Discussion on the Eight Winds and Divine Brilliance

The Yellow Emperor asked: When using the method of needling, there must be a set of principles and standards. Now, what exactly are these principles and standards? Qi Bo replied: One must emulate Heaven and Earth and Nature, and combine this with the changes in light and shadow of the sun, moon, and stars. The Yellow Emperor said: I wish you would explain this to me in detail. Qi Bo said: In all methods of needling, one must wait until the sun, moon, stars, and the seasonal qi of the four seasons and the eight cardinal winds are calm and settled before proceeding with needling. Thus, when the weather is warm and the sunlight is bright, human blood becomes smooth and slippery, and the defensive qi floats on the surface of the body; therefore, blood is easily drained and qi is easily moved. When the weather is cold and the sunlight is dim, human blood becomes congealed and sluggish, and the defensive qi sinks and settles deep within. When the moon is new, blood and qi begin to fill, and the defensive qi begins to move. When the moon is full, blood and qi are abundant and the muscles are firm. When the moon is waning, the muscles diminish, the channels and collaterals become empty, the defensive qi departs, and the physical form stands alone. Therefore, one must follow the timing of Heaven to nourish blood and qi. Hence, when the weather is cold, do not needle; when the weather is warm, do not hesitate. When the moon is new, do not use draining methods; when the moon is full, do not use tonifying methods; when the moon is waning, do not administer treatment. This is called following the timing of Heaven to regulate treatment. One should follow the order of the seasons and the timing of the waxing and waning of human blood and qi, determine the direction based on the movement of sunlight, stand upright, and await the right moment. Therefore, if draining is used when the moon is new, this is called weakening the internal organs. If tonification is used when the moon is full, it will cause blood and qi to overflow and surge, leading to stagnant blood in the collaterals; this is called “double excess.” If treatment is given when the moon is waning, this is called disturbing the channel qi. Yin and yang become chaotic, true qi and pathogenic qi cannot be distinguished, pathogenic qi sinks and settles, the exterior becomes weak while the interior is disordered, and excessive pathogenic influences thus arise.

The Yellow Emperor said: What is there to observe in the stars and the eight winds? Qi Bo said: The stars are used to regulate the movement of the sun and moon. The eight winds are used to observe the vacuous and deviant winds from the eight directions; these deviant winds arrive according to the seasons. The four seasons are used to distinguish the locations of the normal qi of spring, summer, autumn, and winter at each time, so that treatment can be timed accordingly. One must avoid the vacuous and deviant winds of the eight winds and not offend them. If the body is weak and encounters vacuity and deviance from the heavens, the two vacuous factors interact, and the pathogenic qi will penetrate deep into the marrow. If it further invades, it will harm the five viscera. If a physician can observe and treat it in time, no harm will occur. Therefore, it is said: The prohibitions of Heavenly timing must not be unknown.

The Yellow Emperor said: Well spoken. I have already heard about the method of emulating the stars. I wish to also hear about emulating the methods of antiquity. Qi Bo said: To emulate antiquity, one must first thoroughly understand the Needle Classic. To verify it in the present, one must first understand the coldness and warmth of sunlight and the vacuity and fullness of the moon, thereby observing the floating and sinking of the defensive qi, and then regulate it on the body, and immediate results will be seen. What is called “observing in the obscure” means that the changes in the physical form, qi, and the nutritive and defensive systems are not manifest externally, yet the physician alone knows them. He determines the coldness and warmth of sunlight, the vacuity and fullness of the moon, and the floating and sinking of the qi of the four seasons, synthesizes them and cross-references them to administer treatment. The physician often foresees these changes, yet they are not manifest externally; hence, it is called “observing in the obscure.” Those who can penetrate the principles of infinite change can pass these methods down to later generations; this is what distinguishes the physician from others. However, because these changes are not manifest externally, ordinary people cannot see them. Look at it, it has no form; taste it, it has no flavor; hence it is called “the obscure,” as if it were divine, seeming to exist yet not. Vacuity and deviance refer to the vacuous and deviant winds of the eight winds. Righteous deviance occurs when the body exerts force, sweats, and the interstices open, encountering vacuous wind. It invades the body very subtly, so people do not know its condition, nor can they see its form. An excellent physician treats the disease when it first sprouts, must first observe the pulse qi of the three regions and nine divisions, comprehensively regulate it so it does not deteriorate, and then treat it; hence he is called a “superior worker.” An inferior physician treats the disease only after it has formed, or treats it after it has already deteriorated. What is meant by treating the disease after it has formed is that he does not know that the pulse images of the three regions and nine divisions have already become abnormal, so the disease develops and deteriorates. Those who know the location of the pathogenic qi are physicians who understand how to examine the location of the diseased pulse in the three regions and nine divisions and treat it accordingly. Therefore, it is said: Guard the gateway of the patient, and see the form of the pathogenic qi before it is perceived.

The Yellow Emperor said: I have heard of the methods of tonification and draining, but I have not yet grasped their meaning. Qi Bo said: The draining method must use “square.” What is meant by “square” is that when the righteous qi is flourishing, the moon is full, the sunlight is warm, the body is calm, and the breath is being inhaled, insert the needle. Then, during inhalation, rotate the needle. Then, during exhalation, slowly withdraw the needle. Therefore, it is said that the draining method must use “square,” so that pathogenic qi is moved and departs. The tonification method must use “round.” What is meant by “round” is movement; movement means shifting. When needling, one must hit the nutritive level, and then, as the patient inhales, move the needle forward. Therefore, “round” and “square” do not refer to the shape of the needle. Therefore, one who is adept at nourishing the spirit must understand the fatness or thinness of the physical form and the abundance or decline of nutritive and defensive blood and qi. Blood and qi are the dwelling places of the human spirit; they must not be treated carelessly.

The Yellow Emperor said: Your exposition is truly exquisite! That the human physical form corresponds to yin and yang and the four seasons, that vacuity and excess correspond to changes, and that there is a meeting in the obscure—who but you, Sir, could comprehend these principles? Yet, Sir, you have repeatedly mentioned the physical form and the spirit. What is meant by the physical form, and what is meant by the spirit? I wish you would tell me in detail. Qi Bo said: Allow me to speak of the physical form. The physical form is just the physical form; the eyes cannot see it clearly, so one can only ask the patient about his condition and seek it on the channels. It is as if one suddenly understands it before one’s eyes, but when pressing and seeking it, one cannot obtain it, and does not know its specific condition; hence it is called the physical form. The Yellow Emperor said: What is meant by the spirit? Qi Bo said: Allow me to speak of the spirit. The spirit, oh the spirit! The ear cannot hear it, but the eyes are bright and the mind’s aperture is opened, the intention comprehends it first, and one suddenly grasps it alone. It cannot be expressed in words; everyone looks together, but only one can see it. It is as if in darkness, yet one alone is clear and understands, as if the wind blows away the clouds; hence it is called the spirit. The three regions and nine divisions are its foundation, and the theory of the nine needles need not be rigidly adhered to.