六节藏象论篇

Liu Jie Zang Xiang Lun

(The Close Relation Between the Viscera in Human Body with the Environment of the Outside World)

黄帝问曰:余闻天以六六之节，以成一岁，人以九九制会，计人亦有三百六十五节，以为天地久矣。不知其所谓也?岐伯对曰:昭乎哉问也，请遂言之。夫六六之节，九九制会者，所以正天之度，气之数也。天度者，所以制日月之行也;气数者，所以纪化生之用也。天为阳，地为阴;日为阳，月为阴;行有分纪，周有道理，日行一度，月行十三度而有奇焉，故大小月三百六十五日而成岁，积气余而盈闰矣。立端于始，表正于中，推余于终，而天度毕矣。

Yellow Emperor asked: "I am told that with the combination of of heaven's decimal cycle (Jia, Yi, Bing, Ding, Wu, Ji,Geng, Xin, Ren and Gui) and the earth's twelve duodecimal cycle (Zi. Chou, Yin. Mao, Chen, Si, Wu. Wei, Shen, You, Xiu and Hai) it makes a cycle of sixty days and six cycles make a year; the earth with its ninety days in a season to commiunicate with the heaven; and man has the 365 acupoints to correspond with the number of heaven and earth. This version has long been disseminated, but why is it so?"

Qibo answered: "What a brilliant question you have asked, Now let me explain it to you; The six and six number is to set the degree of heaven, and the nine and nine number is to illustrate the earth energy in generating all things. The degree of heaven is the criterion of the motion of sun and moon, and the number of earth-energy is the outline of its periodic cуcle in generating and promoting growth of all things.

"The heaven is Yang and the earth is Yin; the Sun is Yang and the moon is Yin. The revolution of sun and moon are all according to regular degrees, and the speed of their revolution are subjected to a certain rule. The complete cycle of heaven is three hundred sixty five degrees. The sun moves one degree in a day and night, the moon moves thirteen and seven and nineteenth degrees in a day and night. It takes three hundred and sixth five days odd for the moon to travel the complete cycle, and twenty nine days odd for the moon to travel the complete cycle. It is stipulated that the days for the moon to travel the complete cycle is a month, and the days for the sun to travel the complete cycle is a year. When adding all the big and small months of the year. there are three hundred and sixty five days with some remainder (the complete cycle is three hundred and sixty five and one fourth degrees). With the six days of the six small months which are lacking in the year and the remainder days stated above, we add two leap months in five years so that the degree of heaven may be fitted.

"Set up an erect wooden pole on the ground, measure the various length of the sun's shadow from the day of Winter Solstice or Summer Soltice daily to calculate the revolving degree of the sun and moon, and in addition with the remainder, then, the calculation of the degree of heaven can be accomplished."

帝曰:余已闻天度矣，愿闻气数何以合之?岐伯曰:天以六六为节，地以九九制会，天有十日，日六竟而周甲，甲六复而终岁，三百六十日法也。夫自古通天者，生之本，本于阴阳，其气九州九窍[“九窍”二字是衍文]，皆通乎天气，故其生五，其气三，三而成天，三而成地，三而成人，三而三之，合则为九，九分为九野，九野为九戴，故形藏四，神藏五，合为九藏以应之也。

Yellow Emperor said: "Now I have heard the essentials of the degree of heaven, but I want to hear further how the number of earth being in concert with the heaven's degree." Qibo answered: "The heaven takes the number of six to be the criterion and the earth communicates the heaven with the number of nine. When the ten decimal cycle of heaven in combination with the twelve duodecimal cycle of earth (becoming Jia Zi, Yi Chou....) it makes a cycle of sixty days, and six cycles make a year, and this is the way of calculating the three hundred and sixty days in a year.

"Since ancient time, all who know the principle of heaven, take the heaven as the source of life, in other words, all lives on earth stem from Yin and Yang. the earth-energy of all the prefectures (the various districts on earth)are communicating with the heaven energy.

"Thus, there is a version of the five elements (wood, fire, earth, metal, water) and the three energies (three Yin energies and three Yang energies).

"There are three energies in heaven, three energies on earth, and three energies for man, and the sum will aggregate to nine. On earth, there are nine prefectures, and for man, there are nine viscera, that is, the four organs which store substances (stomach, large intestine, small intestine. bladder) and the five organs which store the spirits (lung stores inferior spirit, liver stores soul, heart stores spirit, spleen stores consciousness, kidney stores will), and the number of nine viscera correspond with the number of six and six of heaven."

帝曰:余已闻六六[“六六”之下，似脱“之节”二字]九九之会也。夫子言积气盈闰，愿闻何谓气?请夫子发蒙解惑焉。岐伯曰:此上帝所秘，先师传之也。帝曰:请遂闻之。岐伯曰:五日谓之候，三候谓之气，六气谓之时，四时谓之岁，而各从其主治焉。五运相袭，而皆治之，终蒡之日，周而复始;时立气布，如环无端，候亦同法。故日:不知年之所加，气之盛衰，虚实之所起，不可以为工矣。

Yellow said:"Now I understand the meaning of the correspondance of six and six with nine and nine. You have mentioned the remainder days of the solar terms are accumulated into the leap months, but what is the solar term? Please enlighten my ignorance and untie my perplexity, " Qibo said:"This is what the preceding emperors would not tell, and was imparted to me by my teacher." Yellow Emperor said:"I hope you can tell me all about it." Qibo said:"There are five days for a pentad and three pentads make a solar term; six solar terms (ninety days) make a season, and four seasons make a year. In each year, there is an element-energy dominanting the year (such as the earth-element dominates the year of Jia Zi), and the five element-energy dominating alternately in a regular order. When treating, one must suit the dominating element energy in various periods. After an element dominates the period of one year , the next element will be dominating in next year, after five years which is of sixty months, it is a cycle of Jia Zi.  The energies of the five elements are dominating one after another and go round and begin again. It is divided into five parts in a year, and each of the five elements dominates one season (wood dominates spring, fire dominates summer, earth dominates long summer, metal dominates autumn, water dominates winter). Thus, each of the four seasons are disseminating on due time the energy of its corresponding element. When reducing the scope into a pentad, it is also divided into five, and the way of division is the same with that in a year. Thus, when treating a disease, if one is ignorant about the period of the arrival of the energy of wind, cold, heat, wetness and fire in the year, and know not the principle of asthenia and sthenia induced by the going beyond or falling short of energies of the five elements, he will be unable to master the rule of the pathological change in the usual enviroment, and is uncapable to be a physician.