灵枢·顺气一日分为四时
The Qi Follows the Order and a Day is Divided into Four Seasons
黄帝曰：“夫百病之所始生者，必起于燥温寒暑风雨、阴阳喜怒、饮食居处。The Yellow Emperor said: "All kinds of diseases surely originate from dryness, dampness, cold, heat, wind, rain, as well as the imbalance of yin and yang, emotions like anger and joy, diet, and living environment.
气合而有形，得脏而有名，余知其然也。When the qi combines, it takes on a form, and when it affects the internal organs, it gets a name. I know this is the case.
夫百病者，多以旦慧昼安，夕加夜甚，何也？”However, most diseases tend to be milder in the morning, stable during the day, aggravated in the evening, and even worse at night. Why is that?"
岐伯曰：四时之气使然。Qi Bo said: It is caused by the qi of the four seasons.
黄帝曰：愿闻四时之气。The Yellow Emperor said: I would like to hear about the qi of the four seasons.
岐伯曰：“春生，夏长，秋收，冬藏，是气之常也，人亦应之。Qi Bo said: "Spring is for growth, summer for flourishing, autumn for harvesting, and winter for storing. This is the normal pattern of the qi, and human beings also respond to it.
以一日分为四时，朝则为春，日中为夏，日入为秋，夜半为冬。If we divide a day into four seasons, morning is like spring, noon is like summer, sunset is like autumn, and midnight is like winter.
朝则人气始生，病气衰，故旦慧；日中人气长，长则胜邪，故安；In the morning, the human qi begins to grow and the pathogenic qi weakens, so the condition is milder in the morning; at noon, the human qi flourishes and can overcome the pathogenic qi, so it is stable during the day;
夕则人气始衰，邪气始生，故加；夜半人气入脏，邪气独居于身，故甚也。”In the evening, the human qi begins to decline and the pathogenic qi starts to grow, so the condition is aggravated in the evening; at midnight, the human qi enters the internal organs and the pathogenic qi remains alone in the body, so the condition is even worse at night."
黄帝曰：有时有反者何也？The Yellow Emperor said: Why are there sometimes contrary situations?
岐伯曰：是不应四时之气，脏独主其病者，是必以脏气之所不胜时者甚，以其所胜时者起也。Qi Bo said: This is when it does not conform to the qi of the four seasons and the disease is mainly dominated by a certain internal organ. It will surely be aggravated at the time when the qi of that organ is being overcome, and will improve at the time when it is overcoming other qi.
黄帝曰：治之奈何？The Yellow Emperor said: How should we treat it?
岐伯曰：顺天之时，而病可与期。顺者为工，逆者为麤。Qi Bo said: Follow the order of nature, and the course of the disease can be predicted. Those who follow it are skillful physicians, while those who go against it are clumsy ones.
黄帝曰：善。余闻刺有五变，以主五输，愿闻其数。The Yellow Emperor said: Good. I have heard that there are five variations in acupuncture, which are related to the five shu-points. I would like to hear about the details.
岐伯曰：人有五脏，五脏有五变，五变有五输，故五五二十五输，以应五时。Qi Bo said: Humans have five internal organs, and each of the five internal organs has five variations, and each of the five variations is related to a shu-point. So there are five times five, which is twenty-five shu-points, corresponding to the five seasons.
岐伯曰：“肝为牡藏，其色青，其时春，其音角，其味酸，其日甲乙。Qi Bo said: The liver is a yang organ, its color is green, its corresponding season is spring, its musical note is jue, its taste is sour, and its corresponding days are Jia and Yi.
心为牡藏，其色赤，其时夏，其日丙丁，其音徵，其味苦。The heart is a yang organ, its color is red, its corresponding season is summer, its musical note is zhi, its taste is bitter.
脾为牝藏，其色黄，其时长夏，其日戊己，其音宫，其味甘。The spleen is a yin organ. Its color is yellow, its corresponding season is the long summer, its corresponding days are Wu and Ji, its musical note is Gong, and its taste is sweet.
肺为牝藏，其色白，其音商，其时秋，其日庚辛，其味辛。The lung is a yin organ. Its color is white, its musical note is Shang, its corresponding season is autumn, its corresponding days are Geng and Xin, and its taste is pungent.
肾为牝藏，其色黑，其时冬，其日壬癸，其音羽，其味咸。是为五变。”The kidney is a yin organ. Its color is black, its corresponding season is winter, its corresponding days are Ren and Gui, its musical note is Yu, and its taste is salty. These are the five variations."
黄帝曰：愿闻五变。The Yellow Emperor said: I would like to hear about the five variations.
黄帝曰：以主五输奈何？The Yellow Emperor said: How are they related to the five shu-points?
（《医部全录》注曰：缺岐伯曰。）：“脏主冬，冬刺井。色主春，春刺荥。(Annotation in Complete Record of the Medical Department: "The words of Qi Bo are missing here.) The internal organ is related to winter, so acupuncture at the jing-point is done in winter. Color is related to spring, so acupuncture at the ying-point is done in spring.
时主夏，夏刺输。音主长夏，长夏刺经。Season is related to summer, so acupuncture at the shu-point is done in summer. Musical note is related to the long summer, so acupuncture at the jing-point is done in the long summer.
味主秋，秋刺合。是谓五变，以主五输。”Taste is related to autumn, so acupuncture at the he-point is done in autumn. This is called the five variations and their relationship with the five shu-points."
黄帝曰：诸原安和，以致六输？The Yellow Emperor said: How are the original points in harmony to form the six shu-points?
岐伯曰：原独不应五时，以经合之，以应其数，故六六三十六输。Qi Bo said: The original points do not correspond to the five seasons alone. They are combined with the jing-points to correspond to the relevant numbers, so there are six times six, which is thirty-six shu-points.
黄帝曰：何谓脏主冬，时主夏，音主长夏，味主秋，色主春？愿闻其故。The Yellow Emperor said: What is meant by the internal organ being related to winter, the season being related to summer, the musical note being related to the long summer, the taste being related to autumn, and the color being related to spring? I would like to hear the reasons.
岐伯曰：“病在脏者，取之井。病变于色者，取之荥。Qi Bo said: When the disease is in the internal organ, acupuncture is done at the Jing-well point. When the disease is manifested in the color change, acupuncture is done at the ying-point.
病时间时甚者，取之输。病变于音者，取之经。When the disease is aggravated from time to time, acupuncture is done at the shu-point. When the disease is manifested in the change of musical note, acupuncture is done at the Jing-river point.
血者，病在胃。及以饮食不节得病者，取之于合，故命曰味主合。是谓五变也。”When the jing-point is full of blood, the disease is in the stomach. And for those who get sick due to improper diet, acupuncture is done at the he-point, so it is said that taste is related to the he-point. This is called the five variations.
