Chapter 3: Anatomy and Physiology in Chinese Medicine There is no monograph on anatomy in Chinese medicine that has been handed down to the present, and some introduction was made in the middle of the Nei Jing. There is also no concept of endocrine and nervous tissue in it. Physiology is a more abstract subject, which is more difficult to study and master than anatomy. Since anatomy and physiology in ancient times were very backward and could not meet clinical needs, they were used to expand the knowledge of physiology with the help of the doctrines of yin and yang and the five elements, which are now called “the doctrine of dirty images” and are equivalent to the physiology of Chinese medicine. The physiological knowledge of TCM comes from two sources, mainly from the principle of analogy and imagery, and to a lesser extent from practical activities. In terms of anatomy, the ancients treated human beings as common animals, and the standard body position was crawling. When analyzing the relationship between the human body and nature’s yin and yang, the standard orientation was head to the south, back to the top, abdomen to the bottom, and palms of the feet and hands to the bottom. According to the principle that up is yang and down is yin, the back is yang, the abdomen is yin, the palms of the feet and hands are yin, and the backs of the hands and feet are yang. According to the principle that south is yang and north is yin, the heart and lungs south of the diaphragm are yang organs, and the spleen, liver and kidneys north of the diaphragm are yin organs. Then, according to the principle that outside is yang and inside is yin, the lungs are outside the heart and are yang organs within the yang organs, and the heart is a yin organ within the yang organs. The pericardium is located between the heart and lungs, and is also between the yin and yang of the heart and lungs in terms of yin and yang properties. Among the yin organs, the kidneys are located relatively inward and are therefore the yin organs of the yin organs. According to the principle that east is yang and west is yin, the spleen is located on the left side of the abdominal cavity and resides in the east; relative to the liver, the spleen is a yang organ within the yin organs; while the liver is located on the right side and resides in the west; relative to the spleen, the liver is a yin organ within the yin organs. The five organs are arranged from yang to yin in the “Five Organs Yin-Yang Relationship Arrangement”: Lung → Pericardium → Heart → Spleen → Liver → Kidney 2 Balance of the Five Organs In explaining the phenomenon of growth and development, Chinese medicine applies the relationship between the five organs to the Five Elements theory. The “Kidney” provides the innate essence of the human body, i.e., genes, while the “Spleen” provides the innate essence of growth. The “liver” and “lung” play the role of regulating the functions of the human body, with the “liver” and “lung” playing opposite roles. The “liver” and “lung” play the opposite role, the “liver” keeps the body in a positive balance of nitrogen and the “lung” keeps the body in a negative balance of nitrogen, which ultimately results in the highest form of mental and nervous activity of life, i.e., the “heart The final mental and nervous activity is the highest form of life, that is, the function of “heart”. As far as the physiological activities of the human body are concerned, the “liver” promotes the activities of the five viscera, while the “lung” inhibits the activities of the five viscera. 3 The Five Organs and Peripheral Tissues The Su Wen (Treatise on Impotence) says, “The lung governs the skin and hair of the body, the heart governs the blood and veins of the body, the spleen governs the muscle and flesh of the body, the liver governs the tendons and membranes of the body, and the kidney governs the bones and marrow of the body.” Before the time of Yao, Shun and Yu, human beings drew every object as a picture, later the picture evolved into the name of the object, which became a Chinese character, and objects were commonly named with a single character, such as Sun, Moon, Yao, Shun and Yu, later, our language habits changed and objects were named with more than two characters, such as Sun, Moon and Dayu. As mentioned above, Chinese medicine theory originated before the time of Yao, Shun and Yu, and the naming of tissues and organs should also be one word, so the meaning of some tissues and organs in Chinese medicine is different from that in Western medicine. For example, the term “bone marrow” in Chinese medicine, because it was not punctuated at that time, actually means two kinds of tissues, “bone” and “marrow” respectively, while the term “bone marrow” in Western medicine The “bone marrow” in Western medicine only corresponds to the “marrow” in Chinese medicine. Similarly, the “blood” in TCM is the blood and peripheral nerves in Western medicine; the “muscle” in TCM is mainly the subcutaneous fat in Western medicine, which has the function of storing nutrients, and the “meat” in TCM is the muscle tissue in Western medicine. In Chinese medicine, “meat” refers to the muscle tissue in Western medicine, but both “muscle” and “meat” in Chinese medicine have no contraction function; “tendon” refers to the