the 60-year cycle: understanding the qi of the year and its clinical
TRANSCRIPT
The 60 year Cycle: Understanding the Qi of the Year and its Clinical
Implications
© 2016 Wendy S. Goldman
• BasicTheory• Analysis
Nei Jing Su Wen: Chapters 66-71, & 74
Unschuld: “over 1/3 of the Su Wen”
�Unschuld, Paul U. Huang Di Nei Jing Su Wen: Nature, Knowledge, Imagery in an Ancient Chinese Medical Text, Berkeley:
University of California Press 2003
~100 page appendix about this topic
Su Wen Chapter 2: “In the old days, the sages treated disease by preventing illness before it began…”
Ni, Maoshing. The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Medicine, Boston: Shambala 1995 Pg. 7
Su Wen Chapter 9: “Through careful observation of the time of the
season and the arrival of the appropriate weather and cyclic pattern, we can
understand and apply the knowledge of the transformation of the five
elements. Thus, a doctor who does not understand or had misinterpreted
the peaks and valleys of the cycles of nature will not understand the
mechanism by which people get sick. That doctor will be ineffective in both
the treatment and prognosis of patients.”
�
Ni, Maoshing. The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Medicine, Boston: Shambala 1995 Pg. 39
Su Wen Chapter 66: “In ancient times the sages observed
the heavens and noted their surroundings carefully and
proposed a complex system, consisting of several subsystems
to account for all possible variables in the forecast of
macrocosmic influences upon the world, especially the
weather and the effects on people.”
�
Ni, Maoshing. The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Medicine, Boston: Shambala 1995 Pg. 237
Su Wen Chapter 66: “The five elemental phases and the six
atmospheric influences have a definite pattern and rhythm. This
knowledge is very profound. If one grasps it, one can know the
changes that will transpire in the natural world. One who masters
this science can enjoy eternal health. One who neglects to learn this
will suffer danger, injury, and even death by having violated the
natural rhythms and patterns of the universe. Please learn,
understand and apply this knowledge carefully.”
Ni, Maoshing. The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Medicine, Boston: Shambala 1995 Pg. 240
Su Wen Chapter 66: “The interactive dynamic between
the stems and the branches produces subsystems that
make up the large system of meteorology. This system is
not just about predicting weather patterns but also is
about the influence of these weather patterns on all living
things in the world, especially people’s well-being. It is
immensely useful for forecasting epidemic illnesses.”
Ni, Maoshing. The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Medicine, Boston: Shambala 1995 Pg. 239
Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches
Each Year: Yin or Yang
Heavenly Stems
WOOD Yang Wood
Yin Wood
FIRE Yang Fire
Yin Fire
EARTH Yang Earth
Yin Earth
METAL Yang Metal
Yin Metal
WATER Yang Water
Yin Water
South
EarthlyBranches
North
East
West
June
YinFire
Snake
May
April
Mar
ch
Febuary
January
Ox
YinEarthOx
Tiger
Yang
Wood
Rab
bit
Yin
Woo
d
Drag
onYa
ngEa
rthDr
agon
Horse
Rat
December
YangFire
YinEarthSheep
Goat
July
AugustSeptem
ber
Octo
ber
Boar
November
YinWater
Dog
Yang
Earth
Dog
Rooster
YinM
etalM
onkey
Yang
Metal
YangWater
Earthly Branches
WOOD - Yang Wood- Yin Wood- Yang Earth Dragon
FIRE - Yin Fire- Yang Fire- Yin Earth Sheep (Goat)
EARTH - Yin Earth Ox- Yang Earth Dragon- Yin Earth Sheep- Yang Earth Dog
METAL - Yang Metal- Yin Metal - Yang Earth Dog
WATER - Yang Water- Yin Water- Yin Earth Ox
60 Year Jia-Zi Cycle
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
StemBranch
+wood+water
-wood-earth
+fire+wood
-fire-wood
+earth+earth
-earth-fire
+metal+fire
-metal-earth
