The Maiden and the Yellow Sprout, Male and Female, Punishment and Virtue, the Sages' Refining (chapters 25-31)

25 If you truly meet with it, behold its first signs. Compare like with like and consider a substance from beginning to end. The five phases overcome one another and become parents in turn. The mother holds nourishing fluid; the father bestows what he carries. Essence condenses and form flows forth; metal and stone do not decay. Guard it intently without leakage, and you can attain the Way. Set up a pole and its shadow appears; call into a valley and its echo returns. Is this not wondrous? Such are the supreme images of heaven and earth. But take an inch of wild kudzu or an ounce of croton: as soon as it reaches the throat, the body stiffens, unable to bend or lift its head. At such a moment, could King Wen of Zhou cast the yarrow stalks, Confucius divine by the images, Bian Que wield his needle, or the shaman Xian beat his drum and bring the dead back to life, to rise and run again?

26 The lovely maiden beside the river is most marvelously numinous. Given fire she flies away, leaving not a trace of dust: hidden like a ghost, concealed like a dragon, no one knows where she is. If you would restrain her, let the yellow sprout be your root. Where things are made of yin alone or yang alone, they defy heaven and turn against their source. A hen laying her own eggs produces no complete chicks. Why is that? The pair has not joined; three and five do not meet, firm and yielding are parted. The essence that gives and transforms belongs to heaven and earth by nature: fire moves and blazes upward, water flows and moistens downward. No master teaches them to do so. The forces that govern them were fixed at the beginning and cannot be altered. See how, when female and male mate, firm and yielding bind inextricably. They find their proper measure and tally; no craftsman contrives to govern them. At birth the boy lies face down, the girl lies on her back. So it is when they first receive breath in the womb; these signs appear not only at birth but again at death. No parental command taught them this: the pattern was established first, at their conception.

27 Kan, the male, is the moon; Li, the female, is the sun. The sun bestows its virtue; the moon spreads its light. The moon receives the sun's transforming power, its body unstained. If the sun loses its counterpart, yin invades its radiance. At dark moon and new moon they draw close in eclipse, covering and eclipsing one another; the sun's form dwindles and disaster comes as yin prevails. Man and woman wait for one another, sustained by the earth they hold. Male and female intermingle, seeking their own kind. Metal becomes water, whose nature spreads in every direction; fire becomes earth, and water cannot flow. The man moves and bestows outwardly; the woman is still and stores within. If he exceeds the measure, she holds him fast; the moon-soul seals the sun-soul against excess and indulgence. Neither cold nor hot, they advance and withdraw with the season, each attaining harmony, both uttering the tally of right rule.

28 Cinnabar is the essence of wood; meeting metal, it joins with it. Metal and water unite; wood and fire are companions. These four mingle in chaos and arrange themselves as dragon and tiger. The yang dragon's number is odd; the yin tiger's number is even. The blue liver is father, the white lungs mother, the black kidneys son, the red Li daughter, the yellow spleen ancestor; zi and wu mark the beginning. Three substances form one family, returning together to wu and ji.

29 Firm and yielding rise in turn and spread through successive stages. Dragon in the west and tiger in the east set the transverse line at mao and you. Punishment and virtue meet together and rejoice at seeing each other; punishment governs suppression and killing, virtue the stirring of life. In the second month elm seeds fall and the Dipper's bowl reaches mao; in the eighth month wheat grows and the Dipper's handle occupies you. Zi is south, wu north; each provides the other's guiding order. The numbers one and nine end and begin anew. Holding the primal breath at Xu and Wei, it sows its essence at zi.

30 “Calling, calling, the ospreys on the river island; a graceful, gentle maiden is the noble man's good mate.” The male does not dwell alone, nor the female live in solitude. The Dark Warrior's tortoise and snake coil around and support each other, showing that female and male must need one another. Suppose two women share a room, both exceedingly lovely. Let Su Qin speak between them and Zhang Yi broker their match; let them unfold eloquent arguments and beautiful phrases, lay bare their hearts, and bring them together as spouses. Their hair would wear thin and their teeth rot before they could ever know each other. If the medicines are not of one kind, their names and classes differ, their divisions and measures are at odds, and their governing order is lost. Even if the Yellow Emperor stood at the furnace, the Grand Duke tended the fire, the Eight Lords pounded and refined, and the lord of Huainan mixed the substances; even if they built a high altar-house with jade steps, offered unicorn meat and phoenix fat, held scriptures and knelt long in prayer to the gods, implored the ghosts for mercy, bathed and fasted in hope of fulfillment, it would be like mending a cauldron with glue, dressing a wound with sal ammoniac, adding ice to dispel cold, or using hot water to relieve heat: a flying tortoise or dancing snake would only make the absurdity plainer.

31 The sages and wise people of old embraced mystery and held fast to truth, subduing and refining in nine cauldrons. They changed their tracks and went into hiding, preserved essence and nourished spirit, and brought their virtue into communion with the three lights. Vital fluids entered the tissues; sinews and bones grew firm. All malignant influences were driven away and true breath endured. Through long accumulation their forms changed and they became immortals. Moved by pity for later generations of seekers of the Way, they traced its outward signs and pointed to ancient writings, making collections of diagrams to reveal it to their descendants. They showed the branches while hiding the root, using various names and disguising it in confused writings. Students who received these kept them in caskets their whole lives. Sons continued their fathers' work; grandsons followed their ancestors. Handed down through generations, their confusion brought no understanding. Thus officials did not take office, farmers neglected their fields, merchants abandoned their wares, and aspiring scholars impoverished their households. Deeply distressed, I have put this writing in order: its words are few and easy to ponder, its procedure brief and not complex. I unfold its stages so the reality can be examined; each portion has its measure, and the steps follow one another. Thus I have written these closing verses to open its gateway. Let the wise examine them closely and bring all their attention to bear.

