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Introduction

This is the opening chapter of the Su Wen (Plain Questions). It discusses the four levels of health cultivation — the True Person (真人), the Perfected Person (至人), the Sage (圣人), and the Worthy Person (贤人). It expounds the physiological rhythms of women in seven-year cycles and men in eight-year cycles, and reveals the fundamental principle of nourishing life: "tranquil and empty, the true qi follows." This chapter serves as the general outline for the entire Huangdi Neijing.

Section 1: On Health Cultivation in Antiquity vs. the Decline of Modern People

In ancient times, the Yellow Emperor was born with divine spirit, could speak in infancy, was quick-witted in childhood, earnest and keen in youth, and ascended to heaven in maturity. He asked the Heavenly Teacher Qibo: "I have heard that the people of high antiquity all lived beyond one hundred years, and their movements did not decline. But the people of today are already declining at fifty. Is this because the times are different, or because people have lost the Way?"

Qibo replied: "The people of high antiquity who knew the Way patterned themselves on yin and yang, harmonized with the arts of cultivation, ate and drank in moderation, rose and rested at regular times, and did not labor recklessly. Thus they could keep body and spirit together, complete their heaven-granted years, and depart only after a hundred years."

Notes:

"The people of today are not so. They take wine as their drink, take recklessness as their norm, enter the bedchamber while drunk, exhaust their essence through desire, scatter their true qi through consumption. They do not know how to maintain fullness, do not know how to govern their spirit, pursue quick gratification, go against the joy of life, and have no regularity in rising and resting. Therefore they decline at fifty."

Notes:

Section 2: On the Physiological Changes of Women in Seven-Year Cycles and Men in Eight-Year Cycles

The Emperor said: "When people grow old and can no longer bear children, is it because their material strength is exhausted, or is it the decree of heaven?"

Qibo said: "For women, at seven years, the kidney qi becomes abundant, the teeth change, and the hair grows. At two times seven (fourteen), the heavenly gui (tian gui) arrives, the Ren vessel opens, the Chong vessel becomes full, the menses come on time, and she can bear children. At three times seven (twenty-one), the kidney qi is balanced, the wisdom teeth grow, and the body reaches full development. At four times seven (twenty-eight), the sinews and bones are firm, the hair is at its longest, and the body is at its most vigorous. At five times seven (thirty-five), the yangming vessel declines, the face begins to wither, and the hair begins to fall. At six times seven (forty-two), the three yang vessels decline above, the face is entirely withered, and the hair begins to turn white. At seven times seven (forty-nine), the Ren vessel is empty, the Chong vessel is diminished, the heavenly gui is exhausted, and the earthly passage is closed. Thus the form deteriorates and she can no longer bear children."

Notes:

"For men, at eight years, the kidney qi becomes solid, the hair grows, and the teeth change. At two times eight (sixteen), the kidney qi is abundant, the heavenly gui arrives, the essence-qi overflows and discharges, yin and yang harmonize, and he can father children. At three times eight (twenty-four), the kidney qi is balanced, the sinews and bones are strong, the wisdom teeth grow, and the body reaches full development. At four times eight (thirty-two), the sinews and bones are robust, the muscles are full and strong. At five times eight (forty), the kidney qi declines, the hair falls, and the teeth wither. At six times eight (forty-eight), the yang qi declines above, the face withers, and the hair at the temples turns white. At seven times eight (fifty-six), the liver qi declines, and the sinews cannot move. At eight times eight (sixty-four), the heavenly gui is exhausted, the essence is scanty, the kidneys decline, the form is extremely aged, and the teeth and hair are gone."

Notes:

"The kidneys govern water, receive and store the essence of the five zang and six fu organs. Therefore, when the five zang are flourishing, the kidneys can discharge. Now the five zang are all declined, the sinews and bones are slack, and the heavenly gui is exhausted. Thus the hair at the temples is white, the body is heavy, the gait is unsteady, and there can be no more children."

Notes:

Section 3: On Those Who Possess the Way Outliving Heaven and Earth

The Emperor said: "There are those who are old in years yet still bear children. Why is this?"

Qibo said: "This is because their heaven-granted lifespan is excessive, their qi vessels are constantly open, and their kidney qi is surplus. Though they can bear children, men do not exceed the end of eight times eight, and women do not exceed the end of seven times seven, and then the essence-qi of heaven and earth is exhausted."

The Emperor said: "Those who possess the Way have lived to a hundred or more. Can you tell me about them?"

Qibo said: "Those who possess the Way can ward off old age and keep their form whole. Though their years are long, they can still father children."

The Yellow Emperor said: "I have heard that in high antiquity there were True Persons (真人). They upheld heaven and earth, grasped yin and yang, breathed in the essential qi, stood alone and guarded their spirit, their muscles and flesh as one. Thus they could live as long as heaven and earth, without end. This was the life born of the Way."

Notes:

"In the middle antiquity, there were Perfected Persons (至人). Their virtue was pure and their Way was complete. They harmonized with yin and yang, attuned to the four seasons, departed from the world and left the vulgar, accumulated essence and preserved spirit, roamed between heaven and earth, and could see and hear beyond the eight directions. This extended their lifespan and strengthened them, and they too belonged to the category of True Persons."

Notes:

"Next were the Sages (圣人). They dwelt in the harmony of heaven and earth, followed the principles of the eight winds, adapted their desires within the secular world, had no anger or resentment, did not wish to separate from the world, wore proper garments, did not seek to observe the vulgar, did not labor the body with affairs, had no troubles of thought within, took tranquility and joy as their task, took self-contentment as their achievement. Their form did not deteriorate, their spirit did not scatter, and they too could live to a hundred."

Notes:

"Next were the Worthy Persons (贤人). They modeled themselves on heaven and earth, imitated the sun and moon, distinguished and arranged the stars, followed yin and yang, differentiated the four seasons, and sought to align with the Way of high antiquity. They too could extend their years, though to a limited extent."

Notes:

The Emperor said: "The aging of people all comes from this, and it is all due to error."

Notes:

Structural Analysis

This chapter is divided into three parts:

  1. Part One (The Way of Nourishing Life and Decline at Fifty): The Yellow Emperor asks Qibo about how the ancients lived beyond a hundred while modern people decline at fifty. The principle of "keeping body and spirit together" is established as the general rule of cultivation.

  2. Part Two (Women's Seven-Year and Men's Eight-Year Cycles): The physiological rhythms of growth, maturity, and aging are described. Women follow seven-year cycles, men follow eight-year cycles. Kidney qi is the key, and the arrival and exhaustion of the heavenly gui marks reproductive capacity and aging.

  3. Part Three (Four Levels of Cultivation): The True Person, Perfected Person, Sage, and Worthy Person represent four levels of health cultivation, from highest to lowest. All can extend life. The Way is the root of nourishing life, and aging comes from losing the Way.