Qibo said: "The method of acupuncture can be analysized by the principle of the changes of the five elements: when wood encounters metal, wood will be cut; when fire encounters water, fire will be extinquished; when earth encounters wood, earth will be restrained; when metal encounters fire, metal will be melted; when water encounters earth, water will

be halted. The changes are the same in every thing and the examples are too numerous to be enumerated. There are five acupuncture methods which have been published to all, but people care for their meal only and try not to understand them thoroughly.  The five methods are: first, concentrate the attention; second, take care of the body; third, knowing the actual property of the medicine; fourth, preparing different sizes of stone needles to meet the need of treating various diseases; fifth, knowing the diagnostic method for the viscera, blood and energy. Each of the methods has its merits, and one can decide which one should be used first according to the specific situation. At present, the acupuncture therapy is to invigorate when the energy is asthenic, and purge when the energy is overabundant, and it is known to all physicians. If one can apply the acupuncture therapy according to the principle of the variations of Yin and Yang of heaven and earth, the curative effects will be obtained as a matter of course. This is nothing mysterious, when one is serious in accumulating acupuncture knowledges with protracted experience, something uniqueness in his achievement will certainly occur. "

帝曰:愿闻其道。

岐伯曰:凡刺之真，必先治神，五藏已定，九候已备[《甲乙》“备”作“明”]，后乃存针，众脉不见，众凶弗闻，外内相得，无以形先，可玩往来，乃施于人。人有虚实[《甲乙》作“虚实之要”]，五虚勿近，五实勿远，至其当发，间不容演。手动若务，针耀而匀，静意视义[“义”字误，应作“息”]，观适之变，是谓冥冥，莫知其形，见其乌乌，见其稷稷从[于鬯说:“从”字盖“徒”字之误]见其飞，不知其谁[《太素》“知”作“见”，“谁”作“杂”]，伏如横弩，起如发机。

Yellow Enperor said: "I would like to know the principles about acupuncture. " Qibo said: "The correct method of acupuncture is to concentrate the mind first. The pricking can be applied only after the asthenia and sthenia of the five viscera has been ascertained and the nine sub-parts of the pulse has been made clear. When pricking, one must concentrate his attention, seeing no one even there is someone watching, and hearing nothing even there are noisy disturbances. Examine the pulse condition of the patient, be sure the pulse of the exhausted visceral-energy is existing and must not examine the outer appearance of the patient only. Before pricking, one must understand the syndrome thoroughly to the extent of being mature, and master the condition of the coming and going of the channel-energy. As the pricking is casy in purging and difficult in invigorating, to the patients of the five asthenic diseases (fine pulse, cold skin, short of breath, diarrhea, fail to take food), one must not prick rashly¡ to the patients of the five sthenic diseases (full pulse, hot skin, distention of abdomen, dysuria and restless), one must not be reluctant to prick. In prickng, when the

channel energy is arrived, one must seize the opportunity to prick without delay, not even in the time of a twinkling of an eye. When twisting the needle, one must not have other things in mind to assure the pricking is clean and smooth; after the needle is applied, one must pay attention to the breathing of the patient and examine the expected energy change. The coming and going of the energy is invisible and is quite difficult to trace. It is like birds in different sexes flying in crowds, one can only see the harmonious flying, but can not see the diversity of sexes.

Before the channel-energy arrives, the physician should wait patiently like waiting for a prey, lying with a drawing bow; when the channel-energy arrives, he should prick as quick as pulling the trigger."

帝曰:何如而虚!何如而实?岐伯曰:刺虚者须其实，刺实者须其虚，经气已至，慎守勿失，深浅在志，远近若一，如临深渊，手如握虎，神无营于众物。

Yellow Emperor said: "How to prick an asthenic disease, and how to prick a sthenic disease?" Qibo said: "When pricking the disease of asthenia, invigorating therapy should be applied, when pricking the disease of sthenia, purge therapy should be applied. When the channel-energy has arrived, one must be cautious not to miss the opportunity. No matter the pricking is deep or shallow, the acupoint is far from or near to the focus, the acupuncture feeling obtained should be of the same. When twisting the needle, one must be very careful as if he is standing upon the edge of an abyss, and be very concentrative as if holding a fierce tiger. In a word, one should concentate his mind, and not being disturbed by other things."

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