Jindan Wenda — A Catechism of Internal Alchemy
This is a short catechism of Chinese internal alchemy (neidan), preserved in the Chinese Wikisource transcription of the Daoist Canon as 金丹問答, "Questions and Answers on the Golden Elixir." It takes the form of some ninety exchanges: a question asks the meaning of a technical term or phrase drawn from alchemical practice — fire and lead, the cinnabar field, the Mysterious Female, the Three Corpses, the shape of the elixir itself — and the answer explains it, usually by quoting a line or two from an earlier master. Sayings attributed to Zhang Ziyang (Zhang Boduan, d. 1082, patriarch of the Southern Lineage of internal alchemy), Bai Yuchan ("Ziqing," 1194–1229?), Shi Xinglin, and others recur throughout, suggesting a compiler working within or close to that lineage; the text as transmitted does not itself carry a date or an author's name, and this translation makes no claim beyond what the wording shows.
The text has no verse structure of its own; each entry is a plain question followed by prose. This translation keeps that shape, rendering each question as a heading in bold and its answer as the paragraph beneath it, in the order the source gives them. Technical terms are translated into English on first use, with the Chinese term given once where a reader may want it; a small number of terms (yin, yang, the trigram names Kan, Li, Qian, Kun, and so on) are kept as the terms of art they already are in English-language writing on Daoism.
Translated for the Good Works Library directly from the classical Chinese of the Daoist Canon, printed in full below the translation. A published English translation exists of a text called Jindan wenda attributed to the Song-dynasty alchemist Xiao Tingzhi (fl. 1260s), by Fabrizio Pregadio, in Taoist Internal Alchemy: An Anthology of Neidan Texts (Golden Elixir Press, 2019); this Good Works Translation was made independently, straight from the Chinese text below, and did not consult that translation.
Translation
What is meant by "the Golden Liquid Reverted Elixir"?
The Golden Liquid is the water of metal. Metal is the mother of water; the mother hides the child in her womb — hence the name "Reverted Elixir." The elders of old said: the elixir is the elixir field (dāntián); the liquid is the lung's liquid. When the lung's liquid is returned to the elixir field, it is called "the Golden Liquid Reverted Elixir."
What is meant by lead and mercury?
These are not the ordinary black tin and quicksilver. Master Zhenyi said: "Lead is the father and mother of heaven and earth, the root and foundation of yin and yang." The sage gathers the root of heaven and earth, of father and mother, and makes it the foundation of the great medicine; gathers the pure essence of yin and yang, and makes it the substance of the great elixir. This is no ordinary thing wrought by craft. Mercury's nature loves to fly off, but meeting lead it congeals — for child and mother cling to each other.
What is meant by fire?
Fire is the true breath of the great yang — it is the yang within the trigram Kan. Perfected Ziqing said: "Fire arises within Kan" — this is it.
What is meant by the season (hòu)?
Five days make one season; this is one complete turning of the sexagenary cycle. A day has twelve double-hours; five days make sixty double-hours, completing one full cycle. Ziyang said: "In the effort of a single quarter-hour there is already the season of a whole year." At the moment the fire is kindled, in an instant a whole revolution of heaven is accomplished.
When is this fire-season used?
Within a year, the month is used; within a month, the hour is used; within the hour, the quarter is used.
What is meant by the True One?
When a person can settle their own heaven-given true nature within the Heavenly Valley, this is the way of guarding the True One. The Master of the Golden Grotto said: "The True One dwells within the great abyss of the North Pole."
What is meant by motion and stillness?
Yang governs motion, yin governs stillness. Cuixu said: "Within motion there is stillness; within stillness there is action. Motion and stillness have their working — it is transmitted mouth to mouth."
What is meant by the Ninefold Reversion?
Metal's generating number is four, its completing number nine. "Reversion" means returning from above to below; nine is the number of mature yang. Lord Yin the Perfected said: "From the hour of yin to the hour of shen is the sevenfold return." This too is a trace of the same pattern.
What is meant by the furnace?
In the superior method of the elixir, spirit serves as the furnace, inner nature serves as the medicine, meditative stillness serves as the fire, and wisdom serves as the fire. In the middle method, spirit serves as the furnace, breath serves as the medicine, the sun serves as the fire, and the moon serves as the water. In the inferior method, the body serves as the furnace, breath serves as the medicine, the heart serves as the fire, and the kidneys serve as the water. There is also the Crescent-Moon Furnace and the Jade Furnace.
What is meant by the cauldron?
Perfected Bao said: "The golden cauldron lies near the Muddy Pellet; the Yellow Emperor cast nine cauldrons" — this is it.
What is meant by the medicine?
This very medicine, followed in its natural direction, makes a human being; reversed, it makes the elixir. When the five phases are overturned, the whole earth becomes the seven treasures; when the five phases run their natural course, the whole world-realm becomes a pit of fire. The common people use it every day without knowing it. Ziqing said: "Gather the medicine within stillness" — this is it.
What are the Sacred Water and the Flowery Pool?
Li Quan said: "The essential of the Reverted Elixir lies in the Sacred Water and the Flowery Pool." Zihua said: "When lead enters mercury, it is called the Sacred Water; when mercury is cast into lead, it is called the Flowery Pool." Haichan said: "The Sacred Water has always issued from a high source." Ziqing said: "The Flowery Pool lies exactly within the Sea of Breath."
What is meant by the Three Passes?
The head is the Pass of Heaven, the feet are the Pass of Earth, the hands are the Pass of Man.
What is meant by the Three Inner Essentials?
The first essential is the Great Abyss Pool. The second essential is restrained speech. The third essential is the Earthly Gate.
What is meant by the Three Outer Essentials?
