Understanding the Balance of Pure and Turbid Energy in Traditional Chinese Medicine

The Yellow Emperor said: “I have heard that the twelve meridians in the human body correspond to the twelve rivers in nature. The colors of water vary—blue, yellow, red, white, and black—and their purity differs. However, the blood and energy in the human body are the same. How do their corresponding conditions differ?”

Qi Bo replied: “If the blood and energy in the human body were uniform, it would align with all people under heaven, and no disturbances would occur. There would be no chaos.”

The Yellow Emperor said: “I am asking about the condition of a single individual, not the entire world.”

Qi Bo responded: “Even within a single person’s body, there are disruptions in energy. Similarly, within the larger world, there are individuals who are in disorder. In general, the principle remains the same.”

The Yellow Emperor then asked: “Please explain the conditions of purity and turbidity in human energy.”

Qi Bo replied: “The energy derived from grains and food is turbid, while the energy derived from drinks and air is pure. The pure energy flows into the Yin aspect, while the turbid energy is distributed to the Yang aspect. However, the pure energy within the turbid substance can rise to the throat, and the turbid energy within the pure substance can descend. If the pure and turbid energies blend and fail to separate properly, causing their usual course of rising and descending to be disturbed, it results in ‘chaotic energy.’”

The Yellow Emperor asked: “You speak of Yin being pure and Yang being turbid. In the turbid energy, there is some purity, and within the pure energy, there is some turbidity. How do we distinguish between them?”

Qi Bo replied: “The main distinction is that pure energy first rises and enters the lungs, while turbid energy descends and enters the stomach. The pure energy generated from the turbid energy of the stomach rises again to the mouth. The turbid energy generated from the pure energy of the lungs descends into the meridians and accumulates in the Qi Sea.”

The Yellow Emperor asked: “Which Yang meridian contains the most turbid energy?”

Qi Bo replied: “Among all the Yang meridians, the Hand Taiyang has the most turbid energy because it exclusively receives the turbid energy of all Yang meridians. Among all the Yin meridians, the Hand Taiyin contains the purest energy because it uniquely receives the pure energy of all Yin meridians. In general, pure energy rises to the hollow cavities, and turbid energy descends into the meridians. However, in all Yin meridians, the energy is pure, except for the Foot Taiyin, which alone receives the turbid energy of the Yin meridians—this is pure within turbid.”

The Yellow Emperor asked: “What is the method for needling based on the pure and turbid energies?”

Qi Bo replied: “Anything that receives pure energy tends to be smoother, while anything that receives turbid energy tends to be more sluggish and resistant. This is the general rule. Therefore, when needling the Yin meridians, one should needle deeply and leave the needle in place; when needling the Yang meridians, one should needle superficially and quickly remove the needle. If the pure and turbid energies interfere with each other and become disordered, treatment should be adjusted based on the specific condition, following conventional methods to separate and regulate the energies.”