Yinfu Jing Sanhuang Yujue — Spoken to the Yellow Emperor by Guangchengzi and the Sovereign of Celestial Truth

This is a Daoist Canon commentary that frames the Huangdi Yinfu Jing — the notoriously compressed "Scripture of the Hidden Accordance," at only a few hundred characters one of the most cryptic texts to survive from early Chinese thought — inside a story of its own recovery. The Yellow Emperor tells, in his own voice, how he found the scripture sealed in a stone chest inside a mountain grotto, could not read its celestial seal-script, and, after decades of fruitless search, was finally taught its meaning by two immortal teachers: Guangchengzi, already known from the Zhuangzi as the Yellow Emperor's instructor on Mount Kongtong, and a second figure called here the Sovereign of Celestial Truth, met on Mount Emei. Its precise date is not firmly established; it belongs to the substantial family of commentaries the Ming-dynasty Daoist Canon (Zhengtong Daozang, printed 1445) gathered around the Yinfu Jing, and is traditionally attributed, like the base scripture itself, to the Yellow Emperor.

In form it is a discourse record: the Yellow Emperor asks, phrase by phrase, what a line of the Yinfu Jing means, and Guangchengzi or the Sovereign of Celestial Truth answers in turn, so that nearly the whole of the base scripture is quoted and glossed across the three scrolls that follow the preface. The commentary reads the Yinfu Jing at once as cosmology and as body-alchemy — essence, breath, and spirit refined toward an immortal body of Pure Yang — while gesturing, more faintly, at the statecraft and military doctrine its three-scroll division promises: a Heavenly Sovereign's Way of embracing the One, an Earthly Sovereign's method of enriching the realm, a Human Sovereign's art of war.

One word recurs beyond all others and resists any single English equivalent: ji 機, "pivot" — at once a mechanical trigger, a hidden hinge of causation, and the instant a transformation turns one way rather than another. Heaven has its killing pivot, the heart-mind is a pivot, the eye is said to be where the pivot lies. This translation renders it as "pivot" throughout and asks the reader to hold the word loosely, the way the text itself does.

Translated for the Good Works Library directly from the classical Chinese of the Daoist Canon, which is printed in full below the translation. To our knowledge, this is the first complete published English translation of the Yinfu Jing Sanhuang Yujue.

Translation

Preface

Composed by Xuanyuan, the Yellow Emperor

I summoned the civil and military officials of the court to govern the affairs of the realm together with me. Then the Realm's Protector, Master Qi, came forward from the ranks and submitted a memorial: there was a strange bird-beast abroad, with a head of bronze and a brow of iron, that sat some thirty feet tall, its two wings like blades; when it flew up it hid the sun and moon so that all grew dark, and on the ground it swallowed stones and flung up sand until the rivers ran dry; it had, besides, injured and taken the lives of the people in great numbers, so that the realm could not be governed.

So I ordered the civil and military officials to make ready the carriages, and went out in person to see the suffering of the people of the realm; there I saw for myself that Chiyou indeed had this strange bird, not to be mastered. I went on ahead to a great mountain, and by night saw a red light and a purple mist, a white vapor and a blue-green cloud-glow, encircling it without dispersing. I summoned the officials again, and all of them, looking, saw it as well. Master Qi reported: "This mountain is named the Void-Heaven Altar, the First Grotto-Heaven; above, it looks upon the Palace of Primordial Beginning in Jade Clarity."

I myself drove to the mountain. There was a stone grotto there, its depth unknown, so I sent a brave and mighty man named Zhongshan, thirty-five feet in height, to go inside; he went forward carrying a torch, and only after three days and three nights did he come out again. Zhongshan reported: "Within there is a great stone chest, guarded fast by eight spirit-men in golden armor, each holding an axe or halberd; wielding their swords they cried out: You may come no further."

When Zhongshan had finished his report, I resolved in my heart to burn incense and make my petition upward to the Three Purities, praying that I, their subject, might have the allotted share to open and take the stone chest, undeterred by fortune ill or good, that I might come to know the secret matter of Heaven and Earth's hidden pivot. I burned incense and made reverent announcement to the Three Purities, and then went into the grotto together with my men. There too was a red light encircling it fast, but the armored spirit-men were no longer to be seen. In the stone chest I found a scroll of scripture, entitled The Scripture of the Hidden Accordance: The Primordial-Unity Jade Instructions of the Three Sovereigns, Given by the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning. I took the scripture out of the grotto at once, burned incense, made my bows, and gave thanks upward to the Three Purities.

Opening it to look, I found the characters were no ordinary script — all of them were seal-writing of the celestial script — a text of some three hundred-odd characters, divided into three scrolls: the upper scroll, the Heavenly Sovereign; the middle scroll, the Earthly Sovereign; the lower scroll, the Human Sovereign. The upper scroll accorded with the Way of the immortals' embracing the One; the middle scroll accorded with the method of enriching the realm and giving the people peace; the lower scroll accorded with the art of strengthening the army and prevailing in battle. It stood as the ancestor of Heaven and Earth, yin and yang, and the ten thousand things; the way of governing the state, ordering the family, and preserving the body without dying all followed from it. This scripture was a text spontaneously formed from the refined qi of the Verdant Yang; every character, square or round, was some ten feet across.

I returned again to the imperial capital, and once more gathered the civil and military officials to deliberate on the principle of this scripture's meaning. All of them said they did not know its meaning, and had never heard of where this scripture came from. So I had a proclamation sent out through all the realm, thinking that on famous mountains and in grotto-dwellings there might be adepts of mysterious attainment or worthy men of the age who understood deeply the meaning of scriptures, or who might already possess this scripture — such a one should be permitted to submit his interpretation, and whoever could penetrate the meaning of this Hidden Accordance, I would reward with gold and grant rank. Yet in all the realm none possessed this scripture — how then could its principle be understood? I went in person to seek out cultivators of the Way on every famous mountain and in every grotto-dwelling, bowing to each as a teacher, seeking the road of long life, wishing to have the meaning of this scripture resolved — yet not one of them knew its principle; all offered only minor methods of side gates. From that time forty-odd years passed; I had entered upon the Way, my body declining, my hair white as silver, and still the Way was hard to accomplish.

I heard that on Mount Kongtong there was a lofty and sagely teacher, Guangchengzi, whose wondrous Way was deep and mysterious. I drove there in person, humbling my own heart, advancing on my knees and elbows, and made my bows and stood in attendance, begging Guangchengzi to instruct me: "I, your servant, obtained from a stone chamber a scroll called the Hidden Accordance, but do not understand its meaning; in all the world none has been able to fathom this scripture. Now that I have met you, Master — moved by Heaven, not to be forgotten — I ask to be given mastery of this scripture's wondrous Way."

Master Guangchengzi said: "This scripture is a secret kept by High Heaven. In this world, one scroll of it has been hidden away in a grotto-heaven, to subdue the demons, sprites, dragon-spirits, and uncanny beings of the whole realm, and to be given to a person of virtuous conduct in this world. Whoever encounters this scripture may cultivate the road of long life and ascend again to the Way of Heaven; may it be handed down through all ages to those in the realm who believe in the Way and have the karmic bond for it. To know the meaning of this scripture — that, the whole realm has not been able to know. But now, on Mount Emei, there is a lofty and sagely Sovereign of Celestial Truth, who understands deeply this scripture's meaning."

Guangchengzi went together with me to attend upon and see the Sovereign of Celestial Truth. I asked concerning this Scripture of the Hidden Accordance — the Heavenly Sovereign, the Earthly Sovereign, the Human Sovereign; the transforming workings of yin and yang; the governing of the state, the ordering of the family, the preserving of the body and not dying, and the ascending again into the celestial realm — how was the Way to be cultivated? I heard the lofty and sagely Guangchengzi speak, and the lofty and sagely Sovereign of Celestial Truth answer. At that time I came to understand deeply the principle by which the transformations of yin and yang accomplish the Way; and I thought within myself: on the day my Way is accomplished and I ascend to Heaven, those who come after me and believe in the Way, cultivating the Real — on what scripture will they depend? So I resolved to leave this scripture to circulate widely through the world, and to hide one scroll of it again on Mount Kongtong.

I set down as well instructions on the Nine Palaces entering into the trigrams, the parting of yin and yang and the Five Phases, the seizing of creation's transformations, the setting in motion of Heaven's hidden pivot, the entering of the chamber and the ascending of the altar, the pattern of the Nine Palaces, the jade sphere that sets the Dipper turning, the reckoning that awaits the solar terms and seasonal breaths, the generating and the killing of metal and wood, the choosing of the true and utmost treasure, the seizing of transformation in its season, the inward refining of the light and clear until it becomes spirit and a body of Pure Yang, the return to the tiger's transformation of numinous metal, the blazing dragon rising through the void, the soaring above the fire-bright heavens, and the entry into the sagely Way that pays court to the Source — all this was gathered together into the writing of this preface.

And further, the scripture divides the transformations of yin and yang: the sun and moon are its images; Heaven and Earth are its father and mother; the Eight Trigrams are its children — Qian, Kan, Gen, Zhen, Xun, Li, Kun, Dui — through which the Great Unity moves. Heaven releases its killing pivot, shifting the stars and changing the constellations: this is the chart of the Nine Palaces. Should a person of later ages come to obtain this scripture, let him not lightly disclose it to one without faith; should he transmit it to a person of base foolishness, it shall cause the nine generations of ancestors and seven forebears to fall into the turning wheel of transmigration, never to find their day of release, and calamity shall reach even to their descendants.

Scroll One

The Yellow Emperor asked: "What is meant by 'Hidden Accordance'?"

Guangchengzi said: "These two words, Hidden Accordance, reach upward to penetrate Heaven, reach downward to discern Earth, and in the middle can transform and give birth to the ten thousand things; among human affairs they are the most exalted. 'Hidden' means concealed; 'Accordance' means to match, to join as one. The inner-moving pivot of the sages of old could make clear the root of Heaven and Earth's transformations, the source from which the utmost Way advances and shifts, and the foundation of nature and destiny. As for the pivot of life and death — one who knows it may fathom and unite with the pivot of Heaven and Earth, and set in motion and sustain the body of long life. Hence it is called Hidden Accordance."

The Yellow Emperor said: "The upper scroll concerns the Way by which immortals embrace the One — what is this?"

The Sovereign of Celestial Truth said: "The Way by which immortals embrace the One is a secret kept by High Heaven; the people of the world cannot obtain it. The immortals' embracing of the One is the qi of the Great Unity holding the Real within itself. The Great Unity is the source of the Great Abyss at the Pole Star; it is the Way of refining spirit out of the void — a secret kept by High Heaven, which the people of the world cannot come to know. How should you, dwelling among men, come to understand these words? 'The One' is the qi of Heaven. When a person brings the true qi of the Great Unity to nourish his own true qi together with it, he must further know how to receive Heaven's proper season — Heaven's breath meeting man's breath, man's breath meeting Heaven's breath — and joining with Heaven's breath he does not die. If a person can hold within him the true qi of Great Harmony, and refine it over long time, this becomes the Great Elixir of Pure Yang. Yang is Heaven's Way; therefore when spirit and qi are joined to the Way, this is the Way by which immortals embrace the One."

The Yellow Emperor said: "The middle scroll concerns enriching the realm and giving the people peace — what is this?"

Guangchengzi said: "Enriching the realm and giving the people peace is the Way of refining qi. When an ordinary person refines his true essence into a spirit-embryo, this is called the Immortal Embryo. Gathered, it forms a body; dispersed, it becomes qi; and so it communicates with the Way. The Way nourishes qi; to nourish qi is to preserve the spirit and join it to the Great Way. Hence it is said: the true qi nourishes it, and over long refining by fire it becomes the Elixir. If one can keep essence and qi whole and refine them into Pure Yang, then the Elixir is formed and the body transfigured; the ten thousand spirits are all at peace, and the realm holds its treasure within — hence it is called enriching the realm and giving the people peace."

