The Seal of the Unity of the Three: A Study and Translation of the Cantong qi, the Source of the Taoist Way of the Golden Elixir

«Forsaking the times, avoiding harm, I have entrusted myself to mountains and hills. I have wandered and roamed through the Unbounded, with demons as my neighbors. Transmuting my form, transcending the world, I have entered the depths of the Inaudible.» — el epígrafe del volumen no es de Pregadio: son los versos finales del propio Cantong qi, que la traducción imprime después como sección 88, rotulada por Pregadio *Wei Boyang's final words*; la voz habla en primera persona del retiro a los montes, del vagar por lo Ilimitado con los demonios por vecinos y de la transmutación de la forma

«Under an allusive poetical language and thick layers of images and symbols, the Cantong qi (as the text is often called) hides the exposition of a doctrine that inspired a large number of commentaries and other works, and attracted the attention not only of Taoist masters and adepts, but also of philosophers, cosmologists, poets, literati, calligraphers, philologists, and bibliophiles.» — Pregadio describe el modo de decir del Cantong qi: bajo un lenguaje poético alusivo y capas de imágenes y símbolos esconde la exposición de una doctrina, y por eso atrajo no solo a maestros taoístas sino a filósofos, cosmólogos, poetas, literatos, calígrafos, filólogos y bibliófilos

«This reading takes account of a point that is reflected in the title of the Cantong qi, is stated more than once in its verses, and is often discussed by its commentators, including some of those associated with Neidan: the Cantong qi is concerned not with one, but with three major subjects, and joins them to one another in a single doctrine, of which alchemy is one aspect.» — Pregadio expone la lectura minoritaria dentro de la tradición taoísta: el Cantong qi no trata una materia sino tres, unidas en una sola doctrina de la que la alquimia es un aspecto, y lo apoya en el título, en los versos y en los propios comentaristas

«In its complete form, the title of the Cantong gi is made of two main parts.» — Pregadio desarma el título: en su forma completa son dos partes

«The first part, Zhouwyi 周易 (Changes of the Zhou), is another name of the Yijing, or Book of Changes, whose cosmological system plays a fundamental role in the Cantong qi.» — Pregadio identifica la primera parte con otro nombre del Yijing, cuyo sistema cosmológico es fundamental en la obra; el carácter chino queda dentro de las comillas tal como lo imprime el troceo, y la capa de texto corrompe *Zhouyi* en *Zhouwyi*

«The last word in the second part of the title of the Cantong qi, nevertheless, also suggests an association with the “weft texts.”» — Pregadio adjudica a qi, la última palabra del título, un vínculo con los apócrifos

«A text belonging to this genre is a manifest sign of a divine revelation; at the same time, it represents its legitimate possessor’s intangible but unbreakable bonds to the source of the revelation, and grants access to it.» — Pregadio enuncia qué hace un texto de ese género: es signo manifiesto de una revelación divina y a la vez representa el lazo intangible de su poseedor legítimo con la fuente, y le da acceso a ella

«Concerning the expression cantong 參 同 , commentators and other authors have offered two main interpretations, According to the first view, can 2 means “merging, being one,” and tong 同 means “unity.”» — Pregadio abre las dos lecturas de cantong: en la primera, can vale *fundirse, ser uno* y tong vale *unidad*

«On the basis of this reading, the title of the Cantong gi should be translated, for example, as Joining as One with Unity.» — según esa primera lectura, dice Pregadio, el título se traduciría *Joining as One with Unity*

«According to the second view, can 參 means, or rather stands for, san =., “three.” In this view, the title of the Cantong qi alludes to its property of being a seal that testifies to the unity of three components and, for that reason, enables its possessor to comprehend their unity.» — la segunda lectura, que Pregadio prefiere: can está por san, *tres*, y el título alude a que la obra es un sello que atestigua la unidad de tres componentes y permite comprenderla

«It is, instead, worthy of note that those who favor the second reading often support it by quoting passages found in the final portions of the Cantong qi (sections 84 and 87).» — Pregadio señala dónde se apoya la segunda lectura: en los pasajes finales de la propia obra, secciones 84 y 87, que dicen que el texto trata de tres vías que salen de una misma fuente y llevan a ella

«The order in which the three subjects are mentioned is significant —so significant that, to my knowledge, all authors and commentators who mention the three subjects refer to them in the same order, even when they refer to them with different Chinese terms.» — Pregadio observa que el orden de las tres materias es constante en todos los autores y comentaristas que las mencionan, aunque las nombren con términos chinos distintos

«“Cosmology” in the Cantong qi is not only an explication of the functioning of the cosmos, but in first place an exposition of» — Pregadio acota qué significa cosmología en esta obra: no solo el funcionamiento del cosmos; la frase sigue en la plana siguiente, donde dice que es exposición de la relación del cosmos con el Dao y del lugar del hombre respecto de ambos

«Based on this fundamental view, the Cantong qi presents two ways of realization. The first is what it calls Taoism (“Huang-Lao”), which for the Cantong qi is the way of “non-doing,” canonized in the Daode jing. The second is alchemy—in the form canonized by the Cantong qi itself—which is the way of “doing.”» — Pregadio expone las dos vías de realización que el poema propone: la que llama taoísmo (Huang-Lao), vía del no obrar canonizada en el Daode jing, y la alquimia, vía del obrar en la forma que el propio Cantong qi canoniza

«Borrowing two terms from the Daode jing, the Cantong qi defines these two ways as those of “superior virtue” and “inferior virtue,” respectively (see section 20).» — y el par con que el propio poema las nombra, tomado del Daode jing: virtud superior y virtud inferior, en la sección 20

«First, it is not difÏcult to identify, within the mystifying, but certainly not haphazard, sequence of poems in the first two Books, several contiguous portions that are devoted to each of the three main subjects:» — Pregadio sostiene que la secuencia de poemas de los dos primeros Libros, por desconcertante que sea, no es azarosa: se reconocen tramos contiguos dedicados a cada una de las tres materias; *difÏcult* es como la capa de texto rinde la ligadura de *difficult*

«Book 1: sections 1-17, Cosmology; 18-27, Taoism; 28-42, Alchemy Book 2: sections 43-52, Cosmology; 53-61, Taoism; 62~74, Alchemy» — el reparto por secciones que Pregadio traza para los dos Libros principales: cosmología, taoísmo y alquimia en cada uno

«of the Classics before the actual title of a work reflects the usage of the “weft texts” (weishu, commonly referred to as the “apocrypha” among Western scholars), an early textual corpus whose cosmology is rooted in the Book of Changes.» — Pregadio lee en la anteposición del nombre de un Clásico al título el uso de los weishu, los llamados apócrifos entre los estudiosos occidentales, corpus cuya cosmología arraiga en el Libro de los Cambios; la frase arranca en la plana anterior con *Placing the name of one*

«Being possessed of this state is called in the Cantong qi the way of “superior virtue.” Alchemy, the only form of practice that the Cantong qi upholds, is the complementary, and preparatory, way of “inferior virtue.”» — lo que la propia obra llama a cada cosa, según Pregadio: poseer ese estado es la vía de la virtud superior, y la alquimia —única forma de práctica que el Cantong qi sostiene— es la vía complementaria y preparatoria de la virtud inferior

«The sentence “Sun and Moon make change” (7:3), already cited above in relation to Yu Fan, is said to reflect the views of the apocrypha, which emphasize the idea of the analogic function of forms, including the characters of the written language, and in this perspective develop symbolic etymologies for certain words (this is also the subject of section 6 of the Cantong gi).» — Pregadio expone qué hace la obra con el verso 7:3: refleja la idea apócrifa de la función analógica de las formas, incluidos los caracteres de la escritura, de donde salen las etimologías simbólicas que el propio Cantong qi desarrolla en su sección 6

«The description of the state of transcendence found in section 27 concludes by saying that the adept will “obtain the Register and receive the Chart,” one of similar expressions that in the apocrypha designate the mandate granted by Heaven to a sovereign.» — la sección 27 cierra su descripción del estado de trascendencia diciendo que el adepto obtendrá el Registro y recibirá la Carta, expresión que en los apócrifos designa el mandato del Cielo sobre un soberano

«sesame extends the length of your life” (33:1) is also found, in exactly the same form, among the fragments of one of the best» — el verso 33:1 del propio poema, que Pregadio consigna con su cotejo: aparece en la misma forma exacta entre los fragmentos de uno de los apócrifos más conocidos

«The distinction between the paths of “superior virtue” and “inferior virtue”—the paths of non-doing (wuwei) and of alchemy, respectively —is drawn from the perspective of the former path, and conforms to principles set forth in the Daode jing and elaborated on in the» — Pregadio señala desde dónde se traza la distinción que el poema traza: la de virtud superior y virtud inferior, es decir la del no obrar y la de la alquimia, se traza desde la primera vía y conforme a los principios del Daode jing

«From this perspective, the practice of alchemy— performed in accordance with the principles formulated in the Cantong gi-—represents the preparatory, gradual practice that, if entirely accomplished, grants access to the highest realized state (see Cantong gi, section 20, and its notes)» — y qué es entonces la alquimia en la obra: la práctica preparatoria y gradual que, cumplida entera, da acceso al estado realizado más alto, según la sección 20

«The Taoist portions of the Cantong qi contain passages that criticize practices different from the alchemical ones, including the Taoist methods of meditation on the inner deities» — un dato que Pregadio consigna sobre la propia obra: sus porciones taoístas critican prácticas distintas de la alquímica, entre ellas los métodos taoístas de meditación sobre las deidades interiores

«The name of my book is The Seal of the Unity of the Three,» — la automención del propio poema, que Pregadio destaca aquí citándola en su Introducción y que reaparece luego dentro de la traducción: el nombre del libro es El Sello de la Unidad de los Tres, y por eso la frase abarca el texto entero y no solo Llenando las Lagunas

«The main purpose of the cosmological portions of the Cantong qi is to define the relation of the cosmos to the Dao. This relation is described by means of emblems that represent the modes taken on by the Dao in its self-manifestation, and the corresponding main features of Being. On the basis of this definition, a set of principles is derived that serve to establish the cosmological science of alchemy, described elsewhere in the Cantong qi.» — Pregadio enuncia para qué son las porciones cosmológicas del poema: definir la relación del cosmos con el Dao mediante emblemas que representan los modos de su automanifestación, y derivar de ahí los principios de la ciencia cosmológica de la alquimia

«The cosmological portions of the Cantong gi give prominence to the role and functions of the ruler. The king, being placed at the symbolic center of the human realm—his kingdom, and more specifically his court--should guarantee the reciprocal agreement of Heaven, Earth, and mankind. Trigrams and hexagrams of the Book of Changes, and other related emblems, enable him to comprehend the patterns of Heaven and Earth, and to model his governance on those patterns.» — y el lugar que dan al soberano: puesto en el centro simbólico del reino humano, ha de garantizar el acuerdo recíproco de Cielo, Tierra y humanidad, y los trigramas y hexagramas le permiten comprender los patrones y modelar su gobierno sobre ellos

«Although the names Qian, Kun, Kan, and Li belong to the vocabulary of the Book of Changes, it would be impossible to understand the functions that they play in a work like the Cantong qi as long as they are seen as no more than trigrams or hexagrams.» — Pregadio advierte contra la lectura corta de esos nombres: tomarlos por meros trigramas o hexagramas impide entender su función en esta obra

«From the perspective of the Cantong gi, Qian, Kun, Kan, and Li are formless principles that serve to explicate how the Dao generates the relative domain and manifests itself in it. The corresponding trigrams and hexagrams are symbolic forms (xiang) used to represent those principles» — y dice qué son en ella: principios sin forma que explican cómo el Dao genera el dominio relativo y se manifiesta en él, siendo los trigramas formas simbólicas, xiang, que los representan

«Qian and Kun are the two primary modes taken on by the Dao in generating the world: Great indeed is Qian, the Origin! The ten thousand things owe their beginning to him... Perfect indeed is Kun, the Origin! The ten thousand things owe their birth to her. (Book of Changes, “Commentary on the Judgement” on the hexagrams Qian & and Kun 28) Qian is the active (“creative”) principle, essence, Yang, and Heaven; Kun is the passive (“receptive”) principle, substance, Yin, and Earth. Being permanently joined to one another in the precosmic domain, Qian entrusts its creative power to Kun, and Kun brings creation to accomplishment.» — Pregadio expone el par primero de la cosmología del poema, apoyándose en el Libro de los Cambios: Qian activo, esencia, Yang y Cielo; Kun pasivo, sustancia, Yin y Tierra; unidos en el dominio precósmico, Qian confía su poder creador a Kun y Kun lleva la creación a término

«In the everlasting instant in which Qian and Kun give birth to the cosmos, the Yang of Qian moves into Kun, and, in response, the Yin of Kun moves into Qian. In the symbolic representation by the corresponding trigrams, Qian = entrusts its essence to Kun and becomes Li EE; Kun = receives that essence from Qian and becomes Kan» — y el instante en que nace el cosmos: el Yang de Qian entra en Kun y el Yin de Kun entra en Qian, con lo que Qian se vuelve Li y Kun se vuelve Kan

«Kan and Li, therefore, replace Qian and Kun in the cosmic domain. Since they harbor the Yang of Qian and the Yin of Kun, respectively, as their own inner essences, they enable the Yin and Yang of the precosmic domain to operate in the cosmic domain. For this reason, Kan and Li are said to be the “functions” (yong, a word also meaning “operation”) of Qian and Kun, while Qian and Kun are the “substantive basis”» — la consecuencia: Kan y Li sustituyen a Qian y Kun en el dominio cósmico y, por albergar sus esencias, permiten que el Yin y el Yang precósmicos operen en él; por eso se dice que son la función de Qian y Kun, y estos la base sustantiva de aquellos

«This vision pertains to the relative world in which we live, and is meaningful only within its boundaries. Qian, Kun, Kan, and Li fundamentally reside within the Dao, undifferentiated from one another (43:13-14). By analogy, they also reside within the spaceless and timeless point at the center of the cosmos, namely, the Heart of Heaven (tianxin), at the core of multiplicity and change (12:1).» — el límite que Pregadio pone a esa visión: vale dentro del mundo relativo, porque los cuatro residen indiferenciados dentro del Dao y, por analogía, en el punto sin espacio ni tiempo del centro del cosmos, el Corazón del Cielo

«The five agents are Wood, Fire, Soil, Metal, and Water (see tables 1 and 2), They carry the Original Breath issued from the Dao into the cosmos, and represent its differentiation in the world of multiplicity» — Pregadio enuncia los cinco agentes del poema y su oficio: llevan al cosmos el Soplo Original salido del Dao y representan su diferenciación en el mundo de la multiplicidad

«In a different but related function, moreover, the five agents make it possible to classify icems belonging to different sets—directions of space, segments of time cycles, numbers, colors, planets, minerals, and organs of the human body, to mention only the sets used in the Cantong gi—into five emblematic categories, in order to show the relations that occur among items belonging to the same category and among those that belong to different categories» — y su segundo oficio: clasificar en cinco categorías emblemáticas las direcciones del espacio, los tramos de los ciclos de tiempo, los números, los colores, los planetas, los minerales y los órganos del cuerpo, para mostrar las relaciones dentro de cada categoría y entre categorías

«Sun, which alternate in their growth and decline during the longer or shorter time cycles. This alternation (day and night, seasons, etc.) is the main visible sign of the operation of Qian and Kun in the cosmos.» — y lo que su alternancia significa: día y noche o estaciones son el signo visible de la operación de Qian y Kun en el cosmos

«expertise included numerology, astrology, divination, and other sciences that share the same background as the cosmological portions of the Cantong gi» — los saberes de los fangshi que Pregadio enumera y su parentesco con las porciones cosmológicas del poema

«differentiation occurs only within the relative domain, where they serve to explicate the relation of the Dao to the world, and its constant presence throughout space and time.» — dónde ocurre la diferenciación de los cuatro principios, según Pregadio: solo en el dominio relativo, donde sirven para explicar la relación del Dao con el mundo y su presencia constante en el espacio y el tiempo

«The main images of Qian and Kun are Heaven and Earth, which are immutably joined» — las imágenes principales del primer par, según Pregadio: Cielo y Tierra, unidos de modo inmutable; la frase sigue en la plana siguiente con las imágenes de Kan y Li

«In the Cantong gi, whose alchemical model is based on the “conquest” and the “inversion” sequences (see below), the “generation” sequence is virtually ignored.» — Pregadio consigna cuál de las secuencias de los cinco agentes ignora el poema: la de generación, porque su modelo alquímico se funda en las de conquista e inversión

«The “conquest” sequence (xiangke) is the order in which the agents overcome or displace one another. The sequence is Water 7K ~> Fire XK 一 Metal 金 — Wood 7K -> Soil 土 (to be read as “Water conquers Fire; Fire conquers Metal,” etc.; at the end of the cycle, Soil conquers Water). This is one of the two main sequences referred to in the Cantong qi and in the alchemical traditions based on its doctrines.» — la secuencia de conquista, que Pregadio da como una de las dos principales del poema y de las tradiciones alquímicas que lo siguen: Agua vence al Fuego, el Fuego al Metal, el Metal a la Madera, la Madera a la Tierra y la Tierra al Agua; los caracteres chinos quedan dentro de las comillas tal como los rinde la capa de texto

«To give one example of several possible configurations, the two ingredients of the Elixir correspond to Water and Fire; first Water (containing True Lead) conquers Fire (containing True Mercury}; then Soil (the agent representing the» — y el ejemplo alquímico que Pregadio arma con ella: los dos ingredientes del Elixir corresponden a Agua y Fuego, y el Agua con el Plomo Verdadero vence al Fuego con el Mercurio Verdadero

«The “inversion” sequence consists in the inversion of the “generation” sequence. This is the second main arrangement of the agents referred to in the alchemical portions of the Cantong qi. The inversion concerns two pairs of agents. While in the “generation” sequence Wood generates Fire, and Metal generates Water, in the alchemical process it is Fire (native cinnabar) that generates Wood (True Mercury), and Water (black lead) that generates Metal (True Lead), In other words, Yang generates True Yin, and Yin generates True Yang» — la secuencia de inversión, segunda de las dos: en el proceso alquímico es el Fuego, cinabrio nativo, el que genera la Madera, Mercurio Verdadero, y el Agua, plomo negro, la que genera el Metal, Plomo Verdadero; es decir, el Yang genera el Yin Verdadero y el Yin el Yang Verdadero

«Metal is the mother of Water — [but] the mother is hidden in the embryo of her son”) and 72:1-4 (“When the Wooden essence of cinnabar finds Metal, they pair with each other: Metal and Water dwell in conjunction, Wood and Fire are companions» — los versos 23:1-2 y 72:1-4 del propio poema, que Pregadio cita como enunciación explícita de ese patrón: el Metal es la madre del Agua pero la madre se esconde en el embrión de su hijo, y la esencia de Madera del cinabrio se empareja con el Metal

«Celestial Stems (tiangan) and Earthly Branches (dizhi). These two series of emblems, respectively made of ten and twelve items, serve to mark directions of space as well as units of time. Each series is associated with the five agents and, through them, with all other sets of entities and phenomena categorized according to the quinary pattern» — Pregadio presenta los otros emblemas cosmológicos del poema: los diez Tallos Celestes y las doce Ramas Terrestres, que marcan direcciones del espacio y unidades de tiempo y se asocian a los cinco agentes

«In the Cantong gi, the two main stems are wu % and ji G1; they are associated with the agent Soil and represent the Yang and Yin aspects of Unity, respectively (see sections 7, 32, and 72).» — y cuáles importan en esta obra: wu y ji, asociados al agente Tierra, que representan los aspectos Yang y Yin de la Unidad

«The branches are mainly used to represent the individual segments of temporal cycles based on the duodenary pattern, namely the day with its twelve “double hours” and the year with its twelve months (see especially sections 3, 45, and 51).» — el uso de las ramas en el poema: los tramos de los ciclos duodenarios, el día con sus doce horas dobles y el año con sus doce meses

«Lunar Lodges (xiu). The twenty-eight lodges (see table 16) are constellations that the Sun crosses in its apparent journey through the sky during the year. Like the two previous sets, their function in the Cantong qi is purely emblematic: being divided into four groups of seven, they represent the four quarters of space, and therefore are associated with the four external agents (see sections 49 and 73).» — las veintiocho Mansiones Lunares y su función, que Pregadio declara puramente emblemática: divididas en cuatro grupos de siete, representan los cuatro cuadrantes del espacio

«As was mentioned above, the cosmological portions of the Cantong qi give emphasis to three emblematic time cycles: the day, the month, and the year. These cycles manifest the presence of the One Breath of the Dao in the cosmos. All of them-——but especially the third one—became models of the “fire times” (buvohou) in alchemy, which determine the process needed to heat the Elixir.» — los tres ciclos emblemáticos del poema —día, mes y año— y lo que manifiestan según Pregadio: la presencia del Soplo Uno del Dao en el cosmos; los tres, y sobre todo el del año, se volvieron modelos de los tiempos del fuego

«During each day, the Yang, active principle prevails at daytime, from dawn to dusk, and the Yin, passive principle prevails at nighttime, from dusk to dawn. The two parts of the day are ruled by a pair of hexagrams: a Yang hexagram presides over the first, “outward” half, and a Yin hexagram presides over the second, “inward” half.» — el ciclo diurno tal como Pregadio lo expone: el Yang activo rige del alba al ocaso y el Yin pasivo del ocaso al alba, y cada mitad la preside un hexagrama de un par

«Accordingly, sixty of the sixty-four hexagrams are distributed among the thirty days of the month (see table 7). The remaining four hexagrams, namely Qian B, Kun #, Kan #, and Li &, reside at the Center; they enable the time cycles to occur, but are not part of their operation.» — y el reparto: sesenta de los sesenta y cuatro hexagramas se distribuyen entre los treinta días del mes, mientras Qian, Kun, Kan y Li residen en el Centro, permitiendo los ciclos sin formar parte de su operación

«The sixty hexagrams follow one another in the order in which they are arranged in the Book of Changes and are described in its appendix entitled “Hexagrams in Sequence.” In this appendix, the hexagrams are sorted into pairs, formed either by inverting the solid and broken lines of the first hexagram (e.g., Qian B is followed by Kun 22) or by turning the first hexagram upside down» — el orden que siguen esos sesenta, según Pregadio: el del Libro de los Cambios y su apéndice de los Hexagramas en Secuencia, emparejados por inversión de líneas o por giro del hexagrama

«The twelve lines, moreover, are related to the twelve earthly branches (see fig. 4): the rise of the Yang principle along the six lines of the first hexagram is represented by the first six branches (zi 子 , chou tt, yin B, mao J], chen 辰 , and si (3), and the rise of the Yin principle along the six lines of the second hexagram is represented by the last six branches» — y su relación con las ramas terrestres: las seis primeras representan el ascenso del Yang y las seis últimas el del Yin

«This cycle, described by the device known as najia, or Matching Stems, is the subject of sections 13 and 49» — el segundo ciclo, el del mes lunar de treinta días, expuesto por el aparato de los Tallos Correlativos en las secciones 13 y 49

«In this version, the month is divided into six parts of five days each: 1-5, 6-10, 11-15, 16-20, 21-25, and 26-30 (compare Cantong qi, 3:1: “In one month there are six nodes of five days”), Six trigrams, namely, Zhen 28, Dui S, Qian =, Xun , Gen ze, and Kun 28, are matched, with the corresponding stems, to nodal days in the waxing and waning of the Moon (see table 10): the 3rd (middle day of the first node), the 8th (middle day of the second node), the 15th (last day of the third node), the 16th (first day of the fourth node), the 23rd (middle day of the fifth node), and the 30th (last day of the sixth node).» — cómo funciona: el mes se divide en seis nodos de cinco días y seis trigramas se emparejan con los tallos en los días nodales del crecimiento y la merma de la Luna

«The six trigrams represent the growth and the decline of the Yang principle (the solid line —), from its birth at the beginning of the month to its complete obscuration at the end of the month.» — y qué representan esos seis trigramas: el crecimiento y la decadencia del principio Yang desde su nacimiento a comienzo de mes hasta su oscurecimiento completo al final

«The most significant aspect of the Matching Stems is the event that happens between the end of a lunar cycle and the beginning of» — el momento que Pregadio declara más significativo del aparato: el que ocurre entre el fin de un ciclo lunar y el comienzo del siguiente

«This event is the subject of sections 10 and 48 of the Cantong qi. The monthly conjunction of the Sun (日 ) and the Moon (月 ) regenerates the light (HB) after the darkness of the month’s last night. At the end of the month, Kun £5, pure Yin, stands for the complete obscuration of the Yang principle, and now dominates over the entire cosmos. However, being the mother, Kun gives birth to her first son, Zhen 25, the initial trigram in the new lunar cycle, whose lower Yang line represents the rebirth of light. After an instant of suspension, time again begins to flow, and the next month begins.» — cómo lee Pregadio ese pasaje del poema: la conjunción mensual del Sol y la Luna regenera la luz tras la oscuridad de la última noche, y Kun, Yin puro, da a luz a su primer hijo Zhen, cuyo trazo Yang inferior es el renacer de la luz tras un instante de suspensión

«The third main cosmological cycle, known as Twelve-stage Ebb and Flow (shi’er xiaoxi), represents cyclical change by the twelve so-called “sovereign hexagrams” (bigua).» — el tercer ciclo, la Marea de Doce Etapas, que representa el cambio cíclico por los doce hexagramas soberanos

«Therefore the rise and decline of Yin and Yang during the day is marked and measured by the twelve individual lines of the ruling pair» — cómo se mide la subida y la bajada de Yin y Yang en el día, según Pregadio: por las doce líneas del par de hexagramas que lo rige; la frase sigue en la plana siguiente, donde liga cada línea a una de las doce horas dobles

«Compass, square, plumb-line, and marking-cord. These tools stand— in this order—for Heaven and Earth (respectively said in the Chinese tradition to be “round” and “square”), the vertical axis and the horizontal plane (respectively pertaining, in their rurn, to Heaven and Earth). The symbolic functions of these tools are to fathom the patterns of Heaven and Earth, and to reproduce those patterns in different microcosmic settings: the kingdom, the alchemical laboratory, the human being.» — Pregadio lee las cuatro herramientas del artesano en el poema: compás, escuadra, plomada y cordel valen por Cielo y Tierra, redondo y cuadrado, y por el eje vertical y el plano horizontal, y su función simbólica es sondear los patrones de Cielo y Tierra y reproducirlos en el reino, el laboratorio y el ser humano

«Bit, bridle, tracks, and ruts. The other terms mentioned in the passage of the Cantong qi quoted above evoke the art of charioteering. The images of the chariot and its parts are among the most recurrent ones» — Pregadio declara la imagen más recurrente del poema: el carro y sus partes, evocados por el bocado, la brida, las huellas y las rodadas

«The first context is the Taoist vision of the cosmos: the.chariot, and particularly its wheels, is a metaphor of the cosmos’ constitution and functioning. The wheel represents the circular compass of space and the cyclical movement of time; the hub that is placed at its center —an image of the emptiness that gives birth to existence—holds the» — el primero de los tres contextos en que Pregadio la lee: el carro, y sobre todo sus ruedas, como metáfora de la constitución y el funcionamiento del cosmos, con el cubo —imagen del vacío que da nacimiento a la existencia— en el centro

«axle, which is made by Qian and Kun joined to one another (see Cantong qi, section 1).» — y lo que el cubo sostiene: el eje, hecho por Qian y Kun unidos, según la sección 1

«The second context is the art of rulership—an association immediately shown by the word yu 4@], whose meanings include “driving a chariot,” “mastering a subject,” and “governing a country.” On high, the chariot of the supreme Emperor of Heaven is the Northern Dipper, which is placed at the center of the cosmos and rules on the sectors of space and the sequences of the time (see the notes to section 15). Below, analogously, the human ruler drives a chariot that is led by a dragon and a mare (two traditional images of Qian and Kun), and bears the emblems of the Book of Changes that represent the different» — el segundo contexto: el arte de gobernar, con el Carro del Emperador del Cielo en la Osa Mayor, que rige los sectores del espacio y las secuencias del tiempo, y abajo el soberano humano con su carro tirado por un dragón y una yegua

«Either as a direct reflection of its historical origins, or to assert in an explicit way its roots in Han-dynasty legacies, the Cantong qi refers to Taoism as “Huang-Lao” (26:27, 84:3, and 87:10), one of the names by which the Taoist tradition was known during the Han period.» — Pregadio consigna con qué nombre llama el poema al taoísmo: Huang-Lao, uno de los nombres con que se conocía la tradición taoísta en época Han

«By this term, however, the Cantong qi means the foundational principles expressed in the Daode jing and the Zhuangzi, two works that are repeatedly quoted in the Taoist portions of the text.» — y qué entiende el poema por ese nombre: los principios fundacionales del Daode jing y el Zhuangzi, citados una y otra vez en sus porciones taoístas

«The foremost of these principles, for the Cantong qi, is “non-doing” (wuwei), which defines the operation of the Taoist saint in the world. In relation to this theme, the Cantong qi also defines the scope of the only form of practice that it upholds—the alchemical conjunction of Lead and Mercury—and sharply criticizes other methods or pursuits.» — el principio que la obra pone por delante, según Pregadio: el no obrar, que define la operación del santo taoísta, y en relación con él acota su única práctica —la conjunción alquímica de Plomo y Mercurio— y critica los demás métodos

«Superior virtue has no doing”: it does not use examining and seeking. “Inferior virtue does”: its operation does not rest.» — la sección 20 del poema, que Pregadio traduce y de la que cuelga toda su lectura: la virtud superior no obra ni usa examen ni búsqueda, y la inferior obra sin que su operación repose

«The verse “Know the white, keep to the black” (derived from the Daode jing, 28) introduces the description of the main principles of alchemy in the Cantong qi (see section 22).» — el verso con que el propio poema, en su sección 22, abre la descripción de los principios de la alquimia, tomado del Daode jing

«The realized being is called True Man (zbenren) in the Cantong gi (33:18, 58:3, 82:58).» — cómo llama el poema al ser realizado, con las tres secciones en que aparece

«will stream from the head to the toes; on reaching the end, it will rise once again» — los versos 60:5-6 del poema sobre la respiración del realizado, citados aquí por Pregadio en su Introducción y repetidos luego dentro de la traducción, que corre de la cabeza a los dedos de los pies y al llegar al fin vuelve a subir

«The Cantong qi devotes much attention to practices deemed to be inadequate for true realization. These practices are of two kinds. The first consists of non-alchemical practices, including breathing, meditation on the inner gods, sexual practices, and worship of spirits and minor deities (see especially section 26).» — la primera de las dos críticas que el poema hace, según Pregadio: contra las prácticas no alquímicas, respiración, meditación en los dioses interiores, prácticas sexuales y culto a espíritus y deidades menores

«The second kind of criticism is addressed to alchemical practices that are not based on the principle of “being of the same kind” (or “category,” tonglei), a principle that receives one of its first enunciations in the Zhuangzi.» — la segunda crítica: contra las prácticas alquímicas que no se fundan en el principio de ser del mismo género, tonglei

«Section 36 of the Cantong gi reproves several Waidan methods, It is enough to read that section with attention to notice that the criticism is not addressed to Waidan per se, but to the Waidan methods that are not based on the conjunction of lead and mercury. Only lead and mercury, according to the Cantong qi, are of the “same kind” as Qian and Kun, and can represent and enable their conjunction» — y su alcance exacto, que Pregadio acota: la sección 36 reprueba varios métodos waidan, pero no el waidan en sí, sino los métodos que no se fundan en la conjunción de plomo y mercurio, únicos del mismo género que Qian y Kun

«When the symbolic usage of the language prevails over the literal one (as it does in the Cantong qi), the alchemical terms connote in the first place formless principles, and the material entities or phenomena literally denoted by those terms are seen as instances of those principles.» — y cuál prevalece en esta obra: el uso simbólico, con lo que los términos alquímicos connotan ante todo principios sin forma y las entidades materiales que denotan se ven como casos de esos principios

«The alchemical discourse of the Cantong qi revolves around Lead and Mercury. Its basic principles are simple and straightforward, and proceed directly from its views on the relation between the Dao and the “ten thousand things” (wanwu). As in the whole of Taoism, this relation is explained by means of a sequence of stages. The absolute principle establishes itself as Unity, which divides itself into the active and the passive principles—namely, Qian and Kun, respectively equivalent to original Yang and Yin, or True Yang and True Yin. The re-conjunction of these principles gives birth to all entities and phenomena in the world. All these “stages” occur simultaneously.» — Pregadio expone el discurso alquímico del poema: gira sobre Plomo y Mercurio y procede de su visión de la relación entre el Dao y las diez mil cosas, con el principio absoluto estableciéndose como Unidad, dividiéndose en Qian y Kun y reconjuntándose para dar nacimiento a todo, etapas que ocurren a la vez

«From its own perspective, dominated by duality, the cosmos is a reflection of the absolute principle; and like all reflections, it is an inverted image of that principle. In the cosmos, True Yang is concealed within Yin, and True Yin is concealed within Yang. Each Yang entity, therefore, harbors True Yin, and vice versa.» — y el principio de inversión: el cosmos es reflejo del principio absoluto y, como todo reflejo, imagen invertida, de modo que el Yang Verdadero se esconde en el Yin y el Yin Verdadero en el Yang

«The trigrams of the Book of Changes clearly represent this configuration: Qian = (True Yang) is the solid line within Kan 3 (Yin), and Kun 22 (True Yin) is the broken line within Li» — cómo lo representan los trigramas: Qian, Yang Verdadero, es la línea sólida dentro de Kan, que es Yin; y Kun, Yin Verdadero, es la línea partida dentro de Li, que es Yang

«First and foremost among the entities that reflect the absolute principle is the cosmos itself. The world is Yin in relation to the Dao, but conceals its One Breath, which is True Yang. The alchemical process, therefore, consists in tracing the stages of the generative process of the cosmos in a reverse sequence, in order to recover the hidden One Breath and return to it.» — y la consecuencia operativa: el mundo es Yin respecto del Dao pero esconde su Soplo Uno, que es Yang Verdadero, de modo que el proceso alquímico consiste en recorrer al revés las etapas de la generación del cosmos para recobrarlo

«A crucial point to consider, which directly derives from the principles outlined above, is that True Yang is the counterpart of True Yin, but—being the One Breath of the Dao—it is also the state of Unity prior to its subdivision into Yin and Yang (this aspect of True Yang is often referred to as Pure Yang, chunyang). This explains the priority given to True Yang in the alchemical process.» — el punto que Pregadio declara crucial: el Yang Verdadero es contraparte del Yin Verdadero y, por ser el Soplo Uno del Dao, es también el estado de Unidad anterior a la división, llamado entonces Yang Puro; de ahí su primacía en el proceso

«As a consequence, “Lead” has three meanings in alchemy. From the higher to the lower one, these meanings are: (1) The state of Unity before its separation into Yin and Yang; (2) The True Yang of the precelestial state (True Lead), which is a counterpart of True Yin (True Mercury); (3) The Yin of the postcelestial state (“black lead”), which is a counterpart of postcelestial Yang (cinnabar).» — y los tres sentidos que *Plomo* tiene en consecuencia, de mayor a menor: el estado de Unidad antes de la separación, el Yang Verdadero precelestial y el Yin poscelestial del plomo negro