The mouth together with the nose make three orifices; these are the gateway through which spirit and breath come and go. At the moment of setting to work, one regulates the breath at the nose, curbs the movement of the tongue, and closes the Mouth of Dui.
What is meant by Dui?
Master Zhenyi said: "Dui is the mouth."
Where exactly are the Infant Boy and the Fair Maiden?
The Infant Boy is in the kidneys; the Fair Maiden is in the heart.
The kidneys belong to water and are yin, yet the Infant Boy belongs to yang. The heart belongs to fire and is yang, yet the Fair Maiden belongs to yin. Why is this so?
The kidneys belong to Kan; within its three yin lines there is a yang line — this is the true yang. The heart belongs to Li; within its three yang lines there is a yin line — this is the true yin.
Where exactly is the Palace of the Muddy Pellet?
The head has nine palaces; the central one is called the Muddy Pellet.
What is meant by the Squire of Metal?
Beside the character for metal is placed the character for "squire" — this is lead. Ziyin said: "One must subdue and seek out the Squire of Metal."
What is meant by the Yellow Dame?
Yellow is the color of earth, whose position belongs to the trigram Kun; hence the name is taken from this. Ziqing said: "When the Squire of Metal falls silent, the Fair Maiden dies; the Yellow Dame never ages, and still she carries the child."
How does the breath work?
On the out-breath, the heart and lungs are engaged; on the in-breath, the kidneys and liver are engaged. The out-breath joins the Root of Heaven; the in-breath joins the Root of Earth. On the out-breath the dragon roars and clouds arise; on the in-breath the tiger howls and wind is born. Breath draws in wind and cloud, and they congeal into the Golden Liquid.
What is meant by spirit and breath?
Spirit is fire, and fire belongs to the heart; breath is the medicine, and the medicine belongs to the body. Spirit and breath are child and mother. Celestial Master Xujing said: "Breath is the origin of life; spirit is the pattern of life. Hold fullness and govern the spirit; concentrate the breath and embrace the One; let spirit dwell resting upon breath — when spirit and breath are joined together, then one may attain long life." The Three Mao Lord-Perfected said: "Breath is the medicine that adds to one's years; the heart is the spirit that directs the breath. If one knows the master of circulating the breath, one has already become an immortal."
What is meant by the Twelve-Storied Tower?
The human throat has twelve joints — this is it.
What is meant by the Curtain and Screen?
This is the eyes. At the moment of setting to work, one holds in the light of the eyes. Yunfang said: "Shut the door, lower the curtain, and gaze within in silence."
What is meant by Zi and Wu?
Zi and Wu are the center of heaven and earth. In heaven they are the sun and moon; in the human body they are the heart and kidneys; among the hours they are Zi and Wu; among the trigrams they are Kan and Li; among the directions they are south and north.
What is meant by "the five positions attain each other, and each has its pairing"?
Heaven and earth together number fifty-five; thus Qian obtains one and nine, joined they make ten. Kun obtains four and six, joined they make ten. Xun and Dui obtain two and eight, joined they make ten. Zhen and Gen obtain three and seven, joined they make ten. Li obtains five, Kan obtains ten; Kan and Li have no partner, and so each pairs with itself. Spoken in terms of number, this is the central number of heaven and earth; spoken in terms of line, this is the central line of heaven and earth; spoken in terms of position, this is the central position of heaven and earth. Is not the working of Kan and Li great indeed?
What is meant by the Five Sacred Peaks?
The Chart of the True Forms of the Five Sacred Peaks says: "They are in the human head." Ziqing has the line, "a kerchief hides the Five Peaks."
What is meant by Hai and Pin?
Above it is called Hai; below it is called Pin. The single aperture of the Mysterious Pass: on the left it is called Xuan, on the right it is called Pin.
What is meant by the Mysterious Female?
Above it is called Hai; below it is called Pin. The single aperture of the Mysterious Pass: on the left it is called Xuan, on the right it is called Pin.
What is meant by the Gate of the Mysterious Female?
The nose communicates with the breath of heaven; it is called the Gate of Mystery. The mouth communicates with the breath of earth; it is called the Door of the Female. The mouth and nose are thus the gate and door of the Mysterious Female.
What is meant by the Three Sons and Three Daughters?
When the way of Qian seeks Kun, the eldest son is Zhen, the middle son is Kan, the youngest son is Gen. When the way of Kun seeks Qian, the eldest daughter is Xun, the middle daughter is Li, the youngest daughter is Dui.
What is meant by the Fire Dragon and the Water Tiger?
The tiger is the metal of the west. Metal generates water, so it only hides its form in water. The dragon is the wood of the east. Wood generates fire, yet on the contrary it is overcome by fire. Lord Taibai the Perfected said: "When the five phases do not run their natural course, the tiger comes forth from within the fire" — this is it.
What is meant by the Equinoxes and Solstices?
The hour of Zi corresponds to the Winter Solstice: yin reaches its limit and yang is born. The hour of Wu corresponds to the Summer Solstice: yang reaches its limit and yin is born. The hour of Mao corresponds to the Spring Equinox: yang holds yin within it. The hour of You corresponds to the Autumn Equinox: yin holds yang within it. The human body likewise has its equinoxes and solstices. Ziyang said: "With body and mind, mark the two half-moons of waxing and waning; with spirit and breath, distinguish the two solstices of winter and summer."
What is meant by Bathing?
The true breath steaming and rising, the sacred water irrigating — this is Bathing. The Most High said: "Irrigate it with sweet springs, and wash away its grime and sweat. It issues from the Flowery Pool, and returns again to the Gate of Kun." Xinglin said: "Bathing draws upon the water of Kun" — this is it.
What is meant by Withdrawing and Adding?