The Yellow Emperor said: "The lower scroll concerns strengthening the army and prevailing in battle — what is this?"

The Sovereign of Celestial Truth said: "Strengthening the army and prevailing in battle is the true qi doing battle with and driving back the yin qi. When the body is refined into Pure Yang — sinews of metal, bones of jade, the form of a crane, the frame of a pine — this is called Pure Yang, and thereby one attains not dying. Take the body for the state, the heart-mind for the ruler, the essence for the people, and the physical form for the furnace. The head is the cauldron. When essence fills the brain, fire is used to smelt and refine it into the Elixir, because the essence-body meets with fire. Fire is the yang qi; breath is the wind. Using the wind to fan the fire, and refining long, both form and spirit become subtle and wondrous. Hence it is said: the Way of refining spirit is to preserve the heart-mind within, so that the true qi of itself becomes centrally harmonious and does not die. Hence it is said: to refine the essence-marrow of the hundred passes is Pure Yang. When the qi of the nine openings is stilled at the lower pass, and essence and qi are not let escape, that is victory."

The Yellow Emperor said: "What is the Heavenly Sovereign?"

Guangchengzi said: "The Heavenly Sovereign is that which came before Prior Heaven — the beginning of Chaos, when five kalpas opened into transformation. The single qi of the Heavenly Sovereign sagely transforms the ten thousand images, and governs the sacred realm of Jade Emptiness in Heaven — it is the ancestral qi of the Bright Sovereign."

The Yellow Emperor said: "What is the Earthly Sovereign?"

The Sovereign of Celestial Truth said: "The Earthly Sovereign is formed when the single qi of the Heavenly Sovereign descends to Earth; the Earth-qi receives it, and the two qi join as one, governing the generation and transformation of the golden-radiant qi. This is the Perfected Realm of the Cavern of Spirit, the ancestral qi of the Perfected Sovereign."

The Yellow Emperor said: "What is the Human Sovereign?"

Guangchengzi said: "The Human Sovereign abides between Heaven and Earth, the utmost principle of empty nothingness. The single qi of the Heavenly Sovereign and the single qi of the Earthly Sovereign are joined and transformed within the empty void of Grand Space; metal, wood, and the five planets form the central palace, and, joined with Qian, Kun, and the Eight Trigrams, guard and transform the spirit. This is the immortal realm's Lord of the Central Prime, the ancestral qi of the Human Sovereign."

The Yellow Emperor said: "Observe the Way of Heaven, hold to the working of Heaven, and it is complete — what does this mean?"

The Sovereign of Celestial Truth said: "To observe Heaven is to observe the qi of Cinnabar Yang, a thing of Pure Yang; essence and qi circulate without ceasing, rising and sinking, going and returning, completing the round of the season and beginning again, embracing within it the ten thousand images — this is the Verdant Yang qi. Heaven and Earth are the essence of yin and yang: Heaven's qi descends, Earth's qi again rises; it rises and again descends, and man dwells in the midst of it without knowing its principle. Heaven's yang essence is the sun; Earth's yin essence is the moon. Sun and moon move without rest; cold and heat steep one another without pause. Ordinary people do not know that within their own bodies too there is the qi of Heaven and Earth, and that Heaven's qi has its times of rising and sinking. One who knows this — that is to observe the Way of Heaven and hold to the working of Heaven, and it is complete."

The Yellow Emperor said: "What is meant by 'not knowing'?"

Guangchengzi said: "The head takes Heaven for its image, the root of clear yang; the feet take Earth for their image, the source of turbid yin. If a person can hold within him the Way of Heaven and Earth, he shares the years of Heaven and Earth. Within the human body there is the true yang qi, stored within the yin essence. The essence-qi is the mother of the true qi; the true qi is the child of the essence-qi. When the child and the mother constantly keep watch over one another, one does not die. To return again to one's source and become fully human is not a matter of counting days and seasons. Above the Celestial Pivot, the single qi of the Heavenly Prime governs; below the Celestial Pivot, the single qi of the Earthly Prime governs; within the Celestial Pivot, the true source of yin and yang governs. When a person makes use of Heaven's season, the correct and undivided qi of Primordial Unity moves above and below without limit, and he shares the years of Heaven and Earth. This is to observe the Way of Heaven and hold to the working of Heaven, and it is complete."

The Yellow Emperor said: "What is meant by man's making use of Heaven?"

The Sovereign of Celestial Truth said: "The sage preserves his essence and nourishes his qi in order to protect form and spirit. The person who does not know this squanders his essence through greedy desire, loses his spirit through the misuse of his heart-mind, and disperses his qi through the toil of his body; he cannot make his spirit and qi join to the Way, and does not know the rising and sinking of Heaven and Earth or the turning of sun and moon — and so he dies. Since a person receives his allotted share of the qi of sun and moon, if he can observe Heaven and Earth in this way, they are no different from himself. Because people do not know the principle of Heaven and Earth or the meaning of yin and yang — if one can join with the substance of Earth and Heaven, then one has reached it. This is what is meant by man's use of Heaven."

The Yellow Emperor said: "Heaven has five thieves; whoever perceives them flourishes — what is this?"

Guangchengzi said: "Heaven receives the single qi, holding within it the correct qi of the five stars, and thereby it is endowed with the source of clear and turbid. Earth receives the single qi, and thus gives birth to the Two Modes, which rise again to Heaven, their transformations completing the Three Primes. These are arrayed into the four seasons, and within them the five qi drive one another in turn, together forming the Five Phases. The Five Thieves are the correct qi of the Five Phases. If a person can steal the qi of Heaven and Earth, seize the transformations of yin and yang, blend the turning-back of the Three Primes, and renew the coming-and-going of the Four Gates — making the single qi all the same — then the Way is accomplished. This is the Five Thieves."

The Yellow Emperor said: "Heaven has five thieves — how is this made use of?"

The Sovereign of Celestial Truth said: "The Five Thieves are the five qi. They nourish the ten thousand things and hold the balance of the pivot of birth and killing, the root of transformation. At the beginning, Heaven, by the five qi gathered, formed bodies; dispersed, they become wind. If you can know the source of the Way, it is stored within your own body, dividing to fill the whole of it; essence and qi, joined with the qi of Heaven, are refined over long time into the Elixir — this is the correct qi of the Five Phases. Heaven's qi descends, Earth's qi receives it, and the two do not part from one another; man dwells in their midst, within the five qi. If he can steal them, he does not die. I myself am now 202,000 years of age, entirely because I know the principle of the Five Thieves' transformation and turning-back. I now transmit to you the principle of the Five Thieves; you and I shall be alike. But if you do not know the principle of the Five Thieves, then you shall die. If you can follow my words and steal the qi of Heaven, Earth, and the Five Planets, then you shall not die. This is the principle of the Five Thieves."

The Yellow Emperor said: "The five thieves are in the heart-mind, and set in motion through Heaven — what is this?"

Guangchengzi said: "Within the human body too there is the correct qi of the Five Phases; the correct qi of the Five Phases is the qi of the five viscera, and the qi of the five viscera is the Five Thieves. Water obtains its one: a person's kidneys belong to water. Before birth, the Way is their root; the left kidney is generated first, taking as its image the source of the Great Abyss in the north, the root of transformation, being the qi of Verdant Yang, called the Green Dragon, belonging to wood. Next the right kidney is generated, belonging to metal; within it is the true essence, governing the correct qi of the Five Phases, called the White Tiger, being the single qi of the White Origin Lord. From the two kidneys there grow within two white channels, surging upward to pay court at the Source, passing through the Palace of Numinous Yang, and descending again to communicate with Xun. Within Kun there gather the five qi of the four seasons, joining with Qian; Gen brings forth the Celestial Stem Jia and enters into the stems Wu and Ji — this is the beginning of the Way giving birth to spirit. When a person, according to Heaven's season, joins with the qi of Heaven and Earth — the head round, taking Heaven as its image; the feet square, taking Earth as their image — and in the center orders the five qi, they gather and enter the Crimson Palace (jiànggōng), reach the sinews and bones, rise to pay court within the Cauldron, then descend again to the Bubbling Spring, and enter the Palace of the Central Yellow, blending and joining with the ten thousand spirits. Then the Verdant Yang rises to the crown and the host of yin scatters away; and further, using the correct qi of the Five Phases, inwardly assisted, together in a single cauldron they are refined into the Elixir — and so one does not die. This is what is meant by 'set in motion through Heaven.'"

The Yellow Emperor said: "The universe lies within the hand — what is this?"

The Sovereign of Celestial Truth said: "The universe is the root of Heaven and Earth, of yin and yang, and of the ten thousand things; it receives yin and yang and thereby takes on form. Yin is the qi of Earth; yang is the qi of Heaven. Heaven's qi descends and Earth's qi receives it; Earth's qi rises and Heaven's qi meets it. When Heaven's qi and Earth's qi cross one another, yin and yang respond and unite, and the ten thousand spirits are born, transform, and take on image. The sages of high antiquity grasped the primal pivot of the transformations of Heaven, Earth, yin, and yang; the pivot lies in its use — one who knows it attains it and holds fast to it. To hold fast is the Way, and thereby one does not die. Hence it is said: the universe lies within the hand."

The Yellow Emperor said: "The universe lying within the hand — how is this made use of?"

Guangchengzi said: "When Heaven and Earth join and cross, and the universe within does not scatter, creation gives birth to spirit; when the spirit-pivot of yin and yang is established, the Great Way is accomplished. The Great Way is Non-Action. When there is Non-Action, one's destiny is not thrown into disorder; when destiny is not disordered, the spirit does not shift; when the spirit does not shift, the essence does not disperse; when essence does not disperse, the qi does not fail — and further, by letting the Way's qi flow freely through, the body is made firm. If one moves the essence-fire so that it follows along, smelted and refined into the Golden Elixir, this comes about of itself. I know the pivot-workings of the universe, and continually put them into practice, joining them to the labor of Heaven and Earth, never letting go of them; and over long practice the spirit of itself pays court to the Source, and so one does not die. This is what is meant by the universe lying within the hand."

The Yellow Emperor said: "The ten thousand transformations are born from the body — what does this mean?"

The Sovereign of Celestial Truth said: "The ten thousand transformations are spirit; when essence does not disperse, spirit does not depart. The Spirit Chamber is the dwelling-place where the ten thousand spirits gather together, and it lies within Mount Kunlun. When the five qi gather within, and a person can bind his true essence-qi into a spirit-embryo that pays court above the Cauldron, this is called the Utmost Sage. The ten thousand spirits all gather and become one; the ordinary person shifts his essence and loses his qi, and so cannot preserve his spirit — this is not knowing the method of the body's birth. The method of the body's birth is the Way of yin and yang. Hence it is said: the ten thousand transformations are born from the body."

The Yellow Emperor said: "What is the method of the body's birth?"

Guangchengzi said: "It is born from the single qi, though one does not know the transformations of that single qi: the One gives birth to the Two, the Two give birth to the Three, and the Three give birth to the ten thousand things. A person receives the single qi, and it transforms into three qi — spirit, qi, and essence: this is the method of the body's birth."

The Yellow Emperor said: "What is the One?"

The Sovereign of Celestial Truth said: "The One is the root of Heaven and Earth, the ancestor of yin and yang, and the head of the ten thousand things; it is what gives birth to spirit. If you can know the qi of the True One, so that the ten thousand things arise of themselves, you will not die. Hence it is called the One."

The Yellow Emperor said: "Heaven's nature is man; man's heart-mind is the pivot — what is this?"

