Part Seven: THE SIX FU-ORGANS AND THE EXTRAORDINARY FU-ORGANS

    In short, the triple energizer dominates all kinds of qi and qi transformation of the human body, and serves as the pathway for water. Therefore, Basic Questions says: "The triple energizer, as the waterways, is an organ in charge of the water circulation, flowing along the waterways."

    简而言之，三焦主司各种气体调节体内气体的运化并是水运行的通道。因此，《素问》曰：三焦者，决渎之官，水道出焉。

    While the six fu-organs transport and tranform water and food, the process of reception, digestion, transportation and excretion are also in progress. The six fu-organs are usually in a state of the alternations between emptiness and fullness. And they transform food into essence but not store it. That's why TCM believes: " the six fu-organs function well when they are unobstructruction, the unobstructed is the normal functional state for the six fu-organs; where the regular descent is their normal functional activities."Pathologically, disorders among the six fu-organs often affect each other. For instance, when body fluid is consumed because of excessive heat in the stomach, the large intestine is bound to have trouble in transportation, and, in consequence, constipation occurs. A disturbance of the large intestine in transmission and transformation not only leads to the obstruction of the large intestine itself, but also affects the regular descent of stomach-qi, causing repeated vomiting. A dominant gallbladder fire often interferes with the stomach and results in vomiting bitter fluid.Dampness and heat accumulated in the stomach and spleen burn and steam the liver and the gallbladder. This may cause the bile to overflow, and give rise to jaundice.

    六腑在运化水谷中，依次进行受纳、消化、传输、排泄的过程。六腑常处于更实更虚之中,传化物而不藏。这就是为什么中医认为六腑以通为用，以降为和。病理上六腑功能的失调会相互影响。例如，当胃实热证时，体液被消耗，大肠的传输功能也一定会出现问题而导致便秘的发生。大肠传输功能异常不仅会导致大肠气滞，也会影响胃气沉降而导致反复呕吐。胆火炽盛，常犯及胃造成呕吐苦水。脾胃实热常熏蒸肝胆，这便会导致胆汁外溢返流。

    Apart from the six fu-organs, there are the brain, marrow, bones, vessels, gallbladder and uterus termed the "extraordinary fu-organs". Like the fu organs morphology, the extraordinary fu-organs are mostly hollow but not the pathways for the digestion and excretion of cereal food and, like the zang argans functionally, they also store essence-qi. With the exception of the gallbladder, they have no exterior-interior relationships.

    六腑之外，尚有脑、髓、骨、脉、胆、女子胞称为“奇恒之腑”。它在形态上与六腑相似，大多为空，但不是水谷消化和排泄的通道；在功能上与脏相似，它们也可藏精。除了胆，其他的都没有表里关系。

    The brain is located in the skull and connects with the spinal marrow. It is the organ of spirit, consciousness and thinking. Basic Question says: "The head is the house of intelligence".(，the head is the residence of intelligence)Li Shizhen of the Ming Dynasty pointee out, "The brain is the seat of the mind", and the heart governs all funcctions of the whole body, including mental activities. In the Qing Dynasty, Wang Qingren stated: "The intelligence and memory onginate from the brain but not from the heart." And he also considered: "Thinking, memory, vision, hearing, smelling and speaking are all controlled by the brain." Although TCM has some knowledge of the brain's physiology and pathology, it still ascribes the functions of the brain to the heart, the liver and respectively to the five zang-organs, and holds that spirit, consciousness and thinking are related to the five zang-organs.

    脑位于头颅，与髓相联系。它是精神、意识、思考的器官。《素问》曰：头者，精明之府。明代的李时珍指出：脑为元神之府。心统管全身功能包括精神活动。清代王清任指出“智力和记忆来自于脑而非心”。他认思考、记忆、视力、听力、嗅觉和言语都由脑控制。虽然中医对脑的生理和病理有了一些认识，胆始终将其归于心、肝和其他的五脏的功能里，认为魂、意识、思考于五脏相关

    The uterus, or womb(wu：m), situated in the lower abdomen posterior to the urinary bladder in women, is an inverted pear-shaped organ where menstruation occurs and the foetus is bred. They are two complex physiological processes in which tiangui, a kind of refined nutritious substance transformed from the kidney-essence, plays the most important role. Both Chong and Ren meridians originate from the uterus. The uterus is also closely related to the heart, liver and spleen, because normal menstruation and the nourishment of the foetus rely on the blood dominated by the heart, stored by the liver and controlledby the spleen. Therefore the dysfunction of the above organs will affect the normal functions of the uterus, bring about menstrual disorder and sterility.

    女子胞是女性位于下腹膀胱之后的器官，是个倒置梨形的器官，是月经发生和孕育胎儿的场所。它们是两个复杂的生理过程，由肾经化生的精微物质-天暌在其中起了非常重要的作用。冲任二脉都起于女子胞。女子胞同样与心、肝、脾有着紧密的联系。因为，月经的正常和胎儿的营养要依靠心的主血、肝的藏血和脾的摄血功能。因此，以上脏器的功能失调将会影响女子胞的正常功能，造成月经鼻不调和不孕。

    It should be pointed out that according to the theory of visceral manifestation, the names of the zang-fu organs correspond to those of the modern human anatomy and refers to the substantial internal organs. However, in the physiology and patholoty, the knowledge of TCM differs greatly from that of western medicine, which has been learnt a lot from the above.

    需要指出的是根据脏象理论，脏腑器官的名字与现代人体解剖学的器官相对应指的是内脏器官的物质形式。然而，在生理和病理上，中医和西医的认识却大相径庭，这在以上的阐述中能明显体现。

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