also twenty-five circuits in the yin aspect, counting as one cycle. Therefore, after completing fifty circuits, it reunites in a great meeting at the hand greater yin channel.” The Yellow Emperor said: “When a person has a fever and food descends into the stomach, before the qi has stabilized, sweat emerges. Sometimes it comes out from the face, sometimes from the back, sometimes from half the body. This sweat does not follow the normal pathway of guard qi. Why is this?” Qi Bo said: “This is due to the body surface being injured by wind evil. Internally, the interstices open, the pores steam, the interstices leak qi, and guard qi rushes over. Naturally, it cannot follow its normal pathway. Because the nature of guard qi is swift and slippery, seeing an open place it rushes out. Therefore, it cannot follow its pathway. This is called leakage.”

The Yellow Emperor said: “I wish to hear about the issuing location of the middle burner.” Qi Bo replied: “The middle burner is also located alongside the stomach, behind the upper burner. Here it receives qi, separates the dregs, steams the fluids, transforms and generates the finest essence, and sends it upward to infuse the lung vessels. Thereby it is transformed into blood, used to nourish the life and body. Nothing is more important than this. Therefore, it can alone move within the channels and vessels, and is called camp qi.” The Yellow Emperor said: “Blood and qi have different names but belong to the same category. Why is this?” Qi Bo replied: “Camp qi and guard qi are both essence qi. Blood is spirit qi. Therefore, blood and qi have different names but belong to the same category. Hence, those who have lost blood cannot again be sweated, and those who have been sweated excessively cannot again lose blood. Therefore, if a person both loses blood and is sweated, death results; there cannot be two paths to life.”

The Yellow Emperor said: “I wish to hear about the issuing location of the lower burner.” Qi Bo replied: “The lower burner separates into another pathway at the ileum, infuses into the bladder, and then seeps into it. Therefore, water and food often together remain in the stomach, forming waste, and together descend into the large intestine, forming the lower burner, and seep downward to be discharged. After separating the clear from the turbid, the clear fluid is separated out and, following the lower burner, seeps into the bladder.” The Yellow Emperor said: “When a person drinks wine, the wine also enters the stomach. Before the food has been digested, urine is expelled first. Why is this?” Qi Bo replied: “Wine is a liquid produced from fermented grains. Its nature is swift and pure. Therefore, although it enters the stomach after food, it is transformed into liquid and expelled before the food.” The Yellow Emperor said: “Good. I have heard that the upper burner is like a mist, the middle burner is like a froth, and the lower burner is like a drain. This is indeed the principle.”