I am a Cat (Chapter 8 a) Section 245 Study Guide

Practice text with full furigana

事件じけん大概たいがい逆上ぎゃくじょうからものだ。逆上とはんでのごとくかさにのぼのである、このてんかんしてはゲーレンパラセルサス旧弊きゅうへいなる扁鵲へんじゃく異議いぎとなうる者は一人ひとりもない。ただどこへ逆かさに上るかが問題もんだいである。またなにが逆かさに上るかが議論ぎろんのあるところである。古来こらい欧洲人おうしゅううじん伝説でんせつによると、吾人ごじん体内たいないには四種よんしゅえき循環じゅんかんしておったそうだ。第一だいいち怒液どえきやつがある。これが逆かさに上るとおこ第二だいに鈍液どんえきづくるのがある。これが逆かさに上ると神経しんけいにぶくなるつぎには憂液ゆうえき、これは人間にんげん陰気いんきにする。最後さいご血液けつえき、これは四肢ししさかにする。その人文じんぶんすすしたがって鈍液、怒液、憂液はいつのにかなくなって、現今げんこんいたっては血液だけがむかしのように循環していると云うはなだ。だからもし逆上する者があらば血液よりほかにはあるまいとおもわれる。しかるにこの血液の分量ぶんりょう個人こじんによってちゃんとまっている性分しょうぶんによって多少たしょう増減ぞうげんはあるが、まず大抵たいてい一人前いちにんまえつき五升ごしょう五合ごごう割合わりあいである。だによって、この五升五合が逆かさに上ると、上ったところだけはさかんに活動かつどうするが、その局部きょくぶ欠乏けつぼうかんじてつめたくなる。ちょうど交番こうばん焼打やきうち当時とうじ巡査じゅんさことごとく警察署けいさつしょあつまって町内ちょうないには一人もなくなったようなものだ。あれも医学いがくじょうから診断しんだんをすると警察の逆上と云う者である。でこの逆上をやすには血液を従前じゅうぜんのごとく体内の各部かくぶ平均へいきん分配ぶんぱいしなければならん。そうするには逆かさに上った奴をしたおろさなくてはならん。そのほうにはいろいろある。いま故人こじんとなられたが主人しゅじん先君せんくんなどは手拭てぬぐいあたまにあてて炬燵こたつにあたっておられたそうだ。頭寒ずかん足熱そくねつ延命えんめい息災そくさいちょう傷寒論しょうかんろんにも出ているとお、濡れ手拭は長寿ちょうじゅほうにおいて一日いちじつべからざる者である。それでなければ坊主ぼうず慣用かんようする手段しゅだんこころみるがよい。一所いっしょ不住ふじゅう沙門しゃもん雲水うんすい行脚あんぎゃ衲僧のうそうかなら樹下じゅか石上せきじょう宿やどとすとある。樹下石上とは難行なんぎょう苦行くぎょうのためではない。

Rough translation

Altercations, for the most part, are born of disarray. And disarray, as the word itself suggests, is things out of place. On this point, all great physicians would agree, from Galen to Paracelsus to the ancient Bien Que. The problem of what's out of place and where it belongs, however, is open to debate. In the European medical tradition, there were four humors that circulate through the body. First is the yellow bile of anger, which flowing too freely results in rage. Next is the substance phlegm, which in overabundance dulls the nerves. Then there's black bile, the source of melancholy. Finally there's blood, which energizes the four limbs. Over time, with the advance of human knowledge, yellow bile, phlegm, and black bile have fallen out of favor, and now it's only blood, they tell us, that courses through the body. It follows then, that what's out of place must be blood. Each of us, it should also be noted, has a fixed volume of blood. We each have ten liters, give or take a bit depending on the individual. Accordingly, when these ten liters go rushing to some single part of the body, that single part is over-energized while other parts are left cold. It's like the Hibiya Incendiary Incident, where the police were forced back to headquarters and the streets left unpatrolled. From the medical perspective, the diagnosis would be a policing imbalance. To alleviate a rush, blood must be dispersed back out to through the body, restoring to each part its usual measure. There are various methods to bring this about. The master's forebears, back in their day, had sworn by a damp cloth to cool the head and kotatsu to warm the feet. According to the Shanghan Lun, a cooled head and warm feet are secrets to long life. Application of a damp cloth to the head is essential, not to be skipped for even a single day. As an alternative, one can follow the Buddhist priest's example. The wandering Zen monk, winding his way through myriad lands and never putting down roots, always sleeps out of doors. This sleeping out of doors is by no means hardship for hardship's sake.