Guangchengzi said: "Heaven takes the turning of the Dipper as its pivot; man takes the heart-mind as his pivot. The heart-mind is spirit. When the spirit-pivot joins the Way, then even ghosts and spirits cannot fathom it. Before a person is born, he first receives the single qi as his destiny; afterward, his father's and mother's two qi are joined, and so his form is completed. The embryo-origin gives birth to spirit, and so becomes the source of nature. If a person can settle his heart-mind, it is like the moving pivot of Heaven and Earth, and so he becomes one with Heaven and Earth. It is because his nature is still that the heart-mind-pivot joins the Way. Hence it is said: Heaven's nature is man; man's heart-mind is the pivot."

The Yellow Emperor said: "Man's heart-mind as pivot — how is this made use of?"

The Sovereign of Celestial Truth said: "Man's heart-mind is the root of the pivot. If a person can preserve his heart-mind and guard his spirit, he does not forget the pivot's use. The heart-mind is the source of the hundred spirits; to settle the heart-mind is to nourish one's nature. Therefore the sage settles his heart-mind and embraces the Source, holding the Real within. To hold the Real is to settle one's nature. Take the heart-mind as nature, and qi as destiny: when qi is cut off, destiny perishes — all this is disorder in one's nature; losing one's qi, one therefore dies. But if a person is like Heaven's qi, clear and settled, then he does not lose his nature. When nature is not lost, qi does not disperse; when qi does not disperse, destiny does not perish; when destiny does not perish, the physical form is not destroyed. Heaven and Earth are the root of nature and destiny. Hence it is said: Heaven's nature is man; man's heart-mind is the pivot."

The Yellow Emperor said: "Establishing the Way of Heaven, so as to fix man — what is this?"

Guangchengzi said: "The Way of Heaven is the qi of clear yang, and so it takes Pure Yang as its root. If a person can hold within him the body of Pure Yang that creation and transformation bring about, it is like the yang of Heaven and Earth, never cast aside. A person receives the single correct qi, and his body nourishes the principle of Pure Yang in all the ten thousand spirits. Hence it is said: establishing the Way of Heaven so as to fix man."

The Yellow Emperor said: "Establishing the Way of Heaven — how is this made use of?"

The Sovereign of Celestial Truth said: "The Way of Heaven is man's root; one's father and mother are man's beginning. If a person can keep his form at its root without losing his beginning, and attune his spirit to join the Way, this is called establishing the Way of Heaven."

The Yellow Emperor said: "How does one keep one's form without losing one's beginning?"

Guangchengzi said: "If a person is free of care, sorrow, and anxious thought, he does not lose his root; if he is free of sickness and weary toil, he does not lose his beginning. One who loses his root brings his own destiny to ruin; one who loses his beginning returns his body to the earth below. If a person can still his heart-mind, be free of desire, and preserve his spirit, so that his qi does not lose its beginning — this is to know the principle."

The Yellow Emperor said: "Heaven releases its killing pivot, shifting the stars and changing the constellations — what is this?"

Guangchengzi said: "The mother of Heaven is the Great Change, which holds hidden within it the two qi of yin and yang — the sun and moon. Before sun and moon were divided, the sage-transformation gave birth to spirit, and that spirit was named the head of the Great Unity. Sun and moon then further divided into yin and yang, and yin and yang divided into their Five Greats. The Five Greats are the Five Thearchs. The Five Thearchs further divided into the Eight Trigrams, and the Eight Trigrams paid court to the center, sagely transforming into the Nine Palaces — this is the Spirit Palace of the Great Unity. It establishes its Five Dippers, within which is the Central Dipper — sun, moon, and the strange stars — and the Northern Dipper receives the pivot, turning and moving yin and yang. When yin serves as the pivot there is death; when yang serves as the pivot there is life; when yin and yang join as the pivot, this is the Way. The Great Unity takes the pivot of birth and killing and travels all around the Eight Trigrams, shifting the stars and changing the constellations: turning yin back into yang brings long life; turning yang back into yin brings the killing that is death. The transformations of Heaven's four seasons and the cycling of the Eight Trigrams exist also within the human body, though people do not know it. To become yin and be killed is to die, turning and turning again through the wheel of transmigration, losing one's human form. If a person is able to bring about cultivation, that is the Way. Hence it is said: Heaven releases its killing pivot, shifting the stars and changing the constellations."

The Yellow Emperor said: "What is meant by not losing one's human form, so that the killing pivot does not bring death — what is this?"

The Sovereign of Celestial Truth said: "The Great Unity keeps watch within the Nine Palaces, going out and coming in at its proper times. It summons the Lord of Supreme Yang to return into the Yang Hall; the four seasons shift and change, the Eight Trigrams pay court to the Source, the ten thousand spirits all gather together, the killing yin is turned back into yang, the constellations are set in their ranks, and all return within the Gold Tower — the sacred realm of Great Clarity, the True Yang, the White Origin Lord. If a person knows this, that Heaven releases its killing pivot, and can take the true qi of the Great Unity and, following the pivot, respond and transform, turning the Eight Trigrams back into Pure Yang and returning to the ancestral qi of Qian and Kun, so as to join with the chapter on Chaos and the Nine Heavens giving birth to spirit, then this is the Way of Heaven, and one attains long life forever, becoming, through this transformation, a Perfected Person. Hence it is said: Heaven releases its killing pivot, shifting the stars and changing the constellations."

The Yellow Emperor said: "Earth releases its killing pivot, and dragon and serpent rise from the land — what is this?"

Guangchengzi said: "The single qi of Central Harmony — to release is to move; hence Heaven's motion never ceases. The killing pivot is transformation itself. The dragon is Heaven's qi, the wind. The serpent is Earth's qi, fire. If a person can move his essence-qi, going up and down, back and forth, seizing hold of transformation, then the mysterious pivot seems to depart. The six desires move at the turning of the pivot's balance, just as with the substance of Heaven and Earth, and man dwells in the midst of it. There is a true yang essence-qi, named the serpent, which reaches upward to communicate with the qi of the Heavenly Prime; breathing, it moves up and down, answering to Earth's moving pivot, rising up and leaving the land. Hence it is said: Earth releases its killing pivot, and dragon and serpent rise from the land."

The Yellow Emperor said: "How is this to be understood and used within the human body?"

The Sovereign of Celestial Truth said: "One inch and three fen below the navel is the Sea of Breath. Within it there is a measure of true essence, set against the earth within; there are two channels that communicate with the brain. Within the brain there is a chamber called the Chamber of Numinous Yang, having two apertures: the left is called the Aperture of the Supreme Ultimate, the right the Aperture of the Rushing Numen; above they communicate with the qi of Heaven, below they reach to the Source of the Sea — hence this is called breathing. Heaven's qi descends, Earth's qi rises, and when the two qi meet, they nourish the true essence, which is named the dragon. The root of Verdant Yang, in its lower aspect, becomes the serpent, which is the primal qi. When the two qi cross and join, they form the medicine; refined over long time, it becomes the Elixir, and so one does not die. This is the yang spirit transcending beyond the body — this, within the human body, is Earth releasing its killing pivot, and dragon and serpent rising from the land."

The Yellow Emperor said: "Man releases his killing pivot, and Heaven and Earth overturn — what is this?"

Guangchengzi said: "For man to release his killing pivot is to cast off the six desires and seven emotions; in stillness, be still in feeling and intent; in motion, move through the spirit-pivot; use spirit and qi within, joining above and below. That which guards the spirit is the yang qi. The head, round, takes Heaven as its image; the feet, square, take Earth as theirs. Heaven and Earth's overturning is the rising and sinking of yin and yang; man's own overturning is his breath, reaching through to its very root. With each inhalation, Heaven's qi descends; with each exhalation, Earth's qi rises; the in-breath is Heaven's qi, the out-breath is Earth's qi. My own true qi meets and joins with them; a person can carry Earth's qi downward and bring it up again to Heaven above. Hence it is said: man releases his killing pivot, and Heaven and Earth overturn."

The Yellow Emperor said: "Heaven and man release together, and the ten thousand transformations fix their foundation — what is this?"

The Sovereign of Celestial Truth said: "Heaven gives birth to the ten thousand things, and man is the foremost of all the beings born among them. So Heaven and Earth join together and nourish the ten thousand things at length; when a person can join his essence and qi together, all the ten thousand spirits rejoice, and Heaven and Earth do not cast him aside but follow after him, the spirit dwelling within. The spirit is Heaven's Way, and loves clarity; if it becomes turbid, the spirit scatters and does not join with Heaven's Way. The sages of high antiquity made their essence firm and nourished their spirit, preserved their qi and nourished their essence, joined themselves to Heaven's Way, and so became Perfected Persons. Heaven has its single qi; Earth has its Two Modes; in the center are the Three Luminaries; the four seasons are all provided for; the Five Phases are arrayed in order; the Six Directions give rise to one another; the Seven Governors serve as the pivot; the Eight Trigrams are all of one accord; the Nine Palaces spread across Heaven and Earth; and the Five Dippers and the Turning Gem — man too possesses these. If a person can receive the single qi of Heaven and Earth, harmonize with all the spirits, and join together the Two Modes, the Great Elixir is thereby formed. The single qi moves above and below, unceasing through the four seasons; within is the single qi, sown throughout the central earth; within the overturning of the Five Phases, the Six Yangs pay court above at the Gold Tower; the Seven Perfected constantly dwell within the body; the Eight Trigrams together arise in the Palace of Origin; the Three Luminaries merge and swirl, white snow drifts down; when the work of the Seven Governors is complete, the Yellow Sprout grows within, and the Nine Palaces run through and connect all the ten thousand images — and thus one is joined to Heaven's Way. Hence it is said: Heaven and man release together, and the ten thousand transformations fix their foundation."

The Yellow Emperor said: "Nature has its skillful and its clumsy, and both may be hidden away — what is this?"

Guangchengzi said: "Heaven's nature cannot be thrown into disorder; if spirit and qi fall into disorder, one does not know how to be spirit. To hide away is this: nature is like the bright moon, of itself penetrating the Way. The skillful person inwardly employs Heaven's pivot, and outward affairs cannot enter in; hence he hides his wisdom and conceals his spirit, becoming one with Heaven's Way. The clumsy person does not know that he himself already has spirit and qi joined to the Way; he lets his heart-mind run loose and follows his intentions, giving rise to passion, and lets his spirit and qi scatter and be lost at will; not understanding the transformations of Heaven and Earth, he confuses his grasp of yin and yang, and so meets death. This is what is meant by nature having its skillful and its clumsy."

The Yellow Emperor said: "Nature's skillful and clumsy — how is the hiding-away made use of?"

The Sovereign of Celestial Truth said: "Nature is spirit, and cannot be moved. Hence when spirit is settled and qi is harmonious, the primal qi descends. To hide is to be without greed, craving, or desire; to conceal is to conceal within the spirit's radiance, the qi entering the Crimson Palace, the dwelling-place where the ten thousand spirits gather together; hidden away and unmoving, the ten thousand spirits do not scatter. Hence it is said: hiding away, the spirit settled, transformation proceeds; refined over long time, the Way is accomplished — this is nature being skillful, not clumsy."

The Yellow Emperor said: "The waywardness of the nine openings lies in the Three Essentials, by which motion and stillness are governed — what is this?"

Guangchengzi said: "As for the nine openings: the heart-mind itself has nine openings, holding within it nine qi — above, the qi of the Three Purities; in the middle, the qi of the Three Sovereigns; below, the qi of the Original Source — these are essence, qi, and spirit. They go out and come in at their proper times, blended into one, and communicate outward through the ears, eyes, mouth, and nose — these being within the yin. The Three Essentials are spirit and qi joined with essence, the Mysterious Female and her Jade Gate, which above communicate with Heaven, below communicate with Earth, and in the center communicate with the ancestral qi of the Three Sovereigns — this is the Way of the Three Essentials. Motion and stillness belong to the ears, eyes, mouth, and nose: when the eyes look, the heart-mind moves; when the ears listen, the spirit shifts; when the mouth speaks, the qi disperses; when the nose smells fragrance, the essence-marrow transforms into the turbid water of yin. If one can make them still and unmoving, then the two apertures within the heart-mind — the left called the Mysterious, the right called the Female — reach down into the Sea of Breath and communicate upward with the Mud Pellet (níwán): this is the true qi communicating through, so that the spirit-qi's pivot is set in motion and the Jade Gate closes of itself. Piercing the spine, one prevails; passing the three passes, one pays court at the Pole Star; the Yang Palace stirs, and the true spirit is nourished and preserved. The sages of high antiquity said: in motion, move through the spirit-pivot; in stillness, be still in heart and intent. Essence, qi, and spirit — these are the Three Essentials. Hence it is said: the waywardness of the nine openings lies in the Three Essentials."

