《道樞》Vol. 17
About this page. The original text of 《道樞》 Vol. 17 (Taixuan 太玄部, 42 volumes) is shown in Classical Chinese as transmitted in the Kanripo (Kyoto University) edition. An English interpretation of the 11 passages on this page accompanies it: select a passage or press “Interpretation” to show it. All texts in English
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Source textInterpretation
An informal interpretation of “The Chapter on Circulating Fire,” section five, in juan 17 of The Pivot of the Dao
Immortal Yin said: The progression of Yang Fire follows these numbers: one, two, four; three, six, four; eight, five, ten; six, twelve, seven; fourteen, eight, sixteen; nine, eighteen, ten; twenty, eleven, twenty-two; twelve, twenty-four, thirteen; twenty-six, fourteen, twenty-eight; fifteen, thirty. The progression of Yin Fire follows these numbers: sixteen, thirty; seventeen, thirty-six; eighteen, forty-two; nineteen, forty-eight; twenty, fifty-four; twenty-one, sixty; twenty-two, sixty-six; twenty-three, seventy-two; twenty-four, seventy-eight; twenty-five, eighty-four; twenty-six, ninety; twenty-seven, ninety-six; twenty-eight, one hundred and two; twenty-nine, one hundred and eight; thirty, one hundred and fourteen; thirty-one, one hundred and twenty.
The numbers for the fire I have described are, in general, the same as those given by Wei Boyang, the Eastern Han alchemist who wrote the Cantong qi (Token for Joining the Three). They also accord with the measures of the sun and moon’s movements, the full circuit of the celestial wheel, and the numbers corresponding to the stars. They may be said to exhaust the numbers of Heaven and Earth and fulfill their workings; they are beyond comparison with the minor practices of heterodox paths.
The essentials of the fire timing—the regulated adjustment of “fire” according to the seasons in alchemy and inner cultivation—are expressed in this verse: “Day and night, and the four seasons: fire communicates with the energies of Heaven and Earth. The myriad things receive their endowment from the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water). The method of fire is found in the Cantong qi, beginning with ‘nine endings and six pairs.’ Cold and warmth are joined to the work of transformation. The Azure Dragon weds the White Tiger; there is one ingredient, and no other opening. Radiance gathers and forms the world’s treasure; hold it still and firm, and let none of it escape. The sages left this method, concealed within the art of fire.”
Yin energy rises upward, while Yang energy rushes downward. Between the beginning and end, and Wudu—the crucial position in the circulation of fire timing—each five-day period forms one phase. The Returning hexagram of the Book of Changes comes first; beginning and end meet and set the movement in motion. At the first nine: the three positions of Hai, Zi, and Chou form the beginning. At the second nine: Yin, Mao, and Chen correspond to the six pitch pipes. At the third nine: Si, Wu, and Wei, with the fifth position in accord with the sages’ intent. At the fourth nine: Shen, You, and Xu, where the fire numbers must be put into practice. The cycle passes through the twelve earthly branches and, completing its circuit, corresponds to the four seasons.
The “flying dragon in the sky” of the ninth and fifth positions does not circulate the fire numbers. The “arrogant dragon has cause for regret” of the top position withdraws to a lower place. Thus, in the nine positions there is no Yin: this signifies the Qi rising on the day of the winter solstice. In the nine heavens there is no Yang: this signifies the Qi descending on the day of the summer solstice. The sages therefore devised a method to restore the fire of the four seasons, without the slightest discrepancy between day and night. When the fire numbers are complete, it departs and rises to the Peng Terrace, a metaphor for the region of the upper Dantian (energy center), then reaches the Dantian—the place in the lower abdomen, or below the navel, where Jing and Qi gather—and surges upward.
This chapter belongs to the Neidan (internal alchemy) tradition of Daoism and concerns the circulation of fire and the timing of its application. It aligns numerical sequences, hexagram lines, the twelve earthly branches, and the twenty-four solar terms with Yin and Yang Fire, in keeping with the Cantong qi and ideas about the movements of the sun and moon. It should be understood within the system of alchemical scriptures, rather than as ordinary divination or a simple regimen for health.
I. Refining the Elixir and Subduing Its Ingredients (Reversing the Furnace and Inverting the Firing)
Place the ingredients in the heavy elixir furnace below and, according to the method, fire them “in reverse” until their color returns to its original state. At this point, the “Four Qi” are complete, and Mercury and Cinnabar have both been subdued by the fire and brought to stillness. The work of transformation is then finished. Cinnabar belongs to Yin, so it must first be decocted in Yin and then calcined in Yang; Mercury belongs to Yang, so it must first be calcined in Yang and then decocted in Yin. Only by repeatedly subduing them through Yin and Yang can the Returning Elixir be made.
