Fuqi Jingyi Lun — Attributed to Sima Chengzhen, the Master of White Cloud

This is a Tang-dynasty (618–907) manual on the practice of ingesting qi (fuqi 服氣), one of classical Daoism's central longevity disciplines — the deliberate absorption of breath, and of the subtler qi carried in sunlight, cloud, and the five directions, to nourish the body and, in the end, transcend it. Chinese Wikisource's own header identifies the author as Sima Chengzhen (司馬承禎, 647–735), the twelfth patriarch of the Shangqing lineage of Mount Mao; the text's own opening line, however, names only "the Master of White Cloud of Mount Tiantai" (天台白雲子), one of Sima Chengzhen's own sobriquets from his years of reclusion on that mountain. It is preserved in the Zhengtong Daozang, and a Wikisource editorial note records that it also circulated within the fifty-seventh scroll of the Song-dynasty Daoist encyclopedia Yunji Qiqian.

The treatise is prose throughout, organized by its own preface into nine numbered chapters moving from technique to physiology to therapy: the Five Sprouts (the qi of the five directions, absorbed at dawn), the general method of ingesting qi, guided stretching (daoyin), talisman water, medicinal formulas, prohibitions and cautions, the five viscera, healing illness by qi, and the diagnosis of symptoms. In its physiological and diagnostic chapters especially, it draws so closely on the Basic Questions (素問, Suwen) of the Huangdi Neijing — sometimes named outright, more often simply folded into the prose — that the two texts run, in long stretches, as nearly one voice.

A translation note: fuqi 服氣, the text's governing term, literally "to take qi as food," is rendered throughout as "ingesting qi" — a technique distinct from ordinary breathing, in which the practitioner deliberately swallows visualized breath together with the saliva it raises in the mouth. A handful of characters in the Wikisource transcription are illegible or unencoded; where the text's own repetitions, or its Basic Questions source, allowed the missing word to be recovered with real confidence, it is given here in brackets, and the method is explained in the colophon.

Translated for the Good Works Library directly from the classical Chinese of the Daoist Canon, printed in full below the translation. To our knowledge, this is the treatise's first complete published English translation.

Translation

Now, qi is the subtle first-stirring of the Dao. Stirred in that subtlety and set to work in that fineness, it gives birth to the One — and so the primal chaos stands whole and entire within Great Change (taiyi). Now, the One is the Dao's surging and coalescing. Surging, it transforms; coalescing, it creates — and so it gives birth to the Two, and heaven and earth divide within the Great Ultimate (taiji). Thus bodily form is established, and the ten thousand things receive their being from it alike; essence and spirit become manifest, and the ten thousand things receive them equally. Among the forms of things, only the human form is upright; among the essences of all that takes shape, only the human is numinous. Standing alongside Heaven and Earth, humanity occupies the place of the Three Powers; joined to yin and yang, it holds the flower of the Five Phases. And so it is able to penetrate the mystery and call down sagehood, refine its substance and ascend to immortality, conceal its radiance and enter the Void.

Free of such contrivance, the mind arrives at the utmost subtlety, and the method of ascending to immortality is attained — though there are many paths of study. At the furthest point of that subtlety, all paths return to a single measure: some dissolve and ingest cinnabar elixirs, and by the elixir's power ascend on high; others fast and purify, hold to visualization and cultivate, and their work complete, are feathered into transcendence. Yet the medicines of mineral and stone depend on means and money, and are hard to come by; and the labor of study and practice, stretched across the years, easily drifts out of reach. But that which works swiftly, which succeeds through single-minded devotion, which joins its Way to emptiness and non-being and its power to the spirits and numina — that is qi alone!

The Yellow Emperor said: "Those who eat grain are wise but die young; those who eat qi are spirited and live long; those who eat nothing at all do not die." The Perfected said: "That which can be lasting in its Way is the nurturing of life; that with which one may long journey on is the intake of qi." When qi is whole, life is preserved; only then can one nurture the will. When the will is nurtured, one joins with the authentic; only then can one ascend at length into the realm of living qi. How, then, can one fail to labor at it!

Thus one knows: drawing in the morning clouds, feeding on and rinsing with wind and dew, one nourishes the wellspring of essence in the five viscera and guides the nutritive and defensive qi through the body's hundred passes — driving off illness to settle the body, and further prolonging harmony to enjoy long life. One closes off seeing and hearing to practice fetal breathing, and turns back decay to recover a youthful face. Taking from what is far — Heaven — and from what is near — oneself — the mind is at leisure and content, the body at ease and without striving; one stretches out joyfully beyond a hundred years, keeping one's vastness whole within a single chamber, drawing near to the arts of rising into flight, and settling into the elegance of clear emptiness. And should one join to this the great work of the Realized and the labor of refining and transforming, then one may stand and wait for the cloud-chariot and hasten the appointed hour, or drive the feathered carriage and hold even the distant as nothing.

Of the scriptures on ingesting qi I have read a great many editions: some are scattered piecemeal across various sections, some never make plain their essential purport. Those who read them, for want of breadth, fall into doubt; those who practice by them, for want of thoroughness, achieve nothing. I have therefore now compiled and classified them by chapter and topic, setting out their essence and origin in detail — hoping that even the summer cicada might share in the benefit, not that the tortoise and the dragon should keep it to themselves alone. In nine chapters, as follows:

1. Treatise on the Five Sprouts

That by which the body is kept whole is rooted in the visceral organs; that in which the spirit finds its peace takes its substance from essence and qi. Though one receives one's form from the Five Spirits, and already holds their image within, yet when the body weakens and qi is spent, decline and ruin follow. Therefore one must take in the Cloud Sprouts to irrigate the body's fluids, and inhale the radiance of the rose-clouds to give birth to numinous power; then the nutritive and defensive qi keep their pure harmony, and the countenance is held back from decay. Add to this long practice until it grows wondrous, and accumulated resonance until it penetrates the spirits, and one ascends together with the Five Elders, taking one's place in rank beside the Nine Perfected. What the scriptural text records serves only to show the crossing and the road; what practice and study follow from it should of course be examined in detail.

The method of ingesting the True Five Sprouts: always at clear dawn, intone the secret incantation, saying — 〔the scripture does not say so outright, but one should face each direction in turn: sit level with the fists closed, eyes shut; click the teeth three times, then recite; for the Center, face the four intercardinal points〕:

Green Sprout of the East — I ingest and feed upon the Green Sprout, and drink of it as Morning Radiance. When the incantation is done, run the tongue along the outer face of the upper teeth, lick the lips, rinse the mouth; when it is full, swallow three times.

Cinnabar-Red of the South — I ingest and feed upon the Cinnabar-Red, and drink of it as the Cinnabar Pool. When the incantation is done, run the tongue along the outer face of the lower teeth, lick the lips, rinse the mouth; when it is full, swallow three times.

Wu and Ji of the Center — towering, towering as Mount Tai, I ingest and feed upon its essence and qi, and drink of it as the Sweet-Wine Spring. When the incantation is done, run the tongue along the roof of the mouth so as to draw out the Jade Water; lick the lips, rinse the mouth; when it is full, swallow three times.

Bright Stone of the West — I ingest and feed upon the Bright Stone, and drink of it as the Numinous Fluid. When the incantation is done, run the tongue along the inner face of the upper teeth, lick the lips, rinse the mouth; when it is full, swallow three times.

Dark Nourishment of the North — I ingest and feed upon the Dark Nourishment, and drink of it as Jade Syrup. When the incantation is done, run the tongue along the inner face of the lower teeth, lick the lips, rinse the mouth; when it is full, swallow three times.

When the whole count is done, draw qi in through the nose, and at its fullest release it slowly; do this five times over, and the rite of the High Perfected is complete. 〔In spirit, one should also draw in qi for each direction, each to its own number: nine for the East, three for the South, twelve for the Center, seven for the West, and five for the North.〕

It is also said: my former master, for the Sweet-Wine Spring of the Center, added this incantation:

White stone, towering, towering, moves on in its order;
the wellspring gushes forth, cavernous, as jade nectar.
Drink of it for long life;
one's years and span are further lengthened.

〔From these words onward the text departs from the base scripture, and need not trouble the reader further.〕

This is the method given in the Five Talismans Scripture of Numinous Treasure (Lingbao Wufu Jing); the Shangqing scriptures hold a separate method, the Cloud Sprouts of the Four Ultimates — its Way is sealed and secret, not to be spoken of lightly.

Whenever one ingests qi, one should always first practice the Five Sprouts, to open through the five viscera; only afterward, following the ordinary method, does the practice grow excellent.

The green of the East enters and communicates with the liver, opens at the orifice of the eyes, and in the body is the vessels.

The red of the South enters and communicates with the heart, opens at the orifice of the tongue, and in the body is the blood.

The yellow of the Center enters and communicates with the spleen, opens at the orifice of the mouth, and in the body is the flesh.

The white of the West enters and communicates with the lungs, opens at the orifice of the nose, and in the body is the skin.

The black of the North enters and communicates with the kidneys, opens at the orifice of the ears, and in the body is the bone.

Further: the lungs are the canopy-of-flowers, first among the five viscera. They lie above the heart, opposite the chest, and have six lobes, colored like white silk shot through with red; the lung vessel emerges at Shaoshang 〔on the inner side of the left thumb's tip, some two fen from the nail, in the hollow place〕. The heart lies below the lungs and above the liver, one inch below the point opposite the sternum's tip, colored like white silk shot through with deep crimson; the heart vessel emerges at Zhongchong 〔at the tip of the left middle finger, some two fen from the nail, in the hollow place〕. The liver lies below the heart, a little toward the back, with four lobes on the right and three on the left, colored like white silk shot through with deep blue-purple 〔the liver vessel emerges at Dadun, at the tip of the left big toe, amid the three hairs〕. The spleen lies directly over the region above the navel, close to the front, lying crosswise over the stomach, colored like white silk shot through with yellow; the spleen vessel emerges at Yinbai 〔at the side of the left big toe's tip, the width of a chive-leaf from the corner of the nail〕. The left kidney and the right lie in front, opposite the navel, pressed close against the lower spine, colored like white silk shot through with purple; the left is the true kidney, matched to the five viscera, and the right is the Gate of Life (mingmen) — in men it stores the essence, in women it is bound to the womb; the kidney vessel emerges as the Bubbling Spring 〔in the sole of the left foot, in the hollow place〕.

Whenever one ingests the qi of the Five Sprouts, one should always visualize it entering its own viscera, so that its fluids spread and flow through — following, each in turn, its governing organ, this may circulate through the whole body, and may equally be used to attack and heal illness. Thus one who ingests the Green Sprout visualizes the qi entering the liver, and sees the green qi billowing and dense, the green fluid melting and flowing, clear and distinct; after a long while one sees the qi of the foot's Dadun point following the ingestion and arriving, meeting within the vessels, flowing out to disperse through all the vessels, rising to communicate with what is spontaneously so. For ingesting the other directions in turn, one should likewise do so after the hour of Chou; having bathed, rinsed the mouth, and properly dressed, one enters a separate chamber, burns incense, sits facing that direction, quiets one's thoughts, clarifies the mind, and fixes the visualization to carry out the practice.

2. Treatise on Ingesting Qi

Now, qi is the origin of the embryo, and the root of bodily form. Once the embryo is born, its primal essence has already begun to scatter; once the body stirs into motion, its original substance gradually wears away. Therefore one must take in qi to congeal the essence, and preserve qi to refine the bodily form: when essence is full the spirit is whole, and when the body is at rest life is prolonged. Once the primordial root is made substantial, one may hold fast and endure. Consider the ten thousand things: there has never been a thing that has qi yet lacks form, nor a thing that has form yet lacks qi. Shall the follower of the arts of nurturing life not, then, concentrate the qi and bring the body to suppleness?

The above is the Talisman for Circulating Qi of Great Clarity. If one wishes to ingest qi and abstain from grain, first draw it facing the direction of prosperity and swallow it — one every seven days, stopping after three such weeks, three talismans in all, each time burning the Five Incenses to left and right.

Whenever one wishes to ingest qi, one should always first treat any bodily ailment, so that the visceral organs are opened and free-flowing and the limbs at ease; even without an old ailment, one must still take a medicinal draught to clear away illness, gauging the body's coldness or heat, taking one or two doses of a purging decoction to open and drain the intestines and stomach and remove stagnant accumulation. The formulas for inducing vomiting and purging follow later. Once one has rested and recovered fully, observe a pure fast for a hundred days, keeping one's conduct earnest and clean; in what one eats during this time, gradually remove sour and salty things, and reduce rich flavors. One may take poria and steamed, sun-dried sesame; it is best to abstain from grain in advance. At the beginning of ingesting qi, one likewise must not cut off medicine and food all at once — reduce the medicine day by day, and gradually increase the qi. Once qi and its fluids flow freely and the body's organs are settled, only then may all medicine and food be cut off, though one must still supplement this with pastes that dissolve stagnation and moisten, to assist the process. Do not eat things hard and astringent, coarse and clogging, or cold and slick. In time one will naturally feel the intestines and stomach grow empty, and hunger and thirst will altogether cease. The rhythm of advancing and holding back must be judged by one's own sense; it cannot be fully set out here.

