《混俗颐生录》

Between heaven and earth, humans are the most noble. Humans are called noble because they differ from the myriad things. What people prize is glory, splendor, and high station; what they hold dear is life. Humans take physical form from the pure Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy) of heaven and earth, yet they are also distressed by cold and heat, dryness and dampness. When one accords with nature and nourishes oneself properly, illness does not readily arise; when one goes against the way of nourishing cultivation, all sorts of ailments follow one after another, and even when the allotted span of life reaches its end it cannot be prolonged. Premature death, chronic illness, pain, and afflictions such as lameness or blindness are for the most part the result of improper nourishing and regulation.

Nevertheless, conditions such as toes grown together, extra fingers, superfluous flesh, and warts or tumors on the body are innate defects that commonly occur; they are not caused by improper methods of regulating the breath. Therefore the five colors disturb the eyes, the five tones damage the hearing, the five flavors corrupt the sense of taste, and hunting drives the mind and Shen (spirit) into frenzy. By remaining distant from these four influences, one can become a person who transcends the dusty world.

As for those who dwell in deep mountains and secluded valleys, keep company with apes and monkeys and live among elk and deer, who abandon the fine pleasures of the world and nourish life by ingesting black zhi and dining on auroras (the Daoist cultivation practice of absorbing the Jing-Qi of clouds and mists), hoping that their lifespan will equal that of heaven and earth—such people are scarcely to be found, even one or two among ten million. If one knows how to be moderate in food and drink and in one’s desires, not allowing them to become excessive, one can avoid unnatural disasters and illnesses.

In former times I long lacked restraint in diet, craving the five flavors and frequently drinking wine, until I contracted a mad illness. I reflected that the origins of this disease must have been long-standing. I therefore entrusted my mind to the Dao (the Way), dwelt among groves and springs, set aside cares and distracting thoughts, and only then did my condition gradually improve.

By nature I am dull-witted and do not understand which matters of diet and daily living ought to be avoided or how to nourish the body, so I could only roughly restrain myself. After doing so for some twenty years I have seen a certain amount of effect. The length or shortness of a person’s lifespan and the smoothness or adversity of circumstances each have their allotted measure. If one cannot preserve the harmonious Qi (vital energy) but instead dissipates the spirit, and then employs the refining of golden sand (mineral medicines commonly used in Daoist alchemy) to fuel desires, discarding benevolence and righteousness together with the taboos and principles of nourishing the body, yet wildly hoping for auspicious omens and immortality, is this not a great delusion? When the skin itself is gone, where can the hair attach?

As for those who cast off the entanglements of the dusty world, ascend into emptiness, and ride away on dragons and cranes, they are people who have practiced hidden virtue (performing good deeds without seeking recompense) through generation after generation and have enacted benevolence and righteousness life after life, possessing moreover a firm and unchanging heavenly nature and endowment. This is not something that can be achieved by taking medicines and tonics. Among the ancients there were those who lived several hundred years, yet one never hears of them relying on the arts of studying the Dao in quest of immortality; turtles, dragons, snakes, and cranes likewise have no methods of taking medicines or consuming lingzhi. Pines and bamboos remain un-withered through frost, while vines and grasses wither in autumn—this is the natural endowment of each of the myriad things. Could the great Dao of heaven and earth show partiality toward certain animals or people?

Birds and beasts, if they do not encounter pellet-shot, originally would not die easily, because they live according to their nature: they eat when hungry, drink when thirsty, their desires cease at the proper time, and they are not entangled by miscellaneous thoughts. People frequently die young or fall ill because they greedily pursue fame and profit, exhausting mind and spirit; they forcibly ingest medicines yet do not restrain their desires and do not know the matters that ought to be avoided; they live in luxury, overeat, and indulge themselves in seeking satiety and warmth. Earth, wood, mountains, and stones are all produced by natural creation, their forms each having peculiarities, and people are likewise. Moreover, merit, fame, wealth, rank, and glorious prominence are merely temporary and have no fundamental relation to one’s own life and nature; only by regulating and nourishing body and mind can the spirit be at peace and lifespan prolonged.

I have now divided the essential methods of regulating and nourishing body and mind into ten chapters, titled Hunsu Yisheng Lu (Record of Nourishing Life Amidst the Mundane). These contents are all what I have personally tried and which indeed have some efficacy, not empty words. Although I have not researched deeply nor been able to fathom the principles thoroughly, the general contents are reasonably complete. I cannot write out every matter in exhaustive detail and have only directly recorded the main points; should like-minded people read it, I hope there may be something slightly worth adopting.

Food is the fundamental basis for sustaining life and cannot be done without even for a moment. If one does not moderate diet or distinguish between cold and hot foods, illness readily arises. If one cannot nourish life by ingesting elixirs and regulating original Qi (vital energy), then care should be taken with daily diet and living habits. This too can function like a fine medicine, yet people practice it every day without often recognizing its preciousness.

When eating, it is best to consume warm and hot foods first, then cold and cool ones. Why? Because the kidneys belong to Water, whose nature tends toward cold, so warm and hot foods are used first to warm the body. This manner of regulation is better in any season; it is especially suitable in summer to eat warm and hot foods first, since latent cold Qi readily lurks within the body during that season.

Do not eat until overly full, for overeating damages the heart Qi, causing shortness of breath and a feeling of oppression in the chest.

After a meal, first massage the abdomen with the hands several dozen times, then raise the face and exhale twenty times; this aids digestion and lightens the body’s burden. Do not sleep immediately after eating, or else the lung Qi is easily damaged, the circulation of nutritive and defensive Qi becomes obstructed, and the blood vessels stagnate. The limbs and joints will feel heavy and oppressed, and one will be prone to drowsiness; over time this may give rise to various illnesses.

After eating, first relax for a while, then walk thirty to fifty paces to help the food digest; only when the chest and abdomen have settled may one lie down to rest. While resting, do not speak, sing, or make prolonged whistling sounds. The five viscera are like bells and chimes: they produce no sound unless struck. Conserving Qi and effort is an excellent method for nourishing the body.

Diet is used to nourish primordial Qi. Eating until overly full makes it difficult for Qi to circulate. After a meal one should especially avoid lying supine, as this readily produces Qi Pi (abdominal stuffiness and fullness from stagnation of the Qi mechanism) and may also give rise to Tou Feng (ailments caused by wind pathogens in the head). Do not eat until overly full, nor eat too hurriedly: eating too quickly injures Qi, while eating too full injures the Spleen; once the Spleen is damaged, Shi Lao (digestive taxation arising from improper diet that injures Spleen and Stomach) develops. This is one of the Five Taxations spoken of among men.

After eating one's fill, do not walk briskly, gallop on horseback, climb heights, or venture into danger, lest the internal viscera be injured.