II. The Primordial Unity Chapter (Following Heaven and Joining the Origin, Guarding the Three Wonders)
The True Lord of Primordial Unity said: At the beginning of chaos, its form was like an egg, round above and square below. In its center was a mass of Qi, fine as dust in a crack. Gathered in the hand, it had no fixed shape, yet its image could be seen by the eye. From this came the Two Principles. When the Two Principles interacted, Yin and Yang arose; when Yin and Yang sustained one another, Heaven, Earth, and Humanity—the Three Powers—were established. Human beings, too, are born by receiving the same Qi as Heaven and Earth.
Why, then, does Heaven not collapse and Earth not sink, while people die? Heaven, in its light and clear substance, moves in accordance with the proper course. If it went against that course and followed contrary Qi, sinking ever further into heaviness and turbidity, its Qi would be exhausted and Heaven would collapse. Earth, in its heavy and turbid substance, rises contrary to the proper course, from below upward. If it went against that course and followed the proper flow of Qi, moving ever further toward lightness and clarity, its Qi would be exhausted and Earth would sink. People are inherently Yang, but most things in the world that have physical form belong to Yin. If throughout life one follows Yin and pursues false and deluded views, one depletes one’s vital Qi and thus comes to die.
Only by following the Dao of Heaven, constantly bringing one’s own Qi into harmony with the original source and making no distinction between oneself and the Dao, can one attain long life. The inability to attain long life comes down to losing the original source and damaging the Three Wonders—the Jing, Qi, and Shen, or three vital centers in the body, as different traditions interpret them. When original Qi is damaged, it becomes insufficient, and Shen perishes with it. When Shen perishes, Qi also becomes insufficient, and one can no longer harmonize with the movements of Heaven and Earth.
If there has been no reckless outflow, the awareness has not become disordered, and the Three Wonders have not been violated, then, with one’s thoughts undisturbed day and night, one can share the Virtue of Heaven and Earth and shine with the same brightness as the sun and moon. If a practitioner’s original Qi has been damaged, their spirit is incomplete. They must wait until the spirit is restored and the Qi is once again whole before they can nourish life and become an immortal. Otherwise, the Qi within and without cannot unite, and it is difficult to attain the Dao. What do “within” and “without” mean? Within refers to the Qi of the human body; without refers to the Qi of Heaven and Earth. Heaven, Earth, and Humanity are all transformed from the True One Qi. If the Qi within cannot be restored to its former fullness, it will not harmonize with the Qi without.
The Five Phases give form to the myriad things, and when something is damaged, it must be repaired with something of the same kind. The same principle applies when a person is damaged—(the text may have gone on to describe a method of cultivation that “repairs with material things,” but the scripture breaks off here).
A Plain Language Interpretation of The Pivot of the Dao
To investigate and nourish the root source, the foundation of life, is to return to the Origin, which is the One. At the beginning, a person receives a portion of true essence from the father and a portion of true Qi from the mother. Their union forms the body. Thus, “the union of Yin and Yang is called the Dao”: the Dao gives birth to the One, the One gives birth to Two, Two gives birth to Three, and Three gives birth to the myriad things. From this, Heaven and Earth are established, and the human body contains them all. This is the human foundation.
If the Three Wonders—Shen (spirit), Qi (vital energy), and Jing (essence)—are depleted, one must still cultivate by returning to the root source, and the Three Wonders can naturally be restored to fullness. A person’s original foundation arises from the interaction of Yin and Yang. If it is depleted through that interaction, it can likewise be replenished by the way of Yin and Yang. When Shen, Qi, and the body are brought into harmony, inner Qi naturally joins with outer Qi; when inner and outer Qi unite, they resonate with Heaven and Earth.
Where lies the way of replenishment through Yin and Yang? Those who cultivate the body first nurture life. By following the cycles of Yin and Yang, they attune themselves to the seasons and the movement of Qi within the body, set Heaven and Earth in motion, and draw in and release the Five Phases. Amid the alternation of obstruction and harmony, they move continuously in and out, circulating freely and responding to both inner and outer conditions without imbalance. Through three years of such cultivation, one can become an immortal.
Someone asks: Where do the parents’ essence and Qi come from, and how do they transform and flow? The answer: The father corresponds to Wood, and essence to Fire; these two images combine as one Qi, with Wood as the governing force and Fire as its function. The mother corresponds to Metal, and blood to Water; these two images likewise combine as one Qi, with Metal as the governing force and Water as its function. When the Four Images encounter Earth, they generate one another; without Earth, they overcome one another. The mother’s Origin Palace, the womb, is true and upright Earth. When the Qi of the Four Images reaches this place, it naturally comes into harmony and gathers as a treasure, giving rise to nature, intention, wisdom, and understanding.
