黄帝问于少师曰：人之卒然忧恚，而言无音者，何道之塞？何气出行，使音不彰？愿闻其方。The Yellow Emperor asked Shaoshi, saying, "When a person suddenly suffers from anxiety and grief and becomes voiceless, which passage is blocked? Which qi fails to flow properly, causing the voice to be inarticulate? I would like to hear about the ways to deal with this."
黄帝问少师道：有人突然因忧愁恨怒，引起张口说话但不能发音，是人体内哪条通道被阻塞了？又是哪种气机障碍而使气不能通行，才致使音声不能响亮？我想知道其中的道理。
少师答曰：“咽喉者，水谷之道也。喉咙者，气之所以上下者也。会厌者，声音之户也。口唇者，声音（别本作：音声）之扇也。Shaoshi replied, "The pharynx and larynx are the passages for food and water. The throat is the passage through which qi moves up and down. The epiglottis is the gateway of the voice. The lips are like the doors of the voice.
少师回答说：咽部下通于胃，是受纳水谷的必经之路。喉咙下通于肺，是气息呼吸出入的道路。会厌在咽部和喉咙之间，能够开启和闭合，是声音发出的内里门户。口唇的开张和闭合，犹如开启言语声音的外面两扇门。
舌者，声音（别本作：音声）之机也。悬壅垂者，声音（别本作：音声）之关者。颃颡者，分气之所泄也。横骨者，神气所使，主发舌者也。The tongue is the mechanism of the voice. The uvula is the checkpoint of the voice. The nasopharynx is the place where the separated qi is discharged. The hyoid bone is under the control of the spirit qi and is mainly responsible for moving the tongue.
舌体上下前后运动，是言语声音的枢机。悬雍垂，是发音成声的关键所在。颃颡又称后鼻道，声音气流一部分由此通过，协助发声。横骨因舌骨横于舌根而得名，受意识支配，是控制舌体运动的组织。
故人之鼻洞涕出不收者，颃颡不开，分气失也。Therefore, when a person has continuous nasal discharge that cannot be stopped, it is because the nasopharynx is not open and the separated qi is lost.
所以，鼻腔涕液流而不能收摄，则颃颡闭塞不通，分气失职，多伴有鼻塞声重。
是故厌小而疾（别本无疾字）薄，则发气疾，其开阖利，其出气易；其厌大而厚，则开阖难，其气出迟，故重言也。Consequently, if the epiglottis is small and thin (in some versions, without the character 'thin'), the qi is emitted quickly, its opening and closing are smooth, and the qi is exhaled easily; if the epiglottis is large and thick, its opening and closing are difficult, the qi is exhaled slowly, and thus there is stuttering.
会厌薄小的人一般呼吸畅快，开合流利，所以语言流畅；若会厌厚大，开合就不利，气体出入迟缓，所以说话滞涩或者口吃不畅。
