《周易参同契释疑(原题俞琰)》

The first preface to the Zhouyi Cantong Qi Shiyi (Explanations of Doubts in the Zhouyi Cantong Qi) is signed by the author Linwu Shanren Quanyangzi Yu Yan.

The Zhouyi Cantong Qi, transmitted through the generations, is divided into three parts—upper, middle, and lower. Read as a whole, the sequence of its wording is mixed and disordered, and it was originally unsuited to further subdivision into chapters. When Peng Zhenyi annotated the work, he incorporated Wei Boyang’s Postface as well and divided the whole into ninety chapters, corresponding to the nine cycles of firing in the elixir method. He placed the Song of the Tripod Vessel separately at the end, corresponding to the principle that true lead returns to the One. Earlier scholars remarked that the diction and rhyme of this book are ancient, profound, and elegant, making it hard to understand; people of limited learning have often altered it on their own authority, so that its textual errors exceed those of other works. Master Peng’s chapter divisions and explanations of meaning may be said to have assisted and upheld this classic.

Yet Master Peng’s commentary sometimes follows mistaken interpretations and sometimes cuts sentences apart in order to form chapters. Although the general sense remains intelligible, the ancient text is thereby fragmented. Phrases such as “The Changes govern the heart of Heaven; how can one not be cautious?” ought originally to be read continuously with what follows, yet Peng’s edition severs them at the close of the preceding chapter, rendering the meaning incoherent. This may also be because Master Peng was influenced by recent shallow scholars who arbitrarily emended the scripture. In addition, the order of chapters is disordered: the chapter that speaks of “resembling that midwinter season” should not stand after “examine and do not err”; the chapter that speaks of “resembling a hen’s egg” should not stand after “each dwelling alone.” Chen Baoyi once moved the “midwinter season” chapter to before “zi should turn rightward,” but that arrangement is equally unsatisfactory.

The recension prepared by Zheng Xuyi claims to have been examined with great thoroughness, yet it too contains erroneous changes. Expressions such as “meeting in the middle and mutually interfering,” “where metal and water join,” and “neighboring the ghost” ought not to have been altered, yet Zheng changed “middle” to “wu,” “water” to “wood,” and “ghost” to “immortal,” departing far from the original sense. Determining “hui shuang” as “mei shuang,” “gu xia” as “gu zhu,” and “fen ti” as “fu zhi,” however, may all be regarded as reasonable.

I once brought the various editions together and collated them against one another. Although all of them had already been examined by several earlier scholars, obvious errors still remain. For example, “the three fives together with Wei-one, all gather and return to one place” means that the Qi of the three directions of the Fang, Zhang, and Mao lodges converges at the first degree of the northern Wei lodge and assembles in a single location. Old copies wrote “Wei-one” simply as “one” and further changed “return to one” into “return to two,” which both contradicts Wei Boyang’s original intent and is incoherent in wording. This occurred because, after “Wei-one” had been corrupted into “one,” collators mistakenly supposed the phrasing to be redundant and therefore altered it wrongly a second time.

As for phrases such as “filling in omissions and losses,” these belong to Wei Boyang’s own preface. “Filling in omissions and losses” refers precisely to the Song of the Tripod Vessel. Wei Boyang feared that the main text still contained omissions, and therefore composed this song separately as a supplement. Statements such as “martial at beginning and end, civil in the middle,” “nourishing and regulating the brain,” and “determining the ascent to the mysterious” are not clearly set forth in the main text, yet they are stated in the song. Upon careful examination of several sentences in the preface, I found that the author’s name is concealed within them; the opening sentence moreover specifically puts forward the three characters “Cantong Qi.” This piece is therefore clearly Wei Boyang’s own preface.

Master Peng’s annotated edition places this preface after the Song of the Tripod Vessel. Considering that the Song possesses coherent meaning yet scattered wording and is inconvenient to divide into chapters, he moved the preface to follow the three main parts, dividing them into ninety chapters corresponding to the number of Yang nine, and then set the Song of the Tripod Vessel by itself at the very end, corresponding to the number of Water one. This inversion in fact began with Master Peng.

What is called the “Five Analogies” ought to be the “Three Analogies.” The Three Analogies refer to the Great Changes, the teachings of Huang-Lao, and the art of the furnace fire; the three resemble one another in the transformations of Yin-Yang and the principles of creation and transformation. The book states that “the three Ways issue from the One, all emerging from the same path,” and again that they are “arrayed in three strands, branches and stems connected, same origin yet different names, all from a single gate”—all of which express this meaning.

There is besides a Eulogizing Preface, which some call a Postface and some regard as Wei Boyang’s words of praise for later generations; its author and provenance are unclear, and it is therefore generally termed the Eulogizing Preface. Zhu Xi, after careful examination of the sense, considered it to be commentary on the Postface; the commentary has been lost while the preface itself survives. Recent commentators have all followed Zhu Xi’s view and therefore omitted it. Yet since the old editions included it, it ought not to be deleted at will. I now transcribe it as well and append it at the close of the entire work, unwilling to abandon the contents of the old copies.

Alas, more than a thousand years have passed from Wei Boyang to the present. The age recedes ever farther from the ancients, and errors of transmission and copying grow ever more numerous. Even when men of insight wish to distinguish the false from the true and to lift the obscurations that cover the ancient text, they are often met with astonishment, criticism, and even ridicule as overreaching and presumptuous. Consequently people prefer to remain silent rather than dare to take up the brush and assume responsibility for collating this book. Even so, what then is to be done for those who come after? This is precisely why Zheng Xuyi especially lamented the state of the work.

I am merely a junior of shallow learning. Fortunately I encountered an enlightened teacher, received the orthodox transmission of this learning, and obtained a comparatively good edition of the book. After years of study I gradually became reasonably familiar with its exposition, and spent a year composing the present work. Fearing that my investigations were insufficiently comprehensive and my discussions insufficiently thorough, I revised it three or four times from beginning to end. Fearing also that later readers would lack a basis on which to judge what to accept or reject, I combined the Shu, Yue, and Ji editions together with the various recensions of the Qiantang scholars, collating them against one another to produce a definitive text. As for the discrepancies among the editions, Zhu Xi’s Kaoyi may be consulted, and I need not repeat them here. Completed in the year when the five planets gathered in the Chou position, on the day when metal essence filled the elixir tripod. Inscribed by Quanyangzi, True Recluse of the Purple Court at Linwu Grotto-Heaven.

The Zhouyi Cantong Qi Shiyi is a commentary composed by Yu Yan, the Quanyangzi of Linwu Mountain. Here we enter the Shiyi of the Upper Chapter.

The term “kuangguo” is written simply as “kuang” in one edition, while Chen Baoyi’s annotated version changes it to “weiguo” in order to observe a naming taboo.

“Yun gu zheng zhou” means that in cultivating the elixir Dao one must keep the inner mind upright, just as the axle must be kept straight when turning a cartwheel. The axle passes through the hub and runs entirely through it; the spokes lie outside the hub and gather to connect with it. One edition writes “zhou” as “fu,” which Yu Yan regards as incorrect.

