The Great Theory of the Correspondence between Yin and Yang

The Yellow Emperor said: Yin and Yang are the laws of heaven and earth, the regulations of all things, the parents of change, the origin of life and death, and the abode of deities. To cure diseases, one must seek the root cause. Therefore, the accumulation of Yang forms the sky, and the accumulation of Yin forms the earth. When Yin is still and Yang is restless, Yang generates and Yin grows; when Yang kills, Yin stores. Yang transforms into qi, and Yin takes shape. Extreme cold generates heat, and hot plates generate cold. Coldness generates turbidity and heat generates clarity. When the clear qi is at the bottom, it leads to diarrhea; when the turbid qi is at the top, it causes abdominal distension. This is the reaction of Yin and Yang, and the disease follows suit. Therefore, Qingyang is the sky and Fa Obstructions is the earth. The earth's energy above is clouds, and the weather below is rain. Rain comes from the earth's energy, and clouds come from the weather. Therefore, clear Yang exits the upper orifices, while turbid Yin exits the lower orifices. Clear Yang originates in the meridians, while turbid Yin follows the five internal organs. Clear Yang constitutes the four branches, while turbid Yin returns to the six organs. Water represents brightness, fire represents Yang, Yang represents qi, and Yin represents taste. Taste returns to form, form to qi, qi to essence, and essence to transformation. Essence feeds on qi, and form feeds on taste; it transforms into essence, and qi gives rise to form. Taste impairs form, qi impairs essence, essence transforms into qi, and qi impairs dry taste. Yin qi exits the lower orifices, while Yang qi exits the upper orifices. A thick flavor is Yin, while a thin one is Yang of Yin. Thick qi is Yang, and thin qi is Yin of Yang. A thick taste leads to diarrhea, while a thin one causes smooth flow. When the breath is thin, it is released; when it is thick, it causes heat. When there is a strong fire, the qi wanes; when there is a weak fire, the qi becomes strong. Strong fire consumes qi, and qi consumes weak fire. Strong fire disperses qi, while weak fire generates qi. The pungent and sweet flavors disperse as Yang, while the sour and bitter flavors surge out as Yin. When Yin prevails, Yang is ill; when Yang prevails, Yin is ill. When Yang prevails, heat occurs; when Yin prevails, cold occurs. Excessive cold leads to heat, and excessive heat leads to cold. Cold harms the body, heat harms qi, qi causes pain, and the body causes swelling. Therefore, when pain occurs first and then swelling follows, it is because the qi has injured the body. When swelling occurs first and then pain follows, it indicates that the body is injured by the qi. When wind prevails, it moves; when heat prevails, it swells; when dryness prevails, it becomes dry; when cold prevails, it floats; when dampness prevails, it causes diarrhea. The sky has four seasons and five elements, which grow and store, and generate cold, heat, dryness, dampness and wind. Human beings have the five storage organs that transform the five qi, giving rise to joy, anger, sorrow, worry and fear. Therefore, joy and anger harm the qi, while cold and heat harm the body. Rage harms Yin, and excessive joy harms Yang. The syncope qi ascends and the entire meridian is eliminated. If one's emotions are unrestrained and the cold and heat are excessive, life will not be stable. Therefore, heavy obstruction must be Yang, and heavy Yang must be Yin. Therefore, if one is injured by cold in winter, dampness will surely cause illness in spring. In spring, when one is wounded by the wind, food and diarrhea may arise again. Summer injuries to the body will surely lead to malaria in autumn. In autumn, dampness causes injuries; in winter, coughing arises. The emperor said, "I have heard of the ancient sages who expounded the principles of human form, listed different treasuries, and blocked the meridians." Integrate the six harmonies and follow each meridian. The qi points each have their own names. Fissures belong to the bone and all have their origins. The divisions follow each other in an orderly manner. The four seasons, Yin and Yang, all have their own advantages. Is it true that the response between the outside and the inside is based on both the exterior and the interior? Qi Bo's view to the Sun: The east gives birth to wind, wind gives birth to wood, wood gives birth to acid, acid gives birth to the liver, the liver gives birth to tendons, tendons give birth to the heart, and the liver governs the eyes. It is the mysterious in the sky, the Dao in human beings, and the transformation on the earth. Transformation gives rise to the five flavors, the Dao gives rise to wisdom, and the mysterious gives rise to the divine. In the sky, God is wind; on the earth, wood; in the body, tendons; in the body, liver; in color, blue; in sound, horns; in voice, breath; in