上古天真论篇 第一

Chapte1

Shanggu Tianzhen Lun

(On Human Preserving Health Energy in Ancient Times)

昔在黄帝，生而神灵，弱而能言，幼而徇齐，长而敦敏，成而登天。

Yellow Emperor of ancient time, was bright and clever when he was born, good at talking when he was a child, had a modest style of doing things and an upright character when he was young; in his youth, he was honest and possessed a strong ability of distinguishing what was right and what was wrong. He became an emperor when he grew up.

乃问于天师曰：余闻上古之人，春秋皆度百岁，而动作不衰；今时之人，年半百而动作皆衰者，时世异耶?人将失之耶?

Yellow Emperor asked the Taoist master Qibo, saying: "I am told the people in ancient times could all survive to more than one hundred years old, and they appeared to be quite healthy and strong in actions, but the people at present time are different, they are not so nimble in actions when they are only fifty, and what is the reason? Is it due to the change of

spiritual principles or caused by the artificial behavior of men?"

岐伯对曰：上古之人，其知道者，法于阴阳，和于术数，食饮有(《千金方》“有”下有“常”字)节，起居有常(《千金方》“常”下有“度”字)，不妄作劳，故能形与神俱，而尽终其天年，度百岁乃去。今时之人不然也，以酒为浆，以妄为常，醉以入房，以欲竭其精，以

耗散其真，不知持满，不时（林校引别本“时”作“解”）御神，务快其心，逆于生乐，起居无节，故半百而衰也。

Qibo answered: "Those who knew the way of keeping a good health in ancient times always kept in their behavior in daily life in accordance with the nature. They followed the principle of Yin and Yang and kept in conformity with the art of prophecy based on the interaction of Yin and Yang.They were able to modulate their daily life in harmony with the way

of recuperating the essence and vital energy, thus they could master and practise the way of preserving a good health. Their behaviours in daily life were all kept in regular patterns such as their food and drink were of fixed quantity, their daily activities were all in regular times.

They never overworked. In this way, they could maintain both in the body and in the spirit substantiality, and were able to live to the old age of more than one hundred years. But the people nowadays are quite different. They do not recuperate themselves according to the way of preserving a good health, but run in counter to it. They are addicted to drink without temperance, keep idling as an oldinary, indulge in sexual pleasures and use up their vital energy and ruin their health. They do not protect their primordial energies carefully as handling a utensil full of valuable things. They don't understand the importance of saving their energy but waste them rashly by doing what ever to their liking. They know not the joy of keeping a good health and have no regular pattern of their daily food, drink and activities. Thereforev they become decrepit when they are only fifty."

夫上古圣人之教下也（“下也”二字误倒，应据《千金方》乙正，“下”字属下读），皆谓之(《千金方》“谓”为“为”字)，虚邪賊风，避之有时;恬恢虚无，真气从之，精神内守，病安从来。是以志闲而少欲，心安而不惧，形劳而不倦，气从以顺，各从其欲，皆得所愿。故美其食，任其服，乐其俗，高下不相幕，其民故曰（王冰所据本“曰”作“自”）朴。是以嗜欲不能劳其目，淫邪不能惑其心，愚智贤不肖不惧于物，故合于道，所以能年皆度百岁而动作不衰者，以其德全不危也。

"In anctent times people behaved according to the teaching of preserving health of the sages : All evil energies of various seasons are barmful to people, they attack the body when it is in general debility, and they should be defended anytime and everywhere. When one is completely free from wishes, ambitions and distracting thoughts, indifferent to fame and

gain, the true energy will come in the wake of it. When one concentrates his spirit internally and keeps a sound mind, how can any illness occur?

"Therefore, those who are able to keep a leisured aspiration will not be afraid at the time when something terrible happens, those who have strong bodies will not feel fatigued after labour, and those who have a quiet spirit, their primordial energy will be moderate, their desires can be satisfied easily if only they are not insatiably greedy. It is precisely because of their having the above spiritual basis, they are able to adapt to any environment.

They are not too particular about the quality and style of the costume, but feels at ease with local customs. They do not seek or admire the material comfortable life of others, so they are plain and honest.

"As they are having a quiet and stable state of mind, no desire can seduce their eyes, and no obscenity can entice their heart. Although the intelligence and moral character between different people are not the same, yet they can all attain the stage of giving no thought of personal gain or loss, and thus, they are all able to live according to the way of keeping a good health.

"The reason of those who can live more than one hundred years without being decrepit is that they can manage the way of keeping a good health thoroughly."