灵枢经·岁露论 Discourse on the Dew of the Year

Huangdi asked Qibo: 'The canonical texts say that being injured by summer-heat in summer causes malarial disease in autumn, and that the onset of malarial disease follows a fixed schedule — what is the reason for this?' Qibo replied: 'The evil lodges in Fengfu (the Wind Mansion), and the disease then travels downward along the spine. The defensive qi, over the course of a day and night, always converges fully at Fengfu; on the following day it descends one vertebral segment, and so the onset of the attack each day comes progressively later — this is because the evil first lodged in the spine and back. Thus, each time the defensive qi reaches Fengfu, the interstices open; when the interstices open, the evil qi enters; when the evil qi enters, the disease erupts — this is why the onset comes progressively later each day. As the defensive qi travels down from Fengfu, descending one segment per day, by the twenty-first day it reaches down to the tailbone, and on the twenty-second day it enters the interior of the spine and pours into the Fuchong (Hidden Penetrating) Vessel; traveling for nine days, it emerges within Quepen, the supraclavicular fossa, and its qi then moves upward — hence the disease gradually intensifies as time goes on. When the evil strikes internally against the five viscera and connects laterally with the membrane-source, its pathway is long and its qi lies deep, so its movement is slow and it cannot erupt daily; hence it accumulates over the following day before erupting.'

Huangdi said: 'When the defensive qi reaches Fengfu each time, the interstices open, and once opened, the evil enters. Yet if the defensive qi descends one segment each day, then it will no longer coincide with Fengfu — how is this?' Qibo said: 'Fengfu has no fixed location. Wherever the defensive qi responds, it must open the interstices there; the joint-segment where the qi lodges becomes, at that moment, its mansion.'

Huangdi said: 'Excellent. Now, wind disorders and malarial disease belong to the same category, yet wind persists constantly while malarial disease alone rests according to a fixed schedule — why is this?' Qibo said: 'Wind qi lingers in its location, whereas malarial qi follows the channels and network vessels, sinking down to strike internally; hence it erupts only when the defensive qi responds to it there.' Huangdi said: 'Excellent.'

Huangdi asked Shaoshi: 'I have heard that when the qi of the four seasons and eight winds strikes a person, there is accordingly cold and heat: in cold, the skin becomes tight and the interstices close; in heat, the skin becomes relaxed and the interstices open. Is it through this that thieving wind and evil qi manage to enter? Or must they wait specifically for the vacuous evil of the eight solar terms before they are able to injure a person?' Shaoshi answered: 'It is not so. When thieving wind and evil qi strike a person, they do not do so according to any fixed season; but they must always take advantage of an opening. When they take advantage of an opening, they penetrate deeply, and the illness within reaches its extreme; such illness strikes the person suddenly and violently. When they take advantage of a closing, they penetrate only shallowly and merely linger; such illness develops slowly and gradually.'

Huangdi said: 'There are cases in which cold and warmth are perfectly balanced, and the interstices are not open, and yet sudden illness still occurs — what is the reason for this?' Shaoshi answered: 'Does Your Majesty not know how evil enters? Even in ordinary daily life, the opening and closing, slackening and tightening of the interstices, follow their own regular timing.' Huangdi said: 'May I hear of this?' Shaoshi said: 'Man corresponds to Heaven and Earth, and responds to the sun and moon. Thus, when the moon is full, the ocean waters swell in the west, a person's blood and qi accumulate, the flesh and muscles become full, the skin becomes dense, the body hair becomes firm, the interstices become closely knit, and soot and grime cling to the skin; at such a time, even if one encounters thieving wind, it penetrates only shallowly, not deeply. But when the moon's disk becomes empty, the ocean waters swell in the east, a person's qi and blood become deficient, the defensive qi departs, the body's form stands alone, the flesh and muscles diminish, the skin becomes slack, the interstices open, the body hair withers, the connective tissue thins, and soot and grime fall away; at such a time, if one encounters thieving wind, it penetrates deeply, and the illness it causes strikes the person suddenly and violently.'