Wood is nature, Fire is intention, Metal is wisdom, and Water is understanding. By applying nature in cultivating the eastern Jia and Yi, Liver Fire arises; by applying intention in cultivating the southern Bing and Ding, Heart Fire arises; by applying wisdom in cultivating the western Geng and Xin, Lung Metal arises; and by applying understanding in cultivating the northern Ren and Gui, Kidney Water arises. The kidneys govern the bones and ears; the liver governs the sinews and eyes; the spleen governs the flesh and lips; the heart governs the blood and tongue; and the lungs govern the skin, body hair, and nose. The gallbladder is the liver’s storehouse, the small intestine the heart’s, the large intestine the lungs’, the bladder the kidneys’, and the stomach the spleen’s. Each of the Five Phases is thus complete, with Wood, Fire, Metal, and Water corresponding one by one to the internal organs and their associated organs.
When Qi reaches the body’s root, all the spirits can be fully present. Only then can the body be whole and all its functions complete.
After thirty days, Qi is full; after three hundred days, the work of transformation is complete and the body’s form is whole. Shen, Qi, and Jing then become its governing forces. Shen is the Qi of the Spleen; Qi is the Qi of Metal and Water; Jing is the Qi of Fire and Wood. The Three Wonders travel with the mother’s nourishing and defensive Qi, coursing through every channel and collateral vessel and throughout the body, reaching the diaphragm, the Primordial Palace, and the area beneath the breasts. Within ten days, a first membrane forms, and from it emerges a white, creamy fluid of Metal. Within thirty days, the cream is full and the fluid wells up and flows into the Primordial Palace, nourishing the Three Wonders. Within forty days, a second membrane forms; by sixty days, its fluid has flowed into the Primordial Palace and the first membrane has closed. A third membrane forms by seventy days; by ninety days, its fluid has flowed into the Primordial Palace and the next membrane has closed. In this way, nine membranes form altogether. After three hundred days, the infant is born. For three years, it feeds on the milk it has stored; then Shen is whole and Qi is sufficient. This is the root of human life. Whoever understands this principle has grasped the way of cultivating the body.
Those who cultivate the body must first eliminate illness. Otherwise, Shen will be disturbed and unsettled; how, then, could one speak of drawing in spirits from outside? Illness arises when the Five Viscera are out of harmony and the nourishing and defensive Qi cannot circulate freely. When Qi flows smoothly, illness is removed; when Qi flows against its proper course, the Five Viscera fall out of harmony and the hundred vessels become blocked. When Qi flows smoothly, the nourishing and defensive Qi circulates throughout the body without obstruction.
The method of cultivating the body is this: during the hours of Xu, Hai, and Zi (about seven in the evening until one in the morning), Yin-Yang gradually grows stronger. As a person lies in bed, Qi stagnates in the joints and gates of the hundred vessels, making this a suitable time to begin the practice. First stretch the four limbs, then extend the hands and feet to the left and right, opening all the hundred vessels. Shake and sway the body so that Qi can move freely everywhere; then Shen should become clear. What is clear Shen? What cannot be fathomed in Yin and Yang is called Shen; the clear radiance of the sun and moon is called brightness. When intention gives rise to action, that is Shen; when action is applied without error, that is brightness.
One then puts Shen to use. Sit upright with the body straight, cut off thoughts and forget one’s imaginings. Wait until Shen and Qi have both settled, then draw clean Qi in through the nose and expel turbid Qi through the mouth. Why? The five flavors and five pungent foods a person eats can each cause harm and overcome what they should not; they can corrupt the Five Viscera and bring illness. As clean and turbid Qi become mixed, they are difficult to distinguish, so one exhales to clear away the turbid. Once the Qi has been made to remain at the nose…
A Plain-Language Guide to The Formulary of the Pharmacy Service for Benefiting the People in the Taiping Era
1. Cold Damage and Warm Diseases
Cold Damage
Cold damage is an illness caused by exposure to pathogenic cold. Its usual course is for the cold pathogen to first invade the skin, then pass into the channels and collaterals, and finally penetrate the internal organs. At the onset, chills are often followed by fever, indicating that the cold pathogen is moving from the exterior into the interior.
If a patient has a weak constitution, is elderly and frail, or has become weakened by a long illness, the pathogen may directly invade the three Yin channels after exposure to cold. Severe signs can then appear, such as cold limbs and diarrhea containing undigested food. In such cases, one must not use sweating or purging methods indiscriminately.
Treatment for cold damage should be chosen according to the location of the pathogen and the patient’s constitution. Different methods may include inducing sweating, purging, harmonizing, or warming the interior. To induce sweating, use acrid, warm formulas that release the exterior, but do not cause excessive sweating, which may damage Yang. To purge, use bitter, cold laxative formulas, but stop as soon as the treatment takes effect. Excessive purging may damage Yin.
Warm Diseases
Warm diseases are caused by exposure to pathogenic warmth and heat. They tend to arise suddenly and progress quickly. The pathogen can readily turn into heat and penetrate the interior, damaging Yin and depleting fluids. At the onset, symptoms often include fever, thirst, and a sore throat, distinguishing warm diseases from cold damage.