One should choose, in the two seasons of spring and autumn, after the third day and before the eighth day of the month, a single auspicious day to begin. First take the Talisman for Circulating Qi of Great Clarity; reckoning to that day, swallow all three; in a quiet chamber, facing east, it is best to catch the light of early morning. Open a window in the east wall so the sunlight falls directly on where one lies, facing the east side of the room, with nothing else to block it. After the hour of Zi, first undo the hair and comb it several hundred strokes, then let it hang loose down the back 〔this is needed only when first beginning the practice; after long practice it is no longer necessary〕. Burn incense 〔do not use frankincense〕, sit upright facing east, clarify the mind and settle one's thought, click the teeth, and perform the guided stretches 〔their method is given in full in a later chapter〕.

Then, having sat and stilled the breath, lie down with the head toward the west 〔the base scriptures all say the head should face east, but if the face then turns west it becomes exceedingly awkward for visualizing and drawing in the breath, so the head is turned west instead〕. The bed should be thick and warm, its covering suitably so — somewhat on the warm side is best; below the waist and legs, left and right, should be kept warm, and the pillow set low, level with the height of the back, so the head and neck lie straight in line with the body. Loosen the belt and clothing, letting them lie open; the hands should rest three inches from the body, still held in the closed-fist grip; the feet five or six inches apart. Then slowly exhale, and bring the breath into harmony.

Then visualize the qi of the East's first gleam, joined with the sunlight, fusing into cinnabar-red within the flowing brightness; draw this radiance to come before one's face. Then through the nose 〔first pluck the hairs within the nostrils; press the sides of the nose with the pads beneath the two thumbs, moving them up and down a dozen or so times, to make it open and clear〕, lightly draw in the breath, and swallow it 〔after long practice one no longer needs to draw the breath in actively — simply hold the qi in mind and swallow, and it enters of itself; this is the point where it becomes wondrous〕. Swallow three times, and it enters the lungs. Open the lips slightly and slowly breathe out. In drawing in the qi there is a slower way and a swifter; let this follow its own nature in regulating the breath, and never draw it in all at once — pushed to its limit the breath grows coarse, and coarseness leads to harm.

Draw in and swallow three times again; if the breath is long, increase to five or six swallows — seven is even better. Do this until the space within the lungs feels greatly full, and this is the measure; then pause the swallowing and hold the breath, visualizing the qi in the lungs following the two shoulders down into the arms and into the closed fists, then descending into the stomach, reaching the two kidneys, following the thighs down into the centers of the two feet — until one feels a faint stirring between skin and flesh, as though insects were creeping, and this is the measure. When this is done, breathe faintly and rapidly for a short while; once the breath has settled, follow the method to guide and send the qi along, until the hands and feet feel moist, warm, and easy — this is the measure 〔most methods of ingesting qi have one visualize the qi going straight into the belly without first sending it to the four limbs, which is why the limbs are left cold while the five viscera grow congested〕. For this reason one must always go first to the four limbs, and only then to the belly, so that the qi flows and spreads of itself.

After this there is no further need to hold the visualization in the lungs; simply draw the qi directly into the large and small intestines, until there is a rumbling and turning, flowing freely down past the navel, and this is the measure — continue until the intestines are full, and stop. Then raise both knees, close the fists tight, hold the breath, and drum the belly nine times; in the course of this drumming, still hold in mind the qi dispersing through the whole body. Hold the breath nearly to its limit, then release it slowly — take care not to prolong this. If the breath grows urgent, draw it in a little and release it together; when the belly feels spacious, this one extreme is reached and one should stop; if the belly still feels full and tight, simply hold the breath and drum it again. When this is done, stretch out the legs, rub the face with the hands, rub down from chest to heart several tens of times, rub the belly around the navel a dozen or so times, extend the toes upward and arch backward a few times; then release the hands, let the body go slack, forget the mind and let go of the body. After a good while, once the breath and joints have settled into balance, then rise. If there is sweat, use powder to wipe the head, face, neck, and nape. Sit level, gently move the joints, and once the body feels at ease as usual, one may rise and move about. Within all this, one adjusts according to the moment, in ways too various to set out in full — one should skillfully adapt it by one's own judgment.

Again — why must the ingested qi always be made to pause first in the lungs, then enter the stomach, and reach as far as the kidneys? The lungs store qi; they are its root, and all qi belongs to them. The lungs communicate with qi, and moreover are chief among the viscera, the canopy-of-flowers over all the organs, the wellspring of the breath in and out, the Official of Transmission from whom regulation issues. The po-gate, further, is the messenger of the five viscera and the master of the other four; it communicates with the twelve channels, circling and beginning anew, and so serves as their messenger. Therefore the qi is made to pause in the lungs before it is set flowing.

The stomach is the sea of the five viscera and six bowels; water and grain all enter it, and it is the great sovereign of the six bowels. The five viscera and six bowels all receive from it; the five flavors enter the stomach and each goes to its own household, to nourish the five qi. Thus the qi of the five viscera and six bowels all issues from the stomach, and is manifested in its transformations at the pulse of the wrist. The kidneys are the wellspring of the qi of life, the root of the five viscera and six bowels, the root of the twelve channels; the left is the true kidney, the right the Gate of Life. Therefore the qi is made to reach the kidneys, to add to their essence and fluid.

Heaven feeds a person with the five qi; Earth feeds a person with the five flavors. The five qi enter through the nose and are stored in the heart and lungs; the five flavors enter through the mouth and are stored in the intestines and stomach. Once the flavors are stored, they harmonize with the five qi to give rise to fluid and saliva; qi and fluid stir one another, and spirit is thereby born of itself 〔as for the five flavors — are they only the five flavors of grain? Within the qi itself there is already flavor; and if one further adds medicine to this, the five flavors of medicine surpass those of grain by far〕. Though this speaks only of the lungs and kidneys, their qi likewise flows naturally through all the viscera. Hence it is said: on the outbreath, the heart and lungs are engaged; on the inbreath, the kidneys and liver; and in the space between breathing out and in, the spleen receives its flavor. The principle of the breath in and out is the very essence of spirit and qi. Thus the Most High once asked: "Within what span does a person's life lie?" One answered: "Within the space of a single breath." The Most High said: "Excellent! This may be called knowing the Way."

In ingesting qi, one should always choose the time after the hour of Zi and before the hour of Wu. From the cock's crow to dawn is Heaven's yin, the yang within yin; from dawn to midday is Heaven's yang, the yang within yang; from midday to dusk is Heaven's yang, now governed by yin; from dusk to the cock's crow is Heaven's yin, the yin within yin. And it is the same for the human being. Further: in spring, qi moves through the channels and network-vessels; in summer, through the muscles and flesh; in autumn, through the skin; in winter, through the bones and marrow. Further: in the first and second months, Heaven's qi begins to spread and Earth's qi begins to stir, and a person's qi lies in the liver; in the third and fourth, Heaven's qi spreads fully and Earth's qi stirs fully, and the qi lies in the spleen; in the fifth and sixth, Heaven's qi is at its height and Earth's qi rises high, and the qi lies in the head; in the seventh and eighth, yin qi begins its killing frost, and the qi lies in the lungs; in the ninth and tenth, yin qi turns to ice and Earth's qi begins to close, and the qi lies in the heart; in the eleventh and twelfth, the ice returns and Earth's qi closes fast, and the qi lies in the kidneys. At each such seasonal month, one should follow the place where the qi is moving, and hold this too in visualization.

In ingesting qi, one should always choose a time when the sky is bright and clear — this is best. In times of continual wind and rain, or of darkness and fog, one must never draw in the outer qi; instead, enter a sealed chamber, and, doors and windows closed, ingest the inner qi, supplementing this with the various medicines.

For one who ingests qi and abstains from grain: in the first ten days, the essence-qi is weak and faint, and the complexion withers to a sallow yellow. In the second ten days, movement grows dizzy and dim, the joints ache with a hollow discomfort, the stool is difficult, the urine reddish-yellow, and at times there is diarrhea, firm at first and then loose. In the third ten days, the body grows thin and wasted, heavy and hard to move 〔these signs of weakness up to this point come from beginning the practice of qi alone, without other aid; taking the various medicines together with it, one need not come to this〕. In the fourth ten days, the complexion gradually brightens, and the heart alone is at ease. In the fifth, the five viscera are harmonized, and essence-qi nourishes from within. In the sixth, the body returns to its former state, and the joints move smoothly. In the seventh, the heart comes to dislike noise, and the will longs to soar aloft. In the eighth, one is calm and still, and gains clear faith in the arts. In the ninth, one's bloom grows moist and radiant, and the voice rings full and clear. In the tenth — the hundredth day — the true qi has fully arrived, and its effect is at its most flourishing. Cultivated without ceasing, one's years are prolonged. After three years, scars and blemishes vanish, and the countenance shines with light. After six years, the marrow is filled, and the intestines are transformed into [...] — one can foreknow life and death. Passing nine years, one commands ghosts and spirits at will, jade maidens attend at one's side, the brain grows solid and the ribs harden, and one can no longer be injured — this is called being a Perfected Person.

Chants of the Five Numinous Heart-Elixirs 〔practiced for fifteen days, the heart grows clear and penetrating; after five years, body and heart should both be wholly penetrated〕:

Chant of Long Life, the East: One qi harmonizes with Great Harmony; attaining the One, the Way is wholly great. Once harmony is, nothing is not in harmony; the mystic principle is one with the mystic bound. Recite this ninety times. When the qi is unsettled, hold it in mind and recite, and it will settle.

Chant of No Hunger, the South: Do not use intention to think about intention; at root, seek thoughtlessness itself. Having intention, yet not using thought — this is the method, and thus it is held. Recite this thirty times. When hungry, hold it in mind and recite, and one grows full.

Chant of No Heat, the Center: All the qi that is taken in binds the qi; it is not that all lasting stillness binds it. The qi returns to its own root qi; as it is drawn in, so it should be released. Recite this one hundred and twenty times. When hot, hold it in mind and recite, and one grows cool.

Chant of No Cold, the West: Cultivate and order the will, and depart from the will; accumulated cultivation does not tally with departure. Having will, yet not cultivating the will — one's own work has no self to know it. Recite this seventy times. When cold, hold it in mind and recite, and one grows warm.

Chant of No Thirst, the North: Do not let the heart-mind dwell upon the heart-mind; yet do not, either, abide in cutting off all connection. Hold the mind, yet do not hold to the thought of mind; being real, one guards the real abyss. Recite this fifty times. When thirsty, hold it in mind and recite, and thirst departs.

As for which chant governs cold, heat, and the rest, the base text is as given above; yet set against the correspondences of the five viscera there is some discrepancy — only "for thirst, recite the Chant of the North" agrees. By an alternative reckoning: when the hun-soul is unsettled, recite the Chant of the East; for cold, the Chant of the West; for hunger, the Chant of the South; for thirst, the Chant of the North; for heat, the Chant of the Center. One may equally carry this out organ by organ, adjusting the sense as fits. In reciting, early or late does not matter, though it is best done before the hours of Zi and Wu. Once the five directions' counts are finished, recite the Hymn to the Great Dao once through:

The Great Dao is without form; through things it takes on name.
Heaven and Earth, the ten thousand kinds — the flowering qi brings them to completion.
Once they receive their new substance, only the human embraces numinous power;
through the Five Phases and Three Powers, autumn brings death and spring brings life.

The precious gatha of four nines, beyond its recitation, guards the essence;
cultivating and honoring the Great Harmony, it neither lacks nor overflows.
Chewed, it has no flavor; scented, it has no fragrance;
examined, it has no color; harmonized, it has no sound.

Sitting or lying, it has no place; walking or going, it has no set course;
it roves through the Great Void, settling clear within the Yellow Court.
Moving, it does not depart; abiding, it does not rest;
without scheming, without doing, without seeing, without hearing.

It is not gathering, not scattering; not parting, not joining;
not vast, not minute; not heavy, not light.
Not yellow, not white; not red, not green —
the Dao, lofty as the Yellow Emperor and Laozi, makes bright and clear its nature.

This essential chant of the Most High is sealed fast within the Golden City;
if you, my child, have heard it, your allotted years are joined to the true stars.

