Hua Shu (化書) · Volume 1

道之委也，虛化神，神化氣，氣化形，形生而萬物所以塞也。道之用也，形化氣，氣化神，神化虛，虛明而萬物所以通也。是以古聖人窮通塞之端，得造化之源，忘形以養氣，忘氣以養神，忘神以養虛。虛實相通，是謂大同。故藏之為元精，用之為萬靈，含之為太一，放之為太清。是以坎離消長於一身，風雲發洩於七竅，真氣燻蒸而時無寒暑，純陽流注而民無死生，是謂神化之道者也。

The Dao (the word Laozi borrows for the origin of all things and the way they run, itself beyond naming) piles down: the void transforms into spirit, spirit transforms into qi (the flowing stuff that makes up and runs through all things), qi transforms into form, and once form is born, the myriad things are thereby clogged. When the Dao is put to work, form transforms into qi, qi transforms into spirit, spirit transforms into the void, and when the void is clear, the myriad things are thereby open and connected. So the sages of old searched out the beginnings of openness and blockage and found the source of creation: they forgot form to nourish qi, forgot qi to nourish spirit, and forgot spirit to nourish the void. When void and solid interpenetrate, this is called the Great Sameness. So when stored away it is the primal essence, when put to use it is the ten thousand numinous powers, when held in it is the Supreme One, and when released it is the Supreme Clarity. Thus kan and li wax and wane within a single body, wind and cloud issue from the seven orifices, true qi steams and rises so that the four seasons have no cold or heat, and pure yang flows and pours so that the people have neither death nor birth; this is called the Way of spirit transformation.

蛇化為龜，雀化為蛤。彼忽然忘曲屈之狀，而得蹣跚之質；此倏然失飛鳴之態，而得介甲之體。斫削不能加其功，繩尺不能定其象，何化之速也。且夫當空團塊，見塊而不見空；粉塊求空，見空而不見塊。形無妨而人自妨之，物無滯而人自滯之，悲哉！

A snake turns into a tortoise, and a sparrow turns into a clam. The snake suddenly forgets its coiling shape and gains the body of a waddling crawler; the sparrow in a moment loses its flying and singing posture and gains a shelled body. Knives and axes can no longer work on them, and cords and rulers can no longer fix their forms; how swift the change! Pack emptiness into a lump, and you see the lump and not the emptiness; grind the lump into powder to seek emptiness, and you see the emptiness and not the lump. Form was never an obstacle; people obstruct themselves. Things were never stagnant; people stagnate themselves. How sad!

老楓化為羽人，朽麥化為蝴蝶，自無情而之有情也。賢女化為貞石，山蚯化為百合，自有情而之無情也。是故土木金石，皆有情性精魄。虛無所不至，神無所不通，氣無所不同，形無所不類。孰為彼，孰為我？孰為有識，孰為無識？萬物，一物也；萬神，一神也，斯道之至矣。

An old maple turns into a feathered immortal, and rotten wheat turns into a butterfly: from the insentient to the sentient. A virtuous woman turns into a chaste stone, and a mountain earthworm turns into a lily: from the sentient to the insentient. So earth, wood, metal and stone all have feeling, nature, essence and soul. The void reaches everywhere, spirit connects everywhere, qi is the same everywhere, and form resembles everywhere. Which is that, and which is I? Which has awareness, and which has none? The myriad things are one thing, and the myriad spirits are one spirit; this is the utmost of the Dao.

目所不見，設明鏡而見之；耳所不聞，設虛器而聞之。精神在我，視聽在彼。跰趾可以割，陷吻可以補，則是耳目可以妄設，形容可以偽置。既假又假，既惑又惑。所以知魂魄魅我，血氣醉我，七竅囚我，五根役我。惟神之有形，由形之有疣。苟無其疣，何所不可？

What the eyes cannot see, set a bright mirror and one can see; what the ears cannot hear, set an empty vessel and one can hear. The spirit is in me, but the seeing and hearing are in the vessel. Webbed toes can be cut apart, and a sunken lip can be filled in, which shows that ears and eyes can be set up falsely and appearances can be faked. False upon false, bewildered upon bewildered. So I know that my soul and spirit are bewitching me, my blood and breath are intoxicating me, my seven orifices are imprisoning me, and my five roots are driving me. That spirit has a form is like a wart growing on the body. If there were no wart, what would be wrong with that?

