OBJECTIVETo study on the original meanings of "reinforcement can be achieved by slow-yet-rapid needling, and rapid-yet-slow needling weakens evil-qi", one of important bases of reinforcing-reducing in acupuncture.

METHODSUsing the principle of knowledge archaeology and through structure an d through structure analysis on the subjects described by "slow" and "rapid" and the papers appearing the words, the meanings of this sentence are re-discriminated.

CONCLUSION"Slow-rapid" prescribed in the reinforcing-reducing needling method in Huangdi's Internal Classic includes 3 subjects: pulse condition, needle-retained time, and velocity of withdrawing the needle. The "slow-rapid" in "reinforcement can be achieved by slow-yet-rapid needling, and rapid-yet-slow needling weakens evil-qi" should be pulse condition, but was not needling method, which means that the pulse changes from slow to rapid, marked by transformation of channels from deficiency to excess; the transform of the pulse from rapid to slow means that the channel transforms from excess to deficiency.