Beginner's question: What exactly is being studied in the Five Movements and Six Qi?

🧠Theory and Research
1

Recently, I have been reading some books and also chatted with @913118, who specializes in the study of fate and luck. I gained some understanding of the Five Movements and Six Qi (Wu Yun Liu Qi), which roughly means that the Earth’s operation follows certain patterns, presenting different characteristics at different times. These patterns affect the human body in various ways. In practical application, based on the patient’s birth time and the time of consultation, calculations are made to determine which herbs to use in the prescription. For example, yesterday was the Summer Solstice, dominated by the Tai Soil (Tai Tu), meaning humidity is relatively heavy. Regardless of who the patient is or what illness they have, adding some Poria (Fu Ling) to the prescription is always safe without needing the usual inspection, listening, questioning, and pulse-taking.

This raises a question: since these rules are fixed, why not just use a computer to calculate them directly? Provide some templates, and on that basis, combine the patient’s specific condition with other pattern identification systems to integrate a complete prescription. If so, what is there left to learn about the Five Movements and Six Qi? There is a similar case with spatial-temporal acupuncture in acupuncture, which is also based on rules to compute acupuncture prescriptions. That too could probably be handled by a computer.

Of course, studying the theory of the Five Movements and Six Qi is not meaningless; it helps in understanding the unity of heaven and man, and also aids in comprehending Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) physiology and pathology. But just learning the theory and reading books might be enough for a basic understanding, right? What is the difference between reading one book to understand the fate and luck theory and an expert who has done decades of research on it?

As a beginner who has just learned some basics, I do not quite understand the essence. I ask the experts kindly to share their knowledge. :person_bowing:‍

2

I previously had the privilege of communicating with Professor Wang Qingguo. I asked him about the Five Movements and Six Qi (五运六气), and he said he had studied it before but later felt it was “not very useful.” The general meaning was that I shouldn’t take detours :thinking:. From what I know, his clinical efficacy is still acceptable.

As for myself, I have not had much contact with the Five Movements and Six Qi. I only listened to some lectures out of interest, and I also very seriously studied the calculations taught in various classes, but I still can’t really apply it. I think the Five Movements and Six Qi might be somewhat of a hindsight explanation, but whenever I hear people talk about it, it always sounds quite magical.

I feel that my understanding is very superficial, so I don’t dare to say much. Only after communicating with Professor Wang Qingguo did I not hold too much obsession about it. If you have time, senior, you can study the related chapters in the Inner Canon (《内经》), especially several chapters of the “Great Treatise” (《大论》). I think those are a bit challenging.

3

Personally, I think that not studying luck does not affect learning traditional Chinese medicine.
Many paths lead to the same goal.

4

I feel the same way now; there are so many more important things I haven’t finished learning yet :joy:

5

The Five Movements and Six Qi represent the reaction of celestial timing within the human body. Without the Five Movements and Six Qi, there would be no pulses such as the Shaoyin pulse, and it would be impossible to prescribe medicine based on the cycles of fortune influenced by the year.

6

I haven’t explored this perspective before; thank you for the insight :folded_hands:. I now have a new area to learn about :flexed_biceps:.

7

The first chapter of the Treatise on Typhoid has an annotated version.

8
  1. Seven treatises on Yunqi: Great Treatise on the Heavenly Origin Chronicle, Great Treatise on the Five Movements, Great Treatise on the Six Micro Essentials, Great Treatise on the Transformation of Qi Interaction, Great Treatise on the Governance of the Five Constants, Great Treatise on the Six Origins and Correct Chronicle, Great Treatise on the Ultimate Truth; Two lost treatises: Treatise on Needling Methods, Chapter on Original Diseases
  2. Yunqi is quite effective in guiding medication, studying constitution, disease prediction, planning of Chinese medicine cultivation, popular science in traditional Chinese medicine health preservation, and interdisciplinary integration with astronomy, computer science, meteorology, and other fields.
  3. What you learn from theory still needs to be applied in practice. Books provide concepts, but actual application requires guidance from Yunqi teachers and maintaining a constant harmony between heaven and humans in daily life—using cold when it is cold afar, heat when it is hot afar; cold from the sky means cold for people, heat from the sky means heat for people, dryness in the heavenly stems means dryness in people, rain from the sky means humidity in people.