Art of the Bedchamber
turies is the importance of ching con-
servation as a theoretical base and the
codification of the stages and signs of sex-
ual arousal, the postures and methods of
love making, and the benefits and ills of
sex.
Credit for' preservation of the /shimp6
classics belongs to conscientious Japanese
collectors and copyists. Given the frag-
mentary nature of these sixth to ninth
century texts, who could have expected
originals to surface from the early Han?
After Ma Wang tui, dare we now hope
that buried somewhere in China arc sex-
ual texts of the late Chou?
Uniting Yin and Yang
Ho yin yang
This is the method for uniting yin and
yang:
Clasp her hands 1 and cross over to the out-
side of her wrists;2
Stroke the "elbow chambers"·3
Go beside the armpits; ' then twenty, thirty, forty. fifty. sixty·
Move up to the "stove frame"-4
Go to the "neck region"; ' Move in and out without reachmg
Stroke the "receiving basket";s
Cover the "encircling ring";6
Descend to the "broken basin"·7
Pass over the "sweet wine ford'~-s
Cross the "Bounding Sea";9 ' cars and eyes sharp and bright.
Ascend "Mount Constancy";to
Enter the "dark gate";II
And mount the "coital sinew."
By sucki~g her "ching spirit''l2 upward,
one can hve forever and be coeval with
heaven and earth. The "coital sinew"l3 is
the "coital channel" within the "dark
gate." If one is able to lay hold of and
stroke it, this causes both bodies to be
pleasurably nourished and joyfully radi-
ant in a wonderful way . 14 Although full
of passion do not act. Exchanging exha-
lations and embraces. carry out the tao
of dalliance step by step. 15 This is the tao
of dalliance:
First, when her ch 'i rises and her face be-
comes flushed, slowly exhale.
78 Second, when her nipples become hard
and her nose perspires, slowly emhracc
her.
Third, when her tongue sprcadslt' and be-
comes lubricious. slowly press her.
Fourth, when secretions appear below and
her thighs are damp, slnwly take hold of
her.
Fifth, when her throat is dry and she swal-
lows saliva, slowly agitate her.
These arc called the "signs of the five. de-
sires.'' When all of the signs mamfes~
then mount her. Stab upward. bu~ don?.
penetrate. in order to stimulate its ch r.
When the clz'i arrives, penetrate deeply
and thrust upward in order to d istn . "b u te
the heat. Now once again withdraw so as
not to cause its ch 'i to dissipate and for
her to become exhausted. Afterwa~d.
practice the "ten movements,.. unite
according to the "ten postures, ... ~nd
combine the "ten refinements." Uniting
bodies after sunset, 17 the c h ·1· ex t"'en ds to
the "ancestral gate." 18 Now observe the
"eight movements~" listen t~) the ~·five
sounds"; and examine the signs of the
"ten exhaustions."
The "ten arousals"l'J begin with .ten,
seventy, eighty, ninety, and one hundr~d.
orgasm.
One arousal without orgasm makes the
Two and the voice is clear.
Three and the skin is radiant.
Four and the back and flanks are strong.
Five and the buttocks and thighs become
muscular. 20
Six and the "water course" 21 flows.
Seven and one becomes sturdy and strong.
Eight and the pores are lus~r~rns.
Nine and one achieves spmtual illumina-
tion.
Ten and the hody endures.
These are the "ten movements":
The first is "roaming tiger."
The second is "cicada clinging."
The third is "measuring worm."
The fourth is "roe deer hutting."
The fifth is "locust spreading."
The sixth is "monkey's squat."
The seventh is "toad in the moon."
The eighth is "rabbit bolts."

The ninth is "dragonflies."
The tenth is "fishes gobbling."
The "ten refinements" are:
The first is up.
The second is down.
The third is to the left.
The fourth is to the right.
The fifth is rapidly.
The six is slowly.
The seventh is sparingly.
The eighth is frequently.
The nineth is shallow.
The tenth is deep.
The "eight movements" are:
The first is "clasping hands."
The second is "straightening elbmvs."
The third is "extending heels."
The fourth is "hooking from the side."
The fifth is "hooking from above."
The sixth is "entwining thighs."
The seventh is "calming the movement."
The eighth is "quivering."
"Clasping hands" means that she desires
contact with her belly. "Straightening the
elbows'' means that she desires her upper
body to be rubbed and scratched. "Ex-
tending heels" means that penetration is
insufficient. "Hooking from the side"
means that she wants her side rubbed.