movement, grip; in orifices, eyes; in taste, sourness; in will, anger. Anger harms the liver; sorrow overcomes anger. Wind harms the tendons, and dryness surpasses wind. Sourness harms the tendons; pungency prevails over sourness. In the south, heat is generated, and heat generates fire. Fire generates bitterness, bitterness generates the heart, the heart generates blood, blood generates the spleen, and the heart governs the tongue. In the sky, it is heat; on the earth, it is fire; in the body, it is the pulse; in the body, it is the heart; in color, it is red; in sound, it is faint; in voice, it is laughter; in change, it is excellent; in orifices, it is the tongue; in taste, it is bitter; in mood, it is joy. Joy brings sorrow, while fear overcomes joy. Heat harms qi, cold causes heat in the thigh. Bitterness harms the qi, and saltiness surpasses bitterness. Dampness is generated in the center, dampness generates earth, earth generates sweetness, sweetness generates the spleen, the spleen generates flesh, flesh generates the lungs, and the spleen governs the mouth. In heaven, it is dampness; in earth, it is flesh; in storage, it is the spleen; in color, it is yellow; in auspiciousness, it is the palace; in sound, it is song; in change, it is noise; in orifices, it is the mouth; in taste, it is sweetness; in will, it is thought. Thought harms the spleen, and anger overcomes thought. Dampness harms the flesh, and wind overcomes dampness. Sweetness harms the flesh, while sourness surpasses sweetness. The West generates dryness, dryness generates metal, metal generates pungency, pungency generates the lungs, the lungs generate hair and skin, hair and skin generate the kidneys, and the lungs govern the nose. In the sky, it is dryness; on the earth, it is metal; in the body, it is the skin and hair; in the interior, it is the lungs; in color, it is white; in sound, it is shang; in voice, it is crying; in change, it is coughing; in orifices, it is the nose; in taste, it is pungent; in mood, it is worry. Sorrow harms the lungs, joy overcomes superiority, heat harms the skin and hair, cold causes heat in the thighs, pungency harms the skin and hair, and bitterness overcomes pungency. The north generates cold, cold generates water, water generates power, saltiness generates the kidneys, the kidneys generate bone marrow, bone marrow generates liver, and the kidneys govern the ears. In the sky, it is cold; on the earth, it is water; in the body, it is bones; in the interior, it is kidneys; in color, it is feather; in sound, it is moan; in change, it is chestnut; in orifices, it is ear; in taste, it is might; in will, it is fear. Fear harms the kidneys; thinking overcomes fear. Cold harms the blood, and dryness overcomes cold. Saltiness harms the blood, while sweetness surpasses saltiness. Therefore, the sun: Heaven and earth are the upper and lower parts of all things. Yin and Yang refer to the male and female aspects of blood and qi. Left and right are the paths of Yin and Yang. Water and fire are the signs of Yin and Yang. Yin and Yang are the origin of all things. Zhengri: Yin is inside, and it is the guardian of Yang. Yang is external; it is the function of Yin. The emperor said, "What can be done by following the laws of Yin and Yang?" Qi Bo said: When Yang energy is excessive, the body feels hot, the thighs are closed, shortness of breath is severe, causing the body to lean forward and backward. Sweating does not occur but the body feels hot. The teeth become dry and the body feels restless. The abdomen is full and death occurs. One can endure winter but not summer. When Yin is excessive, the body becomes cold, sweating occurs, the body remains clear, and a few chills cause coldness. Coldness leads to fainting, and fainting results in abdominal distension and death. One can endure summer but not winter. This transformation of Yin and Yang surpassing each other is the manifestation of illness. The emperor said, "What if we adjust these two?" Qi Bo said, "If one can know the seven losses and the eight benefits, then the two can be adjusted. If one does not know how to use them, then it is a sign of premature aging." At the age of forty, one's Yin energy has already reached half, and daily life has declined. At the age of fifty, one's weight and eyesight are no longer sharp. At the age of sixty, the Yin energy expands, the qi greatly declines, the nine orifices are not in good condition, the lower body is weak and the upper body is excess, and tears and sobs all come out. Therefore, knowing it makes one strong; not knowing it makes one old. That's why they come from the same place but have different names. The wise can see the same, while the foolish have different families. The foolish are lacking, while the wise have more. When there is more, one's ears and eyes become sharp, the body becomes light and strong, the elderly become strong, and the strong are better treated. Therefore, the sage does