The “pin-mu four hexagrams” (the four hexagrams of female-male, or Yin-Yang, pairing) summarize the preceding statements on “Qian and Kun as the portal, Kan and Li as the enclosing walls.” These four hexagrams refer to the cauldron-vessel and the medicinal ingredients; the sixty hexagrams mentioned later refer to the scheduling of fire phases in elixir refinement. The phrase “the four in undifferentiated chaos” in the middle chapter likewise continues the earlier sense of “Qian being firm and Kun yielding, with Kan and Li taking the lead.” Later the text states that “the sixty hexagrams are employed, spread out to form the carriage,” which together with the preceding four hexagrams make exactly the sixty-four hexagrams. Yu Yan holds that all sixty-four hexagrams can be used in elixir Dao cultivation, and this is why the work is titled Zhouyi Cantong Qi. One edition interprets the “pin-mu four hexagrams” as Zhen, Dui, Xun, and Gen, an explanation Yu Yan considers incorrect.

At the phrase “yi wei shu yao,” the annotated edition of Ningshenzi Chen Huizhen writes it as “yi wei hu.”

This is like a charioteer gripping the reins and holding the bit, keeping an inner standard in mind, following the proper rules, advancing along the wheel ruts, and remaining seated in the chariot while governing what lies outside. Although the driver sits within the vehicle, he can still direct the horses to advance or retreat so that the chariot proceeds according to regulation. The meaning here is the same as the statement in the middle chapter: “The dragon-horse takes its place in harness, and the enlightened ruler drives in accordance with the times.”

The old recension reads “like the skilled charioteer holding the bit and reins, the carpenter’s ink-line as standard,” which is incorrect. Earlier commentators followed this mistaken gloss and construed the sentence as “the artisan follows the inked cord and the compass-square, while the charioteer grasps the bit and reins and travels along the ruts,” which is a misunderstanding.

“Combined they make sixty” means that two hexagrams operate each day; over the thirty days of a month this totals sixty hexagrams. Another version has “combined they make sixty-four,” which is wrong.

In the phrase “using them in sequential order,” another copy writes the character for “according to” as “like.”

“From Jiji and Weiji to the dim dawn” is exactly what the later text calls “from the last day of the lunar month to the dawn of the new moon.” Another edition writes “dim” as “last day of the month,” which is incorrect. “Jiji and Weiji” designate the close of the month, while “dim dawn” designates the moment when the sky begins to brighten at the beginning of the month. Interpreting the phrase as running “from the month’s end to the dark-of-moon dawn” would mean going from the end of the month to the end of the month, which makes no sense.

The lines “spring and summer rest upon the inner body, from zi through chen and si; autumn and winter correspond to outer application, from wu concluding at xu and hai” treat the two hexagrams jointly. The earlier hexagram is matched with spring and summer, occupying the hours from zi through si, during which Yang Qi (Qi, vital energy) rises from below; the later hexagram is matched with autumn and winter, occupying the hours from wu through hai, during which Yin Qi descends from above. If the passage were explained in terms of a single hexagram, that hexagram has only six lines and would therefore cover only half of the twelve double-hours. It must therefore be understood that two hexagrams preside in succession each day.

Having grasped its sequential order; another edition writes “xu” as “li.”

At the phrase “transforming within,” Zhu Xi’s Huian annotated edition reads “rising and falling”; another edition has “rising, falling, and transforming within it.”

The term “enveloping” probably follows the usage found in the Wenzi’s Tongxuan Zhenjing. Older editions write “wrapping sack,” which is incorrect.

The character “zhi” in “creating being from non-being” means to manufacture or produce, not to constrain or control. The method of refining the Great Elixir is to bring forth “being” from “non-being,” which is why the text says “to create the existent by means of the non-existent.” If one takes “zhi” as constraining, the passage can be read as taking “non-being” as Shen (spirit), as mercury, as Li, and “being” as Qi (vital energy), as lead, as Kan. This, however, is not Wei Boyang’s original intention. After repeated examination I found that some, because the Longhu Jing contains the line “being and non-being constrain each other, the Vermilion Bird flames in emptiness,” no longer scrutinize the context and simply treat the “zhi” of production as the “zhi” of constraint.

Again, the middle chapter says “firmness and softness are cut off and do not interpenetrate,” meaning that the firm and the soft each keep to their own sphere and do not encroach upon one another. It therefore continues, “the Five Phases keep to their boundaries and do not rashly expand or contract.” This differs in sense from the later chapter’s “firmness and softness separate.” Some again cling to the Longhu Jing’s talk of firm and soft resisting each other without mixing, together with the remark “it is not the fault of fire; blame falls upon earth,” and so they also interpret the present passage as the parting of firmness and softness.

It is now commonly held that Wei Boyang composed the Cantong Qi on the basis of the Longhu Jing, and therefore people assume the Cantong Qi must have inherited the Longhu Jing’s formulations. In fact the Longhu Jing is a digest of the Cantong Qi’s contents and was written after Wei Boyang. Zhu Xi of Huian observed that later persons, seeing the words “Longhu Shangjing” in Wei Boyang’s biography, forged this scripture by extensively excerpting the Cantong Qi, and that some of its statements are also mistaken.

At first I had not yet clarified this matter, so I dared not immediately accept Zhu Xi’s view as correct. Later, after repeated consideration and collation against the Cantong Qi, I found that the Longhu Jing shows inconsistencies everywhere and is indeed produced by summarizing the wording of the Cantong Qi. When Wei Boyang wrote the Cantong Qi he borrowed the hexagram images of the Zhouyi to illuminate the mysteries of elixir refinement; he was not expanding the Longhu Jing. Had he been expanding the Longhu Jing, the book would have been called the Longhu Cantong Qi rather than the Zhouyi Cantong Qi.

Nevertheless the Longhu Jing is also a fine book, which is why Cai Jitong greatly admired such remarks as “the Primordial Lord begins to refine mercury, the spirit chamber contains cavernous emptiness” and “the essential of the natural is first to preserve and then to perish,” both of which are indeed reasonable statements. The work simply does not predate Wei Boyang.

Therefore it is called “vessel writing.” Cai Jitong was very fond of this passage. Lines such as “The Primordial Lord first refined mercury; the chamber of Shen (spirit) contains cavernous emptiness” and “The essential of the natural: first exist, then perish” are indeed most precise and apt discussions. It is not, however, a work that predates Wei Boyang.

In the phrase “the use of the vessel is emptiness,” Li Baosu’s annotated edition writes “all.” For “as evidence,” another edition writes zheng as “proof.” For “corresponding,” another edition writes dang as “matching,” which is incorrect. For “beginning and end,” another edition writes “end and beginning,” which is incorrect. For “all receive from the Central Palace,” another edition writes bing as “located in,” and still another writes “that which is received from the Central Palace”; neither is correct. For “at the time of,” another edition writes shi as “juncture.” For “unifying the yellow transformation,” another edition writes “transforming the yellow wrapping.”