"Hooking from above'' means that she
wants her lower body rubbed. "Entwin-
ing thighs" means that penetration is ex-
cessive. "Calming the movement" means
that she desires shallow penetration.
"Quivering" means that she wants to be
held for a long time.
When she holds her breath. it means
that she is experiencing inner urgency.
When she pants it means that she feels
intense joy. When she moans it means
that the "jade pod" 22 has penetrated and
the pleasure 23 begins. When she exhales
it means that the swcctncss 2·t is intense.
When she grinds her teeth and her hody
quivers it means that she wants the man
to continue for a long time.
In the evening the man's ching is
strong; in the morning the woman's ching
is concentrated. Using my ching to nour-
ish the woman's ching, the anterior chan-
nels are all activated; and the skin, ch'i.
and blood are stimulated. This opens
The Han Classics Rediscovered
closures and unblocks obstructions. The
"central treasury'' 25 benefits from the cir-
culation and becomes full.
The symptoms of the "ten exhaus-
tions " 26 are:
With the first exhaustion [the semen] is
transparent and cold when emitted.
With the second exhaustion it has the odor
of burnt bones.
With the third exhaustion it is dry.
With the fourth exhaustion it is congealed.
With the fifth exhaustion it is fatty.
With the sixth exhaustion it is slimy.
With the seventh exhaustion it is slow.
With the eighth exhaustion it is oily.
With the ni'iith exhaustion it is sticky.
With the tenth exhaustion it is corrupt.
When you reach the "corrupt". exhaus-
tion it once again becomes shmy and
clear on emission. This is called "great
violence. "27 The symptoms of "great vio-
lence'' are perspiration about the nose,
white lips, involuntary movements o!the
arms and legs, and buttocks lifting off t~c
mat. Death itself approaches. 28 If 1~­
stead, when the ch 'i begins to well up m
the ··central extremity, '' 29 one. co~cea~s
the spirit, then spiritual illummat1on is
attained.
Discourse on the Highest Tao
under Heaven
T'ien-hsia chili-tao t'an
Huang Shen 1 addressed a question to Tso
Shen2 saying: "The penis 3 .is b~rn to-
4
gether with the 'nine onfices . an_d
'twelve segments, '5 but why does it die
first?''6 Tso Shen replied: "Do not ov~r­
excrt yourself: do not indulge in exc.ess1ve
sorrow or joy: do not overeat or ~lnnk t?
excess. Its location is extremely ym and tt
is not exposed to yang. If it is en.1~1loyed
abruptly and violently without wc_utmg for
it to be strong or for both part1e~ to _be
fully aroused, there will be immediate m-
jury. Avoid calling its name and _conc~al
its form. It is because of excessive vio-
lence and lack of propriety that, alt hough
it is born together with the body. it is first
to die." 79
 Art of the Bedchamber
If [the penis] is enraged but not i(:lrge,
the flesh has not yet been aroused. If it is
large but not stiff, the sinews have not yet
been aroused. If it is stiff but not hot, the
ch'i has not been aroused. If [the penis] is
employed before the flesh is aroused, it
becomes flaccid. If it is employed before
the ch'i is aroused, it hides. When the
three are all aroused, this is called "the
three levels of arousal."
Discourse on the highest tao
under heaven
Like the obscurity of water or the ch'i of
spring and autumn, if what passes is not
seen, we cannot receive its contribution·
if what comes in the future is not seen i sixty the ears and eyes no longer are
feast on its gifts. Oh, be careful, indee,d!
The matter of achieving spiritual illumina-
tion consists of locking. If one carefully
h~lds .the "j.ade" in check, spiritual illu-
mmation will he achieved. The art of
~anagi!1g the body takes ching conserva-
~1~n as. its first task. When the clzing is full
it mevitably escapes; when it is dificient it
must be strengthened.7 The process of
supplem~nting loss must address itself to
t?e deficiency. Carry this out by first sit-
tm~ down together. The hips, buttocks,
nose, and .mouth each play their part in
turn. Mov1?g back and forth, how can I
stop th~ chmg when it is about to escape?
There is a .fixed law governing deficiency
and repletion. Engage wisely and never
be careless ..If you do not harass and do
not ex.haust it, the sinews and bones will
be swift and strong. Arouse8 the '". d.