tendons, ligaments, muscle membranes and plasma membranes in Western medicine, which are considered to have contraction function in Chinese medicine. The “tendons” refer to the tendons, ligaments, muscle membranes and plasma membranes in Western medicine. The order of the peripheral tissues of the human body from outside to inside is: hair → skin → blood → veins → muscle → flesh → tendons → membrane → bone → marrow, and this order is also the order from Yang to Yin. According to the principle of analogy, and the “five organs of yin and yang relationship arrangement” for the arrangement of correspondence, the following five groups of correspondence can be derived, see the following formula: Correspondence type According to the principle of internal master, from which can be derived: “lung” generation, domination of hair and skin function. “The heart generates and governs the functions of blood and blood vessels; the spleen generates and governs the functions of fat and muscle; the liver generates and governs the functions of tendons, ligaments, muscle membranes and plasma membranes; and “The kidney generates and governs the functions of the bones, bone marrow and central nervous system. The five organs control the growth and activities of the corresponding peripheral tissues, and the functional activities of the peripheral tissues are the external expression of the functions of the five organs. 4 The relationship between the five senses and the five viscera The Su Wen – Yin Yang Ying Xiang Da Lun says: “the lung governs the nose”; “the heart governs the tongue”; “the spleen governs the mouth”; “the liver governs the eyes”; “the kidney governs the ears”. “; and “the kidney governs the ear”. It can be observed anatomically that the lungs and the nose are connected, and according to the principle of “the inside dominates the outside”, the “lungs” dominate and determine the function of the nose. The taste buds on the tongue have the function of taste sensation, which is a function of “Shen” in Chinese medicine, and is therefore classified as a function of “Heart”. The “heart” governs and determines the function of the tongue. Nutrients enter the body through the mouth, and as mentioned above, the spleen has the function of storing nutrients, so the spleen governs and determines the function of the mouth. 5 The relationship between the six internal organs and the five viscera The theory of yin and yang requires that a yin object must have a yang object with it, the ancients developed the relationship between the five viscera and the six internal organs, according to the properties of yin and yang, the side that leads to the outside world is “table” is Yang, including the digestive tract, bladder, gallbladder, the side that does not lead to the outside world is “inside “Yin. The bladder is connected to the kidneys, and the gallbladder is connected to the liver. Being connected means that there is a functional connection, which is called the “table-lie relationship” in Chinese medicine, i.e., the gallbladder and the liver are connected to each other, and the bladder and the kidneys are connected to each other. The stomach contains food, which is the source of nutrients, and the spleen is the organ that stores nutrients, so the stomach and the spleen are considered to be functionally related, and the two are considered to be in an epilogical relationship. The large intestine moves its contents downward and eliminates them, which has the functional characteristic of “descending” as mentioned in Chinese medicine, and the colon is wrapped around the periphery of the small intestine, and the lungs are wrapped around the periphery of the heart, so according to the principle of analogy, the large intestine and the lungs are considered to be in a superficial relationship, and “lung” belongs to “white”. “White”, so the colon is also known as “white intestine”. The small intestine lives in the middle of the abdominal cavity, and the heart lives in the middle of the chest cavity, so it is thought that the small intestine and the heart are cousin to each other, and the heart is “red”, so the small intestine is also called Therefore, the small intestine is also called “red intestine”. The six elements theory (see next section) requires the number of organs and bowels must be six, so the heart and lungs between the heart as a dirty, Sanjiao as a bowel, and that Sanjiao and the heart bag phase. The second section of the function of the internal organs 1 “lung” function “Suwen – Yin and Yang should be like the great theory” said: “Western dry, dry, gold, gold, pungent, pungent lung”. The function of the West is to make plants dry, and the dry substances can be transformed into metal-like substances, which generate substances with a pungent taste, and when these pungent substances enter the body, they are agglomerated together to generate the lungs. Metals are made into knives, axes, etc., and are used to cut down plants or kill animals, so the ancients believed that metals are the nemesis of life, the inhibiting or destroying force of biological vitality, and that the microscopic metal-like substances entering the organism play the same role as the macroscopic metals, inhibiting the growth of tissues and organs and their functions. In autumn, when the west wind often