Pí Wèi Lùn 脾胃論
by Lǐ Dōngyuán 李東垣
Introduction
藏氣法時升降浮沉補瀉圖說
Zàng Qi Laws [and] Timing: Rising, Descending, Floating, Sinking, Reinforcing [and] Reducing [with] Illustrated Explanation
五行相生，木火土金水，循環無端，惟脾無正行於四季之末，各旺一十八日，以生 四臟，四季者，辰戌丑未是也。
The five phases engender each other—wood, fire, earth, metal, [and] water circulate in a cycle without end. Yet Spleen is without a cardinal phase, [it is] where the four seasons begin and end (1)—each thrives for one eighteen-day [period], so as to engender the four zàng [patterns]. (2) The four seasonal beginnings and endings are 辰chén, 戌 xū, 丑chǒu, [and] 未wèi. (3)
人身形以應九野，左足主立春，丑位是也，左手主立夏，辰位是也，右手主立秋，未位是也，右足主立冬，戌位是也，戊土其本氣， 平其兼氣，溫涼寒熱，在人以胃應之，巳土其本味，鹹其兼味，辛甘酸苦，在人以 脾應之。
The human body manifests the expressions of the correspondences of the nine squares: (4)
The left foot masters the beginning of spring in the 丑 [2nd] position. (5)
The left hand masters the beginning of summer in the 辰 [5th] position.
The right hand masters the beginning of autumn in the 未 [8th] position.
The right foot masters the beginning of winter in the 戌 [11th] position.
戊 wú [5th heavenly position]: [this aspect of] earth is based on qi, [and] balances pairs of qi (warm-cool, cold-hot). In humans “Stomach” corresponds to this [function].
巳sì [6th earthly position]: [this aspect of] earth is based on flavor [and] dissipates pairs of flavors (acrid-sweet, sour-bitter). In humans, “Spleen” corresponds to this [function].
脾胃兼化，其病治之，其從其宜，不可定體，肝肺之病在水火之間，順逆 傳變不同，溫涼不定，當求責耳。
Spleen [and] Stomach simultaneously transform illness to cure it, including [patterns] that follow [in a cycle and] oppositional [patterns] (6) and cannot be fixed within the body. The Liver [and] Lung’s pathologies are located between the gates of water [and] fire (7), [and manifest as] flow [and] counterflow, disharmony between constancy [and] and changeability, [and] fluctuations in warm [and] cool temperatures. The [physiological] function [of the Spleen-Stomach] is to [both] request [initiate action] and listen [remain passive].
Commentary
1. 季 jì is a very important character to understand. Although typically translated simply as “season” it is specifically the beginning and endings of seasons that exist as the diagonal 乂 branches on the lunisolar calendar. 季contains two components: grain 禾, representing the end of the agricultural season, and 子, a sprout, representing the beginning of the season. Together they show an ending that is transitioning into a new beginning, as with the points labeled as the beginning of seasons (figure below). This is in contrast to 時 shí, also meaning season, which has a picture of a sprout with the sun and represents the solar orientation of the seasons as demarcated by 十. Putting the two symbols together creates the entire lunisolar calendar and is the image associated with the eight directions 米
2. This is one example that provides verification that the zàng were used as code for energetic movement patterns by the masters of Chinese medicine. The passage is entirely about qi dynamics and does not have any physical association to the internal same-named organs of the body.
3. The heavenly stems and earthly branches were primarily used as a counting system. In this case, they are used to count the months/moons of a calendar year:
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丑 chǒu is the 2nd branch, which marks the 2nd full moon and 2nd month of the calendrical year (February on the Gregorian calendar), which coincides with the beginning of spring (立春 lìchūn).
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辰 chén is the 5th branch and corresponds to the 5th full moon/month of the calendrical year (May), which marks the beginning of summer (立夏lìxià).
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未 wèi, is the 8th branch and corresponds to the 8th full moon/month of the calendrical year (August), which marks the beginning of autumn (立秋 lìqiū).
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戌 xū the 11th branch and corresponds to the 11th full moon/month of the calendrical year (November), which marks the beginning of winter (立冬 lìdōng).
4. The nine squares are simply an alternative way of depicting the locations of the eight directions, as shown in the illustration above, with a central square in the middle. The central square was associated with earth, conceptually as a point of stillness to counterbalance the movement, like the hub of a wheel, around which the wheel itself rotates. Analogically in nature, this central point corresponds circumpolar region of the night sky, around which the "wheel" of the stars rotate.
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The “hands and feet” of this section are referring to the way that the “x” orientation of seasonal beginnings are analogous to the hands and feet of the body.
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The earlier images of宜 yí, which is often translated as “suitable” or “appropriate,” are of two moons that are on opposite sides of a container with yang-yin or heaven-earth halves (Figure 1), which carries the connotation of cardinal opposites (e.g. full and new moons), and from a Chinese medical lens, the character refers to treatments or pathologies that are related to opposite extremes (e.g. using hot to treat cold).
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Liver and Lung are code for the oppositional qi dynamics of rising and descending that occur in the human body. Fire and water are the extreme points on the central axis of 中 that relate to excess and deficiency, or the quantity of qi present at any point in time, which corresponds in nature the waxing and waning of the moon.
Problems with excess and deficiency are treated with reinforcing or reducing techniques. The line, “The Liver [and] Lung’s pathologies are located at the moons between the gates of water [and] fire,” refers to the fact that problems with the rising and descending of qi are related to excess and deficiency. Thus, problems with pivoting between one extreme and another are earth pathologies. Note that the character, 間 jiān, originally had a moon in between the twin gates in place of the sun (Figure 2).
Figure 1
宜 yí
Figure 2
間 jiān
Citation
Juniper, E. (2022) Pí Wèi Lùn 脾胃論 by Lǐ Dōngyuán 李東垣. Universal Qi. https://www.universalqi.org/piweilun.
References
The pictograph images of the older Chinese characters are from Richard Sears' work at Chinese Etymology
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