One should not eat at night. After the sun has set, the Spleen and Stomach's capacity to digest food is weaker. The ancients held that the Spleen delights in music; as soon as the sounds of silk and bamboo instruments arise, the Spleen begins its transportation and transformation. Thus the Zhou Li speaks of using music to assist eating. From this it is inferred that sound is related to the Spleen's digestive function.

If the abdomen becomes even slightly chilled, food is not easily digested and the Stomach is also injured. Injury to the Stomach produces Fan Ni (upward rebellion of Stomach Qi); when Stomach Qi rebels it cannot receive grains, vomiting readily follows, and over time this becomes Fan Wei (a condition of repeated vomiting and inability to take in food). After deep night it is unsuitable to eat until overly full, especially meat, flour-based foods, and raw sliced meat. In summer, when nights are short, extra caution is needed. Raw sliced meat should not be eaten together with dairy products. Even if these foods are digested during the night they still greatly injure the Spleen and Stomach, producing Pi Lao (Spleen taxation from weariness and weakness). As night approaches one should not eat until full, nor eat pancakes; this is especially harmful to those suffering from wind diseases or Qi diseases, and even less suitable for them.

After eating hot food do not rinse the mouth with cold water; after eating cold food do not rinse with hot water. The alternation of cold and heat stimulates the teeth and readily causes toothache and exposure of the tooth roots.

When eating roasted meat, consuming it while still hot readily produces Feng Gan (an ailment related to wind pathogens and gingival lesions); the teeth may also turn yellow then black and gradually fall out, while the blood vessels become obstructed in their flow.

After eating one's fill it is best to urinate while standing; when hungry it is likewise best to urinate promptly, so as to avoid injuring the Bladder.

Oily and heavy foods are most unsuitable for people, especially those with dim vision or deficient-cold intestines and stomach with slippery diarrhea; such foods also readily induce wind diseases. Those afflicted with Feng Gan or Qi disorders should abstain from them.

The five flavors (sour, bitter, sweet, pungent, and salty), if eaten somewhat lightly, can leave a person feeling mentally clear and refreshed. Kidney Qi (vital energy) is relatively suited to salty foods, and saltiness is also thought to help digest accumulated food. None of the flavors should be eaten to excess; overindulgence damages the corresponding viscera. Too much salt injures the sinews, so one must not crave it; too much sweetness injures the stomach, too much pungency injures the eyes, and too much bitterness likewise causes harm.

Fright and fear injure the hun soul, worry and melancholy injure the Shen (spirit), excessive rumination injures the yi intention, unrestrained desire injures the emotions, and resentment injures the zhi will.

Prolonged gazing damages the eyesight, prolonged listening damages the hearing, prolonged walking damages the sinews, prolonged lying down damages the blood, prolonged labor damages the bones, prolonged standing damages the limbs and joints, and prolonged speaking depletes and injures the Qi.

When extremely thirsty, do not drink too much at one time; when extremely hungry, do not eat until overly full at once. After great joy, do not fall into great sorrow; after excessive toil, do not immediately rest to excess. When desires are too great and go unfulfilled they produce deep disappointment, and anger therefore injures the Zhengqi (the body’s normal original Qi). Excessive exertion leads to exhaustion and depletion, excessive hunger damages the viscera, eating too full closes the couli (the skin’s texture and pores), and excessive thirst obstructs the meridians and makes the Qi mechanism sluggish. Great drunkenness scatters the spirit, great laughter causes Qi to rise and disperse, great fear leaves the heart-spirit dazed, excessive heat impedes the flow of Qi, excessive cold stagnates the blood vessels, sleeping too much disturbs the Shen and hun, and great fright unsettles the heart-spirit. All of these are signs of harm to one’s lifespan.

In daily life one should avoid birds of unknown origin or those that died of themselves, stale, foul-smelling, and indigestible beef, and foods that are overly salty, overly sour, dry and hard, greasy, or cold. One should also eat little raw scallion, garlic, shallot, or raw coriander, as well as unseasonal foods, fruits and melons, flour porridges, and cold-mixed noodles (noodles tossed with cold water). None of these accord with the Dao (the Way) of nourishing life and regulating the body.

When taking medicines or medicinal fare (drugs and foods used to nourish the body), one must especially avoid three kinds of meat: chicken, pork, and scaleless fish. One should also avoid three kinds of vegetables: junda (a leafy vegetable), lettuce, and boleng (spinach). The original text holds that these foods close the blood vessels or conflict with the properties of the medicines.

If a person cannot observe restraint in everyday activities such as walking, standing, sitting, reclining, eating and drinking, and in the arising of desires and ordinary living, then even by taking lingzhi and drinking hangxie (the legendary immortal dew) every day, how could there be any replenishing benefit? Those medicines that consolidate Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy) and assist Yang qi may appear to keep a person flourishing, yet prolonged use will certainly cause great harm. How can one fail to understand this principle?

When eating meat or vegetables, if sinews or fibers prove tough and hard to chew, they should not be swallowed. Such things are difficult to digest; accumulated over time they readily form abdominal masses and also increase the burden on the spleen and stomach. Moreover, one should not eat or drink beneath the stars and moon, nor in temples, palaces and abbeys, famous mountains and great rivers, ancient sacrificial altars, sacred trees, or among graves. These too are among the prohibitions of the Daoist tradition and ought to be carefully avoided.

Drinking Wine for Nourishing Cultivation, the Second

Wine corresponds to the stellar lodges, and the origin of wine is already of great antiquity. When the intelligent drink wine, their intelligence is displayed; when the foolish drink, their foolishness becomes even more apparent. Relieving sorrow and freely expressing the emotions through wine, or becoming angry and voicing innermost thoughts through wine—all these pertain to wine. Thus the kings of antiquity drank according to the way of ritual and music, the worthies used wine to nourish their temperament, while ordinary people might use it to indulge their desires. This is precisely what is meant by “drinking without restraint.” Raising pigs and brewing wine is not itself a calamity, therefore one should neither drink to excess nor drink too frequently.

Great intoxication gravely injures the heart-Shen (spirit), causing Liver Qi to float and Gallbladder Qi to rebel transversely; it also invites pathogenic Wind, damages the Kidneys, and injures the sinews and bones. Nothing harms the sinews and bones more than wine, and one should especially abstain from it after eating to satiety.

Those who love wine frequently suffer disorders of Lung Qi and are easily invaded by pathogenic Wind; otherwise they may experience heaviness in the waist and knees or cold pain in the bladder. These are generally the kinds of ailments involved.

After drinking, copious vomiting is not advisable. Violent vomiting disorders Liver Qi into rebellion and exhausts Gallbladder Qi. The Liver is the place upon which the Gallbladder depends; when Gallbladder Qi weakens, a person easily becomes timid and thereafter is often disturbed by fright and palpitations. Sleep at night becomes restless and confused, forgetfulness increases, and the heart-Shen gradually dissipates. If bodily damage is perceived, Heart-Supplementing Pills may be taken.