«When the five agents (wuxing) are used to represent the alchemical process, the basic configuration is equivalent to the one seen above. “Black lead” and cinnabar are Water and Fire, and True Lead and True Mercury are Metal and Wood. As we saw earlier, in the inverted sequence of the five agents, which is one of those active in the alchemical process, Water (“black lead”) generates Metal (True Lead}, and Fire (cinnabar) generates Wood (True Mercury).» — la misma configuración dicha con los cinco agentes: plomo negro y cinabrio son Agua y Fuego, Plomo y Mercurio Verdaderos son Metal y Madera, y en la secuencia invertida el Agua genera el Metal y el Fuego la Madera

«Soil, the fifth agent, allows the entire alchemical process to unfold, and also represent its completion. Positioned at the center of the other agents, Soil is emblematic of Unity containing True Yin and True Yang. Its Yang half corresponds to the inner line of Kan 3 (True Lead), and is typically represented by the celestial stem wu JX. Its Yin half corresponds to the inner line of Li 22 (True Mercury), and is represented by the celestial stem ji (1. Being found within both ingredients of the Elixir, Soil stands for their fundamental unity, and enables them to conjoin.» — y el papel del quinto agente: la Tierra, en el centro, es emblema de la Unidad que contiene los dos Verdaderos, su mitad Yang corresponde a la línea interior de Kan y su mitad Yin a la de Li, y por hallarse en los dos ingredientes permite que se conjunten

«The task of the Cantong qi is not to describe alchemical practices, as many other texts do, but to show how the practice of alchemy can comply with the» — qué hace la obra, según Pregadio: no describir prácticas alquímicas como tantos otros textos, sino mostrar cómo la práctica de la alquimia puede ajustarse a los principios de la metafísica y la cosmología; la frase queda cortada por el fin de plana

«In alchemical language, True Lead (=) and True Mercury (22) respectively represent True Yang and True Yin. The Yin and Yang entities that respectively contain these authentic principles are represented by “black lead” (i.e., native lead =) and cinnabar (22).» — la traducción del principio de inversión al habla alquímica, según Pregadio: Plomo Verdadero y Mercurio Verdadero representan Yang y Yin Verdaderos, y las entidades que los contienen son el plomo negro y el cinabrio; los símbolos entre paréntesis quedan dentro de las comillas tal como los rinde la capa de texto

«Among the alchemical methods that are criticized in the Cantong qi is the one based on cinnabar and mercury (see 36:11-12, and the note on these verses).» — el método que el propio poema critica y que Pregadio destaca: el fundado en cinabrio y mercurio, en los versos 36:11-12

«The primary purport of the Cantong qi is to explicate the bond that exists between the Dao and the cosmos, rhe Absolute and the relative: change is the operation of the constant and formless Dao in the world of form.» — Pregadio enuncia el propósito primero del poema: explicar el lazo entre el Dao y el cosmos, lo Absoluto y lo relativo, con el cambio como operación del Dao constante y sin forma en el mundo de la forma

«Alchemy comes into play when the Cantong qi expounds its way to “return to the Dao.”» — y dónde entra la alquimia en él: cuando la obra expone su vía de retorno al Dao

«With regard to inner practices, the Cantong qi explicitly advises against meditation on the inner gods (26:1-2).» — lo que la obra desaconseja de modo explícito, en los versos 26:1-2

«Certain clusters of terms that recur in the Cantong gi show that the focus is a different one. Now the adept examines, investigates, searches, inquires, quests, and inspects; he gauges and measures; he reflects, ponders, infers, and assesses.» — y el vocabulario con que Pregadio muestra dónde pone el foco en cambio: el adepto examina, investiga, busca, indaga, sondea, mide, reflexiona, pondera, infiere y evalúa

«This is not mere intellectual activity in the modern sense of the term: it relies on the intellect as the knowing faculty of Spirit, and takes place through “contemplation” (guan; 11:8, 14:5) and the cessation of the flow of thoughts (59:4).» — el límite que Pregadio pone a esa lista: no es actividad intelectual en sentido moderno, sino intelecto como facultad cognoscente del Espíritu, que obra por contemplación y por el cese del flujo de los pensamientos

«In this context, the multiple deities of the external and the internal pantheons serve no more: the only “deity” mentioned in the Cantong gi» — el cambio de régimen que Pregadio señala en la obra: los panteones externo e interno dejan de servir; la frase sigue en la plana siguiente, donde nombra al Uno Grande, Taiyi, como única deidad del poema

«is God Himself, the Great One (Taiyi), the Oneness of Being, without whom cosmogony could not occur and the whole edifice of cosmology could not be built (19:5, 27:11).» — y quién es esa deidad única: el Uno Grande, la Unidad del Ser, sin el cual no podría ocurrir la cosmogonía ni levantarse el edificio de la cosmología

«Qian = and Kun == are the door and the gate of change,” the father and the mother of all hexagrams. Kan 22 and Li = are the inner and the outer walls, they spin the hub and align the axle. Female and male, these four trigrams function as a bellows and its nozzles.» — Libro 1, sección 1, que Pregadio rotula *Qian and Kun, Kan and Li*: Qian y Kun como puerta y portón del cambio y padre y madre de todos los hexagramas, Kan y Li como muros interior y exterior que hacen girar el cubo, y los cuatro trigramas funcionando como un fuelle y sus toberas; los signos de trigrama quedan dentro de las comillas tal como los rinde la capa de texto

«Enfolding and encompassing the Way of Yin and Yang is like being an artisan and a charioteer who level the marking-cord and the plumb-line, hold the bit and the bridle, align the compass and the square, and follow the tracks and the ruts.» — Libro 1, sección 2, *The artisan and the charioteer*: abarcar la Vía del Yin y el Yang es como ser artesano y auriga que nivelan cordel y plomada, sostienen bocado y brida, alinean compás y escuadra y siguen las huellas y las rodadas

«Abide in the Center to control the outside: the numbers are found in the system of the pitch-pipes and the calendar.» — y su cierre: morar en el Centro para gobernar el exterior, con los números en el sistema de los tubos sonoros y el calendario

«At dawn of the month’s first day, Zhun # is on duty; when sunset comes, Meng = duly takes charge. One hexagram for each day and each night: their operation follows the Sequence. With Jiji 8 and Weiji & comes the clear light of the month’s last day; after the end there is another beginning.» — la continuación de la misma sección: Zhun de guardia al alba del primer día y Meng al ocaso, un hexagrama por día y por noche siguiendo la Secuencia, y con Jiji y Weiji la luz clara del último día, tras cuyo fin hay otro comienzo

«The Sun and the Moon set periods and measures; movement precedes, quiescence follows. Spring and summer accord with the inner core, from zi to chen and si; autumn and winter match the outer function, from wu to xu and hai, Reward and punishment respond to spring and autumn; dimness and light comply with cold and heat. The Statements on the Lines contain humanity and righteousness, and issue joy or anger in accordance with the time. Thus by responding to the four seasons, the five agents attain their principle.» — el resto de la sección 3: primavera y verano acordes al núcleo interior y otoño e invierno a la función exterior, con premio y castigo respondiendo a primavera y otoño, y los cinco agentes alcanzando su principio al responder a las cuatro estaciones

«Heaven and Earth establish their positions, and change occurs within them.” “Heaven and Earth” are the images of Qian = and Kun ==. “Establish their positions” means that they arrange themselves in the positions for the joining of Yin and Yang. “Change” means Kan 3 and Li =; Kan and Li are the two functions of Qian and Kun.» — Libro 1, sección 4, *Kan and Li, the functions of Qian and Kun*, en prosa: la frase del Libro de los Cambios sobre las posiciones de Cielo y Tierra, glosada dentro del propio poema como imágenes de Qian y Kun, y el cambio como Kan y Li, las dos funciones de aquellos

«The two functions have no fixed positions in the lines: “flowing in cycles they go through the six empty spaces.” As their coming and going are not determinate, so too “their ascent and descent are not constant.» — Libro 1, sección 5: las dos funciones no tienen posición fija en las líneas y fluyen en ciclos por los seis espacios vacíos, sin que su ida y venida ni su ascenso y descenso sean constantes

«Withdrawn into obscurity, sunken and concealed, “therein occur the transformations.” Embracing and enveloping the ten thousand things is the guideline of the Dao. It is from Non-Being that Being is produced; the function of a vessel consists in irs emptiness. Therefore infer the ebb and flow, and the nothingness within Kan» — Libro 1, sección 6, *The emptiness within Kan and Li*: retirado en la oscuridad ocurren las transformaciones, y de la Nada se produce el Ser, porque la función de un vaso está en su vacío

«Words are not thoughtlessly created, discourses are not vainly generated, Drawing upon its evidence and seeing its attestations, the Numinous Light is reckoned. Graphs are joined by inferring the kinds; they serve as signs for going back to the Principle.» — Libro 1, sección 6, *The Principle in words*: las palabras no se crean sin pensar ni los discursos se generan en vano, y los grafos se juntan infiriendo los géneros y sirven de signos para volver al Principio

«Wu in Kan = is the essence of the Moon, jiin Li = is the radiance of the Sun. Sun and Moon make change, the firm and the yielding match one another.» — Libro 1, sección 7, *Sun and Moon make change*: wu en Kan es la esencia de la Luna y ji en Li el resplandor del Sol, y Sol y Luna hacen el cambio

«Soil rules over the four seasons, entwining beginning and end; green, red, black, and white each dwells in one direction. All are endowed by the Central Palace through the efÏcacy of wu and ji.» — el resto de la sección 7: la Tierra rige las cuatro estaciones y enlaza principio y fin, con los cuatro colores en sus direcciones, todos dotados por el Palacio Central mediante wu y ji

«Change consists in images,” and “among the suspended images that send forth their light, none is greater than the Sun and the Moon.” 4-7 “Probe the Spirit to understand the transformations”: when Yang goes, Yin comes. Like a wheel that turns as its spokes converge, they enter and exit, unfold and contract» — Libro 1, sección 8, *The greatest images of change*: el cambio consiste en imágenes y ninguna de las suspendidas que emiten luz es mayor que el Sol y la Luna; sondeado el Espíritu, cuando el Yang se va el Yin viene, como una rueda que gira al converger sus radios

«In the Changes there are 384 lines; the signs are chosen in accordance with the lines. “Signs” means the sixty-four hexagrams.» — Libro 1, sección 9, *Change and its emblems*: trescientas ochenta y cuatro líneas en los Cambios, y los signos elegidos conforme a ellas son los sesenta y cuatro hexagramas

«Between the month’s last day and dawn on next month’s first day, Zhen 22 comes to receive the token. At that moment, Heaven and Earth merge their essences, and the Sun and the Moon reach out for one another and hold onto one another.» — Libro 1, sección 10, *The joining of the Sun and the Moon*: entre el último día del mes y el alba del primero del siguiente, Zhen recibe la prenda, Cielo y Tierra funden sus esencias y el Sol y la Luna se alcanzan y se sostienen

«Thereupon Confucius eulogized the boundless: The virtue of Qian B and Kun # is cavernous and empty, “inquiring into antiquity” we find the original sovereign, “guan go the ospreys” to lay the beginnings, the auras of the capping and the marriage ceremonies are tied to one another, and “in the first year” the sprouts are nurtured. The sage is not born in vain: he contemplates on high the manifest signs of Heaven.» — Libro 1, sección 11, *The signs of Heaven*: el elogio de lo ilimitado, con la virtud de Qian y Kun cavernosa y vacía, y el sabio que no nace en vano y contempla en lo alto los signos manifiestos del Cielo

«Therefore change encompasses the Heart of Heaven. The hexagram Fu £ lays the initial buds; the elder son inherits the body of his father, and sets up the foundation relying on his mother. Ebb and flow respond to the bells and pitch-pipes; rise and fall accord with the axis of the Dipper.» — Libro 1, sección 12, *The hexagram Fu and the trigram Zhen*, en prosa: el cambio abarca el Corazón del Cielo, el hexagrama Fu pone los brotes iniciales, el hijo mayor hereda el cuerpo del padre y funda apoyándose en la madre

«On the third day, it comes forth with its clear light, when Zhen == and geng match the western direction. On the eighth day, when Dui = matches ding, the waxing quarter is level as a string. On the fifteenth, with the body of Qian = attained, it is full at jia in the eastern direction. The toad is with the hare and its lightless soul, and the Breaths of Sun and Moon shine together: the toad beholds the trigram nodes, the hare exhales the radiance of life.» — Libro 1, sección 13, *The cycle of the Moon*: el recorrido mensual por los trigramas y los tallos, con Zhen y geng al tercer día, Dui y ding al octavo y el cuerpo de Qian lleno en jia al decimoquinto, y el sapo y la liebre con los Soplos del Sol y la Luna brillando juntos

«On the fifteenth, when the course is completed, it bends downward and declines. When the sixteenth, in turn, acquires control, it appears at dawn at Xun FE and xin. When Gen FE aligns with big in the south, it is the twenty-third, the waning quarter. When Kun 25 is at yi on the thirtieth day, “forego your friends in the northeast.» — la continuación de la sección 13, con la merma: Xun y xin al decimosexto, Gen y bing al vigesimotercero, y Kun en yi el día treinta, cuando manda abandonar a los amigos en el noreste

«When the nodes are complete, each having given way to another, they inherit the body and regenerate the dragon. Ren and gui match jia and yi, Qian and Kun enclose beginning and end. As 7 and 8 make 15, 9 and 6 correspond to them. These four altogether make 30: the Yang Breath, worn out, is extinguished and hidden.» — el cierre de la sección 13: cumplidos los nodos heredan el cuerpo y regeneran al dragón, y las cifras 7 y 8 con 9 y 6 suman treinta, cuando el Soplo Yang, gastado, se extingue y se esconde

«In one month there are six nodes of five days; warp and weft abide by the command of the Sun. Altogether they are sixty: the firm is external, the yielding internal.» — Libro 1, sección 3, que Pregadio rotula *The monthly cycle of the hexagrams*: seis nodos de cinco días en el mes, urdimbre y trama obedeciendo al Sol, sesenta en total, lo firme afuera y lo blando adentro; el primer verso lo cita también la Introducción

«The masculine Yang spreads his mysterious emanation, the feminine Yin transforms her yellow wrap.» — la continuación de la sección 10: el Yang masculino esparce su emanación misteriosa y el Yin femenino transforma su envoltura amarilla; la estrofa sigue en la plana siguiente

«In indistinction they conjoin; at this incipient time, the root is planted. Steadily and orderly the seed is nourished; from the coagulation of Spirit the corporeal frame is formed. This is how living beings come forth: even the wriggling worms all proceed from this.» — y su cierre: en indistinción se conjuntan, se planta la raíz, se nutre la semilla y de la coagulación del Espíritu se forma el armazón corpóreo, de donde vienen los seres vivos hasta los gusanos que se retuercen

«The eight trigrams spread out among the asterisms; in rotating they shift, but never take leave of the Center. Original Essence is subtle and can hardly be beheld: infer its rules and attest its tokens. “When you dwell, contemplate its images,” “adjust and conform to its forms and appearances.” Let the gnomon function as your norm, divine and forecast “to determine good and ill fortune.”» — Libro 1, sección 14, *Heaven, Earth, Man*: los ocho trigramas se despliegan entre los asterismos y al rotar no dejan nunca el Centro, y como la Esencia Original es sutil y apenas se contempla, hay que inferir sus reglas, contemplar sus imágenes y hacer del gnomon la norma

«In issuing commands comply with the seasonal ordinances; never neglect the timing of the movement of the lines. Above, examine the signs of the Chart of the River, below, pursue the flow of the forms of the earth, and between, inquire into the Heart of man. Combine them to investigate the Three Powers.» — la continuación de la sección 14: obedecer las ordenanzas estacionales al mandar, examinar arriba los signos de la Carta del Río, seguir abajo las formas de la tierra e indagar en medio el Corazón del hombre, combinándolos para investigar los Tres Poderes

«In movement, be in accordance with the nodes of the trigrams; in quiescence, rely upon the Judgements and the Statements, Only when the function of Qian = and Kun 23 is at work can Heaven and Earth be regulated.» — y su cierre: en el movimiento, conforme a los nodos de los trigramas; en la quietud, apoyado en los Juicios y las Declaraciones; y solo con la función de Qian y Kun en obra pueden regularse Cielo y Tierra

«The foremost in conducting government is renewing the tripod and renovating the ancient. Be watchful in exercising control, and forthright in spreading the Treasure.» — Libro 1, sección 15, *The essential course*: lo primero al conducir el gobierno es renovar el trípode y remozar lo antiguo, con vigilancia al ejercer el control y franqueza al difundir el Tesoro

«The essential course lies in Head and Handle: they are the strings to manage all transformations. “As lines and images move on the inside, good and ill fortune rise on the outside.» — la continuación de la sección 15: el curso esencial está en la Cabeza y el Mango, cuerdas con que se manejan todas las transformaciones, porque al moverse líneas e imágenes por dentro se levantan afuera la fortuna y la desgracia

«The five wefts intersect in their routes, but they move in response to the time; if the twenty-eight lodges opposed one another, they would part away from each other.» — y el pasaje de las cinco tramas, es decir los planetas, que se cruzan en sus rutas pero se mueven respondiendo al tiempo, frente a las veintiocho mansiones que si se opusieran se apartarían

«Literary Glory manages the registers, Terrace and Assistant inquire and adjure. The hundred ofÏcials are in place: each of them leads a department.» — y el cierre burocrático de la sección 15, con Gloria Literaria llevando los registros y los cien oficiales en su puesto, cada uno al frente de un departamento

«The Sun joins with the essences of the five agents, the Moon matches the series of the six pitch-pipes. Six times five makes thirty degrees; when the degrees are complete, they begin once again.» — Libro 1, sección 16, *Space and time correspond to one another*: el Sol se junta con las esencias de los cinco agentes y la Luna con la serie de los seis tubos sonoros, y seis por cinco hacen treinta grados que al completarse vuelven a empezar

«Going back to the beginning and pursuing the end” is the thread to understand existence and extinction. Sometimes the ruler is proud and self-indulgent, and filled with arrogance goes against the Dao. Sometimes a minister is evil and insincere, and his conduct does not follow the track. As the quarter-moon and the full moon reach plenitude and recede, adverse events and “ill fortune” and “blame” occur.» — Libro 1, sección 17, *The ruler and the Pole Star*: volver al principio y perseguir el fin es el hilo para entender existencia y extinción, y cuando el soberano se envanece o el ministro es falso ocurren la desgracia y la culpa

«he inquires into the offenses and advises the ruler. Just as the Pole Star holds its correct position, and effortlessly drifts relying on what is below, so from the Hall of Light shall you carry out governance, and no ill ways will appear in the kingdom.» — el cierre de la sección 17: como la Estrella Polar mantiene su posición correcta y se deja llevar sin esfuerzo apoyándose en lo que está debajo, así desde el Salón de la Luz se ha de ejercer el gobierno

«Innerly nourish yourself, serene and quiescent in Empty Non-Being. Going back to the fundament conceal your light, and innerly illuminate your body, “Shut the openings” and raise and strengthen the Numinous Trunk; as the three luminaries sink into the ground, warmly nourish the Pearl. “Watching, you do not see it” 一 itis nearby and easy to seek.» — Libro 1, sección 18, *Nourishing inner nature*, que Pregadio señala como núcleo de las porciones taoístas: nutrirse por dentro, sereno y quieto en el No-Ser Vacío, volver al fundamento ocultando la propia luz, cerrar las aberturas, nutrir con tibieza la Perla y buscar lo que al mirar no se ve, que está cerca y es fácil de buscar; la capa de texto imprime *itis* por *it is*

«From the Yellow Center” it gradually “spreads through the veining”: moistening and impregnating, it reaches the flesh and the skin. When the beginning is correct, the end will be flawless; when the trunk is firm, the branches can hold. The One, through cover and concealment, is known by no one in the world.» — Libro 1, sección 19, *The Yellow Center*: desde el Centro Amarillo se extiende por las vetas y alcanza carne y piel, y con el principio correcto el fin será sin tacha, mientras el Uno, por cubrimiento y ocultación, no lo conoce nadie en el mundo

«Closed above, its name is Being; closed below, its name is Non-Being. Non-Being therefore rises above, for above is the dwelling of the virtue of Spirit. These are the methods of the two cavities: Metal and Breath thus wait upon one another.» — Libro 1, sección 21, *Non-Being and Being, the “two cavities”*: cerrado arriba se llama Ser y cerrado abajo No-Ser, y el No-Ser sube porque arriba mora la virtud del Espíritu

«Know the white, keep to the black,” and the Numinous Light will come of its own. White is the essence of Metal, Black the foundation of Water. Water is the axis of the Dao: its number is 1. At the beginning of Yin and Yang, Mystery holds the Yellow Sprout; itis the ruler of the five metals, the River Chariot of the northern direction.» — Libro 1, sección 22, *The principles of alchemy*, con que el poema abre su alquimia: conocer lo blanco y guardar lo negro, siendo lo blanco la esencia del Metal y lo negro el fundamento del Agua, eje del Dao cuyo número es 1, con el Misterio guardando el Brote Amarillo

«The True Man is supremely wondrous: sometimes he is, sometimes he is not. Barely perceptible within the great abyss, now he sinks, now he wafts.» — Libro 1, sección 24, *Born before Heaven and Earth*: el Hombre Verdadero es sumamente maravilloso, a veces es y a veces no es, apenas perceptible en el gran abismo

«When collected, it is of the white kind, when compounded, it turns to vermilion, To refine it make an outer protection, so that the White lies sheltered within. “Square and round, one inch is its diameter”; the two are indistinct, each seizes the other, “Born before Heaven and Earth,” it is eminent, venerable, and exalted.» — la continuación de la sección 24: recogido es de género blanco y compuesto se vuelve bermellón, y cuadrado y redondo mide una pulgada de diámetro; nacido antes que el Cielo y la Tierra, es eminente, venerable y exaltado

«On its sides are ramparts and portals, and in shape it resembles Penghu; round and enclosed, shut and sealed off, it is interwoven at every turn. Guarded, defended, solid, and frm, it reverts all misdoing and evil; its meanders and towers are intertwined in order “to prevent the unforeseen.”» — Libro 1, sección 25, *The Elixir in the tripod*: el vaso con murallas y portales, con forma de Penghu, redondo y cerrado, sellado y entretejido, guardado y firme, que revierte todo mal y previene lo imprevisto

«You can do this if you are free from all cares, but hardly you can if you are coiled and distraught: when Spirit and Breath fill the house, no one can detain them, Those who guard it will shine, those who neglect it are lost. In movement and quiescence, in rest and activity, it constantly stays with you.» — y su condición, que el propio poema impone: esto se puede si uno está libre de cuidados y apenas si está enredado y angustiado, porque cuando Espíritu y Soplo llenan la casa nadie puede retenerlos

«This is not the method of passing through the viscera, of inner contemplation and having a point of concentration; of treading the Dipper and pacing the asterisms, using the six jia as markers of time; of sating yourself with the nine-and-one in the Way of Yin, meddling and tampering with the original womb; of ingesting breath till it chirps in your stomach, exhaling the pure and inhaling the evil without.» — Libro 1, sección 26, *Incorrect practices*, la crítica que el poema hace de los métodos ajenos: no es el método de recorrer las vísceras con contemplación interior y punto de concentración, ni el de pisar la Osa y andar los asterismos, ni el del nueve y uno en la Vía del Yin, ni el de ingerir soplo hasta que chirríe en el estómago

«Amassing soil you set up space for an altar, and at daybreak and sunset you worship in awe. Demonic creatures reveal their shapes, at whose sight in your dreams you sigh with emotion. Rejoiced in your heart, pleased in your thoughts, you tell yourself, surely, your life will grow long, But death, unexpected, comes ahead of its time, and you forsake your body to rot.» — y su remate: levantar altar de tierra y adorar al alba y al ocaso hace que criaturas demoníacas revelen sus formas, y aunque el corazón se alegre creyendo que la vida se alargará, la muerte llega antes de tiempo

«The arts are so many — for each thousand, there are ten thousand more. Their tortuous routes run against the Yellow Emperor and the Old Master, their winding courses oppose the Nine Capitals. Those who are bright comprehend the meaning of this: in all its breadth they know where it comes from.» — el cierre de la sección 26: las artes son tantas que por cada millar hay diez mil más, y sus rutas tortuosas van contra el Emperador Amarillo y el Viejo Maestro

«A ssiduously practice it” from sunrise to nightfall, without taking rest. For three years preserve and ingest, and lightly will you ascend, roaming afar. “Stepping across the fire you will not be scorched, entering the water you will not get wet.» — Libro 1, sección 27, *The Great One sends forth his summons*: practicarlo con asiduidad de la salida del sol a la noche, preservar e ingerir tres años y ascender con ligereza, sin quemarse al cruzar el fuego ni mojarse al entrar en el agua; la capa de texto parte *Assiduously*

«With the Way completed and virtue fulfilled, withdraw, stay concealed, and wait for your time. The Great One will send forth his summons, and you move your abode to the Central Land. Your work concluded, you ascend on high to obtain the Register and receive the Chart.» — el cierre de la sección 27, que Pregadio empareja en su Introducción con el mandato del Cielo de los apócrifos: cumplida la Vía y colmada la virtud, uno se retira y espera su tiempo hasta que el Uno Grande lo convoca y, concluida la obra, asciende a obtener el Registro y recibir la Carta

«The Records of Fire are not written in vain; look into the Changes to comprehend them. The supine Moon is the model of tripod and furnace, the White Tiger is the hinge of the heating. The mercurial Sun is the Flowing Pearl, the Green Dragon is together with it. Take the East and join it with the West: bun and po, of their own accord, will seize one another.» — Libro 1, sección 28, *White Tiger and Green Dragon*: los Registros del Fuego no se escriben en vano, la Luna supina es el modelo de trípode y horno, el Tigre Blanco es el gozne del calentamiento y el Sol mercurial es la Perla Fluyente

«The waxing quarter is Dui =, its number is 8; the waning quarter is Gen £¢, it is also 8. The two quarters join their essences, forming the bodies of Qian = and Kun #5. Two times 8 corresponds to one pound: the Way of the Changes is correct and unbiased.» — Libro 1, sección 29, *The “two eights”*: el cuarto creciente es Dui con número 8 y el menguante Gen, también 8; sus esencias se juntan formando los cuerpos de Qian y Kun, y dos veces ocho hacen una libra

«That is why lead is black on the outside but cherishes the Golden Flower within,» — el cierre de la sección 22: el plomo, negro por fuera, guarda dentro la Flor de Oro; la estrofa sigue en la plana siguiente con el símil del hombre de ropa tosca y jade en el pecho

«Metal is the mother of Water — the mother is hidden in the embryo of her son. Water is the child of Metal — the child is stored in the womb of its mother.» — Libro 1, sección 23, *Metal and Water, mother and child*, que Pregadio cita también en su Introducción como enunciación explícita del principio de inversión: el Metal es madre del Agua y se esconde en el embrión de su hijo, y el Agua es hija del Metal y se guarda en el vientre de su madre

«Day and night you go without slumber, month after month, you never take rest.» — la continuación de la sección 26, con el precio que el poema pone a esas prácticas: sin sueño de día ni de noche, sin descanso mes tras mes; la estrofa sigue en la plana siguiente

«From exhaustion your body daily grows weak: you may be “vague and indistinct,” but look like a fool. Your hundred vessels stir and seethe like a cauldron, unable to settle and clear.» — y su efecto: el cuerpo se debilita día a día y los cien vasos bullen como un caldero sin poder asentarse

«If gold is placed in an intense fire, its color is not deprived of its essential radiance; since the opening of Heaven and Earth, Sun and Moon have nor decreased their light. Just as gold never loses its weight, so are the forms of the Sun and the Moon always the» — Libro 1, sección 30, *Constancy and change*: el oro en fuego intenso no pierde su resplandor esencial ni el Sol y la Luna han menguado su luz desde que Cielo y Tierra se abrieron

«Metal at root is born from the Moon, when the Sun receives the token at dawn on the month’s first day. Metal returns to its mother, when the Sun embraces the Moon in the month’s last day, Hidden within its inner and outer walls, sinking into the depths of cavernous Emptiness, Metal reverts to its ancient nature: the tripod glows with awesome radiance.» — Libro 1, sección 31, *The true nature of Metal*: el Metal nace de raíz de la Luna, vuelve a su madre cuando el Sol abraza a la Luna el último día del mes y, hundido en la Vacuidad cavernosa, revierte a su naturaleza antigua

«Zi and wu in value amount to 3, wu and ji in number are 5; as 3 and 5 harmonize, the eight minerals set the guiding thread in line. Exhaling and inhaling, they foster one another, ardently awaiting becoming husband and wife. The yellow Soil is the father of Metal, the Flowing Pearl is the child of Water.» — Libro 1, sección 32, *Water and Fire return to Soil*: zi y wu valen 3, wu y ji suman 5, y al armonizarse 3 y 5 los ocho minerales alinean el hilo conductor, con la Tierra amarilla como padre del Metal y la Perla Fluyente como hija del Agua

«If even sesame extends the length of your life, surely you can ingest the Reverted Elixir. Gold by its nature does not rot or decay, thus it is treasured among the ten thousand things; if a master of the Art preserves and ingests it, the span of his life will increase.» — Libro 1, sección 33, *Soil and the Elixir*: si el sésamo alarga la vida, más el Elixir Revertido; el oro no se pudre y por eso se atesora, y quien domina el Arte y lo ingiere acrecienta su plazo

«When the Golden Sand enters the five inner organs, a mist disperses like wind and rain, a fragrant vapor extends to the four limbs, and one’s countenance grows pleasant, moistened and fair. All white hair turns black, and the fallen teeth grow where they were; an old man is again a vigorous youth, an aged woman becomes a lovely maid. He who transmutes his form and escapes the troubles of the world is called a True Man.» — el cierre de la sección 33, con la promesa de rejuvenecimiento: la Arena de Oro entra en los cinco órganos, el pelo blanco se vuelve negro, los dientes caídos renacen, el viejo vuelve a ser mozo y la anciana doncella, y quien transmuta su forma y escapa a los afanes del mundo se llama Hombre Verdadero

«When you throw ceruse into the fire, its color spoils and it reverts to lead; when you place ice or snow in warm water, it dissolves to form the Great Mystery. As its ruler Metal takes the Sand, which by nature is joined with quicksilver. Their transformations derive from the real within them: end and beginning, of their own accord, depend one on the other.» — Libro 1, sección 34, *The true nature of all things*: el albayalde en el fuego vuelve a ser plomo y el hielo en agua tibia se disuelve, porque las transformaciones derivan de lo real que hay dentro

«To achieve transcendence by preserving and ingesting, you must use things of the same kind: grains are used for planting crops, eggs are employed for hatching chicks, If you support, by its kind, its being what it is, a thing reaches completion and is easily moulded or smelt. Could a fish eye ever turn into a pearl? And mugwort will never make tea.» — Libro 1, sección 35, *Things of the same kind follow each other*, el principio del mismo género: para trascender hay que usar cosas del mismo género, como el grano para sembrar y el huevo para empollar, porque un ojo de pez no se vuelve perla ni el ajenjo hace té

«Things of the same kind follow each other”; if they are at odds, they cannot form the Treasure. Swallows and sparrows do not give birth to a phoenix, foxes and hares do not suckle a horse; water streams and does not blaze by rising up, fire stirs and does not wet by flowing down.» — la continuación de la sección 35: las cosas del mismo género se siguen unas a otras y si están reñidas no forman el Tesoro, como golondrinas y gorriones no engendran fénix ni zorras y liebres amamantan caballos

«In this world there are many learned men, eminent, wondrous, and of excellent talent. Unless they suddenly have the unexpected encounter, they squander their fire and in vain waste their wealth. Relying on opinion and written words, they foolishly act as they like: their principles have no foundation, and their attitude lacks firmness.» — Libro 1, sección 36, *Erroneous alchemical methods*: hay muchos doctos que sin el encuentro inesperado derrochan su fuego y su hacienda, y que fiándose de la opinión y de las palabras escritas obran a su antojo sin fundamento

«They pound the chalcanthite from Shao, and mica, and alum, and magnetite; they roast sulphur above camphor wood, and refine it with mercury made into a mud. Blowing on the fire to melt the five minerals and copper, they think that this is the key for accomplishment. But all these things are disparate in nature and different in kind: could they ever will to be joined in one body?» — el censo de métodos que la sección 36 reprueba: machacar la calcantita de Shao, la mica, el alumbre y la magnetita, tostar azufre sobre alcanfor, refinarlo con mercurio hecho lodo y fundir los cinco minerales y el cobre, siendo todas esas cosas dispares en naturaleza y en género

«With a thousand atrempts they are bound to ten thousand failures, intending to be clever, becoming fools. Their good luck ends without achievement, but only the accomplished knows what this means. From youth to the greying of hair, at midway they begin to waver. They turn their backs to the Way, and keep to delusive tracks; they leave the right path and enter the wrong. As if peering through a pipe, unable to see broadly, they can hardly assess what impends.» — y el remate de la sección 36, que Pregadio empareja con un pasaje del Baopu zi: mil intentos y diez mil fracasos, la espalda vuelta a la Vía, y como mirando por un tubo no alcanzan a ver con amplitud; la capa de texto imprime *atrempts*

«As regards the greatest sages, no one excels Fu Xi: “he was the first to draw the eight trigrams,” taking as models Heaven and Earth.» — Libro 1, sección 37, *The Book of Changes and the Cantong qi*: entre los mayores sabios ninguno excede a Fu Xi, el primero en trazar los ocho trigramas tomando por modelo el Cielo y la Tierra

«These three noble lords, chosen by Heaven, rose in turn to rule over their time. In what they accomplished each walked at his pace, but they did not differ in merit or virtue; in what they produced they trod one path, inferring the measures and inspecting the minutest details.» — y su unidad: los tres señores, elegidos por el Cielo, anduvieron cada uno a su paso pero no difirieron en mérito ni en virtud

«What has form is easy to gauge, but the signless can hardly be envisaged. In order that this pursuit have a model, on behalf of the world I have composed this book.» — la automención del poema en la sección 37, con su razón declarada: lo que tiene forma es fácil de medir y lo sin signo apenas se concibe, y para que esta busca tenga modelo se compuso este libro en favor del mundo

«Pure and devoid of foreknowledge and skills, T was awakened by relying on my masters: dazzled as if I had raised a curtain, I opened my eyes, and climbed to a terrace on high.» — y cómo declara el poema su propia fuente: puro y sin presciencia ni destrezas, el que habla fue despertado apoyándose en sus maestros, deslumbrado como quien levanta una cortina

«when soil invades, water cannot rise. The Vermilion Sparrow is the essence of Fire: it keeps the balance, moderating success and failure. When Water flourishes, Fire is extinguished, and both die, together returning to generous Soil. Now, the three natures have joined together, for their fundamental natures share an ancestor in com» — la continuación de la sección 32: el Gorrión Bermellón es la esencia del Fuego y mantiene el fiel, y cuando el Agua florece el Fuego se extingue y ambos mueren volviendo juntos a la Tierra generosa, con lo que las tres naturalezas se juntan por tener un mismo ancestro

«joined them together and added the Statements on the Lines; Confucius, outstanding among sages, appended the Ten Wings.» — la continuación de la sección 37, con el linaje que el poema se da: el rey Wen juntó los trigramas y añadió las Declaraciones sobre las Líneas, y Confucio las Diez Alas; la estrofa arranca en la plana anterior con el nombre del rey Wen

