Part One: Exegesis of the Original Text of "Enriching the Spirit by Emulating the Five Dragons"

Chapter 1: The Original Text Collated

The first chapter of the Guiguzi, "Enriching the Spirit by Emulating the Five Dragons," reads in the received text as follows:

Within the enriched spirit there are Five Qi. Spirit is their leader; the mind is their dwelling; Virtue (De) is what makes them great. The place where the spirit is nourished returns to the Dao. The Dao is the beginning of Heaven and Earth; the One is its guiding thread. It is that from which things are fashioned, that by which Heaven is born. It encompasses all and is without form; its transformation into Qi preceded even Heaven and Earth in its completion. None can see its form, none can know its name -- it is called the Divine Numinous (Shenling). Therefore the Dao is the source of divine illumination, and the One is the starting point of its transformations. Thus it is through Virtue that the Five Qi are nourished; when the mind can attain the One, then there is Method (Shu). Method is the dwelling in which the Dao of mind and Qi resides; the spirit then serves as its emissary. The nine apertures and twelve lodgings are the gateways of Qi and the overall command of the mind.

One who receives life from Heaven is called a True Person (Zhenren). The True Person is one with Heaven. One who comes to know it through inner cultivation and practice is called a Sage (Shengren). The Sage knows by way of analogy and classification (lei). Therefore humanity and life alike emerge from the transformation of things. Knowing categories resides in the apertures. When there is doubt and perplexity, one turns to the method of the mind; yet Method inevitably has its impasses. When it does penetrate, the Five Qi receive nourishment, and the essential task is to lodge the spirit. This is called Transformation (Hua). Transformation involves the Five Qi: Will (Zhi), Thought (Si), Spirit (Shen), and Virtue (De). Spirit is the one that leads them all. Stillness and harmony nourish Qi; nourishing Qi attains harmony. When the four do not decline, one's imposing power extends in all directions without limit. To preserve and lodge them -- this is called Divine Transformation (Shenhua). When it returns to the body, one is called a True Person. The True Person is one who is the same as Heaven and united with the Dao, who holds fast to the One and nourishes the myriad kinds, who harbors the Heart of Heaven and bestows the nourishment of Virtue, who through non-action encompasses will, deliberation, thought, and intention while exercising imposing power. Only when the spirit is enriched can one nourish the will.

This is the broad outline of the received text. Yet Pre-Qin texts that have been transmitted to the present invariably contain errors, omissions, interpolations, and transpositions, and the Guiguzi is no exception. Therefore, in interpreting this chapter, we should first clarify the textually suspect passages before discussing where its philosophical meaning leads.

1. On the Character "Zhong" (Within/Middle) in "Within the Enriched Spirit There Are Five Qi"

The opening sentence, "Sheng shen zhong you wu qi" (Within the enriched spirit there are Five Qi), hinges upon the character "zhong" (middle/within). One may read it as "Sheng shen, zhong you wu qi" -- taking "zhong" as a locative, meaning that within the great and enriched spirit, there are Five Qi. Alternatively, one may read it as "Sheng shen zhong, you wu qi" -- making "sheng shen zhong" a single phrase meaning "in the process of enriching the spirit, there are Five Qi at work." Though the two readings differ, both are coherent.

Judging from Pre-Qin grammatical conventions, the character "zhong" is most often used as a locative. The Laozi says: "The Dao is like a vessel -- use it, yet it is never full" (Chapter 4), where "chong" (vessel/pour) is a phonetic loan for "zhong" (middle). The Guanzi's "Inner Training" (Neiye) likewise uses spatial concepts when discussing Qi dwelling within or inside.

Therefore, "sheng shen zhong you wu qi" should be read in the first manner: within the enriched spirit, the Five Qi are contained. These Five Qi are what the text below names as Will, Thought, Spirit, and Virtue (together with the Qi of the mind, totaling five).

2. Explanation of "Spirit Is Their Leader, the Mind Is Their Dwelling, Virtue Is What Makes Them Great"

"Spirit is their leader" (shen wei zhi zhang): "leader" (zhang) means chief, commander. In the Zuo Zhuan (Duke Xiang, Year 15): "Who shall be the leader$1" -- meaning who shall be the person in charge. Here it means spirit is the commander-in-chief of the Five Qi.

