灵枢经·天年 The Heavenly Years

Huangdi asked Qibo, saying: 'I wish to hear, concerning the beginning of human life, what qi constructs its foundation, and what stands as its shield; what is lost that brings death, and what is gained that brings life?' Qibo said: 'The mother serves as the foundation, and the father serves as the shield. One who loses the spirit dies; one who gains the spirit lives.'

Huangdi said: 'What is meant by spirit?' Qibo said: 'When the blood and qi have become harmonized, when nutritive and defensive qi have become connected, when the five viscera have become formed, when the spirit qi has taken up residence in the heart, and when the ethereal and corporeal souls are both fully present — then the person is complete.'

Huangdi said: 'People's lifespans differ, long or short — some die young, some die suddenly, and some suffer long illness. I wish to hear the principle behind this.' Qibo said: 'When the five viscera are firm and solid, the blood vessels harmonious and well-regulated, the muscles and flesh smoothly functioning, the skin tight and dense, the movement of nutritive and defensive qi never departing from its normal course, the breath gentle and unhurried, the qi moving according to its proper measure, the six bowels transforming grain properly, and the body fluids being spread and dispersed each in its accustomed way — then a person is able to live long.'

Huangdi said: 'What brings it about that a person lives to a hundred years before dying?' Qibo said: 'When the philtrum — the groove between the nose and mouth — is deep and long, when the foundation and walls of the face are high and squared, when the nutritive and defensive qi flow freely and in proper order, when the three sections of the face and the Sanli points are well-raised, and when the bones stand high and the flesh is full — then a person can live out a hundred years before reaching the end.'

Huangdi said: 'May I hear about the waxing and waning of a person's qi, leading up to death?' Qibo said: 'At ten years of age, a person's five viscera have just become settled, the blood and qi have already become connected, and the qi is concentrated in the lower body — hence the person loves to run. At twenty, the blood and qi begin to flourish and the muscles and flesh are just growing — hence the person loves to walk briskly. At thirty, the five viscera are fully settled, the muscles and flesh are firm and solid, and the blood vessels are full and abundant — hence the person loves to walk at a steady pace. At forty, the five viscera, six bowels, and twelve channels are all at their fullest and most settled; the interstitial texture begins to loosen, the luster of the complexion begins to fade, the hair begins to turn gray in patches, and the person, being at a settled and unshifting peak, loves to sit. At fifty, the liver qi begins to decline, the liver's lobes begin to thin, the bile begins to diminish, and the eyes begin to lose their clarity of vision. At sixty, the heart qi begins to decline, the person is prone to worry and sorrow, the blood and qi grow sluggish and idle — hence the person loves to lie down. At seventy, the spleen qi becomes deficient and the skin withers. At eighty, the lung qi declines, the corporeal soul departs, and hence the person's speech grows prone to error. At ninety, the kidney qi is scorched and the channels of the remaining four viscera become empty and hollow. At a hundred, the five viscera are all deficient, the spirit qi has entirely departed, and only the physical frame remains, until at last life comes to an end.'

Huangdi said: 'What of those who die before living out their full allotted years?' Qibo said: 'In such people, the five viscera are none of them firm and solid; the philtrum is not long, but hollow and flared outward; their breathing is labored and hurried. Moreover, their foundation and walls are low and thin, their vessels carry little blood, their flesh lacks the firmness of stone; they are repeatedly struck by wind and cold, their blood and qi are deficient, their vessels fail to flow freely; true qi and evil qi attack one another, thrown into disorder and drawing upon each other — hence such people die at a middling age, their years cut short.'