医理真传卷一

Volume One

乾坤大旨

Major meaning of the Universe

乾为天，属金，纯阳也。称为老父、老阳、老子，又名曰龙。

Qian means universe, means sky. It belongs to the Metal in the Five-element system. It is pure Yang. It is called Old Father, Old Yang, Old Son, and also the Dragon[1].

坤为地，属土，纯阴也。称为老母、老阴。乾坤交媾，化生六子。

Kun means the earth, the land. It belongs to the Soil in the Five-elements. It is pure Yin. It is also called Old Mother, Old Yin. The intercourse between the Qian and the Kun gave the birth of six children.

乾之初爻，乘于坤之初爻，而生长男，震也。乾之二爻，乘于坤之二爻，而生中男，坎也。乾之三爻，乘于坤之三爻，而生少男，艮也。

(This paragraph is not translated, since it is related to the complex Ba Gua knowledge.)[2]

故曰：乾道成男（初爻、二爻、三爻，喻乾金真精真气发泄之次序也）。坤之初爻，乘于乾之初爻，而生长女，巽也。坤之二爻，乘于乾之二爻，而生中女，离也。坤之三爻，乘于乾之三爻，而生少女，兑也。故曰：坤道成女（初爻、二爻、三爻，喻坤土真阴流露之度数也）。乾坤六子，长少皆得乾坤性情之偏，惟中男中女，独得乾坤性情之正。人秉天地之正气而生，此坎离所以为人生立命之根也。

(This paragraph is not translated, since it is related to the complex Ba Gua knowledge.)

坎卦诗

天施地润水才通，一气含三造化工。

万物根基从此立，生生化化沐时中。

坎卦解

The meaning of the Kan Gua[3]

坎为水，属阴，血也，而真阳寓焉。中一爻，即天也。天一生水，在人身为肾，一点真阳，含于二阴之中，居于至阴之地，乃人立命之根，真种子也。诸书称为真阳。

Kan is associated with the Water. It belongs to the Yin, the blood. The real Yang lives in the Kan, in the water. …… The Kan Gua in the human body is the Kidney, in which the little True Yang is hidden in the two Yin. It lives inside of the pure Yin, is the core, the key, the kernel of human life, is the true seed of life. In many books, it is also termed the True Yang.

真阳二字，各处讲解字眼不同，恐初学看书，一时领悟不到，以致认症不清，今将各处字眼搜出，以便参究。

The explanation for the True Yang is largely variable among different books. The beginner first read the medical books, might feel hard to understand it meaning, so that they may catch mistake in the recognition of clinic conditions. Here I collect all of the various terms used in these books, to clarify their meanings.

真阳二字，一名相火，一名命门火，一名龙雷火，一名无根火，一名阴火，一名虚火。

The True Yang might have been called Xiang Fire, the Life Gate Fire, the Dragon-thunder Fire, the No-root Fire, the Ying Fire, or Xue Fire[4].

发而为病，一名元气不纳，一名元阳外越，一名真火沸腾，一名肾气不纳，一名气不归源，一名孤阳上浮，一名虚火上冲，种种名目，皆指坎中之一阳也。

When the True Yang has trouble, the condition is termed “Yuang Yang not comes back”, the “True Fire floating”, the “Kidney Qi not inhale down”, “Qi not comes back”, the “Single Yang floating”, the “Xu Fire pushing up” and so on. All of the phases mean the True Yang in the Kan (the Kidney).

一阳本先天乾金所化，故有龙之名。一阳落于二阴之中，化而为水，立水之极（是阳为阴根也），水性下流，此后天坎卦定位，不易之理也。

The True Yang is developed from inherit Qian metal, so is also called the Dragon (the Dragon). The one True Yang falls into the two Yin, transforms into water, is the root of the water (so it is the source of the water). The nature of the water is flowing down. It is the localization, the position, the definition of the after-birth Kan Gua[5]. No question about this transformation process at all.

须知此际之龙，乃初生之龙（龙指坎中一阳也），不能飞腾而兴云布雨，惟潜于渊中，以水为家，以水为性，遂安其在下之位，而俯首于下也。

It should be known that, the Dragon in the current is the new born Dragon (the Dragon means the Pure Yang in the Kan Gua). It cannot fly up to manipulate the cloud to cause rain. It can only hide and live and stay in the deep water. It takes the water as its home, takes the nature of the water as its own nature, so stay and reside in the lower position, obey as follower in the lower position.

若虚火上冲等症，明系水盛（水即阴也），水盛一分，龙亦盛一分（龙即火也），水高一尺，龙亦高一尺，是龙之因水盛而游，非龙之不潜而反其常。

In clinic, there is a condition called Xu Fire floating. It is due to the overwhelming of water (the water belongs to the Yin). The more overwhelming of the water, the stronger the Dragon (the Dragon belongs to Fire). The water is one degree more, the Dragon will also be one degree stronger. So, the swimming of the Dragon in this condition is due to the more water (allowing it to swim), not due to the Dragon refuses to stay quiet.

