Movement of Defensive Qi

The Yellow Emperor asked Qi Bo: I wish to hear about the movement of defensive qi, and how it emerges and enters the body surface and interior, meeting and intersecting. Qi Bo said: The year has twelve months, and the day has twelve two-hour periods. The zi and wu periods are the vertical meridians, while the mao and you periods are the horizontal parallels. The heavens are surrounded by twenty-eight lunar mansions, with seven in each direction, totaling twenty-eight. The Fang and Mao mansions are parallels, while the Xu and Zhang mansions are meridians. Thus, from the Fang mansion to the Bi mansion belongs to the yang aspect, and from the Mao mansion to the Xin mansion belongs to the yin aspect. The yang aspect governs the day, and the yin aspect governs the night. Therefore, in the movement of defensive qi, it circulates fifty cycles within the body in one day and night, running twenty-five cycles in the yang division during the day and twenty-five cycles in the yin division during the night, and it also circulates through the five viscera. So at dawn, when yin qi has been exhausted, yang qi emerges from the eyes. When the eyes open, defensive qi ascends to the head, follows the nape down to the foot-taiyang bladder channel, and then continues along the back down to the tips of the little toes. Its branch diverges from the outer canthus of the eye, descends to the hand-taiyang small intestine channel, and goes down to the outer side of the little finger. Another branch diverges from the outer canthus of the eye, descends to the foot-shaoyang gallbladder channel, and enters between the little toe and the fourth toe. It then ascends along the lateral side of the hand-shaoyang triple burner channel, descending to between the little fingers. Another branch ascends to the front of the ear, meets the meridian at the jaw, enters the foot-yangming stomach channel, descends, reaches the dorsum of the foot, and enters between the five toes. Its branch descends from below the ear to the hand-yangming large intestine channel, enters between the thumb and index finger, and then enters the palm. When defensive qi reaches the foot, it enters the sole, emerges from the medial malleolus, descends into the yin division, and then meets again at the eyes, thus completing one cycle. Therefore, when the sun moves the distance of one lunar mansion, defensive qi in the body circulates one cycle and eight-tenths of a cycle; when the sun moves two mansions, defensive qi circulates three cycles and six-tenths; when the sun moves three mansions, defensive qi circulates five cycles and four-tenths; when the sun moves four mansions, defensive qi circulates seven cycles and two-tenths; when the sun moves five mansions, defensive qi circulates nine cycles; when the sun moves six mansions, defensive qi circulates ten cycles and eight-tenths; when the sun moves seven mansions, defensive qi circulates twelve cycles and six-tenths; when the sun moves fourteen mansions, defensive qi circulates twenty-five cycles, with a remainder of two-tenths of a cycle. At this point, the yang division’s circuit is complete, and it enters the yin division, which begins to receive defensive qi. When defensive qi first enters the yin division, it often flows from the foot-shaoyin kidney channel into the kidneys, from the kidneys into the heart, from the heart into the lungs, from the lungs into the liver, from the liver into the spleen, and from the spleen back into the kidneys, thus completing one cycle. Therefore, during the night, when the sun moves the distance of one lunar mansion, defensive qi circulates one cycle and eight-tenths of a cycle within the five viscera in the yin division, just as it runs twenty-five cycles in the yang division during the day, and then it meets again at the eyes. In one day and night, the total number of cycles in the yang and yin divisions has a remainder of four-tenths of a cycle and two-tenths of a viscus. Thus, people have differences in the times of sleeping and waking—early or late—because the remainder has not fully completed its course.

The Yellow Emperor said: Defensive qi within the body moves up and down without a fixed time. If one must wait for the arrival of qi to perform needling, how should this be done? Bo Gao said: The length of day and night differs, and the four seasons each have their own regularity. Usually, dawn is taken as the standard, and the end of night as the beginning. Thus, in one day and night, the water clock marks one hundred notches. Twenty-five notches correspond to half a day’s measure, and this constantly circulates without cease, stopping at sunset. Based on the changes in day length, each is taken as the standard for needling. By carefully waiting for the right moment, disease can be expected to be cured; if the opportunity is missed and the pattern is violated, no disease can be cured. Therefore it is said: Needling excess conditions is done when pathogenic qi arrives; needling deficiency conditions is done when proper qi departs. This means that based on the presence or absence of qi, one waits to observe deficiency and excess and then performs needling. Thus, carefully observing the location of defensive qi and needling accordingly is called “meeting the time.” If disease is in the three yang channels, one must wait for defensive qi to be in the yang division to needle; if disease is in the three yin channels, one must wait for defensive qi to be in the yin division to needle.

When the water clock marks one notch, defensive qi is in the taiyang channel; at two notches, defensive qi is in the shaoyang channel; at three notches, defensive qi is in the yangming channel; at four notches, defensive qi is in the yin division. At five notches, defensive qi is in the taiyang channel; at six notches, defensive qi is in the shaoyang channel; at seven notches, defensive qi is in the yangming channel; at eight notches, defensive qi is in the yin division. At nine notches, defensive qi is in the taiyang channel; at ten notches, defensive qi is in the shaoyang channel; at eleven notches, defensive qi is in the yangming channel; at twelve notches, defensive qi is in the yin division. At thirteen notches, defensive qi is in the taiyang channel; at fourteen notches, defensive qi is in the shaoyang channel; at fifteen notches, defensive qi is in the yangming channel; at sixteen notches, defensive qi is in the yin division. At seventeen notches, defensive qi is in the taiyang channel; at eighteen notches, defensive qi is in the shaoyang channel; at nineteen notches, defensive qi is in the yangming channel; at twenty notches, defensive qi is in the yin division. At twenty-one notches, defensive qi is in the taiyang channel; at twenty-two notches, defensive qi is in the shaoyang channel; at twenty-three notches, defensive qi is in the yangming channel; at twenty-four notches, defensive qi is in the yin division. At twenty-five notches, defensive qi is in the taiyang channel—this is the measure of half a day. From the Fang mansion to the Bi mansion, there are fourteen lunar mansions. The water clock marks fifty notches, and the sun travels half a day’s distance. For each mansion the sun moves, the water clock marks three and four-sevenths notches. The general principle says: Usually, when the sun is at a certain lunar mansion, defensive qi is in the taiyang channel. Thus, for each mansion the sun moves, defensive qi circulates through the three yang channels and the yin division, constantly cycling without cease, in accordance with the patterns of heaven and earth, complex and interwoven, ending and beginning again. In one day and night, when the water clock marks one hundred notches, it concludes.