The Yellow Emperor said: "Fire is born from wood; when calamity is set off, it must overcome — what is this?"

The Sovereign of Celestial Truth said: "If wood is parted from its fire, it does not turn to ash; if a person is parted from his evil nature, he does not die. Within wood there is fire; when fire is set off it must burn, and its true qi is thereby formed — the smoke and flame rise up and return to Heaven, while the fire smelts the wood into ash and cinder, which returns to earth. In the ordinary person, an evil nature is fire; when this fire breaks out, the spirit scatters; when the spirit scatters, the qi departs; when the qi departs, the body dies — the true yang qi returns to Heaven, and the turbid yin substance returns to earth. It is said that fire is born from wood, and can at once be quenched with water so that it does not turn to ash; when a person's fiery nature rises up, if he quenches it with gentleness, his body is not destroyed. When a person's fire breaks out, the ten thousand spirits all scatter, and so he dies. If a person can master his fire, calamity cannot overcome him, and the Great Way is accomplished. Hence it is said: fire is born from wood; when calamity is set off, it must overcome."

The Yellow Emperor said: "Treachery is born within the state; when it stirs in its season, ruin must follow — what is this?"

Guangchengzi said: "When there is treachery within a state, in time it breaks the state; when there is waywardness within the body, in time it destroys the body. If the state is rid of its treachery, the realm is at peace; if a person is rid of his passions, his body is at peace. What must be cast off is the six desires, the seven emotions, and the Three Corpses. If a person can master treachery and waywardness, he accomplishes the Great Way. Hence it is said: treachery is born within the state; when it stirs in its season, ruin must follow."

The Yellow Emperor said: "How is the body's peace attained?"

The Sovereign of Celestial Truth said: "The ten thousand things steal the true qi of the Great Void; within a person's belly there is a parasite that steals the qi of the ten thousand things, and it is named the crawling parasite. The crawling parasite transforms into a flattering worm. This flattering worm steals my heavenly and earthly souls, destroys my spirit-qi, disperses my essence and blood, and kills my physical form. If a person can know the transformations of yin and yang, and raise up the true fire to refine away this treacherous parasite of yin and evil, he can thereby kill the crawling worm and not let it do him harm; thus he attains the peace of his body, and by this turns toward the accomplishment of the Great Way."

The Yellow Emperor said: "To know this and to cultivate it by refining — this is called being a sage — what is this?"

Guangchengzi said: "The sages of high antiquity used the spirit-pivot to gauge the yin and yang of Heaven and Earth, knowing that rising and sinking have their proper times; they had to know the count of the firing-times, applying the fire according to season. Within the Palace of Wu and Ji is the mother that first gives birth to spirit. One who knows this returns again to that mother, and does not let her go or be lost; further, he receives Heaven's qi as the head of Verdant Yang, and joins it with Earth's qi, the mother of true yin. My own spirit-qi, with essence within it — when the five qi are all whole, and the heart-mind is still and free of desire, one uses fire to smelt and refine until Pure Yang is achieved. Transformation accomplishes the Way; the earthly soul turns back into the heavenly soul; passion and yin are utterly extinguished; the form becomes as the pine, the bones as jade; the hundred joints leak nothing, and one rises up to reach the celestial realm — this is to become a Perfected Person. Hence it is said: to know this and cultivate it by refining is called being a sage."

Scroll Two

The Yellow Emperor said: "Heaven gives birth, Heaven kills — this is the principle of the Way."

The Sovereign of Celestial Truth said: "Heaven's giving birth: when a person returns to the primal Way, sets it rightly in motion, and rises again, this is birth. Joined within to Heaven's working, the utmost Way gives birth to the Real; concealed and hidden in the world, such a person can still fathom it; the sagely pivot is bright within and communicates outward with Heaven and Earth, and so one who knows this does not die. Heaven's killing: when a person does not believe in Heaven's Way, and carelessly wastes his essence, spirit, and qi, he harms himself beyond Heaven's allotted count and dies — this is killing. Hence it is said: Heaven gives birth, Heaven kills — this is the principle of the Way."

The Yellow Emperor said: "Heaven gives birth, Heaven kills — how is this made use of?"

Guangchengzi said: "When a person cultivates the Way without knowing Heaven's season, without returning to the root and beginning again, mistaking the source, he dies. If a person knows Heaven's season and true qi, returns to the root and restores his destiny, and seeks to know transformation, then there is the true source of empty nothingness, where yin and yang are joined as one, forming the correct qi of the Five Phases. Qian and Kun overcome one another in turn; one must know advance and retreat, and then there is neither life nor death. The Way of man takes this as its root; if one does not know giving-birth and killing, this is called 'mending what is deficient and diminishing what is excessive' — the principle of the Way. Hence it is said: Heaven gives birth, Heaven kills."

The Yellow Emperor said: "Heaven and Earth are the thief of the ten thousand things; the ten thousand things are the thief of man; man is the thief of the ten thousand things. When the three thefts are each in their proper measure, the Three Powers are at peace — what is this?"

The Sovereign of Celestial Truth said: "Heaven, by its single qi, nourishes the ten thousand things at length. When Heaven and Earth's qi disperses, the ten thousand things steal it; when the ten thousand things' qi disperses, man steals it. If man knows how to steal the true qi of the ten thousand things to nourish his form, and further knows how to rise and sink in accordance with Heaven's seasons, receiving Heaven's qi and seizing its transformations, he attains long life and does not die — this is man stealing Heaven's qi from the ten thousand things, and so the Way is accomplished. The person who does not understand transformation is one from whom the ten thousand things in turn steal his qi: he is born by means of the five grains, and he dies by means of the five grains — this is man being stolen from in turn by the ten thousand things, and so he dies."

The Yellow Emperor said: "Man steals from the ten thousand things — how does he not die?"

Guangchengzi said: "Man receives the qi of Central Harmony and is thereby born, and so does not die. But having received his endowment, he falls into passion and desire, and so dies. If he can preserve the single qi, he thereby guards his spirit. Heaven, by its single qi, gives birth to the ten thousand things, and further, when it is joined with the harmony of yin and yang and the full provision of the five grains, man's belly is made full and his bones made strong, and he does not lose essence, qi, and spirit — and so he does not die. As for the three thefts each being in their proper measure: if man can steal the qi of Heaven, Earth, and the ten thousand things so as to communicate with spirit-luminosity, he is in proper accord with Heaven and Earth, and the Three Powers are thereby at peace. Man's essence and spirit are the same as Heaven and Earth's, and love clarity and stillness; therefore the sage is calm, plain, and empty of self, preserves his true qi at its source, and guards his essence and spirit within — how could he come to die? For when one eats to fullness, essence and blood are harmed; when one labors to exhaustion, spirit and qi are dispersed; when the heart-mind gives rise to passion and desire, how could the ten thousand things not steal from him? Therefore, cease from excess in food and drink, and the body of itself grows light; cease from anxious thought, and the spirit of itself grows numinous; cease from craving and desire, and the spirit of itself grows clear — and so one attains the Way. What need is there to seek it outside oneself? Hence it is said: when the three thefts are each in their proper measure, the Three Powers are at peace."

The Yellow Emperor said: "Hence it is said: eat at its proper time, and the hundred bones are ordered — what is this?"

The Sovereign of Celestial Truth said: "The sages of high antiquity ate Heaven's qi at its proper time, and so the hundred bones were naturally attuned and at ease. Drawing the true qi of Great Harmony to pour into the body's field, the five viscera become clear and cool, the six bowels become regulated and at peace, the joints open of themselves, and essence and spirit are thereby at rest. To eat at the proper time is to seize hold of transformation, and thus the Great Way is accomplished. Hence it is said: eat at its proper time, and the hundred bones are ordered."

The Yellow Emperor said: "The primal qi passes through the hundred passes — how is this made use of?"

Guangchengzi said: "Heaven's qi is soft and yielding; it pierces through sinew and passes through bone, nourishes spirit and settles essence, and makes all the joints flow freely through. How could one not know that the qi that orders all things is man's very root and beginning, and that this root and beginning is Heaven's qi? Yet the common people use it day by day without knowing it. The rising and sinking of qi, the going and returning of yin and yang, have their proper times; receiving the single qi, it nourishes the ten thousand things at length — as the sacred fungus meets winter and does not die. So too, when a person attains the Way, he does not die: this is the primal qi passing through the hundred channels and passes."

The Yellow Emperor said: "Move the pivot, and the ten thousand transformations are at peace — what is this?"

The Sovereign of Celestial Truth said: "When the spirit-pivot is put to use within, a thousand and ten thousand transformations naturally accomplish the Way. So the pivot: it opens Heaven's pass, and the Jade Gate closes of itself; and when fire is set off at Heaven's pass, refining the marrow into Pure Yang, the fire follows along with it, and refined over long time it becomes the Elixir — hence it is called the pivot. As for the ten thousand transformations: the qi binds together and forms spirit, paying court and returning to the Gold Tower, naturally settling the spirit; and the body, settled over long time, does not die. The pivot is a secret thing. If a person moves the pivot, his transfigurations are without limit, inner and outer communicate, and spirit and the Way are joined. Hence it is said: move the pivot, and the ten thousand transformations are at peace."

The Yellow Emperor said: "People know that spirit is spirit, but do not know that what is not outwardly spirit is the very reason it is spirit — what is this?"

Guangchengzi said: "People know that outward signs bear omens of fortune and misfortune, and so they pray in faith and seek a response; they do not know that within their own bodies there is spirit, which outwardly can communicate with Heaven and Earth, and inwardly can be cultivated and refined to accomplish the Way, manifesting one's own yang spirit and penetrating sagehood — what need is there to seek it outside oneself? From essence, qi is born; essence is the mother of qi, and spirit is the child of qi — these are the Three Treasures. Refined to completion, one becomes a Perfected Person, which is called an immortal. Hence it is said: this is the very reason it is spirit."

The Yellow Emperor said: "Sun and moon have their reckoning; great and small have their fixed measure. The sage's achievement is born from this, and spirit-luminosity comes forth from it. What is the pivot of this Way?"

The Sovereign of Celestial Truth said: "Sun and moon are the utmost essence of yin and yang; hence their movement arrives at a reckoning, circling throughout all under Heaven, cold and heat alternating together. Sixty days make one cycle, four cycles make one complete round — this bears the meaning of Heaven and Earth; it is fixed by the sun and moon, and circles within the Way. Hence it is said: going out and coming in, the sun and moon lie within this reckoning. The reckoning is the One; the One is qi; qi binds together and becomes spirit, and spirit-luminosity of itself comes forth. Spirit-luminosity is the essence of yang, and there is nothing it does not perceive, nothing it does not illuminate. Therefore the sage exhausts the mystery of the meeting and joining of sun and moon, and spirit-luminosity comes forth from it; he knows the transformations of Heaven and Earth, and seizes the pivot and balance of yin and yang, and so gives birth to spirit. He goes out into the hidden and enters into the obscure, and so the reckoning lies in the One, by which the person is completed. The Way is Non-Action. The pivot is the heart-mind's pivot. One who is skilled can set forth the transformations of yin and yang, and enter into a reckoning without limit — this is the correctness of the Way's Non-Action. The pivot is a setting-forth. The sage attains its pivot and balance: nine yang and six yin, joined into their One — this is: sun and moon have their reckoning, great and small have their fixed measure."