Huangdi said: 'There are cases of sudden death and fulminant illness striking without warning — why is this?' Shaoshi answered: 'Those with the three vacuities die suddenly of fulminant disease; those who possess the three repletions cannot be harmed by evil.' Huangdi said: 'I wish to hear of the three vacuities.' Shaoshi said: 'Riding upon the decline of the year, encountering the emptiness of the moon, and losing the harmony of the season — and thereby being injured by thieving wind — these together are called the three vacuities. Hence, if in discussing disease one fails to recognize the three vacuities, even a practitioner is thereby rendered crude and unskilled.' Huangdi said: 'I wish to hear of the three repletions.' Shaoshi said: 'Encountering the abundance of the year, meeting the fullness of the moon, and obtaining the harmony of the season — then, even in the presence of thieving wind and evil qi, one cannot be endangered by it.' Huangdi said: 'How excellent this discourse! How clear this Way! Let it be stored in the golden casket, and let it be called the three repletions. And yet, this is but the account of a single person.'

Huangdi said: 'I wish to hear why, in certain years, the whole population suffers the same illness together — for what reason is this so?' Shaoshi said: 'This is what is observed through the eight solar terms.' Huangdi said: 'How does one observe this?' Shaoshi said: 'To observe this, one always looks to the day of the winter solstice, when Taiyi takes its stand in the Palace of Yezhe. At its arrival, Heaven invariably responds with wind and rain. If the wind and rain come from the south, this is a vacuous wind, one that steals in and injures people. If it arrives at midnight, the myriad people are all asleep and are not exposed to it, and so in that year the people fall ill but little. If it arrives during the day, the myriad people are all relaxed and off guard, and all are struck by the vacuous wind, and so the people fall ill in great numbers. The vacuous evil enters and lodges in the bones without manifesting outwardly; when the Establishment of Spring arrives, the yang qi bursts forth greatly and the interstices open, and if, on the very day of the Establishment of Spring, wind comes from the west, the myriad people are again all struck by vacuous wind. When these two evils strike one another, the channel qi becomes bound and knotted, and the pulse becomes intermittent. Hence, whenever people encounter such wind and meet with such rain, this is called encountering the dew of the year. When the year is harmonious and thieving winds are few, the people fall ill but little and die but rarely. When the year has abundant thieving wind and evil qi, and cold and warmth are not in harmony, then the people fall ill in great numbers and many die.'

Huangdi said: 'As for the wind of vacuous evil, how does the harm it causes differ between the noble and the humble, and how does one observe it?' Shaoshi answered: 'On the first day of the first month, Taiyi resides in the Palace of Tianliu. If on that day the wind blows from the northwest without rain, many people will die. If on the first day of the first month, at dawn, the wind blows from the north, then in spring many people will die. If on the first day of the first month, at dawn, the north wind blows, the number of people who fall ill will be three in ten. If on the first day of the first month, at midday, the wind blows from the north, then in summer many people will die. If on the first day of the first month, at dusk, the wind blows from the north, then in autumn many people will die. If the north wind blows the whole day through, six in ten will fall gravely ill and die. If on the first day of the first month the wind comes from the south, this is called the Land of Drought. If it comes from the west, this is called White Bones, foretelling calamity for the state, with many people dying. If on the first day of the first month the wind comes from the east, it will tear roofs from houses and scatter sand and stones, and the state will suffer great disaster. If on the first day of the first month the wind blows from the southeast, there will be deaths in spring. If on the first day of the first month the weather is mild and warm without wind, grain prices will be low and the people will not fall ill; if the weather is cold and windy, grain prices will be high and the people will fall ill in great numbers. This is what is meant by observing the winds of the year that injure and harm people. If in the second month, on the chou day, there is no wind, the people will suffer greatly from disorders of the heart and abdomen. If in the third month, on the xu day, the weather is not warm, the people will suffer greatly from cold and heat disorders. If in the fourth month, on the si day, the weather is not hot, the people will suffer greatly from jaundice-heat disorders. If in the tenth month, on the shen day, the weather is not cold, the people will suffer greatly from sudden death. In all cases, what is called wind is that which tears roofs from houses, snaps trees, scatters sand and stones, raises the fine hairs of the body, and forces open the interstices.'