Since these Chants of the Five Numina can open through the qi of all five viscera, one should generally recite through all of them at each sitting, still visualizing each organ's own place in turn; only where the text names suffering, cold, heat, hunger, or thirst should one then recite that one chant alone. Sit facing the relevant direction, close the eyes and clarify the spirit, close the mouth and recite silently in the heart, while still moving the tongue within the mouth so that fluid and saliva are produced; then lightly draw in the qi, swallow it, and let it enter its own organ. Practiced by itself, this method should be expected to bring one to a state of real emptiness and depletion; joined with talisman water and the taste of medicines, it will not bring one to weakness and collapse.

Method of Ingesting the Six Wu Qi: At dawn, begin from the Jiazi cycle; face the direction of Chen, stir the tongue against the upper and lower teeth to gather fluid and saliva, circling three times to each swallow, then stop. Next face Yin, next Zi, next Xu, next Shen, next Wu. There is also this method: beginning on the day Jiazi, for the whole ten-day span, always face Wuchen and swallow the qi; on the day Jiaxu, face Wuyin instead; the remaining ten-day spans follow in the same way. This method of the Six Wu is likewise the teaching of a single school — it is because the qi of Wu enters the spleen, the root of the granary, that this is done. It truly staves off hunger, but does not match the other methods for benefiting the whole body.

Method of the Three-Five-Seven-Nine Qi: Slowly, through the nose, lightly draw in the qi, three times over, then through the mouth expel the dead qi once; with long practice this becomes simply "the three qi." Next draw in five times, expel once through the mouth; with long practice, "the five qi." Next draw in seven times, expel once; "the seven qi." Next draw in nine times, expel once; "the nine qi." Combining three, five, seven, and nine, draw in through the nose twenty-four times, and expel the dead qi once through the mouth; with long practice this becomes "the twenty-four qi." As for swallowing in reverse and answering it: proceed from the count of nine down to three, then draw in and swallow again in forward order, so that one may reach eighty-one swallowings, with a single exhalation to mark the measure. In this method, taking in much and expelling little is the excellent way; if this limit is not set, and the count simply grows larger, it becomes no more than an ordinary matter of counting. The "dead qi" is the resting, dying qi of the four seasons and Five Phases; hold it in mind, and expel it. For the rest of the rhythm, follow the ordinary method.

Method of Nourishing the Qi of the Five Viscera by the Five Phases: In spring, on a day of the six Bing, at the hour that reaches Si, take in qi one hundred and twenty times, directing it to the heart, so the heart overcomes the lungs and the lungs are not allowed to harm the liver — this nourishes the liver's qi. In summer, on a day of the six Wu, at the hour reaching Wei, take in qi one hundred and twenty times to assist the spleen, so the spleen overcomes the kidneys and the kidneys do not harm the heart. In late summer, on a day of the six Geng, at the hour reaching Shen, take in qi one hundred and twenty times to assist the lungs, so the lungs overcome the liver and the liver does not harm the spleen. In autumn, on a day of the six Ren, at the hour reaching Hai, take in qi one hundred and twenty times to assist the kidneys, so the kidneys overcome the heart and the heart does not harm the lungs. In winter, on a day of the six Jia, at the hour reaching Yin, take in qi one hundred and twenty times to assist the liver, so the liver overcomes the spleen and the spleen does not harm the kidneys.

The above is the essential point of ingesting qi by the Five Phases; each appointed time occurs nine times, one thousand and eighty in all — the qi ingested to nourish each organ in turn, circling and beginning anew, never allowed to overcome one another out of turn. Give this careful, single-minded attention. 〔This method is the teaching of a single school; its matters concerning the five viscera are given fully in the Treatise on the Five Sprouts.〕

3. Treatise on Guided Stretching

Now, the limbs and joints depend, at root, on movement and use; the channels and the nutritive and defensive qi truly govern themselves through being opened and made to flow. Since one now dwells at leisure, without the labor of daily toil, one must rely on guided stretching (daoyin) to bring about harmony and free movement — the saying that a door-hinge in constant use never rots holds good here. A person's blood, qi, essence, and spirit sustain life and complete one's nature and allotted span; the channels are what move the blood and qi. Thus the nutritive qi opens the flow of fluid and blood, strengthens the sinews and bones, and benefits the joints and openings; the defensive qi warms the muscles and flesh, fills out the skin, plumps the interstitial spaces, and governs their opening and closing. Further: the floating qi that courses along the channels is the defensive qi; the essential qi that moves along the channels is the nutritive qi. Yin and yang follow one another, inner and outer thread through each other, like a ring without end.

Further: the head is the mansion of clear essence; the back is the mansion of the chest; the waist is the mansion of the kidneys; the knee is the mansion of the [sinews]; the marrow is the mansion of the bones. Further: all the bones belong to the eyes, all the marrow belongs to the brain, all the [sinews] belong to the joints, all the blood belongs to the heart, and all the qi belongs to the lungs. This is the constant round, morning and evening, of the four limbs and the eight rings.

From this one knows that the harm of the Five Forms of Overstrain comes from how one moves or rests, while the guiding exercises of the Five Animals shake and move the joints. The human bodily form is linked, upper to lower, each part to the next; and the wellspring and flow of qi rise and fall each in its own order. I have of late seen many texts on guided stretching, most lacking any proper order; what is set down here as method truly has a guiding purpose. Where the five parts of the body are level and harmonious, follow the ordinary count; where one place suffers a particular ailment, increase the count there and apply more force.

For guided stretching in general, practice after the hour of Chou and before the hour of Mao, on a day when the sky's qi is clear and mild. First undo the hair, and comb it loose all around, up to the crown, three hundred and sixty-five strokes; let it hang loose down the back, or gather it loosely into a knot. Burn incense, face east, sit level with the fists closed, close the eyes and visualize the spirits, click the teeth three hundred and sixty times; then let the body go slack and settle the breath, and proceed in order as follows.

First hold the breath. Cross the fingers of both hands, turn the palms outward and forward, and fully extend the arms, bracing them outward for a good while. Then raise the hands, palms turned upward, arms fully extended; lower the left hand and forcefully raise the right elbow, so the left elbow and arm press against the back of the neck while the left hand pulls forcefully downward; lean to the left, opening the right armpit and straining the flank — then do the same lowering the right and raising the left. Then lower the hands to hook behind the neck, raise both elbows, arch the chest, and tilt the head back, letting head and hands contend with force, front against back. Lower the hands to hook behind the neck again, swing the elbows and twist the body left and right; then release the hands onto the knees, gently exhale, and let the breath pass through. Begin again from the start, and do this three times over, and so on.

4. Treatise on Talisman Water

Now, talismanic script is cloud-seal writing, bright and patterned — the written character of the spirits and numina. Such writing has that which it images forth, and so spirit-qi resides within it, and the characters become manifest. It has, too, that which it generates, and so it is applied together with cinnabar ink. Now, water is the fluid of qi, the moisture of hidden yang; there is nothing possessed of form that does not depend upon it. Thus water is the mother of qi — when water is pure, qi is clear; and qi is the root of bodily form — when qi is harmonious, the body is at peace. Though the nutritive and defensive qi of the body have their own inner fluids, the visceral organs of the belly likewise borrow moisture from without. Talisman water can thus open through the intestines and stomach, adding to fluid and qi, and can equally carry the numinous power of the talisman and aid the art of incantation. I have therefore now compiled the various methods of talisman water, to have them ready for use; one may follow and practice them accordingly. The talismans themselves are given in the base scripture.

5. Treatise on Taking Medicines

Now, the five viscera communicate with the nutritive and defensive qi; the six bowels depend on the flavor of water and grain. Since one now ingests qi, the viscera's qi runs to surplus; and since one has cut off grain, the flavor that nourishes the bowels falls short. The Basic Questions says: "If grain does not enter for half a day, the qi declines; for a whole day, the qi grows scant." One must therefore use the various medicines to stand in for grain, so that qi and flavor together reach the viscera and bowels and keep them whole.

Clear yang forms Heaven; turbid yin forms Earth. Clear yang issues from the upper openings; turbid yin issues from the lower. Clear yang emerges at the interstitial spaces; turbid yin runs to the five viscera. Clear yang fills the four limbs; turbid yin fills the six bowels. Clear yang is qi; turbid yin is flavor. Flavor returns to bodily form; bodily form returns to qi; qi returns to essence. Essence feeds on qi; bodily form feeds on flavor. Qi is yang; flavor is yin. When yin prevails, yang falls ill; when yang prevails, yin falls ill. Harmonize the qi to open it through; use flavor to fill it out. Opened through, one does not grow weary; filled out, one does not grow frail.

Now, using medicines of plant and herb, suited by their nature and flavor to the viscera and bowels, one may make the Pill for Settling the Viscera and the Paste for Regulating Qi. For one with no prior illness, whose viscera and bowels are level and harmonious, this pill and paste may be taken regularly, together with such preparations as poria and sesame; where illness is present in the viscera, increase or reduce what is suitable and take accordingly. Where there is already a chronic, deep-set illness, or some other ailment contracted apart from this, one should seek separate medical treatment — such things are not what this regimen can cure. As for the formulas of the Shangqing tradition, each follows its own base scripture; those who have received them should of course follow and take them.

Formula for the Pill that Settles and Harmonizes the Viscera and Bowels:

Poria, cinnamon heartwood, licorice 〔roasted; one liang each of the above〕; ginseng, arborvitae seed, Chinese yam, ophiopogon tuber 〔pit removed; two liang each of the above〕; asparagus root 〔four liang〕.

Pound and sift the above to powder, mix with white honey, and form into pills the size of parasol-tree seeds. Take thirty pills at a time, twice a day, washed down with a medicinal drink; pine needles, wolfberry, and the like may be used to make the drink.

Formula for the Paste that Nourishes and Moistens Qi and Fluid:

Asparagus-root decoction 〔five sheng〕, Solomon's-seal decoction 〔five sheng〕, rehmannia decoction 〔five sheng〕, atractylodes decoction 〔five sheng — the above four decocted separately, then combined〕; poria 〔two liang〕, cinnamon heartwood 〔two liang〕, Chinese yam 〔five liang〕, alisma 〔five liang〕, licorice 〔three liang, roasted〕.

Pound the above together, sift through fine silk gauze until very fine, and stir into the combined decoctions; add three sheng of cooked sesame and apricot-kernel powder and two sheng of white honey. Stir until thick, and cook in a double boiler, stirring without ever letting the hand rest, until it is like a paste, well blended and firm. Once cooled and set, pound it several thousand strokes, and store it sealed in a tightly closed vessel. Take out a little at a time: each morning, a portion the size of a plum pit, held in the mouth to dissolve and swallowed — two or three times a day. This medicine should be compounded in the eighth or ninth month and taken through to the third month following; if boiled once more in the second or third month, to make it thick and firm, it will pass through the summer without spoiling.

6. Treatise on Care and Prohibitions

Now, as for the principle of qi: it is hard to make firm by taking it in, yet easy to exhaust by breathing it out. Hard to make firm, it must be preserved to keep it whole; easy to exhaust, it must be cherished so as not to let it leak away. The Perfected said: "Study the Way always as one thinks of the morning meal, and none who does so fails to attain it; cherish qi always as one cherishes one's own face, and none who does so fails to keep it whole." It is also said: "Could one cherish qi always as the body's most urgent concern, I would seldom see withering and decay." In company, speech, and laughter, one must strive to be sparing; in exertion and calling out, one must take special care to be slow and measured. Extend this care to every kind of activity, and only then may harm be avoided.

Now, as for human nature: it forms one body with Heaven and Earth, and mingles its qi with yin and yang. Skin, bone, and body; viscera and bowels; the nutritive and defensive qi; the advance and retreat of the breath; the shifting of cold and heat — in none of these does it fail to correspond to the Two Principles, and to answer to the Five Phases. From this one knows: when Heaven and Earth fall into stagnation, yin and yang fall into disorder; when the viscera and bowels are ungoverned, the signs read at the channels turn to illness. What strikes from without, the hundred illnesses rise from wind; what is brought about from within, the hundred illnesses are born of qi. Hence it is said: "Be tranquil, indifferent, empty, and still, and the true qi dwells within; let essence and spirit be kept guarded — from where, then, would illness come?" How true these words are! One must therefore know the nature of bodily form and spirit, and keep it whole; distinguish illness from within and from without, and meet it with caution.