The Yellow Emperor said: "None under Heaven can know it, none can see it — what is this?"

Guangchengzi said: "It is because the people of the world covet, admire, and crave, given over to desire and unrestrained excess, that they do not know Heaven's Way, and lose its pivot, darken their essence, and let their spirit run wild. As for none being able to know it: Heaven's Way is a hidden pivot, and yin and yang are not known. Not recognizing transformation, and thus not knowing — squandering essence and spirit, dispersing blood and qi — how could such a person come to know it? Whoever wishes to know it must still the heart-mind and nourish his nature, make firm his qi and guard his spirit; then, numinous of himself, he knows — this is the Way, this is seeing the spirit. Hence it is said: none under Heaven can know it, none can see it."

The Yellow Emperor said: "The gentleman who attains it holds fast even in hardship; the petty man who attains knowledge of it makes light of his own destiny — what is this?"

The Sovereign of Celestial Truth said: "Thus the sage, exhausting the mystery of the Great Way, is one who can penetrate the principle of Heaven, Earth, yin, and yang, and thereby makes his destiny firm. When the sage attains this knowledge, he makes his qi firm, and does not lose his essence. Essence and qi join together and give rise to the Great Medicine — all because he knows transformation, refines his spirit without letting it scatter, and makes his qi firm so that it communicates with spirit. But the petty man does not know the root of nature and destiny, and cannot preserve his essence and spirit, and so brings his own body and destiny to ruin. Not guarding his spirit, he gives himself over to excess in the world, and so loses his essence and spirit, makes light of his own destiny, and does not preserve himself — and so he dies. The gentleman practices this over long time, and so can hold fast even in hardship; the petty man makes light of his own destiny, and constantly, by making light of his spirit, loses his destiny and ruins his own body. Hence it is said: the gentleman who attains it holds fast even in hardship, while the petty man makes light of his destiny."

The Yellow Emperor said: "The blind hear well; the deaf see well — what is this?"

Guangchengzi said: "One who examines the tip of an autumn hair does not see Mount Tai; one who listens for the shrillest cry does not hear the thunderclap. To hear well is not a matter of the ear's keenness — one who scrutinizes sound and voice thereby kills himself; to see well is not a matter of the eye's clarity — one who scrutinizes form and color thereby kills himself. The blind man does not see the light of sun and moon, but attends within to the meeting and joining of yin and yang, and practicing the Way over long time, attains long life; the deaf man does not hear the thunderclap, but attends within to the going and returning of sun and moon, and practicing the Way over long time, attains lasting sight. Now, to see is to perceive within one's own pivot; to hear is to perceive within one's own sound. These two things together are joined to the Way. Hence it is said: the blind hear well, the deaf see well."

Scroll Three

The Yellow Emperor said: "Cut off gain at its single source, and the effect of the teacher multiplies tenfold — what is this?"

The Sovereign of Celestial Truth said: "Cut off fame and cast away gain, and the primal qi guards itself; cut off cleverness and abandon cunning, and no thief or robber remains. Cut off sound and sight, and further make use of the primal qi, embracing the One and holding to the center — this surpasses noble rank tenfold. The Most High makes use of the Great Way, and thereby becomes a sage to all under Heaven. The teacher stores fire at the central source, and for long remains unmoving; when it moves, it of itself joins with the Great Way. By making use of wisdom and skill, one departs from desire, and so surpasses the teacher tenfold. Hence it is said: cut off gain at its single source, and the effect of the teacher multiplies tenfold."

The Yellow Emperor said: "Turn thrice through day and night, and the effect of the teacher multiplies ten thousandfold — what is this?"

Guangchengzi said: "The three turnings are the Three Primes: the true qi of the Heavenly Prime dwells at the crown; the true qi of the Numinous Source dwells at the center; the true qi of the Original Source dwells below. Thus essence and qi are the teacher; the heart-mind is the ruler; the physical form is the furnace. Using one's essence day and night, meeting the Three Primes, moving above and below without limit, its effect is redoubled; spirit, essence, and primal qi do not scatter, the body does not decline, and one passes through day and night alike. By day, using it in the light, one nourishes yang; by night, drawing on the night's qi within, one stirs the yin qi without. The yang qi is the root of spirit and essence; the yin qi is what ruins one's physical form. If spirit and essence can meet the ancestral qi of the Three Primes, blending above and below into one — as when a teacher directs the ten thousand spirits, all transformed together as one — then one's spirit never rests, by day or night; the yin earthly-soul is entirely dissolved, and the three yangs alone dwell within; over long time, the spirit of itself pays court to the Source, and so one does not die. Hence it is said: turn thrice through day and night, and the effect of the teacher multiplies ten thousandfold."

The Yellow Emperor said: "The heart-mind is born from things, and dies from things — what is this?"

The Sovereign of Celestial Truth said: "To make use of the heart-mind is for intent to stir. When intent stirs, spirit shifts; when spirit shifts, qi disperses; when qi disperses, destiny is lost, and so one dies. When the heart-mind is upright, the spirit is settled. To govern it is to make the heart-mind upright at the source of the single qi; the pivot that moves within, and the ten thousand transformations all flow through it. When the heart-mind is disordered, the ten thousand spirits are all thrown into ruin; so if one casts off feeling and intent, the ten thousand spirits are not lost to things. Hence it is said: the heart-mind is born from things, and dies from things."

The Yellow Emperor said: "The pivot is in the eyes — what is this?"

Guangchengzi said: "The Way, at its farthest, lies beyond the eight transformations; at its nearest, lies between the eyebrow and the eyelash. At its greatest it embraces Heaven and Earth; at its finest it threads through a single eyebrow-hair. When the spirit-pivot moves within, the eyelashes seem to fly with sudden swiftness; hence the spirit-pivot is in the eyes, for between them lies the Spirit Chamber. The pivot that moves within becomes manifest and bright in the eyes. Seeing through to the Way beyond the ordinary scene, the shadowy and the wayward of themselves are destroyed, the true realm returns to its proper rightness, and the yang spirit is seen within Heaven's Way. Hence it is said: the pivot is in the eyes."

The Yellow Emperor said: "Heaven shows no kindness, and yet the greatest kindness is born of it — what is this?"

The Sovereign of Celestial Truth said: "By Heaven's Way transforming all below it, the ten thousand things are born of themselves — this is the greatest kindness being born. One must not give the heart-mind over to lust and desire, letting intent fall into disorder, whereby a false, deviant kindness is produced, which brings on death. Settle the heart-mind so as to preserve the spirit, and it flows through of itself. Do you not know: the crow is not dyed, and yet is black of itself; the crane does not bathe, and yet is white of itself; the spider is not taught, and yet weaves its web; the swallow is not summoned, and yet comes of itself? Just so, kindness is born of itself. Hence it is said: Heaven shows no kindness, and yet the greatest kindness is born of it."

The Yellow Emperor said: "Sudden thunder, violent wind — nothing but stirs into motion at them — what is this?"

Guangchengzi said: "Swift as the thunderclap — this is the correct qi of yin and yang. If a person can feed on the wind's breath, making use of the qi of yin and yang, moving the essence-qi above and below, this is simply to stir into motion. In practicing the Way and setting it in motion, the spirit-qi of yin and yang crosses within; the true essence moves upward and enters the brain, then descends again, swift as wind and thunder; the Three Primes fill and spread through, and the hundred bones fly with fire; yin is refined away and Pure Yang returns — and so the sage swiftly completes the Way. Cultivating within, the true body becomes wondrous of itself, like an auspicious herb that receives the blended and harmonious qi of yin and yang — and so does not die: nothing but stirs into motion at it."

The Yellow Emperor said: "The utmost joy leaves nature in surplus; the utmost stillness makes for uprightness — what is this?"

The Sovereign of Celestial Truth said: "The utmost joy of the spirit is the root of yin and yang. 'Utmost' means settled: settled in heart and intent, yin and yang join of themselves. This is the utmost stillness making for uprightness. When the eyes do not look upon form and color, the spirit does not shift, and its qi is preserved within of itself — this is the utmost joy of Heaven's own truth. Cast off desire, still the heart-mind, settle the intent, guard the spirit, embrace the One in utmost stillness, and enter the new as the old is exchanged away — and thus one arrives at the Way. The sage brings nature and destiny to join with Heaven's Way; when the will is unbending, this is uprightness. Hence it is said: the utmost joy leaves nature in surplus; the utmost stillness makes for uprightness."

The Yellow Emperor said: "Heaven's utmost partiality is used as the utmost impartiality — what is this?"

Guangchengzi said: "Heaven is the qi of clear yang; its utmost partiality is its hidden setting-forth, by which it gives life to the ten thousand things, man dwelling among them, and thereby again rectifies the spirit. If one can gather in and store the primal qi, repair and nourish Heaven's own truth, and further make skillful use of this achievement to accomplish the Way — this is called the utmost impartiality. Essence and qi make the body firm; one who knows this makes use of it according to the season, rising upward into the Mud Pellet, descending downward into the Source of the Sea, meeting together in the Central Palace so as to receive the primal qi, passing through the Prime Pass, paying court at the Gold Tower; the Three Fields water one another in turn, the hundred joints are all opened through, and fire is set off throughout the body; refined over long time, one attains the completion of immortality. Hence it is said: Heaven's utmost partiality is used as the utmost impartiality."

The Yellow Emperor said: "The bird is governed by its qi — what is this?"

The Sovereign of Celestial Truth said: "The bird is the crow; the crow is the qi of the heart-mind, and so it soars aloft in its proper season. Qi is what sets forth from empty nothingness; if a person can bring his qi to fullness, refined over long time, he becomes an immortal. The bird belongs to fire in the south; if a person can bring his Way to fullness, causing his true qi, over long time, to fly like a bird in the great emptiness, and can seize and gather it within the Central Prime, refining it into True Yang, he attains the state of a flying immortal. Hence it is said: the bird is governed by its qi."

The Yellow Emperor said: "That which lives is the root of death; that which dies is the root of life — what is this?"

Guangchengzi said: "One whose life is given over to cunning dies by his own destiny. If a person can settle his heart-mind and cast off the six desires and seven emotions, his spirit is settled and the Way is born. But if the heart-mind gives rise to desire, and nature turns to cunning, the spirit scatters and destiny is lost — this is the very root of death. When the heart-mind dies to desire, one attains life restored forever — this is the root of life and death."

The Yellow Emperor said: "Kindness is born from harm; harm is born from kindness — what is this?"

The Sovereign of Celestial Truth said: "The sage's kindness is born from the Way; the ordinary person's kindness is born from passion, which ruins his body and harms his destiny. To diminish what is in excess so as to mend what is deficient — what is in excess is the heart-mind's passion and desire, and to mend what is deficient is to restore spirit and essence once they have been dispersed. To give the heart-mind over to lust and desire is for kindness to give birth, within itself, to harm, thereby ruining one's spirit. But if one can settle the heart-mind without tiring, one's spirit becomes bright of itself — this is for harm to give birth, within itself, to kindness. Toiling in resolve to cultivate the heart-mind without falling into disorder, harm is thereby forgotten and one's spirit is preserved. Thus the Way is accomplished, and the heart-mind made harmonious and at ease; extinguishing the craving for pleasure so as to preserve essence and spirit, forgetting passion and free of desire — one who reaches this is a sage. Hence it is said: kindness is born from harm, harm is born from kindness."

The Yellow Emperor said: "The foolish take the pattern and principle of Heaven and Earth as sagehood; I take the pattern and principle of season and thing as wisdom — what is this?"

