Teacher Ni Haixia’s “Human Chronicle” is divided into five parts: “The Great Compendium of Acupuncture and Moxibustion”, “Shennong’s Classic of Materia Medica”, “Huangdi Neijing (The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine)”, “Shanghan Lun (Treatise on Cold Damage)”, and “Jinkui Yao Lue (Essentials from the Golden Chamber)”. This order is also the recommended sequence for study by the teacher.During the listening process, I took notes, intending to share them with fellow students who have similar interests, to learn and progress together.In the notes, the black text represents the original text of the Neijing, annotations, and translations for easy comparison and study. The green text reflects Teacher Ni’s viewpoints from the video, while the red text summarizes my knowledge points. The colloquial content in the notes has been reorganized, with changes made to the order and expression, while trying to adhere to the teacher’s original intent, though it inevitably contains personal interpretations. I hope that friends reading this have watched the video.Corresponding video1-5-10:26——1-5-17:59(The video number is based on the DVD shared on the public account Baidu Cloud)
【Original Text】
Qibo said: Yin is the essence stored and arises frequently; Yang is the defense of the exterior and provides solidity. If Yin cannot overcome Yang, then the pulse flows thinly and rapidly, leading to madness; if Yang cannot overcome Yin, then the Qi of the five organs conflicts, and the nine orifices are obstructed. Therefore, the sage adjusts Yin and Yang, harmonizes the meridians, solidifies the bones and marrow, and ensures the smooth flow of Qi and blood. In this way, the internal and external are harmonized, evil cannot harm, the ears and eyes are clear, and the Qi operates as usual.
【Annotations】
起亟qì：亟 means frequent and repeated, here referring to Yin essence continuously arising and corresponding with Yang Qi, indicating that Yin essence is the source of Yang Qi.
薄疾：urgent and rapid.
并乃狂：Excessive Yang Qi leads to mental confusion.
【Translation】
Qibo said: Yin is the essence stored within the body, continuously nourishing Yang Qi; Yang is the defense of the body’s exterior, solidifying the pores to protect Yin essence. If Yin cannot overcome Yang, then the flow of the meridians will be rapid and urgent, leading to madness; if Yang cannot overcome Yin, then the Qi of the five organs will be unbalanced, causing obstruction of the nine orifices. Therefore, the sage adjusts Yin and Yang, allowing each to occupy its rightful place, ensuring the smooth flow of the meridians, solid bones and marrow, and unobstructed Qi and blood. In this way, the internal and external Yin and Yang are harmonized, evil cannot invade, the ears are sharp, the eyes are bright, and the true Qi operates normally.
【Teacher Ni Explanation Summary】
What does Yin not overcoming Yang mean?
【Yin not overcoming Yang leads to rapid pulse flow and madness;】
Yin and Yang should be balanced. Yin not being abundant means it cannot control Yang. How to understand this? The teacher uses the analogy of a marital relationship, where the husband represents Yang and the wife represents Yin. If the wife cannot manage the husband, he will become unruly and uncontrollable.
What does Yang not overcoming Yin mean?
【Yang not overcoming Yin leads to conflict in the Qi of the five organs and obstruction of the nine orifices.】】
Again using the marital analogy, if the husband cannot provide security for the wife, she will start to argue with him. In terms of the body, Yin represents the organs; when Yang does not overcome Yin, the Qi of the five organs will be disturbed, so the way to maintain health is actually about achieving balance between Yin and Yang, where Yin represents the organs and Yang represents the bowels, or it can be said that the way to maintain health lies in the balance of organs and bowels.
How to understand the balance of organs?
If a patient has constipation, we all know this is a problem with the large intestine, which is a bowel and represents Yang. The blockage of Yang Qi leads to constipation. Corresponding to Yang is Yin, which represents the organs. How do we know which organ is causing the large intestine’s constipation? One method is to observe at what time the patient has trouble sleeping. For example, waking up between 1-3 AM indicates a liver issue causing constipation; if waking up between 3-5 AM, it indicates a lung issue causing constipation.
When we see a symptom, if the problem is in the bowel, since the organs and bowels are interconnected, there must also be a corresponding organ with an issue, because Yin and Yang should be balanced. When the balance is disrupted, both Yin and Yang are damaged. The treatment approach is to find ways to use herbs or acupuncture to restore the balance of Yin and Yang.
