Zhang Boduan · Complete work
The Twenty Quatrains of Four Hundred Characters
The Twenty Quatrains of Four Hundred Characters of 2. Read it here for reference, or continue through the entire work without leaving the reader.
Open the complete readerOriginal 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。
Musean translation
Mouseia’s complete machine-assisted Musean translation, made directly from the Chinese Wikisource transcription of the Daozang text (revision 2641073), covering the preface and all twenty quatrains, 1,750 characters, for fidelity, clarity, imagery and cadence.
2 True earth seizes true lead;true lead masters true mercury.Lead and mercury return to true earth;body and heart fall silent and do not stir.
3 From emptiness and nothingness white snow is born;from stillness and silence the yellow sprout comes forth.In the jade furnace the fire glows warm and gentle;above the cauldron purple mist takes wing.
4 In the Flower Pool the lotus blossoms open;on the Spirit Water the golden ripples lie still.Deep in the night the moon shines at its brightest;heaven and earth are one round mirror.
5 Cinnabar refines the yang breath;mercury simmers the metal essence.The metal essence and the yang breath—cinnabar, and mercury.
6 The sun's ethereal soul, the fat of the jade hare;the moon's corporeal soul, the marrow of the golden crow.Gather them in and return them to the cauldron,and they turn into one clear pool of water.
7 The medicinal substances are born in the mysterious aperture;the timing of the fire starts from the yang furnace.When dragon and tiger meet and join,the precious cauldron brings forth the mysterious pearl.
8 This aperture is no ordinary thing;Qian and Kun together joined to make it.It is named the Cavity of Spirit and Breath,and within it lies the essence of Kan and Li.
9 The mercury of wood: a single speck of red.The lead of metal: four catties of black.Lead and mercury congeal into a pearl,gleaming steadily, the color of purple gold.
10 The scenes of the garden at home are lovely,in wind and rain, in the very season of spring.Plow and hoe never spare their labor,and the whole earth is yellow gold.
11 True lead is born in Kan;its use lies in the palace of Li.Through black it changes to red,and a whole cauldron brims with thick clouds of vapor.
12 True mercury is produced in Li,yet its use lies in Kan.The Fair Maiden passes through the southern garden,a jade olive in her hand.
13 Zhen and Dui are not east and west,Kan and Li are not south and north.The handle of the Dipper turns through the heavenly circuit;one must learn how to gather them into a cluster.
14 The timing of the fire does not go by the hour;the winter solstice does not fall at Zi.Such is the method of the bath:the hours of Mao and You are only an empty analogy.
15 The liver of the crow and the marrow of the hareare seized and brought back to one place.Grain upon grain,from the faint they grow to the manifest.
16 Chaos wraps empty space;empty space encloses the three realms.Yet trace it back to its root and source,and it is one grain, as big as a millet seed.
17 Heaven and earth mingle true liquid;sun and moon unite true essence.Grasp the foundation of Kan and Li,and the three realms return into one body.
18 The dragon comes from the Eastern Sea;the tiger rises toward the western mountains.The two beasts fight a single battleand turn into the marrow of heaven and earth.
19 The golden flower opens on the mercury leaf;the jade calyx grows on the lead branch.Kan and Li have never been idle;Qian and Kun—how much time have they passed through?
20 In the bathing, guard against danger;in withdrawing and adding, hold yourself with care.All told, thirty thousand marks:what is to be feared is a slip of a hair's breadth.
21 When husband and wife meet and join,clouds and rain arise in the bridal chamber.Within a year a child is born,and every one of them can ride a crane.
Plain English translation
Mouseia’s complete Plain English edition, made independently and directly from the same original, covering the preface and all twenty quatrains, 1,750 characters.
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.