Guangchengzi said: "Ordinary people know only that there is a pattern and principle to Heaven and Earth, and speak of the sage's outward semblance, not knowing that I myself already possess Heaven and Earth, yin and yang, hidden within me. Yin and yang are a method that ghosts and spirits cannot fathom; Heaven and Earth encompass the principle of great and small, the bright and the hidden — this the foolish cannot accomplish, not knowing that I am wholly the same as Heaven, Earth, yin, yang, season, and thing alike. The principle of Heaven and Earth is the pivot of the sage. The utmost Way — the root of the ten thousand things, the ancestor of yin and yang — transforms without end, and reaches to the utmost essence of the Way: this I myself possess. The Way's own naturalness, and the ten thousand things each having their thing — in this I am wise. Though yin and yang do not of themselves prevail, in my being one with them I prevail. What prevails is my own spirit; spirit is the source of the utmost Way. Hence I am numinous, and one in sagehood with yin and yang. As for Heaven and Earth: the two qi bind together, and the ten thousand things are all the same by it; when spirit and qi transcend time, one is sagely in the Great Way. I understand that the Great Way embraces Heaven and Earth, and wisdom is thereby complete. The principle of the utmost Real — by it I become, of myself, sagely-transformed into the Three Purities."

The Yellow Emperor bowed his head to the ground and made obeisance again and again, giving thanks to the sagely lords for instructing his ignorance, for only now did their servant come to understand the Great Way. The sagely lords then mounted their cloud-cranes and ascended into the sky and departed; and the Yellow Emperor turned his carriage back and returned to the capital.

Colophon

This Good Works Translation was prepared for the Daoist shelf of the Good Works Library. The English was translated independently from the classical Chinese text printed below. The text's continuous prose — the Yellow Emperor's first-person preface followed by three scrolls of question-and-answer between the Emperor and his two immortal teachers — is kept as prose throughout; the source uses no lemma marks to set the quoted phrases of the base Yinfu Jing apart from the commentary that follows them, so each phrase is translated in place within the Emperor's question, exactly as the source presents it.

Before the claim below was written, a genuine translation-status check was performed. Komjathy's Daoist Texts in Translation and the 2023 Purplecloud update of the same were both searched by Chinese title, by pinyin, and by the base scripture's Daozang number (DZ 31): both list numerous English translations of the Huangdi Yinfu Jing itself — Philastre (1880), Balfour (1881), Legge (1891), Huebotter (1936), Rand (1979), Cleary (1991), and others — but record no translation of this three-sovereigns commentary, and no mention of it at all. A live web search was completed under the Chinese title and under the pinyin Yinfu jing sanhuang yujue; it surfaced general resources on the base Yinfu Jing and confirmed that the Chinese Wikipedia article on the Huangdi Yinfu Jing lists this commentary by title and by its traditional attribution to the Yellow Emperor, with no Daozang number and no translation named. One search result hinted, without a source we could independently verify before this translation was due, that the text might correspond to Daozang number 119 and be cited as early as 1191 CE; two attempts to confirm this against a primary bibliography failed on the connection, so neither detail is asserted above. To our knowledge, this is the first complete published English translation of the Yinfu Jing Sanhuang Yujue. We state this as the limit of our knowledge, not as a certainty.

A further note on terms and on one hard passage. Guangchengzi and the figure named here the Sovereign of Celestial Truth (天真皇人, Tianzhen Huangren) are kept distinct in this translation from the Three Sovereigns of the title itself — the Heavenly, Earthly, and Human Sovereigns — who are cosmological principles the two teachers explain, not characters in the story. In the third scroll, one line reads 死者，之根 where the parallel clause immediately before it (生者，死之根) and the surrounding commentary both indicate a character has dropped from the transmission; it is translated here as "that which dies is the root of life," following that parallel, and the Source Text below preserves the gap exactly as transcribed.

Prepared for the Good Work Library by the Tianmu Anglican Church with AI-assisted translation and editorial work.

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Source Text: 陰符經三皇玉訣

Classical Chinese text of the Daoist Canon, in the Chinese Wikisource transcription. Presented complete for reference, study, and verification alongside the English translation above.

陰符經三皇玉訣序

軒轅黃帝製

朕詔文武百官同理國事，有護國岐師出班奏，表有奇怪鳥獸，銅頭鐵額，坐高三丈，兩翅如刀，飛騰遮蔽日月皆昏，在地吞石颺沙，江河枯乾，又傷害人民性命甚多，天下無治。遂詔文武百官車駕親出，觀天下人民痛傷，視見蚩尤果有怪鳥難治。朕前去至一大山，夜見紅光紫霧，白氣青霞圍繞不散。再詔文武盡視皆見。岐師奏言：此山有名虛天壇第一洞天，上臨玉清元始之宮。朕親駕到山，有一石洞，不知深淺，差勇猛壯士名重山，身長三丈五尺，使入洞內，用燭火前去，經三日三夜方出。重山奏言：中有大石匣，金甲神人八員守定，各執斧銊，仗劍喝云：不得到此。重山奏畢，朕發心燒香，上奏三清，願臣有分開取石匣，不避凶吉，要知天地祕密天機之事。焚香告禮三清，朕遂同入洞。亦有紅光遶定，不見金甲神人，朕於石匣見一卷經，號曰《元始天尊混元三皇玉訣陰符經》即將經出洞，焚香拜禮，上謝三清。開看見字不常，盡是天文篆書，三百餘字分，為三卷，上卷天皇，中卷地皇，下卷人皇。上卷按神仙抱一之道，中卷按富國安民之法，下卷按強兵戰勝之術。與天地陰陽萬物為祖宗，治國齊家持身不死之道皆從。此經乃青陽秀炁自然結成文，每字方圓一丈。朕復回皇都，再集文武百官，議此經事之理。盡言不知此義理，不曾聞此經出處。朕遂行宣文天下，名山洞府恐有玄妙高士並世賢人，深曉經義之事，曾收此經者，便許奏呈解義，如通此《陰符》經義者，朕賞金賜命。天下盡無此經，豈通道理？朕遍訪名山洞府修道之士，盡拜為師，求長生之路，要解此經之義，絕無人知義理，盡是旁門小法。自此四十餘年，入道身衰，皓髮如銀，道也難成。朕聞崆峒山有一高聖先生廣成子，妙道深玄，朕車駕親詣，自心屈弱，膝行肘步，禮拜侍立，告求廣成子先生指教：臣自石室中得《陰符經》一卷，不曉義理，在世盡不通曉此經。今遇先生，感天不忘，要通此經之妙道。廣成子先生言：此經者，是上天所祕，在世洞天隱此經一卷，鎮天下妖魔龍神精怪，當與世上有德行之人。遇此經者，修長生之路，復升天道，永世流傳天下信道有緣之人。此經要知義理，天下莫能知。見今峨媚山有一高聖天真皇人，深曉經義理。廣成子同去侍見天真皇人，朕問此《陰符經》 天皇、地皇、人皇、陰陽造化，治國、治家、治身、長生不死，復升於天界，如何修道？朕聞高聖廣成子先生說，高聖天真皇人答。朕當時深曉陰陽造化成道之理心朕道成升天之日，恐後人信道修真者，憑何經文，朕乃留此經徧行於世，復隱此經一卷於崆峒山，又留九宮入卦，分陰陽五行，奪造化，動天機，入室登壇，九宮局式，璇璣立斗，時分候節氣，金木生殺，擇真至寶，取時造化，內煉輕清化神純陽之體，返金靈之虎變，赫火龍虛，騰炎天之上，入聖朝元之道，集成文序。又分造化陰陽，日月為象，天地為父母，八卦為子孫，太一行乾坎艮震巽離坤兌，天發殺機，移星易宿，九宮之圖。如後人獲遇此經者不得輕泄不信之人，若傳下愚之人者，墮九玄七祖入輸迴，永不得出期，後殃及子孫也。

陰符經三皇玉訣卷上

黃帝問曰：陰符者，何也？廣成子曰：此陰符二字，上可通天，下可察地，中可化生萬物，為人最尊。陰者，暗也；符者，合也。古之聖人，內動之機，可以明天地造化之根，至道推移之源、性命之本。生死之機，知者可究合天地之機，操運長生之體。故曰陰符也。

黃帝曰：上有神仙抱一之道者，何也？天真皇人曰：夫神仙抱一之道者，上天所祕，世人不可得之。神仙抱一者，乃是太一含真之炁。太一者，乃是北極太淵之源，乃虛無煉神之道，上天所祕，世人不可得知。子在人間，安曉此語？一者，天炁也。人將太一真炁與我真炁相濟，更要知天時受，天氣接人氣，人氣接天氣，與天氣相接而不死也。人若包含太和真炁，久而煉之，乃為大丹純陽也。陽者天道，故神炁合道，乃為神仙抱一之道也。

黃帝曰：中有富國安民者，何也？廣成子曰：富國安民者，乃煉炁之道也。凡人將真精煉成神胎，名曰胎仙。故聚而成形，散而成炁，故與道相通。道者養炁，養炁者，保神合於大道。故曰真炁相濟，久而用火緞煉成丹。若能全精炁，煉作純陽，故乃成丹換形，萬神皆安，國中有寶，故曰富國安民也。

黃帝曰：下有強兵戰勝者，何也？天真皇人曰：強兵戰勝者，乃真炁戰退陰氣也。煉體純陽，金筋玉骨，鶴體松形，謂之純陽，故得不死，以身為國，以心為君，以精為民，以形為爐。首者，鼎也。精滿於腦，故用火煆煉成丹。因精體見火。火者，陽炁；息者，風也。以風吹火，久煉形神俱妙。故曰：煉神之道，存心於內，真炁自然冲和不死。故曰：煉百關精髓，純陽也。九竅炁定下關，精炁不泄者勝也。

黃帝曰：天皇者，何也？廣成子曰：天皇者，先天之前，五劫開化，混沌之始也。天皇一炁，聖化萬象，主天聖玉虛聖境，明皇之祖炁也。

黃帝曰：地皇者，何也？天真皇人曰：地皇者，天皇一炁下降於地，地炁受之，二炁相合，主生化金光之炁，乃是洞神真境，真皇之祖炁也。

黃帝曰：人皇者，何也？廣成子曰：人皇者，在天地之間，虛無至理，為天皇一炁，地皇一炁，太空虛中相合化，金木五星為中宮，合乾坤八卦保護化神，乃仙境主中元，人皇之祖炁也。

黃帝曰；觀天之道，執天之行，盡矣，何也？天真皇人曰：觀天者，乃丹陽之炁，純陽之物，精氣運而不絕，昇沉往還，周時復始，包含萬象，乃青陽之炁。天地者，陰陽之精，天氣下降，地氣復昇，昇而復降，人在其中而不知其理。天之陽精為日，地之陰精為月。日月運而不休，寒暑煎而無息。凡人不知身內亦有天地之炁，天氣升降有時。人知者，觀天之道，執天之行，盡矣。

黃帝曰：何謂不知？廣成子曰：頭以象天，清陽之本，足以象地，濁陰之源。人能內含天地之道，與天地齊年。人身中有真陽之炁，藏於陰精之內。精炁者，真炁之母；真炁者，精炁之子。常將子母相守，故不死。復歸其源為人，不知時日。天樞之上，天元一炁主之；天樞之下，地元一炁主之；天樞之中，陰陽真源主之。人用天時，混元正一之炁上下無窮，與天地齊年。乃觀天之道，執天之行，盡矣。

黃帝曰：人用者，何也？天真皇人曰：聖人存精養氣以保形神，人不知者，貪慾亡精，用心失神，勞形散氣，更不能使其神氣合道，不知天地之升沉，日月之運轉，故死也。以其分受日月之炁，若能觀此天地，與我同耳。為人不知天地之理、陰陽之旨，若合地天之體則至矣。此乃人之用也。

黃帝曰：天有五賊，見之者昌。何也？廣成子曰：天受一炁，內含五星之正炁，而稟清濁之源；地受一炁，故生二儀，復升於天，造化以成三元。布列四時，中有五炁推運，共成五行。五賊者，則五行之正炁也。人能賊天地之炁，奪陰陽之造化，混三元之返覆，復四門之往來，一炁皆同，故成道也，乃五賊也。