作環舞者宮室皆轉，瞰迴流者頭目自旋。非宮室之幻惑也，而人自惑之；非迴流之改變也，而人自變之。是故粉巾為兔，藥石為馬，而人不疑；甘言巧笑，圖臉畫眉，而人不知。唯清靜者，物不能欺。

One who dances in a circle feels the halls and rooms all spinning; one who looks down at a whirlpool feels his own head and eyes revolving. It is not the halls that bewilder, it is the person who is bewildered; it is not the whirlpool that changes, it is the person who has changed. So when a powder cloth is turned into a rabbit, or medicinal stones into a horse, people do not doubt it; yet honeyed words and sweet smiles, painted faces and drawn eyebrows, people do not even notice. Only the person of purity and stillness cannot be deceived by things.

術有火練鉛丹以代穀食者，其必然也。然歲豐則能飽，歲儉則能飢，是非丹之恩，蓋由人之誠也。則是我本不飢而自飢之，丹本不飽而自飽之。飢者大妄，飽者大幻，蓋不齊其道也。故人能一有無，一死生，一情性，一內外，則可以蛻五行、脫三光，何患乎一日百食，何慮乎百日一食。

There is a certain art that uses fire-refined lead cinnabar in place of grain, and it sounds as if it must work. Yet in a bountiful year one eats one's fill, and in a lean year one goes hungry; this is not the cinnabar's kindness but depends on people's sincerity. So I was not hungry to begin with but made myself hungry, and the cinnabar was not filling to begin with but I made myself full. Hunger is a great delusion and fullness is a great illusion, because the Dao has no uniformity. So if a person can see being and non-being as one, death and life as one, feeling and nature as one, and inner and outer as one, he can shed the five phases of the world and slip free of the three lights; why worry about eating a hundred meals a day, or fret over eating one meal in a hundred days?

以一鏡照形，以餘鏡照影。鏡鏡相照，影影相傳，不變冠劍之狀，不奪黼黻之色。是形也與影無殊，是影也與形無異。乃知形以非實，影以非虛，無實無虛，可與道俱。

Use one mirror to reflect the form, and use the other mirrors to reflect the image. Mirrors reflect one another and images pass along to one another, without changing the shape of the cap and sword and without taking away the color of the embroidered robes. This form and image have no distinction, and this image and form have no difference. So one comes to know that form is not real and image is not unreal; with neither real nor unreal, one can be together with the Dao.

物有善於蟄藏者，或可以御大寒，或可以去大飢，或可以萬歲不死。以其心冥冥兮無所知，神怡怡兮無所之，氣熙熙無所為。萬慮不能惑，求死不可得。是以大人體物知身，體身知神，體神知真，是謂吉人之津。

There are creatures good at hibernating, which may withstand great cold, or do away with great hunger, or live ten thousand years without dying. This is because their hearts are dim and know nothing, their spirits are placid and have nowhere to go, and their qi is serene and does nothing. Ten thousand worries cannot confuse them, and even seeking death one cannot find it. So the great person studies things and knows the body, studies the body and knows the spirit, studies the spirit and knows the true, and this is called the ferry of the fortunate.

梟夜明而晝昏，雞晝明而夜昏，其異同也如是。或謂梟為異，則謂雞為同；或謂雞為異，則謂梟為同。孰梟雞之異晝夜乎？晝夜之異梟雞乎？孰晝夜之同梟雞乎？梟雞之同晝夜乎？夫耳中磬，我自聞；目中花，我自見。我之晝夜，彼之晝夜，則是晝不得謂之明，夜不得謂之昏。能齊昏明者，其唯大人乎！

An owl sees well at night and is dim by day, while a chicken sees well by day and is dim at night; this is how they differ and agree. Some say the owl is the odd one and the chicken is the normal one; others say the chicken is the odd one and the owl is the normal one. Is it the owl and the chicken that make day and night different, or day and night that make the owl and the chicken different? Is it day and night that make the owl and the chicken alike, or the owl and the chicken that make day and night alike? The chime in the ear is something I hear myself; the flowers in the eye are something I see myself. My day and night are their day and night, so day cannot be called bright and night cannot be called dim. Only the great person, I suppose, can make dimness and brightness one!