blows, plants die, wither and dry out, which is considered “western dryness”; Chinese medicine attributes these changes in plants to microscopic metal-like substances. Among the five tastes, spicy food is irritating and has a certain damage to local tissues, just like the destructive effect of metals, and is therefore considered as a microscopic substance of metal decomposition. “Lung” is the container for air to enter the body downward, in the order of mouth and nose → trachea → lungs, this channel is downward, so “lung” has “downward” or “The “lung” is considered to be “gold” and is composed of pungent substances. The elimination of the bowels is the activity of “descending” and is therefore considered to be one of the functions of the “lung prana”. Sound is related to the flow of gas, and “lung” is in charge of gas, so pronunciation is considered one of the functions of “lung” in Chinese medicine. Since the functions of “liver” and “lung” are opposite, the manifestation of hyperfunction of “lung” can also be considered as the decrease of “liver” function. “Later, Chinese medicine used “liver” to regulate the functions of other organs instead of “lung”, thus “liver” became the regulating system of human organ functions. The “liver” thus became the regulating system of the body’s organ functions. From the above introduction of the function of “lung”, we can see that “lung” is an inhibitor of growth and physiological activities, and in order to better understand the above, here are some examples within the scope of Western medical knowledge The i gene and the P53 gene act in accordance with one of the inhibitory functions of the “lung” in Chinese medicine. When the body has a negative nitrogen balance, tissues and organs lose weight, become smaller or atrophy, and are broken down into smaller molecules, which are consistent with the function of “lung” in Chinese medicine. The functional activities of each tissue and organ are regulated by the nerves of body fluids, and those inhibitory effects are consistent with the performance of the “lung” function in TCM. 2. The original meaning of “heart” is the Big Dipper. The ancient astronomical chart of China uses the twelve earthly branches to represent the direction, and Shen is one of the twelve earthly branches. The ancients set the time when the Big Dipper’s spoon points to the Shen position as the beginning of the year, that is, the beginning of the change of everything, and believe that the Big Dipper directs the change of everything on earth. “Shen” has the meaning of instruction, control and domination. The word “Shen” is said to be “from xi xing shen,” meaning to give instructions, and is pronounced like Shen. It is also said in the Feng Shui Tong Tong that “Shen is also Shen”, and the word “神” was created with this meaning. Later, the word “Shen” was called “神”, and it is important to note the difference between the Chinese medicine “神” and the ancient novel “神”: the function of the Chinese medicine “神 The function of “Shen” in Chinese medicine is the activity of the spirit and nerves in the living body. In contrast, the gods depicted in novels are spirits that can leave the body and live independently, and the officials in the underworld are called gods, while the people are called ghosts. There is a yin-yang relationship between the consciousness and the body. The tangible body is yin, and the consciousness is its function, the product of the body’s development to maturity or its prime, which is vigorous and therefore yang. The ancients had the opportunity to discover the phenomenon of loss of consciousness after the heartbeat stopped, so they can also conclude that the heart produces consciousness. The dominant role of consciousness is consistent with the meaning of “God” mentioned above, so it is inferred that the heart is the organ that governs consciousness, which is described in the Nei Jing as “the heart is the master of God”. The functions of the heart in TCM include the activities of the cerebral cortex and the senses. Emotional activity is classified as a function of the “heart” in TCM, including the seven emotional changes of joy, anger, worry, thought, fright, fear and grief, which are considered to be the causes of disease. The Ling Shu – Ying San Hui says: “The blood is also the spirit energy. Blood also has the function of “Shen”. According to Chinese medicine, “blood” can transmit sensation, which is equivalent to the sensory nerve fibers in Western medicine. The Suwen q Five Viscera Generation Chapter says: “The liver receives blood and can see, the foot receives blood and can walk, the palm receives blood and can hold, the fingers receive blood and can take in.” The eyes are controlled by the Liver, and the Blood transmits its visual information to produce vision; the instructions of the Heart are transmitted to the lower extremities through the Blood, so that they can walk at will; the hands receive instructions from the Blood and can make fists; the hands receive instructions from the Blood and can make fists. After receiving the instructions from the blood, the hands can make fists; after receiving the instructions from the blood, the fingers can pick up small objects. Here the movements of seeing, walking, holding and taking are casual movements, which are done