non-action, enjoys the ability to drink wine, and adheres to the desire for pleasure and the pursuit of nothingness. Thus, his life is endless and he ends up with heaven and earth. This is the sage's way of governing himself. The sky is not far from the northwest, so the northwest is Yin. And people's right eyes and ears are not as bright as those on the left. The earth is not fully located in the southeast, so the southeast is Yang. However, the left hand is not as strong as the right hand. The emperor said, "Why is that?" Qi Bo said: "The east is Yang. Yang means its essence is concentrated above. When it is concentrated above, the upper part is bright while the lower part is weak. Therefore, it makes the eyes and ears intelligent but the hands and feet inconvenient." The West is Yin. Yin means that its essence is concentrated below. When it is concentrated below, the lower part is abundant while the upper part is weak. Therefore, its ears and eyes are not intelligent, but its hands and feet are weak. Therefore, fear is caused by evil. When it is above, the right side is more severe; when it is below, the left side is more severe. This is because the Yin and Yang of heaven and earth cannot be complete, so evil resides there. Therefore, the heavens have essence and the earth has form. The heavens have eight seasons and the earth has five principles. Thus, they can be the parents of all things. The clear Yang ascends to the heavens, while the Dharma hinders return to the earth. Therefore, the movement and stillness of heaven and earth are regulated by the deities, which enables them to grow, store, and begin anew. Only the virtuous are supported by heaven above to nourish their heads, by the earth below to nourish their feet, and by human affairs in the middle to nourish the five internal organs. The weather is connected to the lungs, the earth energy is connected to the passageways, the wind energy is connected to the liver, the thunder energy is connected to the heart, the grain energy is connected to the spleen, and the rain energy is connected to the kidneys. The six meridians are like rivers, the stomach and intestines are like seas, and the nine orifices are the energy infused by water. Taking heaven and earth as Yin and Yang, the sweat of Yang is named after the rain of heaven and earth. The Yang energy is named after the swift winds of heaven and earth. Stormy weather with thunder, adverse weather with sunshine. Therefore, if governance does not follow the laws of heaven or the principles of land use, disasters will come. Therefore, when evil wind reaches its peak, it is as swift as wind and rain. Thus, the best treatment is for the skin and hair, followed by the skin and tendons, then the six organs, and finally the five internal organs. Those who treat the five viscera are half dead and half alive. Therefore, the evil energy of heaven, when sensed, harms the five internal organs. The cold and heat of food and water can harm the six prefectures. The dampness in the ground can harm the skin, flesh, tendons and meridians. Therefore, those who are good at using needles can guide Yin to Yang, Yang to Yin, use the right to treat the left, use the left to treat the right, understand the other through oneself, understand the inside through the surface, observe the principles of excess and deficiency, see the minor to identify the fault, and use them without danger. A skilled doctor, by observing the complexion and taking the pulse, first distinguishes between Yin and Yang. By discerning the clear and the turbid, one can understand the part. By observing the wheezing and listening to the sounds, one can understand the suffering. Now, by weighing the rules, one can know the cause of the illness. By observing the size, the floating and sinking, the slippery and rough surface, one can know the cause of the disease. If treated, there will be no mistakes; if diagnosed, there will be no omissions. Therefore, it is said: The onset of a disease can only be pricked; its flourishing can only be gradually weakened. Therefore, because of its lightness, it is promoted; because of its heaviness, it is reduced; because of its decline, it is highlighted. For those with insufficient physical form, warm them with qi. For those with insufficient essence, supplement it with flavor. Those who are high are thus surpassed. The lower ones are led to exhaustion. When the middle is full, it is drained from within. For those with evil, clear the body and sweat. When it is on the skin, it occurs through sweating. If the source is fierce, it should be subdued. In fact, it is to disperse and drain it. Examine its Yin and Yang to distinguish between softness and hardness. For Yang diseases, treat Yin; for Yin diseases, treat Yang. Regulate the blood and qi, and each should stay in its proper place. When there is an excess of blood, it should be controlled; when there is a deficiency of qi, it should be guided by ploughing.