素问·上古天真论 Discourse on the True Qi of High Antiquity

In former times there was Huangdi (the Yellow Emperor). At birth he was already imbued with spiritual power; while still an infant he could speak; in his childhood he was quick and discerning; grown to youth he was sincere and diligent; and having reached maturity he ascended to the throne. He then asked his Celestial Teacher, saying: 'I have heard that the people of high antiquity all lived past a hundred years, yet their movements did not decline. The people of the present age, however, decline in their capacities by the age of fifty. Is this because the times have changed, or because people themselves have lost the Way?' Qibo replied: 'Among the people of high antiquity, those who understood the Way patterned themselves on yin and yang and lived in harmony with the arts and numbers of self-cultivation. They were moderate in eating and drinking, regular in their rising and resting, and did not labor recklessly. Hence their bodies and spirits remained together, and they were able to live out their allotted heavenly years, departing only after passing a hundred years of age. The people of today are not like this. They take wine as if it were a beverage and treat recklessness as their norm. They enter the bedchamber while intoxicated, letting their desires exhaust their essence and dissipate their true qi. They do not know how to maintain fullness, do not govern their spirit at the proper times, but strive only to please their hearts, going against the joys of life, and are irregular in rising and resting. Hence they decline by the age of fifty.'

Now when the sages of high antiquity taught those below them, they always spoke of vacuous evils and thieving winds, which must be avoided at the proper times. By being tranquil, placid, empty, and desireless, the true qi followed accordingly, and the essence and spirit were guarded within — from where, then, could illness come? Thus their wills were at ease and their desires few; their hearts were calm and without fear; their bodies labored yet did not become weary; their qi followed smoothly, and each person's desires were satisfied, each obtaining what they wished. They found their food delicious, were content with their clothing, delighted in their customs, and did not envy one another whether of high or low station — hence these people were called simple and unadorned. Thus cravings and desires could not weary their eyes, and excessive and deviant influences could not confuse their hearts. Whether foolish or wise, worthy or unworthy, none feared external things, and so they accorded with the Way. The reason they were all able to live beyond a hundred years without their movements declining is that their virtue was whole and undisturbed.

Huangdi said: 'When a person grows old and is without children, is it because their physical capacity is exhausted, or is it simply the natural course of the heavenly numbers?' Qibo said: 'In a girl, at seven years of age, the kidney qi becomes abundant; her teeth change and her hair grows long. At two sevens (fourteen), tiangui — the reproductive essence that matures at puberty and governs fertility — arrives, the Conception Vessel opens, the Penetrating Vessel becomes abundant, and her monthly courses come at their proper time; hence she is able to bear children. At three sevens (twenty-one), the kidney qi is level and balanced, so her wisdom teeth emerge and her growth reaches its fullest extent. At four sevens (twenty-eight), her sinews and bones are firm, her hair reaches its fullest growth, and her body is flourishing and strong. At five sevens (thirty-five), the Yangming vessel declines, her face begins to wither, and her hair begins to fall. At six sevens (forty-two), the three yang vessels decline in the upper body, her face becomes entirely withered, and her hair begins to turn white. At seven sevens (forty-nine), the Conception Vessel becomes deficient, the Penetrating Vessel declines and diminishes, tiangui is exhausted, and the pathway of the earth is no longer open; hence her body deteriorates and she can no longer bear children. In a boy, at eight years of age, the kidney qi becomes replete, his hair grows and his teeth change. At two eights (sixteen), the kidney qi becomes abundant, tiangui arrives, his essence qi overflows and is released, yin and yang become harmonious, and so he is able to father children. At three eights (twenty-four), the kidney qi is level and balanced, his sinews and bones become strong, so his wisdom teeth emerge and his growth reaches its fullest extent. At four eights (thirty-two), his sinews and bones are flourishing and abundant, his flesh and muscles full and strong. At five eights (forty), the kidney qi declines, his hair falls and his teeth wither. At six eights (forty-eight), the yang qi is exhausted and declines in the upper body, his face withers, and his hair and temples turn gray and white. At seven eights (fifty-six), the liver qi declines, his sinews can no longer move freely, tiangui is exhausted, his essence grows scant, his kidney viscus declines, and his body as a whole reaches its limit. At eight eights (sixty-four), his teeth and hair are gone. The kidney governs water; it receives the essence of the five viscera and six bowels and stores it. Hence, when the five viscera are flourishing, the kidney is able to discharge essence in reproduction. But now, when the five viscera have all declined, the sinews and bones become slack and feeble, and tiangui is exhausted. Hence the hair and temples turn white, the body becomes heavy, one's walk becomes unsteady, and one is no longer able to have children.' Huangdi said: 'But there are those who, though already old in years, are still able to have children — why is this?' Qibo said: 'This is because their heavenly allotted lifespan exceeds the ordinary measure, and their qi and vessels remain constantly open and unobstructed, so that their kidney qi still has a surplus. Although such a person may still have children, in a man this will not go beyond eight eights (sixty-four), and in a woman not beyond seven sevens (forty-nine), for by then the essential qi of Heaven and Earth within them will have become entirely exhausted.' Huangdi said: 'Now, those who follow the Way — can they live to a hundred years and still be able to have children?' Qibo said: 'Those who follow the Way are able to hold back old age and keep their bodies whole. Even though they may be advanced in years, they remain able to father children.'

Huangdi said: 'I have heard that in high antiquity there were Realized Persons (zhenren) who grasped and held Heaven and Earth, who mastered yin and yang, who breathed the essential qi, who stood alone and guarded their spirit, so that their muscles and flesh were as one — hence they could live as long as Heaven and Earth, without any limit or end. This was because they lived according to the Way. In middle antiquity, there were Consummate Persons (zhiren) whose virtue was pure and whose grasp of the Way was complete. They harmonized themselves with yin and yang, attuned themselves to the four seasons, withdrew from the ordinary world and departed from vulgar customs, accumulated their essence and kept their spirit whole, and roamed freely between Heaven and Earth, their sight and hearing extending beyond the eight directions. This is how they increased their years and strengthened themselves, and they too returned to the state of the Realized Persons. Next there were Sages who dwelt in harmony with Heaven and Earth, followed the principles of the eight winds, and adapted their cravings and desires to the ordinary world. They harbored no feelings of resentment or anger; in their conduct they did not wish to separate themselves from the world, yet in their dress and bearing they did not wish to conform to vulgar fashion. Outwardly they did not wear out their bodies with worldly affairs, and inwardly they were free from the burden of anxious thoughts. They made tranquility and contentment their constant task, and self-fulfillment their achievement; their bodies did not become worn out, nor did their essence and spirit scatter, and so they too could live to a hundred years. Next there were Worthies who took Heaven and Earth as their model, patterned themselves on the sun and moon, discerned and arrayed themselves according to the stars and constellations, followed yin and yang in their proper accord and opposition, and distinguished the four seasons. They sought to follow high antiquity and unite themselves with the Way, and so they too were able to increase their lifespan, though theirs had its limit.'