生气通天论篇 第三

Chapter3

Sheng Qi Tong Tian Lun

(On the Human Vital Energy Connecting with Nature)

黄帝日:夫自古通天者生之本，本于阴阳。天地之间，六合之内，其气九州九窍[俞樾说:“九窍是衍文，九州即九窍，古窍为州”]、五藏、十二节，皆通乎天气，其生五、其气三，数犯此者，则邪气伤人，此寿命之本也。

The Emperor said: “Since ancient time, it is considered that the existence of men has depended upon the communications of the variation of Yin and Yang energies, thus, human life is based on Yin and Yang.

"All things on the earth and in the space communicate with the Yin and Yang energies. Human being is a small universe as human body has everything that the universe has. In the universe, there are nine states (namely Ji, Yan, Qing, Xu, Yang, Jing, Yu, Liang and Yong), and man has nine orifices (seven orifices: two ears, two eyes, two nosetrils, and one mouth; two Yin orifices: external urethral orifice and the anus); there are five musical tones in the universe, man has five solid organs responsible for storing the mental activities (liver stores soul, heart stores spirit, spleen stores consciousness, lung stores inferior spirit, kidney stores will); there are twelve solar terms in the universe, and man has twelve channels. The Yin and Yang energies of human being correspond with the Yin and Yang energies of the universe, and the Yin and Yang energies of all things(including men)are communicating with that of the universe.

"The survival of a man depends on the Yin and Yang energies and depends on the five elements (metal, wood, water, fire and earth), it is the so called 'life depends on five'. The five elements on earth correspond to the three Yins (cold, dryness and wetness)and the three Yangs (wind, fire and summer heat), it is the so called 'energies depend on the three'. If one violates the principles of preserving health frequently, his health will be hurt by the evil factors and contracts diseases. Therefore, Yin and Yang energies are the foundation of life.

“苍天之气，清净则志意治，顺之则阳气固，虽有贼邪，弗能害也，此因时之序。故圣人传精神，服天气，而通神明。失之则内闭九窍，外壅肌肉，卫气散解，此谓自伤，气之削也。

When the human energy is connected with that of the universe, the human temperament will be fresh and cool in a calm circumstance where there is no strong wind and rain-storm. With the calm circumstance, one can keep his spirit quiet and clear as the blue sky, refrain from the disturbances of overjoy and violent rage. By this time, his bodily Yang energy is

substantial, and will not be hurt even though being attacked by evil factors. This is due to his ability of adapting the sequence and variations of the four seasons to preserve his health in a good way.

"Therefore, as a sage can keep his essence of life and energy in concert with the Yang energy of heaven, thus can communicate his energy with the divinity of heaven. But, unfortunately, most people run in the opposite direction to it, so, whenever he is assaulted evil factors, his nine orifices become obstructed internally, and his muscle contracts diseas of

stagnation externally, even his Wei-energy becomes dispersed. This is due to his inability of adapting to the sequence and variations of the four seasons.

阳气者若天与日，失其所，则折寿而不彰，故天运当以日光明，是故阳因而上卫外者也。

"There is Yang energy in human body like there is sun in the sky. When the sun is not at its proper position, the heaven and earth will become dark, and when the Yang energy of a man is not at his proper position, he will die early. So the unceasing operation of heaver depends on the brightness of the sun, and the bodily health of a man depends on the cleas and floating of Yang energy which guards against outside.

因于寒，欲如运枢，起居如惊[吴本“惊”作“警”]，神气乃浮。因于暑，汗，烦则喘喝，静则多言，体若燔炭，汗出而散。因于湿，首如裹，湿热不攘，大筋续短，小筋弛长，须短为拘，弛长为痿。因于气，为肿，四维相代，阳气乃竭。

"When a man is invaded by cold, he will be disquieted and restless like being on alert, his spirit and energy excrete outside and his Yang energy becomes unstable.

"When a man is invaded by heat, he will be sweating a lot, irritable and breathe rapidly with noise. If the heat invades to affect the spirit, he will have the syndromes of short of breath, gasp, thirst, polylogia and his body will be hot like the burning charcoal. The stagnated heat-evil can only be dispersed by perspiration.

"If the disease stems from the wetness-evil, one's head will feel heavy like being wraped. The prolonged wetness will turn to heat. It should be eliminated in time, otherwise, the heat will hurt the Yin blood to cause malnourishment to the tendons, making the large tendons become rigid and cramps occur, or making the small ones relaxation and flaccidities occur.

"When a man is invaded by the wind-evil, swelling will occur, and the four extremities will be swelling alternately which shows the exhaustion of the Yang energy.

阳气者，烦劳则张，精绝，辟积于夏，使入煎厥。目盲不可以视，耳闭不可以听，溃责乎若坏都，汨汨乎不可止。阳气者，大怒则形气绝;而血菀于上，使入薄厥。有伤于筋，纵，其若不容，汗出偏沮，使人偏枯。汗出见湿，乃生痤痍。高[《太素)“高”作“膏]梁之变，足生大丁，受如持虚[《素问病机气宜保命集》卷二十六引作“受持如虚”]。劳汗当风，寒薄为皶，郁乃痤。

"When one is over-worked, the Yang energy in his body will become hyperactive and excretes outside causing the exhaustion of Yin. If the disease is protracted, and the weather is hot in summer, the disease of anterior jue will occur. The disease is characterized by the syndromes of hearing nothing as if the ears are being stopped, and seeing nothing as if the eyes are dim-sighted, like the dash of water in swift and irresistible momentum which can hardly be controlled.

"The Yang energy will rush upward when one is in a great rage, and the blood will go upward in the wake of it. If the blood stagnates in the chest, the physique and the activating vital energy will become obstructed. In this case, the confusion of vital energy and blood is called syncope due to emotional upset.

"If the tendon is hurt, it will be slow in contracting and can not be used wilfully. 

"If one side of the body of a man is usually obstructed and no sweat appears when one should perspire, he might contract hemiparalysis in the near future.

"When one is perspiring and sweat pores are opened, if by this time, he takes a cold bath, the evils of wetness and heat will be stagnated within the muscular striae. If will cause furuncle when the case is serious and cause prickly heat when the case is slight.

"The one who is addicted to delicious food often has stagnated heat inside and is apt to contract cellulitis and the stagnated heat stemmed from asthenia.

"When one sits or lies against the wind and perspires after doing hard labour, the coldevil may invade his skin and muscular striae. It will cause comedo when the case is slight, and cause sore when the case is serious.