Treatment should focus on clearing heat while also venting it from the exterior. If the heat enters the nutritive and blood levels, use methods that clear the nutritive level and cool the blood. If heat invades the Pericardium, use methods that clear the Heart and open the orifices. In the later stages, when Yin fluids have been severely depleted, nourish Yin and clear heat.
2. Contraindications in the Use of Medicines
Medicines During Pregnancy
Medicines must be used with particular caution during pregnancy. Strongly toxic, intensely hot, intensely cold, slippery, blood-breaking, or water-expelling substances should be avoided. These include aconite, monkshood, croton seed, morning glory seed, rhubarb, mirabilite, peach kernel, safflower, three-edged leek rhizome, and zedoary rhizome.
If the condition makes treatment essential, choose substances with mild properties and strictly control the dose. Scutellaria root, white atractylodes rhizome, and cardamom fruit, for example, may be used when appropriate.
Medicines for Children
Children’s organs and viscera are delicate, so medicines should be mild and gentle. Use great caution with substances that are very bitter, very cold, very hot, or very acrid. Coptis rhizome, gypsum, aconite, and dried ginger, for example, should not be used excessively.
Doses for children should be small, generally one third to one half of the adult dose. Medicines should not be taken for a prolonged period; stop once the treatment takes effect.
Dietary Restrictions
While taking medicine, avoid raw or cold foods, greasy foods, spicy foods, and foods considered to provoke illness. Radish, mung beans, crab, lamb, Chinese chives, and chili peppers, for example, should not be taken together with medicines.
When taking warming and tonifying formulas, avoid raw and cold foods. When taking heat-clearing formulas, avoid spicy foods. When taking purgative formulas, avoid greasy foods.
3. Combining Ingredients in Formulas
Chief, Deputy, Assistant, and Envoy Ingredients
Formula ingredients are assigned the roles of chief, deputy, assistant, and envoy. The chief ingredient primarily treats the main illness or pattern. The deputy supports the chief and strengthens its therapeutic effect. The assistant helps the chief treat accompanying patterns or moderates its toxicity. The envoy guides the formula to the relevant channels or harmonizes its ingredients.
In the Ma Huang Decoction, for example, ma huang (ephedra) is the chief, gui zhi (cinnamon twig) the deputy, xing ren (apricot kernel) the assistant, and gan cao (licorice root) the envoy. Together, the four ingredients induce sweating and release the exterior.
The Seven Relationships Among Medicines
Medicines have seven possible relationships when combined: acting alone, mutual reinforcement, mutual assistance, mutual restraint, mutual detoxification, mutual counteraction, and incompatibility.
Mutual reinforcement occurs when two medicines with similar properties and effects are used together to strengthen their therapeutic effect. For example, rhubarb and mirabilite used together strengthen purgation.
Mutual assistance occurs when one medicine is primary and another supports it, enhancing its effect. For example, astragalus root tonifies Qi, while poria promotes urination. Together, they can strengthen the effects of tonifying Qi and promoting urination.
Mutual restraint occurs when one medicine reduces or eliminates the toxicity or side effects of another. For example, ginger restrains pinellia and can lessen its toxicity.
Mutual detoxification occurs when one medicine reduces or eliminates the toxicity or side effects of another. For example, ginger counteracts pinellia toxicity.
Mutual counteraction occurs when two medicines are used together and one undermines the effect of the other. For example, ginseng counteracts radish seed, which can undermine ginseng’s Qi-tonifying effect.
Incompatibility occurs when two medicines used together produce or intensify toxicity or side effects. The “Eighteen Incompatibilities” include licorice root with kansui root, Japanese knotted-knotweed root, seaweed, or genkwa flower; aconite with fritillaria bulb, trichosanthes fruit, pinellia, ampelopsis root, or bletilla rhizome; and veratrum with ginseng, adenophora root, red sage root, scrophularia root, asarum, or peony root.
4. Preparing and Taking Medicines
Decoctions
Use an earthenware or ceramic pot to prepare decoctions, and avoid iron or copper pots. Ingredients that require preliminary decoction, such as minerals and shells, should be boiled for thirty minutes before the other ingredients are added. Ingredients that are added near the end, such as aromatic substances, should be put in during the final five minutes of boiling. Ingredients that need to be wrapped for decoction, such as plantain seed and inula flower, should be tied in a piece of gauze before boiling. Ingredients that need to be dissolved, such as donkey-hide gelatin and deer-horn gelatin, should be dissolved in the hot decoction after the other ingredients have finished boiling.
How to Take Medicines
Decoctions are generally best taken warm, one dose per day, divided into morning and evening servings. For an urgent or severe condition, two doses may be taken per day, divided into four servings. Pills and powders should be taken with warm water. Pastes should be dissolved in warm water before taking.
The timing of doses also matters. Tonifying medicines are best taken before meals; purgatives and medicines for expelling parasites are best taken on an empty stomach; calming medicines are best taken before sleep; and medicines for acute illness may be taken as needed.