The Basic Questions says: "Heaven has its zodiacal degrees, Earth its flowing rivers, the human being its channel-vessels. When Heaven and Earth are in harmony, the rivers lie calm; when cold, they freeze; when hot, they boil and overflow; when sudden violent winds arise, they surge into waves and swell into mounds — and it is thus that vacuous pathogens find their way in as guests, just as rivers are stirred by wind. When the sky is warm and the sun bright, a person's blood grows moist and flowing, and the defensive qi rises; when the sky is cold and the day overcast, the blood congeals and the defensive qi sinks. Blood and qi delight in warmth and are averse to cold: in cold they freeze and cannot flow, in warmth they move freely. When the vast sky's qi is clear and still, the will is well governed; following this, the yang qi is made firm, and thieving pathogens find no room — this is what according with the season engenders. When the moon first grows, blood and qi first grow refined and the defensive qi begins to move; when the moon is full, blood and qi grow replete and the flesh grows firm; when the moon is dark, the flesh diminishes, the channels grow vacant, the defensive qi withdraws, and the body dwells alone. Thus one regulates blood and qi according to Heaven's timing. If, at such a time, one is struck by a vacuous pathogen, the body's own vacuity meets Heaven's, the two resonate together, and the harm rises to the very bone — entering, it wounds the five viscera. Hence it is said: Heaven's prohibitions must not go unknown. The Eight Correct are what one uses to watch for the eight winds' vacuous pathogens arriving in season; their vacuous pathogens should be avoided as one avoids an arrow in flight — take care never to run afoul of them. Suppose, on the day of the winter solstice, wind comes from the south: this becomes a thief that injures — meaning that wind arriving from a direction seasonally vacuous is what can make a person ill. The other solar nodes follow the same pattern. As for the yang qi: in a single day it governs the outer body. At dawn the human qi is born; at midday the yang qi is at its height; as the sun sets, the yang qi grows vacant and the qi-gates close. Therefore, in the evening, gather in and bar the gates — do not disturb the [sinews] and bones, and do not expose oneself to mist and dew. Go against these three periods of the day, and the body grows harried and depleted."

Prolonged looking harms the blood; prolonged lying harms the qi; prolonged standing harms the bones; prolonged walking harms the [sinews]; prolonged sitting harms the flesh — these are the harms of the Five Forms of Overstrain. Sorrow and excessive thought harm the heart; bodily cold and cold drink harm the lungs; rage, with qi rebelling upward and not descending, harms the liver; irregular eating and fatigue harm the spleen; long sitting on damp ground, or forcing the body into water, harms the kidneys.

A person has five qi: joy, anger, worry, grief, and fear. In anger, qi rises; in joy, it relaxes; in grief, it is consumed; in fear, it descends; in cold, it gathers; in heat, it leaks away; in worry, it falls into disorder; in exertion, it is spent; in excessive thought, it knots. When joy and anger are not moderated, and cold and heat exceed their bounds, the qi then fails to stay secure. As for where the five flavors enter: bitter enters the heart, pungent enters the lungs, sour enters the liver, sweet enters the spleen, salty enters the kidneys. The generation of yin is rooted in the five flavors. Thus, when flavor runs to excess in sourness, the liver's qi overflows and the lung's qi is cut off; in excess saltiness, the bone's qi grows wearied, the flesh shortens, and the qi breaks; in excess bitterness, the heart's qi pants and feels full, the complexion turns black, and the kidney's qi loses its guard; in excess sweetness, the spleen's qi grows waterlogged, though the bone's qi thereby thickens; in excess pungency, the [sinews] and vessels grow slack, and essence and spirit are exhausted. Therefore, carefully harmonize the five flavors, and the bones grow straight and the [sinews] supple, the qi and blood flow freely, and the interstitial spaces grow close-set; in this way the qi and bones are refined. Hold carefully to the Way as its method prescribes, and long life is granted.

Eat too much salt, and the vessels congeal and the complexion changes; too much bitterness, and the skin dries and the body-hair falls out; too much pungency, and the [sinews] tighten and the nails wither; too much sourness, and the flesh grows calloused and [wrinkled] and the lips curl back; too much sweetness, and the bones ache and the hair falls out. These are the harms of the five flavors. This concerns the five flavors of food and drink; but the nature of medicines likewise has five flavors, and in taking pills and powders one must take special care over this. One who ingests qi should not eat pungent things — why so? Pungent runs to the qi, and when the qi is ill, one should not eat pungent things.

7. Treatise on the Five Viscera

Now, when life takes on bodily form, it must draw upon the five viscera; the body may sometimes fail in part, but the viscera can never be lacking. When spirit takes on its nature, it must receive this from the five viscera; the nature may vary, but the qi can never be deficient. Thus Heaven has its Five Planets, whose advance and retreat form its warp and weft; Earth has its Five Sacred Peaks, which in stillness anchor their quarters; qi has its Five Phases, whose mingled transformation broadens the mold of all things; and the human being has the five viscera, wherein life and nourishment lodge essence and spirit. Thus the heart stores the spirit, the lungs store the qi, the liver stores the blood, the spleen stores the flesh, and the kidneys store the will; the will communicates within, joining to the bones and body, and so the bodily form is completed.

Further: the heart is the root of life, the dwelling of spirit; the lungs are the root of qi, the dwelling of the po-soul; the liver is the root of endurance under strain, the dwelling of the hun-soul; the spleen is the root of the granary, the dwelling of the nutritive qi; the kidneys are the root of storing and sealing, the dwelling of essence. As for the working of the nine orifices, the movement of the four limbs, the firmness of bone and flesh, the free flow of the channels — none of these fail to draw their source from the five viscera, branching out through all the hundred parts of the body; according with cold and heat, one prolongs harmony, and guarding essence and qi, one enjoys long life. And the heart is sovereign of all the viscera: when the sovereign is enlightened, its workings are open and free. For one who possesses a heart, how can one fail to awaken to the principle of its spirit?

The viscera have their vital points, which must not go unexamined. The liver arises on the left, the lungs on the right; the heart is stationed at the surface, the kidneys positioned within; the spleen serves as their messenger, the stomach as their marketplace. The heart produces sweat; the lungs, mucus; the liver, tears; the spleen, drool; the kidneys, spittle — these are the Five Fluids. The heart produces sighing; the lungs, coughing; the liver, speech; the spleen, laughter; the kidneys, sneezing. The qi of Heaven communicates with the lungs; the qi of Earth, with the liver; the qi of thunder, with the heart; the qi of the valley, with the spleen; the qi of rain, with the kidneys.

Each of the five viscera has that with which it is paired: the heart is paired with the vessels, and its bloom shows in the complexion; the lungs are paired with the skin, and their bloom shows in the body-hair; the liver is paired with the sinews, and its bloom shows in the nails; the spleen is paired with the flesh, and its bloom shows in the lips; the kidneys are paired with the bones, and their bloom shows in the hair of the head. Each of the five viscera has its bowel; the viscera are yang, the bowels yin. The five viscera store essence and spirit without letting them leak away, and so may be full but cannot be replete; the six bowels receive water and grain without retaining them, and so may be replete but cannot be full. Thus the small intestine is the bowel of the heart, the large intestine of the lungs, the gallbladder of the liver, the stomach of the spleen, and the bladder of the kidneys. The six bowels each have their correspondence: for the small intestine, the vessels; for the large intestine, the skin; for the gallbladder, the sinews; for the stomach, the flesh; for the Triple Burner and the bladder, the interstitial spaces and fine body-hair.

As for how the twelve organs serve one another in office: the heart is the office of sovereign lord, from which shining spirit issues; the lungs, the office of minister-transmitter, from which regulation issues; the liver, the office of general, from which strategy issues; the gallbladder, the office of the loyal and upright, from which decision issues; the pericardium, the office of minister-envoy, from which joy issues; the chest is the gateway of the Upper Burner. The spleen and stomach are the office of the granary, from which the five flavors issue; the large intestine, the office of transmission, from which transformation issues; the small intestine, the office of reception, from which the transformation of things issues; the kidneys, the office of vigorous action, from which skill issues; the Triple Burner, the office that opens the channels, from which the waterways issue; the bladder, the office of provinces and districts, where fluid is stored, and which, once qi transforms it, is able to send it out. In all, these twelve offices must never lose their proper relation to one another. Therefore, when the sovereign is enlightened, all below is at peace; nurturing life by this means, one lives long, and to the end of one's days is free of danger. When the sovereign is benighted, the twelve offices fall into danger, the paths of communication are blocked, and the body is gravely harmed; nurturing life by this means brings danger.

8. Treatise on Curing Illness by Ingesting Qi

Now, as an accomplishment, qi is vast indeed, and wondrous indeed. When Heaven's qi descends, cold and heat undergo the changes of the four seasons; when Earth's qi rises, wind and cloud take on the differences of the eight directions. That which joins the Two Principles into a single body gathers bodily form and qi together within the human being. If one is able to hold this in visualization as one's own household, the spirits and numina stand present in awe-inspiring array; applied to healing prohibitions, its effect becomes manifest. How much more so when, using my own mind, I direct my own qi, apply it to my own body, and attack my own illness — where, then, would it not heal? Once one has practiced this while dwelling at leisure, it becomes easy to hold in visualization, so that whenever illness or pain arises, one may follow the method and heal it.

Whenever one wishes to heal an illness, one may do so after sunrise, when the sky's qi is mild and still: face the sun — if indoors, still face toward it — and hold this in visualization. Sit level, close the eyes, grip the fists closed, click the teeth nine times, visualize the sun's red glow and violet rays, then draw a long breath and swallow it, visualizing it entering the afflicted viscera or bowel. If the illness lies not in the viscera or bowels but, as it is called, in the limbs, sinews, or bones, one should likewise first visualize the qi entering the organ that governs that part. Hold the breath to its limit, then draw in again; once nine swallowings in all are reached, and qi is felt present within that organ, visualize it attacking the place of suffering. Hold the breath to its limit, then gently exhale; once the breath has settled somewhat, swallow and attack again — feeling the afflicted place grow warm and break into sweat is the sign of success.

If the illness lies in the four limbs, where guided stretching may be applied, first stretch that place, and only afterward attack it with qi; even elsewhere on the body, one should likewise press and hold it in mind, to make the qi pass through. If it lies within the head, let the hair hang loose, comb the scalp several hundred strokes, shake the head left and right several dozen times, then draw in the breath. Then grip firmly at the back of the neck with the fingers of both hands, forcing the head upward against them, still visualizing the qi rising into the brain and bursting out through all the pores at the crown; once this one extreme is reached, release the hands and let the breath pass freely, and do this again, until the head and neck break into sweat and the painful place feels open and easy — this is the sign. If the illness lies in the viscera or bowels, lie face up and draw in the breath, visualizing it entering that place; once five or six swallowings are reached, hold the breath once and attack. In every case, gauge the illness by one's own sense. As for long-standing chronic illness, or hard lumps and fixed accumulations, these are not something qi alone can cure — yet even so, one will in time feel the accumulation grow looser and more settled. There is no harm in treating with medicine at the same time; indeed it makes the medicine's own nature take effect the more readily.

Though one uses qi to attack illness, dispersing it out through the skin and interstitial spaces at the afflicted place, it is nonetheless best to rely as well on the Diagram of the Bright Hall (Mingtang tu), taking the point suited to what is treated, and drawing the qi there in coordination. Once the point is known, one should, according to the twelve months, use each its own pitch-pipe, press it firmly on the point, and observe as one draws the qi out — so that the mind's visualization has its proper focus, and the movement of qi its precise aim.

Huangzhong ("Yellow Bell") is the pitch of the eleventh month; its pipe is nine cun long, hollow within, nine fen around — all the pipes share this same circumference. Dalü ("Great Regulator"), twelfth month, eight cun. Taicu ("Great Budding"), first month, a little over seven cun. Jiazhong ("Clasped Bell"), second month, a little over seven cun. Guxian ("Old Purification"), third month, a little over seven cun. Zhonglü ("Middle Regulator"), fourth month, a little over six cun. Ruibin ("Flourishing Guest"), fifth month, a little over six cun. Linzhong ("Forest Bell"), sixth month, a little over six cun. Yize ("Balanced Rule"), seventh month, a little over five cun. Nanlü ("Southern Regulator"), eighth month, a little over five cun. Wuyi ("Boundless"), ninth month, a little over four cun. Yingzhong ("Responding Bell"), tenth month, a little over four cun. All are cut from bamboo grown on a mountain's sunny slope, round in the bore; a joint that has put out a side-branch cannot be used.

