Classica Sinica Medica

A Discourse on the Essentials of Needling

刺要論

Cì yào lùn

The shortest of the Suwen's treatises on needling, and the one that states its principle in a single sentence: illness has its floating and its sunken, needling has its shallow and its deep, each must reach its own level and none may overstep its path. Everything else in the chapter is an unfolding of that sentence. Seven depths are set out — the down and the interstices, the skin, the flesh, the vessels, the sinews, the bone, the marrow — and for each depth the rule is the same: strike the level you aim at and do not wound the one beneath it. What follows from breaking the rule is equally regular. Wounding the skin stirs the lung and brings warm malaria in autumn; the flesh stirs the spleen, the vessel the heart, the sinew the liver, the bone the kidney, and each stirring bears the illness of its own season. Only the marrow is left without a season: to wound it is to melt the body away, and the weariness does not leave. A chapter of some two hundred and seventy graphs, and not one of them wasted.

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11 paragraphs
黄帝問曰：願聞刺要。 黄帝问曰：愿闻刺要。
Huáng dì wèn yuē: yuàn wén cì yào.
黄帝问道：希望听一听针刺的要领。
The Yellow Emperor asks: I wish to hear the essentials of needling.
歧伯對曰：病有浮沈，刺有淺深，各至其理，無過其道。 歧伯对曰：病有浮沈，刺有浅深，各至其理，无过其道。
Qí bó duì yuē: bìng yǒu fú chén, cì yǒu qiǎn shēn, gè zhì qí lǐ, wú guò qí dào.
岐伯回答说：疾病有在浅表与在深里的分别，针刺也有浅刺与深刺的不同，各应达到它相应的部位，不要越过它所应行的路径。
Qibo replies: illness has its floating and its sunken, and needling has its shallow and its deep. Each must arrive at its own level, and none may overstep its path.
過之則内傷，不及則生外壅，壅則邪從之，淺深不得，反爲大賊，内動五藏，後生大病。 过之则内伤，不及则生外壅，壅则邪从之，浅深不得，反为大贼，内动五脏，后生大病。
Guò zhī zé nèi shāng, bù jí zé shēng wài yōng, yōng zé xié cóng zhī, qiǎn shēn bù dé, fǎn wéi dà zéi, nèi dòng wǔ zàng, hòu shēng dà bìng.
刺得过深就会伤及内部，刺得不及又会在外部生成壅滞，壅滞之后邪气便随之内入；深浅不当，反而成为大害，内则扰动五脏，其后便生大病。
To overstep is to wound within; to fall short is to raise an obstruction without, and once there is obstruction the evil follows it in. When shallow and deep miss their mark the needling turns into a great thief instead: the five storing organs are stirred within, and grave illness is born afterwards.
故曰：病有在毫毛腠理者，有在皮膚者，有在肌肉者，有在脉者，有在筋者，有在骨者，有在髓者。 故曰：病有在毫毛腠理者，有在皮肤者，有在肌肉者，有在脉者，有在筋者，有在骨者，有在髓者。
Gù yuē: bìng yǒu zài háo máo còu lǐ zhě, yǒu zài pí fū zhě, yǒu zài jī ròu zhě, yǒu zài mài zhě, yǒu zài jīn zhě, yǒu zài gǔ zhě, yǒu zài suǐ zhě.
所以说：病有在毫毛腠理的，有在皮肤的，有在肌肉的，有在脉的，有在筋的，有在骨的，有在髓的。
Hence it is said: illness may sit in the down and the interstices, or in the skin, or in the flesh, or in the vessels, or in the sinews, or in the bone, or in the marrow.
是故刺毫毛腠理無傷皮，皮傷則内動肺，肺動則秋病温瘧，泝泝然寒慄。 是故刺毫毛腠理无伤皮，皮伤则内动肺，肺动则秋病温疟，泝泝然寒栗。
Shì gù cì háo máo còu lǐ wú shāng pí, pí shāng zé nèi dòng fèi, fèi dòng zé qiū bìng wēn nüè, sù sù rán hán lì.
所以刺毫毛腠理不要伤及皮，皮受伤就会内动于肺，肺受动则到秋天发为温疟，恶寒战栗。
Therefore when needling the down and the interstices do not wound the skin. If the skin is wounded the lung is stirred within, and once the lung is stirred there is warm malaria in autumn, shivering and shuddering with cold.
刺皮無傷肉，肉傷則内動脾，脾動則七十二日四季之月，病腹脹煩，不嗜食。 刺皮无伤肉，肉伤则内动脾，脾动则七十二日四季之月，病腹胀烦，不嗜食。
Cì pí wú shāng ròu, ròu shāng zé nèi dòng pí, pí dòng zé qī shí èr rì sì jì zhī yuè, bìng fù zhàng fán, bù shì shí.
刺皮不要伤及肉，肉受伤就会内动于脾，脾受动则到七十二日、四季之月的时候，发为腹胀烦满、不思饮食。
When needling the skin do not wound the flesh. If the flesh is wounded the spleen is stirred within, and once the spleen is stirred there is, at the seventy-two days that close the four seasons, abdominal distension and vexation, with no desire for food.
刺肉無傷脉，脉傷則内動心，心動則夏病心痛。 刺肉无伤脉，脉伤则内动心，心动则夏病心痛。
Cì ròu wú shāng mài, mài shāng zé nèi dòng xīn, xīn dòng zé xià bìng xīn tòng.
刺肉不要伤及脉，脉受伤就会内动于心，心受动则到夏天发为心痛。
When needling the flesh do not wound the vessel. If the vessel is wounded the heart is stirred within, and once the heart is stirred there is heart pain in summer.
刺脉無傷筋，筋傷則内動肝，肝動則春病熱而筋弛。 刺脉无伤筋，筋伤则内动肝，肝动则春病热而筋弛。
Cì mài wú shāng jīn, jīn shāng zé nèi dòng gān, gān dòng zé chūn bìng rè ér jīn chí.
刺脉不要伤及筋，筋受伤就会内动于肝，肝受动则到春天发为热病而筋脉弛缓。
When needling the vessel do not wound the sinew. If the sinew is wounded the liver is stirred within, and once the liver is stirred there is heat in spring and the sinews slacken.
刺筋無傷骨，骨傷則内動腎，腎動則冬病脹腰痛。 刺筋无伤骨，骨伤则内动肾，肾动则冬病胀腰痛。
Cì jīn wú shāng gǔ, gǔ shāng zé nèi dòng shèn, shèn dòng zé dōng bìng zhàng yāo tòng.
刺筋不要伤及骨，骨受伤就会内动于肾，肾受动则到冬天发为胀满腰痛。
When needling the sinew do not wound the bone. If the bone is wounded the kidney is stirred within, and once the kidney is stirred there is distension and low back pain in winter.
刺骨無傷髓，髓傷則銷鑠胻酸。 刺骨无伤髓，髓伤则销铄胻酸。
Cì gǔ wú shāng suǐ, suǐ shāng zé xiāo shuò héng suān.
刺骨不要伤及髓，髓受伤就会使身体销铄消耗、小腿酸软。
When needling the bone do not wound the marrow. If the marrow is wounded the body melts away and the shanks are sore.
體解㑊然不去矣。 体解㑊然不去矣。
Tǐ xiè yì rán bù qù yǐ.
身体懈惰困倦，这种状态久不消除。
The body is lax and weary, and it does not go away.

