《黃帝內經素問補註釋文》Vol. 8

Lingshu Mi Dian Lun Pian: Treatise on the Secret Canon of the Spiritual Pivot (Newly collated note: in Quan Yuanqi's edition this chapter is titled Shi'er Zang Xiang Shi, "The Twelve Zang Organs and Their Mutual Roles")

Huangdi Neijing Suwen Bu Zhu Shi Wen (Supplementary Commentary and Annotated Text on the Plain Questions of the Yellow Emperor's Inner Classic), Scroll Eight (identical to Scroll Nine), Section Seven.

Commentary by Wang Bing (styled Qixuanzi), Director of the Imperial Carriage Service of the Tang dynasty. Collated by Lin Yi, Court Official of the Guanglu Board and Editor of the Secretariat Pavilion, of the Song dynasty. Revised and corrected for errors by Sun Zhao, Acting Tuntian Secretary of the Board of Works, of the Song dynasty.

The Yellow Emperor asked: "I would like to hear how the twelve zang organs cooperate with one another, and what their respective positions and duties are."

The character zang carries the sense of storing and holding. The "twelve zang" here do not refer to twelve separate physical bodies within the abdomen. They refer to organs that store shenqi (spirit and vital energy) and carry out different functions.

Qi Bo replied: "What a comprehensive question! Let me explain them one by one.

The heart (xin) is like a sovereign who governs the whole body, and shenming (spirit illumination) becomes manifest through it. It commands and manages all affairs, so it is called the Office of the Sovereign. When the heart is clear and calm, the spirits can dwell in it, and therefore it is said that shenming emerges from the heart.

The lungs (fei) are like the chief minister who assists the sovereign and regulates the rhythm of the body. Although the lungs hold a high position, they are not the sovereign. They govern the circulation of qi, blood, and yingwei (nourishing and defensive energies), so the body's regulating function emerges from them.

The liver (gan) is like a general who commands troops, and planning and deliberation emerge from it. The liver has a bold and decisive nature, so it is called a general. It can make plans in secret before affairs have become visible, and therefore it is said that deliberation emerges from the liver.

The gallbladder (dan) is like an upright and impartial official who makes decisions. The gallbladder is firm and resolute, so it is called the Office of Impartial Judgment. It is straight and does not hesitate, and therefore decisiveness emerges from it.

The Danzhong (the region between the two breasts in the chest) is like the envoy who carries the sovereign's commands, and joy and delight emerge from it. The Danzhong is the sea of qi in the chest. The heart, like a sovereign, issues commands through the vessels, while the Danzhong governs qi and uses qi to distribute yin and yang throughout the body. When qi moves in harmony and the mind is at ease, joy arises. Because it distributes yin and yang, it is called the Office of the Envoy.

The spleen and stomach are like a granary that stores grain, and the flavors of food are transformed and produced by them. The spleen and stomach receive the five grains and nourish every part of the body, so they are called the Office of the Granary, and the five flavors emerge from them.

The large intestine is like an official in charge of the road of transmission, and the transformation of food residue is governed by it. "Transmission of the road" means the passage that conveys waste matter. "Transformation" means changing the form of food. Therefore it is called the Office of Transmission, and transformation emerges from it.

The small intestine is like an official who receives and stores materials, and it is responsible for digesting food. It takes over the function of the stomach, receives the coarser portions of food, transforms them after receiving them, and passes them on to the large intestine. Therefore it is called the Office of Reception, and the transformation of food emerges from it.

The kidneys (shen) are like an official who governs strength and skill . . ."

The Sanjiao (Triple Burner), the organ system that governs the waterways, is like the official in charge of dredging the canals, and the passages along which fluids move are under its management. It guides the Yin and Yang qi, clears blockages, and keeps the waterways open.

The bladder, the organ that stores urine, is like the official who manages a prefecture's granaries, responsible for storing the jinye (fluids). It sits in the lower body and is hollow inside, which is why it can hold fluids. When it receives the propelling and transforming action of the qihai (sea of qi), urine can be expelled. When the qi of the qihai is insufficient, urine stagnates and cannot pass. Thus it is said that the bladder depends on qi transformation to excrete urine. The Lingshu Jing (Spiritual Pivot) says that the kidney connects upward to the lung, so the kidney has the role of governing both the lung and the kidney. The bladder, by contrast, is a "solitary palace," an organ that forms a separate fu on its own. This is what the passage means. ("Sou," read as "sou" in the sense of "sōu," refers to urination.)

These twelve organ officials cannot lose their coordination with one another. If coordination is lost, calamity will arise. The New Collation notes that the text speaks of "twelve officials" but actually lists only eleven, because the spleen and stomach are counted together as one official.

When the ruler is clear-sighted, the subordinates can be at peace. If one nourishes life according to this principle, one can live long and never fall into peril throughout life. If it is used to govern the realm, the state will also flourish.