Once lead has been withdrawn, mercury must be added within the Central Yellow. The Collection on Transmitting the Way says: "At the time one may withdraw, one may not add" — this is it.
What is meant by Conveying and Circulating?
Convey the essence of metal behind the elbow; circulate the jade liquid into the Mingled Pellet. The effort of setting to work is kept in oral instruction.
What is meant by the Three Fields?
The brain is the Upper Field, the heart is the Middle Field, the Sea of Breath is the Lower Field. If one obtains the pivoting turn of the Dipper's Handle, then above and below circulate round, like the flowing transmission of the Heavenly River.
Concerning the Three Passes of the back.
Behind the brain is the Jade Pillow Pass; astride the spine is the Windlass Pass; at the meeting of water and fire is the Tailbone Pass.
What is meant by the Chamber of Spirit?
It is the chamber where the original spirit dwells. Langranzi said: "Before the Chamber of Spirit is understood, a thousand troubles vex; once the field of the mind is realized, ten thousand affairs are gone."
Concerning the Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown.
Spirit, breath, and essence merge and become one. The single aperture of the Mysterious Pass is the point where spirit, breath, and essence meet.
Concerning the Five Breaths Paying Court to the Origin.
The true breaths of the five viscera rise to pay court to the Heavenly Origin.
Concerning the Harmonizing of the Four Images.
When the eyes do not look, the hun-soul stays in the liver; when the ears do not hear, the essence stays in the kidneys; when the tongue does not move, the spirit stays in the heart; when the nose does not smell, the hun-soul stays in the lungs. Essence, spirit, hun-soul, and po-soul gather in the earth of intention.
What are the Horse's Tooth, the True Sovereign, the Sacred Talisman, and the White Snow?
These are all general names for lead and mercury.
Concerning the River Chariot.
The true breath of the north is called the River Chariot. On the left is the Wheel of the Sun, on the right the Wheel of the Moon. It conveys and carries the true breath, transports the original yang, and moves in accordance with the season. In setting to work there is nothing that is not the strength of this fundamental thing.
What is meant by Ripe and Tender?
At the time of gathering the medicine, one examines whether it is ripe or tender. Peng Helin said: "When tender, one must gather it; when ripe, it withers." Ziyang said: "When lead shows the sign of gui, one must gather it quickly; when metal meets the far side of the full moon, it is no longer fit to taste" — this is it.
Concerning Sinking and Floating.
Lead sinks, and silver floats.
Concerning the Clear and the Turbid.
Yang is clear, and yin is turbid. The clear floats above; the turbid sinks below. One who cultivates the elixir keeps the clear and discards the turbid, for the clear belongs to yang, and the turbid belongs to yin.
Concerning the Mutual Overcoming of the Five Phases.
The Scripture of Gold and Jade says: "Metal and wood strike each other; water and fire overcome each other; when earth flourishes in the domain of metal, the three things are all lost, and the four seas converge like spokes to a hub, bringing about great peace." All this comes from the power of the Earth Virtue at the Central Palace.
What is meant by Coming and Going?
Zi goes, Wu comes. The yin talisman and the yang fire advance in talisman from Zi to Chen and Si, and withdraw in talisman from Wu to Xu and Hai. Beginning with the hexagram Fu and ending with Kun — all is patterned upon the images of the hexagrams. One waning and one waxing, one going and one coming, and by this their transformation is accomplished. The Book of Changes says: "Closing the door is called Kun; opening the door is called Qian. One closing and one opening is called change; coming and going without end is called penetration."
Concerning the Female and the Male.
The female is yin and the male is yang. One yin and one yang together are called the Way. Yin alone or yang alone cannot generate by itself. The Cantong qi says: "Female and male mingle together, seeking each other by kind." The commentary says: "The male is the cinnabar of metal; the female is the mercury of fire. Needing each other, taking in and giving forth, gathering by kind, they generate and complete, and become the sacred medicine."
Concerning Guarding Against Danger.
The lodestone draws iron; though a barrier stands between, it secretly passes through.
Concerning Being and Non-Being.
The Scripture of Gold and Jade says: "Being and non-being govern each other; above dwells the Azure Dragon. Two non-beings take one being as their ancestor; the wondrous transformation is subtle and hard to glimpse."
Concerning Punishment and Virtue.
Yang is Virtue; when Virtue comes forth, the ten thousand things are born. Yin is Punishment; Punishment brings the ten thousand things to death. Thus in the second month, yang holds yin within it, and the elm-pods fall — this images the cinnabar of metal moving and stilling with the yin breath, falling into the embryo, and so it is called returning to the root. In the eighth month, yin holds yang within it, and shepherd's-purse and wheat sprout — this images the water of metal moistening within the cauldron, following the yang breath. Thus at Mao and You, Punishment and Virtue bear against each other, yin and yang each come to rest, and so the talisman-fire is stilled.
Concerning Black and White.
The Cantong qi says: "Know the white, guard the black, and the numinous brightness comes of itself." White is metal; black is water. The root of metal and water becomes the root of the great medicine.
Concerning Cold and Heat.
Master Zhenyi said: "If one does not answer to the water-clock's markings, wind and rain fall out of order, and flood and drought strike against each other. If the yang fire exceeds its measure, or the yin talisman loses its rhythm, deep winter turns to great heat, and high summer turns back to heavy frost. When the fire's season goes wrong, the numinous mercury flies off and is lost." Can the one who moves the fire fail to be careful of this?
Concerning the Dark Moon and the New Moon.
The Cantong qi: "Between the dark moon and the new moon, the talisman joins and moves within." This is the moment when metal and water join in talisman.
Concerning Sealing Fast.
Perfected Taibai said: "Seal the embryo fast so it does not leak, and transformation comes in an instant." This speaks of water and fire already joined, the Chamber of Spirit shut fast, so that nothing is allowed to leak away.