小人常有四鏡：一名璧，一名珠，一名砥，一名盂。璧視者大，珠視者小，砥視者正，盂視者倒。觀彼之器，察我之形，由是無大小、無長短、無妍醜、無美惡。所以知形氣謟我，精魄賊我，奸臣貴我，禮樂尊我。是故心不得為之君，王不得為之主。戒之如火，防之如虎。純儉不可襲，清靜（宋本：淨）不可侮，然後可以跡容廣而躋三五。

The petty person always has four mirrors: one called the jade disk, one called the pearl, one called the whetstone, and one called the bowl. Seen in the disk, he looks large; seen in the pearl, he looks small; seen in the whetstone, he looks upright; seen in the bowl, he looks upside down. Looking at those vessels and examining my own form, there is from this no large or small, no long or short, no beauty or ugliness, no good or evil. So I know that form and qi are flattering me, essence and soul are plotting against me, treacherous ministers are elevating me, and ritual and music are honoring me. So the heart cannot be its own ruler, and a king cannot be its master. Guard against it as against fire, and beware of it as of a tiger. Pure frugality cannot be encroached on, and purity and stillness (the Song edition has "净") cannot be insulted; only then can one's traces be allowed to be broad, and one can take one's place beside the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors.

射似虎者，見虎而不見石；斬暴蛟者，見蛟而不見水。是知萬物可以虛，我身可以無。以我之無，合彼之虛。自然可以隱，可以顯，可以死，可以生而無所拘。夫空中之塵若飛雪，而目未嘗見；穴中之蟻若牛鬥，而耳未嘗聞，況非見聞者乎！

One who shoots at a stone that looks like a tiger sees the tiger and does not see the stone; one who slays a fierce flood-dragon sees the dragon and does not see the water. From this we know the myriad things can be empty and my body can be nothing. Take my nothingness and join it to the emptiness of things, and naturally (ziran: "of itself so, as it has always been," not "nature" in the sense of the outdoors) one can hide, can appear, can die, can live, and be without hindrance. Dust in the air is like flying snow, yet the eyes have never seen it; ants in a hole are like oxen fighting, yet the ears have never heard it; how much less what was never seen or heard to begin with!

龍化虎變，可以蹈虛空，虛空非無也；可以貫金石，金石非有也。有無相通，物我相同。其生非始，其死非終。知此道者，形不可得斃，神不可得逝。

Dragons transform and tigers change; one can tread on the void, and the void is not nothing; one can pass through metal and stone, and metal and stone are not something. Being and non-being interpenetrate, and things and I are the same. Birth is not a beginning, and death is not an ending. One who knows this Dao cannot have his form killed, and cannot have his spirit extinguished.

遊雲無質，故五色舍焉；明鏡無瑕，故萬物象焉。謂水之含天也，必天之含水也。夫百步之外，鏡則見人，人不見影，斯為驗也。是知太虛之中無所不有，萬耀之內無所不見。則世人且知心仰寥廓，而不知跡處虛空。寥廓無所間，神明且不遠。是以君子常正其心，常儼其容。則可以游泳於寥廓，交友于神明而無咎也。

Drifting clouds have no substance, so the five colors dwell in them; a bright mirror has no flaw, so the myriad things take shape upon it. If one says water contains the sky, then surely the sky also contains water. A hundred paces away, a mirror can reflect a person, yet that person cannot see his own reflection; this is the proof. From this we know that within the Great Void there is nothing that is not present, and within the myriad brilliances there is nothing that is not seen. People only know that the heart gazes up at the vast expanse, but do not know that their own traces are right in the void. The vast expanse has no partition, and spirit and illumination are not far. So the noble person always keeps his heart upright and his bearing solemn, and can then swim in the vast expanse and befriend the spirits without blame.

有言臭腐之狀，則輒有所噦；聞珍羞之名，則妄有所咽。臭腐瞭然虛，珍羞必然無，而噦不能止，咽不能已。有懼菽醬若蝤蠐者，有愛鮑魚若鳳膏者。知此理者，可以齊奢儉，外榮辱，黜是非，忘禍福。

Some people, the moment they hear of something rotten and stinking, at once want to retch; on hearing the name of a delicacy, they swallow saliva out of nowhere. The rot is plainly unreal and the delicacy surely absent, yet the retching cannot be stopped and the swallowing cannot cease. Some fear bean paste as they fear grubs, and some love salted fish as they love phoenix marrow. One who understands this principle can make extravagance and frugality one, put honor and disgrace outside himself, dismiss right and wrong, and forget misfortune and fortune.