under the innervation of the motor nerves of the skeletal muscles, and here the role of blood is close to that of the motor nerves. The Ling Shu q Ben Shen says: “The one who goes with the gods is called the soul, and the one who goes in and out with the essence is called the prana.” “The liver collects blood, and blood sheds the soul.” “The lung collects qi, and the qi gives up the prana.” The Records of the Five Emperors said: “migration to and from the unpredictable place, to the division of soldiers for the camp guard, the official name are to cloud life, for the cloud division.” From this we can find that the word “cloud” has the meaning of “to and from”. Some ancient people combined the words “cloud” and “ghost” to create the word “soul”. Consciousness is the manifestation of “God”, and “ghost” has the meaning of “God”, thus the word “soul” has the meaning of The word “soul” has the meaning of “to and fro”. In the natural world, clouds have the characteristic of being dynamic and changeable, and thus are associated with “liver”. The limbs and eyes are organs of movement and have the functional characteristics of the liver, so it is believed that the liver governs the peripheral sensory and motor nerves through the soul. “Blood is stored in the liver and is the carrier of the soul. In the human body, the only activities that move with the consciousness are the motor and sensory nerves. This shows that “blood” has a role similar to that of nerve fibers, and “soul” is similar to the electrical impulse signals of nerve fibers. According to Chinese medicine, “liver” can transform the body’s tissues from solid to liquid state, and can make the blood change to an active state: its concentration, viscosity, coagulability, and aggregation of blood cells all tend to decrease. These effects of “liver” are called “blood activation” in Chinese medicine, and the drugs that can strengthen this effect of “liver” are called “blood activation drugs “Therefore, “blood activators” are considered by TCM to “enter the liver meridian”. When blood flow is increased, in a state of low coagulation, and bleeding occurs without the restraint of blood vessels, Chinese medicine believes that this is caused by the overly strong action of the “liver”. Hemostatic drugs inhibit this function of “liver” and therefore also belong to the “liver meridian”. 3 “Spleen” function “Suwen B Taiyin Yangming Lun” said: “The spleen is also the earth, …… the spleen is always covered with the essence of the stomach earth.” The spleen has the characteristics of “earth”, …… storing nutrients from the stomach and intestines. The relationship between the spleen and other tissues and organs is seen as the relationship between earth and plants, the five flavors come from the earth, the five flavors are nutrients that are absorbed and stored in the “spleen”. The concept of “spleen” in TCM is equivalent to the tissues and organs in Western medicine where nutrients are stored, such as adipose tissue, glycogen and albumin, etc. The function of muscles in TCM is to store nutrients, not to contract and move. The Suwen B Symposium says: “The spleen governs the stomach and moves its fluids.” The “spleen” governs the activities of the stomach and absorbs and transports liquid substances within the stomach. According to Chinese medicine, the stomach is only a container for storing objects. Food is digested and decomposed in the Sanjiao, and the gastric juice formed contains many nutrients, which are then absorbed, transported and distributed by the Spleen. In other words, the chemical changes are done by the Sanjiao and the physical changes are done by the Spleen. In other words, the chemical changes are carried out by the Spleen, while the physical changes are carried out by the Spleen. 4 The function of the liver, as stated in Suwen B: “The Five Runs of the Great Treatise”, says: “The east produces wind, wind produces wood, wood produces acid, and acid produces liver. The east produces wind, and the wind makes plants grow, which can produce acidic substances that can be ingested into the body and condensed together to form “liver”. The east wind often blows in spring is a meteorological phenomenon, and in the Central Plains, “east”, “wind”, “spring” and “plant growth” have a certain relationship. “These four have a certain connection: the ancients believed that the direction of the wind determines its nature, the east wind makes spring, spring makes plants grow. According to the principle of analogy, the ancients grouped “east”, “wind”, “acid”, “wood” and “Liver” is classified as the same type of substance, and all have the philosophical characteristics of “wood”. The function of “liver” is derived from this. From the above, we can see that “liver” is a facilitator of growth and physiological activities. To better understand the above, two examples are given in the context of Western medical knowledge. There are many proto-oncogenes in DNA, which can initiate structural genes, and through the process of expression and transcription, finally synthesize proteins and make up the structure of the cell, which can make the cell proliferate. The role of proto-oncogenes is similar to the function of the liver in Chinese medicine, based on the fact that the liver is a growth promoter. The growth of normal