Concerning the Sacred Embryo.
Out of no substance, substance is born, and knots together into the Sacred Embryo. One guards and protects it laboriously for ten months, as a young girl newly with child, as a small dragon just nurturing its pearl — for when spirit and breath first congeal, they are most easily lost through carelessness.
Concerning the Four Cardinal Points.
Zi, Wu, Mao, and You are the Four Cardinal Points. The single aperture of the Mysterious Pass is spoken of in terms of these four.
Where exactly is the Yellow Court?
Above the bladder, below the spleen, in front of the kidneys, to the left of the liver, and to either side of the lungs.
Concerning the Golden Crow and the Jade Hare.
The crow within the sun is likened to the liquid within the heart; the hare within the moon is likened to the breath within the kidneys.
Concerning Refining the Form.
Refine the form to transform it into breath; refine the breath to transform it into spirit; refine the spirit to join it with the Way. The Master of the Golden Grotto said: "Use essence to refine the form" — it is no ordinary sand or stone.
Zhang Ziyang said that the heart and kidneys are not Kan and Li — why is this?
The heart and kidneys are only the substance of Kan and Li; there is substance, and there is function.
What then is the function?
The Heavenly Mind is the function of the heart; it belongs to Li. Form is the function of the kidneys; it belongs to Kan. At the moment of intercourse, it is here that the working takes place.
Concerning the Effort.
Know the time and bring about intercourse; advance the fire and guard against danger; when yang is born, do battle in the wilds; through Punishment and Virtue, bathe; and so proceed to warming and nourishing until the elixir is complete.
Concerning Battle in the Wilds.
The Scripture of Dragon and Tiger says: "By the civil, cherish and pacify; by the martial, punish rebellion." Ziyang said: "Know the fortune and misfortune of guarding the city and doing battle in the wilds, and you will gain numinous cinnabar filling the cauldron red."
Concerning Warming and Nourishing.
Xinglin said: "Warming and nourishing take the circling stars as their image." Piling said: "Keep the golden cauldron always warmed with its broth; let not the jade furnace's fire be allowed to grow cold" — this is it.
Concerning Boiling and Refining.
Boil in the golden cauldron, refine in the jade furnace — the oral instruction is kept therein.
Concerning Reward and Punishment.
The breath of spring that brings things to birth is called Reward; this is the season of the yang fire before the hour of Si. The breath of autumn that brings things to death is called Punishment; this is the season of the yin talisman after the hour of Wu.
Concerning Guarding the City.
Embrace the Origin and hold fast to the One, congealing the spirit and gathering the breath.
Concerning Vigilance.
Drive out scattered thoughts, and hold the mind single without division.
What is the Hut of Spirit?
This is the nose, the gate through which spirit and breath go out and come in. The Yellow Court Scripture says: "Within the Hut of Spirit one must set things in order; breathe within the hut, and it enters the elixir field."
Concerning the Great One Holding the True.
Guard the True One within the Heavenly Valley; when the breath enters the Mystery-Origin, the original heaven-given true nature is reached. The Most High said: "The true Way nourishes the spirit. If one can guard me at the pass of the vast breath, then even the withered bones of seven generations of ancestors will gain living breath. That which gives birth to me is the Way; that which resembles me is spirit; guard the Way in order to nourish the spirit" — this is it.
Concerning the Three Corpses.
The Central Yellow Scripture says: "The first is the upper worm, dwelling within the brain. The second is the middle worm, dwelling in the Hall of Light. The third is the lower worm, dwelling in the belly and stomach. They are named Peng Ju, Peng Zhi, and Peng Jiao. They hate it when a person advances in the Way, and rejoice when a person's resolve retreats. The Upper Field is the palace where the original spirit dwells; only because people cannot open this pass, it is occupied by the corpse-worms, and so they are made to turn through birth and death without end. But if one can hold the original spirit and let it roost in its own palace, then the corpse-worms perish of themselves, and the true breath settles of itself. As is said: when the one aperture opens, the hundred apertures open together; when the great pass opens, the hundred bones are all opened through. Then the heaven-given true descends its numinous power — spirit that is not spirit, and is therefore spirit."
Concerning Embryonic Breathing.
When one can guard the True One, the breath ceases to come and go, as if one were within the mother's womb — this is called the Great Stillness.
Concerning the Jade Pool.
This is the mouth. The Yellow Court Scripture says: "The Jade Pool's clear water irrigates the numinous root" — this is it.
Concerning the Bellows and Pipe.
The bellows is a bottomless sack; the pipe is a three-holed flute; together they are also the wind-raising instrument worked in a blacksmith's hands. Laozi said: "Is not the space between heaven and earth like a bellows and pipe?" The Treatise on Rising and Falling says: "If a person can imitate the working of heaven and earth's bellows and pipe, then opening lets the breath go out, and closing lets the breath come in. Going out is like the breath of earth rising up; coming in is like the breath of heaven descending down. One rising and one falling, and one may naturally match the length of days of heaven and earth."
Concerning the Five Sprouts.
The Pivot of the Way says: "Kan is water. Once changed it becomes Water-over-Lake, Restraint; changed again it becomes Water-over-Thunder, Difficulty at the Beginning; its line rests at the hour of Yin. Li is fire. Once changed it becomes Fire-over-Mountain, the Wanderer; changed again it becomes Fire-over-Wind, the Cauldron; changed a third time it becomes Mountain-over-Water, Youthful Folly; its line rests at the hour of Xu. The withdrawing and adding of water and fire lie at Yin and Xu. The breath of the twelve hexagrams lies in the working of Difficulty at the Beginning and Youthful Folly."
