Four Hundred Characters on the Golden Elixir (Jindan Sibaizi)
Zhang Boduan's Preface
Classical Chinese
1.七返九還金液大丹者，七乃火數，九乃金數，以火煉金，返本還源，謂之金丹也。以身心分上下兩弦，以神氣別冬夏二至，以形神契坎離二卦。以東魂之木，西魄之金，南神之火，北精之水，中意之土，是為攢簇五行。以含眼光，凝耳韻，調鼻息，絨舌氣，是為和合四象。以眼不視而魂在肝，耳不聞而精在腎，舌不聲而神在心，鼻不香而魄在肺，四肢不動而意在脾，故名曰五氣朝元。以精化為氣，以氣化為神，以神化為虛，故名曰三花聚頂。以魂在肝而不從眼漏，魄在肺而不從鼻漏，神在心而不從口漏，精在腎而不從耳漏，意在脾而不從四肢孔竅漏，故曰無漏。精、神、魂、魄、意相與混融，化為一氣，不可見聞，亦無名狀，故曰虛無。煉精者，煉元精，非淫佚所感之精。煉氣者，煉元氣，非口鼻呼吸之氣。煉神者，煉元神，非心意念慮之神。故此神、氣、精者，與天地同其根，與萬物同其體，得之則生，失之則死。以陽火煉之，則化成陽氣。以陰符養之，則化成陰精。故曰見之不可用，用之不可見。身者，心之宅；心者，身之主。心之猖狂如龍，身之獰惡如虎。身中有一點真陽之氣，心中有一點真陰之精，故曰二物。心屬乾，身屬坤，故曰乾坤鼎器。陽氣屬離，陰精屬坎，故曰烏兔、藥物。抱一守中，煉元養素，故曰採先天混元之氣。朝屯暮蒙，畫午夜子，故曰行周天之火候。木液旺在卯，金精旺在酉，故當沐浴。震男飲西酒，兌女攀北花，巽風吹起六陽坤土藏蓄之數，故當抽添。夫採藥之初也，動乾坤之橐籥，取離坎之刀圭。初時如雲滿千山，次則如月涵萬水，自然如龜蛇之交合，馬牛之步驟。殊不知龍爭魂，虎爭魄，烏戰精，兔戰神，恍惚之中見真鉛，杏冥之內有真汞。以黃婆媒合，守在中宮，鉛見火則飛，汞見火則走，遂以無為油和之，復以無名璞鎮之，鉛歸坤宮，汞歸乾位，真土混合，含光默默。火數盛則燥，水銖多則濫，火之燥，水之濫，不可以不調匀，故有斤兩法度。修煉至此，泥丸風生，絳宮月明，丹田火熾，穀海波澄，夾脊如車輪，四肢如山石，毛竅如浴之方起，骨脈如睡之正酣，精神如夫婦歡合，魂魄如子母留戀，此乃真境界也，非譬喻也。以法度煉之，則聚而不散。以斤兩煉之，則結而愈堅。魂藏魄滅，精結神凝，一意沖和，肌膚爽透，隨日隨時，漸凝漸聚，無質生質，結成聖胎。夫一年，十有二月也。一月，三十日也。一日，百刻也。一月總計三千刻，十月總計三萬刻，行住坐臥，綿綿若存，胎氣既凝，嬰兒顯相，玄珠成象，太乙含真，故此二萬刻之中，可以奪天上三萬年之數。何也？一刻之工夫，自有一年之節候，所以二萬刻，可以奪三萬年之數也。故一年十二月，總有三萬六千之數。雖愚昧小人行之，立擠聖地。奈何百姓日用而不知也，元精喪也，元氣竭也，元神離也，是以三萬刻，刻刻要調和。如有一刻差遠，則藥材消耗，火候虧缺，故曰毫髮差殊不作丹也。是宜刻刻用事，用之不勞，真氣凝結，元神廣大。內則一年煉三萬刻之丹，外則一身奪三萬年之數。大則一日結一萬三千五百息之胎，小則十二時行八萬四千里之氣。故曰奪天地一點之陽，採日月二輪之氣，行真水於鉛爐，運真火於汞鼎。以鉛見汞，名曰華池。以汞入鉛，名曰神水。不可執於無為，不可形於有作，不可泥於存想，不可著於持守，不可枯坐灰心，不可盲修瞎煉，惟恐不識藥材出處，文恐不知火候法度。要須知夫身中一竅，名曰玄牝，此竅者非心非腎，非口鼻也，非脾胃也，非穀道也，非膀胱也，非丹田也，非泥丸也。能知此之一竅，則冬至在此矣，藥物在此矣，火候亦在此矣，沐浴亦在此矣。結胎在此矣，脫體不在此矣。夫此一竅，亦無邊傍，更無內咎，乃神氣之根，虛無之谷，在身中而求之，不可求於他也。此之一竅，不可以私急為度，是必心傳口授。苟或不耳，皆妄為矣。今作此《金丹四百字》，包含造化之根基，貫穿陰陽之骨髓，使煉丹之士，尋流而知源，舍妄以從真，不至乎忘本逐末也。夫金丹於無中生有，養就嬰兒，豈可泥象執文而溺於旁膜曲徑。然金丹之生於無也，又不可為頑空，常知此空乃是真空，無中不無乃真虛無。今因馬自然去講此數語，汝其味之。
English
1 The Great Elixir of Golden Liquid comes from the Seven Returns and Nine Returnings. Seven is the number of fire, and nine is the number of metal. You use fire to refine metal, and so you go back to the root and return to the source. This is called the Golden Elixir. The body and the heart are divided into the upper and lower half-moons. Spirit and breath are set apart as the winter and summer solstices. Form and spirit match the two trigrams Kan and Li. Put the wood of the spirit-soul in the east, the metal of the body-soul in the west, the fire of the spirit in the south, the water of the essence in the north, and the earth of the intent in the center. This is called bringing the Five Phases together. Hold the light of the eyes inside. Still the sound in the ears. Regulate the breathing of the nose. Muffle the breath of the tongue. This is called joining the Four Images into harmony. When the eyes do not look, the spirit-soul stays in the liver. When the ears do not hear, the essence stays in the kidneys. When the tongue makes no sound, the spirit stays in the heart. When the nose smells no scent, the body-soul stays in the lungs. When the four limbs do not move, the intent stays in the spleen. This is why it is called “the Five Breaths Turn Toward the Origin.” Essence is changed into breath, breath is changed into spirit, and spirit is changed into emptiness. This is why it is called “the Three Flowers Gather at the Top of the Head.” The spirit-soul stays in the liver and does not leak out through the eyes. The body-soul stays in the lungs and does not leak out through the nose. The spirit stays in the heart and does not leak out through the mouth. The essence stays in the kidneys and does not leak out through the ears. The intent stays in the spleen and does not leak out through the openings of the four limbs. So it is called “no leaking.” Essence, spirit, spirit-soul, body-soul and intent blend and melt into one another. They turn into one breath that cannot be seen or heard and has no name or shape. So it is called “emptiness and nothingness.” To refine essence means to refine the original essence, not the essence that is stirred by lust. To refine breath means to refine the original breath, not the breath that goes in and out of the mouth and nose. To refine spirit