虛化神，神化氣，氣化形，形化精，精化顧盼，而顧盼化揖讓，揖讓化升降，升降化尊卑，尊卑化分別，分別化冠冕，冠冕化車輅，車輅化宮室，宮室化掖衛，掖衛化燕享，燕享化奢蕩，奢蕩化聚斂，聚斂化欺罔，欺罔化刑戮，刑戮化悖亂，悖亂化甲兵，甲兵化爭奪，爭奪化敗亡。其來也勢不可遏，其去也力不可拔。是以大人以道德游泳之，以仁義漁獵之，以刑禮籠罩之，蓋保其國家而護其富貴也。故道德有所不實，仁義有所不至，刑禮有所不足，是教民為奸詐，使民為淫邪，化民為悖逆，驅民為盜賊。上昏昏然不知其弊，下恍恍然不知其病，其何以救之哉！

The void transforms into spirit, spirit into qi, qi into form, form into essence, essence into glances, glances into bows and yielding, bows and yielding into ascending and descending, ascending and descending into high and low rank, high and low rank into distinctions, distinctions into caps and crowns, caps and crowns into carriages, carriages into palaces, palaces into attendants and guards, attendants and guards into banquets, banquets into extravagance, extravagance into hoarding and extortion, hoarding and extortion into deceit, deceit into executions, executions into rebellion, rebellion into armies, armies into struggle and plunder, and struggle and plunder into defeat and ruin. When it comes, its momentum cannot be checked; when it goes, its strength cannot be pulled out. So the great person swims within it with the Way and its virtue, hunts with benevolence and righteousness, and casts a net over it with punishment and ritual, in order to preserve the state and protect wealth and rank. But the Way and virtue have places where they do not take hold, benevolence and righteousness have places they cannot reach, and punishment and ritual fall short somewhere; this teaches the people deceit, makes them licentious, transforms them into rebels, and drives them into banditry. Above, they are dim and do not know the ill; below, they are dazed and do not know the sickness; with what can one save them!

世人皆知莧菹可以剖鱉，而不知朱草可以剖人。小人由是知神可以分，氣可以泮，形可以散。散而為萬，不謂之有餘；聚而為一，不謂之不足。若狂風飄發，魂魄夢飛；屐齒斷蚓，首尾皆動。夫何故？太虛，一虛也；太神，一神也；太氣，一氣也；太形，一形也。命之則四，根之則一。守之不得，舍之不失，是謂正一。

People in the world all know that pickled amaranth can cut open a soft-shelled turtle, but do not know that the vermilion herb can cut open a person. From this the petty person knows that spirit can be divided, qi can be dissolved, and form can be scattered. Scattered into ten thousand, it is not called surplus; gathered into one, it is not called deficiency. As when a wild wind suddenly rises, the soul flies in dreams; as when a clog's tooth cuts an earthworm, head and tail still move. Why? The Great Void is one void, the Great Spirit is one spirit, the Great Qi is one qi, and the Great Form is one form. Name them and they are four; trace them to the root and they are one. One cannot hold on to it and cannot let go of it; this is called the Correct One.

天地盜太虛生，人蟲盜天地生，營（右蟲旁）虰盜人蟲生。營虰者，腸中之蟲也，搏（有口旁）我精氣，鑠我魂魄，盜我滋味，而有其生。有以見我之必死，所以知天之必頹。天其頹乎，我將安有；我其死乎，營虰將安守？所謂奸臣盜國，國破則家亡；蠹蟲蝕木，木盡則蟲死。是以大人錄精氣，藏魂魄，薄滋味，禁嗜慾，外富貴。雖天地老而我不傾，營虰死而我長生，奸臣去而國太平。

Heaven and Earth live by stealing from the Great Void, human parasites live by stealing from Heaven and Earth, and the ying-hong worms (the base text notes that the first character has the insect radical on its right side) live by stealing from human parasites. The ying-hong is a worm in the intestines; it sucks (the base text's "搏" is annotated as having a mouth radical) my vital essence, wears down my soul, steals my flavors, and so lives. From this one can see I will surely die, and so know Heaven must collapse. If Heaven collapses, what will I have left; if I die, what will the ying-hong have to hold on to? As the saying goes, a treacherous minister steals the state, and when the state falls the family is lost; a wood-boring worm eats the tree, and when the tree is gone the worm dies. So the great person gathers in his vital essence, stores away his soul, lets his tastes grow plain, forbids his appetites, and puts wealth and rank outside himself. Even when Heaven and Earth grow old I will not topple; when the ying-hong dies I will live long; when the treacherous minister is removed the state will be at peace.

