Pengzu, whose surname was Jian (also written Sa) and given name Keng, was a worthy of high antiquity. Under Emperor Yao he was enfeoffed at Dapeng (present-day Xuzhou, Jiangsu), where he founded the state of Dapeng, and he became famous for his longevity and his way of nurturing life. A grandson of the ancient sovereign Zhuanxu (and an eighth-generation descendant of the Yellow Emperor), he cured Emperor Yao's loss of appetite by presenting him a pheasant broth, and for this was enfeoffed at Pengcheng; later generations called him “Pengzu” (Ancestor Peng). Pengzu was skilled in medicine and created three great arts of nurturing life: diet, daoyin (guiding and pulling exercises), and the arts of the bedchamber.
Those whose spirit is strong live long; those whose qi is forceful are easily extinguished. To be soft and yielding and to stand in awe is strength of spirit. To swell with anger and give free rein to one's will is forcefulness of qi.
Whenever a person strains to think about what lies beyond his abilities, his will is harmed. When he strains to lift what is beyond his strength, his body is harmed. When worries pile up without end, the hun spirit is harmed. When grief piles up without end, the po spirit is scattered. With too much joy and anger, the spirit does not return to its dwelling. With love and hate unsettled, the spirit does not guard the body. Grasping eagerly after desires makes the spirit agitated; brooding anxiously makes the spirit decay. Talking and laughing too long harms the internal organs; sitting or standing too long harms the sinews and bones. Sleeping at the wrong times harms the liver; exhausting oneself in activity harms the spleen; drawing bows and crossbows harms the sinews; climbing up and down heights harms the kidneys; drinking until drunk and vomiting harms the lungs; lying down on a full stomach harms the qi; galloping on horseback or running harms the stomach; shouting and quarreling harm the gallbladder. When yin and yang do not unite, sores and rashes appear; when there is no restraint in the bedchamber, consumptive wasting sets in.
In a whole human life, even the longest span does not exceed thirty thousand days. If one cannot go a single day without harm, and cannot spend a single day in repair, it is futile to complain that the spirit does not stay and the body is not well. Is that not hard? It is truly lamentable!
Therefore the method of nurturing life is this: do not spit far, and do not walk hastily. Do not strain the ears to listen to the utmost, do not let the eyes look for long, do not sit until weary, and do not lie down to the point of excess.
Put on clothes before you feel cold, and loosen them before you feel hot. Do not let yourself get very hungry, for hunger ruins the qi. Beware of eating too much; do not wait until extremely thirsty to drink, and beware of drinking too deeply.
Overeating forms lumps and masses that become disease; overdrinking makes phlegm and fluid accumulate and binds up qi and wind. Do not toil excessively, and do not idle excessively. Do not work up a sweat, do not rush about while drunk, do not ride a galloping horse on a full stomach, do not talk too much, do not eat raw food, do not force down rich and fresh delicacies, and do not leave your head uncovered after washing your hair.
In winter do not seek extreme warmth; in summer do not seek extreme cold. Extreme warmth in winter brings raging epidemics in spring; extreme coolness in summer brings malaria and dysentery in autumn.
Do not sleep in the open under the stars and moon; do not approach corpses when hungry; do not fan yourself while asleep; do not leave your head uncovered while eating; do not drink cold water while overheated; do not brave severe cold and then crowd close to a blazing stove; do not face a strong wind after bathing; do not undress right away when sweating heavily; do not douse yourself with cold water while overheated; do not relieve yourself facing the sun and moon or the Northern and Southern Dippers; do not expose your body beneath the stars; and do not go out into frost, fog, or mountain vapors. All of these harm the internal organs and ruin the spirit and soul.
Do not indulge in any one of the five flavors. Too much sour harms the spleen, too much bitter harms the lungs, too much pungent harms the liver, too much sweet harms the kidneys, and too much salty harms the heart. All of this corresponds to the Five Phases and is secretly received into the body; it can be reasoned out and investigated.
People of high purpose and gentlemen should be deeply cautious about this. Violating these rules does not bring harm at once, but over time it accumulates into decline and ruin. The heart is the master of the five zang organs, and qi is the messenger of all parts of the body. In activity, take great harmony as your horse; in circulation, take profound stillness as your carriage; when the joints are tired and strained, lie back and stretch in daoyin exercises. If one does not practice the arts of preserving and nurturing, and does not follow the way of peace and balance, the qi will soon fail before its span is done and the body wither before sounds and sights. One wearies one's tiny, fragile body and wastes away in sorrowful thoughts.
Having heard this way, one should nurture it deeply and cultivate it with care. This is why the Perfected are always plain and content and keep away from wild abandon, whereas the foolish follow their whims, and before they have attained anything they have already damaged their bodies, ruined their hun spirit, and harmed their po soul. How sad!