"The mind is their dwelling" (xin wei zhi she): "dwelling" (she) means residence, abode. The Guanzi's "Inner Training" says: "When the mind is settled within, the ears and eyes are sharp, the four limbs are firm -- it can serve as a dwelling for vital essence" (jingshe). Here it means the mind is the residence of the spirit; spirit dwells in the mind.

"Virtue is what makes them great" (de wei zhi da): "great" (da) means exalted, expansive. This means Virtue is what makes the spirit great. Without Virtue, the spirit may be enriched but cannot be great; with Virtue, the spirit is both enriched and expansive. This accords with the Laozi's statement: "The Dao gives them life; Virtue rears them" (Chapter 51). The Dao gives life to the myriad things; Virtue nurtures them. Thus Virtue is the foundation of nurturing.

These three phrases have already identified the three essential elements of "enriching the spirit": spirit as sovereign, the mind as dwelling, and Virtue as what makes it great. All three are indispensable. Without spirit there is no sovereign, without the mind no abode, without Virtue no means of greatness.

3. Explanation of "The Place Where the Spirit Is Nourished Returns to the Dao"

This sentence follows from the preceding. Having stated that spirit is the leader, the mind the dwelling, and Virtue what makes them great, the question becomes: how is this spirit to be nourished$2 The answer: by returning to the Dao.

The three characters "gui zhu Dao" (return to the Dao), though seemingly simple, are in fact profoundly far-reaching. What does "return" (gui) mean$3 The Shuowen Jiezi says: "Gui means a woman going to her husband's home in marriage." By extension it means to go back, to take refuge in. The means of nourishing spirit must take refuge in the Dao. This accords with the Laozi: "The myriad things flourish, and I observe their return. Things in all their multitude -- each returns to its root" (Chapter 16).

Why must nourishing spirit return to the Dao$4 Because spirit is the function of the Dao. The Laozi says: "The Dao is the mysterious wellspring of the myriad things" (Chapter 62). Spirit issues from the Dao, so nourishing spirit must return to it. This is like water returning to the sea, a tree returning to its root -- the logic of root and branch.

4. Exegesis of the Long Passage from "The Dao Is the Beginning of Heaven and Earth"

This passage constitutes Guiguzi's definition of the Dao. Every word carries immense weight and must not be treated lightly.

"The Dao is the beginning of Heaven and Earth; the One is its guiding thread."

"The beginning of Heaven and Earth" -- the Dao preceded Heaven and Earth. The Laozi, Chapter 25, says: "There was something undifferentiated yet complete, born before Heaven and Earth. Silent and void, it stands alone and does not change, pervades everywhere and does not tire -- it can be regarded as the Mother of Heaven and Earth. I do not know its name; I style it 'Dao' and reluctantly name it 'Great.'" Guiguzi's language here matches the Laozi precisely.

"The One is its guiding thread" (yi qi ji ye): "One" is the beginning of number, the essence of the Dao. "Guiding thread" (ji) means governing principle, organizing structure. The Dao takes "the One" as its governing principle. This accords with the Pre-Qin teaching of "holding fast to the One." The Laozi, Chapter 39: "Of old, those that attained the One: Heaven attained the One and became clear; Earth attained the One and became tranquil; spirits attained the One and became numinous; valleys attained the One and became full; the myriad things attained the One and came to life; lords and kings attained the One and brought order to the world." The root of all things returns to the One; the root of the One returns to the Dao. Hence: "the One is its guiding thread."

"It is that from which things are fashioned, that by which Heaven is born. It encompasses all and is without form; its transformation into Qi preceded even Heaven and Earth in its completion."

"That from which things are fashioned" -- the Dao is what all things issue from. "That by which Heaven is born" -- Heaven too is born of the Dao. Here "Heaven" is not the supreme concept; the Dao stands above Heaven. The Laozi, Chapter 4: "The Dao is like a vessel -- use it, yet it is never full. Fathomless, it seems the ancestor of all things. ... I do not know whose child it is; it appears to precede the Lord on High (Di)." The Dao precedes the Lord on High, precedes Heaven itself.

"It encompasses all and is without form" (bao hong wu xing) -- the Dao is vast beyond measure and without material form. The Laozi, Chapter 14: "Look at it and you cannot see it -- call it Subtle. Listen to it and you cannot hear it -- call it Rarefied. Grasp at it and you cannot get it -- call it Minute. These three cannot be fathomed, so they blend into one. Above, it is not bright; below, it is not dark. Unceasing, unnameable, it returns to nothingness. This is called the form of the formless, the image of the imageless." What Guiguzi calls "encompasses all and is without form" is precisely this "form of the formless."

