五味/Wu Wei

(The Five Tastes)

黄帝日:愿闻谷气有五味，其入五脏，分别奈何?伯高日:胃者，五脏六腑之海也，水谷皆入于胃，五脏六腑皆禀气于胃。五昧各走[走:《类说》卷三十七引作“入”]其所喜，谷味酸，先走肝，谷味苦，先走心，谷味甘，先走脾，谷味辛，先走肺，谷味威，先走肾。谷气[谷气:《甲乙》卷六第九“谷气”下有“营卫俱行”四字]津液已行，营卫大通，乃化糟粕，以次传下。

Yellow Emperor said:"There are five tastes in the essence derived from food, when they enter into the five viscera of the body, what routes will they follow respectively?" I hope you can tell me." Bogao said:"The stomach is like the sea for converging the nutrition of the five solid organs and the six hollow organs, as all the water and cereals enter into the stomach, so, all the five solid organs and the six hollow organs will receive the refined energy formed by the digestion of the stomach, and each of the five tastes of food will enter into the viscus it prefers respectively. Therefore, the sour taste tends to enter into the liver first; the bitter taste tends to enter into the heart first; the sweet taste tends to enter into the spleen first; the acrid taste tends to enter into the lung first; the salty taste tends to enter into the kidney first. The body fluid converted by the refined substances of the essence derived from food is running in the body causing the unimpediment of the Ying-energy and the Wei-energy, the waste matters will turn into dross which will be eliminated to the outside of the body along with urination and defecation."

黄帝日:营卫之行奈何?伯高日:谷始入于胃，其精微者，先出于胃之两焦，以溉五脏，别出两[两:《甲乙》卷六第九“两”下有“焦”字，断句]行，营卫之道。其大气之抟而不行者，积于胸中，命曰气海，出于肺，循喉咽，故呼则出，吸则入。天地之精气，其大数常出三入一，故谷不入，半日则气衰，一日则气少矣。

Yellow Emperor asked:"What are the condition of the operation of the Ying-energy and Wei-energy?" Bogao said:"When the cereals have entered into the stomach, its refined substances produced spread to the upper warmer and the middle warmer from the stomach to irrigate and nourish the five viscera, and the other two branches are the two routes of the Ying-energy and the Wei-energy. Besides, there is also the natural air which is assembling without scattering, it accumulates in the chest, and it is called the sea of qi (air). The air of this kind comes out from the lung and runs along the throat, it goes out when one exhales and comes in when one inhales. The refined energy of the cereals is stored in the sea of qi, it is approximately three fourth exhaled and one fourth inhaled. So, if one does not take any food for half a day, he will be feeling deficiency of breath; when he does not take any food for one day, he will be feeling short of breath."

黄帝日:谷之五味，可得闻乎?伯高日:请尽言之。五谷:秔[秔:《甲乙》卷六第九作“粳”]米[米:《太素》卷二《调食》“失”下有“饭”字]甘，麻[麻:《素问・藏气法时论》作“小豆”]酸，大豆威，麦[麦:《甲乙》卷六第九“麦”上有“小”字]苦，黄[黄:《五行大义》卷三《论配气味》引《甲乙》无此字]黍[黍:《千金》卷二十九第四作“稻”辛。五果:枣甘，李酸，栗威，杏苦，桃辛。五畜:牛甘，犬酸，猪咸，羊苦，鸡辛。五菜:葵甘，韭酸，覆咸，薤苦，葱辛。

Yellow Emperor asked:"Can you tell me about the five tastes of the cereals?" Bogao said: "I like to tell you in details: In the five cereals, the taste of the round-shaped rice is sweet, the taste of sesame is sour, the taste of soybean is salty, the taste of wheat is bitter and the taste of millet is acrid. In the five fruits, the taste of jujube is sweet, the taste of plum is sour, the taste of chestnut is salty, the taste of apricot is bitter and the taste of peach is acrid. In the five animals, the taste of beaf is sweet, the taste of dog,s meat is sour, the taste of pork is salty, the taste of mutton is bitter and the taste of chicken is acrid. In the five vegetables, the taste of celery is sweet, the taste of the Chinese chives is sour, the taste of bean leaves is salty, the taste of leek is bitter and the taste of scallion is acrid.