海論/Hai Lun

(On the Four Seas)

黃帝問于岐伯曰:余聞刺法于夫子，夫子之所言，不離于營衛(wèi)血氣。夫十二經(jīng)脈者，內(nèi)屬于腑臟，外絡(luò)于肢節(jié)，夫子乃合之于四海乎?岐伯答曰:人亦有四海、十二經(jīng)水。經(jīng)水者，皆注于海，海有東西南北，命曰四海。黃帝曰:以人應(yīng)之奈何?岐伯曰:人有髓海，有血海，有氣海，有水谷之海，凡此四者，以應(yīng)四海也。

Yellow Emperor asked Qibo: "I have heard your lecture about the pricking therapy, and what you said was not divorced from the Ying, Wei and channel energies. Since the twelve channels connect the five solid and six hollow organs inside, and link the four extremities and joints outside, can you coordinate them with the four seas?" Qibo answered: "In human body, there are also four seas and twelve channels. The twelve channels flow to all directions but finally converge into the four seas, there are the seas of east, west, south and north, so, they are called the four seas." Yellow Emperor asked: "In what way does the body correspond with the four seas?" Qibo answered: "In human body, there are the sea of marrow, sea of blood, sea of energy and the sea of water and cereals, and they correspond to the four seas."

黃帝曰:遠乎哉，夫子之合人天地四海也，愿聞應(yīng)之奈何?岐伯答曰:必先明知陰陽表里榮輸所在，四海定矣。

Yellow Emperor said: "How profound your talking is! You have coordinated the human body with heaven, earth and the four seas. I hope to hear further how do they correspond?" Qibo said: "When one knows explicitly the locations of the Yin or Yang, superficies or interior. Xing and Shu points, he will be able to determine the four seas of the marrow. blood, energy and that of the water and cereals."

黃帝曰:定之奈何?岐伯曰:胃者水谷之海，其輸上在氣街[街:當注本，張注本并作“沖”]，下至三里。沖脈者為十二經(jīng)之海，其輸上在于大杼，下出于巨虛之上下廉。膻中者為氣之海，其輸上在于柱骨之上下，前在于人迎。腦為髓之海，其輸上在于其蓋，下在風(fēng)府。

Yellow Emperor asked: "How to ascertain the important acupoints of the four seas in human body?" Qibo answered: "The stomach is the sea of water and cereals, its upper important acupoint is the Qichong point, and the lower one is the Sanli point; the Chong Channel is the sea of the twelve channels and it is also the sea of blood, its upper important acupoint is the Dazhu point, and the lower ones are the Shangjuxu point and the Xiajuxu point, the Tanzhong (the middle part between two breasts) is the sea of energy, its important acupoints are the Yamen point above the cervical vertebrae, Dazhui point below the cervical vertebrae and the Renying point in the front; the brain is the sea of the marrow, its upper important acupoint is the Baihui point and the lower one is the Fengfu point."