阴阳别论篇

Yin Yang Bie Lun

(The Yin and Yang of Pulse Condition)

黄帝问曰:人有四经十二从，何谓?岐伯对曰:四经应四时，十二从应十二月，十二月应二十脉。

Yellow Emperor asked: "A man has four channels and twelve equivalences, and what are the implications of them?" Qibo answered: “The four channels are the four solid organs which correspond to the four seasons¡ the twelve equivalences are the twelve two-hour periods, the twelve two-hour periods correspond to the twelve meridians (The four channels are of liver, heart, lung and kidney, as the spleen does not correspond to one season only, so it is not mentioned. The liver channel corresponds to spring, the heart channel corresponds to summer, the lung channel corresponds to autumm, and the kindney channel corresponds to winter. ) The twelve-hour periods correspond to the twelve months, such as correspond to

Yin, Mao and Chen months in spring, to Si, Wu and Wei months in summer, to Shen, You, and Xu months in autumn and to Hai, Zi and Chou months in winter. The twelve months correspond to the twelve channels, such as the Hand Taiyin channel corresponds to the lunar first month, the Hand Yangming corresponds to the second month, the Foot Yangming Corresponds to the third month, the Foot Taiyin corresponds to the forth month,the Hand Shaoyin corresponds to the fifth month, the Hand Taiyang corresponds to the sixth month, the Foot Taiyang corresponds to the seventh month, the Foot Shaoyin corresponds to the eigth month、 the Hand Jueyin corresponds to the ninth month, the Hand Shaoyang corresponds to the tenth month, the Foot Shaoyang corresponds to the eleventh month and the Foot Jueyin corresponds to the twelfth month.

脉有阴阳，知阳者知阴，知阴者知阳。凡阳有五，五五二十五阳。所谓阴者，真藏也，见则为败，败必死也。所谓阳者，胃脘之阳也。别于阳者，知病处也;别于阴者，知死生之期。三阳在头，三阴在手，所谓一也。别于阳者，知病忌时;别于阴者，知死生之期。谨熟阴阳，无与众谋。

"The pulse of Yin and Yang may be divided into position of Yin for Yang (such as floating, deep, slow or rapid pulse) and belonging to the Yin or Yang viscera (such as belonging to the solid organs or the hollow organs). Although the Yin and Yang pulse are different, yet they should be integrated and be kept consistent anywhere, and they must be in equilibrium. If one of the Yin and Yang being abnormal, the other one will be out of order, if Yang being over-abundant, then Yin must be in debility, and if Yin being over-abundant, then Yang must be in debility. Thus, when one knows the condition of Yin, one can also know the condition of Yang, and when one knows the condition of Yang, he can also know the condition of Yin.

"In each of the five solid organs (heart, liver, spleen, lung and kidney), there is the Yang pulse for moderating. The pulses of the five solid organs correspond to the four seasons, and in each corresponding season occurs the pulse of its own with moderating stomach-energy. At the same time, in the other solid organs occur concurrently the pulse condition of the solid organs corresponds to the relevant season, such as in spring, the liver pulse is slightly wiry, and in the four solid organs of heart, spleen, lung and kidney also occur the moderating stomach pulse which are slightly wiry. Thus, there are five solid organs, and each of them has five different pulses in the different five seasons, and five times five are the twenty five Yang pulses.

"Yin indicates the pulse condition of indicating the exhaustion of visceral energy which is of entirely no stomach-energy. It may occur in all the pulses of the five solid organs. In clinic, most of them represent the syndrome of corruption. As the viscera-energy is corrupted and the stomach-energy is severed, the patient will surely die.

"Yang indicates the Yang of the gastric cavity which is also the stomach-energy. The stomach is the sea of water and cereal which receives the food, it takes charge of digesting the food to nourish the viscera, bones and the extremities, so all the channels of the five viscera depend on the nourishment of the stomach-energy.

"In pulse palpating, when one discovers the stomach-energy (the Yang energy) in a certain viscera is abnormal, he can ascertain that the disease is in the said viscera, so when Yang is abnormal, the location of disease can be indicated; when the pulse shows the visceral-energy and stomach-energy in certain viscera is exhausted, the time of the patient's death

can be anticipated, so when the pwlse condition indicating the exhaustion of visceral energy is seen, the date of death can be scheduled.

"When the three Yangs (of which the stomach-energy dominates) on the head and the three Yins (of which the lung-energy dominates) on the hands being kept harmony, a normal physiological function of a man can be maintained (the three Yangs on head indicate the Renying pulse of the cervical arteries latereal to the thyroid cartilage reflecting the stomach-energy; the three Yins on hand indicate the Cunkou pulse along the radial artery proximal to the wrest reflecting the lung energy).

"In observing the pulse condition, one can know the taboo date of the disease, when the moderating stomach-energy of a certain solid organ is missing (such as the taboos of the liver disease are Geng and Xin, the taboos of the lung disease are Bing and Ding, etc.). So one can know the taboo date for the disease when Yang is abnormal, and one can know the date

of death or survival when Yin is abnormal.

"When one knows well the principles of Yin and Yang and the Yin, Yang in the pulse, he can determine the proper treatment in the clinic without consulting others.

所谓阴阳者，去者为阴，至者为阳;静者为阴，动者为阳;迟者为阴，数者为阳。凡持真脉之藏脉者，肝至悬急，十八日死，心至悬绝，九日死，肺至悬绝，十二日死;肾至悬绝，七日死;脾死悬绝，四日死。

"In distinguishing the Yin,Yang from the pulse condition, all the going, calm and slow pulses belong to Yin, and all the coming, mobile and rapid pulses belong to Yang.

When the stomach-energy is exhausted in the liver pulse which is different from other viscera pulse, the patient will die in eighteen days; when the stomach-energy is exhausted in the heart pulse, which is different from other viscera pulse, the patient will die in nine days; when the stomach-energy is exhausted in the lung pulse which is different from other viscera

pulse, the patient will die in twelve days; when the stomach-energy is exhausted in the kidney pulse which is different from other viscera pulse, the patient will die in seven days: when the stomach-energy is exhausted in the spleen pulse which is different from other viscera pulse, the patient will die in four days.