Where the hand or arm cannot grip and pull as above, the same method may still be used for any place of illness in the hand or arm. First, with one hand, slowly press and rub the afflicted place; when this has gone on for a good while, close the eyes and look within, seeing the five viscera, swallow the fluid three times, click the teeth three times, settle the mind, and softly recite:

Most High of the Four Mysteries, Five Blossoms and Six Courts, three hun-souls and seven po-souls, Heaven's Pivot and Earth's Essence — numinous talisman of the nutritive and defensive, Heaven's embryo, brightness on high; the hundred spirits of the four limbs, the ten thousand numina of the nine joints. Receiving the register of Jade Dawn, the writ engraved in the Jade City, jade maidens attending my body, jade lads guarding my life — forever level with the Two Lights, flying transcendent to Highest Clarity, long joined with sun and moon, my years to outlast even their decline. Soaring and rising to become immortal, may I attain and set right the Great Peace. As for wandering winds that bind into sickness, infusing ghosts that fly in the five directions, goblins and grave-litigants, the two vapors that hover and linger — encroaching on my four limbs, meddling with my rise and decline — may the Celestial Conscripts of Mount Tai, Dragon and Tiger blazing in majesty, behead the ghosts of ill omen and crush at once all fierce and evil things; may examined and recorded hidden wrongs and the hundred hidden poisons be resolved, restoring me to my normal state, sharing radiance with sun and moon. Should any examined and recorded offense be found, may the Northern Culmen gather and crush it; should any dare to test or trespass, may the might on high shine forth and make it known.

Always at a time of living qi, swallow the fluid fourteen times, press the painful place on the body, and, facing the direction of prosperity, recite: Mystery on the left, mystery on the right, the two spirits joined in the real; yellow on the left, yellow on the right, the six blossoms matched as one. Wind-borne qi and vicious illness, lie hidden in the four directions; jade fluid flows and moistens, opening freely above and below. Within, dispel water and fire; without, ward off all that is inauspicious; long life and flight to transcendence, the body ever at rest and strong. When this is done, again swallow the fluid fourteen times, and press firmly on the painful place thirty-one times more. Do this constantly, and illness will not come.

9. Treatise on the Signs of Illness

Now, life as a span of years depends upon bodily form and spirit; the harmony of qi is rooted in the viscera and bowels. When form and spirit are steady and well-nourished, life is kept whole and one enjoys long years; when the viscera and bowels are clear and at rest, qi is at peace and there is no illness. And yet, at the very start, when essence is received and the embryo formed, each case differs by the season; and in the root from which form is born and nature established, one is rarely furnished complete with the measure of the Five Constants. Thus agitation takes many forms, and craving compounds and knots together; sometimes illness accumulates from the very start of life, sometimes it is brought on in the time one drives and labors the body. Joy, anger, worry, and grief bring illness from within; cold, heat, drink, and food bring sickness from without.

In the years of strength, one knows only to transgress against the body's needs; in the years of decline, one further strays from proper nurture. Yin and yang alternately rise, bodily form and qi run counter to each other, and once the various ailments have arisen, what follows takes many forms. How much more so for one who ingests qi: grain has already been cut off, the body gradually grows thin, essence and qi are not yet whole, and spirit and hun-soul do not move freely — sometimes an old ailment is thereby set stirring again, sometimes a new sign is brought on by a vacuous pathogen. One must know its cause, and take care in how it is treated. I have therefore now roughly set out the signs by which illness may be told, to stand in place of consulting a physician; as for the technique of attacking illness with qi, may it serve, together with this, in place of medicine.

As for the patterns of vacuity and repletion — how do they arise? From qi and blood clashing together, yin and yang tipping against one another: qi falls into disorder at the defensive level, blood flows within the channels, and the two part from their proper places, one becoming repletion, the other vacuity. When blood clashes into yin and qi into yang, this brings fright and mania; when blood clashes into yang and qi into yin, this becomes a heat-affliction within; when blood clashes upward and qi downward, one is vexed and prone to anger; when blood clashes downward and qi upward, one is confused and prone to forgetting. When yang is vacuous there is cold without; when yin is vacuous, heat within; when yang is exuberant, cold within; when yin is exuberant, heat without.

The paths of the five viscera all issue from the channels, along which blood and qi move; when blood and qi are not in harmony, the hundred illnesses arise through their transformation. When qi is in excess, the belly swells and diarrhea is obstructed, without cold-reversal of the limbs. Heaven's pathogenic qi, when contracted, harms the five viscera; the coldness or warmth of water and grain, when contracted, harms the six bowels; Earth's damp qi, when contracted, harms the skin, flesh, sinews, and vessels.

Further: the arising of pathogenic influence is sometimes from yin, sometimes from yang. What arises from yang is contracted from wind, rain, cold, and heat; what arises from yin, from food and drink, dwelling and place, and excess of joy and anger. Yang is Heaven's qi, and governs the outer body; yin is Earth's qi, and governs the inner. The way of yang is repletion, the way of yin vacuity; thus one struck by thieving winds and vacuous pathogens readily receives them through yang, while one whose eating and drinking are unregulated, or who exerts the body at improper times, receives it through yin. Where yang receives it, it enters the six bowels; where yin receives it, it enters the five viscera. Entering the six bowels, the body grows hot and one cannot lie down, and above there is panting; entering the five viscera, there is a filling fullness and blockage, and below, obstructed diarrhea, which in time becomes chronic dysenteric disorder. Thus the throat governs Heaven's qi and the gullet governs Earth's qi; yang receives wind-qi and yin receives damp-qi. Yin qi moves from the foot upward to the head, then down along the arm to the fingertips; yang qi moves from the hand upward to the head, then down to the foot. Hence it is said: in illness of yang, it moves upward to its limit and then descends; in illness of yin, it moves downward to its limit and then rises. One injured by wind receives it first above; one injured by damp receives it first below.

The head is the mansion of clear essence: when the head is worn and the sight grows dim, the essence has been despoiled. The back is the mansion of the chest: when the back bends and the shoulders droop, the chest is about to fail. The waist is the mansion of the kidneys: unable to turn and move it, the kidneys are about to grow spent. The knee is the mansion of the sinews: unable to bend and stretch it, so that it grows bent and stooped, the sinews are about to grow spent. The marrow is the mansion of the bones: unable to stand for long, so that walking brings trembling, the bones are about to grow worn.

In heat-illness of the lungs, the right cheek reddens; of the heart, the forehead reddens first; of the liver, the left cheek reddens; of the spleen, the nose reddens; of the kidneys, the chin reddens. Though the illness has not yet broken out, once its color is seen, one should treat it at once — hence it is said, "treat the illness that is not yet an illness." In heat-illness of the lungs, the color is white and the body-hair withers; of the heart, the color is red and the network-vessels overflow; of the liver, the color is bluish-green and dry; of the spleen, the color is yellow and the flesh grows waterlogged; of the kidneys, the color is black and the teeth grow dry.

The liver governs spring; Foot Jueyin and Shaoyang govern its treatment; its days are Jia and Yi. When the liver suffers rebellious qi, eat salty food at once to relax it. It is also said: when the liver's illness tends toward dissipation, eat bitter food at once to drain it; avoid facing the wind, for the liver is averse to wind.

The heart governs summer; Hand Shaoyin and Taiyang govern its treatment; its days are Bing and Ding. When the heart suffers slackness, eat salty food at once to draw it in. It is also said: when the heart's illness tends toward the need for moistening, eat salty food at once to moisten it, sour food to tonify it, sweet food to drain it; avoid warm clothing and hot food, for the heart is averse to heat.

The spleen governs late summer; Foot Taiyin and Yangming govern its treatment; its days are Wu and Ji. When the spleen suffers dampness, eat bitter food at once to drain it off. It is also said: when the spleen's illness tends toward the need for relaxing, eat sweet food at once to relax it, bitter food to tonify it, pungent food to drain it; avoid damp food, overeating, damp ground, and damp clothing, for the spleen is averse to dampness.

The lungs govern autumn; Hand Taiyin and Yangming govern their treatment; their days are Geng and Xin. When the lungs suffer qi rebelling upward, eat salty food at once to discharge it. It is also said: when the lung's illness tends toward the need for drawing in, eat sweet food at once to draw it in, salty food to drain it; avoid cold clothing and cold drink, for the lungs are averse to cold.

The kidneys govern winter; Foot Shaoyin and Taiyang govern their treatment; their days are Ren and Gui. When the kidneys suffer excessive seepage, eat pungent food at once to moisten them, so the interstitial spaces bring fluid and qi through. It is also said: in illness of the kidneys, eat bitter food at once to make them firm, pungent food to tonify, sour food to drain; keep cool rather than warm, and take neither hot food nor warm clothing, for the kidneys are averse to seepage. Pungent runs to the qi — when the qi is ill, eat no pungent food; sweet runs to the flesh — when the flesh is ill, eat no sweet food; salty runs to the blood — when the blood is ill, eat no salty food; sour runs to the sinews — when the sinews are ill, eat no sour food. These are called the Five Prohibitions; one should not eat too much of any of them.

In illness of the lungs: panting, coughing, rebellious qi, pain in the shoulders and back, sweating; the buttocks, genitals, thighs, knees, calves, shins, and feet ache. In vacuity, the qi is too scant to sustain the breath, the ears grow deaf, and the throat runs dry.

In illness of the heart: pain within the chest, fullness in the flanks and limbs, pain below the ribs, and pain in the chest, back, between the shoulder blades, and the inner arms. In vacuity, the chest and belly swell large, and the region below the flanks pulls painfully against the waist.

In illness of the liver: pain below both flanks, drawing into the lower belly, making one prone to sudden anger. In vacuity, there is fear, as though someone were about to seize hold of one; when the qi rebels, there is headache, deafness, and swollen cheeks.

In illness of the spleen: the body feels heavy, the flesh wastes, the feet cannot be drawn in properly, and in walking one tends to drag the feet, with pain beneath. In vacuity, the belly swells, the intestines rumble, and food passes through undigested.

In illness of the kidneys: the abdomen swells and the body feels heavy, with panting and coughing, sweating, and aversion to wind. In vacuity, there is pain within the chest.

The signs of lung-wind: much sweating and aversion to wind, a frequent urge to cough and pant, better by day and worse toward evening; the sign to examine lies above the eyebrows, where the color is white.

The signs of heart-wind: aversion to wind, a scorched and cut-off feeling, a tendency to sudden anger; the sign lies at the mouth, where the color is red.

The signs of liver-wind: aversion to wind, a tendency to sorrow, a faint bluish-green tinge, a dry throat, a tendency to sudden anger; the sign lies below the eyes, where the color is bluish-green.

The signs of spleen-wind: much sweating and aversion to wind, a body weary and heavy, limbs that will not move freely, a faint yellow tinge, no appetite; the sign lies above the nose, where the color is yellow.

The signs of stomach-wind: much sweating and aversion to wind, food and drink that will not go down, a blocked feeling that will not clear, a belly prone to fullness — dressing too lightly brings swelling, eating cold food brings diarrhea; the sign lies in the bodily form, thin, yet with a swollen belly.

The signs of head-wind: headache, much sweating on the face, aversion to wind, the illness beginning a day after direct exposure to wind; the headache makes it impossible to go outdoors, and only once the wind has stilled does one recover somewhat.

Colophon

This Good Works Translation was prepared for the Meditation and Inner Alchemy shelf of the Good Works Library. The English was translated independently from the classical Chinese text printed below. The treatise's prose is rendered as prose throughout; its embedded incantations, chants, and hymns keep line divisions where the source itself sets them off as spoken or sung formulas. The nine numbered chapters of the original (五牙論第一 through 病候論第九) form the translation's nine headed sections, in the same order; a handful of named methods embedded within the second chapter — the Chants of the Five Numina, the Six Wu method, the Three-Five-Seven-Nine method, and the Five Phases method — are kept as bolded run-in headings rather than separate chapters, since the source text itself sets off only the nine main divisions as formal headings and leaves these as internal paragraphs.

Before the claim below was written, a genuine translation-status check was performed. Komjathy's standard bibliography of Daoist texts in Western translation, and the 2023 Purple Cloud update to it, were both searched by the Chinese title, the pinyin, and the author's name; neither lists an English translation of this text. (Komjathy's bibliography does record English translations of two shorter, related Tang-dynasty breath-texts shelved nearby in the Daoist Canon — the Taiqing tiaoqi jing, DZ 820, and the Taiqing fuqi koujue, DZ 822, both translated by Jane Huang in 1987 — but not of this one.) General web searches under the Chinese title, the pinyin, and the English gloss "ingesting qi/vital breath" turned up a database entry at the FYSK Daoist Culture Centre that catalogues the text's title in English but contains no translation, and a 2012 journal article, "Imbibing the Universe: Methods of Ingesting the Five Sprouts" (Asian Medicine 7.1), concerning the same Five Sprouts practice that is the subject of this treatise's first chapter. Repeated attempts to retrieve that article were blocked by the publisher's server, so it could not be confirmed whether it translates this text's own first chapter, a parallel Five Sprouts passage from a different scripture (the practice was shared, in variant forms, among several Daoist texts — as this treatise itself notes, naming both the Lingbao Wufu Jing and the Shangqing scriptures as sources for different versions of it), or neither. No complete published English translation of the Fuqi Jingyi Lun was found. To our knowledge, this is the treatise's first complete published English translation; we state this as the limit of our search, and name the one unconfirmed lead above rather than claim more than that search supports.

