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The chapter "On the True Vitality of Antiquity" states: People in ancient times, those who understood the Way, modeled themselves on Yin and Yang, harmonized with techniques and numbers, (Understanding the Way refers to knowing the principles of self-cultivation. Yin and Yang are the eternal laws of Heaven and Earth; techniques and numbers are the grand theory for preserving life. Therefore, those who cultivate themselves must strictly adhere to these first.) regulated their diet and drinking, maintained regular daily routines, and did not engage in reckless exertion, (Diet and drinking provide flavor to fill emptiness; daily routines are the guidelines for movement and rest. If food and drink exceed by double, the intestines and stomach will be injured. The *Treatise on the Interaction Between Human Life and the Heavenly Qi* states: If daily routines are disturbed, the spirit and qi will float. This is a rejection of reckless movement. Guangchengzi said: Be absolutely still and clear, do not exhaust your form, do not shake your essence, and you can achieve longevity. Thus, the sages practiced this first.) thereby enabling their form and spirit to coexist, allowing them to complete their natural lifespan, reaching a hundred years before passing away. (Form and spirit coexisting means jointly attaining the limit of longevity; being cautious in cultivation to honor the true vitality, thus fully completing the natural lifespan. "Passing away" refers to departing from the physical body. The *Ling Shu* states: When a person reaches one hundred, the five zang organs are all empty, the spirit and qi have all departed, and only the physical skeleton remains until death.)

People today are different, (having deviated from the Way.) regarding wine as ordinary liquid, (indulging in drinking.) treating recklessness as normalcy, (lacking restraint/trust.) engaging in sexual intercourse while drunk, (excessive indulgence in lust.) exhausting their essence through desires, dissipating their true qi through frivolous activity, (Pursuing sensual pleasure is called "desire"; light/frivolous use is called "dissipation". Indulging in lust without restraint leads to essence exhaustion; continuous frivolous use leads to true qi dissipation. Therefore, sages cherish essence and value careful bestowal, filling marrow and hardening bones.) unaware of how to maintain fullness, failing to manage their spirit at appropriate times, (Meaning using lightly and indulging in desires. Cherishing essence and protecting spirit is like holding a vessel filled to the brim; if not handled carefully and moved, it will tip over and empty, losing true vitality. My form contains spirit, which needs constant management/control.) seeking only mental gratification, going against the joy of life preservation, (Seeking quick satisfaction in the use of heart-desires goes against the joy of life preservation.) lacking regulation in daily routines, thus aging prematurely at fifty. (Deviating from the Way means one cannot complete the natural lifespan.)

The teachings of the ancient sages to the people were: Avoid empty evils and thieving winds when timely; remain tranquil and void, so that true qi follows; keep spirit and essence guarded within, how could disease arise? (Evil qi enters when there is deficiency, called empty evil; secretly harming harmony and neutrality, called thieving wind. The *Ling Shu* states: Evil qi cannot injure alone; only when human qi is deficient does evil overcome it. Tranquil and void means modeling the Dao's clarity and stillness, holding essence and qi internally, so empty evil cannot cause harm.) Therefore, wills are leisurely with few desires, hearts are peaceful without fear, bodies labor without fatigue, (Internal mechanisms cease, hence few desires. External chaos quiets, hence heart peace. Daily routines are suitable, hence no fatigue.) qi flows smoothly, each follows their desires, all obtain what they wish. (Wills are not greedy, hence desires are smooth; hearts are easily satisfied, hence wishes are fulfilled; no strange demands, hence nothing is unattainable. The *Laozi* states: Knowing contentment brings no humiliation, knowing limits brings no danger, allowing for longevity.) Therefore,嗜欲 (addictive desires) cannot weary their eyes, licentious evil cannot confuse their hearts, (The *Laozi* states: Do not see what arouses desire, so the heart does not become chaotic. Also: The sage provides for the belly, not the eye.) thus able to reach a hundred years of age, with movements remaining vigorous, because their virtue is complete and they are not endangered. (The *Zhuangzi* states: Those who hold the Dao have complete virtue; those with complete virtue have complete form; those with complete form follow the Dao of the sage.)