When drinking, do not gulp too hastily, lest it rush upon and injure the Lungs. The Lungs are regarded as the canopy of the five viscera (the organ that covers and protects the five zang-organs) and should not be harmed. Once the Lungs are injured, there may appear excessive mucus, disharmony of Lung Qi, pulmonary atrophy, coughing, and similar illnesses. Those afflicted with taxation Qi, wind-gan, or the five hemorrhoids should abstain from wine even more strictly.

(The foregoing retains the traditional yangsheng theoretical formulations of the original text.)

If one suffers from a wind illness, medicinal substances may be soaked in wine and consumed, but one should not drink to the point of becoming overly intoxicated.

After consuming wine, one should not drink cold water or cold tea. The original text maintains that this readily allows the wine’s Qi (vital energy) to enter the kidneys, where it accumulates as harmful fluids that should be expelled in a timely fashion. Over a prolonged period, the lower back and knees will feel heavy; it may also induce cold pain in the bladder, edema, wasting-thirst (xiaoke, characterized by excessive thirst, frequent urination, and polydipsia), as well as spasms of the sinews and bones and impaired mobility.

After drinking, one should not remain lying down continuously; instead, someone should assist in turning the body. Otherwise, the bladder as well as the intestines and stomach may be injured. The structures of wine shops tend to deteriorate easily, which the original text cites to illustrate the damaging effects of prolonged soaking in wine.

Regardless of the season, it is preferable to drink wine that has been warmed. In winter it suffices to heat the wine until it is no longer cold; it should not be made scalding hot, for excessive heat injures the heart and lungs. No food of any kind should be eaten while still scalding; this principle is not limited to hot wine.

In summer, black beans may be stir-fried until hot and then placed, while still hot, into wine to soak. Once the wine has turned purple, it is drunk warm. The original text regards this as especially effective for regulating the Qi mechanism. In autumn and winter, medicinal herbs should be selected for soaking in wine according to the individual’s constitution of cold or heat and the particular illness.

The original text further remarks that in autumn and winter, soaking herbs in wine according to one’s constitution of cold or heat and the presenting illness yields excellent results. Nowadays some people brew wine from grapes, wheat, and similar grains; the original text views this as employing artifice to conceal the true substance, rather than for the purpose of treating disease, and therefore various ingredients should not be mixed indiscriminately into medicinal wine. The “dark wine” (xuanjiu, a pale wine representing water in ancestral sacrifices) and “great soup” (dageng, an unseasoned meat broth) spoken of by the ancients prize precisely this quality of unadorned simplicity.

Wine consumed in modest amounts is beneficial, while excess is harmful. A small quantity of wine can promote the circulation of Qi and blood, guide the potency of medicines, moisten the skin, improve the complexion, facilitate the flow of Ying-Wei (the Qi that protects the body and nourishes it), regulate the Qi mechanism, ward off cold, and help avoid epidemic Qi.

When the stomach is empty, one must on no account inhale foul or putrid odors, nor enter the house of anyone who is ill. It is said that drinking wine can keep away pathogenic Qi (vital energy) and toxic Qi. In former times three men set out at dawn while the dew was still on the ground: one had eaten his fill, one had an empty stomach, and one had taken wine. The man with the empty stomach died suddenly, the one who had eaten fell ill, yet the one who had drunk wine remained completely unharmed.

Wine taken in moderation is beneficial; taken to excess it injures the body. What is more, wine damages the intestines and stomach, so one really must not drink freely or in large amounts. The nature of wine is extremely hot; it is said that even in bitter cold, when sea water itself freezes, wine will not freeze.

When wine is being brewed it ferments only after a change in wind and tide; this is regarded as the harmonious working of Yin-Yang creation. For that reason drinking too much wine actually makes the body feel cold. A man’s Yang Qi is already prone to insufficiency. If after drinking he indulges in pleasure, or faces the wind to cool himself when it rises, the body is all the more easily harmed. Should he then catch cold, Yin Qi may be drawn inward by the wine and stagnate in the lower jiao (the lower part of the body, comprising the waist, abdomen and bladder). Some people, while still not sober and unbearably thirsty, drink tea or water; the scripture holds that the wine Qi then carries the liquid down into the waist and knees, where it collects in the bladder, producing stagnant dampness and swelling that likewise lodges in the lower jiao. Unless good medicine and a skilled physician are employed, it is very hard to drive out. This is why excessive wine-drinking makes a person feel cold.

It is common in summer to chill wine by immersing it in a well, and in winter to mix sulao (butter and dairy products) into wine before drinking it. The scripture considers this extremely harmful, for it can leave cold disorders lodged between the waist and knees. Mixing sulao with wine may also bring on taxation damage, spasms and epilepsy-like illnesses; it must never be done.

The reason wine intoxicates is that it contains jiuqu, the ferment used in brewing. The scripture holds that once the Qi of the jiuqu has dispersed it turns into water, which stagnates between the waist and knees and can no longer be expelled.

When drinking, do not sit in a draught, nor expose the body and fan oneself to keep cool. At that moment the pores of the skin are all open; if pathogenic wind enters, the four limbs may lose their freedom of movement and even the hands and feet may become paralyzed. Delicious food eaten together with ice-cold drink may give momentary pleasure, yet in the long run it becomes a source of trouble for the body.

Spring Seasonal Regulation, Third

People receive the Qi (vital energy) of Yin-Yang and the Five Phases and are also influenced by the austere and killing Qi of the four seasons. The body corresponds with the climate of heaven and earth, so that even a minute deviation may cause illness. Treatment of epidemics must therefore follow these principles if health is to be restored. This is reasonable. In ordinary life, sweet and abundant foods taken together with icy, cold drinks may feel pleasant at the moment, yet over time they damage the body.

The Third: Spring Season Messages

A person’s hands and feet symbolize heaven and earth, the blood vessels are like rivers, and the hair is like plants and trees. Being easily angered is like thunder and lightning; the two eyes are like the sun and moon; desires and appetites relate to the growth and continuation of life. The human body corresponds with nature, so that a slight climatic deviation readily produces illness and epidemics. When the body’s condition violates seasonal patterns, disease follows; only by following those patterns in regulation can epidemics be cured. Careful observation of these changes reveals the underlying principles, and errors are rare.

Spring is suitable for inducing sweating, promoting vomiting, and purging, and is also suitable for acupuncture. Taking Xuming Tang and Shuyao Wan produces excellent effects.

After the Winter Solstice, at midnight, the first Yang is born, Yang Qi begins to ascend and disperse, while Yin Qi gradually contracts. If old heat has accumulated between the heart and chest, it collides with the ascending Yang Qi, just as two tigers meeting on a narrow road will inevitably fight. Conditions such as cold damage and deficient heat appearing at the transition between spring and summer are often due to warming by the fire and consuming hot-natured foods in winter, causing the phlegm accumulated in the chest to flow and disperse into the four limbs. Many people fall ill in this way, no fewer than six or seven out of ten.

