Dongui Bogam_31_The Lungs Govern Qi

[肺主氣]
[The Lungs Govern Qi]

內經曰, 肺主氣. 又曰, 諸氣者, 皆屬於肺. 註曰, 肺有六葉兩耳, 葉中有二十四孔行列, 分布陰陽淸濁之氣. 又曰, 肺藏氣. 氣有餘則喘咳上氣, 不足則息利少氣.
The Inner Classic (內經) says, "The lungs govern qi." It also says "All gi belong to the lungs." In the Annotation, "There are 6 leaves and 2 ears to each lung. There are 24 holes in the leaves, through which yin and yang, clear and turbid qi divide and spread." It also says, "The lungs store qi. When qi is excessive, one becomes breathless and suffers from dyspnea. When qi is insufficient, breathing is smooth but weak." 

靈樞曰, 膻中爲氣之海膻中者, 肺室也, 有餘則胸面俱赤, 不足則少氣力不多言.
Divine Pivot(靈樞) says, "CV17[CV17 is the room of the lungs] is the sea of gi. Therefore, when qi is excessive, the chest and face all become reddish, and when gi is insufficient, one becomes weak and cannot speak much."

[氣爲諸病]
[The Various Diseases Originate from Qi]

丹溪曰, 周流乎一身, 以爲生者氣也. 苟內無所傷, 外無所感, 何氣病之有哉. 今者冷氣, 滯氣, 逆氣, 上氣, 皆是肺受火邪, 氣得炎上之化, 有升無降, 熏蒸淸道甚而轉成劇病. 局方例用辛香燥熱之劑, 是以火濟火也.
Zhenheng said, "Qi flows through the whole body and keeps one alive. How can there be qi disease if there is no internal damage or external contraction? Cold qi, accumulated qi, counter-flowed qi, and upward qi are all results of the lungs receiving pathogenic Fire, causing qi to flare up. Because qi only ascends and does not descend, the passageway of breathing is severely fumigated, resulting in a serious disease. In the Great Peace Imperial Grace Pharmacy's Formulary (局方), herbs with pungent-fragrant and dry-hot properties were used, which is a way to cure Fire with Fire." 

張子和曰, 諸病皆生於氣, 諸痛皆因於氣.
Zhang Zihe said, "All diseases come from qi, and all kinds of pain are caused by qi." 

回春曰, 風傷氣者爲疼痛, 寒傷氣者爲戰慄, 暑傷氣者爲熱悶, 濕傷氣者爲腫滿, 燥傷氣者爲閉結.
Recovery from the Myriad Diseases (回春) says, "When qi is damaged by pathogenic wind, there is pain. When qi is invaded by a pathogenic cold, the body trembles. When qi is damaged by pathogenic summer heat, there is tightness in the chest from heat. When qi is damaged by dampness, there is hydramnios. When qi is damaged by pathogenic dryness, it gets clogged up and makes a lump." 

序例曰, 人生氣中如魚在水, 水濁則魚瘦, 氣昏則人病. 邪氣之傷人最爲深重, 經絡旣受此氣, 傳入藏府, 隨其虛實, 冷熱結以成病, 病又相生, 故流變遂廣矣.
The Prefaces (序例) says, "A person living in the air is like a fish living in the water. Fish get thin if water is turbid and people get sick if air is spoiled. Pathogenic qi damages people the most. If the meridians receive pathogenic qi, the pathogenic qi enters the viscera and bowels and causes disease depending on the deficiency and excess, making lumps of coldness and heat. As diseases promote one another, they change and become serious."

[氣逸則滯]
[Idleness Causes Qi Stagnation]

臞仙曰, 人之勞倦, 有生於無端. 不必持重執輕, 仡仡終日, 惟是閑人, 多生此病. 盖閑樂之人, 不多運動氣力, 飽食坐臥, 經絡不通, 血脉凝滯使然也. 是以貴人貌樂而心勞, 賤人心閑而貌苦. 貴人嗜慾不時, 或昧於忌犯, 飮食珍羞, 便乃寢臥. 故常須用力, 但不至疲極. 所貴榮衛流通, 血脉調暢, 譬如流水不汚, 戶樞不蠹也.
Quxian (臞仙) said, "Damage caused by overexertion and fatigue sometimes occur for no apparent reasons. It does not always occur by carrying heavy loads or exerting one's strength on a lightweight all day long. Rather, it often occurs in idle people. Idle people do not use their strength by moving their bodies, but they only sit or lie down after eating heartily. This blocks the meridians and blood vessels, triggering damage caused by overexertion and fatigue. Thus, even though a nobleperson seems to be happy outwardly, his or her mind suffers; and even though a peasant is complacent in his or her mind, he or she appears to suffer outwardly. A noble person tries to satisfy one's desires at all times, does not know abstinence, and lies down straight after eating heartily. Therefore, one should always use one's strength, but not to the point where one feels too tired. Working to the point where nutrient qi and defense qi flow well and blood vessels spread out evenly is the adequate level. It is the same as the following: running water does not get stale, and hinges do not get eaten by moths." 

入門曰, 逸則氣滯, 亦令氣結. 輕者, 行動卽愈, 重者, 橘皮一物湯.
The Introduction to Medicine (入門) says, "Idleness causes gi stagnation or qi bind. If the disease is slight, it can be cured just by moving around, but if it is serious, one should drink an Aurantii Pericarpium One Substance Decoction."