«The Records of Fire count six hundred chapters: their import is equal, and they do not delude. Their words contain priceless statements, which the worldly do not earnestly consider.» — Libro 1, sección 38, que Pregadio rotula *Wei Boyang’s hesitancy*: los Registros del Fuego cuentan seiscientos capítulos de importe igual que no engañan, con palabras de valor incalculable que los mundanos no consideran

«How could this lowly man heedlessly dare to write down what only the worthies discussed? But if I tied my tongue and remained dumb, I would cause a break in the Way and incur punishment. And yet, should I write all the facts on bamboo and silk, I would fear all the same to disclose the token of Heaven.» — el nudo de la sección 38, donde el poema declara su propio dilema: callar quebraría la Vía y acarrearía castigo, y escribirlo todo en bambú y seda haría temer la revelación de la prenda del Cielo

«Hesitant and uncertain, sighing time after time, I have looked upward and downward, and have written these trifles. There is a method for moulding and smelting, but I cannot thoroughly enounce it, Concisely I will report its guidelines, and let the branches display its luxuriance» — y su salida: vacilante ha mirado arriba y abajo y ha escrito estas menudencias, porque hay un método de moldear y fundir que no puede enunciar del todo, y solo dará sus lineamientos

«Make dikes and embankments with Metal, so that Water may enter and effortlessly drift. Fifteen is the measure of Metal, the same is the number of Water. Tend to the furnace to determine the scruples and ounces: five parts of Water are more than enough. In this way the two become True, and Metal will weigh as at first. The other three are thus not used, but Fire, which is 2, is fastened to them. The three things join one another: in their transformations their shapes are divine.» — Libro 1, sección 39, *Compounding the Elixir (First part)*: levantar diques con Metal para que el Agua entre sin esfuerzo, con quince por medida del Metal y del Agua, cinco partes de Agua de sobra, los otros tres sin usar y el Fuego, que es 2, atado a ellos

«When its time is about to come to an end, it wrecks its own nature and disrupts its life span. Its form looks like ashes or soil, its shape is like dust on a luminous window.» — y el cierre de la sección 39: al acabarse su tiempo destroza su propia naturaleza y trastorna su plazo de vida, y su forma queda como ceniza o tierra, como polvo en una ventana luminosa

«Pound it and mix it, and let it enter the Red-colored Gates, Seal the joints firmly, striving to make them as tight as you can.» — Libro 1, sección 40, *Compounding the Elixir (Second part)*: machacarlo y mezclarlo, hacerlo entrar en las Puertas de color Rojo y sellar las juntas con toda firmeza

«A blazing fire grows below: by day and by night its sound is unchanging and steady, At first make it gentle so that it may be adjusted, at the end make it fierce and let it spread out. Watch over it with heed and caution: inspect it attentively and regulate the amount of its» — el régimen de fuego de la sección 40: llama creciente debajo con sonido invariable de día y de noche, suave al principio para ajustarlo y fiero al final para que se extienda, vigilándolo con cuidado

«It will rotate through twelve nodes, and when the nodes are complete, it will again need your care. Now its Breath is worn out, and its life is about to be severed; it pauses and dies, losing its po and its bun. Then its color changes to purple: the Reverted Elixir, radiant and glowing, is attained.» — y el desenlace de la sección 40: rota por doce nodos, y cumplidos estos su Soplo se gasta, hace pausa y muere perdiendo su po y su hun, y entonces su color vira a púrpura y se alcanza el Elixir Revertido

«Minutely powder it and make it into a pellet — even one knife-point is supremely divine.» — el cierre de la sección 40, con la dosis: pulverizado y hecho píldora, una punta de cuchillo es sumamente divina

«Deducing the measures of the five agents is simple and uncomplicated: take water to drench a fire, and its radiant light is extinguished at once.» — Libro 1, sección 41, *Yin and Yang feed on each other*: deducir las medidas de los cinco agentes es simple, como echar agua para apagar un fuego

«The Sun and the Moon always encroach upon one another on the month’s first day and the day of full moon. When Water flourishes, Kan 32 trespasses on Yang; when Fire decays, Li 2 turns from daylight to dusk. Yin and Yang feed on each other; that they affect one another is the Dao as it is» — la continuación de la sección 41: Sol y Luna se invaden el primer día del mes y el de luna llena, y el Yin y el Yang se alimentan uno de otro, siendo su afectación mutua el Dao tal cual es

«Names are used to determine the qualities, and cognomens to express the nature. When Metal goes back to its initial nature, then you can call it Reverted Elixir.» — y el cierre de la sección 41, sobre el nombrar: los nombres determinan las cualidades y los sobrenombres expresan la naturaleza, y cuando el Metal vuelve a su naturaleza inicial se le puede llamar Elixir Revertido

«Not daring to speak vainly, I have replicated the writings of the sages: the ancient records told of the Dragon and the Tiger, the Yellow Emperor praised the Golden Flower, Master Huainan refined the Autumn Stone, and Wang Yang commended the Yellow Sprout.» — Libro 1, sección 42, *The tradition of the Cantong qi*, donde el poema enumera su propio linaje: los registros antiguos hablaron del Dragón y el Tigre, el Emperador Amarillo alabó la Flor de Oro, el Maestro de Huainan refinó la Piedra de Otoño y Wang Yang encomió el Brote Amarillo

«Qian = the firm and Kun =: the yielding join and embrace one another; Yang endows, Yin receives, the masculine and the feminine attend one to the other.» — Libro 2, sección 43, *Qian and Kun, Kan and Li*, que abre el segundo Libro repitiendo la materia de la sección 1 en otro metro: Qian lo firme y Kun lo blando se juntan y se abrazan, el Yang dota y el Yin recibe

«Attending, they create and transform, unfolding their Essence and Breath, Kan 33 and Li && are at the fore: their radiance and glow come down and spread out. Mysterious and obscure, this can hardly be fathomed and cannot be pictured or charted.» — la continuación de la sección 43: al atenderse crean y transforman desplegando su Esencia y su Soplo, con Kan y Li al frente, y eso, misterioso y oscuro, apenas se sondea y no se puede dibujar ni cartografiar

«The sages gauged its depth; one with it, they set forth its foundation. These fours, in indistinction, are right within Empty Non-Being.» — y el verso que Pregadio cita en su Introducción para decir que los cuatro residen indiferenciados en el Dao: los sabios midieron su hondura y, uno con ella, expusieron su fundamento, porque estos cuatro, en indistinción, están justo dentro del No-Ser Vacío

«Sixty hexagrams revolve around them, outspread like a chariot. Harnessing a dragon and a mare, the bright noble man holds the reins of time. In harmony there are following and compliance: the path is level and begets no evil.» — la continuación de la sección 43: sesenta hexagramas giran en torno a ellos desplegados como un carro, y el noble esclarecido, unciendo un dragón y una yegua, lleva las riendas del tiempo

«within an instant it steams and subdues. First it liquefies, then coagulates; it is given the name Yellow Carriage.» — la continuación de la sección 39: en un instante humea y somete, y lo que primero se licúa y luego coagula recibe el nombre de Carro Amarillo; la estrofa arranca en la plana anterior con el Soplo del Gran Yang

«The worthies can put this in practice, the undeserving shall not share in it. The Ways of the past and the present are one: I have discussed and made plain what they envisage.» — el cierre de la sección 42, con su cláusula de mérito: los dignos pueden ponerlo en práctica y los indignos no compartirán en ello, porque las Vías del pasado y del presente son una

«Students should labor and toil, thinking at length and reflecting in depth. The ultimate essentials have been fully disclosed: they gleam, and never deceive.» — y el remate del Libro 1: los estudiantes han de afanarse pensando largo y reflexionando hondo, porque lo esencial ya está revelado del todo

«Harnessing a dragon and a mare, the bright noble man holds the reins of time. In harmony there are following and compliance: the path is level and begets no evil. Evil ways obstruct and hamper: they endanger the kingdom» — el cierre de la sección 43, donde la cosmología se vuelve gobierno: en la armonía hay seguimiento y anuencia y el camino es llano, y las vías torcidas estorban y ponen en peligro el reino

«The noble man dwells in his house; if he speaks his words well, even those from more than a thousand miles away respond to them.” This means that the ruler of a kingdom of ten thousand chariots resides in a house surrounded by nine layers of» — Libro 2, sección 44, *Awaiting the time*, en prosa: el noble en su casa, cuyas palabras bien dichas alcanzan a más de mil millas, leído como el soberano de un reino de diez mil carros

«In issuing orders and bringing forth ordinances, he complies with the nodes of Yin and Yang. “Hiding his skills and awaiting the time,” he never goes against the monthly hexagram cycle.» — la continuación de la sección 44: al dar órdenes cumple con los nodos del Yin y el Yang y, escondiendo sus destrezas y esperando el tiempo, no va nunca contra el ciclo mensual de los hexagramas

«Zhun # uses zi and shen, Meng & employs yin and xu. Of the remaining sixty hexagrams, each has its own day: let me present just these two emblems, for here I cannot be exhaustive.» — Libro 2, sección 45, *The monthly cycle of the hexagrams*, con la declaración de su propio límite: Zhun usa zi y shen y Meng yin y xu, y de los sesenta hexagramas restantes, cada uno con su día, el poema presenta solo esos dos emblemas porque no puede ser exhaustivo

«To set up righteousness, establish the punishments; when humanity is in order, let virtue come forth. “Those who transgress this have ill fortune; those who comply with it have good fortune.» — la continuación de la sección 45: establecer los castigos para instaurar la rectitud y dejar salir la virtud cuando la humanidad está en orden

«Thoroughly consider the laws and the ordinances, with utter sincerity and concerted attention; cautiously watch the markers of time, attentively inspect the ebb and the flow. Even with the smallest of errors, regret and remorse would possess you.» — y su advertencia: considerar a fondo leyes y ordenanzas, vigilar los marcadores del tiempo e inspeccionar el flujo y el reflujo, porque aun el error más pequeño traería pesar y remordimiento

«If the two solstices altered their measures, and ran twisting and turning counter to rule, in deep winter we would have the Great Heat, and in full summer, frost and snow.» — Libro 2, sección 46, *The regular phenomena of Heaven and Earth*: si los dos solsticios alteraran sus medidas, en pleno invierno habría Gran Calor y en pleno verano escarcha y nieve

«If the two equinoxes inverted their routes, and did not agree with the water clock’s notches, flood and drought would attack one another, and wind and rain would never be timely. Locusts and worms would seethe and churn, and anomalies would come forth from all sides; strange apparitions would be seen in the skies, the mountains collapse and the earth fissure.» — la continuación de la sección 46: invertidas las rutas de los equinoccios, inundación y sequía se atacarían, langostas y gusanos bullirían, aparecerían prodigios en el cielo y se desplomarían los montes

«The filial child uses his Heart, bringing the August Ultimate to move in response. What comes forth from his mouth anear flows to little-known regions afar. Sometimes it provokes calamities, at others it brings about happiness; sometimes it fosters Great Peace, at others it engenders battles and wars. The origin of all these four lies in his own bosom.» — Libro 2, sección 47, *Complying with the cycles of Yin and Yang*: el hijo filial usa su Corazón y hace responder al Ultimo Augusto, y lo que sale de su boca cerca fluye a regiones remotas, provocando calamidades o dicha, Gran Paz o guerras, con origen en su propio seno

«Movement and quiescence have constancy,” therefore he abides by the marking-cord and the plumb-line. Complying with the proprieties of the four seasons, their breaths does he receive.» — la continuación de la sección 47: movimiento y quietud tienen constancia, y por eso se atiene al cordel y a la plomada y recibe los soplos de las cuatro estaciones

«The firm and the yielding are distinguished,” and do not impinge upon one another; the five agents keep to their boundaries, reaching plenitude and receding without error. The course of change flows in cycles — it bends and it stretches, and goes back and forth.» — y el cierre de la sección 47: lo firme y lo blando se distinguen sin chocar, los cinco agentes guardan sus límites y el curso del cambio fluye en ciclos

«Between the month’s last day and next month’s first, they join their tallies and move to the Center. In the inchoate boundless, female and male follow one another.» — Libro 2, sección 48, *The joining of the Sun and the Moon*, que repite en otro metro la materia de la sección 10: entre el último día del mes y el primero del siguiente juntan sus prendas y se mueven al Centro, y en lo inchoado sin límite lo femenino y lo masculino se siguen

«Their nurturing fluids moisten and impregnate, their emanations and transformations flow and spread all through. The Numinous Light of Heaven and Earth is immeasurable. “Use it for benefit and to bring serenity to yourself,” hide yourself and remain secluded.» — el cierre de la sección 48: sus fluidos nutricios humedecen e impregnan, la Luz Numinosa de Cielo y Tierra es inconmensurable, y el poema manda usarla para provecho y serenidad propia y permanecer oculto

«It rises in the northeast, the hamlet of Winnowing Basket and Dipper. Revolving and turning to the right, it brings out its disk and emits its first bud of light. Withdrawn in a deep pool, it lets its image appear, sending forth and dispersing its essence and its radiance.» — Libro 2, sección 49, *The cycle of the Moon*, que repite la materia de la sección 13: se levanta en el noreste, en la aldea del Cesto y la Osa, gira a la derecha, saca su disco y emite su primer brote de luz

«Yang is set up on the third, Yin is on par on the eighth. On the third day Zhen 2 moves, on the eighth, Dui = is in action. “Nine in the second place, appearing dragon”: in harmony and equality there is light.» — y su avance: el Yang se establece el día tres y el Yin se empareja el ocho, con Zhen moviéndose el tres y Dui obrando el ocho, bajo el *nueve en el segundo lugar, dragón que aparece*

«On the fifteenth, virtue is attained and the body of Qian © is achieved, “Nine in the third place, at nightfall he is watchful,” fearing that he might lose the divine token.» — el punto medio del ciclo: el día quince se alcanza la virtud y se logra el cuerpo de Qian, bajo el *nueve en el tercer lugar, al caer la noche está vigilante*

«Flourishing and decay gradually renovate themselves, and when they end they revert to the beginning, When Xun = takes control, it firmly holds it in its hands, “Nine in the fourth place, wavering flight”: advancing and receding, the course is a perilous one.» — y el giro: florecimiento y decadencia se renuevan y al terminar revierten al principio, con Xun tomando el control bajo el *nueve en el cuarto lugar, vuelo vacilante*

«Gen Z= rules over arrest and advance, so that nothing contravenes the timing. On the twenty-third day it presides over the waning quarter. “Nine in the fifth place, flying dragon”: sitting in the throne of Heaven, it increases its delight.» — la continuación: Gen rige el arresto y el avance, preside el cuarto menguante el día veintitrés, bajo el *nueve en el quinto lugar, dragón volador*

«On the thirtieth, Kun 22 inherits the charge, binding and enclosing end and beginning. Carrying and nourishing her children, she is like a mother to all things in the world. “Nine at the top, arrogant dragon,” fighting for power in the wild. “All nines,” flutter flutter, are the compass and square of the Dao.» — y el cierre de la sección 49: el día treinta Kun hereda el cargo, ciñe fin y comienzo y, cargando y nutriendo a sus hijos, es como madre de todo; bajo el *nueve en lo alto, dragón arrogante* y los *todos nueves*, que son el compás y la escuadra del Dao

«Moving in a ring in accordance with Jade-cog and Armil, rising and falling, ascending and descending, it flows in cycles through the six lines, and can hardly be beheld. Thus it has no constant position: it is the ancestor of change.» — Libro 2, sección 50, *The “ancestor of change”*: moviéndose en anillo conforme al Diente de Jade y la Armilla, fluye en ciclos por las seis líneas, apenas se contempla y no tiene posición constante, y por eso es el ancestro del cambio

«The dawn of the month’s first day is Fu #2 (Return): the Yang Breath begins to spread throughout. “Going out and coming in without error,” the shadow of the gnomon is tenuous but firm. At the time of Yellow Bell, the Dipper points at zi: the seedlings thrive, a tender warmth spreads over, and one and all regain constancy.» — Libro 2, sección 51, *The cycle of the Sun*, el ciclo anual de los doce hexagramas soberanos que Pregadio declara modelo de los tiempos del fuego: el alba del primer día es Fu, el Retorno, cuando el Soplo Yang empieza a difundirse y, en tiempo de la Campana Amarilla con la Osa apuntando a zi, medran los brotes

«At Lin 器 (Approach), the furnace issues strips of light, opening the way for proper radiance. Radiance and shine gradually advance, and daylight thus grows longer.» — la continuación de la sección 51: en Lin, la Aproximación, el horno emite franjas de luz y el día se alarga

«Above Pleiades and Net, Zhen == comes forth as an inkling, and the Yang Breath makes its start:» — la continuación de la sección 49: sobre las Pléyades y la Red asoma Zhen y empieza el Soplo Yang; la estrofa sigue en la plana siguiente con la línea *nueve inicial, dragón retirado*

«Great Regulator is at chou, binding and aligning what is above and what is below. Looking upward, it forms Tai (Peace): the firm and the yielding both come to hold sway.» — la continuación de la sección 51: el Gran Regulador está en chou y, al mirar hacia arriba, forma Tai, la Paz, donde lo firme y lo blando dominan a la vez

«The spokes converge on yis: they spin concurring with the time. Gradually comes the turn of Dazhuang 3 (Great Strength), when the knights array themselves at the gates of mao. The elm seeds fall to the ground, returning to their roots.» — el avance del año en la sección 51: los radios convergen y giran con el tiempo, y en Dazhuang, la Gran Fuerza, los caballeros se alinean en las puertas de mao mientras las semillas del olmo caen y vuelven a sus raíces

«At Guai 3 (Parting) the time has come for Yin to move into retreat, for Yang has risen and has come to the fore, Washing and cleansing its feathers and its quills, it clears away the dust of ages. Qian B (The Creative) is strong, flourishing, and bright, and lays itself over the four neighborhoods. Yang terminates at sé; residing in the Center, it has a share in everything.» — el punto alto del año: en Guai, la Separación, el Yin se retira y el Yang se adelanta y limpia el polvo de las edades, y Qian, lo Creativo, fuerte y luminoso, se tiende sobre los cuatro vecindarios

«At Gou & (Encounter) a new epoch comes to pass: for the first time “there is hoarfrost underfoot.” “In the well there is a clear,.cold spring,” and at Luxuriant there is wu. The guest has been subdued by Yin, and Yin has now become the host.» — y el vuelco: en Gou, el Encuentro, hay escarcha bajo el pie por primera vez, el huésped ha sido sometido por el Yin y el Yin se ha vuelto anfitrión

«At Dun & (Withdrawal) it leaves its worldly place, gathering its Essence to store it up. Cherishing its virtue, it awaits its time, resting at leisure in the dark. At Pi % (Obstruction) there are stagnation and blockade, and no new buds are generated.» — la merma: en Dun, la Retirada, deja su lugar mundano y guarda su Esencia, y en Pi, la Obstrucción, hay estancamiento y bloqueo y no se generan brotes

«Yin stretches and Yang bends: the surname and forename of Yang have been erased. Guan (Contemplation), with its equity and its balance, examines the temper of autumn’s middle month. It nourishes the tender and the young, the old and withered bloom again.» — la continuación de la sección 51: el Yin se extiende y el Yang se dobla hasta borrarse su nombre, y Guan, la Contemplación, con su equidad y su fiel, nutre lo tierno y hace florecer de nuevo lo viejo y marchito

«Bo £ (Splitting Apart) tears its limbs and trunk, extinguishing its form, The vital Breath is drained, the supreme Spirit is forgotten and is lost» — y el fondo del año: Bo, la Desintegración, desgarra miembros y tronco y extingue la forma, el Soplo vital se agota y el Espíritu supremo se olvida y se pierde

«The course comes to its end and turns around, returning to its origin in Kun # (The Receptive). Ever complying with the patterns of the Earth, she receives Heaven in herself, allowing it to unfold» — el retorno: el curso llega a su fin y da la vuelta, volviendo a su origen en Kun, lo Receptivo, que cumpliendo los patrones de la Tierra recibe al Cielo en sí y lo deja desplegarse

«Mysterious and obscure! Subtle and remote! Separate are they, and yet they are bound. In due measure they nurture the seed that is the origin of Yin and Yang. Vast and broad! Vague and indistinct! No one knows its beginnings. “Going ahead of it brings on delusion” and you lose your track, “go behind it,” and you are a ruler and a lord.» — el cierre de la sección 51: misteriosos y remotos, separados y sin embargo atados, nutren en su medida la semilla que es el origen del Yin y el Yang, sin que nadie conozca sus comienzos, porque adelantarse trae extravío y quedar detrás hace soberano

«In order to nourish your nature, prolong your life and hold off the time of death, attentively reflect upon the end and duly ponder what comes before, ‘We are endowed with a corporeal frame, but at root our body is nothing: as the Original Essence spreads like the clouds, it is to Breath that we owe our beginning.» — Libro 2, sección 53, *Non-Being and existence*: para nutrir la naturaleza, alargar la vida y aplazar la muerte hay que reflexionar en el fin y ponderar lo que viene antes, porque estamos dotados de armazón corpóreo pero de raíz nuestro cuerpo es nada

«Yin and Yang set the measures, and are the dwelling places of hun and po: the Yang Spirit is the bun of the Sun, the Yin Spirit is the po of the Moon. What relates bun and po to one another is that each is home for the other.» — el cierre de la sección 53: el Yin y el Yang fijan las medidas y son morada del hun y el po, el Espíritu Yang es el hun del Sol y el Espíritu Yin el po de la Luna, y cada uno es casa del otro

«One’s nature rules by abiding within, implanting the seed; one’s qualities rule by engaging without, raising enclosures and walls.» — Libro 2, sección 54, *Nature and qualities*: la naturaleza propia rige morando dentro y plantando la semilla, y las cualidades rigen obrando fuera y levantando cercas y muros

«Only when the walls are whole and intact, can people be secure. At that time, the qualities bring Qian and Kun together.» — la continuación de la sección 54: solo con los muros enteros hay seguridad, y entonces las cualidades juntan a Qian y Kun

«Qian = is movement and is straight”: Breath spreads and Essence flows. “Kun =F is quiescence and is gathered”: it is the hut of the Dao. The firm gives forth and then recedes, the yielding transmutes and thereby nurtures.» — Libro 2, sección 55, *Water, the beginning*: Qian es movimiento y es recto, el Soplo se difunde y la Esencia fluye; Kun es quietud y está recogido, y es la choza del Dao

«The 9 reverts, the 7 returns, the 8 goes back, the 6 remains. Man is white, woman is red; Metal and Fire seize one another. Water then stabilizes Fire: it is the first of the five agents.» — la continuación de la sección 55: el 9 revierte y el 7 vuelve, el 8 retrocede y el 6 permanece; el hombre es blanco y la mujer roja, Metal y Fuego se apoderan uno del otro, y el Agua estabiliza al Fuego siendo la primera de los cinco agentes

«Superior goodness is like water” because it is flawless and clear, These are the forms and-images of the Dao, but True Unity can hardly be charted: it alters itself and distributes by parting, and each part dwells alone, on its own.» — y el cierre de la sección 55: la bondad superior es como el agua porque es clara y sin tacha, pero la Unidad Verdadera apenas se puede cartografiar, porque se altera y se reparte partiéndose

«You gather fire with the yangsui, which, if not for the Sun, would not produce light. And the fangzhu, if not for the stars and the Moon, could it ever collect the nectar of water?» — Libro 2, sección 57, *The Breaths of Yin and Yang*: se recoge fuego con el yangsui, que sin el Sol no daría luz, y el fangzhu sin los astros y la Luna no recogería el néctar del agua

«Mysterious and remote are the two Breaths, yet their influence pervades al] things. How much more is this so for what is near and exists in yourself, proximately within your Heart? “Yin and Yang match the Sun and the Moon,” water and fire are their attestation.» — el cierre de la sección 57, que vuelve la correspondencia hacia dentro: los dos Soplos son remotos y su influjo lo penetra todo, cuánto más lo cercano que existe en uno mismo, próximo dentro del Corazón

«Ears, eyes, and mouth are the three treasures: shut them, and let nothing pass through. The True Man withdraws in the depths of the abyss; drifting and roaming, he keeps to the compass. Watch and listen while wheeling around, and opening and closing will always accord. Take this as your lynchpin, and movement and quiescence will never be exhausted.» — Libro 2, sección 58, *The three treasures*: oídos, ojos y boca son los tres tesoros y hay que cerrarlos sin dejar pasar nada, mientras el Hombre Verdadero se retira en lo hondo del abismo y guarda el compás

«There is no plain that is not followed by.a slope”: this is the Dao being as it is.» — Libro 2, sección 52, *End and beginning*: no hay llano que no siga una cuesta, y así es el Dao tal cual es; la capa de texto imprime un punto dentro de *by a slope*

«Transformation and change flourish and prosper, ebb and flow depend one on the other. It ends at Kun #2 and then begins at Fu #, as if it followed a circle or a ring, If emperors and kings master this Way, they will remain alive one thousand years.» — la continuación de la sección 52: transformación y cambio prosperan, el flujo y el reflujo dependen uno del otro, termina en Kun y empieza en Fu como un anillo, y los emperadores que dominen esta Vía vivirán mil años

«Similar in kind to a hen’s egg, the white and the black tally with one another. But one inch in size, yet it is the beginning:» — Libro 2, sección 56, *The birth of the embryo*: semejante a un huevo de gallina, lo blanco y lo negro se corresponden, y de una sola pulgada de tamaño es el comienzo; la estrofa sigue en la plana siguiente

«then the four limbs, the five viscera, the sinews and bones join it. When ten months have elapsed, it exits the womb. “Its bones are weak” and are pliant, its flesh is as smooth as lead.» — y su continuación: se le juntan los cuatro miembros, las cinco vísceras, los tendones y los huesos, y a los diez meses sale del vientre con los huesos débiles y flexibles y la carne lisa como plomo

«The Breath of Li 守 strengthens and guards you within, and Kan = is not employed for listening, Dui = is closed and not used for talking: you follow the boundless with inaudible words.» — el cierre de la sección 58: el Soplo de Li fortalece y guarda por dentro, Kan no se emplea para oír y Dui queda cerrado y sin usar para hablar, y así se sigue lo ilimitado con palabras inaudibles

«When the three have been latched, repose your body in an empty room, and give your will to returning to Empty Non-Being; without thoughts you attain constancy.» — Libro 2, sección 59, *Achieving constancy*: trabados los tres, reposar el cuerpo en un cuarto vacío y entregar la voluntad al retorno al No-Ser Vacío, para alcanzar la constancia sin pensamientos

«Going back and forth brings obstruction: if focused, your Heart will not wander or stray. In sleep, embrace your Spirit; when awake, watch over existence and extinction. Gradually your countenance will moisten and your bones will grow solid and strong, Having completely removed the evil of Yin, you can establish pure Yang» — la continuación de la sección 59: el ir y venir estorba, en el sueño hay que abrazar el Espíritu y despierto vigilar existencia y extinción, hasta que el semblante se humedezca, los huesos se endurezcan y, quitado el mal del Yin, se establezca el Yang puro

«Cultivate this unceasingly, and your plentiful breath will course like rain from the clouds, overflowing like a marsh in the spring, pouring forth like ice that has melted.» — Libro 2, sección 60, *The breathing of the True Man*: cultivarlo sin cesar hace que el soplo abundante corra como lluvia de las nubes, desborde como una marisma en primavera y se vierta como hielo derretido

«In its coming and going, it will spread limitless, pervading throughout and extending all around.» — y el cierre de esa figura: en su ir y venir se extiende sin límite, penetrándolo todo

«Return is the attestation of the Dao, weakness is “the handle of virtue.” When the long gathered filth is removed, the fine and tenuous are attuned and laid forth. The turbid is the path of the clear: after a long dusk, the gleaming light.» — Libro 2, sección 60: el retorno es el testimonio del Dao y la debilidad el mango de la virtud, y lo turbio es el camino de lo claro, como tras un largo crepúsculo la luz que brilla

«The worldly people are fond of the minor arts, and do not inspect the great depths of the Dao. Leaving the right, they follow the evil alleys; wanting to hurry, they meet obstruction and do not pass through. It is like the blind man not leaning on a cane, or the deaf bent on listening to the shang and the gong; like diving in water to catch pheasants and hares, or climbing a mountain to seek dragons and fish; like sowing wheat with the aim of harvesting millet, or turning a compass in the attempt to draw a square.» — Libro 2, sección 61, *Incorrect practices*, con su sarta de símiles: los mundanos gustan de las artes menores y dejan lo recto por callejones perversos, como el ciego sin bastón, el sordo empeñado en oír, quien bucea para cazar faisanes o siembra trigo para cosechar mijo

«They drain their strength and belabor their Essence and Spirit, but at the end of their years they will see no result. Should they wish to learn the method of preserving and ingesting, , their pursuit will be simple and uncomplicated.» — y el cierre de la sección 61: agotan su fuerza y fatigan su Esencia y su Espíritu sin ver resultado al cabo de sus años, cuando el método de preservar e ingerir sería simple

«The Golden Flower is the first to sing: in the space of an instant it dissolves into water — horse-tooth and langgan. The Yang is next to join it: qualities and natures are so of themselves.» — la continuación de la sección 62: la Flor de Oro canta primero y en un instante se disuelve en agua, diente de caballo y langgan, y el Yang se le junta después, siendo cualidades y naturalezas así por sí mismas

«Approach it forthwith, seize it and store it within the Forbidden Gates, The loving mother will nurture and nourish it, and the filial child will reward her with love; the stern father will issue orders, to teach and admonish his children and grandsons.» — y el cierre de la sección 62, dicho en parentesco: guardarlo dentro de las Puertas Prohibidas, donde la madre amorosa lo nutre, el hijo filial le paga con amor y el padre severo da órdenes

«The five agents rule in alternate order, each overtaking the other in order to live. Fire by its nature melts Metal; when Metal cuts it, Wood blooms. The Three Fives combine into One, the ultimate essence of Heaven and Earth.» — Libro 2, sección 63, *The Three Fives*: los cinco agentes rigen por turnos y cada uno adelanta al otro para vivir, y los Tres Cincos se combinan en Uno, esencia última de Cielo y Tierra

«Oral instructions are possible; hardly can this be transmitted in writing.» — el cierre de la sección 63, que declara el límite de la propia escritura: las instrucciones orales son posibles y esto apenas puede transmitirse por escrito

«From zi duly it turns to the right, from wz it revolves to the east. Mao and you are the boundaries; the host and the guest are two.» — Libro 2, sección 64, *Inverting the course*: desde zi gira a la derecha y desde wu revuelve al este, con mao y you por lindes y el anfitrión y el huésped por dos

«The Dragon exhales onto the Tiger, the Tiger inhales the Dragon’s essence. The two feed on one another and crave one for the other; thus they bite and they gulp, they chew and they swallow each other.» — la continuación de la sección 64: el Dragón exhala sobre el Tigre y el Tigre inhala la esencia del Dragón, y los dos se alimentan uno de otro hasta morderse y tragarse

«Sparkling Wonderer keeps to the West, Great White is across the sky. Can anything faced by the life-taking Breath be not overcome? Cats capture rats, sparrows fear hawks. Each of them fulfills its function 一 how would they dare utter a sound?» — y su cierre: el Errante Centelleante guarda el Oeste y el Gran Blanco cruza el cielo, y como los gatos capturan ratones y los gorriones temen a los halcones, cada cual cumple su función

«Without understanding the principles, deceptive words are of no avail: you will exhaust your family’s possessions, your wife and children will become hungry and poor.» — Libro 2, sección 65, *Erroneous alchemical methods*: sin entender los principios las palabras engañosas no valen, se agota el patrimonio de la familia y la mujer y los hijos pasan hambre

«From the antiquity down to the present, millions are those who have devoted themselves to this Art, and at the end have not found achievement: , rare have been those who have accomplished their goal. Seeking renowned medicines far and wide is utterly at odd with the Dao!» — y su balance: de la antigüedad a hoy son millones los que se han dado a este Arte sin lograrlo, y buscar medicinas renombradas por todas partes está del todo reñido con el Dao

«If you look into this and have the blessed encounter, you will behold the course of all things, comparing one to another according to kind, to assess their end and beginning.» — Libro 2, sección 66, *The course of all things*: quien mire esto y tenga el encuentro dichoso verá el curso de todas las cosas, comparándolas por género para evaluar su fin y su comienzo

«The five agents conquer each other, acting, in turn, as father and mother; the mother bears the nurturing fluids, the father governs endowment, Essence coagulates and they flow into form; metals and minerals do not decay. Thoroughly inspect this, never disclose it, and you will succeed in achieving the Dao.» — la continuación de la sección 66: los cinco agentes se vencen unos a otros haciendo por turnos de padre y madre, la Esencia coagula y fluye en forma, y hay que inspeccionarlo a fondo sin revelarlo nunca

«Stand a pole upon the earth and a shadow appears; shout into a valley and an echo comes forth, Is this not numinous? It is the perfect image of Heaven and Earth.» — Libro 2, sección 67, *The perfect image of Heaven and Earth*: plantar un palo en la tierra y aparece una sombra, gritar en un valle y sale un eco, y eso es la imagen perfecta de Cielo y Tierra

«And yet, if you take an inch of yege or an ounce of badou, your body will stiffen as it enters the throat, never again able to move. At that time, King Wen of the Zhou can sort out the stalks, Confucius can divine with the images, Bian Que can handle his needles, and Shaman Xian can beat on his drum» — el contrapunto de la sección 67: una pulgada de yege o una onza de badou entiesan el cuerpo al pasar por la garganta, y entonces ni el rey Wen con sus tallos, ni Confucio con las imágenes, ni Bian Que con sus agujas, ni el chamán Xian con su tambor

«The Flowing Pearl of Great Yang desires ever to leave you. When, at last, it finds the Golden Flower, it turns about, and the two rely upon each other.» — Libro 2, sección 62, *Compounding the Elixir*: la Perla Fluyente del Gran Yang siempre quiere irse, y al hallar por fin la Flor de Oro se vuelve y los dos se apoyan uno en otro; la estrofa sigue en la plana siguiente

«will they ever be able to revive you, stand you up again to walk quickly away?» — el cierre de la sección 67: ninguno de esos cuatro podrá revivirte ni ponerte en pie otra vez

«The Lovely Maid of the River is numinous and supremely divine: when she finds Fire she flies away, leaving behind not a speck of dust. Like a demon she hides, like a dragon she conceals: nobody knows her whereabouts. If you want to control her, the Yellow Sprout is the root.» — Libro 2, sección 68, *The Lovely Maid and the Yellow Sprout*: la Bella Doncella del Río, numinosa y divina, vuela al hallar el Fuego sin dejar polvo, se esconde como un demonio, y si se la quiere controlar el Brote Amarillo es la raíz

«Bereft of Yin, devoid of Yang, creatures would go against Heaven and turn away from the origin. , If a hen lays an egg on her own, her chick would never be formed. Why is this so? Because no joining occurred: the 3 and the 5 did not merge with each other, the firm and the yielding stayed one apart from the other.» — Libro 2, sección 69, *Heaven and Earth as they are of themselves*: sin Yin ni Yang las criaturas irían contra el Cielo, y si una gallina pusiera huevo sola el pollo no se formaría, porque el 3 y el 5 no se fundieron