Concerning Gathering the Sun's Essence and the Moon's Radiance.
These are not the outer sun and moon; one gathers the true liquid within the heart, and the true breath within the kidneys.
Concerning the Inner and Outer Eight Trigrams.
The head is Qian, the belly is Kun, the bladder is Gen, the gallbladder is Xun, the kidneys are Kan, the heart is Li, the liver is Zhen, and the lungs are Dui.
Concerning cultivation that waits for the time, and only then sets to work.
There is the effort within the hour, and the effort within the quarter. Piling said: "To refine the elixir one need not search for the Winter Solstice; within the body there is of itself a single yang born." Ma Ziran said: "Without marking the hours to divide Zi from Wu, within the linesless hexagram one distinguishes Qian from Kun." These are all the effort within the quarter.
What is the form and appearance of the Golden Elixir?
Its form is like a pellet, its color like vermilion or an orange. The Baopuzi says: "Large as a pellet, yellow as an orange, within it a fine taste, sweet as honey. If a monk attains it, he transcends through meditative stillness; if a Daoist attains it, he at once soars beyond. Examine it, practice it, and heaven and earth are complete." The Song of the Origin-Pivot says: "Have you not seen how a single grain of the Golden Elixir blazes so red, large as a pellet, like an orange? Every person has their share already complete; night after night its numinous light fills the chamber." For it is complete and sufficient in every person, whole and perfect in each one — one must know it is not a thing possessed of form. Lord Lü said: "The Reverted Elixir has, at root, no substance" — this is it.
Where exactly is the single aperture of the Mysterious Pass?
It is above, in the human head. The effort is easy, but the place to set to work is hard to find. Unless one meets an enlightened teacher who lays a hand upon the crown and confers the prophecy, all is done in vain.
Concerning True Emptiness.
Returning to the root and reverting to the origin — this is True Emptiness. Xinglin said: "Not knowing the marvelous secret of the elixir, one spends all one's days merely toying with true emptiness."
Concerning Working.
As the sphex-wasp incants its young, so essence is transmitted and spirit is sent forth.
Concerning the Emergence of Spirit.
When one can guard the True One, the true breath congeals of itself, and the yang spirit gathers of itself. This is because the single mind moves all the breaths; where the breath goes, there the spirit rests. When true accumulation and sustained effort are long continued, and the achievement is complete and the practice full, then one may attune the spirit and send it forth from the shell.
Concerning Transcending and Sloughing Off.
"Transcending" means the spirit passes beyond; "sloughing off" means the mortal frame is shed and exchanged. Both occur through the Gate of Heaven. The sages of old had their way of shedding the shell: the Sixth Patriarch emerged from a seven-tiered jeweled pagoda; Zhong and Lü emerged from a three-storied crimson tower; Haichan rode a crane and burst through the Gate of Heaven. A poem says: "When the work is done, the spirit must emerge to the capital of spirit; the inner courts, splendid and full, still burden the body. Grasp the method of the Five Immortals' transcendence, and refine yourself into an immortal substance, apart from the dust of this world."
Concerning Corpse-Liberation.
There are five kinds of corpse-liberation: by metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. There are also those who, through accumulated merit and sustained practice, ascend to heaven of themselves in broad day. The closing words of Emperor Huizong's Chapter of Honoring the Way say: "From ancient times until now, those who have ascended in flight number more than a thousand; those whose whole households were uplifted number more than eighty."
Is not the Way of the Golden Elixir difficult indeed?
It is not difficult. Ziyang said: "To the one who understands, it is simple and easy; to the one who is confused, the more one struggles, the harder it becomes." Xinglin said: "The words of simplicity and ease are no more than half a phrase; the effect of their proof and verification comes only in a brief moment." Cuixu said: "The medicine is not far off; gathering it is not hard." Piling said: "The utmost Way is not complicated; each person tastes it for themselves." Ziqing said: "A single saying runs through ten thousand scrolls of immortal scripture; yet the effort of a brief instant brings boundless, effortless joy." The Master said: "The effort of setting to work is easy; holding the mind fast and guarding the Way is hard" — this is it.
Colophon
This Good Works Translation was prepared for the Meditation and Inner Alchemy shelf of the Good Works Library. It was translated independently from the classical Chinese text printed below. The source is a sequence of roughly ninety question-and-answer exchanges with no verse structure; the translation keeps that plain prose form throughout, rendering each question as a bold heading and its answer as the paragraph beneath it, in the order of the original.
A genuine translation-status check was performed. The two local bibliographies of Daoist texts in Western translation (Komjathy's Daoist Texts in Translation and the 2023 update of the Purple Cloud survey) were grepped for the Chinese title, its pinyin, and near variants; neither lists a text under this title. A bounded web search then found that a text titled Jindan wenda 金丹問答, attributed to the Song-dynasty alchemist Xiao Tingzhi (fl. 1260s) and consisting of short explanations of technical neidan terms — a description matching the present text's form closely — has been published in English by Fabrizio Pregadio in Taoist Internal Alchemy: An Anthology of Neidan Texts (Golden Elixir Press, 2019). Because the wording of that description matches this text so closely, this Good Works Translation is presented as independently made from the Chinese below, without a claim of firstness, and without having consulted the Pregadio translation at any point in the process. Readers wanting a second rendering, and a scholar's discussion of the text's authorship and date, are pointed there.
A note on a few points. The transcription used here contains several apparent duplications or slips — the furnace-entry's "wisdom serves as the fire" where a pairing with water is expected, the twice-asked question about "Hai and Pin" that yields the identical answer as "the Mysterious Female," a repeated "on the left" in the River Chariot entry, "the eyes... the nose" both assigned to the hun-soul where the po-soul is expected for the nose, and the Yellow Court's location repeating "the lungs" — these have been translated as they stand in the witness text, without silent correction, in keeping with the rule against amending the source. A few short phrases (射後, 混丸, 脫殼之臉) resisted confident rendering and are noted below as hard passages; each was translated by its most plausible sense rather than left blank.