黃帝曰：天有五賊，如何用也？天真皇人曰：五賊者，是五炁也。長養萬物生殺之機權造化之本，始天以五炁聚而成形，散而為風，子能知道之源者藏於身中分而滿於體內，精氣與天炁相濟，久而煉成丹，是五行之正炁也。天炁下降，地炁受之而不相離，人在其中，五炁之內，若能賊之，故不死也。吾今二十萬二千歲矣，皆因知五賊造化返復之理也。吾今傳受五賊之理，子與吾皆同，子若不知五賊之理，故有死矣。若能從吾之言，賊天地五星之炁，則不死也。乃五賊之理也。

黃帝曰：五賊在心，施行於天，何也？廣成子曰：人身中亦有五行之正炁，五行正炁者，五臟之氣也；五臟之氣者，五賊也。水得其一者，人腎屬於水。未生之前，道為之本，先生左腎，象北方大淵之源，造化之本，為青陽之炁，號曰青龍，屬木。次生右腎，屬金，內有真精，主五行之正炁，號曰白虎，乃是白元君一炁。二腎內生白脉二條，上湧朝元，通靈陽之宮，復降下通於巽。坤中有五炁聚四時合於乾，艮出天甲入戊己之內，乃道生神之始。人按天時相接天地之炁，頭圓象天，足方象地，中理五炁，聚而入於絳宮，達於筋骨，升而朝於鼎內，復降湧泉，入於中黃之宮，混合萬神，故青陽至首群陰皆散，更用五行正炁，內濟共一鼎煉成丹，故不死矣，乃施行於天也。

黃帝曰：宇宙在乎手，何也？天真皇人曰：宇宙者，天地，陰陽萬物之本，受陰陽而成形。陰者地炁，陽者天炁。天炁下降，地炁受之，地炁上騰，天炁接之。天炁地炁相交，陰陽感契，萬神生化成象。上古聖人把握天地陰陽造化之元機，機者在於用，知者得而守也。守者，道也，而不死也。故曰宇宙在乎手也。

黃帝曰：宇宙在乎手者，如何用也？廣成子曰：天地交合，宇宙不散內，造化生神，立陰陽神機，則成大道。大道者，無為也。無為則命不亂，命不亂則神不移，神不移則精不散，精不散則氣不絕，更以道氣通行而固身，若運於精火相隨，緞煉成金丹者，乃自然也。吾知宇宙之機運，而連連行之，合於天地之作，勿令放也，久而神自朝元，故不死矣。乃宇宙在乎手者也。

黃帝曰：萬化生乎身者，何謂也？天真皇人曰：萬化者，神也，精不散而神不離。神室者，萬神聚會之鄉，在崑崙之中。五炁聚於內，人能將真精炁結成神胎，朝於鼎上，故曰至聖。萬神皆聚而為一，凡人移精失炁而不能保神，是不知生身之法。生身之法，陰陽之道，故曰：萬化生乎身也。

黃帝曰：何者生身之法也？廣成子曰：從一炁所生，而不知一炁之造化，一生二，二生三，三生萬物。人受一炁，化成三炁，神氣精此，乃生身之法也。

黃帝曰：一者，何也？天真皇人曰：一者，天地之根，陰陽之祖，萬物之首，乃生神也。子能知真一之炁，而萬物自生則不死，故曰一也。

黃帝曰：天性，人也；人心，機也。何也？廣成子曰：天以斗運為機，人以心為機。心者，神也。神機合道，乃鬼神不測。人未生之時，先受一炁為命，然後父母二炁相合，故乃成形。胎元生神，故為性之源。人能澄心，如天地動機，故同天地。乃因性靜，心機合道。故曰：天性，人也。人心，機也。

黃帝曰：人心，機者，如何用也？天真皇人曰：人心者，機本也。人能存心守神而不忘機用。心者百神之元也，安心者養性也，是以聖人安其心而抱元含真。含真者，安性也。以心為性，以炁為命，炁絕則命亡，皆亂於性也，失其氣故死矣。若人如天炁澄清，故不失於性也。性不失則炁不散，炁不散則命不亡，命不亡則形不滅也。天地者，性命之本也。故曰：天性，人也；人心，機也。

黃帝曰：立天之道，以定人也，何也？廣成子曰：天道者，清陽之炁也，故以純陽為本。人能含造化純陽之體，如天地之陽而不棄也。人受一正之炁，體養萬神純陽之理，故曰：立天之道，以定人也。

黃帝曰：立天之道，如何用也？天真皇人曰：天道者，人之本也。父母者，人之始也。人能留形於本而不失於始，調神合道，故曰：立天之道也。

黃帝曰：如何留形不失於始也？廣成子曰：人不憂愁思慮而不失其本，去疾病勞苦而不失於始也。失其本者，自亡其命；失其始者、形還下土。若人能心靜無慾而存神，炁不失其始者，知理也。

黃帝曰：天發殺機，移星易宿，何也？廣成子曰：天之母者太易，內藏陰陽二炁，日月也。日月未分，聖化生神，神名太一之首。日月又分為陰陽，陰陽分其五太。五太者，五帝。五帝又分八卦，八卦朝於中，聖化為九宮，乃是太一之神宮。立其五斗，內有中斗，日月星奇，北斗受機，斡運陰陽。陰為機者死，陽為機者生，陰陽合機為之道。，太一將生殺之機，周游八卦，移星易宿。返陰為陽，乃長生；返陽為陰，殺者死也。天之四時造化，八卦循環，人身中亦有，為人不知。為陰而殺乃死，展轉輪迴，失其人身。人能致修者，道也。故曰：天發殺機，移星易宿也。

黃帝曰：何謂不失人身，殺機不死者，何也？天真皇人曰：太一鎮在九宮，出入有時。召太陽君回入陽殿，四時移換，八卦朝元，萬神都聚，殺陰返陽，排列星辰，歸其金闕之內，聖境太清，正陽白元君也。若人知此天發殺機，能將太一真炁，隨機應化，返八卦純陽，復歸乾坤之祖炁，使合混沌九天生神之章，乃為天道，永得長生，依此造化為真人也。故曰：天發殺機，移星易宿也。

黃帝曰：地發殺機，龍蛇起陸，何也？廣成子曰：沖和一炁，發者動也，故天運不絕。殺機者，變化也。龍者，天炁也，風也。蛇者，地炁也，火也。人能運精炁，上下往來，奪之造化，故玄機若去。六慾動於機權，如天地之體，人在其中。有真陽之精炁，名曰蛇，上通天元之炁，呼吸而上下，相應地動之機，起而離陸。故曰；地發殺機，龍蛇起陸也。

黃帝曰：人身中知何用？天真皇人曰：臍下一寸三分者，氣海也。中有真精一合，按於地土中，有二經通於腦。腦中有府，名靈陽之府，有二穴，左曰太極之穴，右曰沖靈之穴，上通天炁，下至海源，故曰呼吸。天炁下降，地炁上騰，二炁相接，則養真精，名曰龍。青陽之本，下者為蛇，則元炁也。二炁相交成藥，久煉成丹，故不死也。乃陽神超於身外，乃人身中，地發殺機，龍蛇起陸也。

黃帝曰：人發殺機，天地返覆，何也？廣成子曰：人發殺機者，去六慾七情，靜則靜於情意，動則動於神機，內用神炁，上下相合。守於神者，陽氣也。頭圓象天，足方象地。天地返覆，乃陰陽升降；人之返覆，呼吸徹於蒂耳。一吸天炁下降，一呼地炁上升，吸者天炁，呼者地炁。我之真炁相接也，人能下運地炁至天上。故曰：人發殺機，天地返覆也。

黃帝曰：天人合發，萬變定基，何也？天真皇人曰：天生萬物，人為萬生一物之首也。故天地相合而長養萬物，人能用精炁相合而萬神皆喜，天地故不棄而相逐，神在其中。神者，乃天道也，而好清，若濁而神散，不合天道。上古聖人，固精養神，存炁養精，合於天道，乃為真人。天有一炁，地有二儀，中有三光，四時共備，五行相列，六合相生，七政為機，八卦乃同，九宮布滿天地。五斗璇璣，人亦有之。人能受天地一炁，相和諸神，配合兩儀，大丹乃成。一炁上下，無窮四時；中有一炁，播於中土；五行顛倒內，六陽上朝金闕，七真常居體內，八卦共起元宮；三光混混，白雪飄飄；七政功成，黃芽內長，九宮貫串萬象，乃合天道。故曰：天人合發，萬變定基也。

黃帝曰：性有巧拙，可以伏藏，何也？廣成子曰：天性不可亂，神炁若亂，故不知所以神。伏藏者，性如朗月，自然通道。巧者內使天機，外事不可入，故伏智藏神也，乃同天道。拙者為人不知自有神炁合道，縱心信意生情，一任散失神炁，不明天地造化，亂認陰陽，故有死也。乃性有巧拙也。

黃帝曰：性有巧拙，如何伏藏用也？天真皇人曰：性者，神也，不可動也。故神定炁和，元炁降。伏者不貪嗜慕慾，藏者藏於神光，炁入絳宮，萬神聚會之鄉，伏藏而不動，萬神不散。故曰：伏藏神定造化，久煉成道，乃性巧不拙也。

黃帝曰：九竅之邪，在乎三要，可以動靜，何也？廣成子曰：九竅者，心有九竅，內藏九氣：上者三清之炁，中者三皇之炁，下者本元之炁，乃精炁神也。出入有時，混而為一，外通耳、目、口、鼻，陰中也；三要者，神氣與精相合，玄牝玉戶，上通於天，下通於地，中通三皇之祖炁，乃三要之道也。動靜耳、目、口、鼻也，目觀則心動，耳聽則神移，口談則氣散，鼻馥則精髓化為陰濁之水。若故令靜而不動，則心中二竅左曰玄，右曰牝，下入氣海，上通泥丸，此真炁相通，故使神氣動機，玉戶自閉。穿脊勝，過三關，而朝北極，陽宮動而保養真神。上古聖人云：動則動於神機，靜則靜於心意。精氣神，是三要也。故曰：九竅之邪，在乎三要也。

黃帝曰：火生於木，禍發必尅，何也？天真皇人曰：木去其火則不灰，人去其惡性則不死。木中有火，火發必焚，其真炁乃成，煙燄即上升而歸天，火緞木為灰爐而歸土。凡人性惡為火，火出則神散，神散則氣離，氣離財身死，真陽之炁歸於天，濁陰之質歸於土。謂火從木生，即以水救之即不灰；人起火性，以柔而救之即身不壞。人之火發，而萬神皆散，故死也。人能制火，禍不能尅，乃成大道。故曰：火生於木，禍發必尅也。

黃帝曰：姦生於國，時動必潰，何也？廣成子曰：國中有姦，久而破國，身中有邪，久而亡身。國去其姦則邦寧，人去其情即身安。去姦者，六慾七情，三尸也，人能制姦邪者，成其大道也。故曰：姦生於國，時動必潰也。

黃帝曰：如何得安身也？天真皇人曰：萬物盜太虛真炁，人腹中有蠱，盜萬物之炁，而名虰蠱。虰蠱者，化為佞聶。佞蟲者，賊我之魂魄，亡我之神氣，散我之精血，死我之形也。人能知陰陽造化，起真火煉陰邪之姦，故殺虰蟲，不令為害，故得身安，返成大道也。

黃帝曰：知之修煉，謂之聖人，何也？廣成子曰：上古聖人用神機測天地陰陽，升降有時，要知火候之數，下火依時，戊己宮內，本始生神之母也。知者復歸其母，勿令放失，更受天炁為青陽之首，合地炁真陰之母。我之神氣，精在其中；五炁皆全，心靜無慾；用火緞煉，煉成純陽；造化成道，魄返陽魂；情陰盡滅，松形玉骨；百關無漏，上達於天界，乃為真人也。故曰：知之脩煉，謂之聖人也。