Starting from the second month of the lunar calendar, one can pick a handful each of peach branches and peach leaves extending eastward, add three sheng of water, and decoct until about two sheng remain. Take it on an empty stomach in the early morning; there is no need to drink it all. As long as it can induce vomiting of the phlegm-fluid from the chest, there will be no harm. Using this method to induce vomiting in all four seasons is far better than purging. Purging will make the lower jiao (the lower abdomen and related viscera) deficient and cold; inducing vomiting can remove guest heat from the viscera in the chest, and thus can eliminate many kinds of diseases.

For children, Yinchen Wan and Xijiao Wan can be used for purging. Because children have not yet experienced sexual intercourse, they do not fear purging. However, one must still distinguish cold and heat, deficiency and excess, and not use medicines casually. If it is a man, when there is indeed a need, one should purge to eliminate the condition of beriberi rising to attack the chest; when there is coldness and pain in the bladder with pus, or when the Sanjiao is obstructed, one should also purge. One should take unobstructed flow as the standard, and not purge excessively. Summer especially forbids purging, because this depletes Yin Qi. Men over forty years of age should not purge excessively.

At the end of spring, one should make slight adjustments for nourishment and maintain balance. Cotton clothes should be taken off later, and one should not change to thin clothes too early.

In late spring it is advisable to nourish the body while remaining even-tempered. Clothing should be reduced later rather than sooner, and special care must be taken not to let the back become chilled. Cold injures the lung Qi (vital energy) and produces nasal congestion and coughing. The most suitable practice is to remove a layer when one feels warm and to add a layer at the first hint of chill. The Feishu point (the back acupoint corresponding to the lungs) is a surface reflection of the five zang organs, while the Weishu point (the back acupoint corresponding to the stomach) is connected with the twelve meridians; therefore the essential matter is to keep warmth and coolness in proper balance.

A common saying runs: “Avoid wind and cold as you would avoid arrows; restrain sexual activity as you would avoid disaster; adjust clothing according to the hour, and eat sparingly after the Shen period (3–5 p.m.).” These words deserve to be remembered. If deficient heat is felt in the body, Hongxue (an ancient heat-clearing medicine) may be taken regularly with meals, together with occasional doses of Chaihu Tang and Sanhuang Wan. Xuanshen likewise clears deficient heat and is useful for depletion from overwork as well as for brightening the eyes. Illnesses readily arise at the transitions between spring and autumn, so the body should be carefully nourished.

Summer Nourishment (Fourth)

From Lixia through the Sanfu period the abdomen often tends to feel cold, so diarrhea must be especially avoided, for it depletes Yin Qi. Acupuncture is unsuitable in summer; methods that promote sweating are preferable. After Xiazhi, Yin Qi begins to arise at midnight; warm and hot foods are then appropriate, and kidney-tonifying decoctions may be taken as well. Everyday meals should likewise consist of warm dishes.

In summer the Heart Qi is vigorous while the Kidney Qi is weak, making rest and regulation particularly suitable. In extreme heat one should not eat Lengtao (noodles soaked in cold water), hemp drinks, starch porridges, honey syrups or other cooling foods; consuming them after a full meal easily provokes Huoluan (severe vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain). Lettuce, eggplant and similar vegetables also chill the abdomen. Excess of stagnant, indigestible foods readily produces accumulations (pathological masses in the abdomen). Those who suffer from cold Qi or wind disorders must be especially careful in their diet.

In summer both the elderly and children should regularly eat warm foods. In this way they will be less likely to contract red-and-white dysentery (dysentery with red or white mucus), malaria or Huoluan when autumn arrives. As long as the abdomen is kept constantly warm, illnesses of every kind are less apt to arise, because Yang Qi is relatively abundant at this season.

People of that time did not understand how to nourish and regulate the body. They often waited until the sun had risen high before eating, yet drank tea on an empty stomach. The kidneys receive the salty flavor; salt guides the tea Qi into the kidneys, causing the lower jiao (the lower abdomen and related viscera) to become deficient and cold, resulting in pain and numbness of the hands and feet. Drinking two or three bowls of tea after a meal does no harm; if one merely feels hungry, one should not drink any more. Men suffering from chronic accumulations, the five hemorrhoids, wind sores, cold Qi, labor-induced emaciation or deficiency damage, and women with blood-Qi disorders or head wind, should especially avoid drinking tea. Although tea can aid digestion and dispel drowsiness and oppression, drinking it on an empty stomach is truly excessive.

When the weather is extremely hot, one should rest in a cool shaded place outside the sleeping chamber, and not lie or sit beneath the stars and moon in the open air; nor, after falling asleep, should one have someone fan oneself. These practices in particular must be avoided.

It is common for people raising newborn children, fearing the infant is hot, to fan them unceasingly once they fall asleep, or even to let the child sleep in a place exposed to wind and cold. This appears to be loving care but in reality may harm the child. Just as those skilled in raising horses use a basket for dung and a vessel for urine, and drive away mosquitoes when they come to bite: if the care is untimely, the horse startles, lowers its head and curls up, damaging the chest. When human affection is applied in the wrong place, it loses the original intent of protection; how can one not be cautious?

Therefore children often contract umbilical wind, with convulsions of the hands and feet and tightly pursed lips, which common people call “husun jin.” People do not understand the cause and claim it is the work of ghosts and demons; this explanation is absurd. From this it can be seen that by carefully avoiding such improper care, there will be almost no error.

In summer one should not rise too late, otherwise the limbs easily become heavy and the spirit dazed. Do not bathe in cold water, or vacuity heat, dim vision, tightness of the sinews and vessels, and even cholera-like illness or tendon cramps may appear. The original text continues, “Always bathe when hungry and wash when full,” which seems to mean bathing is suitable while hungry and washing after a full meal; yet the following phrase “when hungry then no longer limit bathing” is unclear and may contain errors or omissions. After bathing one must avoid the wind. The “little brother” (as written in the original, referent unclear) should likewise follow this.

When just emerging from a hot place, do not wash the hands or face with cold water or pour it over the back; according to the original this produces “yin jaundice,” a form of jaundice. Gargling, however, is permissible. Do not keep waving a fan nor expose the body, lest one contract “piercing wind” (an illness from pathogenic wind invasion) and wind rashes. Do not drink cold water either, or accumulations of qi, bound qi, and severe watery diarrhea of food and drink, among other dysentery symptoms, may arise.

Raw vegetables, eggplant, and melons are all highly unsuitable to eat, especially to be avoided in the evening. The original states that only “gege coarse-hearted toiling gentlemen” can digest these foods; this sentence is suspected of errors or omissions and remains insufficiently clear. Although melons can regulate the qi, they especially damage the eyesight. The original further notes that if donkeys or horses eat melon their eyes fester the same day, reminding people that this must not be unknown.

