Everyone who has been stabbed knows this: the first second after being stabbed is often not excruciating pain, but a numb, hot feeling like being hit by a heavy punch. In a matter of a few seconds, adrenaline “switches off” the sensation of pain; only after 3–10 seconds does the severe pain truly surge in. Differences between body parts are huge: if you’re stabbed in the abdomen, it starts as a dull ache like food poisoning, followed by cramping pain, nausea, and a belly that turns hard like a board (board-like abdomen). Once the intestines rupture, feces and urine leak into the abdominal cavity, and within a few hours it can develop into a fatal peritonitis. If you’re stabbed in the lung, every breath feels like a knife cutting— the more you cough, the more you can’t catch your breath, because air has entered the chest cavity and compresses the lung (pneumothorax). If you’re stabbed in the heart, you may feel the chest as if a huge stone is pressing down; you may quickly go dark and even die suddenly. What’s most deadly is not what happens on the spot, but blood loss and infection. For emergency care, remember three points: don’t pull out the knife (it may be blocking a blood vessel), press down on the edges of the wound to stop the bleeding, and move as little as possible. Adjust your position according to the situation and call for help immediately—grasp the “golden hour,” and there may still be a chance to live.