Women at seven sui, kidney qi becomes abundant, teeth change, hair grows. (The number of Old Yang peaks at nine, the number of Young Yang ranks second at seven. Women belong to the qi of Young Yin, so it pairs with the number of Young Yang. This clarifies that the harmony of yin and yang qi enables the formation of the body; thus at seven sui, kidney qi is abundant, teeth change, and hair grows.) At fourteen sui (two sevens), Tian Gui arrives, the Ren Mai (Conception Vessel) is unobstructed, the Chong Mai (Penetrating Vessel) is abundant, menstruation occurs on time, thus conception is possible. ("Gui" refers to Ren and Gui, the heavenly stems of the North, belonging to Water. Ren Mai and Chong Mai are both extraordinary vessels. When kidney qi is fully abundant, Chong and Ren flow smoothly, menstrual blood gradually fills, descending according to time, true vitality qi descends to engage with it, hence called Tian Gui. However, Chong is the Sea of Blood, Ren governs the uterus/womb; these two assist each other, thus conception is possible. It is called monthly affairs because the harmonious qi appears approximately every ten days [month].) At twenty-one sui (three sevens), kidney qi is balanced, hence wisdom teeth grow and height reaches its limit. (Wisdom teeth refer to the last teeth to emerge. When kidney qi is balanced, wisdom teeth grow, indicating teeth are the surplus of bone.) At twenty-eight sui (four sevens), sinews and bones are firm, hair grows to its limit, the body is robust and strong. (The cycle of Tian Gui for women ends at seven sevens (49 sui). At four sevens (28 sui), half of physical strength has been reached, thus the body is robust, reaching its peak development.) At thirty-five sui (five sevens), the Yangming Mai begins to decline, the face becomes withered, hair begins to fall. (The Yangming meridian nourishes the face; thus when it declines, hair falls and the face withers.) At forty-two sui (six sevens), the three Yang meridians decline above, the face becomes withered, hair begins to turn white. (The three Yang meridians all ascend to the head; thus when they decline, the face withers and hair turns white. The reason for decline is that women have excess qi but deficient blood, due to monthly loss through menstruation.) At forty-nine sui (seven sevens), the Ren Mai is deficient, the Chong Mai is depleted, Tian Gui is exhausted, the earthly pathway is blocked, thus the form deteriorates and childbearing ceases. (Menstrual water stops, this is called the earthly pathway being blocked. Chong and Ren are weak, thus the form deteriorates and there is no offspring.)

Men at eight sui, kidney qi is solid, hair grows, teeth change. (The number of Old Yin peaks at ten, the number of Young Yin ranks second at eight. Men belong to the qi of Young Yang, so it combines with the number of Young Yin. The *Yi Jing - Xi Ci* states: Heaven is nine, Earth is ten, these are the numbers.) At sixteen sui (two eights), kidney qi is abundant, Tian Gui arrives, essence overflows and is discharged, yin and yang harmonize, thus conception is possible. (Males and females have different yin-yang natures; Tian Gui manifests differently as essence and blood. Yin is static, like a sea filling then releasing blood; Yang is active, responding to union by discharging essence. These two communicate and harmonize, thus conception is possible. The *Yi Jing - Xi Ci* states: Male and female join essence, all things transform.) At twenty-four sui (three eights), kidney qi is balanced, sinews and bones are strong and powerful, hence wisdom teeth grow and height reaches its limit. At thirty-two sui (four eights), sinews and bones are lush and abundant, muscles are strong and full. (The cycle of Tian Gui for men ends at eight eights (64 sui). At four eights (32 sui), also half of physical strength is reached.) At forty sui (five eights), kidney qi declines, hair falls, teeth become brittle. (Kidney governs bone, teeth are the surplus of bone. Since kidney qi has declined, essence has nothing to nourish, thus hair falls and teeth become dry.) At forty-eight sui (six eights), yang qi衰竭 (depletes) above, the face becomes withered, temples turn gray. (Yang qi refers to Yangming qi. The Foot-Yangming meridian starts at the nose, flanks the mouth, circles the lips, meets at Chengjiang, ascends to the front of the ear, and reaches the forehead/cranium; thus when it declines above, the face withers and temples turn white.) At fifty-six sui (seven eights), liver qi declines, sinews cannot move, Tian Gui is exhausted, essence is scarce, kidney qi declines, the form is extremely exhausted. (Liver qi nourishes sinews; liver decline means sinews cannot move. Kidney qi nourishes bone; kidney decline means the form is extremely fatigued. Tian Gui is already exhausted, hence essence is scarce.) At sixty-four sui (eight eights), teeth and hair fall out. (Yang qi is exhausted, essence is depleted, thus teeth and hair are not firm, leaving the physical body.)

The Kidney governs water, receiving the essence of the five zang and six fu organs to store it; therefore, only when the five zang are abundant can it discharge (excrete). (The essence and qi of the five zang and six fu overflow and seep into the Kidney, which receives and stores it. It is not that only the Kidney possesses essence exclusively; thus it is said that when the five zang are abundant, it can discharge.) Now that all five zang have declined, sinews and bones are loose and sagging, Tian Gui is exhausted, temples are white, the body feels heavy, walking posture is unsteady, and childbearing is impossible. (When things are too strong, they age; this is called the Way of Heaven.) There are some who are already old yet have children; this is because their innate longevity exceeds the norm, their qi and pulses remain open, and kidney qi is sufficient. (Endowed with an excess of true vital qi.) Although these people have children, men do not exceed the end of eight eights (64 sui), and women do not exceed the end of seven sevens (49 sui); the essence and qi of Heaven and Earth are all exhausted. (Although they bear children in old age, the children's lifespan will not exceed the duration of Tian Gui.)