稚子弄影，不知為影所弄；狂夫侮像，不知為像所侮。化家者不知為家所化，化國者不知為國所化，化天下者不知為天下所化。三皇，有道者也，不知其道化為五帝之德。五帝，有德者也，不知其德化為三王之仁義。三王，有仁義者也，不知其仁義化為秦漢之戰爭。醉者負醉，疥者療疥，其勢彌顛，其病彌篤，而無反者也。

A child plays with his shadow and does not know he is being played with by the shadow; a madman insults a divine image and does not know he is being insulted by the image. One who transforms a household does not know he is transformed by the household; one who transforms a state does not know he is transformed by the state; one who transforms the world does not know he is transformed by the world. The Three Sovereigns were people with the Way, and they did not know that their Way would be transformed into the de of the Five Emperors (de: the capacity a thing shows when the Way takes concrete shape, not virtue in the moral sense). The Five Emperors were people with de, and they did not know that their de would be transformed into the benevolence and righteousness of the Three Kings. The Three Kings were people of benevolence and righteousness, and they did not know that their benevolence and righteousness would be transformed into the wars of Qin and Han. The drunk still carries the drunk on his back, and the one with scabies still goes to treat scabies; the more the momentum topples, the worse the illness, yet no one turns back.

陽燧召火，方諸召水，感激之道，斯不遠矣。高視者強，低視者賊；斜視者狡，平視者仁；張視者怒，細視者佞；遠視者智，近視者拙；外視者昏，內視者明。是故載我者身，用我者神，用神合真，可以長存。

A burning mirror can summon fire and a moon mirror can summon water; the principle of resonance and stirring is not far off. One who looks up is strong, one who looks down is a thief; one who looks sidelong is cunning, one who looks level is benevolent; one who stares wide is angry, one who squints is flattering; one who looks far is wise, one who looks near is clumsy; one who looks outward is dim, one who looks inward is clear. So what carries me is the body, what uses me is the spirit, and by using spirit to join with the true one can last long.

虛化神，神化氣，氣化血，血化形，形化嬰，嬰化童，童化少，少化壯，壯化老，老化死。死復化為虛，虛復化為神，神復化為氣，氣復化為物。化化不間，由環之無窮。夫萬物非欲生，不得不生；萬物非欲死，不得不死。達此理者虛而乳之，神可以不化，形可以不生。

The void transforms into spirit, spirit into qi, qi into blood, blood into form, form into an infant, the infant into a child, the child into a youth, the youth into a prime adult, the prime adult into an elder, and old age into death. Death again transforms into the void, the void again into spirit, spirit again into qi, and qi again into things. Between one transformation and the next there is no break, like a ring with no end. The myriad things do not wish to be born, but cannot help being born; the myriad things do not wish to die, but cannot help dying. One who understands this principle keeps to the void and nurtures it, so that spirit need not transform and form need not be born.

爪發者，我之形。何爪可割而無害，發可截而無痛？蓋榮衛所不至也。則是我本無害而筋骨為之害，我本無痛而血肉為之痛。所以知喜怒非我作，哀樂非我動，我為形所昧，形為我所愛。達此理者，可以出生死之外。

Nails and hair are my form. Why can the nails be cut without harm and the hair trimmed without pain? Because the circulating blood and defensive qi do not reach there. So I was never harmed to begin with; it is the sinews and bones that cause the harm. I was never pained to begin with; it is the blood and flesh that cause the pain. So I know that joy and anger are not made by me, and sorrow and delight are not stirred by me; I am darkened by form, and form is cherished by me. One who understands this principle can go beyond life and death.