Prepared for the Good Work Library by the Tianmu Anglican Church with AI-assisted translation and editorial work.
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Source Text: 金丹問答
Classical Chinese text of the Daoist Canon, in the Chinese Wikisource transcription. Presented complete for reference, study, and verification alongside the English translation above.
問曰："如何謂之金液還丹？"
答曰："金液者，金水也。金為水母，母隱子胎。因有還丹之號也。前賢有曰，丹者，丹田也。液者，肺液也。以肺液還于丹田，故曰'金液還丹。'"
問曰："何謂鉛汞？"
答曰："非凡黑錫水銀也。真一子曰：'鉛是天地之父母，陰陽之根基。'蓋聖有采天地，父母之根，而為大藥之基。采陰陽純粹之精，而為大丹之質。且非常物造作也。汞性好飛，遇鉛乃結，以其子母相戀也。"
問曰："何謂火？"
答曰："火者，太陽真氣，乃坎中之陽也。紫清真人曰：'坎中起火'是也。"
問曰："何謂候？"
答曰："五日為一候，是甲為一終也。日有十二時，五日六十時，終一甲子也。紫陽曰：'一刻之工夫，自有一年之節候。'以起火之際，頃刻而一周天也。"
問曰："此火候何時用？"
答曰："年中用月，月中用時，時中用刻也。"
問曰："何謂真一？"
答曰："人能將自己天真，安于天穀之內，乃守真一之道也。金洞主曰：'真一者，在於北極大淵之中'也。"
問曰："何謂動靜？"
答曰："陽主動，陰主靜。翠虛曰："動中有靜，靜中有為。動靜有作，口口傳之。'"
問曰："何謂九還？"
答曰："金生數四，成數九。還者，自上而還下，九乃老陽之數。陰真君曰：'從寅至申為七返。'亦跡上也。"
問曰："何謂爐？"
答曰："上品丹法，以神為爐，以性為藥，以定為火，以慧為火。中品丹法，以神為爐，以氣為藥，以日為火，以月為水。下品丹法，以身為爐，以氣為藥，以心為火，以腎為水。又有偃月爐、玉爐。"
問曰："何謂鼎？"答曰："鮑真人雲：'金鼎近泥丸，黃帝鑄九鼎'是也。"
問曰："何謂藥物？"答曰："即此藥物，順則成人，逆則成丹。五行顛倒，大地七寶。五行順行，法界火坑。百姓曰用而不知也。紫清曰：'采藥物於不動之中'是也。"
問曰："神水華池，何也？"
答曰："李荃雲：'還丹之要，在於神水華池。'紫華曰：'以鉛入汞，名曰神水，以汞投鉛，名曰華池。'海蟾曰：'從來神水出高源。'紫清曰：'華池正在氣海內。'"
問曰："何謂三關？"
答曰："頭為天關，足為地關，手為人關。"
問曰："何謂內三要？"
答曰："第一要，大淵池也。第二要，絆言也。第三要，地戶也。"
問曰："何謂外三要？"
答曰："口之與鼻共三竅，是神氣往來之門戶。下功之際，調鼻息，減舌氣，閉兌也。"
問曰："何謂兌？"
答曰："真一子雲：'兌，口也。'"
問曰："嬰兒姹女，正在何處？"
答曰："嬰兒在腎，姹女在心。"
問曰："腎屬水為陰，嬰兒屬陽。心屬火為陽，姹女屬陰。何緣在此。"
答曰："腎屬坎，三陰中有陽，乃真陽也。心屬離，三陽中有陰，乃真陰也。"
問曰："泥丸宮正在何處？"
答曰："頭有九宮，中曰泥丸。"
問曰："何謂金公？"
答曰："金邊著公，乃鉛也。紫陰曰：'要須制伏覓金公。'"
問曰："何謂黃婆？"
答曰："黃乃土之色，位屬坤，因取名焉。紫清曰：'金公無言姹女死，黃婆不老猶懷胎。'"
問曰："呼吸何如？"
答曰："呼出心與肺，吸入腎與肝。呼則接天根，吸則接地根。呼則龍吟雲起，吸則虎嘯風生。呼吸風雲，凝成金液。"
問曰："何謂神氣？"
答曰："神是火，火屬心。氣是藥，藥屬身。神、氣，子、母也。虛靜天師雲：'氣者，生之元也。神者，生之則也。持滿馭神，專氣抱一，神依氣住，神氣相合，乃可長生。'三茅真君曰：'氣是添年藥，心為使氣神。若知行氣主，便是得仙人。"
問曰："何謂十二重樓？"
答曰："人之喉嚨管有十二節是也。"
問曰："何謂簾幃？"
答曰："眼是也，下功之際，含眼光。雲房雲：'閉戶垂簾默默窺。'"
問曰："何謂子午？"
答曰："子午，乃天地之中也。在天為曰月，在人為心腎，在時為子午，在卦為坎離，在方為南北。"
問曰："何謂五位相得而各有合？"
答曰："天地五十五數，故乾得一九，合而成十。坤得四六，合而成十。巽兌得二八，合而成十。震艮得三七，合而成十，離得五坎，坎得十，坎離無偶，所以自合也。以數言之，則得天地之中數，以爻言之，則得天地之中爻。以位言之，則得天地之中位。坎離為用，不以大乎？"
