Shanghanlun (SHL), the earliest systemic literatures using well-defined treatise and herbal formule for medical treatment, still remains elusive today. It classifies diseases into three yang: taiyang, which means great yang; yangming, bright yang; shaoyang, lesser yang, and three yin: taiyin, great yin; shaoyin, lesser yin; and jueyin.
But why six categories? Why did SHL divide diseases into six categories instead of four or eight- the way yin/yang suppose to? And where did he get his yin/yang ideas? The usual yin/yang system shall divid diseases into a number of two, four, and eight catagories as compare to the six in SHL. SHL is weird!
In another words, if we are to look at Pre-heaven Bagua, the standard yin/yang classification (xian tian bague) and compare it with SHL, we will be puzzled because there are eight tri-gram-bagua as compared to the six in SHL.
In addition, if we are to study sequence of bagua, following the more contemporary version (see graph), it won’t make any sense. In another words, if you follow the numbers around the circle-bagua in sequence, you won’t get any SHL ideas out of it- it just a huge incongruity.
Even if we ignore both qian 乾and kun 坤 gua, when we come down to 震 zheng gua, there is more yin than yang; it simply can’t explain SHL.
But SHL did use yin and yang to classify diseases.
Today scholars tend to believe SHL derived its yin/yang classification from the 12 meridians, though it never mentions a word of meridian.
I would like to think it differently: the missing link lies in Luoshu 洛書.
There is a saying in baguaology: xian tian wei ti, huo tian wei yong 先天為體，後天為用- use pre-heaven body by post-heaven methods. A lot of bagua experts tried to find out the meaning of this for years, unable to work out the secrets behind it. Me too.Well, I only work out half: the post-heaven usage is luoshu. In another words, SHL uses luoshu’s path of gua-xiang 卦象 for classification. So qian 乾 represent perfect yang-qi and kun 坤 represents death (dead people are cold), yin-qi. Since patient is between perfect yangqi and death, SHL does not use these two gua.
Because all things are from earth, we always start from middle of luoshu for both yang and yin pathology. There we have tui 兌, li 離, zhuang 巽, three yang and we have geng 艮, kan 坎, zheng 震 three yin in sequence respectively. In this sense, three yang have more yangqi, and three yin have less yangqi as compared to yinqi.I know this is a bit of try-hard fitting SHL into bagua theory, I thought it is still worth a try.
Maybe just coincidence, the first formula for Taiyangbing is Guizhi tang, a formula closely related to Xiaojianzhong tang (Mother earth again). And again, Taiyinbing also use Guizhi tang- it starts from earth as well.
I am here probably giving away one of vital piece of secrets in luoshu. But there is more!
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Kampo Chinese Medicine Clinic, Chatswood
Andy