太上者，虛無之神也；天地者，陰陽之神也；人蟲者，血肉之神也。其同者神，其異者形。是故形不靈而氣靈，語不靈而聲靈，覺不靈而夢靈，生不靈而死靈。水至清而結冰不清，神至明而結形不明。水泮返清，形散返明。能知真死者，可以遊太上之京。

The Supreme is the spirit of the void and nothingness; Heaven and Earth are the spirit of yin and yang; human parasites are the spirit of blood and flesh. What is the same is the spirit, and what differs is the form. So form is not numinous but qi is numinous, speech is not numinous but sound is numinous, waking is not numinous but dreaming is numinous, life is not numinous but death is numinous. Water is utterly clear, but frozen into ice it is not clear; spirit is utterly bright, but congealed into form it is not bright. When ice thaws, it returns to clarity; when form scatters, it returns to brightness. One who knows what true death is can roam in the capital of the Supreme.

牝牡之道，龜龜相顧，神交也；鶴鶴相唳，氣交也。蓋由情愛相接，所以神氣可交也。是故大人大其道以合天地，廓其心以符至真，融其氣以生萬物，和其神以接兆民。我心熙熙，民心怡怡。心怡怡兮不知其所思，形惚惚兮不知其所為。若一氣之和合，若一神之混同，若一聲之哀樂，若一形之窮通。安用旌旗，安用金鼓，安用賞罰，安用行伍？斯可以將天下之兵，滅天下之敵。是謂神交之道也。

The way of female and male: when tortoises look at each other, it is a meeting of spirits; when cranes call to each other, it is a meeting of qi. Because affection connects them, spirit and qi can meet. So the great person broadens his Way to join Heaven and Earth, opens his heart to tally with the ultimate truth, harmonizes his qi to give birth to the myriad things, and attunes his spirit to meet the multitudes. My heart is joyful and the people's hearts are glad. Hearts glad, and one does not know what one is thinking; forms dim, and one does not know what one is doing. Like the harmony of a single qi, the blending of a single spirit, the sorrow and joy of a single voice, the hardship and success of a single body. What need then for banners, what need for gongs and drums, what need for rewards and punishments, what need for ranks and files? In this way one can lead the soldiers of the world and wipe out the enemies of the world. This is called the way of the meeting of spirits.

虛化神，神化氣，氣化形，形氣相乘而成聲。耳非聽聲也，而聲自投之；谷非應響也，而響自滿之。耳，小竅也；谷，大竅也。山澤，小谷也；天地，大谷也。一竅鳴，萬竅皆鳴；一谷聞，萬谷皆聞。聲道氣，氣道神，神道虛；虛含神，神含氣，氣含聲。聲氣形相道相含，雖秋蚊之翾翾，蒼蠅之營營，無所不至也。由此知之，雖絲毫之慮，必有所察；雖啾嚓之言，必有所聞。唯大人之機，天地莫能見，陰陽莫能知，鬼神莫能窺。夫何故？道德仁義之所為。

The void transforms into spirit, spirit into qi, qi into form, and when form and qi ride on each other, sound results. The ear does not go out to listen for sound; the sound throws itself in. The valley does not go out to answer with an echo; the echo fills itself in. The ear is a small orifice and the valley a large orifice; mountains and marshes are small valleys, and Heaven and Earth are the great valley. When one orifice sounds, ten thousand orifices all sound; when one valley hears, ten thousand valleys all hear. Sound leads to qi, qi leads to spirit, and spirit leads to the void; the void contains spirit, spirit contains qi, and qi contains sound. Sound, qi and form lead to one another and contain one another, so even an autumn mosquito's fluttering flight or a fly's buzzing reaches everywhere. From this we know that even the slightest thought is surely noticed, and even whispered words are surely heard. Only the great person's trigger cannot be seen by Heaven and Earth, cannot be known by yin and yang, and cannot be peeked at by ghosts and spirits. Why? Because it is done by the Way, its virtue, benevolence and righteousness.

雲龍風虎，得神氣之道者也。神由母也，氣由子也，以神召氣，以母召子，孰敢不至也？夫蕩穢者，必召五帝之氣，苟召不至，穢何以蕩？伏虺者，必役五星之精，苟役不至，虺何以伏？小人由是知陰陽可以作，風雲可以會，山陵可以拔，江海可以覆。然召之於外，不如守之於內，然後用之於外，則無所不可。

Clouds follow dragons and wind follows tigers, and this comes from obtaining the way of spirit and qi. Spirit is the mother and qi is the child; use spirit to summon qi, use the mother to summon the child, and who would dare not come? One who sweeps away foulness will surely summon the qi of the Five Emperors; if it cannot be summoned, with what would he sweep away the foulness? One who subdues venomous snakes will surely command the essence of the five stars; if it cannot be commanded, with what would he subdue the vipers? From this the petty person knows that yin and yang can be manipulated, wind and clouds can be brought together, mountains and hills can be pulled up, and rivers and seas can be overturned. But summoning outward is not as good as holding within, and then, applied to the outside, there is nothing that cannot be done.