After eating hot food and breaking into a sweat, one should immediately wipe dry and not face a fan or expose oneself to drafts; this is especially beneficial. Do not eat at night, and in particular avoid minced meat, raw or cold foods, and dry, hard, or greasy items. Summer nights are short, and older people often tend toward coldness in the abdomen, so that food is not easily digested and abdominal distension or acute illnesses resembling cholera readily arise.

Do not sleep facing the wind or in damp places. If one frequently perspires and, while the body is weak, is then struck by wind, it is easy to contract wind-bi (numbness, pain, or impaired movement of the limbs caused by pathogenic wind), or even to lose the use of the hands and feet, to speak unclearly, or to suffer paralysis of the four limbs or hemiplegia (paralysis of one side of the body). Such circumstances do not invariably cause harm; some people fall ill at once, while others do not become ill immediately. When the year is flourishing, the moon is full, and the season is harmonious, one may luckily escape; yet if the year is declining, the moon is waning, and the season is out of accord, illness invariably follows.

Once there was a family whose members had short lives generation after generation, so they consulted Pengzu. Pengzu carefully examined the place where they slept and discovered a hole directly facing the naohu (an acupuncture point at the back of the head). The head is the gathering place of the yang Qi (vital energy) of the entire body; thief-wind (harmful wind) blowing in through the hole gradually dissipated the yang Qi, and over time this would cost a person their life. Pengzu had them block the hole, after which the family indeed enjoyed longevity.

To hold benevolence and righteousness in the heart may not immediately yield visible benefits, yet at times it can indeed prove useful; this is like attending to the nourishment and regulation of the body. To abandon benevolence and righteousness and lose trustworthiness may not immediately reveal harm, yet it may thereby invite death; this is like failing to understand how to protect and care for the body. The principle of harm and benefit is readily apparent.

In summer one should not bathe frequently. Bathing too often, according to the original text, causes the “heart to be overturned” (xin fu), leading to forgetfulness, and in severe cases attracting pathogenic wind. Every morning comb the hair one or two hundred strokes, without combing the scalp itself, and do so in a place free of wind. This naturally helps to dispel wind and brighten the eyes.

Autumn Seasonal Regulation, Chapter Five (The Fifth Chapter: Methods of Nourishment in Autumn)

Note: The original text contains repetitive phrasing, and terms such as “rou gai” and “xin fu” are suspected to be erroneous characters; the above has been translated as directly as possible according to context.

After the Start of Autumn, the body should be nourished in a somewhat more moderate way. Spring and autumn are seasons when old illnesses readily recur, so particular care must be taken to rest and recuperate, regulating according to one’s own constitution. In autumn it is not advisable to induce vomiting or sweating, for this depletes and weakens a person and leaves the viscera unsettled; it is suitable instead to employ acupuncture and moxibustion, to take purgative decoctions, and to ingest powder medicines that assist the circulation of yang Qi.

Those who suffer from accumulated fatigue, the five hemorrhoids, wasting-thirst and similar conditions should not eat dry rice, roasted or grilled foods, beef from animals that died of themselves, raw fish slices, chicken, pork, cloudy wine, stale and foul-smelling food, salty vinegar, or dry, hard, sticky-slippery things that are difficult to digest. They should likewise avoid raw vegetables, gourds and fruits, poisonous fish, as well as fresh fish and sauces. People afflicted with wind disorders, cold disorders, or sores and tinea should also refrain from the foods listed above.

If one knows that a good deal of cold and cooling food was eaten in summer and then, in autumn, red-and-white dysentery (diarrhea with blood or white mucus) appears together with malaria, two sheng of a young boy’s urine and five large areca nuts may be used: slice the nuts finely, decoct them down to eight ge, then add one mouthful of ginger juice and two or three fen of winter-snow water. Take the mixture on an empty stomach at dawn, divided into two doses. The original text states that after taking it one will purge two or three times, thereby discharging the cold foods ingested in summer as well as the accumulated watery fluids and cold pus in the bladder, so that the illness will not recur. This decoction accords with the seasonal Qi; even the elderly may take it, for it neither depletes Qi and strength nor causes weakness. It is especially timely when diarrhea occurs in autumn. The formula also regulates beriberi and various Qi disorders with excellent results and is therefore appended here. Two or three days after a man has purged, he may nourish himself on an empty stomach with Yuebai porridge and sheep kidney; the effect far surpasses that of taking various tonic medicines.

Every morning upon waking, close the eyes and knock the teeth twenty-one times, then swallow the saliva. Rub the palms together until they grow hot and use them to warm the eyes. The more times this is done, the better. It is said that the practice can expel wind and brighten the eyes; no method is superior to it.

End of Volume One of the Hunsu Yisheng Lu.

Volume Two of the Hunsu Yisheng Lu, compiled by Liu Ci, recluse of Mount Mao.

Sixth: Winter Nourishment

In the original, several phrases in the medicinal formula are repetitive and certain herbs and dosages are not entirely clear; the above follows the identifiable content.

In winter, Yang Qi (vital energy) remains latent, beginning to sprout again around the winter solstice. If there is illness in the body, it is suitable to use the vomiting method (inducing vomiting to expel pathogenic evils). People with relatively strong heat Qi in the chest and heart area should especially avoid inducing perspiration, lest excessive sweating deplete Yang Qi. It is appropriate to take tonic medicines made by soaking in wine in order to accord with the generation of Yang Qi. During sleep, one should somewhat relax the regulation of daily rest and activity, without being overly constrained; this is generally the case. If it is an old illness, one must consider according to one's own situation and cannot follow this in every case.

Cotton-padded garments should not be put on too early; clothing may be added gradually, without suddenly dressing too warmly. This is the essential principle of nourishing the body. One should also not allow fire Qi to accumulate; it is sufficient merely to avoid cold. Even in severe cold, one should not frequently bake by the fire, as this particularly harms the body. The hands and feet correspond with the heart; frequently roasting the hands will mobilize fire Qi, causing dryness and heat in the heart. The heat of ingested hot-natured foods and the heat Qi received from proximity to fire sources will all accumulate in the heart region; the heart belongs to Fire in the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water).

Cold-natured medicines cannot treat extremely hot conditions, and hot-natured medicines cannot treat extremely cold conditions, because the nature of Water tends toward dampness and the nature of Fire toward dryness. When taking medicines, one should first discern which of the five viscera is insufficient and then supplement the deficient area, so that there will be effect. People often take medicines that do not suit the condition because individual innate constitutions differ; some people have constitutions inclined toward Fire.

Cold-natured medicines cannot treat heat patterns that have reached the extreme, nor can hot-natured medicines treat cold patterns that have reached the extreme. This is because water flows toward damp places and fire tends toward dry places. Before taking medicine, one should first examine the viscera throughout the body, locate any areas of deficiency or damage, and then replenish them as needed; only then will results usually be seen. People frequently take medicine inappropriately because each person's constitution is different.