. "9 d . Jd c
spnng an . nounsh yourself with her
fragran.ce. W1th~raw slightly and pene-
trate slightly; wait for fullness, this is the
rule. When the three harmonious ch'i arc
ar?u~ed, [the penis] is sturdy and strong.
W1shmg to regulate this, one must be
guarded 10 in one's speech, and then by
locking the "jade" during arousal, one
can become an immortal.
One arousal [without orgasm] and the ears
and eyes are sharp and bright.
Two arousals and the voice becomes clear.
Three arousals and the skin becomes
80 radiant.
Four arousals and the hackhnne becomes
strong.
Five arousals and the buttocks become
muscular.
Six arousals and the "water course" flows.
Seven arousals and one bc:comcs stout and
strong. ..
Eight arousals and the will is magnified and
expanded.
Nine arousals and one follows the glory of
heaven.
Ten arousals and one manifests spiritual
illumination.
There are ''eight benefits" to the clz'i and
also "seven ills." Those who arc u~­
able to use the "eight benefits" to nd
themselves of the "seven ills'· find
that at forty their sexual ch 'ii~ red'!ced by
half, at fifty their mobility is impaired, at
sharp and clear, and at seventy they are
dried up below and withered above. Not
exercising their sexual ch 'i, tears . fl~JW
ceaselessly . 1 1 There is a tao for rega1mng
one's strength. Eliminate the "seven
ills" to revive from illness; use the
"eight benefits" to increase the ch'i. The
old regain their strength, and the stroi~g
do not decline. The gentleman ch~cll:' in
peace and contentment, eating. dnnk1n~,
and indulging his desires. The pores. ?f his
skin are fine and dense; the ch 1 and
blood are full and abundant; and the
body is light and agile. However, when
disease menifests within, it cannot be
controlled. He becomes sick, perspire~,
and pants. He suffers internally and his
ch'i is out of order· the condition is incur-
able. Suffering internal heat. he dri~ks
herbal infusions and applies moxibustl0!1
to improve his clz 'i; he takes tonic n~~di­
cines to help his exterior. However. II he
is excessive in sex, illness cannot be con-_
trolled and boils and swellings appear. If
the ch'i and blood are full and abundant.
hut the "nine orifices" arc not regulated
and above and below not exercised. then
boils and ulcers appear. Therefore,. b~
skillfully employing the "eight bcncfl_ts
to eliminate the "seven ills.'' the ''tive
illnesses" cannot manifest.
These are the "eight bcnctlts":
The first is "regulating the ch 'i."
The second is "promoting saliva.··

The third is "understanding the proper
time."
The fourth is "storing clz'i."
The fifth is "harmonizing the saliva."
The sixth is "stealing clz'i."
The seventh is "waiting for abundance."
The eighth is "stabilizing imbalance."
These are the "seven ills":
The first is "blockage."
The second is "leakage."
The third is "exhaustion."
The fourth is "absence."
The fifth is "affiiction."
The sixth is "termination."
The seventh is "waste."
This is the method for practicing the
"eight benefits":
Arise in the morning and sit up; straighten-
ing the spine, open and contract 12 the
buttocks, pressing down. 13 This is called
"regulating the eh'i."
While eating and drinking, relax the but-
tocks; straighening the spine, contract the
buttocks and open the clz'i. This is called
"promoting the saliva."
First dally for your mutual pleasure, doing
anything your heart desires. This is called
"knowing the proper time."
Engage in the act while losening the spine,
contracting the buttocks, and pressing
down. This is called "storing ch'i."
Engage in the act without haste or rapidity,
moving in and out harmoniously. This is
called "harmonizing the saliva."
Withdraw, lie down, and have your partner
raise it. When it is enraged it should be
let go of. This is called "storing the ch'i."
Just before finishing, penetrate from the
rear, but do not move; absorb c/z 'i. press
down, and still the body waiting patient-
ly. This is called "waiting for abun-
dance."
Washing it when finished and resting when
enraged is called "stabilizing imbalance."
The precceding are called the "eight ben-
efits."
These are the "seven ills":
Suffering pain during the act is called "in-
ternal blockage."
Perspiring during the act is calkJ "external
leakage."
Engaging in the act without stopping is
called "exhaustion."
The Han Classics Rediscovered
Passion without potency is called "incom-
petence."
Panting and internal disorder during the
act is called "affliction."
Forcing oneself to engage in the act when
there is no desire is called "termination."
Performing the act in haste is called
"waste."