As for yin’e, Zhu Xi’s Textual Variants writes it as “gen’e.” The character e is the same as the e of “calyx”; this is the very graph used in the Book of Songs in “E bu □□5.” Some write it as yin’e, qi’e, or jin’e; none of these writings is correct.

For “called the Primordial Sovereign,” another edition writes cheng as “serving as.” For “the first year,” another edition writes nian as Qi (vital energy). For “then the sprout nourishes,” another edition writes “the sprout then is born,” and yet another writes “then the bud nourishes.”

Regarding the word “beginning” in “the Fu hexagram establishes the initial beginning,” some, suspecting that it duplicated “Guanju establishes the initial beginning,” changed it to “sprouting.” Zhu Xi held that this was an unauthorized alteration by people who did not understand ancient rhyme. Likewise, later on, in “the nines and sixes also correspond,” some, because it duplicated “the firm and the yielding correspond,” changed dang to “respond.” This too is incorrect.

The sun and the moon do not shine brightly at the same time: when the sun rises, the moon recedes; when the moon rises, the sun recedes. The sun and moon illuminate in alternation, and day and night appear in succession. Here the character “wu” should be understood as the character “wu” itself and should not be mistaken for the character “qi” (炁), that is, Qi (vital energy). In ancient books the character “wu” was often written in this form; the same is true of “wuwang” (无妄) and “wujiu” (无咎) in the Zhouyi. Another version writes “huanbing er cheng shuang” (焕炳而成双).

“Rabbit” refers to the moon. “The rabbit emits living light” means that the moon reveals its radiance; other versions read “the rabbit-po emits Jing-light (essence radiance)” or “the rabbit-po emits living light.” “Rabbit-po” likewise refers to the moon.

The old recension originally had “northeast loses its brightness.” This was probably because the Yijing contains the phrase “northeast loses friends,” so the error was transmitted through successive copies, becoming so familiar that no one noticed it.

The Kun hexagram states: “Southwest gains friends, northeast loses friends.” This is because Kun occupies the southwest: to the west lies Dui, to the south lie Li and Xun, all of which are yin trigrams. Yin accords with yin, hence it is said to “gain friends.” In the northeast there are Zhen, Gen, Kan and Qian, all yang trigrams, hence it is said to “lose friends.”

Wei Boyang’s statement “Kun Yi on the thirtieth day, the east loses its brightness” means that at dawn on the thirtieth the moon disappears at the Yi position in the east. This has nothing to do with the Kun hexagram’s “northeast loses friends.” How can we be sure? The western Geng and Xin, the southern Bing and Ding, and the eastern Jia and Yi constitute the six positions of the moon’s appearance at dusk and disappearance at dawn over the course of a month. This is what Wang Baoyi meant by “the moon has three shifts.”

On the third day the moon appears at dusk in the western Geng position and disappears at dawn on the sixteenth in the western Xin position; on the eighth it appears at dusk in the southern Ding position and disappears at dawn on the twenty-third in the southern Bing position; on the fifteenth it appears at dusk in the eastern Jia position and disappears at dawn on the thirtieth in the eastern Yi position. The principle is perfectly clear: how can the Yi position be identified with the northeast? From antiquity Jia and Yi have always been assigned to the east and never to the northeast. If the Yi position were northeast, then why, when the Qian body is about to form, would one not also call the Jia position of its fullness “northeast”? Jia is already close to the northeast yet is still not called northeast, still less Yi which precedes Jia and is even nearer the southeast. That Yi does not belong to the northeast is obvious.

The phrase “nine and six also correspond” has already been explained above in the discussion of how the Fu hexagram begins to operate.

The hexagram images of the Yi and the forms of the sun and moon all vanish and hide. This refers to the night of the thirtieth day, when the images of the sun and moon together sink into the north. One edition writes “Yi images” as “Yang Qi” (yang qi, vital energy); this is incorrect.

This sentence means that after the midwinter season arrives, even at daybreak later generations still cannot see, remaining like the blind. An old edition wrongly placed this sentence in the Postface; Chen Baoyi then moved it before the line “the child should turn to the right.” Neither treatment is correct. Examining this chapter, the later rhyming word “shang” connects with the “cang” of “Yi images vanish and are stored away” above, and it likewise rhymes on “cang.” The ancients often used repeated rhymes. Later people, not understanding this, frequently altered the placement of the wording on their own, causing the meaning to become incoherent. For example, earlier there appear “Guanju establishes the initial beginning” together with “the Fu hexagram establishes the initial beginning,” and “hardness and softness correspond equally” together with “nine and six also correspond equally”—all instances of repeated rhyming. How can one arbitrarily alter and spoil the original text simply because a rhyme is repeated?

One edition writes “merchants and travelers” with “jia” in place of “shang.” One edition writes “vast and broad” with “kuang” in place of “guang.” One edition writes “minute and hard to behold” with “di” in place of “du.” One edition writes “tallies and signs” with “zheng” (proof) in place of “zheng” (sign). One edition writes “seasonal ordinances” with “shi” in place of “jie.” One edition writes “internally examined in the human heart” with “qing” in place of “xin.” One edition has “following hexagram sections” instead of “relying on hexagram changes.” For “following the Xiang statements,” one edition writes “xun” as “yin” and “tuan” as “xiang”; none of these is correct.

The lines “Qian and Kun put their functions into operation, and heaven and earth are then governed”: one edition writes “governed” as “ordered,” while another has “the world is then governed.” These two sentences appear to cite the Qian hexagram’s “The originating Qian uses nine, and the world is governed.” Yet in light of the preceding “Kan and Li are the two functions of Qian and Kun,” what is meant here is that Kan and Li serve as the operations of Qian and Kun; it is not discussing the “use of nine” or the “use of six.” The earlier “the east loses its brightness” likewise does not take the meaning of the Kun hexagram’s “northeast loses companions.” When Wei Boyang composed this book he mostly borrowed existing formulations, so there is no need to cling rigidly to the literal wording and force a correspondence with any particular passage of the classic.

Can one possibly not be cautious? Another edition has “Can one possibly not be able to be cautious?”, but this reading is incorrect. The phrasing here borrows the sense of “losing companions in the northeast” from the Kun hexagram. Wei Boyang composed this work largely through borrowed metaphors, so there is no need to cling rigidly to the literal wording.

As for “kui shao,” another edition writes “shao” as “bing.” “Chi li” means to separate or to disperse. Another edition has “yi li,” and still another has “kan li.” “Yang fu”: all other versions have “fu yang.” Zhu Xi held that it should read “yang fu” so as to rhyme with “xu,” and we now follow his view. “Tong lu”: another edition writes “tong” as “zong.” “The sun contains the Jing (essence) of the Five Phases”: another edition writes “han” as “he,” which is incorrect. “Jie Guo yi zhu”: another edition has “jie guo yi zhu.” “Chen ji chu zheng”: one edition writes “chu” as “shou,” another writes “zheng” as “zheng.” “Bu zheng”: another edition has “zheng de.” “Zhong xiu”: another edition writes “xiu” as “xun,” and yet another has “zhong mei.” “Yi yan bi”: another edition writes “yi” as “yi.”

