[Objective]Although “If it is not thriving but it is surviving, maintain it with Sutra ”is considered the most important treatment principle in acupuncture, its interpretation is confusing and inconsistent. Thus, in order to clarify this principle, we examined its original meaning and report the results here.
[Method]After investigating the source of “If it is not thriving but it is surviving, maintain it with Sutra ”within the “Huang-di nei-jing”(traditional Chinese medical text) and revealing the state of past research regarding this principle and its associated problems, we identified its background and used the “Zhangjiashan Han bamboo text Maishu”and “Dashu ,”which are only quoted in the “Jin fu” chapter of the Huangdi Neijing-Lingshu (the Yellow Emperor’s Canon), to trace a path back to the roots of “If it is not thriving but it is surviving, maintain it with Sutra ”and to elucidate its original meaning.
[Results]We were able to confirm that although there have heretofore been a total of four theories and 13opinions, none have been rationally interpreted.
[Conclusion]The facts that 1. “If it is not thriving but it is surviving, maintain it with Sutra”is based on a method of diagnosing pulses across the entire body, 2. the interpretation of the “Jin fu”chapter of the Huangdi Neijing-Lingshu contradicts the “Dashu ,”which is quoted in this text, and 3. the statement in the “Zhangjiashan Han bamboo text Maishu”that “when it is calm, then maintain it ”is the original form of “If it is not thriving but it is surviving, maintain it with Sutra ,”suggest that the original meaning of “If it is not thriving but it is surviving, maintain it with Sutra ”was likely that in cases where the form and rhythm of a pulse were normal, it should not be treated but instead addressed as usual.

In order to address conflicting accounts of the Huiyin-vessel and CV1 (Huiyin) in the Wang Bing version of "Huang-di nei-jing Su Wen", we analyzed the origins of the Huiyin-vessel based on its relationship to hemorrhoids in ancient sources on the topic. Furthermore, by considering the curing methods used by health scholars during the Warring States period in China and hemorrhoid treatments until the Song dynasty, we demonstrated the specificity of the posterior yin (anus) and identified the reason behind moving the location of the Huiyin-vessel. We also clarified the way of determining the location of CV1 (Huiyin) and factors that have until now caused confusion related to CV1 (Huiyin).

This paper examined the origins of the conception vessel (also known as the Ren meridian) based on references to the conception vessel in the Inner Canon of the Yellow Emperor (Huangdi Neijing, the seminal medical text of ancient China). It takes into consideration new findings related to medical principles, Chinese philology and graphology, and history. We reached the following opinions. It is clear from references in texts such as Lingshu Wuyin Wuwei's mention of underdeveloped innate reproductive functions in men, and the Bone Cavity thesis of the Suwen that states "diseases of the conception vessel appear inside the male as the "seven stomach aches"and in females as mucous discharges from the female genitals and lumps within the bowels", that the conception vessel has existed in both males and females since its discovery. The conception vessel runs along the body's midline, where the following are also located:the vestige of the umbilical cord connected to the fetus, the opening of the vagina and urethral opening (from which menstrual blood and semen are discharged, respectively), and the uterus which holds the fetus. Given that these are all located along the midline, it is thought that the conception vessel was formed based on knowledge of the meridian in ancient cosmology. Insight into the origin of the conception vessel can be provided by elucidating the mechanisms of how the human body gives birth to new life by placing focus on both male vitality and female menstruation while avoiding differences in genital structure. These are interpreted using the same criteria as kidney qi, heavenly dew, conception vessel, and the vital channel, suggesting that both share the same roots and are based in the bladder on the body's midline.