Chapter 19: Taking on an Acupuncture Apprentice

"Xiao Zhang, please don't misunderstand; I didn't mean anything else by that. I just wanted to ask, we've been working together for nearly half a year, why have you always kept yourself so hidden?" Wang Sen, perhaps realizing his tone had been a bit aggressive, quickly added an explanation.

"I really didn't intend to hide anything; I just haven't had the right opportunity to step in, so..."

Zhang Jing’s explanation was perfectly appropriate, leaving no room for complaint.

"Alright, alright, it’s all my fault. I failed to recognize a true talent when I saw one." Before Zhang Jing could continue, Wang Sen cut him off, adding, "I have an idea—I wonder if you’d be willing to hear it?"

"Please, go ahead."

"To be honest, what do you think of my massage technique?" Wang Sen asked, bracing himself.

Zhang Jing actually wanted to say that besides being practiced, it wasn't particularly impressive. However, saying that directly would be too damaging to his pride. After a moment of thought, he replied tactfully, "It's quite good, certainly much better than mine."

"That’s great! Here’s what I’m thinking: since you admit my massage skills are decent, and your acupuncture skills are far superior to mine, why don't we trade? You teach me warm needle acupuncture, and I’ll teach you massage. How about it?"

In truth, as soon as Wang Sen had started speaking, Zhang Jing had a vague inkling of his intentions. However, hearing it stated so bluntly—and with Wang Sen offering his own "signature skill" in exchange—still left him slightly taken aback.

Zhang Jing pondered for a long time. Having worked together for nearly half a year and sharing the same dormitory, he understood Wang Sen fairly well. From his observations, aside from an obsession with online games, Wang Sen wasn't a bad person at heart. At work, he was reasonably diligent, or at least he approached his massages with genuine passion. He didn't deliberately drag out treatments just to charge more; his limited ability simply necessitated longer courses of treatment.

With this in mind, Zhang Jing decided he could teach him the warm needle technique. He had two reasons: On a smaller scale, it was for the long-term development of the Mingde Hall TCM Clinic; after all, acupuncture wasn't his primary focus, and they would eventually need a practitioner who could handle both acupuncture and massage independently. On a larger scale, once he taught him, there would be one less "pseudo-TCM practitioner" and one more authentic one. In the grand scheme of things, this was a small but beneficial contribution to the revival of traditional Chinese medicine.

Seeing that Zhang Jing remained silent for a long time, Wang Sen began to feel insecure and said dejectedly, "Fine, I know my 'three-legged cat' skills aren't worth your attention. Forget it, pretend I never said anything."

"Dr. Wang, don't misunderstand. I was just considering how best to teach you, as I don't have any experience as a teacher."

"Really? You’re actually willing to teach me? That’s fantastic!" Wang Sen was so excited that the veins on his forehead stood out.

Seeing such high enthusiasm for learning, Zhang Jing couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction. He nodded and said, "We’re colleagues, after all. Exchanging knowledge is only natural."

"Yes, yes! My perspective was just too narrow. I was even guarding against you back when I was doing massages," Wang Sen said, his face full of shame.

"Uh, how about this: I’ve been thinking, the foundation of acupuncture lies in correctly identifying acupoints. Dr. Wang, if I may be blunt, some of the points you’ve been using haven't been very accurate."

"Yes, yes, absolutely!" Wang Sen nodded repeatedly. He knew perfectly well that Zhang Jing was being polite. It wasn't just *some* points that were inaccurate; he had essentially been practicing 'A-Shi' point therapy—needling wherever it hurt—without any real methodology.

"So, you need to review the standard acupoints thoroughly. Doesn't our clinic have that acupuncture mannequin? Look at it whenever you have free time, and you’ll memorize them eventually."

The mannequin was indeed sitting on the desk in Wang Sen’s massage room, though it had always been treated as nothing more than a decoration.

"Understood, Dr. Zhang! I will master them as soon as possible," Wang Sen vowed.