“You wu yi xiang xu”: another edition writes “you wu” as “you zheng,” which is a variant record of the phrase. Here “you wu” refers to the two kinds of Qi (vital energy) of water and fire mutually supporting each other, thereby forming the creative transformation of heaven and earth. Some write “you wu” as “jin qi” or “yin qi,” both of which are wrong. “Jin tui fen bu”: another edition has “tui er fen bu,” which is incorrect. “Cai zhi lei bai”: another edition writes “cai” as “wang,” and still another as “yao.” “Bai guo”: another edition has “bao Guo.” “Xiang fu”: another edition writes “fu” as “ju.” “Xiang lian”: another edition writes “lian” as “tong.”

“Shi fei li cang fa” means that this path of cultivation is not a method of successively visualizing and contemplating within the five viscera. If one takes “shi fei” to mean “distinguishing right from wrong” or “this and that,” the sense is misunderstood. “Ci ri chen”: another edition writes “ci” as “yi,” which is incorrect. “Lei tu”: another edition has “zhou hui.” “Er yi yue”: another edition has “yi yue xi.”

“Crossing fire without being scorched, entering water without being wetted” means that once the Dao (the Way) is accomplished, the dharma-body (the body attained by one who has succeeded in cultivation) can do so: it strides over flames without being burned and enters water without getting wet. This refers to the dharma-body, not the body of flesh and blood.

“Successive rìchén” refers to calculating the dates and hours one after another. In one variant edition “piling earth” is written “circling around”; “and the mind is pleased” appears as “mind pleased and joyful.”

“Crossing fire without being scorched, entering water without being soaked” describes what the fashen (the extraordinary body obtained through cultivation) can do once one has succeeded in cultivating the Dao. Were a body of flesh and blood thrown into water and fire, it would scarcely stop at being scorched or soaked.

In one variant “moving residence” is written “changing name,” which does not fit the original sense. “Merit fulfilled” appears in another as “merit accomplished,” likewise not matching the original meaning.

Judging from the later phrase “mercury sun,” the “yan” of “yan-moon” is probably “qian” (lead), an error produced by similar pronunciation in oral transmission.

“Making the dinglu (cauldron and furnace)” is written “making the method” in old editions, which does not fit the original sense. “Gen is also eight” appears in one variant as “Gen is likewise so.” For “deficient brightness” one variant writes “brightness” as “injury.”

“Metal originally born from the sun, receiving the sun’s tally at new-moon dawn” means that the radiance of metal originally comes from the sun; on the first day of each month the moon conjoins with the sun. Here “metal-fire” refers to sun and moon. Old editions write “sun” as “moon,” which does not fit the original sense. To say metal is originally born from the moon would be to claim that sun and moon themselves are born from the moon, which is incoherent in principle.

“The number is called five” has “number” written “title” in one variant.

“Containing and nurturing” appears in one variant as “greedy desire.”

“Standing still and regulating the breath” means concentrating the Shen (spirit), waiting quietly, and adjusting respiration so that the two become one, like the union of husband and wife. One variant writes “breath” as “thought,” another as “grace”; neither fits the original sense.

“Holding the balance” has “holding” written “Qi (vital energy)” in one variant.

“Earth (of the Five Phases) travels through the four seasons, guarding the boundaries and establishing the rules” is placed after “lifespan obtained long-lasting” in most editions; only the Zhengxu edition puts it after “original nature shares the ancestral progenitor.”

“Metal takes cinnabar as its master, receiving harmony from mercury” directly borrows the transformations of ordinary cinnabar and ordinary mercury as an analogy for the transformations of the elixir method; it does not set one external substance in correspondence with another internal one.

“Using millet” has “millet” written “grain” in one variant, which does not fit the original sense.

Here the word “egg” is written in one edition as “ordinary,” that is, “the transformations of ordinary cinnabar and ordinary mercury,” used as a metaphor for the changes that occur in the process of refining the elixir. This is not, however, a pairwise analogical matching of external things to internal ones.

One edition writes “with millet” as “with foxtail millet,” which is incorrect. One edition writes “its egg” as “its offspring,” which is incorrect. “Mud mercury” appears in one edition as “mud hong.” “Refine until it flies” is written in one edition as “refine and treat” and in another as “refine and hold.” “Smelt with the bellows” is written in one edition as “bellows down,” which is incorrect. In the phrase “mixed natures not of the same category,” one edition writes “category” as “species.”

The ten characters meaning “one never meets with it by chance; only the sage knows it” are absent from Zhu Xi’s edition. One edition writes “giving rise to doubts” with “sitting” in place of “giving rise.”

“Began by drawing the Bagua (Eight Trigrams), modeling after Heaven and Earth” is written in one edition as “began by drawing the images of the Bagua, modeling after the diagrams of Heaven and Earth,” and in another as “drew the Bagua, modeling after the celestial diagram,” neither of which is correct. “Following along” is written in one edition as “forming the structure.”

“Common sage” refers to a sage who holds no official rank; Confucius was such a person. One edition writes this as “the sage together with,” which is incorrect. In “the three lords,” one edition writes “lords” as “sages.” In “so that it may be taken as a model,” one edition writes “so that” as “sincerely.”

“Established this book for the world” means that the great Way of the Golden Elixir has no traces or signs by which later generations could take it as a model, and so the Cantong Qi was compiled and transmitted to the world. This has the same sense as “established and recorded this writing” in the middle chapter. An old edition writes “established the Books of Songs and Documents for the world,” which is incorrect.

“I privately…” is written in one edition with “await” in place of the verb. “I constantly reflect” appears in one edition as “I compile this folly,” which is incorrect.

“The count of Metal is fifteen, and the number of Water is likewise” means that the number of Metal is fifteen and the number of Water is also fifteen. This is what the previous chapter meant in saying that the number of first-quarter Dui is eight and the number of last-quarter Gen is also eight. The Metal of the first quarter is half a jin, and the Water of the last quarter is half a jin; taken together, the two quarters make up the thirty days of a month. This is different from the meaning of “Metal within Water.” Another edition writes “the count of Metal is fifteen” as “the number of Metal is ten and five.”

In this way Earth is no longer added separately, and the other two come along together with it; the three substances mutually encompass and sustain one another, producing transformations of wondrous and unfathomable mystery. These three substances are Metal, Water, and Earth. The number of Metal is fifteen.

Earth is no longer added on its own; Metal and Water combine together with Earth, which is why the text speaks of three substances mutually encompassing one another. If Water and Fire are also counted, one arrives at five substances. Some interpretations take the three substances to be Metal, Fire, and Wood, and take the “two” as Water and Fire; this appears thoroughly confused and is not an appropriate explanation. Some editions write “its Earth” as “its three,” and write “the two” as “Fire two” or “Water two”; none of these readings is correct.