«The Essences emanated and transformed are Heaven and Earth as they are of themselves. Fire stirs and blazes by rising up, water streams and wets by flowing down. No teacher instructs them to behave in that way: “they owe their beginning to this,” and are permeated and made good by it; nothing could cause them to change.» — la continuación de la sección 69: las Esencias emanadas son el Cielo y la Tierra tal como son de suyo, y el fuego sube y quema y el agua corre y moja sin que ningún maestro se lo enseñe

«Males face downward after birth, females lie reclined on their back: they are endowed with these qualities while they are in the womb as an embryo, and receive the first whit of Breath, Not only at birth can this be plainly seen; at the time of death we can attest it again. It is not our father and mother who teach us to do so: the foundation lies in the intercourse and is built at the start.» — el cierre de la sección 69, que lleva el principio hasta el nacimiento y la muerte: los varones quedan boca abajo y las mujeres de espaldas, dotados de esas cualidades en el vientre, sin que padre ni madre lo enseñen

«Kan $2 is man and is the Moon, Li $2 is woman and is the Sun. Thus the Sun sends forth virtue,. . the Moon unfurls radiance. The Moon receives, the Sun gives, and their bodies are not harmed, not depleted.» — Libro 2, sección 70, *When Yang loses its token*: Kan es varón y es la Luna, Li es mujer y es el Sol, el Sol emite virtud y la Luna despliega resplandor, y sus cuerpos no se dañan ni se agotan

«Each upon the other should man and woman wait, inhaling, exhaling, each nourishing the other. Feminine and masculine should mingle, each seeking the other kind.» — y su cierre: hombre y mujer han de esperarse uno a otro, inhalando y exhalando y nutriéndose mutuamente

«Metal transforms into Water, water by nature flows everywhere; when Fire transforms into Soil, water can proceed no further.» — Libro 2, sección 71, *If man goes past the measure*: el Metal se transforma en Agua que fluye por todas partes, y cuando el Fuego se transforma en Tierra el agua no puede seguir

«Man is movement and gives without, woman is quiescence and stores within. If man goes past the measure and exceeds his proper share, he is seized by the woman; thus the po latches the bun, lest it be wasteful and lavish.» — la continuación de la sección 71: el varón es movimiento y da hacia fuera, la mujer es quietud y guarda dentro, y si el varón pasa de la medida la mujer lo sujeta, como el po traba al hun

«Neither cold nor hot, they advance and recede in accordance with the time: each of them attains its own harmony, exhaling their tokens together.» — y su cierre: ni frías ni calientes, avanzan y retroceden conforme al tiempo, cada cual alcanzando su armonía

«These four, in indistinction, arrange themselves as Dragon and Tiger: the Dragon is Yang, its number is odd, the Tiger is Yin, its number is even.» — la continuación de la sección 72: los cuatro, en indistinción, se disponen como Dragón y Tigre, aquel Yang de número impar y este Yin de número par

«The liver is green and is the father, the lungs are white and are the mother, the kidneys are black and are the son, the heart is red and is the daughter. The spleen is yellow and is the forefather, and the son is at the origin of the five agents. The three things are one family: all of them return to wu and ji.» — y el cierre de la sección 72, que reparte el parentesco entre las vísceras: el hígado padre verde, los pulmones madre blanca, los riñones hijo negro, el corazón hija roja y el bazo antepasado amarillo, con las tres cosas en una familia que vuelve a wu y ji

«The firm and the yielding rise in turn, going through all sectors one after the other. Dragon in the West, Tiger in the East, across the way are mao and you. Punishment and virtue meet, seeing each other with delight: punishment rules over taking life, virtue rules over giving life.» — Libro 2, sección 73, *Inverting the course*: lo firme y lo blando se alzan por turnos, el Dragón queda al Oeste y el Tigre al Este, y castigo y virtud se encuentran con deleite, aquel rigiendo el quitar la vida y esta el darla

«Guan guan go the ospreys, on the islet in the river. The modest, retiring, virtuous, young lady: for our prince a good mate she.» — Libro 2, sección 74, *Using ingredients of unlike kind*, que abre con los versos del Libro de las Odas sobre las águilas pescadoras y la doncella virtuosa

«Cocks do not live in solitude, nor do hens dwell on their own; the Dark Warrior’s turtle and snake coil around and assist one another. This shows that for female and male each should thoroughly attend to the other.» — la continuación de la sección 74: ni los gallos viven solos ni las gallinas por su cuenta, y la tortuga y la serpiente del Guerrero Oscuro se enroscan y se asisten

«Suppose that a house is shared by two women, of enchanting beauty and charm; and that Su Qin, the mediator, and Zhang Yi, the interceder, debate with sharp tongues, and with beautiful words propose that they arrive at an earnest accord, joining as husband and wife: their hair will fall, their teeth will rot, but not once shall they know one another.» — el símil con que la sección 74 niega la unión entre desiguales: dos mujeres en una casa, y aunque Su Qin y Zhang Yi medien con lenguas afiladas para que se unan como marido y mujer, se les caerá el pelo y se les pudrirán los dientes sin conocerse nunca

«With ingredients of unlike kinds, with names and types unmatched and mistaken doses and measures, your guiding thread is lost.» — y la moraleja operativa: con ingredientes de género desigual, nombres y tipos que no casan y dosis erradas, se pierde el hilo conductor

«Behold the male and female at the time of intercourse:» — y su ejemplo en la sección 69: mirar al macho y la hembra en el momento de la cópula; la estrofa sigue en la plana siguiente, donde lo firme y lo blando quedan atados sin poder desatarse, como las dos mitades de una prenda

«the firm and the yielding are bound to each other “and cannot be untied,” like the two parts of a tally finding their match. No skill and no craft is required to be accomplished in this.» — la continuación de esa estrofa de la sección 69: quedan atados y no se pueden desatar, como las dos mitades de una prenda que se aparean, sin que haga falta destreza ni artificio

«Thus the Sun sends forth virtue,. . the Moon unfurls radiance. The Moon receives, the Sun gives, and their bodies are not harmed, not depleted. When Yang loses its token, Yin trespasses on its light.» — la continuación de la sección 70: el Sol emite virtud y la Luna despliega resplandor, la Luna recibe y el Sol da sin daño ni merma, y cuando el Yang pierde su prenda el Yin invade su luz

«In the second month, the elm seeds fall when Head faces mao; in the eighth month, wheat grows when Celestial Net accords with you.» — la continuación de la sección 73: en el segundo mes caen las semillas del olmo con la Cabeza frente a mao, y en el octavo crece el trigo cuando la Red Celeste concuerda con you

«even if you set up space for a sumptuous altar, with steps made of jade and with dried meat of unicorn and phoenix fat, and you pay obeisance holding the records; 33-36 even if you pray invoking all spirits and gods, beg every demon with wails, and you bathe, fast, and keep to the precepts, hoping that what you long for would finally come» — y la continuación de esa negativa: aunque se levante altar suntuoso con escalones de jade, carne seca de unicornio y grasa de fénix, y se invoque a todos los espíritus con ayunos y preceptos

«all this would be like spreading glue to repair a pot, daubing a wound with sal ammoniac, using cold ice to cure a chill or hot water to heal a fever. Even seeing a flying turtle or a dancing snake would be easier than this!» — y su remate: todo eso sería como pegar una olla con cola, untar una herida con sal amoniaco o curar un escalofrío con hielo, y ver volar una tortuga sería más fácil

«Between the month’s last day and next month’s first, it encroaches, overcasting and upsetting:» — la continuación de la sección 70: entre el último día del mes y el primero del siguiente el Yin invade y trastorna; la estrofa sigue en la plana siguiente, donde el Yang disuelve su forma y nace la calamidad

«Yang dissolves its form, Yin invades, and calamity is born.» — y su desenlace en la sección 70: el Yang disuelve su forma, el Yin invade y nace la calamidad

«Zi in the South, wz in the North, are each other’s guiding thread.» — la continuación de la sección 73: zi al Sur y wu al Norte se sirven de hilo conductor; la capa de texto imprime *wz* por *wu*

«The saints and the worthies of old The saints and the worthies of old cherished the Mystery and embraced the Truth. They refined the Nine Tripods, then altered their traces and sunk away in hiding. Holding to their Essence, they nourished their Spirit and spread their virtue through the three luminaries; their corporeal fluids reached their skin, their sinews and bones were silken but firm.» — Libro 3, sección 75, *The saints and the worthies of old*, con que abre el tercer Libro: los santos y dignos de antaño atesoraron el Misterio, refinaron los Nueve Trípodes y luego borraron sus huellas y se ocultaron

«Having removed every evil, they preserved pure Breath for a long time; gathering it longly, they transmuted their form and transcended the world.» — y su cierre: quitado todo mal, guardaron largo tiempo el Soplo puro y, recogiéndolo mucho, transmutaron su forma y trascendieron el mundo

«Grieved and concerned for those in the future who will be fond of the Dao, they complied with the ways of the world and offered guidance on the writings of old. They wrote charts and texts to aid posterity in seeing, but exposed only the branches and left the roots concealed; they disguised every name, enveiled every word.» — Libro 3, sección 76, *Wei Boyang and the Cantong qi*, donde el poema explica el secreto de sus predecesores: escribieron cartas y textos para ayudar a la posteridad, pero expusieron solo las ramas y dejaron ocultas las raíces, disfrazando cada nombre y velando cada palabra

«As they came by these writings, those who studied this Art stored them in caskets for the whole of their life. The sons continued the ways of their fathers, and the grandsons trod their ancestors’ paths. Delusion and doubt were passed down in the world, and in the end nothing was understood. Thus ofÏcials did not attend to their duties, and farmers neglected to weed; merchants abandoned their goods, and the families of honorable men became poor.» — la continuación de la sección 76, con el costo social que el poema atribuye a ese secreto: los estudiosos guardaron los escritos en cofres toda la vida, la duda pasó de padres a hijos y al cabo nada se entendió, y así los oficiales desatendieron sus deberes y los labradores dejaron de escardar

«Deeply saddened by this, I have written this book. Its words are concise and easy to ponder, the matter succinct and uncomplicated. It unfurls the branches, that the fruit and kernel may be contemplated; its count of the mils and ounces can be trusted and relied upon.» — y la razón declarada del propio libro: apenado por eso, el que habla escribió esta obra de palabras concisas y materia sucinta, que despliega las ramas para que se contemple el fruto y cuya cuenta de medidas es fiable

«Thus [ have written an epilogue to open a gateway to my book. The wise should reflect, and, with attention, comprehend it.» — el cierre de la sección 76, con la automención del Epílogo; la capa de texto imprime un corchete donde el libro compone la *I*

«Among models and images, none is greater than Heaven and Earth,” and the Dark Ditch measures tens of thousands of miles; if River’s Drum faces Stellar Sequence, it will alarm and upset us all.» — Libro 3, sección 77, *The order of Heaven*: entre modelos e imágenes ninguno es mayor que el Cielo y la Tierra, y si el Tambor del Río se enfrenta a la Secuencia Estelar, alarmará a todos

«And if the sundial’s shadow goes back and forth ina haphazard way, for nine years we will suffer misfortune and blame: 7-8 with the Ruler-on-High looking on, the king should withdraw and reform.» — la continuación de la sección 77, con el nexo entre el cielo y el gobierno: si la sombra del reloj de sol va y viene sin concierto, habrá nueve años de infortunio, y con el Soberano de lo Alto mirando, el rey debe retirarse y enmendarse; la capa de texto pega *in a*

«The masculine and feminine in Heaven and Earth move around between zi and wz; 15-16 yin and shen, the forefathers of Yin and Yang, come and go, end and begin again: 17-18 complying with the Dipper and Rising Glimmer, and holding to Scale, they set the prime sequence.» — y su cierre: lo masculino y lo femenino de Cielo y Tierra se mueven entre zi y wu, y yin y shen, antepasados del Yin y el Yang, van y vienen, terminan y vuelven a empezar

«So that its heat may go up to Mount Zeng, a blazing fire is made below; 34 the White Tiger leads the song ahead, the green liquid joins after. 5-6 The Vermilion Sparrow soars into play, flying upward in the hues of its five colors; 7-8 then it encounters the spread of a thin net — caught, it can rise no more.» — Libro 3, sección 78, *Compounding the Elixir*: fuego ardiente abajo para que el calor suba al monte Zeng, el Tigre Blanco encabeza el canto, el líquido verde se suma, y el Gorrión Bermellón se remonta hasta dar con una red tendida; las cifras sueltas dentro de las comillas son los numerales de par de versos que el impreso pone al margen, *3-4*, *5-6* y *7-8*, y se conservan (§4.4).

«It screams deep in agony, “Wah! Wah!,” like an infant who yearns for its mother, as it enters the boiling pot on its head, its feathers ripped off.» — la continuación de la sección 78, en el registro más crudo del poema: el Gorrión chilla en agonía como un niño que añora a su madre mientras entra de cabeza en la olla hirviente con las plumas arrancadas

«Before the water clock’s notches have gone past the half, fish scales appear throughout; the sheen of its five colors are dazzles and gleans, their transformations proceed without pause.» — y los signos del proceso: antes de la mitad del reloj de agua aparecen escamas por todas partes y el brillo de los cinco colores deslumbra sin pausa

«As the bubbling tripod stirs and seethes, ceaselessly gurgling and burbling, coalescing continuously, one after the other, the dog’s teeth form a lattice. Their shape looks like ice in the winter’s middle month, like stalactites issued forth from langgan: they tower in tangles and jumbles, piling up upon one another.» — y su cierre: el trípode borbotea sin cesar, los dientes de perro forman un enrejado y la forma queda como hielo de pleno invierno o estalactitas de langgan

«When Yin and Yang find one another in match they are faint and frail, but protect one another. Green Dragon abides in Room, its number is 6; it is spring, the flowers, Zhen 22, East, and mao. White Tiger is at Pleiades, its number is 7; it is autumn, the awns, Dui 3, West, and you.» — Libro 3, sección 79, *The Three Fives return to the One*: el Dragón Verde mora en la Cámara con número 6, y es primavera, flores, Zhen, Este y mao; el Tigre Blanco está en las Pléyades con número 7, y es otoño, aristas, Dui, Oeste y you

«Vermilion Sparrow is at Extension, its number is 2; it is pure Yang, Li =, South, and wu. 9-10 Together these three come to audience, like kin who belong to one family. 11-12 At first there are only two things, at the end they become the Three Fives; 13-14 the Three Fives together combine into One, they all gather and return to the two places.» — la continuación de la sección 79: el Gorrión Bermellón está en Extensión con número 2, y los tres vienen a audiencia como parientes de una familia, de dos cosas al principio a los Tres Cincos y de estos al Uno

«Compound it according to the rules given above, and take from them the days and the measures. 17-18 First it is white, then it is yellow; red and black run through it, without to within. 19-20 Its name is First Tripod: ingest it in pills sized as a grain of miller.» — y su cierre operativo: compuesto según las reglas dadas, primero es blanco, luego amarillo, con rojo y negro corriéndolo de fuera adentro, y se llama Primer Trípode

«Itis made of its own, and not through some artificial or evil way — 3-4 like the breaths of mountains and lakes that share steam, and the clouds that rise to make rain; 56 like the mud that has dried and comes to be dust, and the fire that, extinguished, turns into soil;» — Libro 3, sección 80, *It is made of its own*: se hace por sí mismo y no por vía artificial ni perversa, como los soplos de montes y lagos que comparten vapor, las nubes que suben y hacen lluvia, el lodo que al secarse se vuelve polvo o el fuego que apagado se hace tierra; la capa de texto pega *It is*; las cifras sueltas son los numerales de par de versos del margen, *3-4* y *5-6*, conservados tal cual.

«Like kinds yield results with ease; unlike types are a challenge to craft.» — el cierre de la sección 80, que resume el principio del mismo género: los géneros semejantes rinden resultados con facilidad y los desiguales son un desafío al oficio

«This alone is the wondrous Art, veritable, genuine, free of untruthful words. Millions of generations have passed it down, yet still it gleams asking to be investigated, brilliant as the stars of the Milky Way, luminous as a river that runs home to the sea.» — Libro 3, sección 81, *The Way of Heaven renders no favors*: solo esto es el Arte maravilloso, verdadero y sin palabras falsas, transmitido por millones de generaciones y aún brillante como las estrellas de la Vía Láctea

«On occasion the Numinous Light reveals itself to a man, and his Heart suddenly awakens: investigate its beginnings, search its inception; without fail you will find its gate. The Way of Heaven renders no favors: it is always transmitted to those who are worthy.» — el cierre de la sección 81, con la cláusula de mérito que el poema repite: a veces la Luz Numinosa se revela a un hombre y su Corazón despierta de golpe, porque la Vía del Cielo no hace favores y se transmite siempre a los dignos

«3 and 5 around, an inch and one part, 4 and 8 the mouth, the lips a pair of inches. A foot and 2 tenths high, evenly thick and thin; its belly on the third day sits beneath the descending warmth. Yin stays above, Yang rushes below; fierce are the head and the tail, gentle in between.» — Libro 3, sección 82, *Song of the Tripod*, la pieza que Pregadio señala como sinopsis alquímica del poema y a la vez discrepante de los Libros 1 y 2: las medidas del vaso y el régimen de fuego con el Yin arriba, el Yang abajo, cabeza y cola fieras y lo de en medio suave

«Seventy at the beginning, thirty days at the end; and for two hundred and sixty the balance well kept.» — los tiempos de fuego de la Canción del Trípode, que Pregadio coteja con la sección 51 y halla distintos: setenta al principio, treinta días al final y doscientos sesenta manteniendo el fiel

«The whiteness of the Yin Fire, the lead of the Yellow Sprout: the Two Sevens assemble to support and assist man. This sufÏces to order the brain and to make steady the ascent to the Mystery: the infant dwells within, gaining security and stability» — la continuación de la sección 82: la blancura del Fuego Yin y el plomo del Brote Amarillo, con los Dos Sietes reuniéndose para asistir al hombre, lo que basta para ordenar el cerebro y afirmar el ascenso al Misterio, mientras el infante mora dentro

«Then it returns to the One and reverts to the origin, as courteously and respectfully as a minister is to his lord. At the end of each cycle, laboriously and assiduously protect it with utmost attention — let there be no lapse. Long is the path to return to the Abyssal Mystery, but if you do arrive there, you will comprehend Qian and Kun.» — la continuación de la sección 82: vuelve al Uno y revierte al origen con la cortesía del ministro ante su señor, y al final de cada ciclo hay que protegerlo con suma atención, porque el camino de retorno al Misterio Abisal es largo

«Maisten one knife-point, and it will cleanse the bun and the po; you will obtain a long life and find a home in the town of the Immortals.» — y la promesa de la sección 82: humedecer una punta de cuchillo limpia el hun y el po, da larga vida y casa en el pueblo de los Inmortales; la capa de texto imprime *Maisten* por *Moisten*

«Lovers of the Dao should seek out its root: look into the five agents to settle the scruples and mils. Think about this carefully; it need not be discussed. Hide it deep and guard ir, do not transmit it in writing.» — y su cláusula de secreto: quienes aman el Dao han de buscar su raíz en los cinco agentes, pensarlo con cuidado, esconderlo hondo y no transmitirlo por escrito

«Riding a white crane, harnessing a scaly dragon, you will roam through Great Emptiness and pay homage to the Lord of the Immortals. Your name will be inscribed in the Heavenly Charts, and you will be called a True Man.» — el cierre de la sección 82: montando una grulla blanca y unciendo un dragón escamoso se recorre la Gran Vacuidad, el nombre queda inscrito en las Cartas Celestes y uno se llama Hombre Verdadero

«Giving luster to the deep and the obscure, my words bridge and complement one another: their intent is the same, their import equal. 13-18 Hence once again I put this in writing, and call it “The Five Categories”; with this, the qualities and nature of the great Book of Changes are completed.» — la continuación de la sección 83: las palabras se puentean y se complementan con el mismo propósito, y por eso se pone esto por escrito otra vez con el nombre de Las Cinco Categorías

«The branches and stalks, the flowers and leaves, and also the fruits spread and unfold: because the root and trunk are correct, none of them loses its purity. The words spoken by a sincere heart are truthful and unerring.» — y su imagen vegetal: ramas y tallos, flores y hojas y frutos se despliegan sin perder pureza porque la raíz y el tronco son correctos

«It is like the node of the winter’s middle month, when all bamboos and trees are wasted and injured. As he attends to the Yang, and forbids travel and trade, the ruler stays in deep seclusion: complying with the ordinances in accord with the time, he closes his mouth and does not use it for talking.» — Libro 3, sección 85, *The timeless instant between end and beginning*: como en el nodo del mes medio del invierno el soberano atiende al Yang, prohíbe el viaje y el comercio, se recoge y cierra la boca

«Vast and broad is the Way of Heaven, and the Great Mystery has no form or appearance. None can behold its emptiness and silence, as it disappears within its own walls. Commit an error, and you lose the thread of your pursuit; your words turn against you and injure you. One by one pursue these four images, and awaken from blindness the students to come.» — y su cierre: vasta es la Vía del Cielo y el Gran Misterio no tiene forma ni apariencia, y quien yerra pierde el hilo de su busca y sus palabras se vuelven contra él

«A lowly man born in Kuaiji, I rust my life away in an obscure valley, I cherish plainness and simplicity, and find no joy in power or fame.» — Libro 3, sección 86, *Wei Boyang and the Cantong qi*, donde la voz del poema se describe a sí misma: hombre humilde nacido en Kuaiji que gasta su vida en un valle oscuro, ama la llaneza y no halla gozo en el poder ni en la fama

«Unhurried, dwelling at ease, I wrote this book to sing and tell of the great Book of Changes and of the words that the three sages handed down, T have examined their import and meaning and the principle that runs through them all.» — la continuación de la sección 86: sin prisa y morando a gusto escribió este libro para cantar el gran Libro de los Cambios y las palabras que legaron los tres sabios, tras examinar su sentido y el principio que los atraviesa

«Abide by these norms without fail, let their essence and spirit shine far and wide: when the divine transformations flow and pervade all things, the Four Seas are in harmony and at peace.» — Libro 3, sección 87, *The three ways stem from one source*: atenerse a estas normas sin falta hace que las transformaciones divinas fluyan y los Cuatro Mares estén en paz

«Use them outwardly as a calendar, with which ten thousand generations can comply. Pursue them in carrying out governance, and its practice will be uncomplicated. 9-12 Draw them within to nourish your nature: this is the Dao of the Yellow Emperor and the Old Master,» — y su triple aplicación: hacia fuera como calendario, en el gobierno y hacia dentro para nutrir la naturaleza, que es la Vía del Emperador Amarillo y el Viejo Maestro

«Hold the fullness of virtue,” and you will go back to the root and return to the origin. It is there, near, in your Heart and not separate from yourself: embracing Unity without neglect, “you will be able to maintain yourself for long.» — la continuación de la sección 87: sostener la plenitud de la virtud y volver a la raíz y al origen, que está cerca, en el propio Corazón, abrazando la Unidad sin descuido

«Accord with it by preserving and ingesting, so that male and female may be established. Dispose of realgar, discard the eight minerals! Attentively use what you produce; this is what is treasured by the world» — y su instrucción alquímica: preservar e ingerir para que se establezcan macho y hembra, desechando el rejalgar y los ocho minerales y usando con atención lo que uno produce

«I have tendered three twigs, but their branches and stalks are bound to one another: “They come forth together but have different names,” as they all stem from one gate.» — y la declaración de unidad de la sección 87: tres ramitas ofrecidas cuyas ramas y tallos están atados entre sí, que salen juntas con nombres distintos porque vienen de una misma puerta

«These are not sentences merely strung together in order to embroider my writing. In them there is only the Truth, as solid as stone to be seen. Had I spoken falsely, | I would bear the fault.» — y su juramento: no son frases hilvanadas para bordar el escrito, sino solo la Verdad, sólida como piedra a la vista, y quien hablara en falso cargaría con la culpa

«Its words are few,” but its intent is great: all future generations should abide by it.» — el cierre de la sección 87, donde el poema vuelve a nombrarse: sus palabras son pocas pero su intención es grande, y las generaciones futuras han de atenerse a ella

«Once in a hundred generations I descend to roam in the human world; spreading my wings, I bend east, west, and south» — Libro 3, sección 88, *Wei Boyang’s final words*: una vez cada cien generaciones desciende a vagar por el mundo humano y, desplegando las alas, se inclina al este, al oeste y al sur

«In times of adversity like those met by Tang, when flood is compounded by drought, when the stems and leaves shrivel and fade, losing their luster and glow, the good-natured man braves and endures the turn of events: steady and serene, and ready to live a long life» — y su cierre: en tiempos de adversidad como los de Tang, cuando la inundación se suma a la sequía y los tallos y las hojas se marchitan, el hombre de buen natural afronta el vuelco sereno y dispuesto a vivir largo

«The Seal of the Unity of the Three sketches the contours: it can never be utterly complete; it speaks only of the surface. 5-8 As Ihave not brought forth the minute and the tenuous, and have omitted the dim and the indistinct, I now write again to fill the lacunae.» — Libro 3, sección 83, *The Five Categories*, donde el poema se nombra a sí mismo y declara su propio límite: El Sello de la Unidad de los Tres traza los contornos, nunca puede estar del todo completo y habla solo de la superficie, por lo que se escribe otra vez para llenar las lagunas

«JIA leftward floating 3 wooo — rightward sinking YI BING martial fire 2 BRE civil fire DING wu Yang ingredient 5 sor Yin ingredient yt GENG worldly gold 4° METAL worldly silver XIN REN true mercury 1 WATER true lead GUI “The five positions “Each of them» — el cuadro de correspondencias que la sección 83 imprime dentro del poema, con los tallos celestes emparejados por pares: jia y yi con la Madera, bing y ding con el fuego marcial y el civil, wu y ji con la Tierra y los ingredientes Yang y Yin, geng y xin con el Metal, y ren y gui con el Agua, el mercurio verdadero y el plomo verdadero; el aparato tipográfico y las cifras quedan dentro de las comillas tal como los rinde la capa de texto

«The qualities and nature of the great Book of Changes all follow their measures; with study, the Yellow Emperor’s and the Old Master’s teachings are simple to grasp;» — Libro 3, sección 84, *The three ways of the Cantong qi*: las cualidades del gran Libro de los Cambios siguen sus medidas y las enseñanzas del Emperador Amarillo y el Viejo Maestro son fáciles de asir con estudio; la estrofa sigue en la plana siguiente

«the work with the fire of the furnace is based on the Truth. These three Ways stem from one, and together yield one path.» — el pasaje de la sección 84 en que el poema declara la unidad de sus tres materias, y del que Pregadio hace depender toda su lectura: la obra con el fuego del horno se funda en la Verdad, y estas tres Vías salen de una y juntas dan un camino

«Wei Boyang was a native of Wu.! He was the son of a high-ranking family, but by nature was devoted to the arts of the Dao. Later he retired on a mountain with three disciples in order to com_ pound the divine Elixir. Knowing that his disciples were not thoroughly committed in their hearts, when the Elixir was ready he said in order to test them: “The Elixir is ready, but it ought first to be tested on our dog. If the dog rises to Heaven, we may take it ourselves. If the dog dies, we should not take it.” He gave the Elixir to the dog, and the dog immediately fell dead.» — la biografía del Shenxian zhuan traducida en el apéndice, voz de esa obra y no de Pregadio: Wei Boyang, de familia encumbrada y entregado a las artes del Dao, prueba el Elixir en el perro para probar a sus discípulos, y el perro cae muerto; el troceo imprime *com_ pound* donde el libro compone *compound*, y la cita lo conserva.

«Boyang told his disciples: “Iam afraid that the Medicine was not ready. It has caused death upon ingestion, so it seems not to be in harmony with the Numinous Light (shenming). If we ingest the Medicine, I fear we will share the fate of our dog. What shall we do?” The disciples asked: “Master, would you take it yourself?” Boyang replied: “I have turned my shoulders to the worldly ways and have forsaken my home in order to retire on this mountain. I would be ashamed to return without having found the Dao. Whether I die or not, ] must take it.” Thereupon he ingested the Elixir. No sooner was it in his mouth, he died instantly.» — la continuación del relato: Wei Boyang declara que le avergonzaría volver sin haber hallado el Dao, ingiere el Elixir y muere al instante; la capa de texto pega *I am*

«On seeing this, one of the disciples said: “The purpose of making the Elixir is to live a long life. If we ingest it and die, what sense does it make?” Another disciple said: “Our Master was not an ordinary person. If he ingested it and died, he must have done it with a purpose.” So he took the Elixir, ingested it, and died. The other two disciples said to one another: “We have made the Elixir in order to attain a long life. If we ingest it and die, what is the purpose? By not taking this Medicine, we can still spend a few more decades in this world.” So they left the mountain without ingesting the Elixir, with the intention of arranging a funeral for Boyang and their dead fellow disciple.» — el reparto de los discípulos ante esa muerte, que el relato consigna sin juzgarlos: uno razona que el Maestro no era hombre común y lo sigue, y los otros dos bajan del monte a arreglar el funeral

«After the two disciples left, Boyang came to life again. He took the Elixir that he had compounded and poured some of it into the mouths of the dead disciple and the white dog. Both of them also came to life again. Boyang and his disciple, whose surname was Yu, went further into the mountains as immortals. On the way they met a wood-cutter, and handed him a letter of thanks for the other two disciples. When they read it, they were filled with regret.» — y el desenlace: Wei Boyang revive, devuelve a la vida al discípulo y al perro con el mismo Elixir, y manda a los otros dos una carta de agradecimiento que los llena de pesar

«Boyang wrote the Cantong qi and the Wuxing xianglei (The Categories of the Five Agents), altogether in three chapters (juaz). His work talks about the Book of Changes, but in fact utilizes its lines and images to discuss the principles of compounding the Elixir. Knowing nothing about the divine Elixir, the worldly scholars have written several commentaries on it based on Yin and Yang. They have truly missed its meaning.» — el párrafo final del Shenxian zhuan, el que Pregadio tiene por añadido: atribuye a Wei Boyang el Cantong qi y las Categorías de los Cinco Agentes, dice que la obra habla del Libro de los Cambios pero usa sus líneas para tratar del Elixir, y acusa a los letrados de haberla comentado desde el Yin y el Yang sin saber nada del Elixir divino

«We do not know the name of the master who transmitted it to him, but he received the Guwen longhu jing (Ancient Text of the Scripture of the Dragon and Tiger). Having fully grasped its subtle meaning, he wrote the Cantong qi in three parts (pian) in agreement with the Book of Changes. It is said, moreover, that since he had not thoroughly treated the fine points, he also wrote the portion entitled “Filling Lacunae” (“Busai yituo”), which elaborates on the mysteries of the scriptures on the Elixir. His accounts repeatedly use metaphors and analogies, hiding the apparent under unusual words.» — la continuación del relato de Peng Xiao: recibió el Texto Antiguo del Libro del Dragón y el Tigre, escribió el Cantong qi en tres partes y añadió Llenando las Lagunas, con metáforas y analogías que esconden lo aparente

«Wei Boyang secretly disclosed his book to Xu Congshi, a native of Qingzhou, who wrote a commentary on it keeping his name hidden? At the time of Emperor Huan of the Later Han (1. 146~ 167), the Master again transmitted it to Chunyu Shutong. Since then, it has circulated in the world.» — y la cadena de transmisión según Peng Xiao: primero a Xu Congshi, que lo comentó ocultando su nombre, y luego a Chunyu Shutong en tiempos del emperador Huan

«According to the Shenxian zhuan, the True Man Wei Boyang was a native of Shangyu in Kuaiji. His family had inherited ofÏcial appointments for generations, but the Master did not serve in ofÏce. He cultivated the truth in secret and silence, and nourished his mind in Empty Non-being. He was widely versed in both prose and poetry, and was competent in the “weft” and the prognostication texts (weihou).? Calm and tranquil, he guarded simplicity and» — la biografía de Peng Xiao traducida en el apéndice, voz suya: el Hombre Verdadero Wei Boyang, de Shangyu en Kuaiji, no sirvió en el oficio, cultivó la verdad en secreto y silencio y fue versado en prosa, verso y textos de trama y pronóstico

«© 2011 Fabrizio Pregadio ISBN 978-09843082-8-6 (pbk) Golden Elixir Press, Mountain View, CA» — la página de derechos del volumen: fecha, ISBN y sello editorial; de aquí sale el año de la ficha, no del nombre del archivo

«Typeset in Sabon. Text area proportioned in the Golden Section.» — la nota de composición tipográfica declara la caja proporcionada según la sección áurea

«Great Clarity: Daoism and Alchemy in Early Medieval China (Stanford University Press, 2006) The Encyclopedia of Taoism, editor (Routledge, 2008) Awakening to Reality: The “Regulated Verses” of the Wuzhen pian, a Taoist Classic of Internal Alchenzy (Golden Elixir Press, 2009)» — la lista de obras del mismo autor que imprime el volumen; la capa de texto corrompe *Alchemy* en *Alchenzy*

«This book contains a complete translation and a study of the Zhouyi cantong qi (The Seal of the Unity of the Three, in Accordance with the Book of Changes), the text that most lineages of Taoist alchemy place at the origins of their traditions.» — Pregadio abre el prefacio declarando qué es el volumen y qué lugar dan al Cantong qi las escuelas de alquimia taoísta

«I began to work on the Cantong gi immediately after I completed my doctoral program, unaware at that time that my book would be published twenty-one years later.» — Pregadio fecha el arranque del trabajo en el final de su doctorado y consigna los veintiún años que tardó el libro; la capa de texto imprime *gi* por *qi*

«Soon, however, it occurred to me thar I was translating a particular edition of a particular redaction.» — Pregadio cuenta el giro de método: al traducir la redacción de Peng Xiao del Canon taoísta advirtió que traducía una edición de una redacción, no el texto; *thar* es como la capa de texto imprime *that*

«I cannot forget the smile of the librarian when she realized that I had made a complete photocopy of the text with my own hands, but allowed me to keep it with the promise that I would not entirely publish it.» — Pregadio narra el hallazgo de 2001 en la Biblioteca de Shanghái: el ejemplar que declara único superviviente de la edición de 1484 de la redacción de Chen Zhixu, fotocopiado a mano con el compromiso de no publicarlo entero

«Eventually, the Shanghai text became one of seventeen editions that I used to establish a textual collation of six redactions, based on the earliest extant editions of each work» — Pregadio declara la base de su cotejo: diecisiete ediciones para fijar seis redacciones, cada una desde su edición más antigua conservada

«First, while I was hoping to reconstruct the original text of the Cantong qi, the collation showed that there cannot be a “true” form for a work» — Pregadio enuncia el primero de los dos resultados del cotejo: para una obra de esta naturaleza no hay forma verdadera en el plano puramente textual

«Not only is the Cantong qi, in the first place, the work of an anonymous “collective entity” (see my Introduction, § 3); but to different extents, the authors of the individual redactions have contributed to shape the text in the slightly variant forms in which we know it today, by introducing new readings, emending errors found in earlier editions, polishing supposed imperfections, establishing sections of different length, moving certain poems from one part of the text to another, normalizing the four- or five- character verses, improving the rhymes, and so forth.» — la razón que da Pregadio: el Cantong qi es obra de una entidad colectiva anónima y, además, los autores de cada redacción moldearon el texto introduciendo lecturas, enmendando errores, moviendo poemas y regularizando los versos