+water+metal
-water-metal
StemBranch
+wood+earth
-wood-water
+fire+water
-fire-earth
+earth+wood
-earth-wood
+metal+earh
-metal-fire
+water+fire
-water-earth
StemBranch
+wood+metal
-wood-metal
+fire+earth
-fire-water
+earth+water
-earth-earth
+metal+wood
-metal-wood
+water+earth
-water-fire
StemBranch
+wood+fire
-wood-earth
+fire+metal
-fire-metal
+earth+earth
-earth-water
+metal+water
-metal-earth
+water+wood
-water-wood
StemBranch
+wood+earth
-wood-fire
+fire+fire
-fire-earth
+earth+metal
-earth-metal
+metal+earh
-metal-water
+water+water
-water-earth
StemBranch
+wood+wood
-wood-wood
+fire+earth
-fire-fire
+earth+fire
-earth-earth
+metal+metal
-metal-metal
+water+earth
-water-water
Relationships Between the Elements Between Heaven & Earth Between Elements Strength Timing Unseasonal; or “off-timed” weather
FIVE ELEMENT CONFLICTS
Yang Wood Yang Metal
Yin Wood Yin Metal
Yang Fire Yang Water
Yin Fire Yin Water
Five Element Correspondences
Five Elements
WOOD FIRE EARTH METAL WATER
Color blue & green red & purple yellow & brown
white & gray black
Direction east south center west northSeason spring summer all 4
seasonsautumn winter
Nature/ evil wind heat dampness dryness cold
Yin Organ Liver Heart Spleen Lungs KidneysYang Organs
Gallbladder Small Intestine
Stomach Large Intestine
Urinary Bladder
Body Tissues
tendons & nervous system
blood & blood
vessels
muscles & fat
skin bones & bone
marrowSense Organs
eyes tongue mouth nose ears
Body Fuids tears sweat drool nasal mucus salivaEmotions anger joy worry &
over-thinkingsadness fear
Moral Characters
kindness & compassion
courtesy & respect
trust justice wisdom
Heavenly Stems
Yang WoodYin Wood
Yang FireYin Fire
Yang EarthYin Earth
Yang Metal Yin Metal
Yang Water Yin Water
Earthly Branches
Yang WoodYin Wood
Yin FireYang Fire
Yang E DragonYin E. SheepYang E. DogYin Earth Ox
Yang MetalYin Metal
Yin WaterYang Water
Note: El Nino = warm water; La Nina = cool water; for ocean temps in tropical Pacific Ocean
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/extremes/cei/graph/us/cei/01-12; hottest year on record in USA = 2012 hottest on record worldwide = 2014 (http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/summary-info/global/201412)2014 = driest year in California (http://plantingseedsblog.cdfa.ca.gov/wordpress/?p=9466)2015 = third wettest year on record (https://weather.com/news/climate/news/record-warmest-wettest-december-us-2015), 2015 = wettest winter on record in England & Wales (http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/news/releases/2016/winter-statistics)
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
yang fire yin fire yang earth yin earth yang metal yin metal yang water yin water yang wood yin wood
dog/ yang earth dog
pig or boar/ yang water
rat/ yang water
ox/ yin earth ox
tiger/ yang wood
rabbit/ yin wood
dragon/ yang earth
dragon
snake/ yin fire
horse/ yang fire
goat/ yin earth
sheep or goat
hot hot el nino hot hot el nino/ hot
2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025yang fire yin fire yang earth yin earth yang metal yin metal yang water yin water yang wood yin wood
monkey/ yang metal
rooster/ yin metal
dog/ yang earth dog
pig or boar/ yin water
rat/ yang water
ox/ yin earth ox
tiger/ yang wood
rabbit/ yin wood
dragon/ yang earth
dragon
snake/ yin fire
Resources• Ni,Maoshing.TheYellowEmperor’sClassicofMedicine,Boston:Shambala1995Pg.240
• Unschuld,PaulU.HuangDiNeiJingSuWen:Nature,Knowledge,ImageryinanAncientChineseMedicalText,Berkeley:UniversityofCaliforniaPress2003
• Unschuld,PaulUandTessenow,Hermann.HuangDiNeiJingSuWen:AnAnnotatedTranslaGonofHuangDi’sInnerClassic–BasicQuesGons,Berkeley:UniversityofCaliforniaPress2011
• Wang,Bing.Wu,NelsonLianshengandWu,AndrewQi,translators.YellowEmpero’sCannonInternalMedicine,ChinaqScience&TechnologyPress1997