故经云：阴盛者，阳必衰，即此可悟用药之必扶阳抑阴也。乃市医一见虚火上冲等症，并不察其所以然之要，开口滋阴降火，自谓得其把握，独不思本原阴盛（阴盛二字，指肾水旺）阳虚（阳虚二字，指君火弱）,今不扶其阳，而更滋其阴，实不啻雪地加霜，非医中之庸手乎？

So the medical bible said: upon the Yin overwhelming, the Yang will decline, and wane. It should therefore know that, to solve the disorder, the herbs used should support the Yang but to suppress the Yin. The ordinary doctors, the less qualified doctors, start to nourish the Yin and reduce the Fire for such “Xu Fire floating” condition, without verifying the true reason for it. They believe they know the reason and not know the true reason is actually the Yin overwhelming (here means too much kidney water) and Yang deficiency (here means the King Fire is weak). They do not support the Yang but supply more Yin. The final result is of course to add more ice on the snow (e.g. to make thing worse). How can we not regard them as low quality doctor?  

余亦每见虚火上冲等症，病人多喜饮热汤，冷物全不受者，即此更足徵滋阴之误矣。

I found that, patient with such Xu Fire floating condition like to drink hot soup or hot water, hesitates to eat or drink cold water. This is enough to approve the mistake to supply, or to nourish more Yin in the body.

又有称桂附为引火归源者，皆未识其指归，不知桂附干姜，纯是一团烈火，火旺则阴自消，如日烈而片云无。

Someone said that the herb Rougui and Fuzi work to bring the Fire return its home (kidney). They did not know the real meaning of the return. The Guizhi, Rougui, Fuzi and Ganjiang are all as a mass of Fire. They do not know that with more Fire, the Yin will disappear by itself, such as with the big Sun, there is no cloud in the sky.

况桂附二物，力能补坎离中之阳，其性刚烈至极，足以消尽僭上之阴气。阴气消尽，太空为之（廊廊）〔廓朗〕，自然上下奠安，无偏盛也，岂真引火归源哉！历代注家，俱未将一阳潜于水中底蕴搜出，以致后学懵然无据，滋阴降火，杀人无算，真千古流弊，医门大憾也。

The herb Rougui and Fuzi are strong to supply the Yang in the Kan (kidney) and the Li (heart). Its nature is very sharp, aggressive and strong. It is enough to melt the floating Yin Qi. After disappear of the Yin Qi in the upper part of the body, the body is clear as the sky clear of cloud. The Yin and Yang in the body are in the balance without any disorders. This is the mechanism by which those herb work. How can we tell the mechanism as they returning the Fire?! From the history, so many scholars and doctors failed to find the true meaning of the Yang in the Water, so that the later doctors are confused and supply more Yin in such condition, resulting the death of numberless of people. It is really a thousands years of mistake and huge pretty in the medical society.

（虚火上冲之病最常见者，为现今医学所称之慢性咽炎、喉炎、口腔炎等，虽经清热解毒，滋阴降火等法治疗，如六神丸、喉炎丸等，而病终不愈。而用扶阳抑阴，如甘草干姜汤、附子理中汤等方剂施治，每获良效。）

(The commonly found so called Xu Fire floating conditions are as the current medicine termed chronic inflammation in the throat, the esophagus, the mouth, and so on. Though treated with Fire-clearing therapy, or nourishing Yin and reducing Fire therapy, such as the use of Liu Shen Wan, Hou Yang Wan, etc., the diseases remained without cure. With the use of supplying Yang and suppressing Yin therapy, such as the use of Gancao Ganjiang Tang, Fuli Lizhong Tang, and so on, the results are usually excellent.

离卦诗

地产天成号火王，阴阳互合隐维皇，神明出入真无定，箇里机关只伏藏。

(This is a poem)

离卦解

The meaning of the Li Gua

离为火，属阳，气也，而真阴寄焉。中二爻，即地也。地二生火，在人为心，一点真阴，藏于二阳之中，居于正南之位，有人君之象，为十二官之尊，万神之宰，人身之主也。故曰："心藏神。

Li is the Fire, belongs to Yan. It is the Qi. It is the home for the True Yin to live. It is associated with the Heart in the body. The little True Yin hides in the two Yang. It is located in the exact South position. It is associated with the Human King, is the most honored one among the 12 organs, is the King of the all angles, is the king of the human body. So, it is said: “the Heart holds the Spirit”, or “the Spirit lives in the Heart”.

"坎中真阳，肇自乾元，一也；离中真阴，肇自坤元，二也。一而二，二而一，彼此互为其根，有夫妇之义。故子时一阳发动，起真水上交于心，午时一阴初生，降心火下交于肾。一升一降，往来不穷，性命于是乎立。

The True Yang in the Kan (kidney) originates from the Qian Yuan. This is the first one; the True Yin in the Li (Heart), originates from the Kun Yuan. This is the second. The two is actually the same origination. So it is said the True Yang is the True Yin, and the True Yin is the True Yang, in some aspect. They are the mothers of each other, and as the husband and the wife in the body. In the middle of the night, the Yang starts, out of the true water and moving into the heart. On the noon, the True Yin is born. It goes down and brings the heart Fire into the kidney. Such one goes up and one goes down, in a circle pattern without end. This is the way of life to maintain. [6]