5. Distinguishing Patterns of Illness
Exterior and Interior; Cold and Heat
An exterior cold pattern often presents with chills, fever, no sweating, headache and body aches, and a floating, tight pulse. Treatment should release the exterior with acrid, warm medicines, such as Ma Huang Decoction or Gui Zhi Decoction.
An exterior heat pattern often presents with fever, mild aversion to wind and cold, sweating, a sore throat, and a floating, rapid pulse. Treatment should release the exterior with acrid, cool medicines, such as Yin Qiao Powder or Sang Ju Drink.
An interior cold pattern often presents with aversion to cold, cold limbs, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and a deep, slow pulse. Treatment should warm the interior and dispel cold, using formulas such as Li Zhong Decoction or Si Ni Decoction.
An interior heat pattern often presents with high fever, thirst, constipation, dark urine, and a surging, rapid pulse. Treatment should clear heat and drain fire, using formulas such as Bai Hu Decoction or Coptis Detoxification Decoction.
Mixed Deficiency and Excess
Deficiency with underlying excess means that the body’s upright Qi is weak while an excess pathogen is also present. Treatment should support the upright Qi and dispel the pathogen, as with Bu Zhong Yi Qi Decoction combined with immature bitter orange.
Excess with underlying deficiency means that the pathogen is strongly lodged while the upright Qi has already been damaged. Treatment should attack and supplement at the same time, as with Da Cheng Qi Decoction combined with ginseng.
6. Recovery and Aftercare
After an illness has resolved, take care to support recovery. Choose light foods that are easy to digest and return to a normal diet gradually; do not suddenly eat rich foods. Keep a regular daily routine and avoid overexertion. Maintain an even emotional state and avoid both excessive joy and excessive sorrow.
After an illness, Qi deficiency may appear as aching in the back, weakness in the legs, fatigue, and shortness of breath. In that case, avoid strenuous work and make conserving mental and physical strength the priority. Begin with thin rice porridge; only after several days should soups be added. Use little salt or vinegar in the soup to avoid irritating the digestive tract. Wait until digestive function has recovered before eating meat and other rich foods.
Aftercare affects the outcome of an illness. With proper care, the upright Qi gradually recovers and the illness does not return. With poor care, the upright Qi may remain depleted, making relapse more likely and potentially allowing the illness to become chronic.
The passages above offer a plain-language interpretation of the Formulary of the Pharmacy Service for Benefiting the People in the Taiping Era concerning cold damage and warm diseases, contraindications in the use of medicines, the composition of formulas, methods for preparing and taking medicines, the diagnosis of patterns, and recovery care. The text’s discussions draw on clinical experience and offer valuable guidance for later physicians treating illness with medicines.
It takes three hundred days for the embryo to form. How, then, can the sinews and bones be strengthened?
The key is to be free of thought, worry, imaginings, and desire, so that the spirit is settled and the breath is calm. Only then can a firm foundation be established. Those who study the Dao understand this principle. They can draw upon the Qi of Yin-Yang and master the transformations of Heaven and Earth to cultivate themselves, ultimately reaching a state beyond the ordinary and entering the realm of the sages.
Someone asked, “Why does refining saliva fail to produce a precious elixir?”
The reply was: “The Qi of the five viscera is in disorder, and even the Qi of the nutritive and defensive systems cannot circulate normally. How, then, could you hope to refine saliva? This happens because the Qi of the five viscera has not been brought into harmony. First regulate the Qi of the five viscera and let it flow smoothly. Then refine the saliva three times. How could it fail to become a precious elixir?
“How can the five viscera be brought into harmony? The key is to investigate the original foundations of the Five Phases and cultivate in accordance with their principles.
“Wood is situated in the east. Jia and Yi move purely along the Yang path; their generation begins at Bingyin, and their governing trigram is Zhen. The original Qi is obtained from Water, so their image is the dragon. Their number is nine times nine. When their Qi is full, it gives rise to Fire, which resides in Bing and Ding. Its number is three, and its governing trigram is Li. Li is Yin, and its image is the Vermilion Bird. The dragon and Vermilion Bird are two images of a single Qi: Wood is the master, and Fire its function.
“Metal is situated in the west. Geng and Xin move purely along the Yin path; their generation begins at Renshen, and their governing trigram is Dui. The original Qi is obtained from Earth, so their image is the tiger. Their number is seven times seven. When their Qi is full, it gives rise to Water, which resides in Ren and Gui. Its number is one, and its governing trigram is Kan. Kan is Yang, and its image is the Black Tortoise. The tiger and Black Tortoise are likewise two images of a single Qi: Metal is the master, and Water its function.
“Earth can restrain the Qi of the four images and turn it into a precious elixir. How is this different from a person born of parents?
