Line-Changes, Nurturing Nature and Destiny, the Three Treasures, and Flowing Pearl (chapters 19-24)

19 New-moon dawn is Fu: yang breath first flows through. Coming and going without haste, it raises a marker of nascent strength. The Yellow Bell establishes zi; signs begin to grow manifest. It spreads a yielding warmth and the multitudes receive their due. At the furnace, set out the rules and open the way for true light. Its radiance advances by degrees, lengthening day by day. At chou, its great companion joins it, setting right the rise and fall. Rising to form Tai, firm and yielding both flourish. Traveling far, they meet: the small departs and the great comes. They gather like spokes at silver, turning with the season. Passing on to Da Zhuang, they flank the gate of mao. Elm seeds fall, returning to the root. Punishment and virtue oppose each other; day and night first divide. In Guai, yin withdraws, and yang rises forward. Wings are washed, old dust shaken away. Qian is vigorous and radiant, casting its light on all four neighbors. Yang ends at si, meeting and touching at the center. Joining begins in due sequence: treading frost comes first. A cold spring wells from the bottom of the well; wu is marked by the pitch pipe Ruibin. The guest submits to yin, and yin becomes host. Dun leaves the world and relinquishes its place, gathering in its essence; holding virtue and waiting for its time, it lingers in the dimness. Pi is obstructed: shoots do not grow. Yin extends and yang bends, hiding yang's very name. Observe its weights and measures; study the manifold signs of autumn. Entrust it with tender young life, so the old and withered flourish again. Shepherd's purse and wheat sprout, breaking through their covering to grow. Bo strips and destroys the limbs, diminishing their form. The transforming breath spent, the highest spirit is lost. When the Way reaches its limit, it turns back to Kun, its source. Always following the patterns of earth, it receives and spreads heaven's commands. Deep and distant, it links what lies apart. At the appointed measure it nurtures seeds, the source of yin and yang. Vast and indistinct, its origin cannot be known. First it loses the path; afterward it becomes master. No level ground remains without a slope: such is the Way's nature. Changes return to fullness; waning and waxing succeed each other. Kun ends and Fu begins, joined like an endless ring. Emperors take up its governance, enduring for a thousand years.

20 If you would nurture your nature and prolong your destined years, consider the end and think first of the beginning. The body a person receives was originally nothing. Primal essence spread like clouds and took its first support in breath. Yin and yang gave it measure, a dwelling for the sun-soul and moon-soul. The yang spirit is the sun-soul, the yin spirit the moon-soul; each becomes the other's lodging. Nature reigns within, setting its boundaries; feeling rules outward work, raising ramparts and walls. When walls and ramparts are whole, those within are safe. At this time, feeling is in harmony with Qian and Kun. Qian moves straight, its breath spreading and essence flowing; Kun is still and receptive, a dwelling for the Way. The firm bestows and withdraws, the yielding transforms and nourishes. Nine returns and seven turns back; eight goes home and six remains. The man is white, the woman red; metal and fire bind each other. Thus water restrains fire at the beginning of the five phases. Supreme goodness is like water, pure and without blemish. The Way's image, the true One, is hard to depict. Changed and dispersed, they each dwell alone. Like a hen's egg, white and black match, an inch in width and length at the beginning. Four limbs, five inner organs, sinews and bones then all come together. After ten months it emerges from the womb, with bones soft enough to bend and flesh as smooth as lead.

21 The burning mirror draws down fire: without the sun it gives no light. Without the stars and moon, how could the moon mirror gather water? These two breaths are mysterious and far away, yet their response and transformation still reach each other. How much more so what dwells close in the body, held within the heart and breast! Yin and yang pair with sun and moon; water and fire provide the proof.

22 Ears, eyes, and mouth are the three treasures: close their gates and let nothing pass. The perfected person hides in the deep abyss, afloat but keeping within the circle, turning and bending to see and hear; opening and closing both accord with the union. These are the pivots of oneself, inexhaustible in motion and stillness. Li's breath serves as inner guard; Kan no longer uses its sharp hearing. Dui's mouth closes, no longer speaking; sparing of words, one follows the primal mist. Once the three are fastened shut, relax the body in an empty room. Give up your will to emptiness and make freedom from thought your constant state. The proof cannot be shifted by argument; fix the mind and do not let it wander. In sleep, the spirits embrace one another; awake, watch for their presence or absence. The complexion grows moist, and the joints grow stronger. Drive away the multitude of dark malign influences; then establish the true yang. Cultivate it unceasingly in the body, until gathered breath travels like cloud and rain, soaking like spring showers, flowing like thawing ice. From the head it runs down to the feet, then rises back up again; coming and going, it penetrates without limit, filling the body with warmth. Return is the evidence of the Way; weakness is virtue's key. Plow away old filth, bringing even the smallest things into harmony. What is turbid leads toward clarity; after long darkness comes bright light.