Some editions write “pounding and processing” as “casting and smelting.” In the phrase “bringing it to firm completeness,” some editions duplicate the character zhi. The lines “Blazing fire spreads below, the sounds of dragon and tiger grow ever more intense” convey the same meaning as the later passage: “Rising and decocting upon the steamer-mountain, blazing fire is set out below; the White Tiger leads and advocates in front, the Azure Dragon harmonizes from behind.” That is, the furnace fire burns vigorously underneath, the White Tiger (a symbol in alchemical terminology) leads in front, and the Azure Dragon (a symbol in alchemical terminology) responds from behind. Older editions write “dragon and tiger” as “day and night,” which is incorrect.

Some editions write “beginning with gentle fire so that it may be cultivated” as “beginning initially, the gentle fire may be cultivated.” Some editions write “personally observe” as “mutually intimate” or “must personally.” Some editions write “ingest it” as “powder-lift,” “powder-pinch,” or “lift-powder,” none of which is correct. In “one pill,” some editions write the character for “pill” as “origin” or as “grain”; neither is correct.

A “knife-gui” refers to that tiny gui-shaped bit on the tip of a knife, used metaphorically to indicate a very small quantity. Interpreting “knife” as Metal and “gui” as two portions of Earth, though ingenious, is not the original meaning of Wei Boyang, author of the Zhouyi Cantong Qi. In “compare and summarize,” some editions write jiao as jian. In “bright radiance,” some editions write ming as rong, which is incorrect. Some editions write “thin eclipse” as “ji bo.” In “manifest dragon and tiger,” some editions write xian as ti.

Jia Huangya takes cherishing the yellow sprout as its meaning. “Yellow sprout” is a term in Neidan (internal alchemy) cultivation, commonly referring to the subtle Qi (vital energy) generated in the process of refining the elixir or to the initial state of the elixir itself. Another edition writes “adding the yellow sprout.”

The character “after” appears as “return” in the original text and has been emended according to the Siku Quanshu edition. The character “Han” is likewise “Han” in the original and is recorded on the basis of the Siku collation. Remaining collation notes indicate that “successive illumination” is also written “successive illumination” in the Siku edition; the character “receive” is omitted in the original and has been supplied from the Siku edition; “make central beauty” is omitted in the original and supplied from the Siku; the character “white” was originally written “sun” and has been changed according to the Siku edition.

Clarifications of Doubts in the Middle Chapter. “Together with creation-transformation” means operating in concert with the processes of creation. Another edition has “must with creation-transformation,” and yet another “beginning with creation-transformation.” “Original foundation” denotes the root and basis. Another edition writes “mysterious foundation,” and another “original model.” “Sixty hexagrams employed, spread out as a chariot” means using the sixty hexagrams and laying them out like a vehicle that bears all things. Another edition writes “employed” as “around,” which does not accord with the original meaning. “Not deviant” means not leaning or slanting. Another edition writes “deviant” as “slope.” “Overturning the state” means causing the nation to collapse into peril. Another edition has “household and state in peril.” “Hexagram days” refers to the days corresponding to the hexagrams. Another edition writes “days” as “months.” “Sixty hexagrams employed, each having its day” means the sixty hexagrams each have dates paired with them. Another edition writes “sixty hexagrams employed” as “the remaining sixty hexagrams,” which does not fit the original sense. “Establishing punishments according to righteousness” means setting up penalties on the basis of moral principle. In older editions the character “according to” is written “establishing.” “Days and hours” means days and double-hours. Another edition writes “hours” as “nights.” “Applying the mind” means putting the mind to use in carrying it out. Another edition has “rebels” or “bursting and scattering.” “Self and mouth” refers to ji and kou; the specific meaning must be understood from the context. Another edition writes “self” as “tripod.” “Its coming” means the arrival. Another edition writes “coming” as “middle.” “The firm and yielding are already distinguished, no longer mutually encroaching” means the boundary between the hard and the soft is already clear, and they no longer mix or invade one another. The content in the scripture from “the upper chapter uses non-being to control being” onward has already been explained in the preceding text.

At the juncture of the last day of the lunar month and the first of the new month (the transition between the end of one lunar month and the start of the next in the traditional calendar), the movements of Yin-Yang coincide with Heaven and Earth, originating in the northeastern region occupied by the constellations Ji and Dou. The juncture of last and first days referred to here is the interval after Hai hour and before Zi hour, when the sun and moon are hidden; the region of Ji and Dou indicates the time after the Gen direction and before Yin hour, from which the sun and moon begin to turn and rise. This employs the circuits of Heaven, Earth, sun and moon as an analogy for how the methods of Neidan (internal alchemy) cultivation accord with the operations of nature. Some take the period after the Gen direction and before Yin hour directly as this juncture of last and first days, regarding it as the moment when a single Yang is first born and the time for gathering the medicine; such an understanding is greatly mistaken.

The phrase “turning and revolving rightward, vomiting the wheel and putting forth the sprout” means that the Yang fire circles from the waist, ascends along the directions of Dou and Ji, reaches the Xuanguan (the crucial aperture spoken of in Neidan cultivation), and thereupon radiance shines forth beyond the curtains. Another edition writes “旋” as “leftward turning.”

The words “above Mao and Bi, Zhen emerges as a sign” indicate that when the moon is newly born it appears in the west, its image resembling the Zhen trigram, thereby analogizing the fire timing (the occasions and degrees of Yin-Yang advance and retreat in cultivation) within the body. If one discusses the positions of the Pre-Heaven Bagua (Eight Trigrams) according to the direction of the moon’s rising, the Pre-Heaven Zhen trigram is not in the west, nor is the “Zhen” of fire timing in cultivation in the west. If one fails to grasp its specific referent and merely sees the statement “the newly born moon is seen in the west, its image like Zhen,” one will find earlier and later parts contradictory.

Another edition writes “和平” with “和” as “初.” Another edition writes “其统” with “其” as “阴.”

“Six-five Kun receives” means that six-five stands for the thirtieth day and does not refer to the six-five line of the Kun hexagram.

When the Yang numbers have completed their course they end and then begin again. Investigating the principles of emotion and according with innate nature, they cycle and transform in mutual coordination. The phrases “investigating emotion and according with nature, turning and associating with one another” are placed by all editions under “serving as the rules of the Dao (the Way)”; only Zhu Xi’s edition places them under “generation after generation as the mother of categories,” an arrangement that is incorrect.

Another edition writes “周流六爻” with “流” as “章,” which is incorrect. Another edition writes “难以” with “以” as “可.” Another edition writes “滋彰” with “彰” as “亨.”

One edition places “生光” under “generation after generation as the mother of categories,” an arrangement that is incorrect.

Another edition writes “周流六爻” with “流” as “章,” which is incorrect. Another edition writes “难以” with “以” as “可.” Another edition writes “滋彰” with “彰” as “亨.”

Shengguang is written as “shengzheng” in one edition, which is incorrect. Jianjin appears as “jianqin” in one edition. Chengtai is given as “chengcheng” in one edition. Yun’er is written “yunyi” in one edition. Yujia appears as “yuye” in one edition, which is incorrect. Zhensuo is written “zhenjing” in one edition.

The line “Yang ends at Si, zhong er xianggan” indicates that the fourth month belongs to Si and corresponds to the pitch Zhonglü. Xiashanzi Zhan Gu’s commentary writes “zhong er” as “zhonglü”; another edition writes “zhong” as “wu,” which is incorrect. Wu corresponds to Ruibin. The character “wei” is written “zhu” in another edition.