«Yu Yan’s redaction, while being quite elegant and accompanied by a learned commentary, sometimes makes bold choices among different possible readings.» — Pregadio juzga la redacción de Yu Yan: elegante y con comentario docto, pero a veces resuelve con audacia entre lecturas posibles

«Although Chen Zhixu’s text presents its own issues (about four dozen readings are not documented in earlier extant sources, but the largest majority of them is of little or no consequence), it presents a mature and reliable state of the text before the Ming- and Qing-dynasty commentaries—most of which, incidentally, are entirely or partly based in this redaction.» — Pregadio adjudica a la redacción de Chen Zhixu el mejor estado del texto anterior a los Ming, con su reserva dentro: unas cuatro docenas de lecturas sin documentar en fuentes anteriores

«Influenced by the later tradition of Neidan (Internal Alchemy), almost all commentators and the large majority of scholars (in China and elsewhere) have read the Cantong qi as the earliest Neidan text, maintaining that the whole work pertains to alchemy and was composed by a single author, Wei Boyang, during the Later Han dynasty (according to tradition, around 150 ck).» — Pregadio consigna la lectura dominante, la que atribuye el texto entero a la alquimia y a un solo autor, Wei Boyang, hacia 150 de la era; *ck* es como la capa de texto imprime *CE*

«To give only one example, the descriptions of the three main cosmological cycles 一 the day, the month, and the year—are read as veiled accounts of the alchemical “fire times” (buohou), although it should be clear that here, as in many other cases, the Cantong gi expounds a cosmology that later traditions have used to devise their practices.» — Pregadio objeta esa lectura con un ejemplo: los tres ciclos cosmológicos se leen como relatos velados de los tiempos del fuego, cuando el poema expone una cosmología que las tradiciones posteriores usaron para armar sus prácticas; *buohou* es como la capa de texto imprime *huohou*

«Moreover, my concurrent work on the early history of Taoist alchemy and Taoist meditation was showing to me that the earliest sources that document what we now call Neidan were written six hundred years after the reputed date of the Cantong qi.» — Pregadio da el dato cronológico con que sostiene su objeción: las fuentes más antiguas que documentan lo que hoy se llama neidan se escribieron seiscientos años después de la fecha reputada del Cantong qi

«In this perspective, alchemy is the “lower” gradual path that, once accomplished, opens the gates to the “higher” state, which is realized instantaneously.» — Pregadio expone la lectura minoritaria que adopta: la alquimia es la vía gradual inferior que, cumplida, abre las puertas al estado superior, que se realiza de golpe

«It also has an effect on an apparently slight, but significant point: The Cantong qi is not the first Neidan text, but the first text of Neidan.» — Pregadio enuncia la distinción con que separa su lectura de la dominante

«Slowly, one of the many puzzling aspects of the Cantong gi, namely the sequence of its poems, became clear of its own: each of its two main Books is made of three parallel parts, respectively dealing with the three subjects mentioned above—something that is hardly possible to notice if the whole text is read from the perspective of Neidan in the strict sense,» — Pregadio señala lo que esa lectura le hizo ver: cada uno de los dos Libros principales está hecho de tres partes paralelas, una por materia

«I express here all my gratitude to Noreen Khawaja for the advise and guidance she has given in improving this translation.» — Pregadio agradece a Noreen Khawaja el consejo y la guía en la mejora de la traducción

«Her knowledge of Classical Chinese, her immediate understanding of the meaning of verses of the Cantong gi, and her elegant English have surprised (and confounded) me many times.» — Pregadio describe lo que aportó Khawaja: conocimiento del chino clásico, comprensión inmediata de los versos e inglés elegante

«I have omitted most of the historical, textual, and bibliographical details, and have focused almost exclusively on the translation and the annotations.» — Pregadio declara qué dejó fuera del volumen: casi todo el detalle histórico, textual y bibliográfico

«I also hope to be able to collate again the editions cited above, integrate the new results with those of the previous collation, and publish a third volume consisting of textual studies and of the large number of technical notes that I have omitted from the present book.» — Pregadio anuncia un tercer volumen de estudios textuales con las notas técnicas omitidas

«Several friends have shared, at one or another stage, my work on the Cantong qi. First, let me thank Carla Bono, formerly librarian at» — Pregadio abre la lista de agradecimientos del prefacio por la bibliotecaria de la Fondazione Giorgio Cini de Venecia; la frase sigue en la plana siguiente

«My only regret is that Monica Esposito, who left us sooner than expected, could not see this book, after all the conversations that she and I had on the Cantong qi, in Kyoto and elsewhere, and her constant encouragement to complete and publish my translation, Fabrizio Pregadio» — el prefacio se cierra con el recuerdo de Monica Esposito y la firma del autor; la fecha impresa debajo es *Summer 2011*

«The Cantong qi is the forefather of the scriptures on the Elixir of all times. Its words are ancient and profound, arcane and subtle. No one can fathom their meaning.» — la frase con que se abre la Introducción no es de Pregadio: es el prefacio de Ruan Dengbing al comentario de Yu Yan, compuesto en 1284, según la nota de la misma plana

«The passage quoted above is found in Ruan Dengbing’s preface to Yu Yan’s Zhouyi cantong qi fabui, 1a, composed in 1284.» — la nota de Pregadio adjudica ese elogio a Ruan Dengbing y lo fecha

«At least thirty-eight commentaries to the Cantong qi written through the end of the nineteenth century are extant, and dozens of texts found in the Taoist Canon (Daozang) and elsewhere are related to it.» — Pregadio mide la tradición exegética: al menos treinta y ocho comentarios conservados escritos hasta el final del siglo XIX, más decenas de textos emparentados en el Canon taoísta

«The two main Tang poets, Li Bai (Li Po) and Bai Juyi, wrote poems about this work, and a short text by the same title was composed by Shitou Xigian (700-91), the reputed forefather of the Caodong lineage of Chan Buddhism (better known in the West under its Japanese name, Soto Zen).» — Pregadio consigna el alcance del texto fuera del taoísmo: los dos grandes poetas Tang le escribieron poemas, y Shitou Xiqian, tenido por antepasado del linaje Caodong del budismo chan, compuso un texto breve del mismo título; la capa de texto imprime *Xigian*

«Except for the Daode jing and the Zhuangzi, few other Taoist works have enjoyed a similarly vast and diversified exegetical tradition.» — Pregadio sitúa la magnitud de esa exégesis: fuera del Daode jing y el Zhuangzi, pocas obras taoístas tienen una comparable

«Despite this textual profusion, several circumstances have contributed to persisting issues in understanding this work: its obscure language, the wide range of interpretations» — Pregadio enumera lo que traba la comprensión de la obra: lengua oscura y abanico de interpretaciones en los comentarios; la frase la corta una nota al pie y sigue en la plana siguiente con las opiniones encontradas sobre su naturaleza y su historia

«In particular, Neidan is the legacy that has contributed to shape the dominant image and understanding of the Cantong qi in China, by placing this work at the origins of its teachings and practices, and by offering explications that differ in many details among different authors, but have one point in common: the Cantong gi contains a complete illustration of the principles and methods of Internal Alche» — Pregadio adjudica al neidan la imagen dominante del Cantong qi en China: las explicaciones difieren en el detalle pero coinciden en tener el texto por ilustración completa de los principios y métodos de la Alquimia Interna

«External Alchemy is based on the refining of minerals and metals, which are heated in a vessel in order to extract their pure essences and compound them into different elixirs.» — la nota de Pregadio define el waidan: refinar minerales y metales calentados en un vaso para extraerles las esencias puras y componer elixires

«In Internal Alchemy, the ingredients of the Elixir are the prime components of the cosmos and the human being, and the entire process takes place within the practitioner.» — y define el neidan por contraste: los ingredientes son los componentes primeros del cosmos y del ser humano, y el proceso entero ocurre dentro del practicante

«External Alchemy is documented from the second century BCE, and Internal Alchemy from the eighth century cE.» — Pregadio fecha por documentación cada rama: el waidan desde el siglo II antes de la era, el neidan desde el VIII de la era; la capa de texto imprime *cE* por *CE*

«These features of the apocrypha were clearly stated in a masterly study by Anna Seidel; “...a typical apocryphal title always indicates that its text, besides telling of divine revelation, is in itself a certificate testifying to the owner’s favor with Heaven”» — la nota de Pregadio adjudica esa caracterización de los apócrifos a un estudio de Anna Seidel y la cita: el título apócrifo declara que el texto es él mismo un certificado del favor del Cielo sobre su dueño

«This reading of the word can was first explicitly suggested in the commentary by Yu Yan (1284), and was later accepted by several other commentators and authors.» — Pregadio adjudica la lectura de can como *tres* al comentario de Yu Yan de 1284 y consigna que otros la aceptaron después

«Which of the two interpretations is correct is not a meaningful question, since whoever chose the title Cantong gi was certainly aware of its dual sense.» — Pregadio se niega a arbitrar entre las dos lecturas: quien eligió el título conocía el doble sentido

«Several commentators, for example, refer to the “three ways” as those of “government” (yuzheng), “nourishing one’s Nature” (yangxing), and “preserving and ingesting” (fushi). The use of the term “government” is explained by the fact that at the center of the Chinese cosmological system stands, in both a symbolic and a literal way, the ruler, who is, in the human realm, the supreme guarantor of the balance among Heaven, Earth, and Man.» — la nota de Pregadio recoge los nombres alternativos de las tres vías —*government*, *nourishing one's Nature* y *preserving and ingesting*— y explica el primero por el lugar del soberano como garante del equilibrio entre Cielo, Tierra y Hombre

«As suggested below (pp. 29 ff.), the final Book 3 is made of later, miscella» — Pregadio adjudica al Libro 3 una naturaleza distinta: materiales posteriores y misceláneos; la palabra queda partida por el fin de plana

«Second, this understanding of the purport of the Cantong qi helps to make sense of other issues, such as the different traditional views on its authorship, and the dating of its alchemical portions.» — Pregadio declara el segundo rendimiento de esa lectura: aclara las opiniones tradicionales sobre la autoría y la datación de las porciones alquímicas

«The next three sections of this Introduction (§ 2~4) are concerned with these and other related questions. They are followed by a short presentation of the main commentaries to the Cantong qi (§ 5), and by an overview of its three main subjects (§ 6-8). The concluding section (§ 9) looks at the pivotal role played by this work in the shift from External to Internal Alchemy.» — Pregadio traza el plan de su Introducción: autoría y datación en los parágrafos 2 a 4, comentarios principales en el 5, las tres materias en el 6 al 8, y el paso del waidan al neidan en el 9

«Waidan commentary (ca. 700), and later in the commentaries by Peng Xiao (947) and Zhu Xi» — Pregadio fecha los testigos de la primera lectura del título: el comentario waidan anónimo de hacia 700, Peng Xiao y Zhu Xi, a quien el impreso data en 1197 justo después del corte

«The Cantong qi itself uses the word can with this meaning in one of its verses (43:12).» — Pregadio apoya esa primera lectura en el uso que el propio poema hace de can en el verso 43:12

«Sections 22-25 contain a general description of the principles of alchemy as the way of “inferior virtue,” and thus pertain to the “Taoist” portions.» — la nota con que Pregadio matiza su propio reparto: las secciones 22 a 25 describen los principios de la alquimia como vía de la virtud inferior y por eso caen del lado taoísta

«The subdivisions suggested above are close to those that Liu Yiming adopts in his version of the “Ancient Text” of the Cantong gi» — y coteja su reparto con el de Liu Yiming en su versión del Texto Antiguo, que el impreso data en 1799 justo después del corte

«features said to be an alchemist, and to come from the Shangyu district of Kuaiji, in the southeastern region of Jiangnan.» — Pregadio completa el retrato tradicional de Wei Boyang: rasgos marcadamente legendarios, alquimista, del distrito de Shangyu en Kuaiji, al sureste

«According to the most recurrent account, Wei Boyang first transmitted his work to Xu Congshi, a native of Qingzhou in the present-day northern province of Shandong, who wrote a commentary on it.» — Pregadio expone el relato más corriente de la transmisión: Wei Boyang entrega primero la obra a Xu Congshi, de Qingzhou, que la comenta

«At the time of Emperor Huan of the Later Han (1. 146-167), Wei Boyang again transmitted the Cantong gi to Chunyu Shutong, who also came from Shangyu and began to circulate the text.» — y la segunda entrega, en tiempos del emperador Huan de los Han posteriores, a Chunyu Shutong, también de Shangyu, que la pone a circular

«While Wei Boyang was a southern alchemist, Xu Congshi and Chunyu Shutong were representatives of the Han-dynasty cosmologi» — Pregadio plantea la asimetría que le interesa: Wei Boyang es alquimista del sur y los otros dos representan los legados cosmológicos del norte de los Han; la palabra queda partida por el fin de plana

«Why does an alchemist transmit his work to two cosmologists?» — la pregunta con que Pregadio ordena el parágrafo de la autoría

«The best-known account of Wei Boyang is found in the Shenxian zhuan (Biographies of the Divine Immortals), a work attributed to Ge Hong (283-243).» — Pregadio adjudica el relato más conocido de Wei Boyang al Shenxian zhuan, obra atribuida a Ge Hong; las fechas van tal como las imprime el troceo

«The story tells that Wei Boyang and three disciples retired to a mountain and compounded an elixir. When they tested it on a dog, the dog died. Despite this, Wei Boyang and one of his disciples decided to ingest the compound, and they also died. After the two other disciples had left, Wei Boyang came to life again. He poured some of the elixir into the mouths of the dead disciple and the dog, and they also revived. Thus Wei Boyang and his faithful disciple, “whose surname was Yu,” attained immortality.» — el resumen que Pregadio hace del relato: el perro muere al probar el elixir, Wei Boyang y un discípulo lo ingieren y mueren, y los tres reviven cuando él vuelve a la vida

«Several centuries later, Peng Xiao (?~955) gives an entirely different portrait of Wei Boyang in his well-known commentary, dating from 947 CE (see the translation below, p. 264). The alchemist who retires on a mountain with his disciples, tests his elixir on a dog, and is reborn after death becomes, in Peng Xiao’s account, a learned master who is competent in prose and poetry, is versed in the esoteric texts, cultivates the Dao “in secret and silence,” and nourishes himself “in Empty Non-being.”» — Pregadio contrapone el retrato de Peng Xiao, de 947: donde el Shenxian zhuan pone al alquimista del perro y el elixir, aquí hay un maestro docto en prosa y verso, versado en los textos esotéricos, que cultiva el Dao en secreto y silencio

«Some texts on the Dao say that the Cantong qi is in three Books, and that Master Wei [Boyang], Xu Congshi, and Chunyu Shutong each wrote one Book. However, the Master also wrote The Five Categories, where he says, “I now write again to fill the lacunae.”” Clearly [the whole Cantong gi] was written only by the Master.» — el pasaje de Peng Xiao que Pregadio traduce: contra los textos que reparten los tres Libros entre Wei Boyang, Xu Congshi y Chunyu Shutong, Peng Xiao arguye desde las Cinco Categorías que el Maestro escribió el todo

«As shown by this passage, in Peng Xiao’s time a different view existed that attributed each of the three Books of the text to Wei Boyang, Ku Congshi, and Chunyu Shutong, respectively.» — Pregadio lee en ese mismo pasaje la prueba de que en tiempos de Peng Xiao corría la versión que reparte los tres Libros entre los tres maestros

«Peng Xiao rejects this view and states that Wei Boyang wrote the entire Cantong qi.» — y consigna la posición de Peng Xiao: la rechaza y sostiene la autoría única

«Very few details, even hagiographic, are available about Xu Congshi.» — Pregadio declara el vacío documental sobre Xu Congshi

«The most elaborate narrative about him is found in Tao Hongjing’s (456-536) Zhengao (True Revelations), where he appears in a section devoted to the administration of the otherworld.» — Pregadio sitúa el relato más detallado de Chunyu Shutong en el Zhengao de Tao Hongjing, dentro de una sección sobre la administración del otro mundo

«First, he reports that Chunyu came from Shangyu—the same birthplace of Wei Boyang— and was proficient in the “arts of the numbers” (shushz), i.e., cosmology, prognostication, and the related sciences. At the time of Emperor Huan (1, 146-167) he was a District Magistrate in Xuzhou (present-day southern Shandong and northern Jiangsu). Later he returned to the Wu region in the south, where he received an alchemical text from» — lo que Pregadio recoge de ese relato: Chunyu venía de Shangyu, el mismo lugar que Wei Boyang, era perito en las artes de los números y recibió un texto alquímico; la frase sigue en la plana siguiente con el nombre del inmortal

«Emperor Ling (t. 168-189) intended to summon Chunyu to the capital, but he declined the offer.» — y el rechazo de la convocatoria imperial; la capa de texto imprime *t.* donde el libro compone la abreviatura de reinado

«At the tume of Emperor Huan, Chunyu Shutong, who was a native of Shangyu, received the arts [of the numbers] from Xu Congshi, who was a native of Qingzhou. Looking above and observing the signs of Heaven, he was able to deal with calamities and unusual events. There were several confirmations [of his predictions]. Because of his knowledge of those arts, he was appointed “master» — el pasaje que Tao Hongjing da como del Cantong qi y que Pregadio traduce: Chunyu recibió las artes de los números de Xu Congshi y, observando los signos del Cielo, pudo tratar calamidades y prodigios; *tume* es como la capa de texto imprime *time*

«It is hardly possible to overlook the absence of the alchemist Wei Boyang from both accounts reported by Tao Hongjing—who was himself a southerner, a practitioner of alchemy, and a very learned authority on the Taoist local traditions of Jiangnan.» — el hallazgo con que Pregadio arma su cronología: el alquimista Wei Boyang falta en los dos relatos de Tao Hongjing, que era sureño, alquimista y autoridad en las tradiciones de Jiangnan

«Even when Tao Hongjing depicts Chunyu Shutong as a student of alchemy, his master is not Wei Boyang.» — y aun cuando Tao Hongjing hace de Chunyu un estudiante de alquimia, su maestro no es Wei Boyang

«As we shall see, this is not the only detail suggesting that, while in Tao Hongjing’s time Wei Boyang was known as an alchemist, he was not yet known as the author of the Cantong qi.» — la tesis que Pregadio extrae: en tiempos de Tao Hongjing, Wei Boyang era conocido como alquimista pero todavía no como autor del Cantong qi

«Here we only need to note that sources dating from the Tang period (seventh-ninth centuries) show that, at that time, there were two main views regarding the authorship and the early transmission of the» — Pregadio fecha la horquilla de la disputa: las fuentes Tang muestran dos opiniones principales sobre la autoría y la transmisión temprana

«Both views relate the composition of the Cantong qi to the Longhu jing (Book of the Dragon and Tiger), an earlier, enigmatic» — y consigna lo que las dos comparten: ambas ligan la composición de la obra al Longhu jing, el Libro del Dragón y el Tigre

«According to the first view, the primary creator of the Cantong qi is Xu Congshi, the master of the “arts of the numbers” who came from Shandong.» — la primera opinión: el creador primero es Xu Congshi, el maestro de las artes de los números venido de Shandong

«According to this view, Wei Boyang is a disciple of either Xu Congshi or Chunyu Shutong.» — y en ella Wei Boyang queda como discípulo de uno de los otros dos

«In more detail, there are three different accounts of the relations among the reputed authors of the Cantong qi.¥ (1) Xu Congshi receives the Longhu jing from an immortal, and transmits it to his disciple Chunyu Shutong, who writes the second chapter; Wei Boyang’s role merely consists in changing the title of this work to Cantong qi. (2) Xu Congshi writes the Longhu jing; Wei Boyang writes the Wu xianglei (The Five Categories) and re-entitles the whole work Cantong qi; Chunyu Shutong writes an additional chapter. (3) Xu Congshi writes the first chapter of the Cantong qi using the Longhu jing as his model; Wei Boyang writes the second chapter; Chunyu Shutong writes the third chapter.» — Pregadio despliega las tres versiones de la relación entre los autores reputados, sin arbitrar entre ellas: en la primera Wei Boyang solo cambia el título; en la segunda escribe las Cinco Categorías y retitula el conjunto; en la tercera escribe el capítulo segundo

«According to the second view, it is Wei Boyang, the master of the alchemical arts, who writes the whole Cantong gi on the basis of the» — la segunda opinión: Wei Boyang, maestro de las artes alquímicas, escribe el Cantong qi entero sobre la base del Longhu jing

«The traditions that attributed the authorship of the Cantong qi to Wei Boyang deemed the text to be a creation of the alchemical lineages of southeastern China.» — y lo que esa segunda opinión hace del texto: creación de los linajes alquímicos del sureste de China

«These views are documented by Liu Zhigu’s Riyue xuanshu lun (Essay on the Mysterious Pivot of the Sun and the Moon), in Daoshu (Pivot of the Dao), 26.1a-1b; and by the prefaces to the two Tang-dynasty commentaries to the Cantong qi, on which see below, § 5. Liu Zhigu’s work, dating from ca. 750, is the first extant essay on the Cantong qi.» — la nota en que Pregadio da la documentación de las dos opiniones y fecha el ensayo de Liu Zhigu hacia 750 como el más antiguo conservado sobre la obra

«On the fangshi see Ngo Van Xuyet, Divination, magie et politique dans la Chine ancienne, and the biographies translated in DeWoskin, Doctors, Diviners, and Magicians of Ancient China.» — la nota bibliográfica de Pregadio sobre los fangshi, consignada como bibliografía

«With an abrupt change in tone and language, the account ends with a final paragraph, which mentions Wei Boyang’s» — Pregadio señala la costura del relato del Shenxian zhuan: el párrafo final cambia de tono y de lengua; la frase sigue en la plana siguiente

«authorship of the Cantong gi and of another work entitled The Five Categories (Wu xianglei), and criticizes those who read the Cantong gi as a work concerned with cosmology instead of alchemy.» — y lo que ese párrafo final hace: atribuir a Wei Boyang el Cantong qi y las Cinco Categorías, y criticar a quienes leen la obra como cosmología en vez de alquimia; es, dice Pregadio, el primer indicio de la discrepancia entre las dos tradiciones

«These skills show that those who maintained that the Cantong qi originated with Xu Congshi saw the text as a product of the northern fangshi milieux based in» — lo que la primera opinión implica, según Pregadio: quienes la sostenían veían el texto como producto de los medios fangshi del norte; la frase sigue en la plana siguiente

«Shandong, and as a work belonging in the first place to the cosmological and the esoteric traditions of the Han dynasty.» — y lo sitúa entre las tradiciones cosmológicas y esotéricas de los Han

«Two centuries later, another alchemist, Peng Xiao, also refers to accounts of a shared authorship, but cites and praises Liu. Zhigu’s discussion, and becomes the first major author to promote the same view.» — y adjudica a Peng Xiao, dos siglos después, el papel de primer autor mayor que promueve la autoría única citando y elogiando a Liu Zhigu

«Peng Xiao’s narrative, moreover, transforms Wei Boyang into an alchemist who was also a specialist of the “weft texts,” precisely the lore in which Xu Congshi and Chunyu Shutong were also expert. With the development of the Neidan traditions, this view became established.» — Pregadio señala la operación del relato de Peng Xiao: hace de Wei Boyang un alquimista que además domina los textos de trama, justo el saber de los otros dos, y con el neidan esa opinión se asienta

«Since then, there has been virtually unanimous consent that the Cantong gi was not only transmitted, but also entirely composed, within the context of the alchemical tradition—at least until the early sixteenth century, when the “Ancient Text” of the Cantong gi was created, and the two other masters were again as» — Pregadio mide hasta dónde llegó ese consenso: la obra se tuvo por compuesta entera dentro de la tradición alquímica hasta comienzos del siglo XVI, cuando se creó el Texto Antiguo; la frase sigue en la plana siguiente

«When the views of the authorship of the Cantong qi changed, the roles of the three characters were inverted. The alchemist is no more a disciple of cosmologists: Wei Boyang is now the master of Xu» — la respuesta de Pregadio a su propia pregunta: al cambiar las opiniones sobre la autoría se invirtieron los papeles, y el alquimista deja de ser discípulo de los cosmólogos

«This reading has certainly been the most widespread, and has led to the view that the Cantong gi has a single author (Wei Boyang), a single date (the Han period), and a single subject (alchemy).» — Pregadio resume adónde lleva esa lectura: un autor, una fecha y una materia

«In the second reading, alchemy constitutes, with Taoism (in the sense defined above) and cosmology, one of the three main subjects of the Cantong qi, and each subject forms one of three main textual components. The three subjects are integrated with one another into a unique presentation of a doctrine that includes a metaphysics, a cosmology, a description of the highest realized state, and a canonical form of practice.» — la segunda lectura: alquimia, taoísmo y cosmología son las tres materias, cada una un componente textual, integradas en la presentación de una doctrina con metafísica, cosmología, descripción del estado realizado y forma canónica de práctica

«From this perspective, it should be sufÏciently clear that those who wove the fabric of this presentation cannot have been either the cosmologists or the alchemists, but only the anonymous authors of the Taoist portions, which describe the state of complete realization by drawing concepts, terms, and images from the Daode jing and the Zhuangei (see especially section 18).» — la consecuencia que Pregadio saca: quien tejió esa presentación no pudo ser ni los cosmólogos ni los alquimistas, sino los autores anónimos de las porciones taoístas, que describen la realización completa con conceptos, términos e imágenes del Daode jing y el Zhuangzi; la capa de texto imprime *Zhuangei*

«The first perspective reflects a traditional truth that can hardly be disputed, and is in all respects inalienable and virtually impervious to» — Pregadio acota el estatuto de la primera lectura: una verdad tradicional difícilmente disputable e inalienable; la frase sigue con su impermeabilidad al análisis histórico

«The second one, instead, allows a broader scope to inquiries into the origins of the three subjects and the respective textual components. This perspective also clears the complex issue of dating the Cantong gi of some of its burden: the received text is the product of a composition process that involved representatives of different traditions, and was completed in several stages.» — y lo que la segunda permite: indagar el origen de cada materia y de cada componente, y entender el texto recibido como producto de un proceso de composición con representantes de tradiciones distintas, cumplido en varias etapas

«Several commentaries and other works maintain that Wei Boyang wrote his Cantong gi by taking as a model the Longhu jing, or Scripture of the Dragon and Tiger, a work whose title immediately evokes the alchemical arts.» — Pregadio expone la tesis del modelo anterior: varios comentarios sostienen que Wei Boyang escribió el Cantong qi tomando por modelo el Longhu jing, cuyo título evoca las artes alquímicas

«In the earliest sources, as we have seen, the master associated with the Longhu jing is not Wei Boyang, the alchemist, but Xu Congshi, the cosmologist, who is depicted as the original recipient —or even as the author—of this text.» — Pregadio sigue el paralelo: en las fuentes más antiguas el maestro asociado al Longhu jing no es el alquimista Wei Boyang sino el cosmólogo Xu Congshi

«In light of the controversies about the authorship of the Cantong gi, it seems clear that the accounts associating the Longhu jing with Xu Congshi served to answer an important question: How could someone known as a cosmologist and a diviner create a text like the Cantong qi, which is substantially (if not entirely, according to the prevalent view) devoted to alchemy?» — Pregadio lee esa asociación como respuesta a una pregunta: cómo podía alguien conocido como cosmólogo y adivino crear un texto dedicado en sustancia a la alquimia

«The reply was straightforward: Xu Congshi could write a work on alchemy because he had received-—or even, according to some, written —~an earlier alchemical text, the Longhu jing.» — y da la respuesta que la tradición construyó: porque había recibido, o escrito, un texto alquímico anterior

«During the Tang period, when different views on the authorship of the Cantong qi were still current, a work entitled Jinbi jing (Scripture on Gold and Jade) was composed on the basis of the Cantong gi.» — Pregadio fecha en los Tang la composición del Jinbi jing sobre la base del Cantong qi

«This work is a shorter paraphrase of the Cantong gi, approximately corresponding to the first half of Book 1 (sections 1-25 in the present translation). The paraphrase replaces the imagery of the Cantong qi with the language of alchemy, and does so with such consistency and persistence that one might call the Jinbi jing an alchemical version of the initial portions of the Cantong gi, which do not concern alchemy, but cosmology and the Taoist way of “superior virtue.”» — y lo describe: paráfrasis más breve que cubre aproximadamente la primera mitad del Libro 1 y sustituye las imágenes del Cantong qi por lengua de alquimia con tal insistencia que puede llamarse versión alquímica de unas porciones que no tratan de alquimia sino de cosmología y de la vía de la virtud superior

«When the issues of authorship were settled, and Wei Boyang was elected the only author of the Cantong gi, most commentators and other authors continued to claim that the Cantong qi derives from the Longhu jing, but made Wei Boyang, instead of Xu Congshi, the original recipient of this text» — Pregadio describe el ajuste posterior: asentada la autoría única, los comentaristas siguen derivando la obra del Longhu jing pero ponen a Wei Boyang, y no a Xu Congshi, como receptor original

«Other authors, however, were aware that the Longbu jing that existed in their times—in other words, the text that earlier was entitled Jinbi jing-——was nothing but an alchemical rendition of the Cantong qi.» — y registra a los que no lo aceptaron: sabían que el Longhu jing de su tiempo no era sino una versión alquímica del Cantong qi

«Essentially, when Master Wei [Boyang] wrote the Cantong gi, he borrowed the images of the Book of Changes to illustrate the secrets of compounding the Elixir; he did not develop the discourses of the Longhu jing. Had he truly developed the discourses of the Longhu jing, he would have called his work “The Seal of the Unity of the Three in Accordance with the Dragon and the Tiger,” and not “The Seal of the Unity of the Three in Accordance with the Book of Changes.”» — el pasaje de Yu Yan que Pregadio traduce: Wei Boyang tomó las imágenes del Libro de los Cambios para ilustrar los secretos del Elixir y no desarrolló los discursos del Longhu jing, porque de haberlo hecho el título diría Dragón y Tigre

«Yu Yan’s words reflect an earlier, similar statement by Zhu Xi, found in his Zhouyi cantong qi [Raoyi], 1.4b-5a.» — la nota en que Pregadio adjudica a Zhu Xi un enunciado anterior y semejante al de Yu Yan

«The roots of the cosmological discourse of the Cantong gi lie in the tradition usually designated in China as Yixue, or “Studies-of the Book of Changes,” whose essential elements were elaborated during the Han period (202 BcE-220 ce). This tradition, as its name implies, expands the views of the Changes into multiple directions, with emphasis on numerology and prognostication.» — Pregadio sitúa la raíz del discurso cosmológico en el Yixue, los Estudios del Libro de los Cambios elaborados en época Han, con su acento en numerología y pronóstico

«A seventh-century lexicon of classical texts ascribes Yu Fan with a commentary to the Cantong qi, and cites a passage from that work that appears to refer to the sentence “Sun and Moon make change,” found in the present-day Cantong qi (7:3).» — Pregadio presenta la única pieza de evidencia textual sobre la fecha Han: un léxico del siglo VII adjudica a Yu Fan un comentario al Cantong qi y cita un pasaje que parece remitir al verso 7:3

«Yu Fan’s commentary to the Cantong qi says: The graph yi & (“change”) is formed by a “sun” 4 with a “moon” Ff below it.» — el pasaje citado, tal como Pregadio lo traduce: el grafo yi se compone de un sol con una luna debajo; los caracteres chinos quedan dentro de las comillas tal como los rinde la capa de texto

«This sentence would seem to show that a text entitled Cantong qi existed by about 200 Cg, and that Yu Fan wrote a now-lost commen» — Pregadio expone qué probaría esa frase: que hacia el año 200 existía un texto titulado Cantong qi y que Yu Fan lo comentó

«Whether the evidence is conclusive, however, is dubious, It seems impossible to disregard the fact chat, if this evidence is accepted, the Han date of the Cantong qi is validated by a single sentence, quoted for the first time five centuries after its supposed otiginal date not from the Cantong qi itself, but from a related work that is now lost.» — y pone su reserva: la fecha Han quedaría validada por una sola frase, citada cinco siglos después de la fecha supuesta y no desde el Cantong qi sino desde una obra emparentada hoy perdida

«The Chinese text of this passage can also be punctuated in a different way, which yields a quite different translation: “According to Yu Fan’s commentary [to the Book of Changes], the Cantong qi says that this graph (namely, yi 4, “change”) is formed by a “sun” with a “moon” below it.” The first punctuation, however, fits the pattern of quotations in the Jingdian shiwen, and appears to be more accurate than the second one.» — la nota en que Pregadio consigna la otra puntuación posible del pasaje, que da otra traducción, y declara por qué prefiere la primera

«These two views coexisted during the Tang period. In the mideighth century, Liu Zhigu—who belongs to the alchemical tradition—» — Pregadio fecha la coexistencia de las dos opiniones en los Tang y sitúa a Liu Zhigu, de mediados del siglo VIII, del lado de la tradición alquímica; una nota al pie corta aquí la frase, que sigue en la plana siguiente; el troceo parte *mid-eighth* al fin de renglón y la herramienta lo devuelve pegado, *mideighth*.