猛虎行，草木偃；毒鴆怒，土石揭。威之所爍，氣之所搏，頑嚚為之作。小人由是知鋏可使之飛,山河可使之移，萬物可使之相隨。夫神全則威大，精全則氣雄。萬惑不能溺，萬物可以役。是故一人所以能敵萬人者，非弓刀之技，蓋威之至也；一人所以能悅萬人者，非言笑之惠，蓋和之至也。

When a fierce tiger walks, the grass and trees all fall flat; when a poisonous bird rages, earth and stones are all thrown up. What is scorched by its awe and struck by its qi, even the dull and obstinate are stirred into motion. From this the petty person knows that a long sword can be made to fly, mountains and rivers can be made to move, and the myriad things can be made to follow. When spirit is whole, awe is great; when essence is whole, qi is mighty. Ten thousand deceptions cannot drown it, and the myriad things can all be commanded. So that one person can face ten thousand is not the skill of bow and blade but awe at its utmost; that one person can please ten thousand is not the kindness of words and smiles but harmony at its utmost.

蟲之無足：蛇能屈曲，蛭能掬蹙，蝸牛能蓄縮。小人所以見其機，由是得其師，可以坐致萬里而不馳。是故足行者有所不達，翼飛者有所不至，目視者有所不見，耳聽者有所不聞。夫何故？彼知形而不知神，此知神而不知形。以形用神則亡，以神用形則康。

Among legless creatures: the snake can coil and bend, the leech can cup its body and inch along, and the snail can retract and shrink. The petty person sees this trigger and from it gains a model, so that he can reach ten thousand li while sitting, without running. So what one walks to with the feet has places it cannot reach, what one flies to with wings has places it cannot arrive at, what one sees with the eyes has things unseen, and what one hears with the ears has things unheard. Why? Those people know form but do not know spirit, while these people know spirit but do not know form. Using form to use spirit leads to ruin; using spirit to use form leads to wellbeing.

水竇可以下溺，杵糠可以療噎。斯物也，始制於人，又複用於人。法本無祖，術本無狀，師之於心，得之於象。陽為陰所伏，男為女所制，剛為柔所克，智為愚所得。以是用之，則鐘鼓可使之啞，車轂可是之鬥，妻子可使之改易，君臣可使之離合。萬物本虛，萬法本無，得虛無之竅者，知法術之要乎！

A water hole can let a drowning person go down, and pounding chaff can cure choking. These things were first made by people and later used on people. The art never had an ancestor and the technique never had a shape; one models it from the heart and gets it from images. Yang is subdued by yin, the male is controlled by the female, the hard is overcome by the soft, and the clever is bested by the foolish. Using this, bells and drums can be made mute, cart hubs can be made to fight (the base text reads "可是之斗"; "是" should read "使"), a wife can be made to change, and ruler and ministers can be made to part or unite. The myriad things are empty to begin with, and the myriad methods are nothing to begin with; only one who has the orifice of emptiness and nothingness knows the essentials of the arts, I suppose!

魍魎附巫祭言禍福事，每來則飲食言語皆神，每去則飲食言語皆人。不知魍魎之附巫祭也，不知巫祭之附魍魎也。小人由是知心可以交，氣可以易，神可以奪，魄可以錄。形為神之宮，神為形之容。以是論之，何所不可？

A wang-liang spirit attaches itself to a shaman and speaks of misfortune and fortune; each time it comes, the eating, drinking and speech are like a god's, and each time it leaves, they are like a human's. One cannot tell whether the spirit attaches itself to the shaman or the shaman attaches himself to the spirit. From this the petty person knows that hearts can be exchanged, qi can be altered, spirit can be seized, and the soul can be registered. Form is the palace of spirit, and spirit is the countenance of form. Discussed on this basis, what is not possible?