A note on the text's damaged places. The Wikisource transcription marks nine spots with a placeholder (？ or □) where a character could not be read. Eight of these fall within passages that otherwise quote or closely paraphrase the Basic Questions of the Huangdi Neijing, or repeat, word for word, a formula the treatise itself gives complete a few chapters later — its ninth chapter spells out in full the sentence that its third chapter had left as "the knee, the mansion of the ？," naming the missing word as 筋, "sinew" or "tendon." Comparing these parallels allowed the missing character to be recovered with real confidence in each of the eight cases; those readings are given directly in the translation, set off in brackets as supplied text. The ninth — a phrase describing what becomes of the intestines after six years of practice — has no such parallel and could not be recovered; it is left as a bracketed ellipsis. Two further notes on terms: fuqi's governing pair, "the five viscera" (五臟) and "the six bowels" (六腑), is kept in the plain, literal English long used for these categories of classical Chinese medicine, since they do not map one-to-one onto the organs of modern anatomy; and the treatise's one line stating that "the viscera are yang, the bowels are yin" is translated as it stands, though it reverses the pairing more commonly given in Chinese medical writing, since nothing in the transmission marks it as an error to be corrected rather than the text's own claim.

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

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Source Text: 服氣精義論

Classical Chinese text of the Daoist Canon, in the Chinese Wikisource transcription. Presented complete for reference, study, and verification alongside the English translation above. 〔 〕 marks small-type interlinear notes as formatted in the transcription.

天台白雲子述

夫氣者，道之幾微也。幾而動之，微而用之，乃生一焉，故混元全乎太易。夫一者，道之沖凝也。沖而化之，凝而造之，乃生二焉。故天地分乎太極。是以形體立焉，萬物與之同稟；精神著焉，萬物與之齊受。在物之形，唯人為正；在象之精，唯人為靈。並乾坤居三才之位，合陰陽當五行之秀，故能通玄降聖，煉質登仙，隱景入虛。無之心至妙，得登仙之法，所學多途。至妙之至，其歸一揆，或消飛丹液，藥效升騰，或齋戒存修，功成羽化。然金石之藥，候資費而難求；習學之功，彌歲年而易遠。若乃為之速效，專之剋成，與虛無合其道，與神靈合其德者，其唯氣乎！黃帝曰：食穀者知而夭，食氣者神而壽，不食者不死。真人曰：夫可久於其道者，養生也；常可與久遊者，納氣也。氣全則生存，然後能養志，養志則合真，然後能久登，生氣之域，可不勤之哉！是知吸引晨霞，餐漱風露，養精源於五臟，導榮衛于百關，既祛疾以安形，複延和而享壽。閉視聽以胎息，返衰朽以童顏。遠取於天，近取於己，心閑自適，體逸無為，欣邈矣于百年，全浩然於一室，就輕舉之諸術，置清虛之雅致歟！若兼真之業，煉化之功，則佇雲軺而促期，馳羽駕而憎遠矣。服氣之經頗覽多本，或散在諸部，或未暢其宗。觀之者，以不廣致疑，習之者，以不究無效。今故纂類篇目，詳精源流，庶蟪蛄之兼濟，豈龜龍之獨善耳。凡九篇如後：

五牙論第一

夫形夫形之所全者，本於臟腑也；神之所安者，質於精氣也。雖稟形於五神，已具其象，而體衰氣耗，乃致凋敗。故須納雲牙而溉液，吸霞景以孕靈，榮衛保其純和，容貌駐其朽謝。加以久習成妙，積感通神，與五老而齊升，並九真而列位。經文所載，以視津途，修學所遵，自宜詳核。服真五牙法，每以清旦，密咒曰〔經文不言面當宜各向其方，平坐握固，閉目，即叩齒三通，而祝中央向四維〕：

東方青牙，服食青牙，飲以朝華。祝畢，舌料上齒表，舐脣漱口，滿而咽之三；

南方硃丹，服食硃丹，飲以丹池。祝畢，舌料下齒表，舐脣漱口，滿而咽之三；

中央戊己，昂昂太山，服食精氣，飲以醴泉。祝畢，舌料上玄，應取玉水，舐脣漱口，滿而咽之三；

西方明石，服食明石，飲以靈液。祝畢，舌料上齒內，舐脣漱口，滿而咽之三；

北方玄滋，服食玄滋，飲以玉飴。祝畢，舌料下齒內，舐脣漱口，滿而咽之三；

都數畢，以鼻內氣，極而徐徐放之，令五過已，上真道畢矣〔意調諸方，亦宜納氣，各依其數。即東方九、南方三、中央十二、西方七、北方五〕。

又曰：先師益中央醴泉，祝曰：

白石嚴嚴以次行，源泉湧洞以玉漿，飲之長生，壽命益長〔如此語以下，乖本文，應不煩耳〕。

此是《靈寶五符經》中法，《上清經》中別有四極雲牙之法，其道密秘，不可輕言。

凡服氣，皆先行五牙，以通五臟，然後依常法，乃佳。

東方青色，入通於肝，開竅於目，在形為脈，

南方赤色，入通於心，開竅於舌，在形為血；

中央黃色，入通於脾，開竅於口，在形為肉；

西方白色，入通於肺，開竅於鼻，在形為皮；

北方黑色，入通於腎，開竅於耳，在形為骨。

又：肺為五臟之華蓋第一，肺居心上，對胸，有六葉，色如縞映紅，肺脈出於少高〔左手大指之端內側，去爪甲二分許，舀者之中〕；心居肺下肝上，對鳩尾下一寸，色如縞映絳，心脈出於中沖〔左手中指之端，去爪甲之二分許，舀者之中〕；肝在心下，小近後，右四葉，左三葉，色如縞映紺，〔肝脈出於大敦左足大指端，乃三毛之中〕；脾正掩臍上，近前，橫覆於胃，色如縞映黃，脾脈出於隱白〔左足大指端側，去爪甲角如韭葉〕；左腎、右腎，前對臍，搏著腰脊，色如縞暎紫，左為正腎，以配五臟，右為命門，男以藏精，女以系胞，腎脈出為湧泉〔左足心，舀者之中〕。

凡服五牙之氣者，皆宜思入其髒，使其液宣通，各依所主，既可以週流形體，亦可以攻療疾病。令服青牙者，思氣入肝中，見青氣氳氳，青液融融分明，良久，乃見足大敦之氣，循服而至，會於脈中，流散諸脈，上通于自然。次服諸方，仍宜以丑後，澡漱冠服，入別室焚香，坐向其方，靜慮澄心，注想而為之。

服氣論第二

夫氣者，胎之元也，形之本也。胎既誕矣，而元精已散；形既動矣，而本質漸弊。是故須納氣以凝精，保氣以煉形，精滿而神全，形休而命延，元本既實，可以固存耳。觀夫萬物，未有有氣而無形者，未有有形而無氣者。攝生之子，可不專氣而致柔乎！

右太清行氣符，欲服氣斷穀，先書向王吞之，七日吞一，三七日止，合符三枚，皆燒五香左右。

凡欲服氣者，皆宜先療身疹疾，使臟腑宣通，肢體安和，縱無舊疹，亦須服藥去疾飲，量體冷熱，服一兩劑寫湯，以通泄腸胃，去其積滯。吐瀉方在後。將息平復訖，乃清齋百日，敦潔操志，其間所食，漸去酸鹹，減絕滋味，得服茯苓、蒸曝胡麻等藥，預斷穀為佳。服氣之始，亦不得頓絕其藥食，宜日日減藥，宜漸漸加氣，氣液流通，體藏安穩，乃可絕諸藥食，乃須兼膏餌消潤之藥助之。勿食堅澀、滓滯、冷滑之物。久久自覺腸胃虛，全無複饑渴。消息進退，以意自量，不可具於此述。

宜於春秋二時，月初三日後、八日前，取其一吉日為始，先服太清行氣符，計至其日，令吞三符訖，於靜室東向，得早朝景為佳。於東壁開一窗，令日中光正對臥，面此室之東，勿令他障隔。以子時之後，先解發梳頭數百下，便散發於後矣〔初服須如此，久後亦不須散發也〕。燒香〔勿用薰陸香〕 ，東向正坐，澄心定思，叩齒導引〔其法具後篇〕。

又安坐定息，乃西首而臥〔本經皆云東首，然面則向西，於存息吸引，殊為不便〕，床須厚暖，所覆適溫，自得，稍暖為佳，腰腳已下左右宜暖，其枕宜令低下，與背高下平，使頭頸順身平直，解身中衣帶，令闊展，兩手離身三寸，仍握固，兩腳相去五六寸，且徐吐氣，息令調。然後想之東方初曜之氣，共日光合丹於流暉，引此景而來至於面前，乃以鼻〔先拔鼻孔中毛，初以兩手大指下掌按鼻左右，上下動之十數過，令通暢〕微引吸，而咽之〔久久乃不須引吸，但存氣而咽之，其氣自入，此便為妙〕。咽之三，乃入肺中。小開脣，徐徐吐氣，入氣有緩急，宜在任性調息，必不得頓引，至極則氣粗，粗則致損。

又引咽之三，若氣息長，加至五六咽，得七尤佳。如此，以覺肺間大滿為度，且停咽，乃閉氣，存肺中之氣，隨兩肩入臂至手握中入，存下入於胃，至兩腎中，隨髀至兩腳心中，覺皮肉間習習如蟲行為度。訖，任微喘息少時，待喘息調，依法引導送之，覺手足潤溫和調暢為度〔諸服氣方，直存入腹，不先向四肢，故致四肢送冷，五臟壅滯〕。是以必須先四肢，然後入腹，即氣自然流宣也。此後不復須存在肺，直引氣入大腸、小腸中，鳴轉通流臍下為度，應如此，以腸中飽滿乃止。則豎兩膝，急握固閉氣，鼓腹九度，就鼓中仍存其氣散入諸體，閉之欲極，徐徐吐之，慎勿長。若氣急，稍稍並引而吐之若覺腹中闊，此一極則止，如腹猶滿急，但閉氣鼓之。訖，舒腳，以手摩面，將胸心而下數十度，並摩腹繞臍，手十數度，展腳趾向上，反偃數度，乃放手縱體，忘心遺形，良久，待氣息關節調平，訖，乃起。若有汗，以粉摩拭頭面頸項。平坐，稍動搖關節，體和如常，可起動。其中隨時消息，觸類多方，既不云煩述，善以意調適之。

又服氣所以必令停於肺上，入於胃至於腎者何？肺藏氣，氣之本也。諸氣屬於肺。夫氣通於肺，又肺者，藏之長也，為諸藏之華蓋，呼吸之津源，為傳送之官，治節出焉。又魄門為五臟之使，為四藏之主，通於十二經脈，週而複始，故為五臟使也。故令氣停於肺，而後流行焉。胃者，五臟六腑之海也，水谷皆入於胃，六腑之大王也。五臟六腑皆稟於胃、五味入胃，各走其家，以養五氣。是以五臟六腑之氣，皆出於胃，變見於氣口故也。腎者，生氣之源，五臟六腑之本，十二經脈之根，左為正腎，右為命門，故令氣致於腎，以益於其精液。天食人以五氣，地食人以五味。五氣入于鼻，藏於心肺；五味入于口，藏於腸胃。味有所藏，以五氣和而生津液，氣液相感，神乃自生〔五味，豈獨其穀而五味？氣中自有其味，又兼之以藥，藥之五味尤勝其穀〕。此雖只論肺腎，其氣亦自然流通諸髒，故曰：呼出心與肺，吸入腎與肝，呼吸之間脾受其味也。呼吸之理，乃神氣之要，故太上問曰：人命在幾間？或對曰：在呼吸之間。太上曰：善哉！可謂為道矣。

凡服氣，皆取子後、午前者，雞鳴至平旦，天之陰，陰中之陽也；平旦至日中，天之陽，陽中之陽也；日中至黃昏，天之陽，陽中主陰也；黃昏至雞鳴，天之陰，陰中之陰也。人亦如是。又：春氣行于經絡，夏氣行於肌肉，秋氣行於皮膚，冬氣行於骨髓。又：正月、二月，天氣始方，地氣始發，人氣在肝；三月、四月，天氣正方，地氣正發，人氣在脾；五月、六月，天氣盛，地氣高，人氣在頭；七月、八月，陰氣始殺，人氣在肺；九月、十月，陰氣冰，地氣始閉，人氣在心；十一月、十二月，冰複地氣合，人氣在腎。至四時之月，宜各依氣之所行，兼存而為之。

