Huangdi asked: "The human body is not always warm, nor is it always hot. Why is it that when it becomes hot, there is also restlessness and fullness?" Qibo replied: "It is because the yin qi is deficient and the yang qi is excessive, hence the heat and the feeling of fullness and restlessness."
The Emperor asked: "The human body is not clothed in cold, nor is there cold qi within. Why does cold arise from within?" Qibo said: "This is because the person has excessive bi qi, with deficient yang qi and excessive yin qi, hence the body feels cold as if emerging from water."
The Emperor asked: "Why is it that when a person has heat in the four limbs and encounters wind-cold, it feels as if being scorched or burned?" Qibo replied: "This person has deficient yin qi and excessive yang qi. The four limbs belong to yang, and when two yang aspects combine with deficient yin qi, the small amount of water cannot extinguish the excessive fire, leading to yang dominance. Dominant yang cannot promote growth. It merely prevails and stops. When encountering wind, it feels as if being scorched or burned. This person is likely to suffer from muscle emaciation."
The Emperor asked: "Why is it that when a person feels cold, neither hot water nor thick clothing can warm them, yet they do not shiver from the cold?" Qibo replied: "This person has inherently strong kidney qi and is engaged in water-related activities. The qi of Taiyang (EX-HN5) is weak, and the kidney fat is withered and does not grow. One water cannot overcome two fires. The kidney is associated with water and is responsible for the bones. If the kidney does not function, the marrow cannot be full, hence the cold penetrates to the bones. The reason they do not shiver is that the liver is one yang, the heart is two yang, and the kidney is a solitary organ. One water cannot overcome two fires, hence they do not shiver. This condition is called bone impediment, and the person will likely suffer from joint contractures."
The Emperor asked: "When a person has muscle numbness, even when close to warm clothing, they still feel discomfort. What is this condition called?" Qibo said: "It is due to deficiency of nutrient qi," "and excess of defensive qi," "nutrient qi deficiency resulting in numbness, defensive qi deficiency resulting in flaccidity. When both nutrient and defensive qi are deficient, there is insensitivity and loss of function, though the flesh remains unchanged. The body and the will are not in harmony, and this is called death."The Emperor asked: "There are people who cannot lie down due to rebellious qi and have noisy breathing, those who cannot lie down but have quiet breathing, those who live normally but have noisy breathing, those who can lie down and walk but pant, those who cannot lie down or walk and pant, and those who cannot lie down and pant when lying down. Which organs cause these conditions? I wish to know the reasons." Qibo replied:
- "Those who cannot lie down and have noisy breathing are experiencing rebellion of the yangming. The three yang channels of the foot normally descend, but now they rebel and ascend, hence the noisy breathing." "Yangming is the stomach channel. The stomach is the sea of the six fu organs, and its qi also descends." "When yangming rebels, it cannot follow its normal path, hence the inability to lie down. The 'Lower Classic' says: 'Stomach disharmony leads to restless sleep,' which refers to this."
- "Those who live normally but have noisy breathing are experiencing rebellion of the lung's collateral vessels. The collateral vessels cannot follow the channels up and down, hence they remain in the channels and do not move. The condition of the collateral vessels is subtle, hence the person lives normally but has noisy breathing."
- "Those who cannot lie down and pant when lying down are affected by water qi. Water follows the body fluids and flows. The kidney is the water organ, governing the body fluids, and is responsible for lying down and panting."