means to refine the original spirit, not the spirit of the mind's ideas, thoughts and worries. So this spirit, breath and essence have the same root as heaven and earth and the same body as all things. Get them and you live. Lose them and you die. Refine them with yang fire, and they turn into yang breath. Nourish them with the yin tally, and they turn into yin essence. So it is said, “When you see it, you cannot use it. When you use it, you cannot see it.” The body is the house of the heart. The heart is the master of the body. The heart runs wild like a dragon. The body is fierce like a tiger. In the body there is one spot of true yang breath. In the heart there is one spot of true yin essence. So they are called “the two things.” The heart belongs to Qian and the body belongs to Kun. So it is called “the Qian and Kun cauldron and vessel.” Yang breath belongs to Li and yin essence belongs to Kan. So they are called “the crow and the hare” and “the medicine.” Embrace the One and guard the center. Refine the original and nourish the plain. So it is called “gathering the breath of the original chaos from before Heaven.” The hexagram Zhun is for the morning and the hexagram Meng for the evening. Noon is for the day and midnight for the night. So it is called “running the fire timing around the full circuit of heaven.” The wood liquid is strongest in the Mao hour, and the metal essence is strongest in the You hour. So this is when you should “bathe.” Zhen, the man, drinks the western wine. Dui, the girl, picks the northern flowers. The Xun wind blows up the number of the six yang lines that the earth of Kun had stored away. So this is when you should “draw off and add.” At the start of gathering the medicine, you work the bellows of Qian and Kun. You take the knife-tip measure from Li and Kan. At first it is like clouds filling a thousand mountains. Next it is like the moon held in ten thousand waters. Then, naturally, it is like the turtle and the snake mating, and like the horse and the ox walking at their steady pace. Few people know that the dragon fights over the spirit-soul, the tiger fights over the body-soul, the crow battles over the essence, and the hare battles over the spirit. In the dim and hazy, true lead appears. In the dark and deep, there is true mercury. The Yellow Dame acts as go-between and joins them, and she stays in the central palace. Lead flies off when it meets fire. Mercury runs off when it meets fire. So mix them with the oil of non-action. Then hold them down with the nameless uncut jade. Lead returns to the palace of Kun. Mercury returns to the seat of Qian. True earth blends them together, and they hold their light in silence. When the fire count is high, things dry out. When the water weighs too much, things flood. Because fire dries and water floods, you must always keep them evenly balanced. That is why there are measures in pounds and ounces, and fixed rules. When your practice reaches this point, wind rises in the Mud Pellet, and the moon shines in the Crimson Palace. Fire blazes in the Elixir Field, and the waves in the Grain Sea settle and grow clear. The passage along the spine turns like a cartwheel. The four limbs are like mountain rock. The pores of the skin feel as they do just after a bath. The bones and vessels feel like the deepest part of sleep. Essence and spirit are like husband and wife in joyful union. The spirit-soul and body-soul are like mother and child who do not want to part. This is the true state. It is not a comparison. Refine them by the rules, and they gather and do not scatter. Refine them by the pounds and ounces, and they bind together and grow harder. The spirit-soul is stored away and the body-soul is put out. Essence binds and spirit settles. One intent is calm and in harmony. The skin and flesh feel fresh and clear through. With each day and each hour, it slowly settles and gathers. From what had no substance, substance is born, and it forms the holy embryo. A year has twelve months. A month has