"Its transformation into Qi preceded even Heaven and Earth in its completion" -- this sentence is extremely crucial. Before the Dao transformed into Qi, it had already preceded Heaven and Earth in its completion. Here is revealed one of the great propositions of Pre-Qin cosmogony: Dao -> Qi -> Heaven and Earth -> the myriad things. This sequence has clear expression in the Laozi, Chapter 42: "The Dao gives birth to the One; the One gives birth to Two; Two gives birth to Three; Three gives birth to the myriad things. The myriad things carry Yin and embrace Yang, and through the blending of Qi achieve harmony."

"One" is the primordial Qi at its inception; "Two" is Yin and Yang; "Three" is the harmonious Qi born of Yin and Yang's intercourse. When Guiguzi says "its transformation into Qi preceded Heaven and Earth," he means precisely that the Dao transformed into Qi, and this process of transformation preceded the formation of Heaven and Earth.

"None can see its form, none can know its name -- it is called the Divine Numinous."

Its form cannot be seen, its name cannot be known, therefore it is called "the Divine Numinous" (shenling). This "Divine Numinous" is not the spirits and ghosts of later ages, but refers to the wondrous function, the luminous unfathomability of the Dao. The Xici Zhuan (Commentary on the Appended Phrases) of the Zhouyi says: "What is unfathomable in the alternation of Yin and Yang is called the Divine (shen)." This is precisely the meaning here. The workings of the Dao, with their unfathomable transformations, are thus called the Divine Numinous.

"Therefore the Dao is the source of divine illumination, and the One is the starting point of its transformations."

This summarizes the preceding. The Dao is the wellspring of divine illumination (shenming), and it takes the One as the inception of its creative transformations. "Starting point of transformations" (huaduan) means the initial thread from which all transformations arise. The myriad transformations begin from the One, and the One issues from the Dao.

5. Explanation of "Thus It Is Through Virtue That the Five Qi Are Nourished; When the Mind Can Attain the One, Then There Is Method"

This marks the crucial pivot from cosmology to self-cultivation.

The preceding discussion of the Dao as the beginning of Heaven and Earth and the source of divine illumination was cosmological exposition. Here, the text turns to human cultivation.

"Virtue nourishes the Five Qi" (de yang wu qi): Virtue (De) means "attaining" (de). The Guanzi, "Art of the Mind, Part 1," says: "Virtue is the dwelling of the Dao; through it things come to life." Virtue is the attainment of the Dao. To nourish the Five Qi through Virtue is to nurture the Five Qi with what one has attained of the Dao.

"When the mind can attain the One" (xin neng de yi): if the mind can hold fast to that "One" -- the guiding thread of the Dao -- then the Method of cultivation naturally arises. This is consonant with the Guanzi's "Inner Training": "To be able to transform a single thing -- that is called divine. To be able to vary a single affair -- that is called wise. To transform without altering one's Qi, to vary without altering one's wisdom -- only the gentleman who holds fast to the One can do this."

"Then there is Method" (nai you qi shu): Method arises from the Dao, is born of Virtue, and comes from the mind's attaining the One. This "Method" (shu) is not what is commonly meant by stratagems or tricks, but rather Method in accord with the Dao. Without attaining the One there is no Method; upon attaining the One, Method arises of itself. This is the fundamental basis upon which Guiguzi establishes his teaching of Method.

6. Explanation of "Method Is the Dwelling in Which the Dao of Mind and Qi Resides; the Spirit Then Serves as Its Emissary"

This sentence, though somewhat difficult in phrasing, is perfectly clear in meaning.

"Method is the dwelling in which the Dao of mind and Qi resides" -- Method is the place where mind, Qi, and the Dao jointly abide. The mind has Qi; Qi communicates with the Dao; the Dao is lodged within Method.

"The spirit then serves as its emissary" (shen nai wei zhi shi): the spirit serves as the emissary of Method. The word "shi" (emissary/agent) here can be read either as "being employed" -- meaning spirit is put to use by Method -- or as "agent," meaning spirit is Method's envoy. Both readings are valid. However, given the earlier statement "spirit is their leader" and the subsequent "spirit serves as its emissary," the latter reading seems preferable -- spirit is the emissary of Method; Method exerts its effects through spirit.

This is the fundamental secret of Guiguzi's art of the Vertical and Horizontal: the application of Method necessarily employs spirit as intermediary. Without spirit, Method has no power; Method operates through spirit.