“To verify the Five Phases within the five viscera, take the nine orifices as your guide. The five viscera communicate outward through the nine orifices: the liver connects to the eyes, the heart to the tongue, the spleen to the mouth, the lungs to the nose, and the kidneys to the ears and the lower orifice. Thus, if the nine orifices are obstructed, the five viscera are out of order; when the five viscera are balanced, the nine orifices are clear.
“The pathological Qi of each of the five viscera has its own characteristic color: the liver is green, the heart red, the lungs white, the kidneys black, and the spleen yellow. Regulate them according to their directions and attributes. If you see green with no other colors mixed in, this shows that the Qi of that organ is flowing smoothly. Observe the four viscera (as stated in the original text)…”
A Plain-Language Interpretation of The Pivot of the Dao
Just as one should not force oneself to see within one’s proper color, yet may perceive “Qi running counter to its course”—that is a method for nourishing life, not the so-called Great Elixir of Complete Alchemy.
The Ninefold-Transformed Returned Elixir requires recognizing the Five Phases, establishing the Golden Lock, nourishing the Mysterious Pearl, and keeping the Spirit Water settled in the Original Palace—the Dantian, the body’s fundamental center. Subdue the Qi so that it does not leave the kidney storehouse, and return the Jing upward to pay court to Great Harmony. This is the gate to entering sagehood.
Heaven and earth make use of the sun and moon; human beings make use of the nutritive and defensive Qi. If the body’s workings can match the movements of the sun and moon outside, one’s lifespan can equal that of heaven and earth. Shen is the Qi of the nutritive and defensive systems: the nutritive Qi is like the sun, and the defensive Qi is like the moon. When the movement of Shen and Qi within follows the courses of the sun and moon outside, inner and outer naturally come into accord.
The sun: In a day of twelve double-hours, it corresponds to only nine; the remaining three do not correspond. In thirty days, totaling three hundred and sixty double-hours, it is seen for only two hundred and seventy; for the remaining ninety it is not seen. Why? The sun arises in the Tiger hour and its Qi moves in the forward direction. When it reaches the positions of the Dog, Boar, and Rat hours, it passes through the domain of the moon. The two Qi meet, and so the sun does not correspond.
The moon: In a month, it is bright for only twenty-four days; for six days at either end, it is not bright. Why? The moon arises in the Monkey position and its Qi moves in reverse. When it reaches the palaces of the Dog, Boar, and Rat hours, it is governed by pure Yin, and so it is not bright. After twenty-seven days, on the third day of the month, the sun and moon join; the moon is then dark, and the sun is not visible.
Practitioners should make the nutritive and defensive Qi join when the sun and moon join, and move when they move. This is what it means for inner and outer to accord.
As for the sun: three days before and three days after, it parts from the moon at the time of Gen. The moon remains in its palace; from the fourth through the eighth day, it moves onward, and at the Ox hour on the twenty-third or twenty-seventh day it parts from the sun. Then the Qi is full and brightly radiant. The sun and moon do not differ from the Qi of heaven and earth, and so they endure. If the Qi of my nutritive and defensive systems can accord with them, I too can attain long life.
The Golden Elixir is the refinement of the Mysterious Pearl.
A Plain-Language Explanation
When the “Mysterious Pearl” returns to its proper place, this is what is called returning to the source and restoring one’s life. But first, one must understand what the Five Phases are.
Each of a person’s five organs has its own color, which becomes visible. Therefore, when practicing the method of the Nine Returns, one must first establish an altar and set up its images before beginning the work. The altar is the key to Heaven and Earth, the source of the cosmos, the head of Qian and Kun, and the foundation of the Dragon and Tiger. Without an altar and its images, one is like a person without a dwelling. I sit upright and still within the altar, contemplating the sequence of the four seasons and the sun and moon, so that the inner and outer correspond.
The liver belongs to Wood. In the spring, during the third month, choose a Jiazi day and Jiazi hour to begin the practice. Sit upright and still within the altar, letting go of thoughts and worries. Keep the Earth Gate—the lower opening—closed, and the Heaven Gate—the upper opening—slightly open. Let the breath flow in and out continuously, without forcing it to move too quickly. Focus the Ying and Wei so they return to the liver. Qi rises from the space between the shoulder blades and reaches the brain, then descends through the crown of the head and enters the mouth. Rinse it there before guiding it to the Twelve-Storied Tower. It first passes to the lungs, from the lungs to the kidneys, from the kidneys to the liver, from the liver to the heart, and from the heart to the spleen. From the spleen it enters the Original Palace, the Dantian (energy center), where the spirit and Qi receive it. When the prescribed number of cycles is complete, it surges and flows to the two openings beneath the tongue. Its color is blue-green: this is the liver’s Qi moving in its proper course. The other four organs are treated in the same way.