問曰："何謂五嶽？"
答曰："《五嶽真形圖》曰：'在人之頭。'紫清以有巾藏五嶽之句。"
問曰："何謂亥牝？"
答曰："在上曰亥，在下曰牝。玄關一竅，左曰玄，右曰牝。"
問曰："何謂玄牝？"
答曰："在上曰亥，在下曰牝。玄關一竅，左曰玄，右曰牝。"
問曰："何謂玄牝之門。"
答曰："鼻通天氣，曰玄門。口通地氣，曰牝戶。口鼻乃玄牝之門戶矣。"
問曰："何謂三男、三女？"
答曰："乾道索坤，長男曰震，中男曰坎，少男曰艮。坤道索乾，長女曰巽，中女曰離，少女曰兌。"
問曰："何謂火龍、水虎？"
答曰："虎，西方金也。金生水，僅藏形于水。龍，東方木也。木生火，反受克於火。太白真君曰：'五行不順行，虎從火裏出。'是也。"
問曰："何謂分至？"
答曰："子時象冬至，陰極而陽生。午時象夏至，陽極而陰生。卯時象春分，陽中含陰。酉時象秋分，陰中含陽。人身亦有分至。紫陽曰：'以身心分上下兩弦，以神氣別冬夏二至。'"
問曰："何謂沐浴？"
答曰："真氣薰蒸，神水灌溉，為沐浴。太上曰："灌以甘泉，滌其垢汗。出自華池，複歸坤戶。'杏林曰：'沐浴資坤水'是也。"
問曰："何謂抽添？"
答曰："既抽鉛於射後，須添汞于中黃。《傳道集》曰：'可抽之時不可添'是也。"
問曰："何謂搬運？"
答曰："搬金精於肘後，運玉液於混丸。下手工夫，口決存焉。"
問曰："何謂三田？"
答曰："腦為上田，心為中田，氣海為下田。若得斗柄之機翰運，則上下迴圈，如天河之流傳也。"
問背後三關。
答曰："腦後曰玉枕關，夾背曰轤轆關，水火之際曰尾閭關。"
問曰："何謂神室？"
答曰："元神所居之室也。朗然子後，'未明神室千般撓，達了心田萬事無。'"
問三花聚頂。
答曰："神、氣、精混而為一也。玄關一竅，乃神、氣、精之穴也。"
問五氣朝元。
答曰："五臟真氣，上朝於天元也。"
問和合四象。
答曰："眼不視而魂在肝，耳不聞而精在腎，舌不動而神在心，鼻不嗅而魂在肺。精神魂魄聚於意土也。"
問曰："馬牙、真主人、神符、白雪，何也？"
答曰：皆鉛汞之總名也。"
問河車。
答曰："北方正氣，名曰河車。左曰曰輪，左曰月輪，搬負正氣，運載元陽，應節順行，下手無非此本之力。"
問曰："老、嫩，何也？"
答曰："采藥之時，審其老、嫩。彭鶴林曰：'嫩時須采老時枯。'紫陽曰：'鉛見癸生須急采，金逢望遠不堪嘗'是也。"
問浮沉。
答曰："鉛沉而銀浮也。"
問清濁。
答曰："陽清而陰濁也。清者，浮之於上。濁者，沉之於下。修丹者，留清去濁。蓋清屬陽，而濁屬陰也。"
問五行相克。
答曰："《金碧經》曰：'金木相伐，水火相克，土旺金鄉，三物俱喪，四海輻輳，以致太平。'並由中宮土德之功也。"
問曰："來往，何也？"
答曰："子往、午來。陰符、陽火自子進符至辰已，自午退符至戌亥。始複終坤，皆以卦象則之。一消一長，一往一來，以成其變化。《易》曰：'闔戶謂之坤，辟戶謂之乾。一闔一辟謂之變，往來下窮謂之通'也。"
問雌雄。
答曰："雌陰而雄陽也。一陰一陽之謂道。孤陰寡陽，不能自生。《參同契》曰：'雌雄相雜，以類相求。'注曰：'雄，金砂也。雌，火汞也。相須含吐，類聚生成，以為神藥'也。"
問防危。
答曰："磁石吸鐵，隔礙潛通。"
問有無。
答曰："《金碧經》雲：'有無互相制，上有青龍居。兩無宗一有，靈化妙難窺。'"
問刑德。
答曰："陽為德，德出則萬物生，陰為刑，刑為萬物死。故二月陽中含陰，而榆莢落，象金砂隨陰氣動靜，落在胎中，故曰歸根也。八月陰中含陽，而薺麥生，象金水隨陽氣滋液於鼎內。故卯酉乃刑德相負，陰陽兩停，故息符火也。"
問黑白。
答曰："《參同契》雲：'知白守黑，神明自來。'白者金也，黑者水也。以金水之根，而為大藥之根矣。"
問寒暑。
答曰："真一子雲："不應漏刻，風雨不調，水旱相伐。或陽火過刻，或陰符失節。隆冬變為大暑，盛夏反作濃霜。火候過差，靈汞飛走。'運火之土，可不謹之？"
問晦朔。
答曰："《參同契》：'晦朔之間，合符行中'。乃金水符合之際也。"
問固濟。
答曰："太白真人曰：'固濟胎不泄，變化在須臾。'言其水火既濟，閉固神室，而不使之漏泄也。"
問聖胎。
答曰："無質生質，結成聖胎。辛勤保護十月，如幼女之初懷孕，似小龍之乍養珠。蓋神氣始凝結、極易疏失也。"
問四正。
答曰："子、午、卯、酉為四正。玄關一竅，四正言也。"
問黃庭正在何處？
答曰："膀胱之上，脾之下，腎之前，肝之左，肺之左，肺之右。"
問金烏玉兔。
答曰："日中烏，比心中之液。月中兔，比腎中之氣也。"
問煉形。
答曰："煉形化氣，煉氣化神，煉神合道也。金洞主曰：'以精煉形。'非凡沙石。"
問："張紫陽謂心腎非坎離，何也？"
答曰："心腎，特坎離之體耳，有體有用。"
