Section one general introduCtion to theory oF Zang-Fu maniFeStation

I Concept of zang-fu manifestation, theory of zang-fu manifestation and zang-fu organs

"Zang Xiang"（in Chinese）was first seen in Plain Questions·Six-Section Theory of Zang-fu Manifestation（Su Wen·Liu Jie Zang Xiang Lun）. Now it is known as zang-fu manifestation."Zang"in Chinese refers to the zang-fu organs hidden in the body;"xiang"in Chinese refers to the exterior manifestations of physiological functions and pathological changes of zang-fu organs.In combination, zang xiang（zang-fu manifestation）refers to zang-fu organs and their exterior manifestations of their physiological functions and pathological changes.It is an entity of exterior phenomena and interior nature of the system of human body.

Theory of zang-fu manifestation is a theory to study the physiological functions, pathological changes and their mutual relations of the zang-fu organs through observing the exterior physiological and pathological phenomena of the body. It believes that though zang-fu organs are hidden deep in the body and hard to be observed directly, they are also related to each other through the meridian and collateral system and the external tissues and organs.If the internal zang-organs are ill, their corresponding external tissues and organs may have abnormal reactions with various symptoms and signs, such as tongue coating, pulse condition and etc.In clinic, by observing these pathological phenomena and based on their relations with zang-fu organs of the body, pathological changes of the internal zang-fu organs can be deducted, which can be used as the theoretical basis of medication.The theory of zang-fu manifestation was generalized with the guidance of yin-yang theory and theory of five elements.It is of great significance as the core of the basic theories of traditional Chinese medicine

Theory of zang-fu manifestation mainly studies zang-fu organs, which can be divided into five zang-organs, six fu-organs and extraordinary fu-organs according to their physiological functions. The concept of zang-fu organs in traditional Chinese medicine originated from the preliminary understanding of the internal zang-fu organs of human body by actual observation and measurement, but it has been entrusted with the connotation of life activities in the formation and development of theory of zang-fu manifestation, and finally a comprehensive systematic concept integrated both morphological structures and physiological functions, which is formed deriving from and going beyond anatomy.Zang-fu organ in traditional Chinese medicine not only has the anatomy significance but is a function unit of pathology and physiology.It cannot be confused with zang-fu organs in western medicine.

II Physiological characteristics of five zang-organs, six fu-organs and extraordinary fu-organs

Zang-fu organs include five zang-organs, six fu-organs and extraordinary fu-organs.

Five zang-organs refer to the heart, the liver, the spleen, the lung and the kidney. Their common physiological functions are"storing essence",i.e.transforming and storing qi, blood, fluid, and essential qi, and they are related with the activities of the spirit.Six fu-organs refer to the gallbladder, the stomach, the small intestine, the large intestine, the bladder and the triple energizers.Their common physiological functions are"transmitting and transforming diet",i.e.decomposing and digesting water and food, as well as transporting and discharging the wastes.

Five zang-organs"store essence"and the essence must be plentiful. The common physiological characteristics of five zang-organs are"storing essence without leaking",and"full of essence without foodstuff".Six fu-organs"transmitand transform diet".Food and water are transformed accordingly among six fu-organs and are continuously digested, so each fu-organ is always in the state of replacement of fullness and evacuation.That's why the common physiological characteristics of six fu-organs are"digesting and transporting food and water without storing essence"and"full of foodstuff without essence".Here"full of essence without foodstuff"means that what five zang-organs store is essence, not food and water or turbid qi;while"full of foodstuff without essence"means that functions of six fu-organs are to transmit and digest food and water, not to store the essence.

However, it must be noted out that the so called five zang-organs storing essence and six fu-organs transmitting and transforming wastes are relative, which means that zang-organs and fu-organs mainly govern some functions. Actually, there are also turbid qi in five zang-organs and essence in six fu-organs.The turbid qi in zang-organs is transmitted and purged by fu-organs, while the essence in fu-organs are transported into zang-organs and stored there.

Extraordinary fu-organs refer to the brain, the marrow, the bone, the vessel, the gallbladder and the uterus. Extraordinary means unique and common.Their common physiological characteristics are:they are hollow in shape, which is similar to fu-organs in the shape, but they will not touch grain and water directly;meanwhile, they can store essential qi, which is similar to that of five zang-organs.That is why they are called extraordinary fu-organs.

III Characteristics of the theory of zang-fu manifestation

The characteristic of the theory of zang-fu manifestation is holism with five zang-organs as the center. From the overall concept, it believes that human body with vitality is governed by the heart, with five zang-organs as the center, and assorted by six fu-organs.With the essence, qi, blood and fluids as the substantial basis, the body constituent and orifices are connected by the meridian and collateral system.Thus the five functional systems of the body are formed.These five functional systems closely relate to each other in structure, coordinate with each other in physiological activities, influence each other in pathological changes, and at the same time they are also in mutually dependent intimacy with the natural environment.Therefore, the holism with five zang-organs as the center, which grasps the life phenomena and rules from the body and the whole system of the body and the nature, is the basic characteristic of the theory of zang-fu manifestation.

IV Establishment of the theory of zang-fu manifestation

The theory of zang-fu manifestation had already formed a complete theoretical system in the era of Canon of Medicine（Nei Jing）. Its formative factors are mainly as follows:

1.Understanding of the ancient anatomy The ancient anatomy not only offered morphological basis for the establishment of the theory of zang-fu manifestation, but helped the ancients get to know some functions of the internal organs.

2.Observation from practice of everyday life Through observing the phenomena of human life, the ancients analyzed different responses of human body to different environments and outside stimulations to know the physiological and pathological rules of the body, and this was the main basis of the formation of the theory of zang-fu manifestation.

3.Penetration of ancient philosophical thought Penetration of the ancient philosophical thought such as essential qi theory, yin-yang theory and theory of five elements played an important role in the formation and systemization of the theory of zang-fu manifestation.

4.Accumulation of medical practice experience Clinical efficacy can be used to explore and to disprove physiological pathological mechanism, which can continually enrich and improve the theory of zang-fu manifestation.

To sum up, the theory of zang-fu manifestation is the generalization, abstraction and deduction of various observed external symptoms of the internal zang-fu organs in life and medical practice with the method of knowing the interior by observing the exterior, analogy and overall observation, which is based on the understanding of some functions of the internal zang-fu organs with theancient anatomy knowledge as the basis. The theory of zang-fu manifestation is a theoretical system formed by the objective observable shape in combination with the subjective deducted understanding.