【Original Text】
Wind invades the body, gradually damaging the original Qi, leading to the loss of essence. This is due to the invasion of evil Qi harming the liver. If one then overeats, it will cause the stomach’s meridians to flow in reverse, leading to dysentery with pus and blood, and subsequently causing hemorrhoids. If one drinks excessively, the lung Qi will rebel. If one exerts too much force, the kidney Qi will be harmed, and the lumbar vertebrae will be damaged.
【Annotations】
客：represents external factors, here referring to evil Qi invading from outside.
淫：represents excessiveness and indulgence.
横解：horizontalreversal and relaxation.
肠澼pì：diarrhea with pus and blood, i.e., dysentery.
强力：exerting force, overexertion; also refers to excessive sexual activity.
高骨：lumbar vertebrae.
【Translation】
Wind evil invades the body, gradually damaging the original Qi, leading to the loss of essence. This is due to the evil Qi harming the liver. If one then overeats, it will cause the stomach’s meridians to flow in reverse, leading to dysentery with pus and blood, and subsequently causing hemorrhoids. If one drinks excessively, the lung Qi will rebel. If one exerts too much force, it will harm the kidney Qi, damaging the lumbar vertebrae.
【Teacher Ni Explanation Summary】
Why is the liver considered the organ of wind?？
【Wind invades the body, leading to the loss of essence; this harms the liver.】
The liver belongs to wood; when trees are blown by the wind, they sway and are affected. Therefore, the liver is referred to as the organ of wind.
Overeating easily leads to hemorrhoids
【If one overeats, the meridians will flow in reverse, leading to hemorrhoids.】
If a person overeats, the strength of the meridian’s transport will be insufficient, making it easy to develop hemorrhoids.
Excessive drinking easily leads to shortness of breath
【If one drinks excessively, the Qi will rebel.】
If a person drinks too much, it is easy for the Qi to rebel, leading to shortness of breath and rapid breathing.
Heavy lifting harms the kidneys
【If one exerts too much force, the kidney Qi will be harmed, and the lumbar vertebrae will be damaged.】
When a person lifts heavy objects, it is called exerting force. At this time, it is not muscle strength that is relied upon, but the strength of the bones, which relies on kidney Qi. Therefore, if one forces themselves to lift something heavy, it will harm the kidneys. This is reflected in damage to the lumbar vertebrae, where the “high bone” refers to the lumbar vertebrae.
Image: Diagram of the lumbar vertebrae
【Original Text】
In all matters of Yin and Yang, Yang must be solid and dense. If the two are not harmonious, it is like having spring without autumn, or winter without summer. Therefore, to harmonize them is called the sage’s way. If Yang is strong but not dense, Yin Qi will be exhausted; if Yin is balanced and Yang is secretive, the spirit will be treated; if Yin and Yang are separated, the essence and Qi will be exhausted.
【Annotations】
圣度：the best method of health preservation or treatment.
【Translation】
The key to Yin and Yang lies in Yang Qi being solid and dense externally, allowing Yin Qi to be preserved internally. If Yin and Yang lose their balance and harmony, it is like having only spring without autumn, or only winter without summer. Therefore, harmonizing Yin and Yang is the best method of health preservation. If Yang Qi is overly vigorous and cannot be solid, Yin Qi will be depleted; if Yin is balanced, Yang is dense, the spirit will flourish; if Yin and Yang are separated and do not interact, then essence and Qi will be depleted.
【Teacher Ni Explanation Summary】
What does it mean that Yang is strong but cannot be dense?
【Thus, if Yang is strong but not dense, Yin Qi will be exhausted;】
This section discusses the need for balance between Yin and Yang. To what extent should Yang be strong? The text states that Yang should be strong enough to be dense, meaning that Yang should be strong enough to prevent Yin from being depleted. If Yang Qi is not dense enough, Yin Qi will continuously be depleted, ultimately leading to the exhaustion of Yin Qi.Some people may have strong Yang, but if it is not dense enough, it will still deplete Yin.
What does it mean for Yin and Yang to be separated?
【If Yin is balanced and Yang is secretive, the spirit will be treated; if Yin and Yang are separated, essence and Qi will be exhausted.】
Yin and Yang mutually restrain each other; one cannot exist without the other. If Yin is damaged, Yang cannot function; if Yang is damaged, Yin will be depleted. The separation of Yin and Yang means that Yin operates in its own realm, and Yang operates in its own realm, without interaction, similar to a divorced couple. This is a very dangerous situation, indicating that essence and Qi are about to be exhausted.