“You shi qu wei” appears as “dun qu shi wei” in another edition, which is incorrect. “Qi jing” is written “qi zhen” in another edition.

“Yin extends while Yang contracts, destroying and injuring the name” refers to the seventh month belonging to Shen and corresponding to the pitch Yize. “Shen” is Shen and “shang” is yi. Old editions write “huishang” as “moyang” and another as “moyang,” both incorrect.

“You shi qu wei” appears as “dun qu shi wei” in another edition, which is incorrect. “Qi jing” is written “qi zhen” in another edition.

“Yin extends while Yang contracts, destroying and injuring the name” refers to the seventh month belonging to Shen and corresponding to the pitch Yize. “Shen” is Shen and “shang” is yi. Old editions write it as “moyang” and another as “moyang,” both incorrect.

Xiaomie has “mie” written as “xi” in another edition, which is incorrect. Zhishen has “zhi” written as “qi” in one edition and “shen” as “kun” in another. Shuaisheng has “shuai” written as “geng” in one edition, which is incorrect. Chengyu has “cheng” written as “gong” in one edition. Qianqiu has “qiu” written as “zai” in one edition. Yiwu has “wu” written as “yuan” in one edition, which is incorrect. Liubu has “liu” written as “yun” in one edition.

The passage from “lei ru jizi” to “rou hua ruo yi” was mistakenly placed later in the old editions, probably because editors suspected it repeated the rhyme of the preceding lines and therefore arbitrarily shifted it. It is now restored to its proper position. “Lei ru” appears as “zhuang ru” in one edition; “xiang fu” as “xiangfu”; “nai ju” as “nai ju.” In “ruo yi,” yi means maltose; old editions wrote “qian” (lead), which Zhu Xi’s recension corrected to “yi.”

The term “xin e” has already been explained in the preceding section. “Heng wei” appears as “zhugu” in one edition, “zhuwan” in another, and “zhuyuan” in yet another.

One edition writes “扶” as “符,” while another has “乃具” as “乃俱.” The old edition reads “若饴” as “若铅,” which Zhu Xi’s version changed to “若饴.” The term “新锷” has already been explained in the previous section. Some versions give “恒为” as “筑固,” others as “筑完” or “筑垣.” For “于斯之时，情合乾坤,” one edition has “爰初之时，由乎乾坤.” One recension of “拘则水定，水五行初” reads “则水定火，五行之初.”

In “道无形象,” the old edition writes “无” as “之.” It should be “无,” since the ancient character for “无” takes this form and the cursive scripts of “之” and “无” are similar, resulting in the miscopying. Another edition writes “象” as “状.” One edition changes “一” to “其” in “真一难图.” The reading “玄且” for “至悬” is incorrect, as is “耳目己之宝” for “耳目口三宝.”

One edition writes “扬” as “通” in “发扬,” another writes “览” as “听” in “视览,” and “倾鸿蒙” appears as “顺以鸿” in one edition. The old edition has “无念” instead of “念念” and “证难以推移” for “证验自推移,” the latter being incorrect. “寖以” is given as “以浸” in one edition. Writing “润” for “洞” in “洞无极” is wrong. Neither “中宫” nor “客中” is the correct reading for “谷中.”

“任杖” appears as “拄杖” in one edition, and “没” is written as “投” in “没水.” One version writes “获” as “获” in “获黍.” “不” becomes “无” in “不见功” according to one recension. The substitution of “事” for “至” in “至约” is erroneous, probably because the cursive forms of “至” and “事” resemble each other.

Thus they join and connect with one another, swallowing and ingesting, chewing and consuming each other. After the lines “the loving mother nurtures, the filial son repays her kindness,” the old edition included Peng Zhenyi’s commentary; Liu Yongnian’s edition from the Shaoxing era likewise placed these two sentences in that position. Zhu Xi remarked: “I observe that these two sentences ought to belong after the later phrase ‘all greedily merge together’; the four lines connect in sequence, their meaning is continuous, and they should not be placed here.” I believe this chapter employs the affection between mother and child as a metaphor. “Thus they join and connect, swallowing and ingesting” is exactly like the filial crow feeding its parent in return (the young bird, once grown, feeding the old one), so these two sentences originally belonged in this place. Now, following the old edition, the wording has been restored to its proper position.

“Three and five become one” is what the previous section meant by the numbers of zi and wu combining to make three, and the numbers of wu and ji together being called five. This differs in meaning from the “three-five-one” spoken of in the Wuzhen pian. One edition writes “become” as “and,” which is incorrect. Here one should follow the old edition.

“Three and five become one” is what the previous section meant by the numbers of zi and wu combining to make three, and the numbers of wu and ji together being called five. This differs in meaning from the “three-five-one” spoken of in the Wuzhen pian. One edition writes “become” as “and,” which is incorrect.

“Zi should turn to the right” means that the Tiger is born from Water; “wu then revolves eastward” means that the Dragon emerges from Fire. Zi and wu represent Water and Fire respectively. “Zi should turn to the right” refers to the place where Metal and Water of the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) join, turning from the right to the zi position; “wu then revolves eastward” refers to Wood and Fire accompanying each other, turning from the east to the wu position. The Dao (the Way) of Heaven moves leftward and turns back rightward; the way of refining the elixir should likewise accord with the Dao of Heaven. If one interprets this as zi turning rightward and being added at the you position, and wu revolving eastward and being added at the mao position, it would become a rightward revolution and leftward turn, contrary to the Dao of Heaven. One edition writes the “east” of “revolves eastward” as “left.”

As for the term “host and guest,” one edition writes “guest” as “settled.” As for “greedily merge,” one edition writes “merge” as “then,” and another writes it as “flourish,” neither of which is correct. For “each obtains its nature,” one edition writes “obtains” as “has” and “nature” as “merit.” For “if one examines,” one edition writes “examines” as “has.” For “attains the correct Dao,” one edition writes “obtains as completing the Dao.” For “the father presides over bestowing,” one edition writes “presides” as “gives birth,” which is incorrect. For the word “nature,” one edition writes “obtains” as “has” and “nature” as “merit.” For “if one examines,” one edition writes “examines” as “has.” For “attains the correct Dao,” one edition writes “obtains as completing the Dao.” For “the father presides over bestowing,” one edition writes “presides” as “gives birth,” which is incorrect.

“Pin ji” (female chicken) appears with “pin” written as “fei” in one edition. The phrase “the Dao of applying transformation” (the principle of carrying out change) has “Dao” written as “gong” in one edition and as “jing” in another, both of which are incorrect. In “at the beginning of receiving Qi” (when first receiving the primordial Qi), one edition inserts an extra “yuan” after “zhi.” “Daily change and monthly transformation” is probably borrowed from the Zhuangzi. One edition reads “daily receiving monthly transformation,” which is incorrect. Some, finding that reading unreasonable, altered it to “monthly receiving daily transformation,” which is likewise incorrect. One edition writes “zhouzhang” as “herong” in the phrase “the watery nature zhouzhang.”