陰符經三皇玉訣卷中

黃帝曰：天生天殺，道之理也。天真皇人曰：天生者，人歸元道，正發復升，生也。內合天作，至道生真；遁隱在世，其人能測；聖機內明，外通天地，故知者不死也。天殺者，為人不信天道，任意損失精神炁，故害物不過天數而死，殺也。故曰：天生天殺，道之理也。

黃帝曰：天生天殺，如何用也？廣成子曰；為人修道，不知天時，歸根復始，錯認根源，故死也。若人知天時真炁，歸根復命，要知造化者，乃有虛無真源，陰陽合一，為五行正炁也。乾坤相勝，要知進退，乃無生死。夫人道為本，若不知生殺者，是謂補不足而損有餘，道之理也。故曰：天生天殺也。黃帝曰：天地，萬物之盜；萬物，人之盜；人，萬物之盜。三盜既宜，三才既安。何也？天真皇人曰：天以一炁而長養萬物。天地炁散，萬物盜之；萬物炁散，人以盜之。人知盜萬物之真炁養形，更知升降順天時，接天炁，奪之造化，長生不死，乃人盜萬物之天炁，故成道也。人不曉造化者，為萬物復盜人之炁，即因五穀而生，即因五穀而死，乃人被萬物復盜之而死也。

黃帝曰：人盜萬物，如何不死？廣成子曰：人受冲和之炁而生，故不死也。既稟受，有情慾而死也。若能存一炁，故保神。天以一炁而生萬物，更與陰陽相和、五穀共備，人乃實腹強骨，不失精炁神，故不死也。三盜既宜者，人能盜天地萬物之炁以通神明，與天地相宜，三才以安。人之精神與天地同而好清靜，是以聖人恬淡虛無，真氣存元，精神內守，豈得死也？故食飽者，而傷於精血，太勞者而散於神炁，心起情慾者，萬物豈得不盜之也？故止飲食而身自輕，止思慮而神自靈，止嗜慾而神自清，故乃得道也，何勞外求？故曰：三盜既宜，三才即安也。

黃帝曰：故曰：食其時，百骸理。何也？天真皇人曰：上古聖人，食天炁而有時，自然百骸調暢。引太和真炁注於身田，即五臟清凉，六腑調泰，關節自通，精神以安也。食時奪其造化，乃成大道也。故曰：食其時，百骸理也。

黃帝曰：元炁通百關，如何用也？廣成子曰：天炁柔弱，穿筋透骨，養神安精，皆使關節通流，豈不知理炁者人之本始也，本始者天炁也？故百姓日用而不知。炁之升降，陰陽往還有時，受之一炁，長養萬物，若靈芝逢冬不死。如人得道不死，乃元炁通，百脉關也。

黃帝曰：動其機，萬化安。何也？天真皇人曰：神機內用，千變萬化，自然成道。故機者，開其天關，玉戶自閉。而火發天關，鍊髓純陽，乃火相從，久鍊而成丹，故曰機也。萬化者，炁結成神，朝歸於金關，自然安神，安身久而不死也。機者，密也。人運機而化身無窮，內外通，神道合。故曰：動其機，萬化安也。

黃帝曰：人知其神而神，不知不神而所以神。何也？廣成子曰：人知外象有吉凶之兆，即禱而信求其應，不知自己身中有神，外可通天地，內可修鍊成道，顯自己陽神通聖，何勞外求？因精生炁，精者炁之母，神者炁之子，此為三寶，鍊成真人，乃謂神仙。故曰所以神也。

黃帝曰：日月有數，大小有定。聖功生焉，神明出焉。其道機何也？天真皇人曰：日月者，陰陽至精也。故運而致數，周遊天下，寒暑相兼。六十日一周，四周為一備，剋天地之意也，定於日月，周遊於道，故曰出入日月，在於數中。數者一也，一者氣也，氣結而成神，神明自出。神明者，陽精也，無不鑒而無不照也。是以聖人窮日月之交合，神明出焉，知天地之造化，奪陰陽之機權，故生神也。而出幽入冥，故數在一而成人也。而道者，無為也。機者，心機也。善能發陰陽之造化，入於無窮之數，此道無為之正也。機者，發也。聖人得之機權，九陽六陰，合其一者，日月有數，大小有定也。

黃帝曰：天下莫能知，莫能見。何也？廣成子曰：為世人貪慕嗜慾而好慾縱婬亂者，為不知天道而亡其機昧其精而奔其神也。莫能知者，天道機密，陰陽不知也。不識造化，所為不知者，亡精神，散血氣，焉得知也？欲要知者，靜心養性，固氣保神，靈而自知，道也，見其神也。故曰：天下莫能知莫能見也。

黃帝曰：君子得之固窮，小人得知輕命。何也？天真皇人曰：是以聖人窮於大道，可通天地陰陽之理者，固其命也。聖人得知，固其氣，不失其精也。精氣相合而生成大藥，皆因知造化，鍊神不散，固氣通神也。凡小人不知性命之本而不得保精神，乃亡其身命。故不守其神而婬於世，乃失其精神，輕其命而不自保，故死也。君子久而行之，可以固窮；小人輕其命也，常以輕神失命亡其身。故曰：君子得之固窮，而小人輕命也。

黃帝曰：瞽者善聽，聾者善視。

何也？廣成子曰：視秋毫者，不見泰山，聽噍嘹者，不聞雷霆。善聽者，非耳聰也，察音聲者而自殺之；善視者，非目明也，察色者而自殺之。瞽者不見日月之光，察聽陰陽交合，久而行道，得長生也；聾者不聞雷霆，察通日月往還，久而行道，得久視也。夫視者內見其機，聽者內聞其聲。此兩者，合道也。故曰：瞽者善聽，聾者善視也。

陰符經三皇玉訣卷下

黃帝曰：絕利一源，用師十倍。何也？天真皇人曰：絕名弃利，元炁自守；絕巧棄智，盜賊無有。絕於聲色，更用元炁，抱一守中，勝貴人十倍。太上用大道，至於天下為聖。師藏火於中源，久而不動，動而自然合於大道焉。用智巧，故離其慾，而勝師十倍。故曰：絕利一源，用師十倍也。

黃帝曰：三返晝夜，用師萬倍。何也？廣成子曰：三返者，三元也。天元真炁居首，靈源真炁居中，本源真炁居下。是以精氣者，師也。心者，君也。形者，鑪也。用精日夜，遇三元，上下無窮，而用之兼倍；精神元炁不散，形體不衰，而通於晝夜。晝則日用而明陽，得夜炁內，動陰炁於外。陽炁者，精神之本也；陰炁者，敗我之形也。若能精神遇三元之祖炁，上下混而為一，如師使之萬神，俱其一化，其神晝夜不停，陰魄俱消，三陽獨居於內，久而神自朝元，故不死也。故曰：三返晝夜、用師萬倍也。

黃帝曰：心生於物，而死於物。何也？天真皇人曰：用心者，意動也。意動則神移，神移則氣散，氣散則命亡，故死也。心正者，是神定也。制者則心正一炁之源，內動之機，萬化皆通；心亂則萬神皆廢，故去情意則萬神不失於物也。故曰：心生於物，而死於物也。

黃帝曰：機在目。何也？廣成子曰：道之遠者在八化之外，近在眉睫之間；大則包含天地，細則貫串眉毛。神機內動，目睫飛鉛，故神機在目，為其間有神室。內動之機，在目而明也。非常景通道見，陰邪自滅，真境返正，見陽神於天道。故曰：機在目也。

黃帝曰：天之無恩，而大恩生。何也？天真皇人曰：以天道而化下方，萬物自然生，乃大恩生也。不可以色慾縱其心，而使其意亂財邪恩生，故有死也。安其心以保其神，自然流通，豈不知烏不染而自黑，鶴不浴而自白，蛛不教而成網，燕不招而自來？如此，自然恩生。故曰：天之無恩，而大恩生也。

黃帝曰：迅雷烈風，莫不蠢然。何也？廣成子曰：迅速如雷霆，陰陽正氣也。人能食風氣，用陰陽之氣，上下精氣，蠢然而已。行道運動，陰陽神氣內交，真精上移而入於腦中，復降迅速如風雷，三元布滿而百骸火飛，鍊陰而返純陽，是以聖人速了道也，內修真體自妙，如瑞草受陰陽冲和之氣，故不死，莫不蠢然也。

黃帝曰：至樂性餘，至靜則廉。何也？天真皇人曰：至樂於神者，陰陽之本也。至者，定也，定於心意，陰陽自合。至靜則廉也。目不觀於色而神不移其炁內保自然，至樂於天真也。去其慾，靜其心，定其意，守其神，抱一至靜而入新換舊，乃達於道。聖人致性命合於天道，志剛則廉也。故曰：至樂性餘，至靜則廉也。

黃帝曰：天之至私，用之至公。何也？廣成子曰：天乃清陽之氣，至私者，暗發也，則生於萬物，人在其中，復正神也。若能收藏元氣，補養天真，更能善用其功而成道也，謂之至公。精氣固身，知者依時運用，上入泥丸，下入海源，會於中宮，以接元氣，度元關，朝金闕，三田相灌，百節俱通，周身火發，久而鍊之，得成仙矣。故曰：天之至私，用之至公也。

黃帝曰：禽者制在氣。何也？天真皇人曰：禽者，烏也。烏者，心氣也。故飛騰而有時。氣者，虛無之發，人能致其氣，久鍊為仙也。禽者，南方火也，人能致其道，使真氣久而如禽飛在太空，人能擒收在中元，鍊成正陽，乃得為飛仙矣。故曰：禽者制在氣也。

黃帝曰：生者，死之根；死者，之根。何也？廣成子曰：生巧者，死於命。人能定心除六慾七情者，神定道生也。若心生慾、情性巧者，神散命亡，死之根本也。心死永得復生，乃生死之根也。

黃帝曰：恩生於害，害生於恩。何也？天真皇人曰：聖人恩生於道，凡人恩生於情，亡其身，害其命也。損有其餘而補不足，有餘者，心有情慾，補不足也，精神散也。縱心起慾色，是恩中生害而亡其神也。若能澄心不倦，其神自明，是害中生恩。苦志修心而不亂，則害忘也，保其神也。故乃成道和快於心，滅於歡樂而保精神，忘情無慾，至此為聖人也。故曰：恩生於害，害生於恩也。

黃帝曰：愚人以天地文理聖，我以時物文理哲。何也？廣成子曰：凡人知有天地文理，言聖人外像不知我自有天地陰陽，我藏也。陰陽者，鬼神不測之法也，天地通大小幽冥之理，愚人所作，不知我與天地陰陽時物皆同。天地之理，聖人之機也。至道之，萬物之本，陰陽之宗，故變化無窮，乃至於道至精，我之有也；道之自然，萬物有物，我為哲也。陰陽之非勝，奈我同而勝也。勝者，我之神也。神者，至道之源也。故我靈而陰陽同聖。天地也，二炁結而萬物皆同，神炁超時，聖於大道也。吾曉大道包含天地，明哲盡矣。旨真之理，我自然聖化三清也。黃帝稽首再拜，謝聖君指教愚昧，臣方曉大道。聖君遂駕雲鶴升空而去，黃帝回輦而還都矣

Source Colophon

The Chinese text follows the Chinese Wikisource transcription of the Daoist Canon edition of this text (article 陰符經三皇玉訣, revision of 14 August 2019), inspected from a witness copy captured on 8 August 2026. Chinese Wikisource transcriptions are published under CC BY-SA 4.0 and the GFDL; the text itself is ancient and in the public domain. The wiki header and license templates have been removed; the text is otherwise complete and unaltered.

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