tissues is the process of “Qi gathering and formation”, that is, the process of assimilation of microscopic substances. Assimilation, nitrogen balance, anabolic hormones, growth hormone, insulin, etc. are all manifestations of the “liver” function in TCM. In spring, seeds germinate and become loose and brittle from hard texture, which corresponds to “liver” in Chinese medicine. “When the function of the liver is weakened, the tissues and organs become denser and harder, and become pathological tissue. Evolution has equipped the human body with the instinct to avoid harm, and the nervous and motor systems are the organs to achieve this purpose. When a person is in adversity, the body will have a stress response, emotional excitement, anger, etc., and physiological sympathetic excitement, increased adrenal secretion, increased heart beat output, increased blood pressure, skeletal muscle vasodilation, increased muscle tone, accelerated respiration, increased energy consumption, etc. This excitatory change is in line with the above “liver Such excitatory changes are in line with the above-mentioned philosophical characteristics of the “liver”, which is hyperactive, changeable and active, and can be considered as a result of the enhanced function of the “liver”. The regulation of the tension and peristalsis of the digestive tract is a function of the “liver”. “The liver keeps the blood flowing and avoids clotting, an action known as “activating the blood”, similar to the anticoagulant, vasodilator and hypertensive effects of Western medicine. In the case of “liver qi deficiency”, the opposite change occurs, resulting in blood clotting or stasis. Based on this theory, herbs that invigorate blood and anticoagulation are classified as liver meridians. Zong Qi is the driving force of blood flow and is regulated by the Liver. “refers to the zong qi. In “Su Wen – Six Sections of the Organ and Elephant”, it is said that “the liver is the essence of striking the pole”. “Striking” means to make it tired. The word “pole” refers to the extremities. The meaning of “the liver is the essence of striking the extremities” is that the liver is the main messenger of the activities of the extremities. 5 “Kidney” function “Su Wen – Shang Gu Tian Zhen Lun” said: “The kidney is the master of water, receiving the essence of the five viscera and six bowels and hiding it. “The kidney controls the metabolism of water and fluids in the body and is the general storehouse of similar genetic material, while the five viscera and six bowels are the sub-repositories of storage. According to Chinese medicine, “kidney” has the philosophical characteristic of “water”, and “kidney essence”, like the seeds of plants, has a role similar to that of genetic material, which is contained in the reproductive cells and can provide the next generation with the innate essence. It is contained in the reproductive cells, providing the next generation with the innate essence. At the same time, it is the controlling body for cell replication, metabolism and physiological functions. 6 The function of the six internal organs The Suwen B Five Viscera Separate Discussion says: “The stomach, large intestine, small intestine, Sanjiao, bladder, these five, the weather is born, its weather days, so diarrhea and not hidden.” The cavity organs and the outside atmosphere are connected, respectively, the stomach, large intestine, small intestine, bile, bladder, in addition to the addition of the three jiao, Chinese medicine named them six “internal organs”. The material source of these six is air, and their function is to conduct and excrete metabolic products to the outside world and prevent them from gathering in the body. However, Western medicine believes that the source of the material that constitutes the six internal organs is food, and the air only provides oxygen. The third section of the Chinese medicine vascular study The ancient people study the arterial travel in two main ways: one is to speculate with the help of astronomy, yin and yang knowledge; the second is to speculate by the connection of the arterial pulsation points on the body surface. 1 The essence of the blood vessels in Chinese medicine “Ling Shu B Jing Bu” says: “Twelve meridians, the reason why the five organs and six internal organs should be the heavenly way.” The five viscera and six internal organs are the channels of communication that run according to astronomical laws. The “three yin and three yang”, also known as the “six elements”, is originally an astronomical concept used to name the blood vessels. According to the laws of heaven, the twelve meridians in the five viscera and six internal organs are circulating around and around. Suwen B six micro purpose of the great theory said: “the weather down, air flow in the ground; ground gas rose, gas in the sky. Therefore, high and low phase call, lift phase thus change carry on.” When the air descends to the ground, and the rising air up and down to meet, mingle, and interact with each other, this process happens repeatedly, the cycle is not stopping, is the reason for the changes in nature. The gas in the yang position flows to the yin position; the gas in the yin position flows to the yang position, and life activities are generated in this exchange. This law of movement