*Dr. Zhang?* The sudden change in address caught Zhang Jing off guard.

Wang Sen quickly explained, "Sorry about that. When we're alone, I should probably call you 'Teacher Zhang,' but since I’m quite a bit older than you, I just couldn't bring myself to say it."

"Hey, Dr. Wang, we’re colleagues—there’s no need for such formalities. Just call me 'Xiao Zhang' like before."

"No, that won't do! It has to be 'Dr. Zhang'!" Wang Sen insisted stubbornly. After saying this, he scratched his bald head and added apologetically, "I used to underestimate you, treating you like a bookworm, so please forgive any past offenses. I promise to learn acupuncture from you properly from now on."

Zhang Jing hadn't expected the man to be so stubborn, but then again, learning TCM required exactly that kind of persistence. He stopped standing on ceremony and continued his instruction.

"Once you’ve mastered the precise locations of the standard points, you need to learn how to select them. Dr. Wang, do you remember the three principles of acupoint selection?"

"Acupoint selection principles... that... it’s something like local selection, distal selection, and... I really can't remember the third one." Although he had majored in acupuncture and massage in college, he had focused entirely on massage after graduation, and the acupuncture knowledge had largely returned to his teachers. He scratched his head in embarrassment.

"The third is 'syndrome-based' selection, also known as 'symptom-based' selection."

"Local selection usually involves picking points directly at or near the site of pain, while distal selection refers to choosing points along the meridians. Combining the two often yields immediate, short-term therapeutic results."

"However, if you want to prevent recurrence and achieve better long-term results, you must incorporate syndrome-based selection. That can be quite complex, so for now, you can focus on mastering the first two."

Wang Sen nodded like a bird pecking at grain. "Makes sense, makes sense. Solve the immediate symptoms quickly so the patient feels relief. Good results lead to a good reputation."

"As for the selection of methods, I personally favor the 'He's Three-Passage Method.' This includes the 'Micro-Passage' using filiform needles, the 'Warm-Passage' using fire needles, warm needles, and moxibustion, and the 'Strong-Passage' using three-edged needles for bloodletting."

Wang Sen looked blank. "To be honest, that’s my first time hearing of it."

"The 'Three-Passage Method' evolved directly from classical acupuncture theory. *The Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon: Miraculous Pivot—Nine Needles and Twelve Sources* states: 'When using needles, if there is deficiency, tonify it; if there is excess, drain it; if there is stagnant blood, remove it; if evil qi is dominant, purge it.'"

"That sounds vaguely familiar, but I still don't quite understand. Dr. Zhang, could you put it in simpler terms?" Wang Sen laughed awkwardly.

"It’s not hard to understand. In modern language, it simply means: when using acupuncture, use tonification for deficiency, purgation for excess, removal for stagnant blood, and attack methods for dominant evil qi."

"Needling can tonify, purge, or provide a neutral balance, all depending on the technique. Slow insertion with quick withdrawal and pressing the needle hole is tonification; quick insertion with slow withdrawal without pressing the hole is purgation. Neither quick nor slow is neutral. What’s especially worth noting are the two advanced techniques: 'Burning Mountain Fire' and 'Penetrating Heaven Coolness.' The former is a major tonification, the latter a major purgation. However, these require profound skill and clinical experience, and I haven't mastered them yet either."

Wang Sen nodded. "I remember the teachers mentioning those in college, but I’ve neglected them for so long that I’ve forgotten almost everything."

"These are the basics. Generally speaking, acupuncture acts faster than moxibustion. Since the most common cases we see are deficiency-cold or cold-dampness arthralgia, we should prioritize the ancient method of warm needle acupuncture—combining needling with moxibustion."

"This eliminates the drawback of acupuncture lacking heat stimulation and compensates for moxibustion's limited depth. Of course, this applies to the average practitioner. For true masters, these limitations don't exist, as they can achieve the same warmth through 'Burning Mountain Fire' or reach the affected area through heat-sensitive moxibustion."