7. Explanation of "The Nine Apertures and Twelve Lodgings Are the Gateways of Qi and the Overall Command of the Mind"

"Nine apertures" (jiu qiao) are the nine orifices of the human body. The Guanzi's "Inner Training" says: "In the birth of a human being, Heaven provides the vital essence, Earth provides the physical form, and together they make a person." The nine apertures are: two eyes, two ears, two nostrils, mouth, and the anterior and posterior lower orifices -- nine in all.

"Twelve lodgings" (shi'er she): interpretations vary. Some take them as the lodgings of the twelve meridians, others as the twelve organs -- the five viscera and six bowels plus the pericardium. From the standpoint of Pre-Qin medicine, the Huangdi Neijing's Lingshu speaks of twelve meridians, each with its own lodging. Here "lodging" (she) should carry the same meaning as "the mind is their dwelling" above -- a place of residence. The twelve lodgings are the twelve places where Qi resides.

"The gateways of Qi" -- the nine apertures serve as gateways through which Qi passes in and out. "The overall command of the mind" -- the mind exercises total sovereignty over the nine apertures and twelve lodgings.

Here Guiguzi bridges cosmology and the theory of the body: Dao -> Qi -> Spirit -> Mind -> Nine Apertures and Twelve Lodgings. The grandeur of the cosmos returns to the Dao; the marvel of the human body returns to the mind. The mind commands the nine apertures and twelve lodgings just as the Dao governs Heaven, Earth, and all things.

8. Explanation of the Passage from "One Who Receives Life from Heaven Is Called a True Person" to "Is Called a Sage"

"One who receives life from Heaven is called a True Person. The True Person is one with Heaven."

The concept of the "True Person" (zhenren) is discussed most extensively in the Zhuangzi. In "The Great Ancestral Teacher" (Da Zong Shi), Master Zhuang says: "The True People of antiquity did not resist the few, did not vaunt their achievements, did not scheme. Being such, they could pass through error without regret and encounter success without self-satisfaction. They could climb heights without trembling, enter water without getting wet, enter fire without feeling heat. Such is the knowledge that can ascend to the Dao."

He also says: "The True People of antiquity slept without dreaming, woke without care, ate without savoring, breathed deeply and fully. The True Person breathes from the heels; ordinary people breathe from the throat."

Guiguzi's "True Person" shares the same origin as that of Master Zhuang. "Receives life from Heaven" means that at birth one receives the vital essence of Heaven, naturally becoming complete without the need for cultivation. "Is one with Heaven" means being indissolubly united with the Heavenly Dao, with no distinction between self and Heaven.

"One who comes to know it through inner cultivation and practice is called a Sage."

The True Person is born such; the Sage is made through cultivation. The True Person "receives life from Heaven"; the Sage "comes to know it through inner cultivation and practice." This distinction is of the utmost importance.

"The Sage knows by way of analogy and classification."

The Sage's knowledge is obtained through analogical reasoning. "Knowing by way of classification" (yi lei zhi zhi) means coming to understand principles by comparing and extrapolating from similar things. This accords with the Xici Zhuan of the Zhouyi: "Extend and expand them, touch upon one category and develop it further -- then all the capable affairs of the world are complete."

Here Guiguzi has effectively delineated two levels of cultivation: the True Person is the higher, the Sage the secondary. The True Person is naturally united with the Dao, without deliberate effort; the Sage achieves union with the Dao through wisdom and practice, by way of analogical reasoning.

Why this distinction$5 Because the True Person's primordial Qi has not dispersed, their innate nature is complete -- they are those who know from birth. The Sage, by contrast, has acquired partial biases through post-natal habits, yet is able through cultivation to return to the Dao -- they are those who know through learning.

9. Explanation of the Passage from "Therefore Humanity and Life Alike Emerge from the Transformation of Things" to "This Is Called Transformation"

"Therefore humanity and life alike emerge from the transformation of things."

Humanity and the life of all things alike emerge from the process of transformation (hua wu). "Transformation of things" means the Dao transforming into things. This is consonant with the Zhuangzi's "Discussion on Making All Things Equal" (Qi Wu Lun): "Things are simultaneously being born and dying, dying and being born; simultaneously possible and impossible, impossible and possible."

"Knowing categories resides in the apertures."