Someone might ask, “How can one know this?” The answer is: The liver’s Qi is first set in motion during the third month of spring, beginning on a Jiazi day and at a Jiazi hour. It is not invaded by the Qi of the other organs; it only turns to its proper position, circulating the Ying and Wei through the whole body, the channels, and the five organs. When the prescribed number of cycles is complete, it generates original Qi to nourish the body, while its most refined essence is stored in the Original Palace. The Five Phases’ Qi of generation and destruction stays in its own position and does not leak outward. When spring comes again, seek the day and hour when Wood is at its height, and apply it once more to the Original Palace. The blue-green substance is the liver’s true Qi. It again passes through the five organs and the Ying and Wei, circulating throughout the body and emerging through the pores. The other organs show different colors, while this one is purely blue-green. The other four Qi follow the same pattern. Each of the five organs has its own color; that is the proof.
What, then, is the method of the Golden Lock? Take two-sixths and two-sevenths of the White Tiger’s first essence as Earth, and take three-five-one as Metal. Metal is the true Qi of the West, and lead is the White Tiger’s true Qi. “Lock” means to close: it closes the true Qi within Yang. Mercury is the Azure Dragon… (The discussion of mercury and the Azure Dragon continues below; the original manuscript breaks off here.)
This is an account of how Neidan (internal alchemy) uses metaphors such as lead and mercury and the Azure Dragon and White Tiger to describe how true essence and spirit and Qi come together to form the Elixir. The plain-language interpretation follows.
True Essence, Lead, and Mercury
What is called true essence, at its most subtle level, arises from the true Qi of the Four Images (the four kinds of true Qi symbolized by the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise), and therefore has no fixed form. Lead and mercury depend on Earth (the central palace, the spleen and intention, and related things) to be regulated and settled. Only when Qi reaches this point do lead and mercury take on a “bodily form,” dividing into two kinds of Qi. The two become a “treasure” only when they meet.
One must therefore use a secret method to take the lead from the position of the White Tiger and return it to the position of the Azure Dragon. Lead originally belongs to the Tiger Palace (the West, Yin, kidney-water, and related things). If, after returning to the Azure Dragon’s position, it cannot be received peacefully, its killing Qi will surge and damage the Original Spirit. Only when the five viscera move in their proper order can it dwell again in the Azure Dragon’s original palace.
Once lead is present, it can restrain mercury. When mercury encounters lead, they naturally respond to one another and form a treasure. This is what is called the Golden Lock.
What Is Mysterious Pearl Cinnabar?
Take twelve to fifteen ounces of gold in its “true color” from the West; gold that has already been refined will not do. When Metal and Wood meet, the mind must remain undisturbed and focused. Practice according to the numbers of Yin and Yang; if the intention becomes unsettled, stop.
The Mysterious Pearl is formed from the Four Images, brought together through Metal, Wood, Fire, and Earth. Wood is the Dragon, and the Dragon belongs to Yang; Metal is the Tiger, and the Tiger belongs to Yin. Mercury transforms into the Dragon, the utmost essence within Yang; lead transforms into the Tiger, the utmost essence within Yin. Yin remains within Yang, so lead can retain mercury, and mercury can respond to lead. When lead and mercury unite, the Mysterious Pearl is formed.
First, use a hidden mechanism to obtain true lead and return it to the Azure Dragon’s original palace, where it forms cinnabar. Mercury will then naturally attach itself to the lead. Lead and mercury are the essences of the Dragon and Tiger. When each of the two Qi receives its proper share, the lead naturally gathers into one whole, which is called the Mysterious Pearl. How can one know this has happened? Mercury lies subdued within true lead and dwells in the original palace. Then Metal and Wood are made to meet and are subjected to the overcoming action of Metal (Metal overcomes Wood, symbolizing the firing process and restraint). If the mind stirs, true Qi leaks downward, and it must be firmly restrained.
Thus it is kept from leaking out. It seeks to return to its original place but cannot leave its position; it then enters the original palace again and joins with lead. This is the union meant by “coming together.”
Timing and the Firing Process
The Mysterious Pearl can form in about twenty days. One feels it from the Twelve-Story Tower (the throat and chest) down to below the navel, intensely hot as if burning. Metal and Wood must be brought together with care to restore them to their cavity. This cavity belongs to Earth and contains the Five Phases.
Within thirty days, Qi fills out and the bodily form is complete; one can take the three days (referring to a particular aperture or circuit of the body). After one hundred days, having received the transformations of Heaven and Earth, it becomes the Golden Elixir. At the completion of ten months, it is “born”—a metaphor for the Elixir’s completion, the shedding of the mortal shell, and related processes.
Notes on Terms
- Lead and mercury: Neidan terms, often metaphors for kidney-water essence and the Qi of mind and spirit, among other things; they do not refer to the chemical substances.
- Azure Dragon and White Tiger: Directions in the east and west, often metaphors for the liver’s Hun and the lungs’ Po, or for two pathways of essence and Qi, one Yang and one Yin.