Vocabulary

事件じけん incident; affair; altercation大概たいがい in general; for the most part逆上ぎゃくじょう rush of blood to the head; dizzinessる appear; emerge; emanateもの thingんで read characters; wordかさに upside down; reversedのぼる ascend; riseてん point; matter; aspectかんしては concerning; with regard toゲーレン Galen (physician, surgeon and philosopher in the Roman Empire; 129-c.200)パラセルサス Paracelsus (Swiss physician, alchemist, and philosopher of the German Renaissance; 1493-1541)旧弊きゅうへいなる of antiquity扁鵲へんじゃく Bien Que (legendary Chinese physician)異議いぎ difference of opinion; dissentとなうる advocate; advance; insist on一人ひとり one person; a single person問題もんだい problem; questionなに what議論ぎろん argument; debate古来こらい of old; from times past欧洲人おうしゅううじん Europeans伝説でんせつ tradition; legend; lore吾人ごじん we; us体内たいない (within the) body四種よんしゅ four kinds; four typesえき fluids; humors循環じゅんかんして circulate; cycle第一だいいち first of all; first怒液どえき yellow bile (associated with anger)う called; referred to asやつ thing; stuff; substanceおこす fly into a rage; lose one's temper第二だいに second鈍液どんえき phlegm (associated with composure or detachment)づくる call; refer to as神経しんけい nervesにぶくなる grow dull; become unresponsiveつぎ next憂液ゆうえき black bile (associated with melancholy)人間にんげん human being; a person陰気いんき downcast; melancholy最後さいご final; last (one)血液けつえき blood四肢しし the (four) limbsさかん active; energetic; vigorousその after that; since those times人文じんぶん civilizationすすむ advance; progressしたがって in accordance with; as ...いつのにか at some point; somewhere along the way現今げんこん the present (day or age)いたっては arriving atむかし olden days; times pastはなし subject; conversation; talk ofおもわれる is thought; is supposed分量ぶんりょう amount; quantity個人こじん person; individualまっている is decided; is determined性分しょうぶん nature; character多少たしょう to some extent; to some degree増減ぞうげん more or less; variation大抵たいてい generally; for the most part一人前いちにんまえ one personつき per; apiece五升ごしょう五合ごごう 5 shō and 5 gō (about 10 liters; about 11 quarts)割合わりあい rate; ratio; proportionさかんに actively; energetically活動かつどうする function; work other局部きょくぶ parts; regions欠乏けつぼう lack; shortageかんじて feel; experienceつめたくなる cool off; go cold交番こうばん焼打やきうち police box burning (reference to Hibiya Incendiary Incident of Sep 1905)当時とうじ time in question巡査じゅんさ police officer; policemanことごとく altogether; entirely; one and all警察署けいさつしょ police headquartersあつまって gather; assemble町内ちょうない neighborhood; streets; about town医学いがく medical science; medicineじょう from the standpoint of診断しんだん diagnosisやす heal; soothe; alleviate従前じゅうぜん previously; before各部かくぶ all parts; various parts平均へいきんに uniformly分配ぶんぱいしなければならん have to distributeした belowおろさなくてはならん have to lower; need to let downほう way; manner; methodいま now; in this present time故人こじん the deceased; people long gone主人しゅじん master先君せんくん ancestors手拭てぬぐい damp clothあたま head炬燵こたつ kotatsu (table with underside or in-floor heater)頭寒ずかん足熱そくねつ keeping the head cool and feet warm延命えんめい息災そくさい health and longevityちょう indicator of; call to傷寒論しょうかんろん Shanghan Lun (traditional Chinese medicine treatise from late Han Dynasty)とおり just as ...長寿ちょうじゅ long life; longevityほう means; method一日いちじつも (not even) one dayく lack; go withoutべからざる cannot; must not坊主ぼうず Buddhist priest慣用かんようする be practiced in手段しゅだん means; measureこころみる try; have a go at一所いっしょ不住ふじゅう never putting down roots沙門しゃもん shramana (wandering monk)雲水うんすい行脚あんぎゃ pilgrimage through many lands衲僧のうそう Zen priestかならず invariably; without fail樹下じゅか石上せきじょう under a tree or on top of a stone (i.e. out in the wild)宿やどとす stop for the night難行なんぎょう苦行くぎょう penance; hardship