Treatise on the Essentials of Acupuncture

The Yellow Emperor asked: I wish to hear the essentials of acupuncture. Qi Bo replied: Diseases have distinctions between superficial and deep, and acupuncture also has differences between shallow and deep needling, each must reach its appropriate depth, without exceeding or falling short of the proper limit; exceeding it causes injury within the body, falling short causes stagnation of qi and blood externally, and once stagnation occurs, pathogenic factors will follow. If the depth of needling is not properly controlled, it instead becomes a great calamity, disturbing the five viscera internally, and thereafter serious illness will arise.

Thus it is said: Some diseases lie between the fine hairs and the interstitial spaces, some lie in the skin, some in the muscles, some in the channels, some in the sinews, some in the bones, and some in the bone marrow.

Therefore, when needling the fine hairs and interstices, do not injure the skin; if the skin is injured, it will disturb the lung internally, and after the lung is disturbed, in autumn there will easily be the occurrence of warm malaria, with symptoms of recurrent chills and shivering. When needling the skin, do not injure the muscles; if the muscles are injured, it will disturb the spleen internally, and after the spleen is disturbed, in the eighteen days at the end of each of the four seasons (totaling seventy-two days), there will easily be symptoms of abdominal distension, oppression, and lack of desire to eat. When needling the muscles, do not injure the channels; if the channels are injured, it will disturb the heart internally, and after the heart is disturbed, in summer there will easily be symptoms of heart pain. When needling the channels, do not injure the sinews; if the sinews are injured, it will disturb the liver internally, and after the liver is disturbed, in spring there will easily be febrile diseases, and the sinews will become slack and lack strength. When needling the sinews, do not injure the bones; if the bones are injured, it will disturb the kidney internally, and after the kidney is disturbed, in winter there will easily be symptoms of abdominal distension and lower back pain. When needling the bones, do not injure the marrow; if the marrow is injured, the marrow will gradually diminish, resulting in pain in the lower legs, a feeling of lassitude and weakness in the body, and inability to move normally.