“天不足西北,地不满东南”探讨

Discussion on the Opinion that "Yang Qi in the Heaven is Insufficient in the Northwest,while Qin Qi in the Earth is Insufficient in the Southeast"

《素问·阴阳应象大论》中对"天不足西北,地不满东南"现象的解释可以理解为:"左手足不便、耳目聪明"与"右耳目不聪明、手足便"是在气血分布影响下产生的结果。气血的不均衡分布导致了左右耳目、手足偏强的现象,这种不均衡分布以人体左右"阳阴"属性的不同为条件,即"东方阳也、西方阴也"("左右"与"东方、西方"属同义概念替换),而这一"阴阳属性"的差异则是受四季更迭影响而产生的结果。冬春两季气血主要分布在左手和左足,夏秋两季气血主要分布在右手和右足。"人气"冬春在人体之左,夏秋在人体之右。冬春"人气"在左,时值春季"升浮"之性,气血上浮而养头面,故左耳目"聪明"于右耳目;夏秋"人气"在右,又值秋季"收敛"之性,气血下行而养四肢,故右手足"强"于左手足。"天不足西北,地不满东南"这一现象既是对古人所总结的"天人合一"观念的具体运用,也是对后世脉诊原理的探索,对揭示古人的阴阳观念具有一定价值。

The opinion that " Yang qi in the heaven is insufficient in the northwest,while yin qi in the earth is insufficient in the southeast" in Plain Questions can be understood in this way: Left hand-foot inconvenience,clever ears and eyes in the right " is the result of the influence of the distribution of qi and blood. The unbalanced distribution of qi and blood leads to the phenomenon that the left and right ears,eyes,hands and feet are strong or weak in special time. This unbalanced distribution is conditioned by the difference of the attributes of " yang and yin " around the human body,that is," the east pertaining to yang; the west pertaining to yin "( " left and right " and " east and west " are synonymous concepts to replace),and the difference of this " yin and yang attributes " is affected by the result of seasonal change. Qi and blood are mainly distributed in the left hand and foot in winter and spring,and in the right hand and foot in summer and autumn. " Human qi " winter and spring is on the left of the human body,and on the right in summer and autumn. In winter and spring,when there is " rising and floating " nature,the blood and qi float up and raise the head,so the left ear and eye are " smarter " than the ones in the right. In summer and autumn,when there is also autumn’s " convergence’ nature,qi and blood float down and nourish limbs,so the right hand and foot are " stronger" than the ones in the left. The opinion that " Yang qi in the heaven is insufficient in the northwest,while yin qi in the earth is insufficient in the southeast" is not only the concrete application of the concept of " correspondence of human being and universe" summarized by the ancients,but also the exploration of the principle of pulse diagnosis in later generations,which has a certain value in revealing the ancients’ concept of yin and yang.