of yin and yang is called the principle of convection of yin and yang. The Ling Shu B pulse degree says: “The meridian is the lane, the branch and the horizontal is the luo, the luo of the other is the sun.” The meridians are deep in the tissue, and the blood vessels that travel mainly transversely on the surface of the body and have many branches are called luo veins, and its branches are called sun veins. The Ling Shu B meridians says: “All the veins that float and are common are also called luo veins.” The blood vessels that float on the surface of the body and can be easily seen are the luo veins. Being able to be observed on the surface of the body is characteristic of superficial veins, so the luo veins are considered similar to the veins in Western medicine. The Ling Shu B meridians says: “The twelve meridian veins, which voluntarily travel between the divided flesh, are deep and invisible; they are common, and the foot Tai Yin is too far above the outer ankle [1], so there is nothing to hide.” The twelve meridians penetrate the muscle interstices and most of their pulsations cannot be touched because of their deep location and being covered by other tissues. Only the Hand Taiyin Lung meridian at the transverse wrist line is the most superficially located and has few tissues covering it, so its pulsations will definitely be felt. If the meridian is not covered by other tissues, then all the meridians can be touched. The only tissues that have fluctuations in the body are the heart and the arteries, so the only tissues that correspond to the meridians are the arteries, so the meridians are considered to be closest to the arteries. The “Ling Shu B Canker” says: “The middle jiao emits gas like dew, injecting upward into the valley and seeping into the Sun veins, and the fluid is harmonized, changing and red into blood, and the blood and the Sun veins are full first. When it overflows, it is injected into the ligaments, and when they are all full, it is injected into the meridians.” The production and transformation of the microscopic matter of the central focus is like the production of dew, these invisible small molecules through osmosis, precipitation and coalescence into visible liquid, up first into the muscle interstices, then into the small blood vessels, and tissue fluid interaction, the color becomes red and becomes blood; small blood vessels filled, overflow to the veins, veins are filled and then overflow to the arteries. Sun veins are the site of blood production and function similarly to bone marrow in Western medicine. From the above discussion, we can know that Chinese medicine does not understand the relationship between the arteries and veins: it is believed that the large arteries are a closed system, blood can only flow in the meridians in a circumferential way, the blood from the veins flows into the arteries in a unidirectional way, and the blood from the arteries does not return to the veins and small vessels. The blood circulation in Chinese medicine is shown in “Blood circulation in Chinese medicine”: Blood circulation in Chinese medicine 2 Blood circulation in the five organs In the Central Plains, the seasons were distinct, and the seasons had a great influence on agricultural production, and the formulation of the seasons relied on astronomical knowledge, so astronomy was the first to develop. In ancient times, the ancient people observed the movement of the celestial bodies in a different way than modern people, and this school of astronomy was called the “Gaitian school”. At that time, a complete set of astronomical and meteorological laws had been summarized, and the six elements were called Taiyin, Shaoyin, Turk’s Yin, Sun, Yangming and Shaoyang, collectively called “three yin and three yang”. The time and intensity of light are different in different seasons, i.e., they show three different levels of yin and yang properties, which are expressed by the three normal lines in astronomy, and are called the three yang in the astronomical chart. Similarly, the three normal lines are used to represent the operation of the moon, which is called the three yin [2]. The ancients believed that the human body, like the celestial bodies, also existed in this variation of three yin and three yang, and the aorta was considered as the channel through which the body runs yin and yang, also named by the three yin and three yang on the astronomical chart. The order of thoracic viscera from yang to yin is: lung → pericardium → heart The order of abdominal viscera from yang to yin is: spleen → liver → kidney The following three groups of correspondence can be obtained according to the principle of analogy: the meridians connecting the five viscera are named Taiyin, Conjugate Yin and Shaoyin, and then further divided into hand Taiyin and foot Taiyin; hand Conjugate Yin and foot Conjugate Yin; hand Shaoyin and foot Shaoyin according to the up-down relationship. The yin-yang relationship between the six internal organs is subordinated to the yin-yang relationship between the five viscera: the group of large intestine and stomach are named Hand Yangming and Foot Yangming respectively; the group of Sanjiao and Gallbladder are named Hand Shaoyang and Foot Shaoyang respectively; the group of small intestine and bladder are named Hand