Knowledge of categories and types among all things resides in the apertures' perception. The apertures are gateways of Qi; through the nine apertures one perceives external things and thereby discerns their categories.

"When there is doubt and perplexity, one turns to the method of the mind; yet Method inevitably has its impasses. When it does penetrate, the Five Qi receive nourishment, and the essential task is to lodge the spirit. This is called Transformation."

When perception encounters doubt and confusion, one should resolve it through the method of the mind (xin shu). Yet the method of the mind also has its impasses. How then does one penetrate$6 When the Five Qi receive proper nourishment, the key lies in lodging the spirit (she shen) -- allowing the spirit to dwell at peace. Thus doubts resolve themselves, and comprehension is unobstructed. This process is called "Transformation" (hua).

"Transformation" means change, influence, penetration. When the Five Qi flow harmoniously and the spirit rests in its dwelling, the method of the mind naturally achieves penetration, and doubts naturally dissolve. The word "hua" is in fact the core concept of this entire chapter.

10. Explanation of the Passage from "Transformation Involves the Five Qi" to "This Is Called Divine Transformation"

"Transformation involves the Five Qi: Will, Thought, Spirit, and Virtue. Spirit is the one that leads them all."

Here the names of the Five Qi are made explicit: Will (zhi), Thought (si), Spirit (shen), and Virtue (de). Yet these four are only four Qi -- why call them "five"$7

Two explanations are possible:

First, the Five Qi are indeed five, but there is a lacuna in the text, with one Qi unnamed. Perhaps the Qi of the mind (xin qi) is the fifth.

Second, the "one" in "Spirit is the one that leads" (shen qi yi zhang ye) is itself the fifth Qi. This "One" is the guiding thread of the Dao. Spirit takes the "One" as its leader and commander; the "One" is the fundamental Qi that pervades Will, Thought, Spirit, and Virtue.

From the context, the second explanation is more harmonious. The Five Qi are: Will, Thought, Spirit, Mind (or the One), and Virtue. Yet the fact that "Spirit" is both one of the Five Qi and the leader of the Five Qi carries deep significance -- just as the Son of Heaven is both one of the feudal lords (being human like them) and their leader (standing above them), holding a dual identity.

"Stillness and harmony nourish Qi; nourishing Qi attains harmony."

Stillness (jing) and harmony (he) are the essentials of nourishing Qi. Stillness keeps Qi from scattering; harmony keeps Qi from disorder. This accords with the Laozi, Chapter 16: "Attain the utmost emptiness; maintain utter stillness. The myriad things flourish, and I observe their return." It also accords with the Guanzi's "Inner Training": "In the birth of a human being, joy is essential. But when one worries, one loses the guiding thread; when one is angry, one loses the starting point. With worry, grief, joy, and anger, the Dao has no place to dwell." Emotional agitation scatters and disorders Qi; stillness and harmony allow Qi to be nourished.

"When the four do not decline, one's imposing power extends in all directions without limit."

When Will, Thought, Spirit, and Virtue -- these four -- do not decline, then one's imposing power in all four directions knows no limit. "Four directions" (si bian) means all directions, by extension all domains.

"To preserve and lodge them -- this is called Divine Transformation. When it returns to the body, one is called a True Person."

"Preserve" (cun) means to sustain in cultivation. "Lodge" (she) means to dwell in peace. To sustain the spirit in cultivation and cause it to dwell peacefully within oneself -- this is called "Divine Transformation" (shenhua) -- the transformation of spirit. When this transformation returns to one's own body, one may be called a True Person.

Here is revealed a path of cultivation of the utmost profundity: through practice one attains "Divine Transformation" and ultimately reaches the state of the "True Person." Earlier, the text said the True Person "receives life from Heaven"; here it says cultivation can also lead to becoming a True Person. Is this a contradiction$8 No. The innate True Person is such by nature; the person who cultivates and returns to the primordial can also be called a True Person. This is like the Laozi's injunction to "return to the state of the infant" (Chapter 28) -- an infant is naturally uncarved, and the adult who cultivates the Dao can likewise return to that uncarved simplicity.

11. The Final Passage: "The True Person Is One Who Is the Same as Heaven and United with the Dao" to the End

"The True Person is one who is the same as Heaven and united with the Dao, who holds fast to the One and nourishes the myriad kinds, who harbors the Heart of Heaven and bestows the nourishment of Virtue, who through non-action encompasses will, deliberation, thought, and intention while exercising imposing power."

