Shaoyin disease, with cold limbs, aversion to cold and curled body, absence of pulse, and restlessness without irritability, leads to death.

bubble_chart Note

• This summarizes the above three points to clarify the fatal signs of incurable conditions.
• Cold limbs refer to the coldness of the limbs extending beyond the elbows and knees without returning.
• Deficiency of yang in the exterior causes aversion to cold.
• Yin governs contraction, hence the curled and unextended posture.
• The absence of pulse indicates the exhaustion of vital energy. If there is irritability without restlessness, there is still a chance for yang to recover. However, restlessness without irritability indicates the presence of yin without yang, hence it is said to be fatal.

bubble_chart Collected Annotations

• Cheng Yingmao said: "All signs of yin pathogens are present, and the pulse is absent, indicating yang has already been severed. Restlessness without irritability shows that solitary yin has nothing to attach to and will soon exhaust itself. The Classic says: 'Yin qi, when quiet, stores the spirit; when restless, it dissipates.' Restlessness causes the spirit stored in yin to dissipate externally, leading to death. Had it been known earlier to restore the pulse to circulate yang, would this have happened?"