TCM Classics

TCMCRI Research Institute

Huáng Dì Nèi Jīng Summaries

Summary of Chapter 8 of the Sù Wèn

Líng Lán Mì Diăn Lùn – The Confidential Collections in the Royal Library
about the Functions of the Twelve Viscera

Paragraph 1

Huáng Dì asks: "I would like you to tell me the mutual relations between the twelve Zàng-Fŭ
in the human body and their principal and subordinate status in functions."

is
Xīn Sovereign
represents Consciousness of Wu [2]: Shén,
one’s being ideology, and thought

Intelligence, wisdom,
assists responsible for spiritual transformation

is
Fèi Prime Minister
governs
Various vessels Jīng Luò
regulates
Qì of body

is
Gān General Courageous & smart

its
Emotion = Anger (intention to survive)

sets
Vision Ideas in the future

is
Dăn Judge (unbiased)
for its

Power of discernment

is has
Soldier Courage

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Huáng Dì Nèi Jīng Summaries

is Brings bad news in

Xīn Bāo Butler, Court jester
‘light/funny’ way
transmits Joyfullness of the heart
through it

is
Pí Officer of Granary

in charge of Digesting, absorbing, spreading and

storing the essence of food

responsible for Transportation

Dà Cháng
of all turbidity

Xiăo Cháng receives Food

from

Wèi

extracts and absorbs

distributes

throughout

Body

separates
Pure from Turbid

absorbs
Essence

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Huáng Dì Nèi Jīng Summaries

stores
Shèn Vitality
mobilizes
Four extremities
aids
Memory, willpower, coordination

transformation &
Sān Jiāo transport of Water and fluids throughout body

Páng Guāng transformes Jīn-Yè

into
Water By catalization of Qì

moistens
Fèi

Paragraph 2

Wu [2, p56] writes that the principle of health-preserving is subtle and hard to comprehend.
Only by painstaking pondering during study one can maybe understand it.
Then he writes about any tiny substance in nature that, when accumulated, forms the human
body.

Maoshing Ni [4, p35] however, writes: "The principles of healing and medicine in general are
difficult to grasp because many changes occur in illness, and the healing process must adapt
to that." which is more or less the same as what Wu [2] writes.
But the [4] continues with: "It becomes difficult to know the root. The origin of illness can be
so small and vague, in fact, so elusive, but the illness can still become substantial over time."
Which is different than Wu's [2] line of the 'tiny substance'.

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Huáng Dì Nèi Jīng Summaries

Paragraph 3

Huáng Dì is happy and wants to preserve this information for future generations. Well, it
looks that he was successful.

Bibliography

[1] Wiseman, N. and Feng, Ye, A practical dictionary of Chinese Medicine, paradigm
publications, 1998.
[2] Nelson, Liansheng Wu and Andrew, Qi Wu, Yellow Emperor's Canon Internal Medicine,
China Science & Technology Press, 1999.
[3] Unschuld, P., Huang Di Nei Jing, nature, knowledge, imagery in an ancient Chinese
medical text, University of California Press, 2003.
[4] Maoshing Ni, The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Medicine, Shambala, 1995.

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