- Mysterious Pearl and Golden Elixir: Metaphors for the “pearl” and “elixir” formed through internal cultivation.
- Original Spirit: The innate spirit, as distinct from the acquired discriminating spirit.
- Twelve-Story Tower: Often refers to successive regions such as the throat and chest, or serves as a metaphor for the path by which Qi ascends.
Plain-Language Interpretation of The Pivot of the Dao
Beneath the left ribs is something shaped like a cherry and resembling blood in substance. This is what is called the true Golden Elixir. It can remain settled for a long time in the Original Palace, the fundamental place around the Dantian (energy center). When Qi is settled and Shen (spirit) remains constantly present, and Jing (essence) is gathered back and brought up to the brain, one may be called a flying immortal.
When all the joints above and below are open, the Elixir Qi circulates through the meridians and transforms the marrow. After three years of this, one can become a Perfected Person.
Someone asked: “Earlier, you spoke of the great accomplishment in thirty days. Does that mean it takes only thirty days? Here you say that it takes three years to become a Perfected Person. How can both be true?”
The answer: “Within three years there is an intercalary month, and only then is the Qi of Heaven and Earth complete, giving rise to surplus Qi. In about three years, this can accumulate to thirty days, which establishes the measures of Heaven, Earth, the sun, and the moon. Thus, after three hundred days the Qi is complete, and after three years both above and below are full. It is like human gestation: Qi must be full after thirty days, the body takes shape after three hundred days, and three years pass before the child becomes an adult. Therefore, within the ‘three years,’ those thirty days are the period of great accomplishment. If practitioners can follow the example of Heaven and Earth and use this surplus Qi accumulated over thirty days to cultivate within the three-year period, they are following the superior method. In this way, the Qi originally present will not dissipate during those three years.”
Someone asked again: “When people are young, they value profit and neglect life, damaging their Original Spirit and diminishing their Qi and Jing. How can they still cultivate the Dao in old age?”
The answer: “When the old Yin takes from the young Yang, life can be prolonged; when the old Yang takes from the young Yin, death is hard to approach. If the elderly obtain the Qi of the young and practice according to this method, they too can seize the transformations of Heaven and Earth, becoming firm and long-lived. Therefore, practitioners must understand that the original basis of conception is the Jing and Qi of the parents. Lead and mercury join, together forming the Four Images, which enter the central palace; thus the Five Phases come into being. Once the Five Phases have received sufficient Qi, the Qi of the liver enters the central palace for forty-five breaths, that of the heart for thirty-five breaths, and that of the kidneys for twenty-five breaths. Together they make one hundred and five, the measure of true Qi. In accordance with the Three Primes, refine the Divine Water (bodily fluids). After three cycles of reversal and refinement, one can remain in the world. There is no need to wait until Shen and Qi are fully sufficient: simply follow the exact measure of the Three Primes. This is the profound teaching. As for the Three Primes… (The original text continues with an explanation of the Three Primes.)”
A Plain-Language Explanation of The Pivot of the Dao
Heaven, Earth, and humanity all operate through the Qi of the Three Primordials (the collective name for the Qi endowed by Heaven, Earth, and humanity, the Three Powers). Draw Qi back into the body and refine it into divine water (the “true water” produced through internal cultivation, often used in alchemical texts as a metaphor for essence), and treasure it as something supremely precious.
Guard it in the Dantian (the place below the navel where essence and Qi gather), and protect the original spirit (the innate spirit that does not dissipate with worldly desires); this is the way to long life. It is the way of seizing Lesser Yang (the first rising of Yang Qi, when life’s vitality is still tender).
The formula says: “The White Tiger’s head” (the White Tiger symbolizes Metal in the West, or may refer to a certain inner vision) obtains long life; encountering true lead brings extended years. Even a lowly practitioner (a beginner, or someone of more limited capacity) can, if they understand the three leads (in alchemy, lead often symbolizes original essence or “lead” at different stages), endure for ten thousand years. Thus lead is the mother of all things, and mercury the father of all things. Once lead and mercury unite, they are matched according to the images of the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) and refined to completion according to their numbers; this is true Qi. What the Three Primordials produce is called divine water.
Wood three, Fire two, Metal four, Water five, Earth six—these are the proper numbers of the Five Phases (numerical correspondences commonly used in numerology and alchemy; they are not simply the familiar everyday ordering of Wood, Fire, Metal, Water, Earth, and the numbers are given here as in the original).
Note: This passage uses the language of Neidan (internal alchemy). “Lead,” “mercury,” “divine water,” “three leads,” and “White Tiger” are mostly metaphors, and interpretations vary among commentators. This plain-language rendering follows the passage’s wording without treating any one interpretation as definitive. To compare specific stages of the firing process or formulas, consult the surrounding volumes of The Pivot of the Dao and commentaries transmitted by teachers.
Source text: Kanripo 漢籍リポジトリ（KR5d0039）; Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 · Report an error / feedback