«reports the second and the third accounts of the creation of the Cantong gi cited above; he concludes, however, that Wei Boyang is actually the author of the whole text.» — y lo que Liu Zhigu concluye: recoge el segundo y el tercer relato de la creación de la obra pero adjudica el texto entero a Wei Boyang

«According to the first reading, the Cantong.gi has provided the alchemical traditions with an integral description of the principles at the basis of their practices. In agreement with their perspectives, these traditions have called the Cantong gi an “alchemical text” and have interpreted all its verses as related to alchemy» — Pregadio describe la primera lectura: para ella el Cantong qi dio a las tradiciones alquímicas una descripción íntegra de los principios de sus prácticas, y por eso lo llamaron texto alquímico y leyeron todos sus versos como alquimia; la capa de texto imprime *Cantong.gi*

«widespread, but is perplexing, since no material or even bibliographic trace of a text called Longhu jing exists during the whole first millennium of our era.» — la objeción material de Pregadio a la tesis del modelo anterior: no hay rastro material ni bibliográfico de un texto llamado Longhu jing en todo el primer milenio de nuestra era; la frase arranca en la plana anterior con *This claim is*

«Dragon and Tiger are, usually, emblems of Yang and Yin, respectively. In alchemy, their roles are inverted: the Dragon is an emblem of True Yin (True» — la nota de Pregadio consigna la inversión alquímica de los emblemas: fuera de la alquimia Dragón y Tigre valen Yang y Yin, y dentro de ella el Dragón es emblema del Yin Verdadero; la nota continúa en la plana siguiente, donde lo nombra Mercurio Verdadero y hace del Tigre el Yang Verdadero, el Plomo Verdadero

«Song dynasty, the Jinbi jing was chosen to represent the “ancient” (i.e., “authentic”} text of the Longhu jing, and was reentitled Guwen longhu» — Pregadio sigue la operación hasta los Song, cuando el Jinbi jing pasa a representar el texto antiguo, es decir auténtico, del Longhu jing y se retitula; la frase arranca en la plana anterior

«Two editions of this work are contained in the Taoist Canon; their text is the same as the Jinbi jing.» — y el cotejo con que lo cierra: las dos ediciones del Canon taoísta traen el mismo texto que el Jinbi jing

«Exactly for this reason, the parts of the text concerned with cosmology are those that» — Pregadio saca la consecuencia para la datación: las partes cosmológicas son las de fecha más oscura; la frase sigue en la plana siguiente

«present the most obscure issues with regard to their date, as they involve their possible origins—not only in a conceptual sense, but also in a hypothetical earlier textual form—within that tradition.» — porque su origen podría estar, en sentido conceptual o en una forma textual anterior hipotética, dentro de los Estudios del Libro de los Cambios

«several scholars have suggested that the association between the Cantong qi and the “Studies of the Book of» — Pregadio recoge la propuesta de varios estudiosos sobre el vínculo con los Estudios del Libro de los Cambios, advirtiendo que las analogías son visibles pero no bastan; la frase queda cortada por el fin de plana

«Changes” is manifest in the work of Yu Fan (164-233), the last great cosmologist of the Han period.» — y nombra a Yu Fan, último gran cosmólogo de los Han, como el lugar donde ese vínculo se hace manifiesto

«including those found in portions concerned with cosmology, with actual or symbolic astronomical phenomena (for example, the joining of the Sun and the Moon at the end of a time cycle), with the True Man and the sage ruler (both seen, in this light, as metaphors of the alchemist), and» — el alcance de esa primera lectura, según Pregadio: también las porciones de cosmología, los fenómenos astronómicos como la conjunción del Sol y la Luna al cabo de un ciclo, y las figuras del Hombre Verdadero y del soberano sabio leídas como metáforas del alquimista; la frase sigue en la plana siguiente

«The sentence apparently referred to by Yu Fan (“Sun and Moon make change”) is attributed, by a major Han-dynasty source, to one or more “secret writings” (bishu), an expression that is usually deemed to refer to the apocryphal texts.» — Pregadio abre la duda que el pasaje de Yu Fan arrastra: la frase sobre el Sol y la Luna la adjudica una fuente Han mayor a unos escritos secretos, expresión que suele entenderse por los apócrifos

«commentary to the Cantong gi, or was he ascribed with it by his lineage? If he did write a commentary, was that Cantong gi the same as the present-day text, or was it perhaps one of the apocrypha? If an “apocryphal” Cantong qi has ever existed, how would it be related to the present-day text? None of these questions can be answered on the basis of direct evidence.» — Pregadio encadena las preguntas que no puede resolver: si Yu Fan escribió el comentario o se lo adjudicó su linaje, si ese Cantong qi era el de hoy o un apócrifo, y cómo se relacionarían; ninguna, dice, se responde con evidencia directa

«First, Yu Fan is also ascribed with a lost commentary to a work by Jing Fang (77-37 BcE), an earlier cosmologist who had belonged to his own lineage. The title of this work—which is also lost—is Cantong gi Lili zhi (possibly meaning “Monograph on the Pitch-pipes and the Calendar According to the Cantong gi”). Was this is the work on which Yu Fan wrote the commentary quoted in the seventh-century lexicon? This cannot be known, but is not the point at issue. The point, rather, is that at least one work appears to have existed under the title Cantong gi, even before the traditional date in which Wei Boyang is believed to have written the present-day work that bears this title.» — el primer detalle bibliográfico: a Yu Fan se le adjudica también un comentario perdido a una obra perdida de Jing Fang titulada Cantong qi Lili zhi, lo que hace que un texto con ese título parezca anterior a la fecha tradicional de Wei Boyang

«It is also worthy of note that one of the cosmological portions in the present-day Cantong gi contains the expression lili (“pitch-pipes and calendar”; see verse 2:8). Whether Jing Fang’s work, or any other lost Han-dynasty text, was a precursor of the current Cantong qi, however, is impossible to ascertain.» — y su reserva: en el Cantong qi de hoy aparece la expresión lili, pero si la obra de Jing Fang u otro texto Han perdido fue precursora es imposible de establecer

«What the title Cantong qi may have meant in the first century BCE is an issue in itself. It is simply unimaginable that the “three,” at that time, may have been cosmology, Taoism, and alchemy.» — la nota en que Pregadio niega que los tres del título pudieran ser, en el siglo I antes de la era, cosmología, taoísmo y alquimia

«A second detail is of greater consequence. As we shall see (below, p. 42), the Cantong gi represents the cycle of the lunar month by means of the cosmological pattern known as Matching Stems (najia). The version of this pattern used in the Cantong gi is attributed to Yu» — el segundo detalle, que Pregadio tiene por más grave: la obra representa el ciclo del mes lunar con el patrón de los Tallos Correlativos, najia, en la versión que se adjudica a Yu Fan

«The wording of this passage is notably similar to section 13 of the Cantong qi. Moreover, Yu Fan’s commentary also contains a description of the conjunction of Sun and Moon at the end of each month (see the translation below, p. 43), a symbolic event that the Cantong qi describes, in its turn, in sections 10 and 48.» — Pregadio coteja: la letra de ese fragmento se parece mucho a la sección 13 del Cantong qi, y la conjunción del Sol y la Luna que Yu Fan describe reaparece en las secciones 10 y 48

«Scholars who uphold Wei Boyang’s authorship of the Cantong gi (in ca. 150 cE) have suggested that Yu Fan drew these descriptions directly from the Cantong qi. The reverse is more likely to be true: the Cantong qi presents a poetical rendition of Yu Fan’s passages. If this suggestion is correct, not only Yu Fan could not write a commentary to the present-day Cantong qi, but the composition of these portions would be postdated by at least one century.» — el desacuerdo que Pregadio consigna sin armonizar: quienes sostienen la autoría de Wei Boyang hacia 150 dicen que Yu Fan tomó las descripciones del Cantong qi, y él tiene por más probable lo inverso, con lo que la composición de esas porciones se atrasaría un siglo por lo menos

«The tradition of the “Studies of the Book of Changes” is also associated with the “weft texts” (weishu), i.e, the so-called apoctypha. This body of writings was composed during the Han period with two main purposes, closely related to one another: the esoteric explication of the Classics (img, a word whose primary meaning is “warp”) and the legitimation of imperial authority, asserted by means of predictions that were supposedly concealed in the text of the Classics, and that the apocrypha finally disclosed by way of Heaven’s revelations.» — Pregadio sitúa los apócrifos: compuestos en época Han con dos fines ligados entre sí, la explicación esotérica de los Clásicos y la legitimación de la autoridad imperial mediante predicciones supuestamente ocultas en los Clásicos

«From this point of view, the Cantong qi would be a text that explains, or develops, certain concealed aspects of the Book of Changes.» — y lo que el Cantong qi sería visto así: un texto que explica o desarrolla aspectos ocultos del Libro de los Cambios

«The apocrypha once formed a textual corpus of remarkable size. Due to their strong political overtones, however, they were often banned or destroyed in the course of Chinese history, and are now almost exclusively preserved in the form of short quotations in» — Pregadio consigna la suerte del corpus apócrifo: de tamaño notable, prohibido o destruido a menudo por su carga política, hoy conservado casi solo en citas breves dentro de otras obras

«Doubtlessly, several details point to a relation to this body of literature. The most visible indicator, as we saw above, is the three-character title (Cantong qi) placed after the name of the correlated Classic (Zhouyi, or Book of Changes). The Cantong qi shares this feature with most apocrypha.» — el indicio más visible que Pregadio enumera: el título de tres caracteres puesto detrás del nombre del Clásico correlativo, rasgo que la obra comparte con casi todos los apócrifos

«For their ideas, imagery, and language, moreover, certain parts of the text seem to reflect the vision of the apocrypha; sections 15-17 may be the clearest example in this regard.» — y el segundo: por ideas, imágenes y lengua, ciertas partes parecen reflejar la visión de los apócrifos, con las secciones 15 a 17 como ejemplo más claro

«Despite this, there is no precise indication that the Cantong gi has ever been a “weft text” in the precise sense of this term at any time of its history. Its title has never been included in the lists of apocryphal works found in the dynastic histories, and none of its verses is quoted in the preserved fragments of those works.» — la negativa que Pregadio ficha como dato: nada indica que el Cantong qi haya sido nunca un texto de trama en sentido estricto, su título no figura en las listas de apócrifos de las historias dinásticas y ninguno de sus versos se cita en los fragmentos conservados

«While the analogies between the Cantong gi and the apocrypha are not in doubr, they appear to derive, in the first place, from the grounds that its cosmological portions share with the “Studies of the Book of Changes.”» — y su lectura de las analogías: no están en duda, pero derivan del fondo común que las porciones cosmológicas comparten con los Estudios del Libro de los Cambios

«For example, one of the surviving “weft texts” associated with the Book of Changes, the Qian zuodu (Opening the Way to the Understanding of Qian =), states that the main meaning of the word yi (“change”) is “the Sun and the Moon holding one another.”» — la nota en que Pregadio cita el Qian zuodu, texto de trama conservado, donde yi significa el Sol y la Luna sosteniéndose uno a otro

«As for Yu Fan’s gloss on the character yi (“change”), it does not seem to be sufÏciently reliable to date the Cantong qi to the Han dynasty. More substantial evidence concerning Yu Fan suggests, on the contrary, that the cosmological portions of the Cantong qi were written, or at least completed, after the end of the Han period.» — y su conclusión sobre la fecha: la glosa de Yu Fan sobre el grafo yi no le parece bastante fiable para datar la obra en los Han, y la evidencia más sustancial sugiere lo contrario, que las porciones cosmológicas se escribieron o completaron después del fin de esa dinastía

«Among the large number of Chinese scholars who have expressed their views about the date of the Cantong gi, the opinions of Chen Guofu (1914~2000) are especially worthy of attention. While not all those who have discussed this subject have been familiar with the alchemical sources-—in particular, with the sources of Waidan, the only form in which alchemy is documented during the Han period— Chen Guofu was for several decades the main Chinese expert in this field» — Pregadio presenta a Chen Guofu como la opinión que más pesa, por ser durante décadas el principal experto chino en fuentes del waidan, la única forma de alquimia documentada en los Han

«no extant alchemical work dating from the Han period is based on the doctrinal principles of the Cantong qi, or uses its cosmological model and its language.» — y el dato que Chen Guofu señala: ninguna obra alquímica conservada de época Han se funda en los principios doctrinales del Cantong qi ni usa su modelo cosmológico ni su lengua

«The portions concerned with alchemy, instead, are remarkably different from the methods described in the earliest Waidan texts.» — Pregadio lo contrapone al caso de la cosmología: las porciones alquímicas se apartan mucho de los métodos que describen los textos waidan más antiguos

«On the evening of the third day, [the Moon] is an image of Zhen = and comes forth at geng BE. On the eighth day, it is an image of Dui = and appears at ding J. On the fifteenth day, it is an image of Qian = and is full at jia FA. At the dawn of the sixteenth day, it is an image of Xun = and withdraws at xin» — el fragmento del comentario perdido de Yu Fan al Libro de los Cambios que Pregadio traduce: la Luna recorre en el mes las imágenes de Zhen, Dui, Qian y Xun, cada una en su tallo; los caracteres chinos quedan dentro de las comillas tal como los rinde la capa de texto, y una nota al pie corta el pasaje, que sigue en la plana siguiente

«third day, it is an image of Gen Z= and disappears at bing FY. On the thirtieth day, it is an image of Kun 2? and is extinguished at yi» — y su cierre: el día veintitrés la Luna es imagen de Gen y desaparece en bing, y el treinta es imagen de Kun y se extingue en yi

«To summarize this part of our discussion, the cosmological portions of the Cantong qi are obviously related to both the “Studies of the Book of Changes” and the apocrypha.» — el balance de Pregadio: las porciones cosmológicas se relacionan con los Estudios del Libro de los Cambios y con los apócrifos

«of any direct textual precursor belonging to either tradition; the relation is likely to be one of shared perspectives, language, and imagery, rather than one of direct textual filiation.» — el límite que Pregadio pone a esa relación: sin precursor textual directo en ninguna de las dos tradiciones, sería de perspectivas, lengua e imágenes compartidas y no de filiación; la frase arranca en la plana anterior con *There is, however, no trace*

«the scope of Chen Guofu’s remark may be broadened to include two further points. First, neither the Cantong qi nor its cosmological and alchemical models play any visible influence on extant Waidan texts dating not only from the Han period, but also from the whole Six» — Pregadio amplía la observación de Chen Guofu: ni el Cantong qi ni sus modelos dejan influencia visible en los textos waidan conservados de los Han ni de las Seis Dinastías; la frase queda cortada por el fin de plana

«Second, the same can be said with even more confidence about Neidan, since no text belonging to this branch of Chinese alchemy has existed—or has left traces of its existence—until the eighth century.» — y lo dice con más seguridad todavía del neidan: ningún texto de esa rama existió, ni dejó rastro de existir, hasta el siglo VIII

«One of the texts that do not display any influence of the Cantong qi and its alchemical views is Ge Hong’s major work, the Baopu zi (Book of the Master Who Embraces Spontaneous Nature), which was composed around 320 and contains two chapters entirely devoted to alchemy.» — el caso que Pregadio pone como prueba: el Baopu zi de Ge Hong, compuesto hacia 320 y con dos capítulos enteros de alquimia, no muestra influencia del Cantong qi

«First, in his Baopu zi, Ge Hong cites a Wei Boyang neijing, or Inner Scripture of Wei Boyang, among the texts that belonged to his» — el primer indicio: Ge Hong cita un Wei Boyang neijing entre los textos de su maestro

«While this work, according to some scholars, can only be the Cantong qi, its contents are unknown, and even its title is not record~ ed elsewhere. Whether the Wei Boyang neijing was the Cantong gi, or was somehow felated to it, is therefore impossible either to demon» — y la reserva de Pregadio: hay quien lo identifica con el Cantong qi, pero su contenido se desconoce y su título no está registrado en otro sitio, de modo que la identificación no se puede sostener ni negar

«However, Ge Hong’s citation provides a first undeniable hint that Ge Hong knew of a Wei Boyang, who gave his name to a text possibly dealing with alchemy» — lo que sí queda en pie: Ge Hong conocía a un Wei Boyang que daba nombre a un texto posiblemente alquímico

«Elsewhere in the Baopu zi, instead, Boyang is depicted as the model sage of those who retire on a mountain to pursue self-cultiva» — y el pasaje donde sí cabe Wei Boyang: allí Boyang es el sabio modelo de quienes se retiran a la montaña a cultivarse

«It is unlikely thar the Boyang mentioned in this passage is Laozi, whose hagiography does not mention his “dwelling in mountains and forests.” He might, instead, be Wei Boyang who, as we have seen, retired on a mountain with his disciples in order to compound an elixir.» — el argumento de Pregadio: la hagiografía de Laozi no habla de morar en montes y bosques, y sí lo hace la de Wei Boyang; *thar* es como la capa de texto imprime *that*

«The third, and main, possible piece of evidence on Ge Hong’s knowledge of the Cantong qi is the tale of Wei Boyang in the Shenxian zhuan (Biographies of the Divine Immortals; translated on p. 263).» — la tercera pieza, y la principal: el relato de Wei Boyang en el Shenxian zhuan, que el volumen traduce en su apéndice

«Taking for granted that Ge Hong did write that anecdote (the first source to report it in full dates only from the year 978), there are good reasons to question the authenticity of the final paragraph that names Wei Boyang the author of the Cantong qi: except for this passage, nothing in the tale of the Shenxian zhuan would suggest that its subject is the author of the Cantong gi.» — la objeción de Pregadio al valor de esa pieza: aun dando por escrita la anécdota por Ge Hong, la primera fuente que la trae entera es de 978, y fuera del párrafo final nada en el relato sugiere que su protagonista sea el autor de la obra

«Since Ge Hong knew Wei Boyang, why does he ignore a text of such importance as the Cantong qi in the Baopu zi?» — la pregunta con que Pregadio ordena el problema

«This would imply, however, that the Cantong qi and its alchemical model originated in the Han period, and were disregarded by the Chinese alchemical tradition for a half millennium.» — la consecuencia que tendría la salida fácil: que el Cantong qi y su modelo alquímico nacieran en los Han y la tradición alquímica china los desatendiera medio milenio

«Just like Tao Hongjing, two centuries later, cites the Cantong qi without mentioning Wei Boyang, the Wei Boyang known to Ge Hong was not yet acknowledged as the author of the Cantong qi.» — la salida que Pregadio propone: como Tao Hongjing dos siglos después, Ge Hong conocía a un Wei Boyang que todavía no se reconocía como autor de la obra

«This paragraph not only attributes the Cantong qi to Wei Boyang, but also criticizes the “scholars” (ru) who read the text as a work concerned with cosmology.» — Pregadio señala lo que hace el párrafo final de la biografía: atribuye la obra a Wei Boyang y a la vez critica a los letrados que la leen como cosmología

«The first unequivocal mentions of the Cantong gi date from around 500 ce.» — Pregadio fecha las primeras menciones inequívocas de la obra

«He proved the truth of the Cantong qi; in a golden furnace he melted the Holy Drug.» — los versos de Jiang Yan sobre el inmortal Qin Gao, en la traducción de Arthur Waley que Pregadio reproduce

«All those who mention the Cantong gi during the Six Dynasties were closely related to Jiangnan, showing that the Cantong gi, at that time, was transmitted in southeastern China.» — lo que Pregadio deduce del reparto geográfico de esas menciones: todos los que citan la obra en las Seis Dinastías están ligados a Jiangnan

«Jiang Yan’s poem attests, moreover, that the Cantong gi was used in association with alchemy by the end of the fifth century» — y lo que el poema de Jiang Yan atestigua: el uso de la obra en relación con la alquimia a fines del siglo V

«Note that Yan Zhitui reports only the combination of characters that form the word zao (“composed by”), and not those that form the name “Wei Boyang.”» — la nota en que Pregadio acota el testimonio de Yan Zhitui sobre el criptograma: solo recoge los caracteres que forman la palabra *compuesto por*, no los que forman el nombre de Wei Boyang

«The first point to consider is that the transmission of the Cantong gi in Jiangnan is likely to have originated with the milieux that handed down the Han-dynasty “Studies of the Book of Changes” and the lore of the» — la hipótesis de Pregadio sobre la transmisión en Jiangnan: habría nacido en los medios que transmitían los Estudios del Libro de los Cambios de los Han y el saber de los apócrifos

«It is by no means certain that Yu Fan’s lineage was directly involved in the transmission of the Cantong gi, but several hints seen above-—in the first place, his being ascribed with a commentary to the Cantong gi—allow this assumption.» — y su cautela: no es seguro que el linaje de Yu Fan interviniera en la transmisión, pero varios indicios lo permiten suponer

«The main point is that these lineages, which were related to the Book of Changes, attributed the composition of the Cantong qi to representatives of cosmological tradition, namely Xu Congshi and» — lo que a Pregadio le importa: esos linajes, ligados al Libro de los Cambios, atribuían la composición a representantes de la tradición cosmológica

«When we try to consider the details seen above in relation to one another, they suggest that the alchemical portions of the Cantong qi were composed in Jiangnan after Ge Hong’s time.» — la tesis de datación de Pregadio: las porciones alquímicas se compusieron en Jiangnan después de los tiempos de Ge Hong

«Second, three distinct passages of the Baopu zi mention a court archivist named Boyang, whose son served as a general in the kingdom» — el segundo indicio que Pregadio examina: tres pasajes del Baopu zi nombran a un archivista llamado Boyang; una nota al pie corta la frase, que sigue en la plana siguiente

«of Wei, and whose advice was sought by Confucius.” These passages do not refer to Wei Boyang, but to Laozi: one of Laozi’s names was» — y su desmentido: esos pasajes no hablan de Wei Boyang sino de Laozi, uno de cuyos nombres era Boyang

«Wei Boyang, whom he mentions in his Baopu zi first as the author of a Wei Boyang neijing, a text that may have been concerned with alchemy, and possibly again as a sage who lived secluded among the» — el balance de Pregadio sobre lo que Ge Hong sabía: menciona a Wei Boyang como autor de un Wei Boyang neijing, texto quizá alquímico, y quizá también como sabio retirado en los montes

«On the other hand, it is unlikely—at the very least--that Ge Hong knew of a Cantong gi written by Wei Boyang. His Baopu zi, in fact, does not yield any testimony to the fact that Ge Hong knew the Cantong gi at all.» — y el lado negativo del mismo balance, que Pregadio ficha como dato: es improbable que Ge Hong conociera un Cantong qi escrito por Wei Boyang, y su Baopu zi no da testimonio de que conociera la obra en absoluto

«Nevertheless, it was certainly as part of these events that Wei Boyang, an exemplary master of the southeastern alchemical traditions, began to be named as the author of the entire Cantong gi.» — y cuándo empieza a nombrarse a Wei Boyang autor del conjunto: dentro de ese mismo proceso, como maestro ejemplar de las tradiciones alquímicas del sureste

«Wei Boyang was fully accredited with the authorship of the whole Cantong gi only around the turn of the first millennium.» — Pregadio fecha el asentamiento de la atribución en torno al cambio de milenio

«Seen under this light, the purpose of the additional final paragraph in the Shenxian zhuan biography of Wei Boyang becomes clear: the representatives of the alchemical lineages intended to show that the Cantong qi describes the foundations of their own doctrines and» — la función que Pregadio adjudica al párrafo final añadido a la biografía: los linajes alquímicos querían mostrar que el Cantong qi describe los fundamentos de su propia doctrina y su práctica

«This explains why that paragraph not only mentions the alchemist Wei Boyang, but also denounces the “scholars” who, “knowing nothing about the divine Elixir...have written several commentaries based on Yin and Yang.” Clearly the allusion here is to those who interpreted the Cantong qi as a work on cosmology.» — y por qué ese párrafo denuncia a los letrados que, sin saber nada del Elixir divino, escribieron comentarios basados en Yin y Yang: la alusión, dice Pregadio, es a quienes leían la obra como cosmología

«Whether or not this assumption is correct, it is hardly conceivable that the final paragraph of the Shenxian zbuan biography of Wei Boyang was written by Ge Hong.» — y lo que sostiene con independencia de esa conjetura: es difícil concebir que el párrafo final de esa biografía lo escribiera Ge Hong

«And not, as is assumed in Schipper and Verellen, The Taoist Canon: A Historical Companion to the Daozang, 324, to those who interpreted the text “in sexual terms,” who would hardly be called “scholars” (ru) in a work like» — la nota en que Pregadio objeta la lectura de Schipper y Verellen, que entienden esa crítica dirigida a quienes interpretaban el texto en términos sexuales

«We shall now approach the last and most important historical question that surround the Cantong gi: Who wrote the text in its present form?» — la pregunta que Pregadio declara última y principal de su indagación histórica

«It should also be clear, by now, that the answer cannot consist in naming an author, but a tradition whose representatives are, by definition, anonymous.» — y la forma que su respuesta tendrá: no un nombre de autor sino una tradición cuyos representantes son anónimos por definición

«This perspective lies at the core of the Taoist portions of the Cantong qi, but invests the whole text and gives unity to its three main subjects. If this point is taken into account, it is evident that those who gave the Cantong qi its present shape could only be the nameless representatives of the Taoist traditions of Jiangnan, who had essential ties to the doctrines of the Daede jing and the» — la conclusión de Pregadio sobre quién dio forma al texto: solo los representantes sin nombre de las tradiciones taoístas de Jiangnan, ligadas al Daode jing y al Zhuangzi; la capa de texto imprime *Daede*

«Despite this, the Cantong gi draws some of its terminology from texts pertaining to Taoist meditation, and in particular from the “Inner” version of the Scripture of the Yellow Court (Huangting jing), a work belonging to the Shangqing revelations of 364~70.» — y la tensión que Pregadio no armoniza: pese a esa crítica, el texto toma parte de su terminología de escritos de meditación taoísta, en particular de la versión Interna del Libro de la Corte Amarilla, de las revelaciones Shangqing

«By “present form” I mean a shape substantially similar to the present one, with the likely exception of Book 3 which, as we shall see, is later than the other two Books. I do not mean, in any case, the redaction of the Cantong qi that is at the basis of the present translation.» — la nota en que Pregadio acota qué llama forma presente, con el Libro 3 aparte y sin confundirla con la redacción que traduce

«This survey has by no means answered all questions concerning the date of the Cantong qi: as we shall see, the different prosodic forms of the text, the tradition that it contains a “Canon” and a “Commentary,” and the virtually certain later date of Book 3 raise further issues.» — Pregadio declara lo que su repaso deja abierto: las formas prosódicas, la tradición del Canon y el Comentario, y la fecha posterior del Libro 3

«One or more texts entitled Cantong gi may have existed during the Han period, but if any such text did exist, it was certainly not the present one.» — el primer resultado de su indagación

«However, they were almost certainly composed, or at least completed (possibly on the basis of one or more Han-dynasty texts), after the end of the Han period by lineages that transmitted the “Studies of the Book of Changes” and the apocrypha in Jiangnan.» — el segundo: las porciones cosmológicas reflejan fondo Han pero se compusieron o completaron después del fin de esa dinastía, en los linajes de Jiangnan

«The alchemical portions also cannot date from the Han period. Their precise time of composition remains unknown; we do know that the Cantong qi, in one or another of its forms, was used in association with alchemy by the end of the fifth century, but its alchemical model began to affect the history of Chinese alchemy only from the seventh century for Waidan, and from the eighth century for Neidan.» — el tercero, con su límite dentro: las porciones alquímicas tampoco son Han, su fecha exacta se desconoce, y el modelo alquímico de la obra empieza a pesar en la historia de la alquimia china desde el siglo VII para el waidan y el VIII para el neidan

«As for the Taoist portions, it is virtually certain that they were not composed before the end of the fourth century.» — y el cuarto: las porciones taoístas no se compusieron antes del fin del siglo IV

«We may conclude, therefore, by saying that the Cantong qi was composed in different stages, perhaps from the Han period-onward, and did not reach a form substantially similar to the present one before ca. 450, and possibly one or even two centuries later.» — la conclusión de fecha: composición en etapas, sin forma parecida a la presente antes de hacia 450 y quizá uno o dos siglos después

«More important than any attempt to establish a precise date, however, is the fact that, in light of what we have seen, Wei Boyang is much more than a semi-legendary alchemist who lived in the mid-second century. Just like the Boyang who preceded him is for the Daode jing, Wei Boyang is the symbolic representative of a nameless “collective entity”: the tradition that integrated the different components of the Cantong qi with one another, and created with this work the main exposition of the Way of the Golden Elixir.» — lo que Pregadio pone por encima de la fecha: Wei Boyang como representante simbólico de una entidad colectiva sin nombre, la tradición que integró los componentes y creó con esta obra la exposición principal de la Vía del Elixir Dorado

«The textual form of the Cantong qi is defined by two main features: (1) In all redactions until the one produced by Chen Zhixu in ca. 1330, and in most of the later ones, the Cantong gi is divided into three main parts, or “Books” (pian). (2) The last part, or Book 3, contains three distinct compositions, which in certain redactions are followed by an additional» — Pregadio define la forma textual de la obra: división en tres Libros en todas las redacciones hasta la de Chen Zhixu y en la mayoría de las posteriores, y un Libro 3 con tres composiciones distintas

«Speculations about the authorship of the three main parts abound in both commentaries and modern studies, where they are variously attributed to Wei Boyang, Xu Congshi, or Chunyu Shutong, Whoever stands behind these names, it may be safely assumed that the text found in Books 1 and 2 (corresponding to sections 1-42 and 43-74 in the present translation) and the additional compositions found in Book 3 (sections 75—88) originated separately from one another.» — y lo que da por seguro pese a la disputa de autorías: los Libros 1 y 2 y las composiciones del Libro 3 nacieron por separado

«Except for a few passages in prose, Books 1 and 2 are made of rhymed verses in four or five characters. Sections written in either prosodic form follow one another without any order or regularity; the only noticeable feature in this regard is that the five-character verses prevail in Book 1, while Book 2 is almost entirely made of four-character verses.» — la descripción prosódica: versos rimados de cuatro o cinco caracteres, alternados sin orden, con predominio de los de cinco en el Libro 1 y de los de cuatro en el Libro 2

«Several commentators and scholars have suggested that the two meters are related to the tradition—developed on the basis of early accounts on the creation of the text—that the Cantong gi contains a main text, or “Canon” (“Jing”), and a “Commentary” (“Zhu”). There is no agreement, however, on which portions might constitute the “Canon” and the “Commentary.”» — la tradición que Pregadio consigna sin arbitrar: hay quien liga los dos metros a la idea de que la obra contiene un Canon y un Comentario, sin acuerdo sobre qué porciones serían cada cosa

«On the other hand, one of the most evident, but also most enigmatic, features of Books 1 and 2 is the fact that several sections written in different meters mirror one another.» — el rasgo que Pregadio tiene por más enigmático de los Libros 1 y 2: secciones escritas en metros distintos se reflejan unas a otras

«The first cycle is described once in four-character verses and once in five-character verses (sections 45 and 3, respectively); the second cycle also is described once in four-character verses and once in five-character verses (sections 49 and 13); but the third cycle is described only in four-character verses (section 51)» — el dato con que Pregadio arma su hipótesis del núcleo: dos de los tres ciclos cosmológicos se describen en los dos metros y el tercero solo en versos de cuatro caracteres

«Nevertheless, the mirrored sections suggest that, in addition to the separate composition of the portions on cosmology, Taoism, and alchemy, the individual sections that form Books 1 and 2 were written in different times.» — lo que Pregadio sostiene con más firmeza: las secciones de los Libros 1 y 2 se escribieron en tiempos distintos

«The representatives of the southern alchemical lineages created a new alchemical model that was directly based on the doctrines of the Book of Changes and its cosmology, and differed in this and other essential respects from the one documented by the earlier and contemporary» — la tesis de Pregadio sobre el origen del modelo alquímico de la obra: los linajes del sur crearon uno nuevo, fundado directamente en las doctrinas del Libro de los Cambios y en su cosmología, distinto en lo esencial del documentado por los textos anteriores; la frase sigue en la plana siguiente

«Waidan texts, and by the alchemical chapters in Ge Hong’s Baopu zi. As we learn from Jiang Yan’s poem, this process was essentially achieved by the end of the fifth century, when the Cantong qi was used in association with alchemy.» — y su fecha: según el poema de Jiang Yan, el proceso estaba cumplido a fines del siglo V, cuando la obra ya se usaba en relación con la alquimia

«We have no evidence that the alchemical portions of the text were already written at that time.» — con la reserva que Pregadio añade: no hay evidencia de que las porciones alquímicas estuvieran escritas ya entonces

«the same light, it is almost impossible to escape the assumption that Wei Boyang’s putative disciple “whose surname was Yu,” quite oddly mentioned in the Shenxian zhuan without his first name, is none other than Yu Fan, the cosmologist, who is now portrayed as a faithful follower of Wei Boyang, the alchemist» — la conjetura que Pregadio propone sin cerrarla: el discípulo *cuyo apellido era Yu*, nombrado en el Shenxian zhuan sin nombre de pila, sería Yu Fan el cosmólogo, retratado ahora como seguidor fiel del alquimista

«different parts of the Cantong qi, one hand—the anonymous, collective “hand” of the southern Taoist traditions—revised the text, probably after the end of the fourth century.» — el argumento de distribución con que Pregadio fecha una revisión: los términos compartidos con la meditación taoísta se reparten por igual entre las partes, señal de una sola mano colectiva y anónima posterior al fin del siglo IV

«Some of the main correspondences include those between sections 1 and 43, on the representation of change by trigrams and hexagrams; 3 and 45, on the sixty-hexagram cycle; 10 and 48, on the joining of the Sun and Moon;» — el censo de secciones espejadas que Pregadio levanta, por pares y por asunto: la representación del cambio por trigramas y hexagramas, el ciclo de los sesenta hexagramas y la conjunción del Sol y la Luna; la lista sigue en la plana siguiente

«13 and 49, on the cycle of trigrams; and 39-40 and 62, on the alchemical conjunction of Lead and Mercury.» — y su cierre: el ciclo de trigramas y la conjunción alquímica de Plomo y Mercurio

«In the extent to which the twelvehexagram cycle is integral to the doctrines of the Cantong qi, its description may be deemed to be part of the original core of the text; and as long as this assumption is correct, the original core would» — la hipótesis de Pregadio sobre el núcleo original, con su condición dentro (el troceo parte *twelve-hexagram* al fin de renglón y la herramienta lo devuelve pegado, *twelvehexagram*): en la medida en que el ciclo de doce hexagramas sea parte integral de la doctrina, su descripción puede tenerse por parte del núcleo; la frase sigue en la plana siguiente

«consist of the portions in four-character verses. Whether and how this may be related to the view that the Cantong gi includes a “Canon” and a “Commentary” remains unclear.» — y su conclusión provisional: el núcleo serían las porciones en versos de cuatro caracteres, sin que quede claro cómo se relaciona eso con la idea del Canon y el Comentario

«Book 3 contains three distinct additional compositions: ord (1) “Epilogue” (“Luanci,” sections 75~81), mostly written according to the saoti prosody, so called after the Lisao (Encountering Sorrow) piece in the Songs of Chu (Chuci).“ (2) “Song of the Tripod” (“Dingqi ge,” section 82), a poem in threecharacter verses, another prosodic form not found in the first two Books. (3) “Filling Lacunae” (“Busai yituo,” sections 83-88), consisting in a» — Pregadio describe las tres composiciones del Libro 3: el Epílogo en prosodia saoti, la Canción del Trípode en versos de tres caracteres y Llenando las Lagunas; el troceo parte *three-character* al fin de renglón y la herramienta lo devuelve pegado, *threecharacter*.

