缪刺论/Miu Ci Lun

(On Contralateral Pricking)

黄帝问曰:余闻缪刺，未得其意，何谓缪刺?岐伯对日:夫邪之客于形也，必先舍于皮毛，留而不去，入舍于孙脉[明抄本“脉”作“络”]，留而不去，入舍于络脉，留而不去入舍于经脉，内连五藏，散于肠胃，阴阳俱感[《太素》“俱感”作“更盛”]，五藏乃伤，此邪之从皮毛而入，极于五藏之次也，如此则治其经焉。今邪客于皮毛，入舍于孙络，留而不去，闭塞不通、不得入于经，流溢[《甲乙》《外台》“溢”上并无“流”字]于大络，而生奇病也。夫邪客大络者，左注右，右注左，上下左右[《太素》“上下”下无“左右”二字]，与经相干，而布于四末。其气无常处，不入于经俞，命曰缪刺。

Yellow Emperor asked: "I am told there is a kind of contralateral pricking, but I do not know its meaning, after all, what is the contralateral pricking?" 

Oibo answered: "When the evil-energy invades the body, it begins on the skin and soft hair, if it retains there and not leaving, it will enter into the collateral; if it retains again, it will enter into the channel to join the five viscera and then disperses to the intestine and the stomach. In this way, the Yin and Yang will become even more overabundant alternately and the five viscera will be injured. This is the sequence of the evil-energy transmission from the skin and soft hair to the viscera. Therefore, when treating. it should prick the channel with the ordinary pricking. If the evil-energy invades the skin and the soft hair and then retains in the minute collateral, but can not reach the channel due to the impediment of the collateral branch of the channel, it will flow into the large collateral, and the infection will appear on one side, ie., the disease on the left side appears on the right side and vice versa. When the evil-energy enters into the large collateral, it flows from left to right and then from right to left, up and down along the large collateral which joins the channel and spreads to the four extremities. As the evil-energy runs in all directions not staying in a proper place, nor flowing into the shu-points in the channel, thus, the contralateral pricking is necessary."

帝曰:愿闻缪刺以左取右以右取左奈何[《甲乙》无此二字]?其与巨刺何以别之?岐伯日;邪客于经，左盛则右病，右盛则左病，亦有移易者，左痛未已而右脉先病，如此者，必巨刺之，必中其经，非络脉也。故络病者，其痛与经脉缪处，故命日缪刺。

Yellow Emperor said: "I like to hear the reason of when the disease is on the left side, prick the right side, and when the disease is on the right side, prick the left side in contralateral pricking, and how is it distinguished from the opposing needling?" Qibo said:"As the evil-energy of the left side and the right side are connecting, so, when the channel is invaded by the evil-energy, if the evil-energy is over-abundant on the left side, it often causes the disease on the right side, if the evil-energy is over-abundant on the right side, it often causes the disease on the left side. But sometimes, the condition is different: when the pain of the left side has not yet recovered, the vessels on the right side begin to contract disease. In this case, the evil-energy is not in the collateral, but in the channel. So, the opposing needling which will be reaching the channel should be applied. If the evil-energy is in the collateral of which the depth of the pain is different from that of the channel, the contralateral pricking should be applied."