One should also not heat clothing over a fire before putting it on, as wearing such clothes likewise greatly harms the body. At the transition between spring and summer, Yin Qi (vital energy) has already entered the body. If one cannot nourish and protect the Yang Qi, the Yin Qi will flow to the four limbs and trigger the epidemic heat disease of the season. When the illness is severe, the person will run about wildly and talk deliriously. If cold-cooling medicines are taken immediately, even if one or two out of ten people survive, they may still be left with aftereffects such as contracture of the hands and feet, blindness, hair loss, and sores or scabies.

The so-called “Yin-Yang two poisons” refer to the two types of conditions in Shanghan distinguished as Yin patterns and Yang patterns. “Shanghan” is also another name for seasonal epidemic diseases (the diseases prevalent at the time). The scripture states that there are methods for treating this kind of illness, yet there is no fixed rule that applies in every case; it can be treated within seven days but not after seven days, thereby showing that there must be no error in the use of medicine. As soon as one notices having contracted this illness, one should not immediately take cold-cooling medicines: if it is truly a Yang pattern, the cold-cooling medicines may perhaps work; if it is actually a Yin pattern, taking them may cause the condition to worsen rapidly. Therefore one must distinguish carefully and not confuse them.

The scripture also recommends bathing once a day, considering that this unblocks the blood vessels and harmonizes the skin texture. When preparing to bathe, first eat a full meal. For an evening bath, after washing drink one or two cups of wine and then go to sleep, avoiding exposure to wind and sleeping soundly through the night. Sexual activity is especially to be avoided after bathing, whereas at other times it is beneficial to the body. After every meal take “Hongxue” (a medicine name from Daoist formula books) or “Sanhuang Wan” (a formula name); the scripture regards this as even more effective.

Regarding diet and daily living: those over forty years of age should take food and drink that is slightly warm, while those under forty should take food and drink that is slightly cool. If one originally suffers from a chronic illness, or if the weather is currently cold, one should carefully adjust according to one’s own condition and not follow this as a uniform rule. Thick quilts and felt mattresses used in winter should be reduced a little if they feel too hot, then added again when the weather turns colder. As the common saying goes, “Taking medicine is not as good as frequently adding or reducing clothing.” This saying indeed has good reason.

When suffering from various illnesses, one must especially avoid eating hot meat, wine, calcium, as well as barbecued, grilled, and fried foods. Eating too much will impede the smooth flow of the blood vessels. Noodles and wontons should also not be eaten while still scalding hot in ordinary times. If one frequently eats overly hot foods in winter, illness may arise at the transition from spring to summer.

Nourishing and regulating those with exhaustion disease (Seventh)

Men who suffer from accumulated overwork, the five hemorrhoids, wasting-thirst (a category of conditions involving excessive drinking, eating, and urination), or problems such as cold in the lower jiao (the lower abdomen and related viscera) and heat in the upper diaphragm (above the chest), are mostly related to lack of restraint in diet and desires. Generally speaking, after men pass the age of forty the lower jiao declines first; after women pass forty the upper jiao declines first.

The occurrence of exhaustion disease has roughly two causes: one is undertaking heavy labor, lifting heavy objects, and working all day long; the other is prolonged inactivity. Idle people also often suffer from this kind of illness because they lack movement, do not walk after eating their fill, and when sitting they freely indulge themselves, leading to blocked meridians and stagnant blood vessels.

Thus nobles appear at ease on the outside yet are weary within; commoners have idle minds yet suffer in the body. If nobles further lack restraint in their desires, do not understand the taboos, and lie down after eating their fill of fine delicacies, they easily fall ill as a result. By extension from this, similar situations can also be understood.

In daily life people should engage in moderate physical activity without becoming exhausted. This helps keep the Ying-Wei (the protective qi of blood and energy circulating on the body’s surface and internally) flowing smoothly, allowing qi and blood to circulate throughout the body, just as a door hinge that is frequently turned does not easily rot. This is an important method for nurturing the body, worth a thousand pieces of gold.

When a person first develops “lao qi”—a pattern of bodily weakness and illness formed through prolonged overwork and imbalance—the symptoms tend to be numerous yet often go unnoticed. They should be observed with care: the eyes grow dim, the palms and soles feel hot, the back feels oppressed and weary, the nape of the neck aches, and the limbs lack strength. The cheeks and lips may at times flush red. Urine and stool take on a reddish color and pass with difficulty. The hands and feet become limp, so that one cannot stand for long. Food is unappetizing; one frequently feels empty yet craves unusual things, only to eat very little of them. Pain or distension arises between the two flanks, the abdomen often feels cold, and food is not easily digested. Vacuous heat occupies the chest and diaphragm, coughing is frequent, and phlegm and nasal mucus become sticky and dry. One often yawns and stretches, appearing as though pretending to be ill. High fever may occur, remaining milder by day and growing more severe at night. The joints feel restless and feverish; forgetfulness is especially pronounced, and the lips crack from dryness. All of these constitute the signs of lao qi.

Upon discovering such symptoms, one ought to seek suitable medicinal formulas to take, restrain one’s cravings and desires, and regulate respiration together with diet, hoping that the condition will gradually abate. If the signs remain unnoticed and one does not encounter a skilled physician capable of distinguishing the pattern, pursuing other treatments instead, then after a long time the bones of the chest will protrude, the flesh of the arms will waste away, coughing will produce no sound, the shoulders will heave with panting, and diarrhea will resemble fermented bean juice or even appear as though the intestines themselves were rotting. This shows that the five viscera have already declined, and even a physician of high skill will find it hard to effect a cure.

If these symptoms are present, one should not consume stale, foul-smelling foods that are difficult to digest or that are dry, hard, and greasy, nor eat roasted meats of dog, chicken, pig, wild fox, sheep, camel, ox, or horse, nor raw and cold items; sexual activity should likewise be restrained. In antiquity, Xu You found even the swaying of a single water gourd troublesome; how much more those who hurry about day and night chasing fame and profit, drawn by passions and exhausting their ingenuity? Such a way of life naturally dissipates the spirit (Shen) and wears down the body—how could illness fail to arise?

When these symptoms appear, it is appropriate to eat cooked rice as well as porridge boiled with ginger and fermented soybean juice. One may also take goji berries, sweet chrysanthemum, burdock, Chinese chives, rehmannia, purslane, crucian carp, white fish, dried venison, and lean mutton boiled in clear water. Other foods should be forbidden; once the illness has recovered, ordinary diet may be restored.

People who have long suffered from wind disease find it difficult to recuperate. If a patient with wind disease has depleted marrow and slackened muscles, pathogenic wind will invade the spaces between the bones, causing impaired movement of the limbs and joints; this results from bone deficiency and weakness of blood and Qi (vital energy).