This is the summative portrait of the True Person. The True Person is one with Heaven and united with the Dao; holds fast to the One and nourishes all things; harbors the Heart of Heaven; bestows the nourishment of Virtue; and through an attitude of non-action (wuwei) encompasses will, deliberation, thought, and intention while wielding imposing power.

"Holding fast to the One" echoes the earlier "when the mind can attain the One." "Harboring the Heart of Heaven" means taking Heaven's mind as one's own. The Lushi Chunqiu's "Great Music" (Da Yue) says: "The origins of music and sound are far indeed; they arise from measure, and their root is the Grand One (Taiyi). The Grand One gives birth to the Two Standards, and the Two Standards give birth to Yin and Yang." The Heart of Heaven is the heart of the Grand One -- the heart of the Dao.

"Through non-action encompasses will, deliberation, thought, and intention while exercising imposing power" -- this sentence is marvelous. "Non-action" does not mean doing nothing; rather, it means commanding will, deliberation, thought, intention, and all other mental activities from a posture of non-action, and thereby wielding imposing power. This is the supreme realm of Guiguzi's art of the Vertical and Horizontal: governing action through non-action, controlling movement through stillness, commanding the myriad through the One.

"Only when the spirit is enriched can one nourish the will."

The final five characters of the chapter are concise and powerful, summarizing the whole. Only when spirit is enriched can one proceed to nourish the will. This serves as the introduction to the next chapter, "Nourishing the Will by Emulating the Numinous Tortoise" (Yang Zhi Fa Linggui).

Chapter 2: A Deep Explanation of the Chapter Title "Enriching the Spirit by Emulating the Five Dragons"

1. The Meaning of "Enriching the Spirit" (Sheng Shen)

"Sheng" means to fill to abundance, to make flourish, to make mighty. The Shuowen says: "Sheng originally refers to millet and grain placed in a vessel for sacrifice." By extension it means abundant, plentiful.

"Enriching the spirit" means to cause the spirit to become abundant. This is a verb-object construction: "enrich" is the verb, "spirit" the object. Everything the chapter discusses revolves around this central proposition of how to make the "spirit" flourish.

But what is "spirit"$9 This question is of critical importance.

In Pre-Qin texts, "shen" (spirit) has very broad meanings. In summary, it has the following layers:

First layer: the spirit of Heaven and Earth -- the spirit of ghosts and gods.

The Zuo Zhuan (Duke Zhuang, Year 32): "When a state is about to flourish, it listens to the people; when about to perish, it listens to the spirits. The spirits are those who are perceptive, upright, and single-minded, and they act in accordance with human beings." Here "shen" refers to spiritual beings between Heaven and Earth.

Second layer: the unfathomable aspect of Yin and Yang.

The Zhouyi's Xici Zhuan: "What is unfathomable in the alternation of Yin and Yang is called the Divine (shen)." Here "shen" refers to the wondrous function of nature, the power of unfathomable change.

Third layer: the divine illumination of the human mind.

The Guanzi's "Inner Training": "Think upon it, think upon it, and think upon it again. If thinking does not penetrate, the ghosts and spirits will make it penetrate. This is not the power of ghosts and spirits; it is the utmost of vital Qi." Here it is made explicit: what is called "the ghosts and spirits making it penetrate" is really the vital Qi reaching its zenith. When a person's vital Qi reaches its fullest, the mind possesses divine illumination and can penetrate everything.

Fourth layer: the most refined essence of vital Qi.

The Guanzi's "Inner Training" also says: "The essential substance of all things -- this is what produces life. Below, it gives birth to the five grains; above, it becomes the arrayed stars. When it flows between Heaven and Earth, it is called ghosts and spirits; when stored within the breast, it is called the Sage." Vital essence stored in the breast makes one a Sage -- this is spirit.

The "spirit" of which Guiguzi speaks encompasses the second, third, and fourth layers. His spirit is at once the zenith of vital Qi (the bodily level), the luminous awareness of the mind (the psychological level), and the wondrous function of unfathomable change (the functional level).

Thus "enriching the spirit" means filling to abundance the vital Qi of the person, the luminous awareness of the mind, and the wondrous capacity for responsive change. These three are one body, inseparable.

2. The Meaning of "Emulating" (Fa)

"Fa" means to model upon, to take as standard. The Shuowen: "Fa means penalty." By extension: law, standard, to emulate.

"Emulating the Five Dragons" means modeling upon the Five Dragons -- taking them as paradigm and standard.

