灵枢·论勇 Miraculous Pivot · On Courage
黄帝问于少俞曰：“有人于此，并行并立，其年之长少等也，衣之厚薄均也，The Yellow Emperor asked Shaoyu, "Suppose there are some people here. They walk and stand side by side, are of the same age, and are dressed in clothes of the same thickness.
卒然遇烈风暴雨，或病或不病，或皆病，或皆不病，其故何也？”Suddenly, they encounter violent winds and heavy rainstorms. Some may fall ill, some may not, some may all fall ill, and some may all remain healthy. What is the reason for this?"
少俞曰：帝问何急？Shaoyu said, "Your Majesty, what is the urgency of this question?"
黄帝曰：愿尽闻之。The Yellow Emperor said, "I would like to hear all about it."
少俞曰：春青风，夏阳风，秋凉风，冬寒风。凡此四时之风者，其所病各不同形。Shaoyu said, "In spring, there is the green wind; in summer, the yang wind; in autumn, the cool wind; and in winter, the cold wind. The diseases caused by the winds in these four seasons are each of different manifestations."
黄帝曰：四时之风，病人如何？The Yellow Emperor asked, "How do the winds of the four seasons make people ill?"
少俞曰：黄色薄皮弱肉者，不胜春之虚风。白色薄皮弱肉者，不胜夏之虚风。Shaoyu replied, "Those with yellowish complexion, thin skin, and weak muscles cannot withstand the deficient winds in spring. Those with whitish complexion, thin skin, and weak muscles cannot withstand the deficient winds in summer.
青色薄皮弱肉，不胜秋之虚风。赤色薄皮弱肉，不胜冬之虚风也。Those with bluish complexion, thin skin, and weak muscles cannot withstand the deficient winds in autumn. Those with reddish complexion, thin skin, and weak muscles cannot withstand the deficient winds in winter."
黄帝曰：黑色不病乎？The Yellow Emperor asked, "Don't those with black complexion fall ill?"
少俞曰：“黑色而皮厚肉坚，固不伤于四时之风。Shaoyu said, "Those with black complexion and thick skin and firm muscles will surely not be affected by the winds of the four seasons.
其皮薄而肉不坚，色不一者，长夏至而有虚风者，病矣；其皮厚而肌肉坚者，长夏至而有虚风，不病矣。However, for those with thin skin and not firm muscles and with an inconsistent complexion, if there are deficient winds during the summer solstice, they will fall ill. For those with thick skin and firm muscles, even if there are deficient winds during the summer solstice, they will not fall ill.
其皮厚而肌肉坚者，必重感于寒，外内皆然，乃病。”But for those with thick skin and firm muscles, if they are severely affected by cold both externally and internally, they will then fall ill."
黄帝曰：善。The Yellow Emperor said, "Good."
黄帝曰：“夫人之忍痛与不忍痛（者），非勇怯之分也。
The Yellow Emperor said, "Whether a person can endure pain or not is not the distinction between courage and cowardice.
夫勇士之不忍痛者，见难则前，见痛则止；There are brave men who cannot endure pain. When facing difficulties, they will step forward, but when encountering pain, they will stop.
夫怯士之忍痛者，闻难则恐，遇痛不动。There are also cowardly men who can endure pain. When hearing of difficulties, they will be frightened, but when encountering pain, they will remain still.
夫勇士之忍痛者，见难不恐，遇痛不动；There are brave men who can endure pain. When facing difficulties, they will not be frightened, and when encountering pain, they will remain still.
夫怯士之不忍痛者，见难与痛，目转面盻（别本作盼），There are cowardly men who cannot endure pain. When facing difficulties and pain, their eyes will roll and their faces will show a look of panic.
恐不能言，失气惊（悸），颜色变化，乍死乍生。They will be so frightened that they cannot speak, lose their breath and be startled (or have palpitations), and their complexion will change, as if on the verge of death or coming back to life.
余见其然也，不知其何由，愿闻其故。”I have seen such situations, but I don't know the reasons. I would like to hear the explanations."
少俞曰：夫忍痛与不忍痛者，皮肤之薄厚，肌肉之坚脆、缓急之分也，非勇怯之谓也。Shaoyu said, "Whether a person can endure pain or not depends on the thickness of the skin, the firmness or fragility, and the laxity or tightness of the muscles, not on the so-called courage or cowardice."
黄帝曰：愿闻勇怯之所由然。The Yellow Emperor said, "I would like to hear the reasons for courage and cowardice."
少俞曰：“勇士者，目深以固，长冲直扬，三焦理横，其心端直，其肝大以坚，其胆满以傍。Shaoyu said, "A brave man has deep-set and steady eyes, a long and straight nose bridge, the texture of the triple energizer is transverse, his heart is upright, his liver is large and firm, his gallbladder is full and distended.
怒则气盛而胸张，肝举而胆横，眦裂而目扬，毛起而面苍，此勇士之由然者也。”When angry, his qi is abundant and his chest expands, his liver rises and his gallbladder expands sideways, the corners of his eyes split and his eyes glare, his hair stands on end and his face turns bluish. These are the reasons for a brave man."
黄帝曰：愿闻怯士之所由然。The Yellow Emperor said, "I would like to hear the reasons for a cowardly man."
少俞曰：“怯士者，目大而不减，阴阳相失，其焦理纵，𩩲骬短而小，肝系缓，其胆不满而纵，肠胃挺，胁下空。Shaoyu said, "A cowardly man has large but not deep-set eyes, the yin and yang are out of balance, the texture of the triple energizer is longitudinal, the xiphoid process is short and small, the liver system is lax, his gallbladder is not full and is longitudinal, his intestines and stomach are distended, and the area under his ribs is empty.
虽方大怒，气不能满其胸，肝肺虽举，气衰复下，故不能久怒，此怯士之所由然者也”Even when he is about to get extremely angry, his qi cannot fill his chest. Although his liver and lungs may rise, the qi weakens and then subsides again, so he cannot stay angry for long. These are the reasons for a cowardly man."
黄帝曰：怯士之得酒，怒不避勇士者，何脏使然？The Yellow Emperor asked, "When a cowardly man drinks alcohol and gets angry without avoiding a brave man, which organ is responsible for this?"
少俞曰：“酒者，水谷之精，熟谷之液也。Shaoyu said, "Alcohol is the essence of water and grains, the liquid of cooked grains, its qi is fierce and violent.
其气慓悍，其入于胃中，则胃胀，气上逆，满于胸中，肝浮胆横，当是之时，固比于勇士，气衰则悔。When it enters the stomach, the stomach expands, the qi ascends in reverse, fills the chest, the liver floats and the gallbladder expands sideways. At that time, he is indeed like a brave man, but when the qi weakens, he regrets.
与勇士同类，不知避之，名曰酒悖也。”He is similar to a brave man and doesn't know to avoid, and this is called being drunk and contrary."