These are the "seven ills." Thus those
who are skilled at using the "eight ben-
efits" to overcome the "seven ills" will
find that the ears and eyes become sharp
and clear, the body light and agile, and
the clz'i of the sexual organs stronger.
One enjoys length of years and lives in
constant happiness.
There are two things that human
beings fail to study: the first is breath and
the second is food. Failing these two, the
remedy is none other tha~ st.udy and
practice. Therefore, that which mcrea~es
life is food and that which decreases hfe
is sex. For this reason, the sage follows
correct principles in the matter of sexual
union. Thus,
The first is "tiger roaming."
The second is "cicada clinging."
Beyond this, the third is "in~h '':'?rm."
The fourth is "roe deer buttmg.
The fifth is "locusts spreading." Rest from
penetration.
The sixth is "monkey squat." .
Beyond this, the seventh is "toad m the
moon."
The eighth is "rabbit bolts."
The ninth is "dragonflies." . ,,
Beyond this, the tenth is "fishes gobbling.
The prccec d .mg are ca II e d th e "ter1 pos-
tures."
The first [refinement] is "promoting the
clz'i."
The second is "establishing the taste."
The third is "regulating the joints."
The fourth is ··e~ncouraging prosperity."
The fifth is "proper timing.·•
The sixth is "perfection of talent."
The seventh is "slight movement."
The eighth is "waiting for fullness."
The ninth is "ordering life."
The tenth is "resting the body."
The preceeding are called the "ten refine-
ments." 81
 Art of the Bedchamber
The first [of the "eight ways"] is called "ris-
ing high."
The second is called "lowering."
The third is called "going to the left."
The fourth is called "going to the right."
The fifth .is called "deep penetration."
The sixth is .called "shallow penetration."
The seventh is called "moving rapidly."
The eighth is called "moving slowly."
The preceeding are the "eight ways."
The "ten refinements" are now com-
plete, the "ten postures" displayed, and
the "eight ways" combined. Make physi-
cal contact after sunset so that the
perspiration does not escape. The ch'i ex-
tends to the "blood gate"; suck and swal-
low, swaying in front. This opens the
channels and loosens the sinews. Now
observe the "eight movements" to deter-
mine the location of her ch'i; understand
the "five sounds," which is later and which
earlier.
These are the "eight movements":
The first is "joining hands."
The se~on? is "straightening the elbows."
The third is "calming the movement."
The fourt? is "extending the heels."
The fi.fth i~ "entwining thighs.,,
The s1xth 1s "quivering."
The seventh is "hooking from the .d ,,
Th · h h · si e.
e e1g t is "hooking from above."
These are the "five sounds":
The first is b.reathing from the throat.
The second 1s panting.
The third is moaning.
The fourth is exhaling air.
The fifth is biting.
Observe the "five sounds" to know her
heart; observe the "eight movements" to
know her pleasure and openness.
"Joining hands" means that she de-
sires contact with her belly. "Straighten-
ing her elbows" means that she desires
her upper body to be rubbed and scratch-
ed. ''Hooking from the side" means that
she desires her sides to be rubbed. "En-
twining thighs" means that penetration is
too deep. "Extending her heels" means
that penetration is not deep enough.
"Hooking from above" means that stim-
82 ulation from below has not yet reached
her heart. "Calming the movement"
means that she desires shallow penetra-
tion. "Quivering" means that she has
achieved the greatest joy. These are
called the "eight observations."
When the ch 'i rises and her face be-
comes hot, gently murmur to her. When
her nipples become hard and she per-
spires, slowly embrace her. Wh~n. her
tongue spreads and becomes lubnc10~s,
slowly press her. When secretions mms-
ten her thighs below, slowly hold her.
When her throat becomes dry and she
swallows saliva, slowly agitate her. These
are called the "five signs" and the "five
desires." When all the signs appear you
may mount her.
If [the penis] is enraged but not large,
it means that the skin is not yet aroused.
If it is large but not hard, it means ~h~t
the sinews are not yet aroused. If 1!. ~s
hard but not hot, it means that the ch I IS
not yet aroused. When the "three arous-
als" have manifested you may penetr~1te.
The first exhaustion is when the [c/Hng]
emitted is transparent and cold. The
second exhaustion is when it has the od~r
of rotten bones. The third exhaustion ~s
when it is dry. The fourth exhausti01: IS
when it is congealed. The fifth exha~st10.n
is when it is dry. The sixth exhaust10n IS
when the ching is like millet or s<?q~hum.