Sun and Foot Sun respectively. The twelve meridians connecting them are customarily called: Foot Shaoyin Kidney Meridian, Foot Sun Bladder Meridian, Foot Turk’s Yin Liver Meridian, Foot Shaoyang Gall Bladder Meridian, Foot Taiyin Spleen Meridian, Foot Yangming Stomach Meridian, Hand Shaoyin Heart Meridian, Hand Sun Small Intestine Meridian, Hand Turk’s Yin Pericardium Meridian, Hand Shaoyang Sanjiao Meridian, Hand Taiyin Lung Meridian, and Hand Yangming Large Intestine Meridian. The “LingShu B Inverse Shun fat and thin” says: “The three yin of the hand go from the hide to the hand, the three yang of the hand go from the hand to the head, the three yang of the foot go from the head to the foot, the three yin of the foot go from the foot to the abdomen.” The meridians are channels for the convective flow of yin and yang in the human body, and Chinese medicine uses the principle of yin and yang convection to determine the flow of the meridians. The yin of the five viscera flows from the yin position to the yang position, and the yin of the three yin of the hand flows from the internal organs to the outer hand, so it is said that “the three yin of the hand go from the hide to the hand”. As for the hand and the head, the hand is the yang and the head is the yin. The yang of the hand flows from the yang position to the yin position; the yang of the three yang of the hand flows from the hand to the head, so it is said that “the three yang of the hand go from the hand to the head. In terms of the head and the foot, the head is yang, the foot is yin, the yang of the head flows from the yang position to the yin position, and the yang of the three yang of the foot flows from the head to the foot, so it is said that “the three yang of the foot go from the head to the foot. In terms of the foot and abdomen relative to each other, the foot is yin and the abdomen is yang, so the yin of the foot flows from the yin position to the yang position, and the yin of the three yin of the foot flows from the foot to the abdomen, so it is said that “the three yin of the foot go from the foot to the abdomen. 3 The meridians on the body surface 3.1 Application of Yin and Yang When discussing the movement of the meridians in the human body, the standing position is taken. According to the principle that the outside is Yang and the inside is Yin, the three Yang walk on the outside of the limbs and the three Yin walk on the inside. Then, according to the principle that the front is Yang and the back is Yin, the order from front to back is: Taiyin→Confucius Yin→Shaoyin. The three yangs correspond to the outer side of the three yin. The distribution of the meridians in the upper extremities is shown in the “diagram of the meridians in the upper extremities”. The distribution of the meridians of the upper extremities is the same as that of the upper extremities, as shown in the “diagram of the meridians of the lower extremities”. The distribution of the meridians of the lower extremities: According to the principle that the inner lower part is yin and the outer upper part is yang, the three yin of the foot are distributed on the inner lower part of the foot and the three yang of the foot are distributed on the back of the foot. The inner part of the foot is high in front of the big toe and low in the back of the small toe. The back of the foot is divided into yin and yang according to the boundary from the back of the foot to the big toe, and then according to the principle that the front is yang and the back is yin, the end of the foot Yangming Stomach meridian is at the outer end of the big toe, the end of the foot Shaoyang Gallbladder meridian is between the small toe and the 4th toe, and the end of the foot Sun Bladder meridian is at the outer tip of the small toe. See the diagram of the three yangs of the foot: The three yangs of the foot According to the principle that the lower part of the foot is Yin, the foot Shao-Yin Kidney meridian starts at the bottom of the little toe and travels towards the inner part of the foot. It is important to note that this design violates the aforementioned “Yin principle” and the principle of “Yin flowing from Yin to Yang”. In violation of the “internal yin principle” and walking on the inside of the sole of the foot; according to the former yang principle, the starting point of the foot Taiyin Spleen meridian is at the tip of the big toe, and the starting point of the foot Turk’s Yin Liver meridian is at the edge of the big toe plexus. See the “foot foot three yin diagram”. When standing, the foot is oriented towards the front, perpendicular to the lower extremities, and the foot and leg are at a 90-degree angle, and the circulation of the meridians is continuous. The three yin in the foot is from front to back, also does not comply with the principle of circulation from the yin position to the yang position. In order to achieve the continuation of the three yin in the foot, the ancients set the order of the three yin in the foot to change when walking on the leg, with the foot’s sympathetic yin crossing over to the foot’s taiyin at the three yin junction three inches above the inner ankle, and then traveling upward. The head has the highest position and is considered a place of pure yang, with only yang meridians and no yin meridians. Since