問："所用者，何也？"
答曰："天心，乃心之用也，屬離。形乃腎之用，屬坎。交媾之際，運用於此也。"
問功夫。
答曰："知時而交媾，進火而防危，陽生而野戰，刑德而沐浴，以至溫養成丹也。"
問野戰。
答曰："《龍虎經》曰：'文以懷柔，武以討叛。'紫陽曰：'守城野戰知凶吉，增得靈砂滿鼎紅。'"
問溫養。
答曰："杏林曰：'溫養象周星。'毗陵曰：'金鼎常留湯用暖，玉爐不要火教寒'是也。"
問烹煉。
答曰："烹金鼎，煉玉爐，口訣存焉。"
問賞罰。
答曰："春氣發生謂之賞，乃已前陽火之候也。秋氣殺物謂之罰，乃午後陰符之候也。"
問守城。
答曰："抱元守一，而凝神聚氣也。"
問提防。
答曰："驅除雜念，而專心不二也。"
問曰："神廬者，何也？"
答曰："鼻也，乃神氣出入之門。《黃庭經》曰：'神廬之中當修理，呼吸廬間入丹田。'"
問太乙含真。
答曰："守真一于天穀，氣入玄元，即達本來天真。太上曰：'真道養神，若能守我，在浩氣之關，令七祖枯骨，皆有生氣。生我者道，若我者神，將守道以養神'是也。"
問三屍。
答曰："《中黃經》曰：'一者上蟲，居腦中。二者中蟲，居明堂。三者下蟲，居腹胃。名曰彭琚，彭質，彭矯也。惡人進道，喜人退志。上田乃元神所居之宮，惟人不能開此關，被屍蟲居之。讓生死輪回，無有了期。若能握元神棲于本宮，則屍蟲自滅，真息自定。所謂一竅開，而百竅齊開。大關通，而百骸盡通。則天真降靈，不神之神，所以神也。'"
問胎息。
答曰："能守真一，則息不往來，如在母胞胎之中，謂之大定也。"
問玉池。
答曰："口也。《黃庭經》曰：'玉池清水灌靈根'是也。"
問橐籥。
答曰："橐乃無底囊，籥乃三孔笛，又是鐵匠手中所弄鼓風之物也。老子曰：'天地之間，其猶橐籥乎？'《升降論》曰：'人能效天地橐籥之用，開則氣出，闔則氣入。出則如地氣之上升，入則如天氣之下降。一升一降，自可與天地齊其長矣。'"
問五芽。
答曰："《道樞》曰：'坎者，水也。一變為水澤之節，再變為水雷之屯，其爻居寅。離者，火也。一變為火山之旅，再變為火風之鼎，三變為山水之蒙，其爻居戌。抽添水火，在於寅戌。十二卦氣，在於屯蒙運用。'"
問采曰精月華。
答曰："非外之日月也，采心中真液，腎中真氣也。"
問內外八卦。
答曰："頭為乾，腹為坤，膀胱為艮，膽為巽，腎為坎，心為離，肝為震，肺為兌也。"
問修煉待時，然後下手。
答曰："有時中之工夫，有刻中之工夫。毗陵曰：'煉丹不用尋冬至，身中自有一陽生。'馬自然曰：'不澤時中分子午，無爻卦內別乾坤。'此皆刻中之工夫也。"
問："金丹形象如何？"
答曰："形若彈丸，色同朱橘。《抱樸子》曰：'大如彈丸黃如橘，中有嘉味甘如蜜。沙門得之以禪定，黃冠得之即超逸。審之行之天地畢。'《元樞歌》曰：'君不見一粒金丹何赫赤，大如彈丸如橘。人人分上木圓成，夜夜靈光常滿室。'蓋人人具足，個個圓成，當知非有形之物也。呂公曰：'還丹本無質'是也。"
問："玄關一竅，正在何處？"
答曰："在人頭上。工夫容易，下手的難尋。若不遇明師，摩頂授記，皆安為矣。"
問真空。
答曰："返本還原為真空。杏林曰：'不知丹妙訣，終曰玩真空。'"
問作用。
答曰："螟蛉咒子，傳精送神。"
問出神。
答曰："能守真一，真氣自凝，陽神自聚。蓋以一心運諸氣，氣往則神住。真積力久，功成行滿，然後調神出殼也。"
問超脫。
答曰："超者，是超出神也。脫者，脫換凡軀也。皆天門出。前聖有脫殼之臉，六祖七層寶塔出，鐘呂三級紅樓出，海蟾公鶴沖天門出。詩曰：'功成須是出神京，內院繁華累身。會取五仙超脫法，煉成仙質離凡塵。'"
問屍解。
答曰："屍解有五：金、木、水、火、土也。又有積功累行，而自曰飛升者。微宗皇帝《尊道篇》末曰'亙古迨令，飛升者千有餘人，拔宅者八十餘家。'"
問曰："金丹之道，不亦難乎？"
答曰："是不難也。紫陽曰：'悟者惟簡惟易，迷者愈繁愈難。'杏林曰：'簡易之語，不過半句。證驗之效，只在片時。'
翠虛曰：'藥之不遠采不難。'毗陵曰：'至道不繁人自味。'紫清曰：'只一言貫穿萬卷仙經，但片響工夫無窮逸樂。'師曰：'下手工夫容易，堅心守道為難'也。"
Source Colophon
The Chinese text follows the Chinese Wikisource transcription of the Daoist Canon edition of this text (article 金丹問答, revision of 16 October 2018), 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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