三部九候论篇/San Bu Jiu Hou Lun

(On the Three Parts and the Nine Sub-parts of Pulse)

黄帝问日;余闻九针[《太平圣惠方》引作“候”]于夫子，众多博大，不可胜数。余愿闻要道[林校引全元起本“道”作“地”]，以属子孙，传之后世，著之骨髓，藏之肝肺，酞血而受，不敢妄泄，令合天道[“道”林校引作“地”]，必有始终，上应天光星历纪，下副四时五行。贵贱更互[胡本、赵本“互”并作“立”]冬阴夏阳，以人应之奈何?愿闻其方。

Yellow Emperor asked:“The principle of nine sub-parts of pulse I have heard was abundant and vast to me, which can hardly be related in full. I hope to hear some more about the principle which are important, so that I can enjoin my descendants to hand down to the future generations. I will firmly bear them mind, and swear not to disclose them out carelessly. I will keep them in compatible with the heaven and earth from beginning to end and let it correspond with the numbers of the sun, moon, star and the solar terms above, and in accordance with the variation of the four seasons and the five elements below. Since there are different conditions of abundance and decline in the five elements, and in the four seasons, winter is Yin and summer is Yang, how can a man adapt these natural laws? I hope you can tell me if there is any method.

岐伯对日:妙乎哉问也!此天地之至数。帝日:愿闻天地之至数，合于人形，血气通[按“通”字误倒，应作“通血气”]，决死生，为之奈何?岐伯日:天地之至数，始于一，终于九焉。一者[明抄本“者”作“日”]天，二者[应作“日”]地，三者[应作“曰”]人，因而三之，三三者九，以应九野，故人[《类说》引“人”作“脉”]有三部，部有三候，以决死生，以处百病，以调虚实，而除邪疾。

Qibo said:"What a good question you have asked, it is the axiom of heaven and earth." 

Yellow Emperor said: "T hope you can tell me the axiom of heaven and earth so that it may be in confromity with the human body, dredging the blood and energy, and enable one to distinguish the death and survival of the patient. But how can this be achieved?" Qibo said:"The numbers of heaven and earth begin from one and end in nine.

"One is Yang and it stands for heaven, two is Yin and it stands for earth, as men lives between heaven and earth, so three stands for man, since the heaven, earth and man are three, three times three is nine which is corresponding with the number of the nine prefectures.

"Thus, there are three parts in the pulse, and each of them has three sub-parts which are the foundations for to distinguish the death and survival of the patient, diagnose all kinds of disease, adjust the asthenia and sthenia, and remove diseases."