thirty days. A day has a hundred ke. So a month adds up to three thousand ke, and ten months add up to thirty thousand ke. Whether you are walking, standing, sitting or lying down, keep it going without a break, so faint that it only just seems to be there. Once the embryo's breath has set, the infant shows its form. The mysterious pearl takes shape. The Great One holds the truth. So within these twenty thousand ke, you can seize the number of thirty thousand years of Heaven. Why? The work of a single ke holds the seasons of a whole year. That is why twenty thousand ke can seize the number of thirty thousand years. So the twelve months of a year come to thirty-six thousand in all. Even a foolish, lowly person who practices this will at once be pushed into the holy ground. Sadly, ordinary people use it every day and do not know it. Their original essence is lost. Their original breath is used up. Their original spirit has gone. This is why, through all thirty thousand ke, every single ke must be kept in balance. If even one ke goes far wrong, the medicinal materials are used up and the fire timing comes up short. So it is said, “A hair's breadth of error, and no elixir is made.” So one should work at it every single ke. Done this way, it takes no toil. The true breath gathers and sets, and the original spirit grows vast. Inside, in one year you refine the elixir of thirty thousand ke. Outside, one body seizes the number of thirty thousand years. On the large scale, in one day you form the embryo of thirteen thousand five hundred breaths. On the small scale, in the twelve double-hours you move the breath through eighty-four thousand li. So it is said: seize the one point of yang from heaven and earth. Gather the breath of the two wheels, the sun and the moon. Run true water in the lead furnace. Carry true fire in the mercury cauldron. When lead meets mercury, it is called the Flower Pool. When mercury enters lead, it is called the Spirit Water. Do not cling to non-action. Do not show it as deliberate doing. Do not get stuck in visualizing. Do not fix on holding and guarding. Do not sit dry and empty with a heart turned to ash. Do not practice and refine blindly. The only fear is not knowing where the medicinal materials come from. Another fear is not knowing the fire timing and its rules. You must know the one opening in the body called the Mysterious Female. This opening is not the heart or the kidneys. It is not the mouth or the nose. It is not the spleen or the stomach. It is not the anus, the bladder, the Elixir Field, or the Mud Pellet. If you can know this one opening, then the winter solstice is here, the medicine is here, the fire timing is here, and the bathing is here. The forming of the embryo is here. The shedding of the body is not here. This one opening has no edges or sides, and no flaw within. It is the root of spirit and breath and the valley of emptiness and nothingness. Look for it inside the body. Do not look for it anywhere else. You cannot measure this opening by your own private haste. It must be passed on from heart to heart and by word of mouth. If it is not done this way, all of it is reckless action. Now I have written these Four Hundred Characters on the Golden Elixir. They hold the root and foundation of creation and change, and they run through the bone and marrow of yin and yang. They let those who refine the elixir follow the stream and know the source, give up the false and follow the true, and not forget the root to chase after the twig-ends. The Golden Elixir produces something out of nothing and nurtures an infant into being. How could anyone get stuck on images, cling to written words, and sink into side ways and crooked paths? Yet the Golden Elixir is born from nothing, and you must not mistake this for a dead, stubborn emptiness. Always know that this emptiness is true emptiness, and that what is not nothing within nothing is true emptiness and nothingness. Now I have explained these few words for Ma Ziran's sake. Savor them.
