五藏生成篇

Wu Zang Sheng Cheng Pian

(The Functions of the Five Viscera to Human Body and Their Mutual Relations)

心之合脉也。其荣色也，其主肾也。肺之合皮也，其荣毛也，其主心也。肝之合筋也，其荣爪也，其主肺也。脾之合肉也，其荣唇也，其主肝也。肾之合骨也，其荣发也，其主脾也。

The specific functions of the heart and the vessel are related, the quintessence of the heart is reflected on the complexion, and the heart is controlled by the kidney.

The specific functions of the lung and the skin are related, the quintessence of the lung is reflected on the soft hair, and the lung is controlled by the heart.

The specific functions of the liver and the tendon are related, the quintessence of liver is reflected on the nail, and liver is controlled by the lung.

The specific functions of spleen and muscle are related, the quintessence of the spleen is reflected on the lips, and the spleen is controlled by the liver.

The specific functions of kidney and bone are related, the quintessence of the kidney is reflected on the hair, and the kidney is controlled by the spleen.

是故多食咸，则脉凝泣而变色;多食苦，则皮槁而毛拔;多食辛，则筋急而爪枯;多食酸，则肉胝胸而唇揭;多食甘，则骨痛而发落，此五味之所伤也。故心欲苦，肺欲辛，肝欲酸，脾欲甘，肾欲咸，此五味之所合也。

So, when the salty food is excessively taken, it will cause the stagnation of blood and the eclipse of one's complexion; when the bitter food is excessively taken, it will cause the dryness of the skin and the falling of hair: when the acrid food is excessively taken, it will cause cramp of the tendons and the withering of the nails; when the sour food is excessively

taken, it will cause the skin to become tough and thick and the lips wrinkle and shrink; when the sweet food is excessively taken, it will cause the bone pain and the falling of hair. These are the conditions of the partiality for a particular taste. So, the heart prefers the bitter taste, the lung prefers the acrid taste, the liver prefers the sour taste, the spleen prefers the sweet taste, and the kidney prefers the salty taste. These are the corresponding relations between the five tastes and the five viscera

五藏之气，故色见青如草兹[《脉经》《千金方》并作“滋”《说文通训。定声》“兹”，黑也]者死，黄如枳实者死，黑如炲(《千金翼方》“炲”下有“煤”字]者死，赤如衃血者死,白如枯骨者死，此五色之见死也。

When the quintessence of the five viscera reflected on the complexion appears to be green and black like the dead grass in dark, the patient will die; when it appears to be yellow like the fruit of unriped citron, the patient will die: when it appears to be black like coal, the patient will die; when it appears to be red like biood in stagnation, the patient will die; when it appears to be white as a piece of dry bone, the patient will die. These are the five colours for distinguishing the fatal diseases. 

青如翠羽者生，赤如鸡冠者生，黄如蟹腹者生，白如豕膏者生，黑如乌羽者生，此五色之见生也。生于心，如以缟裹朱;生于肺，如以缟裹红;生于肝，如以缟裹绀;生于脾，如以缟裹栝楼实，生于肾，如以缟裹紫，此五脏所生之外[《太素》“之”下无“外”字]荣也。

When the quintessence of the five viscera reflected on the complexion appears to be green like a bird's green feather, the patient will live: when it appears to be red like a cock-comb, the patient will live; when it appears to be yellow like the belly of a crab, the patient will live when it appears to be white like lard, the patient will live; when it appears to be black like the feather of a crow, the patient will live. These are the five colours for distinguishing the vitality of man. The colour of vitality in heart is like the cinnabar wrapped in white thin silks the colour of vitality in lung is like something red wrapped in white thin silk; the colour of vitality in liver is like something reddish-black wrapped in white thin silkt the colour of vitality of spleen is like trichosanthes seed (reddish-yellow) wrapped in white thin silk; the colour of vitality of kidney is like something purple wrapped in white thin silk. These are the appearance of vitalities of the five viscera.

色味当五藏:白当肺、辛，赤当心、苦，青当肝、酸，黄当脾、甘，黑当肾、咸。故白当皮，赤当脉，青当筋，黄当肉，黑当骨。

The five colours and the five tastes are conform with the five viscera. White conforms with the lung and acridness, red conforms with the heart and bitterness. green conforms with the liver and sour taste, yellow conforms with the spleen and sweet taste, black conforms with the kidney and the salty taste. So white also conforms with the skin, red also conforms with the vessel, green also conforms with the tendon, yellow also conforms with the muscle, and black also conforms with the bone.

诸脉者皆属于目，诸髓者皆属于脑，诸筋者皆属于节[《太素》作肝]，诸血者皆属于心，诸气者皆属于肺，此四支八谿之朝夕也。

All channels of man lead to the eyes, all the marrows lead to the brain, all tendons lead to the liver, all the blood lead to the heart, all the air in respiration lead to the lung. The air, blood, tendons and vessels are like the ebb and flow of the tide pouring to the elbows, armpits, hips, popliteal fossa and the four extremities.

故人卧血归于肝，肝[《伤寒论》、《宣明论方》并引作“目”]受血而能视，足受血而能步，掌受血而能握，指受血而能摄。卧出而风吹之，血凝于肤者为痹，凝于脉者为位，凝于足者为厥，此三者，血行而不得反其空，故为痹厥也。人有大谷十二分，小谿三百五十四名，少十二俞[《太素》作“关”]，此皆卫气之所留止，邪气之所客也，针石缘而去之。

When a man lies down, his blood turns towards the liver. The blood can nourish the extremities and all parts of the body, so, when the eyes obtain the blood, they can see, when the feet obtain the blood, they can walk, when the palms obtain the blood, they can hold things, when the fingers obtain the blood, they can fetch things. When one walks away to outside immediately after sleeping and is invaded by the blow of wind, if the blood stagnation is on the surface of skin, biyndrome (a syndrome marked by arthralgia, numbness and dyskinesia of the limbs)will occur; when the blood stagnation is in the channels, it will cause the retardation of the blood flow; when the blood stagnation is in the feet, it will cause coldness of the lower extremities. All the three kinds of diseases are due to the inability of the blood to flow back to the channel's circulation.  There are twelve main joints in the four extremities and three hundred and fifty four small bone joints in human body, excluding the shu points in the twelvc channels. All of them are the places for the Wei-energy to stay, and

they are also the places for the evil-energy to reside, when one is atacked by the evil-energy it should be removed by acupuncture or by the therapy of stone needle.