The seventh exhaution is when 1t is ob-
structed. The eighth exhaustion is whe.n ~t
is oily. The ninth exhaustion is when_ it ~s
slimy. With the tenth exhaustion it :s
brackish.1 4 When brackish, it once again
becomes slippery and may [spontaneous-
ly] be emitted in the early morning.
The first [part of the female genitalia] is
called "hairpin channel."
The second is called "scaling net rope."
The third is called "(?) gourd."
The fourth is called "rat wife ...
The fifth is called "grain seed."
The sixth is called "wheat teeth."
The seventh is called "baby girl."
The eighth is called ''going back."
The ninth is called "what dwelling."
The tenth is called "red(?)."
The eleventh is called "red (?)."
The twelfth is called"(?) rock." 15
Those who obtain this and refuse to Jet it

go only hasten the approach of death.
The pores become coarse; the waist and
heart are destroyed; the lips become
completely white; and the perspiration
flows all the way to the feet. The afflic-
tions of sexual exhaustion are legion.
Among the skills possessed by men,
a knowlege of women is indispensible.
When one docs have a woman. only the
skillful arc equal to the task. Do not be
too generous nor too controlling; do not
be too taxing nor too apprehensive. One
must be slow and patient; one must be
gentle and sustained. If one acts as if
finished but not finished. the woman will
be greatly pleased. When she breathes
from her throat it means that being stimu-
lated below she emits yin and i; full of
yang. When she pants it means that her
ch 'i is rising and her countenance natural-
ly opens. When she moans it means that
her buttocks arc sore and she moves her
IX. THE SUI -T'ANG
RECONSTRUCTED
Introduction
With the exception of The Prescriptions
of Su Nii, all the works in this section are
translated from reconstructions based
on fragments preserved in a Japanese
compendium of Chinese medical litera-
ture, the lshimpi5, compiled by Tamba
Yasuyori between 982 and 984. The late
Ch'ing-early Repuhlican scholar Yeh Te-
hui (1864-1927) made the exciting dis-
covery that titles in the twenty-eighth sec-
tion of the lslzimp6, "Fang-nci" (Art of
the bedchamber), closely corresponded
to those listed in the History of the Sui
bibliography, and concluded that these
represented the survival of sexology clas-
sics long since lost in China from the Han
to the T'ang. Yeh included his recon-
structions of the lshimp6 sexology clas-
sics in a collection of rare works he saw
The Sui-Tang Classics Reconstructed
"sealing net rope." When she exhales it
means that the voluptuous sweetness is
intense and she is beginning to experi-
ence pleasure. Whe she bites and her
body quivers it means that she wishes not
to be abandoned but continue for a long
time. Therefore. the male belongs to
yang that is external and the female be-
longs to yin that is internal. The male
should be rubbed on the outside and the
female should be rubbed on the inside.
This is called the art of yin and yang,
or the principle of male and female. If
one practices this without success, the
fault lies in insufficient mastery of the art.
The essence of dalliance is slowness. If
one proceeds slowly and patiently, the
woman will be exceedingly joyful. She
will adore you like a brother and love yo.u
like a parent. One who has mastered this
tao deserves to be called a heavenly gen-
tleman.
CLASSICS
published in 1903, entitled Slwang-mei
ching-an ts'wzg-shu (Shadow of the dou-
ble plum tree collection). . .
The Tung flsiian tzu is n~)t l.isted. 1 ~
either the Han or Sui dynastic h1stone~,
first appearing in that ?f the T'a_ng, but 1 ~
shows every sign of bemg one of the mo~
intact texts in the /shimp6. Maspero attn-
butes the authorship to the seventh cen-
tury physician, Li Tung-hsiian, but van
Gulik argues that the s~yle ai~d con~ent
belong to the Six Dynasties ~en_od ( thlfd-
sixth centuries). The Prescnptwns ?f ~u
Nt"i, by contrast, is listed in the Sm_ bib:
liography but is not found in the ls~w~1po
fragments. Yeh 's text of the Prcsc_npllo1~s
is taken from Sun Hsing-yen's Pmg-clzuz
kuan ts'w1g-slw, which in turn is based on
the T'ang work Wai-t'ai pi-ya? fa~1g ~1Y
Wang T'ao, who cites Chen Ch uan s Ku-
chin tu-yen as his source. Yeh supple- 83