The Twenty Quatrains of Four Hundred Characters
Classical Chinese
2.真土擒真鉛，真鉛制真汞。鉛汞歸真土，身心寂不動。
3.虛無生白雪，寂靜發黃芽。玉爐火溫溫，鼎上飛紫霞。
4.華池蓮花開，神水金波靜。夜深月正明，天地一輪鏡。
5.朱砂煉陽氣，水銀烹金精。金精與陽氣，朱砂而水銀。
6.日魂玉兔脂，月魄金烏髓。撿來歸鼎中，化作一泓水。
7.藥物生玄竅，火候發陽爐。龍虎交會時，寶鼎產玄珠。
8.此竅非凡物，乾坤共合成。名為神氣穴，內有坎離精。
9.木汞一點紅，金鉛四斤黑。鉛汞結成珠，耿耿紫金色。
10.家園景物麗，風雨正春時。犁鋤不廢力，大地皆黃金。
11.真鉛生於坎，其用在離宮。以黑而變紅，一鼎雲氣濃。
12.真汞產於離，其用卻在坎。姹女過南園，手持玉橄欖。
13.震兌非東西，坎離不南北。斗柄運周天，要人會攢簇。
14.火候不用時，冬至不在子。乃其沐浴法，卯酉時虛比。
15.烏肝與兔髓，擒來歸一處。一粒復一粒，從微而至著。
16.混沌包虛空，虛空括三界。及尋其根源，一粒如黍大。
17.天地交真液，日月合真精。會得坎離基，三界歸一身。
18.龍從東海來，虎向西山起。兩獸戰一場，化作天地髓。
19.金花開汞葉，玉蒂長鉛枝。坎離不曾閑，乾坤經幾時。
20.沐浴防危險，抽添自謹持。都來三萬刻，差失恐毫釐。
21.夫婦交會時，洞房雲雨作。一載生箇兒，箇箇會騎鶴。
English
2 True earth catches true lead, and true lead controls true mercury. Lead and mercury return to true earth, and body and heart are still and do not move.
3 Emptiness and nothingness give birth to white snow, and stillness and quiet send out the yellow sprout. The fire in the jade furnace is gently warm, and purple mist flies above the cauldron.
4 Lotus flowers open in the Flower Pool, and the golden waves of the Spirit Water lie still. The night is deep and the moon is bright, and heaven and earth are one round mirror.
5 Cinnabar refines the yang breath, and mercury cooks the metal essence. The metal essence and the yang breath are cinnabar and mercury.
6 The sun's spirit-soul is the fat of the jade hare, and the moon's body-soul is the marrow of the golden crow. Gather them and bring them into the cauldron, and they turn into one clear pool of water.
7 The medicine grows in the mysterious opening, and the fire timing starts up in the yang furnace. When dragon and tiger meet and join, the precious cauldron brings forth the mysterious pearl.
8 This opening is no ordinary thing. Qian and Kun together made it. It is called the cavity of spirit and breath, and inside it are the essences of Kan and Li.
9 Wood mercury is one spot of red, and metal lead is four pounds of black. Lead and mercury bind into a pearl, shining bright in purple-gold.
10 The scenery of the home garden is lovely, with wind and rain in the middle of spring. Plow and hoe never stop working, and the whole earth turns to yellow gold.
11 True lead is born in Kan, but it is used in the palace of Li. It turns from black to red, and the whole cauldron is thick with cloud-like vapor.
12 True mercury is produced in Li, but it is used in Kan. The lovely maiden crosses the southern garden, holding a jade olive in her hand.
13 Zhen and Dui are not east and west, and Kan and Li are not south and north. The handle of the Dipper turns through the full circuit of the sky, and you must learn to bring them together.
14 The fire timing does not go by the clock hours, and the winter solstice is not at the Zi hour. The same goes for the method of bathing: the Mao and You hours are only a loose comparison.
15 The crow's liver and the hare's marrow are caught and brought to one place. One grain after another grows from something tiny until it shows plainly.
16 Chaos wraps around empty space, and empty space holds the three realms. But when you search for the root and source, it is one grain the size of a millet seed.
17 Heaven and earth exchange true liquid, and sun and moon join true essence. If you grasp the foundation of Kan and Li, the three realms return to one body.
18 The dragon comes from the Eastern Sea, and the tiger rises toward the Western Mountains. The two beasts fight one battle and turn into the marrow of heaven and earth.
19 Golden flowers open on the leaves of mercury, and jade stems grow on the branches of lead. Kan and Li have never been idle, but how much time have Qian and Kun gone through?
20 Guard against danger while bathing, and be careful and steady while drawing off and adding. It all takes thirty thousand ke, and a slip of even a hair's breadth is to be feared.
21 When husband and wife come together, the clouds and rain of lovemaking begin in the inner bridal chamber. In one year they bear a child, and every one of them can ride a crane.