The Inner Chapters

I. The Qi of Burial

A. Vital Qi

1. Burial is contingent upon sheng qi,[1] “vital

energy.”

2. The five (phases of) qi [2]course through the earth,

materialize and give birth to the myriad things.

B. The Qi of Bones

1. Man receives his body from his parents.

2. If the ancestors’ bones acquire qi, the descendants’

bodies are endowed.

3. The Classic says: Qi is moved and responds in kind;

1[3] the blessings of ghosts extend to the living.

4. This is why, when Copper Mountain collapsed in the

west, the palace bell tolled in the east.1[4]

5. When the tree flowers in the spring, the chestnut

sprouts in the hall.

6. Truly, life is accumulated qi; it solidifies into bone,

1[5] which alone remains after death.

7. Burial returns qi to the bones which is the way the

living are endowed.