«Several commentators have suggested that either the whole Book 3, or only “Filling Lacunae,” corresponds to The Five Categories, the second work attributed to Wei Boyang in the Shenxian zhuan.» — la propuesta de varios comentaristas que Pregadio consigna: el Libro 3 entero, o solo Llenando las Lagunas, sería Las Cinco Categorías, la segunda obra que el Shenxian zhuan atribuye a Wei Boyang

«This section is entitled “Filling Lacunae” by Peng Xiao; “The Five Categories” (“Wu xianglei”) by Zhu Xi» — la nota con el censo de títulos que cada redactor da a esa sección final, sin armonizarlos

«Yu Yan does not refer to the “Postface” as consisting of “The Five Categories,” but of “The Three Categories” (“San xianglei”). In his view, this title refers to the three main subjects of the Cantong qi.» — la nota en que Pregadio consigna la lectura de Yu Yan: no Cinco sino Tres Categorías, título que él refiere a las tres materias de la obra

«Yu Yan also suggests that, as a title, “Three Categories” is synonymous with “Seal of the Unity of the Three”: can & corresponds to san = (both words mean “three”); tong 同 (“to join”) corresponds to xiang 相 (“reciprocal, mutual”); and qi #% (here understood as “token, tally”) corresponds to lei #8 (‘category,” but as a verb also meaning “to agree with, to match,” like the two parts of a tally» — y la equivalencia que Yu Yan propone entre los dos títulos, término por término: can por san, tong por xiang y qi por lei

«The best-known and most important composition of Book 3 is the “Song of the Tripod.” This poem can be read a synopsis of the alchemical content of the Cantong qi, but one detail shows that its views do not fully match those of Books 1 and 2.» — Pregadio adjudica a la Canción del Trípode el primer lugar dentro del Libro 3 y a la vez señala el detalle que la separa de los dos primeros

«Section 51 of the Cantong qi describes the cycle of the Sun during the year, saying that the Yang principle rises during the first six months, and declines during the last six months. This cycle, and its description, became the main models for the practice of the “fire times” (4uohou) in both Waidan and Neidan. According to the “Song,” instead, the fire should be strong at the beginning of the heating, mild at the middle, and then again strong at the end; these three stages respectively should last 70» — el cotejo con que Pregadio lo muestra: la sección 51 hace subir el Yang los primeros seis meses y decaer los últimos seis, modelo de los tiempos del fuego en waidan y neidan, mientras la Canción manda fuego fuerte al principio, suave en medio y fuerte otra vez al final

«With other details, this shows that the “Song” was composed separately from Books 1 and 2.» — y lo que Pregadio concluye de ahí

«In the early sixteenth century, a new version of the Cantong qi, anachronistically called Guwen cantong gi, or Ancient Text of the Cantong gi, was created on the basis of a complete rearrangement of the» — Pregadio fecha el Texto Antiguo a comienzos del siglo XVI y lo describe como una reordenación completa de la escritura, con nombre anacrónico

«This version divides the sections in verses of four characters from those in verses of five characters, following a suggestion that was first given by Yu Yan in 1284, Its origins can be traced back to Du Yicheng, who came from Suzhou (like Yu Yan) and wrote a now-lost commentary on it in 1517.» — y su principio de reordenación: separa las secciones en versos de cuatro caracteres de las de cinco, siguiendo una sugerencia de Yu Yan, con origen en Du Yicheng

«Several authors of commentaries to the standard version of the Cantong qi have regarded the Ancient Text as spurious, and similar criticism has also been voiced by Chinese scholars from the Qing period onward. This view has been partly influenced by the controversial personaliry of Yang Shen (1488-1559), who, about three decades after Du Yicheng, claimed to have found the Ancient Text in a stone casket, and published it under his own name.» — el desacuerdo que Pregadio consigna: varios comentaristas y los estudiosos Qing tienen el Texto Antiguo por espurio, en parte por la figura de Yang Shen, que dijo haberlo hallado en un cofre de piedra y lo publicó bajo su nombre

«In the arrangement of the Ancient Text, the four- and five-character verses are not reproduced in the same sequence as in the standard version; and in the new arrangement, the discourse of Cantong qi reveals a much clearer pattern.» — lo que Pregadio adjudica a esa ordenación: el discurso del Cantong qi revela un patrón mucho más claro

«The account of the composition of the Ancient Text includes all three authors traditionally deemed to have been involved in the creation of the standard version—and this is the main reason why several commentators, for whom Wei Boyang could only be the single author of the whole Cantong qi, rejected the Ancient Text» — la razón que Pregadio da del rechazo: el relato de composición del Texto Antiguo devuelve el papel a los tres autores tradicionales, y quienes solo aceptaban a Wei Boyang lo rechazaron por eso

«According to the new version, Wei Boyang wrote the “Canon” in verses of four characters; Xu Congshi (whom the Ancient Text exegetes regularly identify as Xu Jingxiu) contributed a “Commentary” in verses of five characters; and Chunyu Shutong added a final section, entitled “The Three Categories.”» — el reparto que el Texto Antiguo propone: Wei Boyang escribe el Canon en versos de cuatro caracteres, Xu Congshi el Comentario en versos de cinco, y Chunyu Shutong la sección final

«In the Ancient Text, both the “Canon” and the “Commentary” are divided into three chapters, respectively devoted to cosmology, Taoism, and alchemy.» — y su división interna: Canon y Comentario en tres capítulos cada uno, por materia

«Disagreeing with the view that “Canon” and “Commentary” are divided into three main parts respectively devoted to cosmology, Taoism, and alchemy, this commentator reads the whole Cantong qi as a Neidan text; and since the arrangement into three parts is irrelevant to his views, he merely subdivides both the “Canon” and the “Commentary” into 18 sections, essentially disrupting the very raison» — el caso de Qiu Zhao'ao, que Pregadio consigna como lectura contraria: lee la obra entera como texto de neidan y subdivide Canon y Comentario en dieciocho secciones cada uno

«On the other hand, the equally well-known commentary written by Liu Yiming in 1799 (entitled Cantong zhizhi, or Straightforward Directions on the Cantong qi) represents a major revision of the Ancient Text based on its own principles.» — y el caso opuesto, el comentario de Liu Yiming de 1799, revisión mayor del Texto Antiguo según principios propios

«Regardless of whether the Cantong qi actually does contain a “Canon” and a “Commentary,” Liu Yiming’s work is the one that best brings to light certain correspondences that exist among different portions of the Cantong qi, but are not easily discerned in the standard text.» — lo que Pregadio le reconoce, dejando la cuestión del Canon y el Comentario abierta

«At least thirty-eight traditional commentaries to the Cantong qi are extant, written between ca. 700 and the final years of the Qing dynasty. Different sources—~in particular, bibliographies and premodern library catalogues—yield information on about twice as many lost commentaries and closely related works» — Pregadio mide la tradición exegética conservada y la perdida: al menos treinta y ocho comentarios extantes entre hacia 700 y el final de los Qing, y noticia de cerca del doble de comentarios perdidos

«Zhouyi cantong qi zhu (Commentary to the Cantong qi). Anonymous, dating from ca. 700, containing the only surviving explication of the Cantong gi as a work concerned with Waidan. Only» — el primero de los comentarios del Canon taoísta: el anónimo de hacia 700, única explicación conservada de la obra como escrito de waidan

«Zhouyi cantong qi fenzhang tong zhenyi (True Meaning of the Cantong qi, with a Subdivision into Sections). Peng Xiao (?~955), dating from 947.» — el de Peng Xiao, fechado en 947, con su subdivisión en secciones

«Zhouyi cantong qi kaoyi (Investigation of Discrepancies in the Cantong qi). Zhu Xi (1130-1200), dating from 1197.» — el de Zhu Xi, fechado en 1197, dedicado a las discrepancias del texto

«Zhouyi cantong gi fabui (Elucidation of the Cantong qi). Yu Yan (1258-1314), dating from 1284.» — y el de Yu Yan, fechado en 1284

«The first two commentaries present a somewhat unrefined state of the text, not divided into sections, with several sentences not yet» — lo que Pregadio observa en los dos comentarios más antiguos: estado poco pulido del texto, sin división en secciones y con frases aún no regularizadas

«normalized into four- or five-character verses, and—a significant detail—with more explicit allusions to Waidan compared to the later redactions» — y el detalle que tiene por significativo: alusiones al waidan más explícitas que en las redacciones posteriores

«In the mid-tenth century, Peng Xiao revised the text and produced the version that is, directly or indirectly, at the basis of most later commentaries. His work, which is divided into 90 sections, has not reached us in its original form; there is clear evidence that it was altered in the early thirteenth century with the incorporation of several dozen readings drawn from Zhu Xi’s text.» — Pregadio describe la suerte del texto de Peng Xiao: base directa o indirecta de casi todos los comentarios posteriores, no conservado en su forma original y alterado a comienzos del siglo XIII con lecturas tomadas de Zhu Xi

«The first text to be based on a comparison of earlier editions was established by Zhu Xi, but his work was deprived of most of its critical notes by the mid-fourteenth century.» — y la del de Zhu Xi: primer texto fijado por cotejo de ediciones anteriores, despojado de casi todas sus notas críticas a mediados del siglo XIV

«Nevertheless, the prestige enjoyed by the Ancient Text within Ming, Qing, and present-day lineages of Neidan suggests that the verdict of nonauthenticity is inaccurate. Not only does the text, despite the different arrangement, include the whole Cantong gi, without any addition and with the omission of only a few verses» — la objeción de Pregadio al veredicto de falsedad: el prestigio del Texto Antiguo entre los linajes de neidan y el hecho de que incluya la obra entera sin añadidos y con la omisión de unos pocos versos; el troceo parte *non-authenticity* al fin de renglón y la herramienta lo devuelve pegado, *nonauthenticity*.

«knowledge of the standard version of the Cantong gi, and of its doctrinal principles, could have fabricated a work of this nature.» — y su segundo argumento: nadie sin conocimiento sólido de la versión estándar y de sus principios doctrinales habría podido fabricar una obra así; la frase arranca en la plana anterior

«This enables Liu Yiming to precisely point out for each portion of the “Commentary” a corresponding portion of the “Canon.”» — y lo que eso permite: señalar para cada tramo del Comentario su correspondiente en el Canon

«Yu Yan’s remarks on this subject are found at the very end of his commentary (Zhouyi cantong qi fabui, 9.19b-21a). He refers to this as a sudden realization that he had after he finished to write his work» — la nota en que Pregadio sitúa la observación de Yu Yan sobre los metros al final mismo de su comentario, como realización súbita posterior a terminarlo

«Suddenly one evening, while I was in complete quietude, I heard something like a whisper saying: “Wei Boyang wrote the Cantong qi, and Xu Congshi made a commentary. The sequence of the bamboo slips was disrupted; this is why the portions in four-character verses, those in five-character verses, and those in prose are in disorder.» — y el relato de Yu Yan que Pregadio traduce: en quietud completa oyó algo como un susurro que atribuía a Wei Boyang el Cantong qi y a Xu Congshi un comentario, y explicaba por el desorden de las tablillas de bambú la mezcla de metros y prosa

«mentary” are rearranged according to their subjects—cosmology, Taoism, and alchemy—in such a way that they follow corresponding sequences.» — cómo reordena Liu Yiming el Texto Antiguo: las porciones de Canon y Comentario se reordenan por materia hasta seguir secuencias correspondientes; la frase arranca en la plana anterior

«wish I could subdivide the text into three parts, respectively made of four-character verses, five-character verses, and prose, so that text and commentary are not confused, in order to facilitate the inquiries of future students. However, my book is complete, and I cannot change it.» — y el deseo con que Yu Yan cierra ese relato, con su límite dentro: dividir el texto en tres partes por metro y prosa para no confundir texto y comentario, pero su libro ya estaba completo y no podía cambiarlo

«Despite their criticism, the Ancient Text inspired the new, inventive formats of the standard version of the Cantong qi contained in the commentaries by Xu Wei (ca. 1570), Li Guangdi (ca. 1700}, and Li Shixu» — la nota en que Pregadio consigna la influencia del Texto Antiguo sobre comentarios que lo criticaban; el corte queda antes de la fecha de Li Shixu, que el impreso da como 1823

«Xi’s text, but eliminated many of the archaisms and the peculiar readings that had been introduced by Zhu Xi. Yu Yan’s learned commentary contains quotations from about one hundred different texts, and is accompanied by philological notes on variants found in earlier editions.» — Pregadio describe el trabajo de Yu Yan sobre el texto de Zhu Xi: eliminó arcaísmos y lecturas peculiares, citó cerca de cien textos distintos y acompañó su comentario de notas filológicas sobre variantes

«The Neidan commentary by Chen Zhixu (1290—ca. 1368) is entitled Zhouyi cantong qi zhujie (Commentary and Explication of the Cantong qi) and dates from ca. 1330.» — Pregadio fecha y nombra el comentario de neidan de Chen Zhixu, que es la base de su traducción

«Like Peng Xiao had done before him, Chen Zhixu proposes a new arrangement of the Cantong gi. In addition to the customary three Books, he subdivides the text into thirty-five chapters (zhang). His text is ultimately based on Peng Xiao’s redaction, but contains about four dozen readings that are not documented in earlier extant works.» — y describe su redacción: subdivide el texto en treinta y cinco capítulos además de los tres Libros, se funda en último término en Peng Xiao y trae unas cuatro docenas de lecturas sin documentar antes

«It became well know 一 albeit anonymously——to a large number of literati through its inclusion in the Han Wet congshu (Collected Works of the Han and the Wei Dynasties), a highly regarded and well-distributed compilation that contains the text found in Zhang Wenlong’s commentary of 1566, which is based in turn on Chen Zhixu’s redaction.» — cómo circuló ese texto entre los letrados, según Pregadio: anónimamente, dentro del Han Wei congshu, a través del comentario de Zhang Wenlong de 1566

«With the exception of Zhu Xi’s work, all extant commentaries to the Cantong gi written through the Yuan period (1279-1368) are related to the Taoist alchemical traditions.» — el censo que Pregadio hace de la exégesis hasta los Yuan: salvo la obra de Zhu Xi, toda ella ligada a las tradiciones alquímicas taoístas

«During the Ming (1368— 1644) and the Qing (1644-1912) dynasties, the Cantong qi continued to exert its prestige on Neidan, but its influence also extended to other fields. Zhu Xi’s commentary, in particular, inspired many literati to» — y el cambio posterior: en Ming y Qing la obra sigue pesando sobre el neidan pero su influencia se extiende a otros campos, con el comentario de Zhu Xi llevando a los letrados al texto

«These portions of the text could be read literally as advice given to the ruler, or metaforically as instructions addressed to the alchemist. It should not be forgotten, however, that in a work like the Cantong gi, the ruler in his relation to the kingdom is, in the first place, a subordinate counterpart of the sage in his relation to the whole of Being» — la doble lectura que Pregadio admite para esos pasajes, con su advertencia dentro: literal como consejo al soberano o metafórica como instrucción al alquimista, sin olvidar que el soberano es ante todo contraparte subordinada del sabio; la capa de texto imprime *metaforically*

«Ten commentaries to this version are extant, including those by Wang Jiachun (15912), Peng Haogu» — Pregadio cuenta diez comentarios conservados al Texto Antiguo, de autores afiliados a linajes distintos de neidan; el corte queda antes de las fechas que el impreso da a cada uno

«The main subjects of the cosmological portions of the Cantong qi are the following (references are to the numbers of sections): 1. Qian and Kun, Kan and Li: 1, 4-5, 43 2. Sun and Moon: 7, 8, 10, 48 3. Day (60 hexagrams): 3, 45 4. Month (8 trigrams): 13, 49» — el índice que Pregadio levanta de las materias cosmológicas por número de sección: Qian y Kun con Kan y Li, Sol y Luna, el día por los sesenta hexagramas y el mes por los ocho trigramas; la lista sigue en la plana siguiente con el año y el soberano

«Yu Fan describes this event saying that, during the night of the thirtieth day, the Moon “flows to wu J&,” the Yang celestial stem that is associated with Soil and the Center and represents the Moon’s own inner brilliance (True Yang within Yin). There the Moon joins with the Sun, whose inner light is represented by ji 已 , the Yin stem associated with Soil and the Center (True Yin within Yang)» — la descripción de Yu Fan que Pregadio reproduce: en la noche del día treinta la Luna fluye a wu, tallo celeste Yang de la Tierra y el Centro que representa su brillo interior, y allí se une al Sol, cuya luz interior representa ji

«Between the night of the month’s last day and the dawn of next month’s first day, the Moon flows to wu 成 , The center of the Sun is Li =; being an image of Li, the Sun accords with ji 已, Wu and ji are the positions of the agent Soil: their images appear in the» — y el pasaje mismo del comentario de Yu Fan que el volumen traduce; los caracteres chinos quedan dentro de las comillas tal como los rinde la capa de texto

«The four tools, as well as other implements that perform analogous functions (the level, the scale, and the weight) are mentioned together in several early Chinese texts belonging to different traditions or schools of thought. At the center of these descriptions is the king. In this context, the artisan’s tools refer to the principles that serve as a basis for governance; they signify, in particular, the laws and ordinances issued by the sage ruler in accordance with the patterns of Heaven and Earth, and the “rites” (Ji, ic, the fundamental social institutions and traditions), which should comply with the same» — Pregadio sitúa esas herramientas en la literatura china temprana: con el rey en el centro, valen por los principios del gobierno, las leyes y los ritos conformes a los patrones de Cielo y Tierra

«The most significant point to note is that these tools are often cited in the Zhuangzi, where their image, however, becomes unques» — el desacuerdo que Pregadio consigna sin armonizar: las mismas herramientas aparecen a menudo en el Zhuangzi, donde su imagen se vuelve negativa

«The potter says, “I’m good at handling clay! To round it, I apply the compass; to square it, | apply the square.” The carpenter says, “’m good at handling wood! To arc it, I apply the curve; to make it straight, I apply the marking-cord.” But as far as inborn nature is concerned, the clay and the wood surely have no wish to be subjected to compass and square, curve and plumb-line» — el pasaje del Zhuangzi que Pregadio traduce: alfarero y carpintero se jactan de compás, escuadra, curva y cordel, pero la naturaleza innata del barro y la madera no desea someterse a ellos

«These passages might appear to expose a major conflict between the views of the Zhuangzi and those of the Cantong qi, It is not difÏcult, however, to note that the artisan’s tools perform their essential functions in the context of the cosmological sciences (the art of government, the alchemical arts), which correspond to what the Cantong qi calls the way of “inferior virtue.” Both passages of the Zhuangzi quoted above contrast the use of those tools to the operation of non-doing (the shw tree, which preserves itself by its being “useless” and therefore “not used”) and to the cultivation of the “inborn nature,” which correspond to what the Cantong qi calls the way of “superior virtue.”» — cómo resuelve Pregadio ese choque aparente sin borrar ninguna de las dos voces: las herramientas del artesano cumplen su función en las ciencias cosmológicas, que son lo que el Cantong qi llama vía de la virtud inferior, y el Zhuangzi las contrapone al no obrar y al cultivo de la naturaleza innata, que es la vía de la virtud superior

«Third, and most important, the art of charioteering is a traditional analogy for the operation of the Taoist saint, as described, for example, in this passage of the Liezi» — el tercer contexto y, para Pregadio, el principal: el arte de conducir el carro como analogía tradicional de la operación del santo taoísta

«If you respond with the bridle to what you feel in the bit, with the hand to what you feel in the bridle, with the mind to what you feel in the hand, then you will see without eyes and urge without a goad; relaxed in mind and straight in posture, holding six bridles without confusing them, you will place the twenty-four hooves exactly where you want them, and swing around, advance and withdraw with perfect precision.» — el pasaje del Liezi que Pregadio reproduce: responder con la brida a lo que se siente en el bocado, con la mano a la brida y con la mente a la mano hasta ver sin ojos y azuzar sin aguijada

«The great man is tranquil and has no thoughts. Heaven is his canopy, Earth is his chariot, the four seasons are his steeds, and Yin and Yang are his charioteers. By riding the clouds and traveling in the mist, he is one with the creation and transformation of» — el pasaje del Huainan zi sobre el gran hombre que Pregadio da como unificación de los tres contextos: el Cielo por dosel, la Tierra por carro, las cuatro estaciones por corceles y el Yin y el Yang por aurigas

«The main subjects of the Taoist portions of the Cantong qi are the following: 1. Distinction between “superior virtue” and “inferior virtue”: 20-21 2. “Superior virtue”: 18-19, 58-60 3. “Inferior virtue”: 22~25 4, The origins of existence: 53-56 5. The natural course of things: 57 6. Criticism of other practices: 26-27» — el índice que Pregadio levanta de las materias taoístas por número de sección

«These verses are directly based on a passage of the Daode jing: Superior virtue has no doing: there is nothing whereby it does, Inferior virtue does: there is something whereby it does.» — y su fuente, que Pregadio reproduce: el pasaje 38 del Daode jing

«To explicate the way of superior virtue, Chen Zhixu refers to another well-known statement of the Daode jing, which describes the operation of non-doing saying: “Decrease and then again decrease until there is no doing: there is no doing, but nothing is not» — Pregadio expone por dónde entra Chen Zhixu a la virtud superior: por el pasaje 48 del Daode jing sobre decrecer hasta que no haya obrar

«Superior virtue refers to the one who embodies complete virtue, to the person for whom “nothing is not done.” ... This is the transformation operated by the saintly man who performs non-doing, the function of the great man who achieves non-doing. ...In superior virtue “there is no doing, but nothing is not done.” ... Therefore the Cantong gi says, “it does not use examining and seeking.”» — el comentario de Chen Zhixu que Pregadio traduce: la virtud superior es la del que encarna la virtud completa, la transformación que obra el santo que practica el no obrar

«According to Chen Zhixu, therefore, in the way of superior virtue the state prior to the separation of the One into the two is spontaneously attained. The distinction between “one” and “two” does not even arise, and the unity of the precelestial and the postcelestial domains is immediately realized. There is no need to seek the One Breath, and therefore no support (no “whereby,” yi 2A) is necessary to find it. Inferior virtue, instead, focuses on seeking; its unceasing search of the One Breath needs supports, and the postcelestial domain is “used” (yi 以 ) to find the precelestial state hidden within it.» — cómo lee Pregadio esa distinción en Chen Zhixu: en la virtud superior el estado anterior a la separación del Uno se alcanza espontáneamente y no hace falta soporte, mientras la inferior busca sin cesar el Soplo Uno y usa el dominio poscelestial para hallar el precelestial escondido en él

«The explanation given by Liu Yiming is analogous, but more elaborate. First, Liu Yiming says that, in the way of superior virtue, “one embraces the Origin and guards Unity, and performs the way of non-doing; thus one can exhaust all pursuits.” In the way of inferior virtue, instead, “one begins from effort and ends with stability, and performs the way of doing; then one is able to revert to the Origin.”» — la explicación de Liu Yiming que Pregadio reproduce: en la virtud superior se abraza el Origen y se guarda la Unidad practicando el no obrar; en la inferior se empieza por el esfuerzo y se acaba en la estabilidad practicando el obrar

«Laws and ordinances are the compass, the square, the marking-cord, and the plumb-line to administer the people. If the square is» — el pasaje del Guanzi que Pregadio reproduce: leyes y ordenanzas son compás, escuadra, cordel y plomada para administrar al pueblo; la frase sigue en la plana siguiente

«not aligned, it cannot make things squared; if the marking-cord is not reliable, it cannot make things straight. The laws are established jointly by the lord and his ministers; the power is held only by the ruler.» — y su cierre: las leyes las establecen juntos el señor y sus ministros, pero el poder lo tiene solo el gobernante

«The term “Huang-Lao” derives from the names of the Yellow Emperor (Huangdi) and Laozi. From a historical point of view, the contours of this branch of Taoism are not entirely clear; it seems to have been based on the teachings of the Daode jing combined with the techniques of the fangshi (the above-mentioned “masters of the methods”), and to have placed emphasis on the application of those teachings and techniques to the art of government.» — la nota en que Pregadio describe el Huang-Lao y consigna sus contornos históricos como no del todo claros: enseñanzas del Daode jing combinadas con las técnicas de los fangshi y aplicadas al arte de gobernar

«The Yellow Emperor, one of the mythical sovereigns and founders of the Chinese civilization, was the patron deity of the fangshi, an early recipient of alchemical revelations, and—most important—the model ruler who applies Laozi’s teachings to his governance.» — y el papel del Emperador Amarillo en ese cuadro: deidad patrona de los fangshi, receptor temprano de revelaciones alquímicas y soberano modelo que aplica las enseñanzas de Laozi a su gobierno

«Inferior virtue refers to the one who “steals the creation and transformation [of things],” to the person who “thieves the ten» — el comentario de Chen Zhixu sobre la virtud inferior que Pregadio traduce: la del que roba la creación y la transformación; la frase sigue en la plana siguiente

«thousand things.” ... This is the way of the saintly man who “is in accordance with his inner nature,” the function of the man of spirit who “does.” ...In inferior virtue there is doing and something whereby it does.... Therefore the Cantong qi says, “its operation does not rest.”» — y su cierre: la vía del santo que va conforme a su naturaleza interior, el hombre de espíritu que obra, donde hay obrar y algo por lo cual se obra

«The phrases “stealing the creation and transformation” and “thieving the ten thousand things” allude to the man who seeks and finds the secret of Nature, the One Breath underlying and giving birth to multiplicity, Both expressions derive from texts that played a major influence within the Neidan tradition. The Yinfu jing (Scripture of the Hidden Response) says: “Heaven and Earth are the thieves of the ten thousand things, the ten thousand things are the thieves of man, and man is the thief of the ten thousand things.”» — la nota en que Pregadio da la procedencia de esas dos expresiones y cita el Yinfu jing: Cielo y Tierra son los ladrones de las diez mil cosas, estas del hombre y el hombre de ellas

«Ruyao jing (Mirror for Compounding the Medicine) says: “Thieve Heaven and Earth, seize creation and transformation!” “Being in accordance with one’s inner nature” derives, instead, from the opening sentences of the Zhongyong (The Middle Course), a Confucian work sometimes quoted by Neidan authors: “What Heaven has conferred is the inner nature; being in accordance with inner nature is the Way; cultivating the Way is the teaching.”» — y el resto de esa nota: el Ruyao jing manda hurtar Cielo y Tierra, y la expresión sobre ir conforme a la naturaleza interior viene del Zhongyong, obra confuciana que los autores de neidan citan a veces

«The reason why superior virtue “does not use examining and seeking” is that in the person of superior virtue, Celestial Reality has never been damaged and extraneous breaths have never en» — la explicación de Liu Yiming que Pregadio traduce: en la persona de virtud superior la Realidad Celeste no ha sido dañada y no han entrado soplos extraños; la frase sigue en la plana siguiente

«tered. Since one immediately awakens to one’s fundamental nature, there is nothing to cultivate and nothing to verify. One goes directly to the “other shore” (bi'an, nirvana), and the function of examining and seeking does not operate.» — y su cierre: al despertar de inmediato a la propia naturaleza fundamental no hay nada que cultivar ni que verificar, y la función de examinar y buscar no opera

«The reason why the operation of inferior virtue “does not rest” is that Celestial Reality is lacking, and cognition has begun. Although one could immediately awaken to one’s fundamental nature, one cannot follow it as it is. One must use the way of gradual cultivation and the function of “augmenting and decreasing”: by augmenting and then again augmenting, by decreasing and then again decreasing, one comes to what cannot be augmented or decreased. When Righteousness is pure and Humanity is ripe, one reaches the point of cessation. This is why the unceasing use [of inferior virtue] is valuable.» — y la contraparte, con su condición dentro: falta la Realidad Celeste y ha empezado la cognición, de modo que hay que usar el cultivo gradual, aumentando y decreciendo hasta lo que ya no se puede aumentar ni decrecer

«In its literal meaning, “augmenting and decreasing” (zengjian) is a Neidan term that refers to “augmenting Mercury” and “decreasing Lead” when, after the Elixir has been compounded, one should terminate “doing” and enter the state of “non-doing.” At that time, Lead, which represents the One Breath—and the very search of the One Breath—decreases, and Mercury, which represents one’s own fundamentally pure consciousness, free from any flaws, increases.» — Pregadio da el sentido literal del término en el neidan: aumentar el Mercurio y decrecer el Plomo una vez compuesto el Elixir, cuando el Plomo que representa el Soplo Uno y su búsqueda decrece y el Mercurio que representa la consciencia propia sin tacha crece

«Despite the significant differences between superior and inferior virtue, Liu Yiming emphasizes that the two paths lead to same goal: Superior virtue and inferior virtue are different and are not the same. Therefore their uses are dissimilar. However, when inferior virtue comes to the state in which Righteousness is pure and Humanity is ripe, it leads to the same goal as superior virtue.» — el punto en que Liu Yiming junta las dos vías pese a sus diferencias: cuando la virtud inferior llega al estado en que la Rectitud es pura y la Humanidad está madura, lleva a la misma meta

«“Righteousness is pure and Humanity is ripe” is a Neo-Confucian expression. To understand the use that Liu Yiming makes of this expression, it should be remembered that the Daode jing passage (section 38) quoted above continues by describing the rise of Humanity (ren) and Righteousness (7 一 the two main “Confucian” virtues—as due to the loss of the Dao and of “superior virtue.” “Righteousness is pure and Humanity is ripe” describes, in Liu Yiming’s usage, the state in which these virtues return to their perfect condition, so that they also become expressions of “superior virtue.”» — la nota en que Pregadio explica esa expresión neoconfuciana por el mismo pasaje 38 del Daode jing, donde Humanidad y Rectitud surgen por la pérdida del Dao

«In other words, as Liu Yiming points out, the way of “inferior virtue” is the way of alchemy. Performing a practice—either “internal” or “external”-——is a form of “doing”: the alchemical process is conducted in order to (yi 以 ) attain the realized state; its purpose is to prepare one to enter the state of “non doing,” and is fulfilled only when this happens.» — la consecuencia que Pregadio saca de la lectura de Liu Yiming: la vía de la virtud inferior es la vía de la alquimia, y practicar —interna o externamente— es una forma de obrar cuyo fin es preparar para entrar en el no obrar

«This process— which is gradual, and differs in this respect from immediate realization, the prerogative of superior virtue—is at the core of alchemy, in all of its forms.» — y lo que ese proceso tiene de propio: es gradual, a diferencia de la realización inmediata que es prerrogativa de la virtud superior, y está en el núcleo de la alquimia en todas sus formas

«At the same time, the distinction between “superior virtue” and “inferior virtue” refers to the difference between the doctrine and its application to a particular cosmological science—in this case, alchemy.“ This distinction is analogous to the one made in the Western esoteric tradition between the “great mysteries” and the “small mysteries.”» — la analogía que Pregadio propone, y es suya: la distinción entre virtud superior e inferior equivale a la que la tradición esotérica occidental hace entre grandes y pequeños misterios

«The three main cosmological sciences in the Chinese tradition are the “art of government,” which seeks the balance of Heaven, Earth, and Man, in order to guarantee their conformity and alignment to the Dao; ritual, which is performed for larger or smaller communities, in order to renew their “alliance with the Dao”; and alchemy, which is performed by the individual in order to “return to the Dao,” The first of these sciences is discussed in the Daode jing itself; the second and the third ones were developed within the Taoist tradi» — la nota en que Pregadio enumera las tres ciencias cosmológicas chinas y su fin declarado: el arte de gobernar busca el equilibrio de Cielo, Tierra y Hombre; el ritual renueva la alianza de la comunidad con el Dao; la alquimia la ejerce el individuo para retornar al Dao

«SufÏce it to remark that its descriptions in the Cantong qi are based on passages of the Daode jing and the Zhuangzi, the two main texts that define the state of complete realization according to the principles and the discourse of Taoism (see especially the notes to section 18).» — y de dónde salen sus descripciones, según Pregadio: de pasajes del Daode jing y el Zhuangzi

«As much care as possible should be taken to avoid reading these portions of the Cantong gi as descriptions of “alchemical” or other practices. This applies, for example, to section 60, which is concerned with the breathing of the realized person.» — la advertencia de método que Pregadio da al lector: no leer esas porciones como descripciones de prácticas alquímicas o de otro tipo

«Just like the True Man in the Zhuangzi, who “breathes through his heels,” the form of breathing described in the Cantong qi occurs spontaneously to those who operate in the world taking the Dao as their model.» — cómo lo lee Pregadio: como el Hombre Verdadero del Zhuangzi que respira por los talones, esa respiración ocurre espontáneamente a quienes obran en el mundo tomando el Dao por modelo

«The Cantong qi follows here a trend that had begun in earlier Taoist works, the first of which is the Zhuangzi with its disapproval of breathing methods and daoyin (“guiding and pulling,” a practice based on sets of bodily postures).» — y el linaje de esa crítica: una corriente que empieza en el Zhuangzi con su desaprobación de los métodos de respiración y del daoyin

«For its own nature, the alchemical language lends itself to two main functions. The first is the description of alchemical ideas and practices in the strict sense. The second is the illustration of metaphysical and cosmological doctrines, many of whose features can be expressed by means of alchemical symbolism and vocabulary» — Pregadio distingue las dos funciones del lenguaje alquímico: describir ideas y prácticas en sentido estricto, e ilustrar doctrinas metafísicas y cosmológicas

«To give one example, Awakening to Reality (Wuzhen pian), the text at the basis of several Neidan traditions, states: “It begins with doing, and hardly can one see a thing, / when it comes to non-doing, all begin to understand. / But if you only see non-doing as the essential marvel, / how can you know that doing is the foundation?» — la nota en que Pregadio cita el Wuzhen pian, base de varias tradiciones de neidan, sobre la relación entre obrar y no obrar

«To tentatively illustrate the meaning of “its operation does not rest” with regard to inferior virtue, it consists in the way of revert» — el cierre de Liu Yiming sobre la operación que no reposa; una nota al pie corta la frase, que sigue en la plana siguiente

«to the state prior to Heaven within the state posterior to Heaven. Reverting to the state prior to Heaven within the state posterior to Heaven is the way of “knowing the white and keeping to the black.”» — y su contenido: revertir al estado anterior al Cielo dentro del posterior al Cielo, que es la vía de conocer lo blanco y guardar lo negro

«To give one example, the alchemical term “true lead” denotes refined lead, but connotes the principle of True Yang. “True Lead” thus becomes another name of True Yang, and in this function refers not only to refined lead, but also to other instances of the same principle.» — el ejemplo con que Pregadio muestra el doble registro del lenguaje alquímico: *plomo verdadero* denota plomo refinado y connota el principio del Yang Verdadero, con lo que pasa a nombrar el principio y no solo el metal

«It is essentially for this reason that, although the alchemical portions of the Cantong qi refer to Waidan methods, they can be read as descriptions of Neidan practices. This possibility is not only entirely coherent with the nature of the alchemical language, but is also implied in it: the alchemical language is based on the notion of analogy.» — de ahí saca Pregadio por qué las porciones alquímicas, que remiten a métodos waidan, pueden leerse como descripciones de neidan: el lenguaje alquímico se funda en la analogía

«Although this should be sufÏciently clear, it may be useful to add that Neidan is by no means equivalent to the “symbolic” aspects of Taoist alchemy: as a practice, its position compared to the plane of the doctrines is largely equivalent to the position of Waidan. The doctrines of the Cantong qi, in other words, do not belong to either Waidan or Neidan: they pertain to both.» — y la reserva que añade: el neidan no equivale a lo simbólico de la alquimia taoísta, porque como práctica está ante la doctrina en la misma posición que el waidan, y las doctrinas del poema no pertenecen a uno ni a otro sino a los dos

«Under this light, it seems clear that the Cantong qi provides an alchemical model that can be applied to both Waidan and Neidan; but it uses the language of Waidan to describe the compounding of the Elixir for the simple reason that Waidan was the form in which alchemy existed when the text was composed.» — la lectura de Pregadio sobre el uso del lenguaje: la obra da un modelo aplicable a waidan y neidan, y usa el habla del waidan porque esa era la forma en que la alquimia existía cuando se compuso

«In other words, it is not the task of the Cantong qi to describe Neidan under the guise of Waidan. Leaving aside the historical questions that it would raise, this view would be reductive for a work of this scope.» — y lo que niega con eso: que la tarea del Cantong qi sea describir el neidan bajo apariencia de waidan, lectura que tiene por reductiva

«The main subjects dealt with in the alchemical portions of the Cantong qi are the following: 1. Lead and Mercury: 28-29, 68 2. Description of the method: 39-40, 62, 78 3. The five agents and the Elixir: 32-33, 41, 63, 72, 79 4. The principle of “belonging to the same kind”: 34-35, 69, 74, 80 5. The principle of “inversion”: 64, 73 6. The tripod: 82 7. Erroneous alchemical methods: 36, 65» — el índice que Pregadio levanta de las materias alquímicas por número de sección: Plomo y Mercurio, el método, los cinco agentes y el Elixir, el principio del mismo género, el de inversión, el trípode y los métodos erróneos

«Within this ritual framework, the cosmological and alchemical model used in the Cantong qi plays no role. Not only are the emblems of the Book of Changes, which represent sequences of cosmological configurations and become fundamental in the later tradition, entirely ignored; but more importantly, no attempt is made to reproduce those sequences by means of the elixir ingredients.» — y el cotejo del que saca su tesis: en ese marco ritual el modelo del Cantong qi no juega papel alguno, los emblemas del Libro de los Cambios se ignoran del todo y no se intenta reproducir sus secuencias con los ingredientes

