不适贫富贵贱之居，坐[高注本“坐”作“土”]之薄厚，形之寒温，不适饮食之宜，不别人之勇怯，不知此类，足以自乱，不足以自明，此治之三失也。

"When one knows not the poor or rich, noble or humble situation of the patient, not knowing the thickness of earth in his living location, not knowing the cold and heat of the patient's body, not knowing what food and drink the patient should take, unable to distinguish the bold and timid character of the patient, nor can analyse the disease by analogy, it can only muddle one's head without having a clear mind concerning the disease. This is the third reason of the failure in treating.

诊病不问其始，忧患饮食之失节、起居之过度，或伤于毒，不先言此，卒持寸口，何病能中，妄言作名，为粗所穷，此治之四失也。

"When one fails to ask the time of the onset of the disease, not knowing whether the disease is due to the stimulation of the spirit, out of order of the daily life or due to poisoning, and palpate the pulse of the patient rashly without knowing the reason of the disease, how can he diagnose the disease accurately? He can only talk at random, fabricate the name of the disease, and finally bogs himself down in trouble due to carelessness. This is the fourth reason of the failure in treating.

是以世人之语者，驰千里之外，不明尺寸之论[“论”字与下“诊”字误倒，应作“不明尺寸之诊，论无人事”]，诊无人事。治数之道，从容之葆，坐持寸口，诊不中五脉，百病所起，始以自怨，遗师其咎。是故治不能循理，弃术于市，妄治时愈，愚心自得。呜呼!窈窈冥冥，孰知其道?道之大者，拟于天地，配于四海，汝不知道之谕，受以明为晦。

"Thus, some physicians of lower level exaggerate his talking like a horse galloping in a remote distance of thousand miles away, but in fact, he does not even understand the way of the palpation of the Cun and Chi pulses, how can he know the astronomy above, the geography below and the human affairs in the middle which are related to the treating? The principle of Yin and Yang, the agreeable and adverse conditions of the disease, viscera and channels can only be mastered through leisureliness, stableness and tardiness.

"If one knows only the way of inspecting the Cun Kou pulse but does not know how to integrate it with the five viscera, he will not be able to know the reason of the disease. When a medical accident occurs, he will first complain himself as he has not learned profoundly, then he blames the poor teaching of his teacher. So, if one practises medicine, but he can not treat patients according to the medical principle, he can only flaunt in the market and treat diseases rashly. When a patient is cured occasionally, he brags about his ability.

"Alas! How subtle and profound is the principle of the medicine, and who can understand its reasons. The theory of medicine can compare favourably with heaven and earth, and match the deep sea. If one does not understand the importance of the medical principle, he will remain muddled even he has been imparted by the one who understands the medical principle."

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