Textual notes

Readings follow the base edition; significant variants are recorded here.

  1. 黄帝問曰：願聞刺要黄帝问曰：愿闻刺要

    來稿於三處「曰」下加現代引號「“”」，底本無之；此从底本，三組引號並回刪。

  2. 泝泝然寒慄泝泝然寒栗

    底本作「泝」，从水从斥，讀 sù，「溯」之古字，寒慄之貌，王冰注「泝泝然，寒慄貌」；通行本多作「溯」。來稿作「溯」，此从底本。本篇二見。

  3. 髓傷則銷鑠胻酸髓伤则销铄胻酸

    底本作「胻」，从肉行聲，讀 héng，脛骨也；第四十七、四十八篇「髀䯒」之「䯒」从骨行聲，與此異旁而同讀。本篇惟此一見，此从底本之从肉者。

  4. 體解㑊然不去矣体解㑊然不去矣

    「體解㑊」讀 tǐ xiè yì：「解」此讀 xiè（懈惰之義），不作 jiě，「㑊」讀 yì；解㑊卽懈惰困倦之貌。二字皆本篇惟此一見。

  5. 願聞刺要愿闻刺要

    「刺要」之「要」讀 yào，要領之義，不讀 yāo；篇題「刺要論」同讀。本篇「要」惟此一見。

Cite this page

APA

Huangdi Neijing · Suwen 黃帝內經素問 (c. 3rd c. BCE – 1st c. CE; recension c. 762 CE). Cì yào lùn 刺要論 [A Discourse on the Essentials of Needling], Chapter 50. In Classica Sinica Medica. Base text: 《重廣補註黃帝內經素問》二十四卷，唐·王冰注，宋·林億、孫奇、高保衡等校正，宋·孫兆重改誤。據上海涵芬樓《四部叢刊初編》影印明嘉靖二十九年（1550）顧從德覆宋刊本錄入，卷一牌記題「上海涵芬樓景印明顧氏翻宋本」。底本與影印本均屬公有領域。 Retrieved 8 October 2026, from https://classicstcm.com/classics/huangdi-neijing-suwen/essentials-of-needling/

MLA

"Cì yào lùn 刺要論 [A Discourse on the Essentials of Needling]." Huangdi Neijing · Suwen 黃帝內經素問, chapter 50, Classica Sinica Medica, 2026, https://classicstcm.com/classics/huangdi-neijing-suwen/essentials-of-needling/. Accessed 8 Oct. 2026. Base text: 《重廣補註黃帝內經素問》二十四卷，唐·王冰注，宋·林億、孫奇、高保衡等校正，宋·孫兆重改誤。據上海涵芬樓《四部叢刊初編》影印明嘉靖二十九年（1550）顧從德覆宋刊本錄入，卷一牌記題「上海涵芬樓景印明顧氏翻宋本」。底本與影印本均屬公有領域。

Chinese scholarly

《黃帝內經素問·刺要論》（Huángdì Nèijīng Sùwèn）。《重廣補註黃帝內經素問》二十四卷，唐·王冰注，宋·林億、孫奇、高保衡等校正，宋·孫兆重改誤。據上海涵芬樓《四部叢刊初編》影印明嘉靖二十九年（1550）顧從德覆宋刊本錄入，卷一牌記題「上海涵芬樓景印明顧氏翻宋本」。底本與影印本均屬公有領域。Classica Sinica Medica，2026 年 10 月 8 日 存取，https://classicstcm.com/classics/huangdi-neijing-suwen/essentials-of-needling/。

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