23 People of the world delight in petty arts, never probing how deep the Way runs. They abandon the true for crooked paths, craving speed yet finding their way blocked. They are like the blind refusing a staff, or the deaf trying to hear the notes gong and shang; they dive beneath water to catch pheasants and rabbits, climb mountains seeking fish and dragons, plant wheat hoping to reap millet, or wield a compass to draw a square. They exhaust their strength and spirit; a whole year yields no result. If you would know the method of ingesting the subdued substance, it is simple, not elaborate.

24 The sun's flowing pearl forever seeks to leave us. But when it meets the Golden Flower, the two turn and follow one another; it becomes a white liquid, then congeals to utter hardness. The Golden Flower calls first, and in a moment it dissolves into water, like horse teeth and gleaming stone. Yang then comes to join it, as feeling and nature naturally do. With time pressing and yin advancing, keep it confined behind the closed gate. A loving mother nurtures; a devoted son repays her care. A stern father issues commands and instructs his descendants. The five phases alternately reign, generating one another in turn: fire's nature melts metal; metal fells wood so it may flourish. Three and five joined with one are heaven and earth's highest essence. It may be imparted by spoken instructions but is hard to transmit in writing.At zi turn to the right; at wu the chariot wheels round. Mao and you mark the boundary, and host and guest are two names. The dragon calls to the tiger, the tiger draws in the essence. Each drinks and feeds on the other, each greedily takes its share; they seize one another in their jaws, chew, and swallow. Mars guards the west; Venus crosses the sky. Where deadly breath descends, what does not fall? The wildcat and dog watch the mouse; small birds fear the hawk. Each has its work: who dares make a sound? Without the principle one cannot speak recklessly. They use up the household estate, leaving wife and children hungry and poor. From antiquity until now, millions have loved the art, but scarcely any have met the right conjunction and succeeded. Seeking rare medicines far and wide, they stray from the Way.

19 At the new moon's dawn comes Fu, Return: yang energy begins to flow. It goes in and out without trouble, showing the faint first sign of firmness. The Yellow Bell's note establishes zi, and the first signs grow clear. It spreads mild warmth, and the people find their normal life. At the furnace, apply the rules and open a path for proper light. The brightness gradually grows and the days get longer. At chou comes Da Lü, the Great Companion, setting rise and fall in order. Rising, it makes Tai, Peace, where firm and soft both flourish. They meet after traveling far: what is small goes and what is great comes. They gather at the hub of yin, moving with the season. It gradually reaches Da Zhuang, Great Strength, arrayed at the gate of mao. Elm seeds fall and return to their roots. Punishment and virtue confront each other, and day and night first divide. In Guai, Breakthrough, yin withdraws and yang moves forward and upward. Wash the feathers and shake away old dust. Qian is strong and bright, reaching widely in all four directions. Yang ends at si; in the middle they meet. Their union begins the sequence, with walking on frost as its first sign. At the bottom of the well is a cold spring; wu brings the note Rui Bin. The guest hides in yin, and yin is the host. Dun, Withdrawal, leaves the world and its position, gathering its essence. Keeping its virtue, it waits in the dark. Pi, Obstruction, closes the passage, and no shoots grow. Yin extends and yang contracts, hiding even yang's name. Observe their measure and the conditions of autumn. Nurture what is young and small, and what is old and dry grows green again. Shepherd's purse and wheat put out shoots beneath the covering. Bo, Stripping, destroys the limbs and reduces the body. When the transforming energy runs out, the highest spirit is lost. At the end of the path it turns back to Kun, the original earth. Constantly follow earth's pattern and receive and spread heaven's will. What is dark and distant is joined across the divide. In season it raises seed, the origin of yin and yang. It is vast and dim; no one knows where it begins. At first it loses its way; afterward it takes charge. No level ground stays without a slope: that is the Way's natural course. Change grows strong again, waxing and waning in succession. Kun ends and Fu begins, like links in an endless ring. Rulers follow this course and endure for a thousand years.