The "ruler" here refers to the heart, which is the master of the human body. When the heart governs clear understanding, it can distinguish good from evil and judge safety from danger, so the body is not harmed by improper conduct. In terms of governing a state, when the ruler is wise, punishments and rewards are fair and consistent, and when officials act according to law, the common people are less likely to suffer injustice or unjust penalties. Therefore, when the ruler is clear-sighted, the realm can be at peace. Applying this principle to nourishing life allows a person to live long and never fall into peril throughout life. Applying it to governing the realm allows the foundation of the state to flourish.

When the ruler is unclear, the twelve officials fall into danger, the routes along which shenqi (spirit qi) moves become blocked, and the body suffers serious harm. If one nourishes life according to this principle, it will bring misfortune. If it is used to govern the realm, the foundation of the state will be in grave danger. This must be taken as a warning!

"Shi dao" refers to the passages through which shenqi moves and exerts its function. When the heart is not clear, it confuses what is correct with what is deviant and cannot distinguish what is beneficial from what is harmful. As a result, actions easily bring calamity, and the body falls into weakness and emaciation. Therefore the body suffers serious harm, and nourishing life by this principle brings misfortune. Governing a state is the same: when the ruler is unclear, he entrusts affairs of state to those around him……

The phrase "those who dissipate are qu qu" comes from the original, and "qu qu" (ju ju) means diligent and effortful.

Once power loses its restraints, it runs wild, and officials can no longer carry out their duties according to the law. When officials disregard the law, the common people lose their place of security, and everyone may suffer injustice.

Moreover, the common people are the root of the state. When the root is firm, the state can be at peace; if the people cannot be settled, how can the state endure for long? How could the ancestral temple (zongmiao, the place where ancestors are worshipped and the continuity of the state is symbolized) avoid collapse? Therefore the scripture says "be wary, be wary," meaning one must be deeply cautious.

The supreme Dao (zhi Dao, the most fundamental principle) is subtle and hard to perceive, yet its transformations are inexhaustible. Who can know its source?

The functions of the supreme Dao range from the extremely minute and fine, present everywhere, to the vast and profound, changing without end. Yet what its deep source truly is, and who can discern it?

"Confused, ah! Those who dissipate are qu qu (ju ju)." The New Collation (Xin Jiaozheng) notes that the Taisu text reads xiao zhe zhuo zhuo. "Qu qu" is read as "ju ju," which carries the sense of diligent exertion.

Who can grasp its key? Within profound and obscure principles, who truly excels at grasping the essentials?

"Jiong" means the essentials, and "qu qu" describes unremitting diligence. The key to the human body lies in the Dao. If one seeks principles from the waxing and waning, similarity and difference of things, and through them wishes to understand the root of change, then even diligent and unceasing pursuit may not fathom its subtleties. When the essentials are this profound, who can truly understand them? If one never understands, what one sees becomes ever more distant and subtle, and even judging who truly recognizes the essentials becomes difficult.

Nonetheless, understanding these profound principles need not rely only on deduction from affairs; one can also begin with oneself. The twelve officials (shi er guan, the bodily systems of organs, each performing its own function) can be broadly examined, and from this one can understand methods of nourishing the body. "Min min" means deep and hard to fathom, and "liang" means skilled. The New Collation holds that these four lines repeat the wording of the Qi Jiao Bian Da Lun (Great Treatise on the Interchange of Qi and Its Transformations), where the character for "xiao" is written differently.

Within huanghu (a state of vagueness), subtle numbers arise from the smallest units.

"Huanghu" means seeming to exist and yet not exist, and "hu" also names a tiny quantity. Between seeming existence and nonexistence, numbers as fine as a hair or a grain arise. Laozi says, "Huanghuang hu hu, qi zhong you wu" (hazy and indistinct, within it there is something). This describes exactly this condition. Arithmetic texts also say that what seems to exist and yet does not is called "hu."

Numbers as fine as a hair arise from measurement; accumulated a thousand or ten thousand times, they continue to grow. Following this process outward, even at greater scale they ultimately form definite shapes.

Though a hair is small, accumulated it grows without end. Multiplied level by level according to number, it can reach a scale measurable with rulers and dou (dry measures). Even when enlarged a thousand or ten thousand times, it can still expand, and carried to great size, it comes to correspond to the form of the human body.

The Yellow Emperor said, "Well said! I have heard that this teaching on essence (Jing), vital energy (Qi), and spirit (Shen) is an undertaking accomplished by a great sage. To expound the Great Dao (the Way), I do not dare to receive these instructions without first observing a purification fast and choosing an auspicious day. This is out of profound reverence."

Han Kangbo said, "Making the mind pure and still is called zhai (purification fast), and guarding against faults in advance is called jie (precepts)."

The Yellow Emperor then selected an auspicious day and a propitious hour, and stored these teachings in the Lingian Chamber (Linglan zhi shi) so that they might be transmitted and preserved. This shows that he valued the learning greatly and guarded it closely.