In tracing the causes of the illness, they often have various origins: some people face the wind and catch a chill in summer, then lie down to sleep; some drink wine and then wave a fan to catch the breeze; others enjoy eating harmful fish and meats. Moreover, in the Jiang-Huai region the terrain is low-lying and humidity is heavier, summers are hot, and the Qi of wind-dampness accumulates and steams, so many people suffer from this disease. Women who usually walk little, sit for a long time after eating their fill, and follow their whims are also prone to stagnation of Qi and blood.

When the disease first occurs, the symptoms are often unfixed: sometimes drooling from the mouth while sleeping, with trembling of the hands and feet; sometimes constipation, or pain and heaviness in the feet and knees, or numbness of the limbs; it may also frequently involve dry and astringent eyes, drowsiness when sitting or lying, twitching of the sinews and vessels, frequent sneezing that cannot be stopped, dry and itchy skin, a floating bluish complexion, deviation of the eyes and cheeks, or coughing up large amounts of phlegm and saliva, with dizziness and vertigo. All of the above are signs of being struck by wind. One should first take this small-dose decoction, then follow with a large-dose medicinal decoction. Treatment must be gradual and not rushed; slow treatment easily leads to recovery, while hurried treatment conversely makes rehabilitation difficult.

There are more than one hundred and twenty superior medicinal ingredients, all of whose properties are mild and mellow, suitable for gradually treating the disease. Nowadays some mediocre physicians do not distinguish medicinal properties, nor are they proficient in pulse patterns, only thinking of hasty effects and unwilling to investigate carefully. If they can produce immediate results, the patient's family regards them as excellent doctors. In reality, treating disease requires proficiency in pulse patterns combined with the principles of the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water); when using medicines one must distinguish cold and heat, and also put wisdom and compassion first, without distinguishing based on wealth or poverty, with a single-minded focus solely on rescuing the patient. Such a physician will receive protection from the unseen, and in using medicines to regulate and treat diseases there is none that cannot be cured.

Among patients there are those whose illnesses erupt suddenly and become critically urgent. Physicians should apply their medical skill and wisdom to the utmost in treating them, putting compassion first, making no distinction between rich and poor or high and low, and concentrating solely on saving lives. Such physicians will secretly receive the protection of the deities; when they employ medicines to treat disease they will often achieve complete recovery.

When one encounters acute conditions such as blockage of the throat, beriberi rushing to the heart, Yin-Yang toxins, cold damage, acute exhaustion, eruptions on the back (sores and ulcers of the back), acute gan in children, ru tan (original disease name whose precise referent is unclear), or sudden pain in the heart and abdomen, one should seek efficacious emergency treatment as quickly as possible. Every sort of illness requires gradual regulation and treatment.

For those suffering from wind diseases (an ancient collective term for stroke and related conditions), attendants should carefully arrange diet and decoctions. Patients should eat small frequent meals and not become overly full, lest food stagnate and fail to transform; nor should they go hungry, because hunger weakens the body and weakness in turn aggravates the wind disease. Eat when a little hungry and stop when nearly full. Those who have been ill for many years should not arbitrarily interrupt their medicines; it is suitable to combine them with medicinal wines, decoctions or powders, and the condition may be expected to improve gradually.

If one trusts incompetent physicians, using drugs that do not match the condition and observing many unnecessary taboos, deficient pathogens may instead be invited and the illness worsened. In recuperation one must carefully distinguish bodily deficiency from the presence of excess pathogens and properly regulate the breath and administer medicines. Those with wind diseases should remain lean and not eat excessively; if diet is too abundant and the body gradually grows fat the condition may worsen, so one should take care. Patients should also refrain from anger, from extremes of hunger and satiety, from exposure to cold or heat, and from overexertion of mind or body; great joy, great sorrow, anxiety, fright and other emotional fluctuations are likewise unfavorable to recuperation.

Those with wind diseases are often physically deficient and require supplementation, yet over-tonification can congest the body, producing dizziness, vexation in the chest and qi rushing upward. One should ordinarily keep the bowels open, yet excessive purgation also injures the body, causing weakness, dizziness and even sores in the eyes. Therefore both recuperation and medication must be undertaken with caution. After taking tonic medicines, if the bowels are already unobstructed there is no further need for laxatives.

Those with wind diseases are suited to eating mutton, but the fat and bloody fluids should be removed. If mutton is needed because of deficiency it should be cooked according to the proper method. The Jing (scripture) holds that the plants eaten by sheep are without poison; after the fat and blood are removed from the mutton and it is then boiled with medicinal materials it is not easy to induce illness.

The method of cooking a sheep’s foot is as follows: take one sheep’s foot, slit it open with a knife, soak it in water to wash away the blood and cut away the fat; add one liang of fangfeng, five liang of gypsum and two liang of chopped white bark of mulberry root, and boil them together until thoroughly cooked. Cooking in this manner does not impair the flavor of the meat and is also beneficial to the body. In summer one may use only fifty mulberry leaves without other medicinals; the leaves should be gathered in season, dried in the sun and stored for winter use, increasing the dried leaves to eighty pieces. If medicinal powders are used to cook mutton the dosage may be adjusted according to the amount of meat.

People who suffer from wind disease should not eat buckwheat, songcai, hot duoluo, wontons, sesame, hu-cakes, zhideng, or roast meat; they should also avoid drinking white broth while it is still hot, eating foods that have not been thoroughly cooked, consuming anything raw, cold or greasy, eating parrot meat or dog meat, partaking of raw carp slices, or eating raw scallions and raw garlic. Tea should not be drunk on an empty stomach. Whether other foods are suitable must be weighed according to the particular circumstances and cannot be listed one by one here.

Inner Chamber Messages, Ninth

The great affliction of human life lies in cravings, desires, and diet. Many of the transformations of illness, their invasions of the body, and the damage they inflict upon longevity are produced little by little by these very factors. For this reason the Daoist tradition observes certain taboos: they exist in order to prevent excess, not in order to impose total abstinence. The saying “Shi goes too far, Shang does not go far enough” refers to Zizhang’s tendency to overdo things and Zixia’s tendency to fall short; neither grasped the proper measure. How far, after all, do excess and deficiency really stand from each other?

If a person already suffers from a chronic ailment, it may sometimes be treated by means of diet and at other times nourished by the restraint of desire. Such practices bring both harm and benefit to the body, yet people commonly fail to notice them in the course of ordinary life. Therefore the person of superior intelligence is not beguiled by desire, but cautiously guards nature and life, reduces mental agitation, keeps far from the pleasures of sound and sight, regulates diet, and rejects extravagance. Those of middling endowment still cannot entirely avoid excess; those of inferior endowment give free rein to their passions, ignore the taboos, lust after beautiful appearances and love wealth, thereby injuring the original harmonious and upright Qi (vital energy) of the body. Longevity is then greatly impaired—this is indeed often the case.