3. The Meaning of "Five Dragons" (Wu Long): The Central Enigma

"Five Dragons" constitutes the greatest enigma of this chapter. What are the Five Dragons$10 In Pre-Qin texts, references to "Five Dragons" appear in several places with different referents. We must examine each to seek the truth.

(1) The Five Dragons as Ancient Emperors

The Chunqiu Wei: Mingli Xu (though a Han apocryphal text, the legends it recounts likely have Pre-Qin origins) says: "Huang Bo, Huang Zhong, Huang Shu, Huang Ji, Huang Shao -- five with the same surname in the same epoch, all riding dragons -- they were called the Five Dragons." This tells of five ancient emperors who rode dragons together and were called the Five Dragons.

The Zuo Zhuan (Duke Zhao, Year 29) records the words of Cai Mo about dragon-rearing in high antiquity, mentioning the Huanlong clan and how Emperor Shun had people rear dragons. This passage (quoted in full earlier) shows that the relationship between dragons and emperors was extremely close in high antiquity. The tradition of the Five Dragons may have its origin in legends of ancient emperors riding dragons.

(2) The Five Dragons as Dragons of the Five Phases

In Pre-Qin Five Phases (Wuxing) theory, the five phases of Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water each have their color: Wood is azure, Fire is red, Earth is yellow, Metal is white, Water is black. The five colors correspond to five dragons: Azure Dragon, Red Dragon, Yellow Dragon, White Dragon, and Black Dragon.

If the Five Dragons are the dragons of the Five Phases, then "Enriching the Spirit by Emulating the Five Dragons" means: to enrich one's spirit, one should emulate the operational patterns of the Five Phase dragons. The Five Phases generate and conquer one another, just as dragons transform without end.

(3) The Five Dragons as the Five Qi in Dragon Form

Guiguzi himself says "within the enriched spirit there are Five Qi" and "Transformation involves the Five Qi: Will, Thought, Spirit, and Virtue." If the Five Dragons are the Five Qi given figurative form, then "emulating the Five Dragons" means emulating the way the Five Qi operate.

The dragon is a creature of transformation. The Zhouyi's Qian (Heaven) hexagram uses the dragon to illustrate the way of change: the hidden dragon, the dragon appearing in the field, the wary dragon, the leaping dragon, the flying dragon, the overreaching dragon -- six stages constituting the cycle of change. The Five Dragons represent the Five Qi, each transforming like a dragon, moving with the times and changing with the situation.

(4) The Five Dragons as the Five Emperors (Rulers of the Five Directions)

The Pre-Qin tradition of the Five Emperors assigns one to each direction: Tai Hao (East), the Flame Emperor Yandi (South), the Yellow Emperor Huangdi (Center), Shao Hao (West), and Zhuan Xu (North).

The Lushi Chunqiu's "Twelve Records" matches four emperors to four seasons (with Huangdi at the center):

First month of spring: "Its emperor is Tai Hao; its spirit is Goumang." First month of summer: "Its emperor is Yandi; its spirit is Zhurong." Last month of summer (Central Earth): "Its emperor is Huangdi; its spirit is Houtu." First month of autumn: "Its emperor is Shao Hao; its spirit is Rushou." First month of winter: "Its emperor is Zhuan Xu; its spirit is Xuanming."

If the Five Dragons represent the Five Emperors, then "emulating the Five Dragons" means emulating the virtues of the Five Emperors, each according to his season, each holding his position, each practicing his Way.

(5) Comprehensive Analysis

Each of the four theories above has its basis. Yet judging from the chapter's content, the "Five Dragons" most likely constitute a comprehensive symbolic concept that encompasses several meanings:

First, a symbol of the Five Qi. The dragon is a creature of transformation; the Five Qi are like Five Dragons, each with its own nature, function, and capacity for change.

Second, a symbol of the Five Phases. Generation and conquest among the Five Phases are like the dragon's ascent and descent, coiling and uncoiling, transforming without end. The way of enriching spirit should accord with the principles of the Five Phases.

Third, a symbol of the ancient sage-emperors. To emulate the Five Dragons is to emulate the virtue of the ancient sage-emperors, nourishing spirit and governing the world.

In sum, "Emulating the Five Dragons" means modeling upon the Dao of the Five Dragons (the Five Qi, the Five Phases, the Five Emperors) to enrich one's spirit. This is the overarching principle; the rest of the chapter is its elaboration.