凡服氣，皆取天景明澄之時為好。若恒風雨晦霧之時，皆不可引吸外氣。但入密室，閉服內氣，加以諸藥也。

凡服氣斷穀者，一旬之時，精氣弱微，顏色萎黃；二旬之時，動作瞑眩，肢節悵恨，大便苦難，小便赤黃，或時下痢，前剛後溏；三旬之時，身體消瘦，重難以行〔已前贏弱之候，是專氣初服所致。若以諸藥，不至於此也〕；四旬之時，顏色漸悅，心獨安康；五旬之時，五臟調和，精氣內養；六旬之時，體複如故，機關調暢；七旬之時，心惡喧煩，志願高翔；八旬之時，恬淡寂寞，信明術方；九旬之時，榮華潤澤，聲音洪彰；十旬之時，正氣皆至，其效極昌。修之不止，年命延長。三年之後，瘢痕滅除，顏色有光；六年髓填，腸化為？，預知存亡；經歷九年，役使鬼神，玉女侍傍，腦實脅胼，不可複傷，號曰真人也。

五靈心丹章〔行之十五日，心澄心通；五年當身心俱通〕：

東方長生章：一氣和太和，得一道皆太，和乃無不和，玄理同玄際。右誦九十遍，氣不調，存誦之便調。

南方不饑章：不以意思意，亦本求無思，意而不以思，是法如是持。右誦三十遍，饑時存誦之便飽。

中央不熱章：諸食氣結氣，非諸久定結，氣歸諸本氣，隨取當隨泄。右誦一百二十遍，熱時存誦之便涼。

西方不寒章：修理志離志，積修不符離，志而不修志，己業無己知。右誦七十遍，寒時存誦之便暖。

北方不渴章：莫將心緣心，還莫住絕緣，心存莫存心，真則守真淵。右誦五十遍，渴時存誦之便不渴。

所主寒熱等，本文如此。然放五臟之義，乃有所乖，唯渴誦北方章是。謂今為魂神不寧，誦東方章，寒誦西方章，饑誦南方章，渴誦北方章，熱誦中央章，亦可以五臟行之，以義消息為之。誦既不論早晚，然以子午前為佳。誦五方數畢，即誦《大道贊》一遍：

大道無形，因物為名，乾坤萬品，秀氣乃成。既受新質，惟人抱靈，五行三才，秋殺春生。

四九寶偈，除誦守精，修奉太和，不虧不盈。嚼之無味，嗅之無馨，察之無色，和之無聲。

坐臥無所，行走無程，遊歷太空，湛爾黃庭。動而不去，住而不甯，無營無作，無視無聽。

非聚非散，非離非並，非巨非細，非重非輕。非黃非白，非赤非青，道高黃老，曉朗其情。

太上要章，封密金城，子得聞之，命合真星。

此《五靈章》既可通五臟氣，每宜通誦之，仍各存藏位。其文有苦、寒、熱、饑、渴者，始可別誦章爾。當面向其方坐，閉目澄神，閉口心誦，仍動舌觸料口中，令津液生，微微引氣而咽之，各入其藏中。此法專行，應至虛惙，兼以符水，藥味，則不致贏頓矣。

服六戊氣法：氣旦先從甲子旬起，向辰地，舌料上下齒，取津液，週旋三至而一咽，止。次向寅，次向子，次向戌，次向申，次向午。又法起甲子日，匝一旬，恒向戊辰咽氣，甲戌日則向戊寅，餘旬依為之。此六戊法，亦是一家之義。以戊氣入於脾，為倉廩之本，故也。此真不饑，若通益諸體，則不逮餘法矣。

服三五七九氣法：徐徐以鼻微引氣，內之三，以口吐死氣，久久便三氣；次後引五氣，以口一吐死氣，久久便五氣；次引七氣，以口一吐死氣，久久便七氣；次引九氣，以口一吐死氣，久久便九氣。因三五七九而並引之，以鼻二十四氣內之，以口一吐死氣，久久便二十四氣。咽逆報之法，因從九數下到三，複順引之咽，可九九八十一咽氣，而一吐之以為節也。此法以入氣多，吐氣少為妙。若不作此限，數漸增入，則意於常數之耳。死氣者，是四時五行休死之氣，存而吐之。自餘節度，仍依常法。

養五臟五行氣法：春以六丙之日，時加已，食氣百二十致於心，令心勝肺，無令肺傷肝，此養肝之氣也；夏以六戊之日，時加未，食氣百二十以助脾，令脾勝腎，則腎不傷於心也；季夏以六庚之日，時加申，食氣百二十以助肺，令肺勝肝，則肝不傷於脾也；秋以六壬之日，時加亥，食氣百二十以助腎，令腎勝心，則心不傷於肺也；冬以六甲之日，時加寅，食氣百二十以助肝，令肝勝脾，則脾不傷於腎也。

右此法是五行食氣之要，明時各有九，凡一千八十，食氣各以養藏，週而複始，不得相刻，精心為之〔此法是一家之義，所在五臟事，事具在五牙論中〕。

導引論第三

夫肢體關節，本資於動用，經脈榮衛，實理于宣通，今既閒居，乃無運役事，須導引以致和暢，戶樞不蠹，其義信然。人之血氣精神者，所以奉生而週其性命也。脈經者，所以行血氣也。故榮氣者，所以通津血、強筋骨、利關竅也；衛氣者，所以溫肌肉、充皮膚、肥腠理、司開闔也。又：浮氣之循於經者，為衛氣；其精氣之行於經者，為榮氣。陰陽相隨，內外相貫，如環之無端也。又：頭者，精明之腑；背者，胸之腑；腰者，腎之腑；膝者，？之腑；髓者，骨之腑。又：諸骨皆屬於目，諸髓皆屬於腦，諸？皆屬於節，諸血皆屬於心，諸氣者皆屬於肺。此四肢八環之朝夕也。是知五勞之損，動靜所為，五禽之導，搖動其關，然人之形體，上下相承；氣之源流，升降有敘。比日見諸導引文，多無次第，今所法者，實有宗旨。其五體平和者，依常數為之；若一處有所偏疾者，則於其處加數用力行之。

凡導引，當以丑後、卯前，天氣清和日為之。先解發，散梳四際，上達頂，三百六十五過，散發於後，或寬作髻亦得。燒香，面向東，平坐握固，閉目思神，叩齒三百六十過，乃縱體平氣，依次為之。先閉氣，以兩手五指交叉，反掌向前，極引臂，拒托之良久，即舉手反掌向上極臂，即低左手，力舉右肘，令左肘臂按著後項，左手向下力牽之，仍亞向左，開右腋努脅為之，低右舉左亦如之，即低手鉤項，舉兩肘，偃胸，仰頭向後，令頭與手前後競力為之，即低手鉤項，擺肘綟身，向左向右，即放手兩膝上，微吐氣通息，又從初為之三度云云。

符水論第四

夫符文者，雲篆明章，神靈之書字也。書有所象，故神氣存焉，文字顯焉。有所生，故服用硃焉，夫水者，氣之津，潛陽之潤也。有形之類，莫不資焉，故水為氣母，水潔則氣清；氣為形本，氣和則形泰。雖身之榮衛自有內液，而腹之臟腑亦假外滋。即可以通腸胃，為益津氣，又可以導符靈，助祝術。今撰諸符水之法，以備所用，可按而為之焉。符在本經。

服藥論第五

夫五臟通榮衛之氣，六腑資水穀之味。今既服氣，則髒氣之有餘，又既絕穀，則腑味之不足。《素問》曰：穀不入半日，則氣衰；一日，則氣少。故須諸藥以代于穀，使氣味兼致臟腑而全也。清陽為天，濁陰為地；清陽出上竅，濁陰出下竅；清陽發腠理，濁陰走五臟；清陽實四肢，濁陰實六腑；清陽為氣，濁陰為味。味歸形，形歸氣，氣歸精，精食氣，形食味。氣為陽，味為陰。陰勝則陽病，陽勝則陰病，和氣以通之，味以實之，通之則不憊，實之則不羸矣。今以草木之藥，性味於臟腑所宜，為安髒丸、理氣膏。其先無病疹，臟腑平和者，可常服此丸、膏，並茯苓、巨勝等丹服之藥；若髒有疾者，則以所宜者增損之服；如先有痼疾，及別得餘患者，當別醫攻療，則非此之所愈也。其上清方藥，各依本經，稟受者自宜遵服。

安和臟腑丸方：

茯苓 桂心 甘草〔炙，已上各一兩〕，人參 柏子仁 薯蕷 麥門冬〔去心，已上各二兩〕，天門冬〔四兩〕。

右搗篩為散，白蜜和為丸，丸如梧桐子大。每服三十丸，日再服，以藥飲下之，松葉、枸杞等諸藥可為飲也。

滋潤氣液膏方：

天門冬煎〔五升〕，黃精煎〔五升〕，地黃煎〔五升〕，术煎〔五升，已上煎，各煎訖，相和著〕茯苓〔二兩〕，桂心〔二兩〕薯蕷〔五兩〕澤瀉〔五兩〕甘草〔三兩，炙〕。

右並搗，以密絹篩令極細，內諸煎中；又內熟巨勝、杏仁屑三升，白蜜二升，攪令稠，重湯煮，攪勿令住手，令如膏便調強為佳，冷凝搗數千杵，密器貯固之。少出充服，每早晨以一丸如李核大，含消咽之，日再三。此藥宜八月、九月合，至三月已來服之。若三月、二月中更煮一度，令稠硬，則經夏不復壞。

慎忌論第六

夫氣之為理也，納而難固，吐而易竭。難固須保而使全，易竭須惜而勿泄。真人曰：學道常如憶朝餐，未有不得之者；惜氣常如惜面，未有不全之者。

又曰：若使惜氣常如一身之先急，吾少見於枯悴矣。其於交接言笑，務宜省約；運動呼叫，特須調緩；觸類愛慎，方免所損矣。

夫人之為性也，與天地合體，陰陽混氣，皮膚骨體，臟腑榮衛，呼吸進退，寒暑變異，莫不均乎二儀。應乎五行也。是知天地否泰，陰陽亂焉；臟腑不調，經脈之候病焉。因外所中者，百病起於風也；因內所致者，百病生於氣也。故曰：恬憺虛寂，真氣居之，精神內守，病從何來？信哉是言！故須知形神之性，而全之；辨內外之疾，畏而慎之。《素問》曰：天有宿度，地有經水，人有經脈。天地和則經水安靜，寒則經水凝冱，暑則經水沸溢，卒風暴起，則經水波湧而隴起，或虛邪因而入客，亦由水之得風也。天溫日明，則人血淖液而衛氣揚；天寒日陰，則人血凝冱而衛氣沉。血氣者，喜溫而惡寒，寒則冱而不能流，溫則喜而去之。蒼天之氣清靜，則志意治，從之則陽氣固，賊邪不能容，此因時之孕也。月始生，則人血氣始精，衛氣始行；月郭滿，則血氣實，肌肉堅；月郭空，則肌肉減，經絡虛，衛氣去，形獨居。是以因天時而調血氣者也。若此時犯冒虛邪，則以身之虛，而逢天之虛，兩虛相感，其起至骨，入則傷五臟，故曰天忌不可不知也。八正者，所以候八風虛邪以時至者也。八正之虛邪，避之如矢射，慎勿犯之。假令冬至之日，風從南來，為賊傷也。謂從虛之鄉來，乃能病人也。他節仿此。陽氣者，一日而主外，平旦人氣生，日中陽氣隆，日西陽氣虛，氣門乃閉，是故暮而收拒，無擾□骨，無見霧露，反此三時，形乃困薄。

久視傷血，久臥傷氣，久立傷骨，久行傷？久坐傷肉，是謂五勞所傷也。憂愁思慮則傷心，形寒飲冷則傷肺，恚怒氣逆、上而不下則傷肝，飲食勞倦則傷脾，久坐濕地，強力入水則傷腎。人有五氣：喜、怒、憂、悲、恐也。怒則氣上，喜即氣緩，悲則氣消，恐則氣下，寒即氣聚，熱則氣泄，憂則氣亂，勞則氣耗，思則氣結。喜怒不節，寒暑過度，氣乃不固五。味所入：苦入心，辛入肺，酸入肝，甘入脾，鹹入腎。陰之生，本在五味，是故味過於酸，則肝氣以津，肺氣乃絕；味過於醎，則骨氣勞，短肌，氣折；味過於苦，則心氣喘滿，色黑，腎氣不衛；味過於甘，則脾氣濡，骨氣乃厚；味過於辛，則？脈沮弛，精神乃央。是故謹和五味，則骨正？柔，氣血以流，湊理以密。如是則氣骨以精，謹道如法，長天有命。多食鹹，則脈凝冱而變色；多食苦，則皮槁而毛拔；多食辛，則□急而爪枯；多食酸，則肉胝□芻而脣揭；多食甘，則骨痛而發落。此五味之所傷也。此論飲食之五味而藥性亦有五味，服餌丸散，特宜慎之。服氣之人，不宜食辛味，何者？辛走氣，氣病無食辛也。