When, in addition, the physical form grows weak, weary and hunched, and one is stricken with a grave illness that cannot be cured, knowing neither how to nourish oneself nor having access to a skilled physician, then even if the finest foods and the most alluring beauty are set before one, how can one still attend to enjoyment? Far better, in ordinary times, to practice restraint, to choose and reject with due measure, and to persist in this constantly, so that the mind is at ease and the eyes are pleased. Is this not excellent?

The Qi of Heaven and Earth intermingles and circulates; from this the myriad things are transformed and generated, tending toward purity and harmony. When man and woman unite, Jing (essence) and Qi combine…

The Qi (vital energy) of Heaven and Earth intermingles, and thereby the myriad things are transformed, nurtured, and become rich and substantial. The union of men and women allows the myriad things to reproduce and proliferate. This is the foundation by which humans regulate breathing and cultivate nature and life (xingming), and it is also the origin of the Dao (Way) of nourishing life. Some regard these statements as unfounded and denounce them as absurd.

The frequency of sexual union between men and women should generally be as follows: before the age of twenty, occasionally once; before the age of thirty, once a day; after the age of forty, once a month; after the age of fifty, once every three months; after the age of sixty, once every seven months. The Daoist jing (scriptures) state “at sixty, close the door,” meaning that if a person neglects to study the cultivation of nature, depletion will already have occurred before it becomes apparent; the scriptures use this phrase to admonish the world, and even so people may still suffer many illnesses.

Alas, people of the world cannot nourish the Qi of original harmony (the peaceful and pure primordial vital energy within the body) or cherish their physical form, but instead recklessly ingest cinnabar (a mineral medicine commonly used in elixir refinement associated with Waidan or external alchemy), thereby inflaming passions and indulging in unrestrained pleasures. As a result the Shen (spirit) and hun-soul cannot rest securely attached to the body, the mind becomes dazed and loses direction, and the Jing (essence) and po-soul are dissipated, leaving the person numb, wooden, and crude, forgetful of the true interest of living. Some have not yet succeeded in cultivation, others abandon the path halfway just as they begin; their lives become desolate and they moreover contract serious diseases, unable to rest peacefully at night. These situations all arise because they do not know the Dao of cultivating nature and merely crave to follow ordinary desires.

Look at the people of the world: those whose mothers are still living number fewer than eight or nine out of ten; those whose fathers are still living number fewer than one or two out of ten. From this it can be seen that many, deluded by addictions and desires, have damaged their nature and life, which is truly lamentable.

Taboos and Regulation, Chapter Ten (discussing the prohibitions and restraints in nourishing life)

When engaging in matters of the bedchamber, one should avoid times of abnormal weather, Yin-Yang disharmony, or days regarded as inauspicious. These include periods when the sky is overcast and gloomy, solar or lunar eclipses, violent storms of wind, rain, thunder and lightning, the transitions between solar terms, as well as occasions when the movements of the sun and moon are considered irregular or when auspicious clouds, rainbows or shooting stars appear. Also to be avoided are one’s personal natal day, Kuiwai days, the six Jia days, the six Ding Jiazi days, and the Gengshen, Zi, Wu, Mao and You days; all of these are regarded as times when the movements of Yin-Yang and the Seven Luminaries (the sun, moon and five major planets) are abnormal, or when heavenly deities are on duty.

According to the original text, an excess of yin qi (vital energy) causes yang qi to become insufficient, while an excess of yang qi causes yin qi to become insufficient; when Yin-Yang falls out of balance, illness may result.

One should likewise refrain after drinking alcohol before becoming sober, immediately after a full meal or when suddenly hungry, when the body is fatigued, when the emotions remain unsettled, during a woman’s menstrual period, when suffering from cold or heat, while an illness has not yet fully recovered, immediately after feeling the urge to urinate or defecate, or right after bathing. It is equally unsuitable after urination or defecation, in the early morning, and during the xu hour (7 to 9 p.m.). Acting in haste immediately after finishing, or forcing the act without genuine affection, also belongs among the taboos.

The original text holds that at these times a person’s shen (spirit) and qi are easily depleted. If the body is already weak, kidney qi is deficient, or the emotions and will are unbalanced, various diseases may be triggered; therefore particular caution is required.

In addition, sexual intercourse should not take place near famous mountains and great rivers, spirit trees, temples, palaces and abbeys, ancient altars or she trees (trees used in sacrifices to the earth god), nor under the stars, sun and moon, beside lamps and candles, or in the presence of livestock. The original text states that violating these prohibitions shortens one’s lifespan and causes offspring to be dull-witted; hence one ought to observe them with care.

When engaging in sexual intercourse, one should avoid famous mountains and great rivers, sacred trees and temples, palaces and abbeys, ancient altars, and places where communal trees stand. One should also avoid doing so beneath the stars, sun, and moon, as well as in the presence of lamps, candles, and livestock. Violating these taboos is said to shorten one’s lifespan and render offspring dull-witted, so one must be especially cautious.

Every year on the sixteenth day of the fifth lunar month, said to be the day when the Yin-Yang of heaven and earth conjoin, sexual intercourse is particularly forbidden. The scripture holds that this reduces lifespan, damages a man’s reproductive capacity, and may even make recovery impossible for life; the author further remarks that he has seen people who violated this prohibition and the consequences followed as predicted. In general, the fifth month is regarded as an important season for transformations of the human spirit and for regulation and nourishment: the elderly should avoid depletion, while the young should seek to augment themselves. It is therefore appropriate to rest quietly, reduce hobbies and desires, and harmonize the mind and will in order to attain stability. Moreover, in summer the heart Qi (vital energy) tends to be overly abundant while kidney Qi is deficient. Using the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) theory, the scripture explains that the water transformed from kidney Qi condenses only in autumn and becomes firm only in winter. Hence kidney Qi must be especially cherished and nourished during summer.

One should never have sexual intercourse with a person older than oneself; even a relatively small difference in age is not permitted, still less when the other party is older. The scripture further states that an excess of Yin Qi over Yang Qi severely injures the man, while an excess of Yang Qi over Yin Qi injures the woman, and it draws an analogy with Bo Le’s appraisal of horses in order to emphasize that the circumstances of both parties must be carefully examined.

In addition, the scripture lists certain physical appearances and states that should be avoided: a thin yet large nose, sparse teeth, yellowish hair, dry skin or the presence of disease, incompatible temperament, stiff and coarse body hair, a loud and coarse voice, rough and coarse musculature, limbs that lack plumpness and moisture, a tyrannical and jealous disposition, and a body covered with many moles. The scripture holds that none of these situations is suitable for sexual intercourse.

As for daily medicinal regulation and nourishment, as well as the methods of cultivating life described in other scriptures, only a general outline is given here.

Hunsu Yisheng Lu, Lower Volume.