III. Strengthen the internal and prevent the external together

The main purpose of this routine is sovereign-minister harmonious interaction to strengthen the internal and prevent the external. “Thrusting the fists and making the eyes glare”can not only strengthen and nourish the general officer, but also play a role in the healthy operation of the various organs of the body, as well as promoting the circulation of qi and blood in the body. So three relationships among the viscera will list in the following.

First, the relationship between the liver and the lungs. Namely: the relationship between the general and the minister. From the point of view of the functions of the liver and lung, the general and the minister has coincided in the action of gripping, and they connect and benefit each other in pathology. Traditional medicine believes that the liver governs the ascending and dispersing, lung  governs the descending and lowering, the ascending of liver and the descending of lung reaching the smooth qi movement, as well as blood and qi flowing through the whole body, so the liver and the lungs plays a role of maintaining the human health together in the circulation of blood and qi. Its main expressions are as follows. The lungs are on the diaphragm, which are in the highest place and they are the canopy of the internal organs, and lung qi descending smoothly; the liver is in the lower place, it dominates catharsis and adjusts the qi movement, so as to help the ascending of the spleen qi, store the blood, regulate blood flow. Dredging to the heart meridians, liver meridian flows upward through the diaphragm into the lung, the liver qi ascending. The ascending of liver and the descending of lung can regulate the lifting motion of the body. Conversely, the  stagnation of liver qi will lead the qi depression causing fire, flowing upward through the meridians, burning lungs and impairing the fluid, which affects the ascending and descending of lungs and forms the symptom of "liver-fire attacking lung" or "wood-fire impairs the metal", e.g. cough and dry throat, hypochondriac pain caused by cough, or even hemoptysis; if the ascending and descending of lung fails, it may cause the symptoms, such as the dryness-heat going downward, burning the liver yin and kidney yin, the disorder of liver, failing of the catharsis. It may cause the chest and hypochondriac pain, dizziness, headache, flushed face and congested eyes while coughing.

Second,the relationship between the liver and the kidney. Traditional Chinese Medicine believes that the liver and the kidney have a common source, which reflected on the relationship of the homogeny of essence and blood as well as the interdependence of essence and blood. Liver stores blood and kidney stores essence, the essence can bring forth blood and blood can transform to the essence. Liver blood depends on the supporting of kidney essence, sufficient kidney is conductive to the flourishing of liver blood, and the kidney essence also depends on the nourishment of liver blood, flourishing liver blood is conductive to the generating of kidney essence. As the essence and blood can alternate between each other, so the kidney essence and liver blood are interdependent. Liver blood and kidney essence all stem from the essence of water and grain. Relying on constant support of the essence of water and grain, liver blood and kidney essence can be sufficient, so it is called that the liver and the kidney have a common source. In the five elements, liver belongs to the wood, kidney belongs to the water, the kidney water can nourish the liver wood. The yin-yang theory believes that the kidney yin is the fundamental of yin fluid of the whole body, which plays a role in nourishing the yin fluid of various organs, the liver yin is supported by kidney yin, namely it can contain and restrain the liver yang, to prevent hyperaction of liver yang, which has maintained the dynamic balance between the yin and yang. The theory of kidney yin and liver yin is consistent with water generating wood. Kidney stores the essence, possessing the congenital essence and received from parents, which is innate.

Third, the relationship among the kidney, lung and other organs. Kidney governs the water. The triple burner, bladder and kidney governs body fluid. Kidney, lung and spleen governs fluid metabolism and regulation of the body, which are all the vital organs in the fluid metabolism of the body. The kidney dominating bone, generating marrow and connecting the brain, essence of the kidney being reflected on the hair. It plays a role in supporting the bones and breeding the brains, so the growing development and functional activities of the bone and brain all depend on the rise and fall of the kidney qi. The kidney place the fire of vital gate and stores Kidney-Yin and Kidney-Yang, which is known as "the viscera of fire and water" and “the house of yin and yang". Kidney connects the lung, and the kidney meridians get through the diaphragm into the lungs, hence it also dominates qi absorption, which plays a role of transpiration and gasification. Sufficient kidney qi is conductive to keep spirit healthy and vigorous, strengthen bones and muscles, as well as act quickly, which is the basic substance to support human reproduction. In this context, it can achieve the purposes of smoothing the qi movement of the general organ and minister organ, promoting the growing and conversion of qi and blood of kidney and other organs by practicing "thrusting the fists and making the eyes glare to enhance strength". It is entirely possible to strengthen the internal, and preventing the external is self-evident.

In short, the sovereign-minister harmonious interaction is a state reached by the organs of the body in the practice of Health Qigong, namely, “achieving quiet to the extreme of move, quiet bringing forth yin, and achieving move to the extreme of quiet. Move and quiet are the roots of each other”. In fact, the variation of move and quiet is a process of interpenetration and mutual transformation of yin and yang, which is also the essence talked about in this article. It is undoubtedly significant to use these ancient and profound principles to understand the actions in practicing the routine of “thrusting the fists and making the eyes glare to enhance strength”.

(By Wang Zhanhe)