五臟論第七

夫生之成形也，必資之於五臟，形或有廢，而髒不可闕；神之為性也，必稟於五臟，性或有異，而氣不可虧。是天有五星，進退成其經緯；地有五嶽，靜鎮安其方位；氣有五行，混化弘其埏埴：人有五臟，生養處其精神。故乃心藏神，肺藏氣，肝藏血，脾藏肉，腎藏志。志通內連骨體，而成身形矣。又：心者，生之本，神之處也；肺者，氣之本，魄之處也；肝者，罷極之本，魂之處也；脾者，倉廩之本，榮之處也；腎者，封藏之本，精之處也。至於九竅施為，四肢動用，骨肉堅實，經脈宣行，莫不稟源於五臟，分流於百體，順寒暑以延和，保精氣而享壽。且心為諸髒之主，主明則運用宣通，有心之子，安可不悟其神之理邪？

髒有要害，不可不察。肝生於左，肺生於右，心部於表，腎位於裏，脾為之使，胃為之市。心為之汗，肺為之涕，肝為之淚，脾為之涎，腎為之唾，是謂五液。心為噫，肺為咳，肝為語，脾為笑，腎為嚏。天氣通於肺，地氣通于肝，雷氣通于心，谷氣通於脾，雨氣通於腎。五臟各有所合：心之合於脈也，其榮色也；肺之合于皮也，其榮毛也；肝之合於筋也，其榮爪也；脾之合於肉也，其榮脣也；腎之合於骨也，其榮發也。五臟各有腑，髒為陽，腑為陰。五臟者，藏精神而不泄也，故滿而不能實；六腑者，受水穀而不留，故實而不能滿。則小腸為心之腑，大腸為肺之腑，膽為肝之腑，胃為脾之腑，膀胱為腎之腑。六腑者，各有其應：小腸者，脈其應也；大腸者，皮其應也；膽者，筋其應也；胃者，肉其應也；三焦、膀胱者，腠理、毫毛其應也。

十二髒之相使者：心者，君主之官，神明出焉；肺者，相傳之官，治節出焉；肝者，將軍之官，謀慮出焉；膽者，忠正之官，決斷出焉；膻中者，臣使之官，喜樂出焉；胸中，上焦之門戶也；脾胃者，倉廩之官也，五味出焉；大腸者，傳導之官也，變化出焉；小腸者，受盛之官也，化物出焉；腎者，作強之官也，伎巧出焉；三焦者，決瀆之官也，水道出焉；膀胱者，州郡之官也，津液藏焉，化氣則能出焉。凡此十二官，不得相失也。故主明則下安和，以此養生則壽，沒世不殆；主暗則十二官危，使道閉塞而不通，形乃大傷，以此養生則殆也。

服氣療病論第八

夫氣之為功也，廣矣妙矣。故天氣下降，則寒暑有四時之變；地氣上騰，則風雲有八方之異。兼二儀而為一體者，總形氣於其人。是能存之為家，則神靈儼然；用之於禁，則功效著矣。況以我之心，使我之氣，適我之體，攻我之疾，何往而不愈焉。習服閒居，則易為存，使諸有疾痛，皆可按而療之。

凡欲療疾，皆可以日出後，天氣和靜，面向日，在室中亦向日，存為之，平坐，瞑目，握固，叩齒九通，存日赤暉紫芒，乃長引吸而咽之，存入所患之臟腑。若非臟腑之疾，是謂肢體筋骨者，亦宜先存入所主之髒也。閉極又引，凡得九咽，覺其髒中有氣，乃存其氣攻於所苦之處。閉極，微微吐氣，其息稍定，更咽而攻之，覺疾處溫暖出汗出為佳。若在四肢，應可導引者，則先導引其處，已後攻之，縱是體上亦宜按念，令其氣通。若在頭中，當散發，梳頭皮數百下，左右搖頭數十過，乃吸氣，訖，以兩手指于項上急攀之，以頭向上力拒之，仍存氣向上入腦，于頂發諸孔沖出散去，一極訖，放手通氣，更為之，以覺頭頸汗出，痛處寬暢為候。若病在臟腑者，仰臥吸引，存入其處，得五六咽，則一度閉息攻之，皆以意消息其病，或久來痼疾，並有症塊堅積者，則非氣之所能愈，終亦覺積寬平也。兼藥同療亦無所妨，乃于藥性易效爾。雖用氣攻病，雖攻其處膚腠散出，然兼依《明堂圖》，取其所療之穴，而相引去之佳。既知其穴，宜依十二月，各用其律管，急按穴上，相而出之。則心存有所主，氣行有的適矣。

黃鍾十一月律也，管長九寸，空中，圍九分，諸管並同；大呂十二月律也，管長八寸；太簇正月律也，管長七寸強；夾鍾二月律也，管長七寸強；姑洗三月律也，管長七寸強；仲呂四月律也，管長六寸強；蕤賓五月律也，管長六寸強；林鍾六月律也，管長六寸強；夷則七月律也，管長五寸強；南呂八月律也，管長五寸強；無射九月律也，管長四寸強；應鍾十月律也，管長四寸強。皆取山陽之竹孔圓者，其節生枝不堪用。

手臂不援，雖雲手臂諸有疾處，亦可為之。先以一手，徐徐按摩所疾之處，良久畢，乃瞑目內視，視見五臟，咽液三過，叩齒三通，正心微祝曰：

太上四玄，五華六庭，三魂七魄，天關地精，神符榮衛，天胎上明，四肢百神，九節萬靈，

受籙玉晨，刊書玉城，玉女待身，玉童護命，永齊二景，飛仙上清，長與日月，年俱後傾，

超騰升仙，得整太平。流風結屙，注鬼五飛，魍魎塚訟，二氣徘徊，陵我四肢，幹我盛衰，

太山天丁，龍虎耀威，斬鬼不祥，凶邪即摧，考注匿訟，百毒隱非，使我複常，日月同暉，

考注見犯，北辰收摧，如有幹試，幹明上威。

常以生氣時，咽液二七過，按體所痛處，向王而祝曰：左玄右玄，二神合真，左黃右黃，六華相當。風氣惡疾，伏匿四方，玉液流澤，上下宣通。內遣水火，外辟不祥，長生飛仙，身常休強。畢，又咽液二七過，又當急按所痛處三十一過。常如此，則無疾也。

病候論第九

夫生之為命也，資乎形神；氣之所和也，本乎臟腑。形神貞頤，則生全而享壽；臟腑清休，則氣泰而無病。然且稟精結胎之初，各因四時之異；誕形立性之本，罕備五常之節。故躁擾多端，嗜欲增結，或積屙於受生之始，或致疾於役身之時。是故喜怒憂傷，自內而作疾也；寒暑飲食，自外而成病也。強壯之歲，唯知犯觸；衰謝之年，又乖修養。陰陽互升，形氣相違，諸疹既生，厥後多狀，況乎服氣者，穀肴已斷，形體漸羸，精氣未全，神魂不暢，或舊疹因之以發動，新兆致之以虛邪，須知所由，宜詳所療。今粗具可辨之狀，以代問醫，則其氣攻之術，希同勿藥。

虛實之形，其何以生？自氣血以並，陰陽相傾，氣亂于衛，血流於經，血氣離居，一實一虛。血並于陰，氣並于陽，故為驚狂；血並于陽，氣並于陰，乃為炅中；血並於上，氣並於下，煩惋善怒；血並於下，氣並於上，亂而善忘。陽虛則外寒，陰虛則內熱，陽盛則內寒，陰盛則外熱。五臟之道，皆出於經遂，行血氣，血氣不和，百病乃變化而生。氣有餘則腹脹邅泄，不厥。天之邪氣，感則害五臟也；水谷之寒溫，感則害六腑也；地之濕氣，感則害皮肉、筋脈也。又：邪之生也，或生於陰，或生於陽。生於陽者，得之風雨寒暑；生於陰者，得之飲食居處，陰陽喜怒。陽者，天氣也，主外；陰者，地氣也，主內。陽道實，陰道虛，故犯賊風虛邪者，易受之；飲食不節、起陽不時者，陽受之，則入六腑；陰受之，則入五臟。入六腑則身熱不臥，上為喘呼；入五臟則填滿閉塞，下為邅泄，久為腸癖。故喉主天氣，咽主地氣，陽受風氣，陰受濕氣。陰氣從足上行至頭，而下行循臂至指端；陽氣從手上行至頭，而下行至足。故曰：陽病者，上行極而下行；陰病者，下行極而上行。傷於風者，上先受之；傷於濕者，下先受之。

頭者，精明之腑，頭憊視深，精則奪矣；背者，胸之腑也，背曲肩隨，胸將壞矣；腰者，腎之腑也，轉搖不能，腎將憊矣；膝者，筋之腑也，屈伸不得則僂附，筋將憊矣；髓者，骨之腑也，不能久立，行則掉慄，骨將備矣。

肺熱病者，右頰赤；心熱病者，顏先赤；肝熱病者，左頰赤；脾熱病者，鼻赤；腎熱病者，頤赤。病雖未發，見其色者，所宜療之。故曰：療未病之病。肺熱病者，色白而毛槁；心熱病者，色赤而絡脈溢；肝熱病者，色蒼而密枯；脾熱病者，色黃而肉濡；腎熱病者色，黑而齒枯。

肝主春，足厥陰，少陽主治，其日甲乙，肝苦逆，急食鹹以緩之。又曰：肝病欲散，急食苦以瀉之，禁當風，肝惡風也。

心主夏，手少陰，太陽主治，其日丙丁；心苦緩，急食鹹以收之。又曰：心病欲濡，急食鹹以濡之，用酸補之，甘瀉之，禁溫衣熱食，心惡熱也。

脾主長夏，足太陰，陽明主治，其日戊己；脾苦濕，急食苦以滲之。又曰：脾病欲緩，急食甘以緩之，用苦補之，辛瀉之；禁濕食、飽食、濕地、濡衣，脾惡濕也。

肺主秋，手太陰、陽明主治，其日庚辛；肺苦氣上逆，急食鹹以泄之。又曰：肺病欲收，急食甘以收之，鹹瀉之；禁寒衣飲冷。肺惡寒也。

腎主冬，足少陰、太陽主治，其日壬癸；腎苦滲，急食辛以潤之，腠理致液氣通。又曰：腎病欲急食苦以堅之，用辛補之，酸瀉之；淬暖，無熱食溫衣，腎惡滲之，辛走氣，氣病無食辛；甘走肉，肉病無食甘；鹹走血，血病無食鹹；酸走筋，筋病無食酸，是謂五禁，勿多食也。

肺病者，喘咳逆氣，肩背痛，汗出，尻、陰、股、膝、腨、胻、足背痛，虛則少氣不能報自，耳聾、嗌乾矣。

心病者，胸中痛，脅肢滿，肋下痛，膺、背、肩胛間、兩臂內痛，虛則胸腹大，脅下與腰相引而痛。

肝病者，兩脅下痛，引入小腹，令人喜怒，虛則恐，如人將捕之，氣逆則頭痛、耳聾、頰腫。

脾病者，身重，肌肉萎，足不收，行喜挈腳下痛，虛則腹脹腸鳴，泄食不化。

腎病者，腸大體重，喘咳，汗出惡風，虛則胸中痛也。

肺風之狀，多汗惡風，時欲咳嗽喘氣，晝日善，暮則甚，診在眉上，其色白。

心風之狀，惡風，焦絕，喜怒，診在口，其色赤。

肝風之狀，惡風，喜悲，微蒼、嗌乾，喜怒，診在目下，其色青。

脾風之狀，多汗惡風，身體怠墮，四肢不通，微黃，不嗜食。診在鼻上，其色黃。

胃風之狀，多汗惡風，食飲不下，隔塞不通，腹善滿，失衣則脹，食寒則泄，診在形，瘦而腹大。

首風之狀，其頭痛，面多汗，惡風，先當風一日病，其頭痛不可出，至其風止，則小愈矣。

Source Colophon

The Chinese text follows the Chinese Wikisource transcription of the Zhengtong Daozang edition of this treatise (article 服氣精義論, revision of 1 October 2025), 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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