“Wood and Fire as companions” refers to the dragon emerging from fire, the “three” of the East combining with the “two” of the South to make “five.” “Metal and Water joining” refers to the tiger arising in water, the “one” of the North combining with the “four” of the West. Zhang Ziyang, a Daoist master of Neidan (internal alchemy), said that “the four images never leave the two bodies,” which captures precisely this meaning. Some interpreters explain the passage by pairing Li and Kan from the pre-heaven Bagua (Eight Trigrams) with Zhen and Dui from the post-heaven Bagua. This not only departs from the original intent of Wei Boyang, author of the Zhouyi Cantong Qi, but also differs greatly from the processes of creation operating inside the human body. One edition writes “jinshui” as “jinmu” and “muhuo” as “shuihuo,” a serious error.

“Liewei” is written as “he” in one edition and as “yin” in another. The phrase “xinchi wei xiangfan” is accompanied in one edition by the same grave substitution of “jinmu” for “jinshui” and “shuihuo” for “muhuo.” “Liewei” again appears as “he” or “yin.” The four characters “xinchi wei nü” are omitted in one edition. “Zi wuxing shi” omits those four characters in one edition and writes “zi” as “ju” in another. “Jianwei” has “wei” written as “wei” (position) in one edition. “Xuwei” appears as “baozhen.” “Zhihuo” is written as “jiangzuo.” “Tiaohe” appears as “zhihuo.” “Wang you suo ji” is written as “ji you suo wang.” In the phrase containing a lacuna “yi □,” another edition fills the missing character as “□.”

Resolving doubts in the lower chapter.

In former times the sages, holding mystery in their hearts and firmly upholding the true Dao (the Way), also felt compassion for later generations who loved the Dao and feared they would fail to grasp its principles. They therefore consulted the words of the ancients, used classical writings to point the way, and composed books to hand down to posterity. They showed only the outer branches and leaves while concealing the root. This means that after the ancient sages attained the Dao they kept the mystery within and held fast to the true Dao; pitying later devotees who could not understand the teaching, they invoked antiquity to illuminate the present and wrote books to instruct them. Yet they dared not speak plainly, so they employed names such as the “five metals” and “eight stones” to set forth the principles. The practice of composing books and using mineral names belongs to the ancient sages, not to later lovers of the Dao. Peng Zhenyi and Chen Baoyi both misunderstood this chapter; only Zhu Xi’s commentary has grasped its meaning.

One edition writes “sanyuan” as “guang,” which is incorrect. One edition writes “jingyi” as “jinye,” which is also incorrect. In “huaxing” one copy substitutes “bian” for “hua.” “Fumiu zhongwen” means the wording was repeatedly jumbled so the content would not be leaked directly; writing “mao” for “miu” in one edition is wrong. One version has “ju” instead of “chuan” in “chuanshi,” and another has “sui” for “shi” in “bushi.” Changing “wei” to “fei” in “gu wei luanci” is incorrect, as is writing “yuan” for “gou” in “xuanguo.” Old editions wrongly replace “hou” with “gai” in “tui zi hou.” The Zhou edition writes “sui” for “shi” in the line “guanqiang you di’ang xi.” The same mistaken readings for “gu wei luanci,” “xuanguo,” and “tui zi hou” reappear in some notes.

The guanqiang has its highs and lows (“di’ang” referring to the undulations of rising and falling), and thus the Zhou Tian (the cycle of one complete revolution of the celestial bodies) begins to revolve in response. The two characters “Zhou Tian” were written as “Zhou Qi” in all old editions. Zhu Xi suspected that “Zhou Qi” (vital energy) did not accord with the proper meaning and therefore changed it to “Hai Qi,” which is likewise incorrect. The graphs for “hai” and “zhou” are probably similar in form, while those for “qi” and “tian” are also quite close in appearance.

Rivers and streams never run dry, their waters continually flowing together into the sea. Old editions write “wu” as “zhi,” which is not right. “Zhi” is a corruption of “wu,” as has already been explained in detail under the earlier statement that “the Dao has no form or image.” Another version writes “he” as “huai.”

“Zhong fu shi” appears in another edition as “fu zhong shi” and in yet another as “fu geng shi.” For “zhang yu,” another edition writes “yu” as “she.” “White Tiger” is given in another edition with “hu” written as “fan,” which is incorrect. “Azure Dragon” similarly appears in another edition with “long” written as “ye,” which is also incorrect. “Ya zhi” has “zhi” written as the particle “zhi” in another edition. “Dragon scales, armor and mane” is written in another edition with “long” as “yu” and “jia” as “xia,” which is incorrect. “Jie lian” appears in another edition as “za ta,” meaning intermingled and chaotic. “Zi xiang shou” has “zi” written as “er” in another edition. “Fang six” is given in another edition with “liu” as “qi,” which is incorrect. “Zheng yang” has “yang” written as “yin” in another edition, which is likewise incorrect.

The line “san wu bing wei yi, dou ji gui yi suo” means that the Qi of the three directions—Fang (the sixth), Mao (the seventh) and Zhang (the second)—merges with the single Qi of the northern Wei mansion, gathering and returning to one place. This contains a profound principle of transformation, probably involving the Zhang mansion of the south and the Wei mansion of the north.

"The three fives combine with the Qi (vital energy) of northern Wei-one, gathering thereafter and returning to the same place." This means that the number six corresponding to the Fang mansion (one of the seven mansions of the Eastern Azure Dragon), the number seven corresponding to the Mao mansion (one of the seven mansions of the Western White Tiger), and the number two corresponding to the Zhang mansion (one of the seven mansions of the Southern Vermilion Bird)—the Qi arriving from these three directions—meet with the number one corresponding to the northern Wei mansion and ultimately gather into a single place.

This contains a profound principle of creation. Zhang and Wei along the north-south axis represent the moon, while Fang and Mao along the east-west axis represent the sun. The combination of Wei-one and Fang-six is the generating number of Water; the combination of Zhang-two and Mao-seven is the generating number of Fire. Fang-six lies in the east and Zhang-two in the south, so Wood matches Fire and six plus two become eight. Mao-seven lies in the west and Wei-one in the north, so Metal matches Water and seven plus one likewise become eight. This corresponds to the quantity of “two eights making one jin.” The remark that “at root there are only two things” refers precisely to this.

Some versions write “combining with Wei-one” as “combining as one,” while others write “and with one”; both are incorrect. Writing “one place” as “two places” is likewise wrong. One must understand that Wei Boyang (traditionally regarded as the author of the Cantongqi) composed this work so that every character accords with the principle of creation. Altering the line to “the three fives combine with one and all gather returning to two places” would violate that principle, and the phrasing “two places” is especially mistaken. Even if the gathering truly went to two places, one ought to say “divide” rather than “gather”; since the text says “gather,” the return must be to one place, not two.