25 If you carefully meet the right conditions, you will see how it begins. Compare things by their kinds and study their beginnings and ends. The five phases overcome one another and become parents in turn. The mother holds nourishing fluid; the father provides and gives. Their essence takes shape, and metal and stone do not decay. Keep careful focus without letting it escape, and you can complete the Way. Set up a pole and see its shadow; call into a valley and hear the echo. Isn't this marvelous? These are great signs from heaven and earth. But if you swallow an inch of wild kudzu or one liang of croton seeds, your body stiffens as soon as they enter your throat and you cannot bend or straighten up. At that point, could King Wen cast yarrow stalks, Confucius read the images, Bian Que wield his needle, or Wu Xian beat his drum and bring you back to life, running about again?

26 The young woman by the river is wonderfully powerful. Given fire, she flies away without leaving a trace of dust. Hidden like a ghost or dragon, no one knows where she is. If you want to control her, the yellow sprout must be the root. Things consist of yin and yang; to violate heaven is to turn against the origin. If a hen lays eggs by herself, her chicks will not develop fully. Why? The mating has not taken place; three and five have not joined, and hard and soft are separated. The essence that brings about change comes naturally from heaven and earth. Fire rises as it burns, water flows down and moistens. No teacher has to tell them to do it: the forces governing their proper courses cannot be changed. Look at male and female as they mate: hard and soft bind inseparably. They have the right timing, not a craftsman's clever way of directing them. A boy is born face down, a girl face up. This happens at the first breath received in the womb; it is visible not just at birth but even at death. Their parents did not teach them to do this. It was established at their conception from the start.

27 Kan is the male moon, Li the female sun. The sun gives its power and the moon sends forth light; the moon receives change from the sun without injury to its body. When the sun loses its match, yin encroaches on its brightness. At new moon and month's end an eclipse covers them; they overwhelm each other. The sun's form diminishes and harm arises from yin's dominance. Male and female need each other, nourished by earth inside them. The sexes mix and seek others of their kind. Metal changes into water and water wanders widely. Fire changes into earth, preventing water from moving. The male moves and gives outwardly; the female rests and holds within. When he exceeds the limit, she holds him back. The moon's bodily spirit restrains the sun-soul so that it cannot run wild. Neither cold nor hot, their movements accord with the time. Each finds harmony, and together they issue the signs that govern them.

28 Cinnabar is the essence of wood and joins with metal when it finds it. Metal and water meet together; wood and fire become companions. These four are mixed in the formless beginning and arranged as dragon and tiger. The dragon is yang, with odd numbers; the tiger is yin, with even numbers. The blue-green liver is the father, the white lungs the mother, the black kidneys the son, red Li the daughter, and the yellow spleen the ancestor. Zi and wu are the beginning. The three substances are one family and all return to wu and ji.

29 Hard and soft rise in turn and each takes its place. Dragon is in the west and tiger in the east, setting the crosswise line through mao and you. Punishment and virtue meet and are happy to see each other. Punishment governs suppression and death; virtue governs birth and growth. In the second month elm seeds fall as the Dipper's bowl points at mao. In the eighth month wheat grows as its handle rests at you. Zi lies to the south and wu to the north; they give each other their guiding measures. The numbers one and nine end and begin again. The original energy is contained in the Xu and Wei stars and spreads its essence at zi.

30 “Ospreys call to one another on the island in the river. A graceful, good young woman is a fitting partner for a good man.” The male does not live alone and the female does not dwell by herself. In the Dark Warrior, tortoise and snake coil together and support one another. This shows that female and male need each other. Suppose two beautiful women live together. Let Su Qin speak for them and Zhang Yi arrange the match. Let them argue skillfully, use fine words, speak from the heart, and try to make them husband and wife. Even when their hair is worn out and their teeth rotten, they will never come together as a couple. If the medicinal ingredients are not of the same stock, if their names and kinds differ and their measured portions do not match, their proper order is lost. Even if the Yellow Emperor attended the furnace, the Grand Duke tended the fire, the Eight Lords pounded and refined the ingredients, and Huainan mixed them; even if they built a lofty altar with jade steps, offered unicorn meat and phoenix fat, knelt holding ritual tablets, prayed to the gods, pleaded with ghosts, bathed and fasted in hope of success, it would be like mending a pot with glue, treating a wound with sal ammoniac, adding ice to take away cold, or using hot water to remove heat. A flying tortoise and a dancing snake only make the error more obvious.

31 The sages of old kept the hidden truth close. They prepared medicines in the nine cauldrons, concealed their traces, and lived unseen. They held their essence and nourished their spirits, shared the power of the three lights, brought nourishing fluid into the pores, and strengthened sinews and bones. They drove out all harmful forces and kept the right energy alive. Over a long time they changed form and became immortals. They cared for later students who loved the Way. They followed old patterns and pointed to ancient writings, producing illustrated collections to show future generations. They revealed the branches but hid the root; they gave things many names and obscured them in confusing texts. Students got these writings and kept them boxed up all their lives. Sons took over their fathers' work and grandsons followed their grandfathers. This legacy of confusion gave no real understanding. Officials left office, farmers neglected their fields, merchants gave up their goods, and ambitious men impoverished their households. This pains me deeply, so I have recorded this text carefully. Its words are brief and easy to think through; its procedure is simple. I list its steps and show the facts clearly. The portions have fixed measures and follow one another. So I have made these final verses to open a door into it. Wise people should think carefully and compare their meanings.