20 If you want to nourish your nature and prolong your life, consider the end carefully by thinking first about the beginning. The body we receive begins in nothing. Original essence spreads like a cloud and finds its beginning in energy. Yin and yang provide its measure and a dwelling for the soul and bodily spirit. Yang's spirit is the sun-soul; yin's spirit is the moon's bodily spirit. Each of these makes a home for the other. Inner nature stays inside, marking out its boundaries. Outer feelings work outside, building walls around it. Once the walls are whole, those inside are safe. Then feelings are in harmony with Qian and Kun. Qian moves straight, spreading energy and making essence flow. Kun is still and receptive, a home for the Way. The firm gives and withdraws; the soft transforms and nourishes. Nine returns and seven comes back; eight goes home and six remains. The male is white and the female red; metal and fire hold one another. Then water steadies fire, at the beginning of the five phases. The highest good is like water, clean and without a blemish. The Way's form, the true One, is hard to depict. It changes and spreads, each part dwelling apart. It resembles an egg, with white and black fitting together, an inch across at its beginning. Its four limbs, five organs, sinews, and bones take shape. After a full ten months, it leaves the womb. Its bones are soft enough to bend, its flesh smooth as lead.

21 A burning mirror draws fire, but without the sun it gives no light. How could a water-drawing mirror gather water without the stars and moon? The two energies are mysterious and far away, yet they respond to one another in change. How much more can what lies close within the body respond? The key is in the heart. Yin and yang correspond to sun and moon; water and fire show the effects.

22 Ears, eyes, and mouth are three treasures: close their gates and do not let anything out. The realized person hides deep in the water and moves while staying within the circle. Turning to see and hear, opening and closing, all follow the same pattern. They become your central controls, never exhausted by movement or stillness. Li's energy guards and nourishes within; Kan does not use sharp hearing. Dui closes instead of talking; speaking little follows the first undivided state. Once all three are shut, relax the body and remain in an empty room. Let your will return to emptiness and make freedom from thought your normal state. The proof cannot be shifted about; keep the mind fixed rather than moving from one thing to another. In sleep the spirits embrace; awake, watch whether they remain or depart. The complexion slowly grows moist and the joints grow stronger. Drive out all harmful yin, then establish proper yang. Practice this without stopping, and many energies travel like clouds and rain. They flow like spring rain and melt like thawing ice, passing from head to foot, then rising again. They come and go through boundless space, gently filling the body. Returning is the sign of the Way; softness is virtue's key. Cultivate away old impurities, and the smallest parts will work smoothly. What is cloudy can become clear; after long darkness comes light.

23 People like minor techniques and do not judge how deep the Way goes. They abandon the right path for a crooked shortcut; in their hurry, they block the passage. They are like blind people refusing a staff, deaf people trying to hear musical notes, people diving into water to catch pheasants and rabbits, climbing a mountain to seek fish and dragons, planting wheat and expecting millet, or using a compass to draw a square. They wear out body and mind and see no results for a whole year. If you want to know the method of preparing and taking the medicine, it is simple, not complicated.

24 The sun's flowing pearl always tries to escape. When it finds golden brilliance, they turn together and depend on each other, changing into a white liquid that sets hard. Golden brilliance calls first; in a moment it dissolves into water, like toothed crystals of beautiful stone. Yang then joins it, following their natural inclinations. Pressed by the passing hours of yin, they are held inside the barred gate. A loving mother nourishes her child; a devoted child repays his mother. A strict father gives orders and instructs his children and grandchildren. The five phases take turns in power and generate one another. Fire melts metal, while metal cuts back the flourishing wood. Three, five, and one are the finest essence of heaven and earth. This can be taught by word of mouth but is hard to pass on in writing.At zi turn right; at wu the wheel turns. Mao and you are the dividing line between the two named host and guest. Dragon calls to tiger and tiger draws in essence. The two feed upon each other, each eager for the other. They seize, swallow, chew, and consume one another. Mars guards the west; Venus crosses the heavens. Where killing energy reaches, nothing can remain standing. A cat and dog watch a mouse; small birds fear a hawk. Each has its own power; how dare it make a sound? Without understanding the principle, it is hard to speak about it carelessly. People exhaust the family wealth, leaving wife and children hungry and poor. From ancient times to now, hundreds of millions have sought it, but hardly any meet with success; few complete it. They search widely for famous drugs, which are far from the Way.