The phrase “qu fu” appears as “fu qu” in Zhan Xiashan’s annotated edition. “The red color penetrates interior and exterior” is given in some versions as “red and black reach interior and exterior.” “Millet grains” has “shu” written as “dao” in some versions, which is incorrect. “If the Qi of mountains and marshes is needed” appears in some versions as “the Qi of mountains and marshes mutually steam,” which is incorrect. “A hundred million generations” has “shi” written as “dai” in some versions. “And can be examined” has “er” written as “zi” in some versions. “Heart-mind” has “xin” written as “hun” in some versions. “Suddenly one awakens of oneself” has “hu” written as “zha” in some versions. “Receiving the charts and registers” is written as “recording the heavenly chart” in some versions, which is incorrect.

Resolving Doubts on the Song of the Cauldron Vessel

“Diameter of one fen”: older editions write “jing” as “shi.”

“长尺二” means that the object is one chi and two cun in length. Another edition writes “长二尺,” which is incorrect.

“腹齐正” means that the middle of the object aligns with the navel and is correctly positioned. Zhu Xi stated that “齐” is the ancient character for “脐” (navel). Another edition writes “腹三齐,” which is incorrect.

“首尾武，中间文” means that the head and tail ends belong to the “martial” (wu), while the middle belongs to the “civil” (wen). Here “head and tail” refer to the last day of the lunar month and the new-moon day, and “middle” refers to the time of the full moon. The head and tail occupy one and the same place, and the middle likewise occupies one and the same place. If one takes the Si hour as the tail of yang Qi (vital energy) and the Hai hour as the head of yin Qi, and further takes both the Si and Wu positions as the middle, this produces the contradiction of two heads-and-tails and two middles. Another interpretation holds that when advancing the yang fire, Zi, Chou and Yin are taken as the head and Chen and Si as the tail; when withdrawing the yin talisman, Wu, Wei and Shen are taken as the head and Xu and Hai as the tail, with the central palace as the middle. This results in two heads, two tails and one middle; such explanations are all inadequate. Here “advancing the yang fire” and “withdrawing the yin talisman” are terms used in Neidan (internal alchemy) cultivation for the circulation of yang Qi and the receding and concealment of yin Qi.

“两七聚” is the original wording. Another edition writes “两七窍,” which is incorrect.

“赡理脑” is the original wording. Another edition writes “赡” as “瞻” or “胆,” both of which are incorrect.

The expression “the three being of the same kind” means that the Great Yi (the Zhouyi), Huang-Lao learning, and the art of the furnace (the techniques of elixir refinement) all take the transformations of Yin-Yang and the operations of creation as their fundamental principle and are thus mutually interconnected.

Peng Zhenyi arranged Wood three, Fire two, Earth five, Metal four, and Water one into a diagram of the five directions in mutual combination. Later people have all followed his interpretation, even regarding this diagram as the original meaning of Wei Boyang’s text and explaining the scripture as the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) being analogous to one another. This account has circulated down to the present, yet no one has examined it carefully. People have not pondered what Wei Boyang meant by “being of the same kind.” The Yi’s statement that “the five positions obtain one another and each has its combination” refers to the pairing of the generation and completion numbers of the Five Phases. Peng’s diagram uses only the generation numbers from among the generation-and-completion numbers; how can this be called “the five positions obtain one another and each has its combination”?

Some maintain that Wood three and Fire two combine to make five, Metal four and Water one combine to make five, and together with the central Earth five they constitute three “fives,” so that one may still speak of “the three fives being of the same kind.” Yet if what is meant is that the Five Phases are analogous to one another, then Water is one by itself, Fire is two by itself, while the numbers of Metal, Wood, and Earth all differ—how can they be said to be analogous to one another? Certain versions read “mutually similar”; this too is possible, but it is still less clear than the interpretation “the three being of the same kind.” Examining the text that follows, we find “the three Daos proceed from one, all emerging from the same path,” as well as “set out in three lines, their branches and stems connected” and “issuing from the same source under different names, all through a single gate.” It is therefore clear that what is referred to is indeed the three being of the same kind.

“The rustic fellow of the state of Kuai” is Wei Boyang’s way of referring to himself. Wei Boyang was from Shangyu in Kuaiji; here he avoids saying “Kuaiji” directly and instead uses “the state of Kuai” so as not to reveal his native place explicitly. If the wording is given as “Kuaiji,” it is an alteration by later editors and not the original text of Wei Boyang.

“Clasping and cherishing simplicity”: some versions have “cherishing the uncarved and embracing the unadorned.”

“Not taking pleasure in power and glory” means not being fond of authority and honor. The character le is here read in the departing tone, signifying “to like.” Some versions write the character for “power” as “joy,” which is incorrect.

“Profit and fame”: some versions write “profit” as “command.”

One recension writes “dwelling peacefully in leisurely retirement” as “a distant sojourner in swallow leisure.” In examining the tendency of its essential purport, one recension has “the aim of the work performed.” The phrase “common principles” is written in one edition with the character for “principles” as that for “discourse.” “Exercising transformation” appears with “exercising” as “spirit” in one version. “Returning to the root” has the character for “root” as “folly” in one edition, and this is incorrect. “My mind” is recorded as “my form” in another. “Eight stones” substitutes “five” for “eight” in one copy. “Completing things” replaces “things” with “merits” in one recension.

These same variant readings are listed again: “common principles” with “discourse,” “exercising transformation” with “spirit,” the erroneous “folly” for “root,” “form” for “mind,” “five” for “eight stones,” and “merits” for “things.”

One accords with the circumstances of the time and avoids harm, lodging the person among the mountain mounds, traveling back and forth in boundless and remote territories, and taking ghosts and spirits as neighbors. Once the several parts mutually bear and cooperate with one another, peaceful longevity is achieved. These sixteen sentences encapsulate the name of Wei Boyang by means of enigmatic language. “Each mutually multiplying and bearing” refers to stacking the graphs “wei” and “gui” to form “Wei,” “ren” and “bai” to form “Bo,” and the “fu” component with “yi” to form “Yang.”

One edition writes “gui” as “immortal” and “e” as “adversity”; it also writes “each mutually multiplying and bearing, peaceful longevity” as “auspicious persons mutually multiplying, peaceful and concealed longevity.” Another writes “auspicious persons mutually multiplying and bearing, one may achieve peaceful longevity.” These accounts are all mistaken. A further edition writes “east west and south inclining” as “east west south and north,” and “floods and droughts isolated and combined” as “floods droughts soldiers and leather.”

The wording “furnace fire” is thus in the original and has been corrected on the authority of the Siku edition. The character “white” stands as “self” in the original text and is emended according to the Siku edition.

Resolving Doubts in the Encomiastic Preface

“Establishing administration” is written as “governing the ultimate” in one edition. “Rice and salt” in all likelihood employs the locution found in the “Treatise on Celestial Officials” of the Records of the Grand Historian. “Rice and salt distinguished and judged” is as much as to say that black and white are clearly set apart. One edition writes “rice and salt” as “Kan and Li,” which is erroneous. “By means of the Changes” has “Changes” written as “classic” in one recension. “Establishing commentary” has “commentary” as “method” in one edition, and this is incorrect.

Therefore, the “one” here was originally written as “wu” (I).