the head connects the trunk and bilateral limbs, the meridians are composed of a double portion of the hand Sanyang and a double portion of the foot Sanyang. According to the principle that the abdomen is yin and the back is yang, the ancients delineated the foot three yin in the abdomen, and according to the principle that the inside is yin and the outside is yang, the lesser yin is near the midline of the abdomen, the foot taiyin is on the outside, and the foot sympathetic yin is in the middle of the two. See the “torso foot three yin diagram”. The order of distribution of the three yin of the foot in the trunk is the same as that of the extremities, with Yang Ming in front, Shao Yang in the middle and Sun in the back. 3.2 Application of arterial pulsation points According to the above six elements theory, the route of the meridians has basically been determined. Chinese medicine then takes the arterial pulsation points that can be felt on the body surface as the signs of the routes, connects these signs and draws the joint lines as the projections of the deep arteries on the body surface, and considers the arteries to travel according to these projections, and also considers the arteries to exist only below these projections. The course of the meridians is not always straight due to the accommodation of the location of these arterial pulsation points, and the final delineation of the meridians is not always straight, but some are tortuous and circuitous, and some cross each other, forming the twelve meridian circulation diagram, which is quite different from the arterial course in Western medicine. The arterial pulsation points are described below. (1) Taiyuan point: radial artery on the transverse wrist line. (2) Tianfu point: the brachial artery 3 inches below the axilla. 3.2.2 Arterial pulsation points of Yangming of the hand (1) Hegu point: radial-palmar artery of the index finger. (2) Yangxi: radial artery of the wrist joint. 3.2.3 Arterial pulsation points of the foot Yangming (1) Shimonoseki: the maxillary artery in the trap formed by the zygomatic arch and the mandibular notch. (2) Sibai: infraorbital artery. (3) Da-Ying: facial artery at the lower edge of the mandible and in front of the occlusal muscle. (4) Renying: the common carotid artery within the carotid triangle. (5) Chong Yang: Dorsalis pedis artery at the highest part of the dorsum of the foot. 3.2.4 Arterial pulsation points of the foot taiyin (1) Keimen: femoral artery medial to the middle of the suture muscle. (2) Chongmen: the external iliac artery outside the superior pubic symphysis. 3.2.5 Arterial pulsation points of the hand Shaoyin (1) Jiquan: axillary artery in the middle of the axilla. (2) Shen Men, Tong Li, Ling Dao and Yin Qie: the ulnar artery on the transverse wrist line. 3.2.6 Arterial pulsation points of the Sun of the hand Tianshuang: the external carotid artery at the posterior border of the sternocleidomastoid muscle at the flat throat. 3.2.7 Pulsating point of the arteries of the sun of the foot Commission: the N artery of the N fossa. 3.2.8 Arterial pulsation points of the foot Shaoyin (1) Taixi: the posterior tibial artery between the inner ankle and Achilles tendon. (2) Fuyao: the posterior tibial artery on the inner ankle. 3.2.9 Arterial pulsation points of the hand in the sympathetic yin Quze: the brachial artery at the transverse line of the elbow. 3.2.10 Arterial pulsation point of hand Shaoyang and s: superficial temporal artery anterior to the superior margin of the root of the flat auricle. 3.2.11 Arterial pulsation point of the foot Shaoyang Hearing: superficial temporal artery anterior to the incision of the ear screen. 3.2.12 Arterial pulsation points of the fructus yin of the foot (1) Taichong: the dorsalis pedis artery in the anterior depression of the union of the first and second metatarsal bones of the dorsum of the foot. (2) Wuli: the femoral artery on the lateral side of the longissimus muscle. (3) Yinlian: the femoral artery below the groin. (4) The substances contained in the meridians (1) “Su Wen – Theory of the True Evil” says: “The true qi is also the meridian qi.” True qi is a type of “qi” in the meridians. (2) “Suwen – meridians and veins,” said: “food gas into the stomach, …… lust essence in the veins.” Food into the stomach, …… is digested and broken down into water, protein, sugar, fat, minerals, vitamins and ribonucleic acid, into the blood. Among them, ribonucleic acid, or hindsight essence, is transformed into the body’s own genetic material. This is what Chinese medicine calls the acquired essence supplementing the innate essence. (3) The Ling Shu – Ying San Hui says: “Ying is in the veins”. Ying Qi exists in the meridians. The meridians contain those nutrients that can form blood. (4) “Suwen – Theory of Paralysis” says: “Rong, …… is able to enter the veins as well.” Rong Qi, …… can enter the meridians. The meridians contain those substances that can nourish the five internal organs. The substances contained in the meridians are: innate essence, acquired essence, ying qi, and rong qi. (5) “Ling Shu – Ying Wei Hui Sheng” says: “Blood is also Shen Qi. Blood is a part of Shen Qi, indicating that blood plays the role of nerve conduction. Chinese medicine puts the function of peripheral nerves into the arteries.