«In this respect, one of the most relevant features of the Taiqing and other early alchemical texts is the subordinate role attributed to lead and mercury, which are never used together as the only ingredients of any elixir. A lead-mercury coitipound is sometimes used as the lower and higher layers in the tripod, with the main ingredients of the elixirs; its function is to symbolically incorporate Heaven and Earth into the vessel. The compound, however, is not an elixir in itself.» — el rasgo que Pregadio destaca de esos textos tempranos: plomo y mercurio tienen papel subordinado y nunca se usan juntos como únicos ingredientes; el compuesto sirve como capas del trípode para incorporar simbólicamente Cielo y Tierra, pero no es elixir

«The Cantong qi, instead, proposes a model of alchemical doctrine and practice in which the two metals are given prominence. This model came to influence virtually the entire later history of Chinese» — y el contraste: la obra propone un modelo donde los dos metales tienen la primacía, y ese modelo pasó a pesar sobre casi toda la historia posterior de la alquimia china

«True Yin is also called “Yin within Yang,” and True Yang, “Yang within Yin.” Kan == and Li 生 are equivalent to the black and white halves of the well-known Yin-Yang emblem: the black half contains a white dot (equal to the inner line within Kan 32, “Yang within Yin”), and the white half contains a black dot (equal to the inner line within Li 52, “Yin within Yang”» — la nota en que Pregadio empareja Kan y Li con las mitades negra y blanca del emblema del Yin y el Yang, cada una con el punto del color contrario

«The first identifiable tradition in the history of Chinese alchemy, known as Taiqing (Great Clarity), developed between the third and the sixth centuries in Jiangnan, not far from Wei Boyang’s putative birthplace. In this tradition, compounding the elixirs constitutes the central part of a larger process that consists of several stages, each of which is marked by the performance of rites.» — Pregadio sitúa la tradición Taiqing, primera identificable de la alquimia china: entre los siglos III y VI en Jiangnan, no lejos del lugar de nacimiento que se atribuye a Wei Boyang, con la composición de elixires dentro de un proceso de varias etapas marcadas por ritos

«Receiving the scriptures and the oral instructions, building the laboratory, kindling the fire, and ingesting the elixirs require offering pledges to one’s master and to the gods, observing rules on seclusion and purification, performing ceremonies to delimit and protect the ritual area, and making invocations to the highest deities asking that they favor the success of the alchemical work.» — y en qué consisten esos ritos: prendas al maestro y a los dioses, reglas de reclusión y purificación, ceremonias para delimitar y proteger el área e invocaciones a las deidades más altas

«extracting True Lead from “black lead” and True Mercury from cinnabar, and in joining them to one another.» — en qué consiste la alquimia en sentido estricto, según Pregadio: extraer el Plomo Verdadero del plomo negro y el Mercurio Verdadero del cinabrio, y unirlos; la frase arranca en la plana anterior

«Whether the Cantong qi is read as the first Neidan text or as the text that gave rise to Neidan, it played a pivotal function in the shift from “external” to “internal” alchemical practices.» — Pregadio declara la función que adjudica a la obra con independencia de cómo se la lea: el papel de eje en el paso de las prácticas externas a las internas

«This shift, which occurred during the Tang period (seventh-ninth centuries), has sometimes been understood as a transposition of “external” practices to an inner plane, and has often been described as owed to the increase of cases of elixir poisoning (which even affected the Tang imperial court: at least two Tang emperors died after they ingested an elixir).» — y la explicación corriente de ese paso que consigna: transposición de las prácticas externas a un plano interior, atribuida al aumento de envenenamientos por elixir, que alcanzó a la corte Tang

«The influence of these practices in the transition from Waidan to Neidan has been noted by several scholars, who in this context have emphasized the important role played by the Shangqing (Highest Clarity) tradition of Taoism, where meditation is the main form of practice. In this respect, however, Shangging did not innovate, but rather developed and re-codified earlier traditions.» — Pregadio consigna el papel que varios estudiosos dan a la tradición Shangqing en ese paso, con su matiz: allí la meditación es la práctica principal, pero Shangqing no innovó sino que desarrolló y recodificó tradiciones anteriores

«In fact, the first clear instances of the use of images and. vocabulary that would later be inherited by Neidan are found in the two main early texts on Taoist meditation, the Central Scripture of Laozi (Laozi zhongjing) arid the Scripture of the Yellow Court (Huangting jing). Both works are concerned with meditation on the inner gods, and both antedate the Shangding revelations of 364-70 by about one and half centuries.» — y dónde sitúa él los primeros casos claros del vocabulario que el neidan heredaría: en el Libro Central de Laozi y el Libro de la Corte Amarilla, anteriores en siglo y medio a las revelaciones Shangqing

«The images of the “embryo” and the “infant” found in these works are the direct precursors of the “embryo” and the “infant” that Neidan adepts generate and nourish by means of their practices.» — y la filiación que traza: el embrión y el infante de esos textos son precursores directos de los que el neidan genera y nutre

«In the Central Scripture, the Red Child (Chizi) is the innermost deity of the human being, and is said to represents one’s own “true self” (zhenwu)» — Pregadio presenta al Niño Rojo del Libro Central como deidad más interior del ser humano y como el sí mismo verdadero

«He resides exactly in the ducts of the stomach. He sits facing due south on a couch of jade and pearls, and a flowery canopy of yellow clouds covers him. He is clothed in garments with pearls of five hues. His mother resides above on his right, embracing and nourishing him, and his father resides above on his left, instructing and defending him....He feeds on the Yellow Essence and the Red Breath, drinking and ingesting the Fount of Nectar.» — el pasaje del Laozi zhongjing que Pregadio traduce: el Niño Rojo sentado mirando al sur, con la madre a su derecha y el padre a su izquierda, alimentándose de la Esencia Amarilla y el Soplo Rojo

«To ensure that this and the other inner gods are maintained in their residences, adepts should provide nourishment to them and their dwellings. Accordingly, meditation practices involve the visualization of nutritive essences and breaths delivered to the gods that inhabit one’s body. In particular, as shown by the passage just quoted, the Central Scripture instructs adepts to circulate a “yellow essence” (huangjing) and a “red breath” (chigi) within their bodies, which respectively represent the Moon and the Sun.» — cómo funcionan esas prácticas, según Pregadio: los adeptos alimentan a los dioses interiores y sus moradas visualizando esencias y soplos, en particular una esencia amarilla y un soplo rojo que valen por la Luna y el Sol

«Constantly think that below your nipples are the Sun and the Moon. Within the Sun and the Moon are a Yellow Essence and a Red Breath that enter the Crimson Palace (the heart), Then again they enter the Yellow Court (the spleen) and the Purple Chamber (the gallbladder). [Finally] the Yellow Essence and the Red Breath thoroughly fill the Great Granary (the stomach). The Red Child is within the ducts of the stomach.» — el segundo pasaje del Libro Central que Pregadio traduce, con el recorrido de la Esencia Amarilla y el Soplo Rojo por el Palacio Carmesí, la Corte Amarilla, la Cámara Púrpura y el Gran Granero

«The heart is the Sun, the kidneys are the Moon, the spleen is the Dipper. The breath of the heart descends, the breath of the kidneys rises. They join and become one, and are unceasingly distributed to the four limbs.» — y el tercero, donde la correspondencia se vuelve explícita: el corazón es el Sol, los riñones la Luna, el bazo la Osa; los soplos bajan y suben, se juntan y se hacen uno

«An analogous practice is performed by Neidan adepts when they join the Fire of the heart and the Water of the kidneys with one another.» — y la práctica de neidan que Pregadio le empareja: juntar el Fuego del corazón y el Agua de los riñones

«First, besides the inner essences and breaths, another source of nourishment of the gods is the practitioner’s own salivary juices. These juices have the function of “irrigating” (gwan) the inner organs in which the gods reside. In addition to Fount of Nectar (liguan), mentioned in the first passage quoted above, the Central Scripture and the Yellow Court define the salivary juices with terms derived from Waidan or having alchemical connotations, including Mysterious Pearl (xuanzhu), Jade Sap (yujiang), Jade Blossom (yeying), Jade Pond (yuchi), Jade Liquor (yuye), Golden Nectar (jinli), and even Golden Liquor (jinye).» — el segundo rasgo que Pregadio señala en el Libro Central: los jugos salivales como alimento de los dioses, nombrados con términos tomados del waidan o de connotación alquímica, de Perla Misteriosa a Licor de Oro

«By coagulating the essence and nurturing the womb, you will generate a living being (shen); preserve the embryo, stop the flow of the essence, and you will live a long life.» — el pasaje del Libro de la Corte Amarilla que Pregadio traduce, con la mención del embrión interior

«Whereas this example is isolated in the Yellow Court, the creation of an immortal body, or an immortal self, by means of a return to a selfgenerated inner embryo is repeatedly mentioned in the Shangqing» — Pregadio acota el alcance de ese caso: aislado en la Corte Amarilla, y en cambio repetido en las fuentes Shangqing; el troceo parte *self-generated* al fin de renglón y la herramienta lo devuelve pegado, *selfgenerated*.

«With a remarkable use of alchemical imagery, one of these sources applies a classical Waidan term, Nine Elixirs (jiudan), to the breaths of the Nine Heavens received by the human being during its embryonic development.» — y el uso alquímico que una de esas fuentes hace: aplicar el término waidan de los Nueve Elixires a los soplos de los Nueve Cielos recibidos durante el desarrollo embrionario

«In the Shangqing view, however, gestation also accounts for the creation of “knots” and “nodes” that serve to support the five viscera, but ultimately are responsible for one’s death. To “untie the knots” (jiejie), an adept is instructed to re-experience his embryonic development in meditation. Beginning on the anniversary of his conception, he receives again the Nine Elixirs from month to month, and each time, one of his inner organs is turned into gold or jade.» — la contraparte de esa visión, que Pregadio consigna sin suavizar: la gestación crea también nudos responsables de la muerte, y para desatarlos el adepto revive en meditación su desarrollo embrionario, volviendo de oro o jade un órgano cada mes

«These examples, chosen among several others, show that certain fundamental ideas, images, and practices that characterize Neidan existed several centuries before the beginning of its documented history» — lo que Pregadio saca de esos ejemplos: ideas, imágenes y prácticas propias del neidan existían siglos antes de su historia documentada

«One essential feature of the Neidan practice, however, is missing in the Central Scripture and the Yellow: Court: the use of a cosmology that serves to explain the generative process of the cosmos from the Dao, and to frame a practice that reverses that process and leads to the generation of the Elixir or the “embryo.”» — y lo que sin embargo falta en esos textos: una cosmología que explique la generación del cosmos desde el Dao y enmarque una práctica que la invierta

«Although lead and mercury are the two emblematic substances at the heart of the Cantong qi, they are not the only pair of ingredients employed in Chinese alchemy, Another major representation, typical of Waidan, is centered on cinnabar and mercury.» — por qué ese detalle importa: la pareja de plomo y mercurio no es la única de la alquimia china, y la otra representación mayor, típica del waidan, se centra en cinabrio y mercurio

«In some respects, the two pairs of substances perform analogous functions. The cyclical extraction of mercury (Yin) from cinnabar (Yang) and its addition to sulphur (Yang), which is typically repeated nine times, yields an essence that is deemed to represent Pure Yang (chunyang). The conjunction of True Mercury (Yin) and True Lead (Yang) produces an Elixir endowed with the same properties: Pure Yang denotes the state prior to the separation of the One into the Two.» — y en qué se parecen los dos procesos: la extracción cíclica del mercurio del cinabrio y su adición al azufre, repetida nueve veces, da una esencia tenida por Yang Puro, y la conjunción de Mercurio y Plomo Verdaderos da un Elixir con las mismas propiedades

«The analogies between these two processes should not conceal a key event in the development of alchemy in China. From the early Tang period (seventh/eighth centuries) onward, lead and mercury become the main substances in Waidan, both as ingredients of the Elixir and as emblems of cosmological principles.» — el hecho que Pregadio no quiere que esa analogía tape: desde comienzos de los Tang, plomo y mercurio pasan a ser las sustancias principales del waidan, como ingredientes y como emblemas

«Several Tang-dynasty works provide evidence of this shift through their advocacy of lead and mercury and their explicit rejection of cinnabar, with the usual rationale that Yang (cinnabar) alone cannot produce the Elixir.» — y la prueba documental: obras Tang que abogan por plomo y mercurio y rechazan el cinabrio, con el argumento de que el Yang solo no puede producir el Elixir

«Leaving aside the fact that, according to this view, Chinese alchemists would have needed several centuries to become aware that many of their ingredients were deadly, there are clear indications that the transition from Waidan to Neidan was a much more complex phenomenon.» — la objeción de Pregadio a la explicación corriente del paso del waidan al neidan: supondría que los alquimistas chinos tardaron siglos en advertir que muchos ingredientes eran mortales, y hay indicios claros de que el fenómeno fue más complejo

«Second, the meditation practices of the Central Scripture include invocations addressed to the inner gods, in which the practitioner asks the gods to dispense him an elixir. If the term “internal elixir” was not already charged with other meanings, it could be an appropriate definition for the nourishment that the inner gods are invited to provide.» — el otro rasgo que Pregadio señala en el Libro Central, con su reserva dentro: las invocaciones en que el practicante pide a los dioses interiores que le dispensen un elixir, alimento que él llamaría elixir interno si el término no estuviera ya cargado de otros sentidos

«In the remaining three months, he visualizes the Original Father within his upper Cinnabar Field, and the Original Mother within his lower Cinnabar» — el cierre de esa práctica Shangqing: el Padre Original en el Campo de Cinabrio superior y la Madre Original en el inferior; la frase sigue en la plana siguiente, donde los dos soplos se juntan en el campo medio y generan un infante inmortal

«In the new, ultimately successful model, cinnabar is retained only as the substance that incorporates True Mercury, or as an emblem of Yang containing True Yin. The corresponding ingredient that represents Yin containing True Yang is native lead, which holds True Lead.» — el reparto de papeles en el modelo que se impuso: el cinabrio queda solo como sustancia que incorpora el Mercurio Verdadero, y el plomo nativo como la que contiene el Plomo Verdadero

«These works document the stage in the history of Chinese alchemy in which an earlier dominant model, based on the extraction of mercury from cinnabar, was being replaced with a new model based on the conjunction of lead and mercury——the model described in the Cantong qi.» — lo que esas obras documentan, según Pregadio: la sustitución del modelo de extracción del mercurio del cinabrio por el de la conjunción de plomo y mercurio, que es el del Cantong qi

«The shift was crucial in the history of Chinese alchemy for two reasons. First, the Waidan alchemists began to use a symbolic system that affords a clear way to describe a metaphysics (the non-duality of Dao and cosmos), a cosmogony (the birth of the cosmos from the Dao), and a cosmology (the functioning of the cosmos as the operation of the Absolute in the relative) by means of Yin and Yang, the five agents, the trigrams and hexagrams of the Book of Changes, and other sets of emblems.» — la primera de las dos razones que da: los alquimistas del waidan pasaron a usar un sistema simbólico que permite describir una metafísica, una cosmogonía y una cosmología con el Yin y el Yang, los cinco agentes y los emblemas del Libro de los Cambios

«Correlating the Waidan process to this system was impossible for methods based on cinnabar and mercury (let alone for those based on other ingredients» — y por qué ese sistema excluía a los otros métodos: correlacionar con él un proceso basado en cinabrio y mercurio era imposible

«Second, the adoption of this system paved the way for the emergence of Neidan, which adopts the same views, and emphasizes their relevance to the human being.» — la segunda razón: la adopción de ese sistema abrió el paso al neidan, que asume las mismas ideas y subraya su pertinencia para el ser humano

«True Lead and True Mercury are retained as emblems of True Yang and True Yin, respectively, but become purely symbolic terms thar define the prime constituents—both physical and non-physical— of the human being at the basis of the Neidan practices.» — y lo que cambia en el neidan: Plomo y Mercurio Verdaderos se conservan como emblemas pero se vuelven términos puramente simbólicos que definen los constituyentes primeros, físicos y no físicos, del ser humano

«But although the Cantong qi allusively describes a Waidan process (sections 39-40, 62, 78) and clarifies many of its facets (22-25, 32-35, 41, 63-64, etc.), the task of providing details on the alchemical practices is left to commentaries and other works, which focus on the application of its doctrines to the compounding of the External or the Internal Elixir.» — el reparto de tareas que Pregadio observa: la obra describe alusivamente un proceso waidan y aclara muchas de sus facetas, pero el detalle de la práctica queda a los comentarios y a otras obras

«It is important to note that, with regard to this point, the same process invests both the earlier Waidan traditions and the meditation practices: the gods who were addressed by means of invocations and pleaded to favor the compounding of the elixirs—or to provide an elixir “internally” to the practitioner of meditation—play no role in the Waidan and Neidan traditions based on the Cantong qi.» — y su alcance: los dioses que se invocaban para favorecer la composición de los elixires o para dar un elixir interno al meditante no juegan papel en las tradiciones fundadas en esta obra

«This does not mean that the ritual features of the external or the internal practices are entirely removed: as a practice, alchemy itself is a “cosmological ritual.” In their intermediary function between the domains of Formlessness and form, however, the deities of the external and the internal pantheons are replaced by other images: the emblems of cosmology and the alchemical symbols proper.» — la reserva con que Pregadio lo acota: los rasgos rituales no desaparecen —la alquimia misma es un ritual cosmológico—, pero en su función intermediaria las deidades quedan sustituidas por los emblemas de la cosmología y los símbolos alquímicos

«With the changes mentioned above, the whole outlook is transformed. The shift from Waidan to Neidan occurs first at the doctrinal level; the new practices result from the grafting of earlier methods onto a different doctrine. The change‘is first clearly visible in Waidan, where the conversion of earlier practices to different doctrinal foundations resulted in a new way of compounding the Elixir. With another analogous, decisive shift, the earlier meditation methods were re» — la tesis de Pregadio sobre el orden del cambio: el paso del waidan al neidan ocurre primero en el plano doctrinal, y las prácticas nuevas resultan de injertar métodos antiguos en otra doctrina

«In other words, the same unchangeable doctrine inspired changes within both “external” and “internal” forms of practice. The Cantong gi expounds this doctrine.» — y su formulación final: una misma doctrina inalterable inspiró cambios en las dos formas de práctica, y el Cantong qi es la exposición de esa doctrina

«All terms mentioned above (cha #, kao %, tan #R, ji #8, xun B, shen 32, cun St, du EE, si 思 , li B, tui 推 , kui BS) are found in different sections the Cantong qi.» — la nota en que Pregadio lista los términos chinos de ese vocabulario, tal como el troceo los rinde

«This translation is based on the text found in Chen Zhixu’s Zhouyi cantong qi zbujie (Commentary and Explication of the Cantong qi), composed in ca. 1330.» — Pregadio declara al abrir la traducción cuál es su texto base

«At an early stage of my work, I have subdivided the text into sections. These subdivisions are based on the following criteria, listed in order of importance: (a) Changes in the number of characters in rhymed lines; (b) Major changes of rhyme patterns; (c) Major changes of subject matter, Beyond these criteria, I have not followed any particular model to determine the extent of each section.» — y declara que la división en secciones es suya, con sus tres criterios en orden de importancia: cambios en el número de caracteres de los versos rimados, cambios mayores de rima y cambios mayores de asunto

«For ease of reference, and in order to provide a pointer to their main subjects, I have assigned titles to the individual sections. (Sec tions dealing with the same subjects bear identical titles.) These titles are not found in Chen Zhixu’s text, and neither correspond to, nor are inspired by, those found in the other redactions of the Cantong qi that I have seen.» — el dato que decide cómo se citan las secciones en esta ficha: los títulos de sección son de Pregadio, no están en el texto de Chen Zhixu y no corresponden a los de ninguna otra redacción que él haya visto

«Verses are numbered consecutively within each section. A reference given in the form “24:11” means “section 24, verse 11.» — la convención de referencia del volumen

«Sentences that are literally or almost literally quoted from other texts are translated within quotation matks» — y la convención tipográfica con que el volumen marca lo que el poema cita de otros textos; la capa de texto imprime *matks* por *marks*

«With much initial hesitancy, I have translated each verse on a separate line, instead of rendering the entire text in a looser prose form. While this has not by any means resulted into a “poetical” translation, I am ultimately pleased with this choice» — la decisión de forma que Pregadio declara y matiza: verso por línea en vez de prosa corrida, sin que el resultado sea una traducción poética

«The present version of this work, entitled Jindan jinbi giantong jue (Instructions on Gold and Jade for Comprehending the Unseen by the Golden Elixir), is found in the Yunji gigian, 73.7b-11b.» — la nota en que Pregadio identifica la versión conservada del Jinbi jing y dónde se halla

«My comments are in two forms: section notes and verse notes. Although I have consulted several commentaries, including those to the “Ancient Text”, the section notes are not based on any specific source. 1 have also used modern annotated versions, especially those by Suzuki Yoshijird, Fang Xu, and Wu Enpu. Facing different explications given by commentators and scholars——variously leaning toward Waidan, Neidan, cosmology, or other subjects, and with remarkable differences within each of these fields-~I have tried to focus on the features that connect the varying interpretations to one another and that, in the first place, make them possible.» — Pregadio declara la forma y el criterio de su anotación: notas de sección y notas de verso, sin basarse en un comentario concreto, y buscando lo que conecta interpretaciones que se inclinan al waidan, al neidan o a la cosmología

«Besides this, I have attempted to read, translate, and annotate the individual parts of the text from the perspective of their respective main subjects—i.e., cosmology, Taoism, or alchemy, according to the traditional understanding of the Cantong gi (about these subjects, see above the Introduction, § 6, § 7, and § 8).» — y su segundo criterio: leer, traducir y anotar cada parte desde la materia que le corresponde

«The verse notes contain references to quotations from earlier sources; translations of closely related passages found in earlier texts; references to comparable sentences found elsewhere in the Cantong qi; and additional remarks on certain terms or passages. The main textual and technical notes are collected in a separate part of the book (pp. 231 ff).» — qué traen las notas de verso: citas de fuentes anteriores, traducciones de pasajes emparentados, remisiones internas y observaciones sobre términos, con las notas textuales aparte

«Finally, in order to avoid unnecessary complications, I often refer to Wei Boyang as the author of the Cantong gi in my notes, in agreement with the established tradition.» — la convención que Pregadio declara y que no debe leerse como adjudicación suya: en sus notas llama a menudo a Wei Boyang autor del Cantong qi, conforme a la tradición establecida

«Sections 1-17 of Book 1 are devoted to cosmology. The constant conjunction of Qian and Kun, the active and the passive principles, gives birth to all phenomena in the world of change. Therefore Qian and Kun are “the door and the gate” through which change arises, and “the father and the mother” of all emblems that represent change.» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 1 abre el aparato del volumen situando el tramo: las secciones 1 a 17 del Libro 1 son de cosmología, y Qian y Kun son la puerta por la que surge el cambio

«As they join with one another, Qian = entrusts his generative potential to Kun and, in doing this, becomes Li 22; Kun #2 receives the essence of Qian to bring it to fruition and, in doing this, becomes Kan ==. Since Kan and Li embrace Qian and Kun, represented by the respective inner lines, they provide “inner and outer walls” to Qian and Kun: the Yin principle (22) harbors True Yang (一 ), and the Yang principle (EE) harbors True Yin (=).» — y la mecánica que Pregadio explica: al unirse, Qian confía su potencial generativo a Kun y se vuelve Li, Kun recibe la esencia de Qian y se vuelve Kan, y por eso el principio Yin alberga el Yang Verdadero y el Yang el Yin Verdadero

«If the two sets of walls are shaped as joined semicircles, they form a wheel (see fig. 3). The central hub is the emptiness from which existence comes forth; the axle passing through the hub is Qian and Kun, which hold the wheels in position; and the wheels with their spokes are the compass of space and the cycles of time governed by Kan and Li.» — cómo lee Pregadio la imagen de la rueda: el cubo central es el vacío de donde sale la existencia, el eje que lo atraviesa son Qian y Kun, y las ruedas con sus radios son el compás del espacio y los ciclos del tiempo regidos por Kan y Li

«Thirty spokes share one hub: wherein there is nothing lies the function of a carriage. ... Therefore in what is there lies the benefit; in what is not there lies the function» — el pasaje 11 del Daode jing que Pregadio empareja con esa imagen: treinta radios comparten un cubo y en lo que no hay está la función del carro

«Qian, Kun, Kan, and Li are also compared to a bellows and its nozzles. The bellows (Qian and Kun) is empty, but sends forth its breath through the nozzles (Kan and Li). This image too alludes to a passage in the Daode jing, which refers to the empty center that brings about existence by saying: “The space between Heaven and Earth 一 is it not like a bellows? As empty, it is never exhausted; as it moves, it continues to pour» — y la segunda imagen, con su fuente: el fuelle vacío que manda su soplo por las toberas, alusión al pasaje 5 del Daode jing sobre el espacio entre Cielo y Tierra

«This sentence is an almost literal quotation from the “Appended Sayings” of the Book of Changes: “Qian and Kun are indeed the door and the gate of change!» — la nota de verso con que Pregadio identifica la fuente del primer verso del poema en las Declaraciones Apéndice del Libro de los Cambios

«In the trigrams Kan # and Li 33, the lower lines are the “inner wall,” and the upper lines are the “outer wall.” The central lines respectively belong to Qian & and Kun 28.» — y la nota que precisa qué líneas son los muros interior y exterior en los trigramas Kan y Li

«Analogously, the charioteer who drives (yu) his carriage by following the tracks already found on the path is emblematic of the ruler who masters (yu) the properties and features of his domain, and governs (yit) his kingdom by complying with them.» — y el juego de palabras que Pregadio señala: el auriga que conduce, yu, es emblema del soberano que domina y gobierna, con el mismo verbo

«Similar to an artisan and a charioteer, the sage ruler resides at the center of his domain and conforms his conduct to the patterns of space and time. The images and emblems used to explicate the functioning of the cosmos (“the system of pitch-pipes and the calendar”) enable him to respond to change while maintaining himself in the state of non-action (wuwei).» — y lo que la imagen rinde para la doctrina: las imágenes que explican el funcionamiento del cosmos permiten al soberano responder al cambio manteniéndose en el no obrar

«The four artisan’s tools are traditional images mentioned in several eatly Chinese texts (see the Introduction, § 6). They represent the» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 2: las cuatro herramientas del artesano son imágenes tradicionales de varios textos chinos tempranos; la frase sigue en la plana siguiente

«Pitch-pipes and calendar” (luli) refers not only in a literal sense to the musical-and calendrical emblems, but also in an extended sense to the whole range of cosmological emblems.» — la nota en que Pregadio amplía el sentido de *tubos sonoros y calendario*: no solo los emblemas musicales y calendáricos, sino el repertorio entero de emblemas cosmológicos

«Just like space and time express the qualities of Qian and Kun in the cosmos, so do humanity and righteousness, “punishment” and “reward” express them in the human realm. Therefore the patterns of time and space provide models for the operation of the sage ruler. The emblems and the statements of the Book of Changes embody those patterns and suggest proper ways of responding to the different states of change» — y la razón de fondo: como el espacio y el tiempo expresan las cualidades de Qian y Kun en el cosmos, humanidad y rectitud las expresan en lo humano, y por eso los patrones del tiempo dan modelo a la operación del soberano sabio

«Jie “node” or “sector”) denotes a segment or subdivision of any temporal cycle. The five-day “nodes” are often called “periods” (bom). See, for instance, Huangdi neijing, Suwen, sec. 9; “Five days are called a period. Three periods are called a breath (i.e., the fortnightly “nodal breaths,” jiegi). Six breaths are called a season. Four seasons are called a year.» — la nota de término con que Pregadio define jie, nodo o sector, con el pasaje del Huangdi neijing que escalona periodos, soplos, estaciones y año

«In the Book of Changes, the “Statements on the Lines” explain the meaning of the Yin and Yang lines in each hexagram. —- Compare Book of Changes, “Explanation of the Trigrams”: “In ancient times, the sages who made the Changes complied with the principles of nature (xing) and life (ming). Therefore they established the Way of Heaven, and spoke of Yin and Yang; they established the Way of Earth, and spoke of the yielding and the firm; and they established the Way of man, and spoke of humanity and righteousness» — la nota en que Pregadio identifica las Declaraciones sobre las Líneas y cita la Explicación de los Trigramas sobre las tres Vías: la del Cielo con Yin y Yang, la de la Tierra con lo blando y lo firme, y la del hombre con humanidad y rectitud

«This section consists of a short commentary on the statement “Heaven and Earth establish their positions, and change occurs within them,” found in the “Appended Sayings” of the Book of Changes. The Dao generates the world through Qian and Kun, and Qian and Kun operate in it through Kan and Li. These four modes are illustrated by different images. Heaven and Earth represent Qian and Kun; respectively placed above and below, they are immutably joined as one in the precosmic domain, The Moon and Sun are the main images of Kan and Li; they attest to cyclical alternation and change in the cosmic domain.» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 4: es un comentario breve dentro del propio poema a una frase del Libro de los Cambios, con Cielo y Tierra por Qian y Kun y Luna y Sol por Kan y Li

«In the first place, Qian, Kun, Kan, and Li reside together in the center, undistinguished from one another (see 43:13~-14). Their differentiation pertains to the perspective of the world of change. Here Qian and Kun are the substantive basis (ti) of Kan and Li, and Kan and Li are the function or operation (yong) of Qian and Kun.» — y la distinción de base y función que Pregadio fija: los cuatro residen juntos en el centro sin distinguirse, y su diferenciación pertenece a la perspectiva del mundo del cambio

«The arising, transformation, and disappearance of all things occur within the Dao, which does not generate them out of “nothing,” but out of itself. Thus the Dao embraces what it creates; the individual objects and phenomena, in turn, are the instruments (gi) through which the Dao operates in the cosmic domain» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 5: el surgir y desaparecer de todas las cosas ocurre dentro del Dao, que no las genera de la nada sino de sí mismo

«Qne molds clay to make a vessel: wherein there is nothing lies the function of a vessel» — el pasaje 11 del Daode jing sobre el vaso que Pregadio cita; la capa de texto imprime *Qne* por *One*

«The “vessel” is an object provided with a form and, on that account, distinct from the formless Dao; yet it holds formlessness in its concrete void, and that is its function. Beyond the metaphor, the form of an object is the substantive basis (ti, “body”) that allows Emptiness to operate (yong, “function”) in the» — y cómo lo lee Pregadio: el vaso tiene forma y por eso se distingue del Dao sin forma, pero sostiene la ausencia de forma en su vacío concreto, y esa es su función

«The distinction between emptiness and existence, or absolute and relative, is meaningful only from the perspective of the relative domain.» — y el límite que Pregadio pone a la distinción: entre vacío y existencia solo tiene sentido desde el dominio relativo, porque Kan y Li albergan el vacío y la intemporalidad de lo precósmico y las hacen operar en lo relativo

«In the “Appended Sayings,” the words “therein occur the transformations” refer.to the Yin and Yang lines that alternate within the hexagrams; in the Cantong qi, they refer to the Dao itself.» — la nota en que Pregadio marca un desplazamiento de sentido entre la fuente y el poema: en las Declaraciones Apéndice la frase se refiere a las líneas que se alternan en los hexagramas, y en el Cantong qi al Dao mismo

«Certain images and emblems provide guidance to comprehend the principles by which the Formless manifests itself. They reveal the analogies that tie different domains—for example, the cosmos and the human being—to the absolute principle and to one another.» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 6: ciertas imágenes y emblemas guían para comprender los principios con que lo Sin Forma se manifiesta, revelando las analogías que atan dominios distintos

«These emblems make it possible to discern the kinds or categories (lei) to which the different phenomena of the world pertain, and show how they relate to the primary modes--Qian and Kun— taken on by the Dao in its self-manifestation.» — y qué hacen los trigramas en concreto: permiten discernir los géneros a que pertenecen los fenómenos y mostrar cómo se relacionan con los modos primeros del Dao

«The alternation of the Sun and the Moon produces change. With regard to this, the Cantong qi observes that when the graphs that represent the Sun and the Moon are joined to one another, with the graph for “sun” (ri 日 ) placed above the graph for “moon” (yue 月 ), they form the graph for “change” (yi &). This etymology of the word “change” does not pertain to philology, but is an example of the analogical function of images and forms.» — y cómo lee Pregadio la etimología del grafo yi que el poema propone: unidos el grafo de *sol* sobre el de *luna* forman el de *cambio*, lo que no es filología sino ejemplo de la función analógica de las formas

«The first major cosmological cycle described in the Cantong gi concerns the thirty days of the lunar month. The alternation (“warp and weft”) of Sun and Moon during the month occurs under the authority of the Sun: its light is reflected by the Moon along the course of the six “nodes” (or “sectors,” jie) of five days in which the month is.» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 3: el primer ciclo mayor es el mes lunar, con la alternancia de urdimbre y trama del Sol y la Luna bajo la autoridad del Sol, cuya luz refleja la Luna a lo largo de los seis nodos de cinco días

«The movements of the Sun and Moon cortespond to the stages of ascent and descent of Yin and Yang; they “set periods and measures” with respect to the terms of time (gi) and the spans of space (du), because each day on the scale of time corresponds to one degree in the compass of space.» — y la equivalencia que Pregadio saca: los movimientos fijan periodos y medidas porque cada día de la escala del tiempo corresponde a un grado del compás del espacio; la capa de texto imprime *cortespond* por *correspond*.

«Since the Yang and Yin principles respectively prevail at daytime and at nighttime, a Yang hexagram, called the “inner core,” rules on the first part of the day, and a Yin hexagram, called the “outer function,” rules on the second part (Yang is movement and Yin is quiescence, thus “movement precedes, quiescence follows» — la mecánica del par de hexagramas que rige cada día: uno Yang llamado núcleo interior para la primera mitad y uno Yin llamado función exterior para la segunda

«Therefore altogether sixty hexagrams govern the thirty days of the lunar month, beginning with Zhun # and Meng #in the first day, and ending with Jiji B and Weiji B in the last day (see table 7). Moreover, the twelve lines of each pair of hexagrams are associated with the twelve earthly branches (dizhi; see fig. 4); the first six branches, going “from zi ¥ to chen fe and si ©,” represent the rise of the Yang principle in the first part of the day, while the other six branches, going “from wu “F to xu 成 and hai %,” represent the rise of the Yin principle in the second part of the day.» — y su despliegue: sesenta hexagramas para los treinta días, de Zhun y Meng el primero a Jiji y Weiji el último, con las doce ramas terrestres repartidas entre las doce líneas de cada par

«The cycle of the sixty hexagrams also establishes correspondences between each day, the four seasons, and the associated qualities in the human realm. In particular, daytime corresponds to spring, which is the time of “reward” (shang, when the Yang principles gives life» — y la correspondencia que Pregadio traza con lo humano: el día corresponde a la primavera, tiempo del premio; la frase sigue en la plana siguiente con la noche, el otoño y el castigo

«The emblems of the Book of Changes illustrate these notions: the solid Yang line within Kan 32 and the broken Yin line within Li = represent the operation of Qian = and Kun #5, respectively, in the domain of space and time. The same Yin and Yang lines that belong in the first place to Qian and Kun also form the sixty-four hexagrams (see 1:1~2, where Qian and Kun are called “the father and the mother of all hexagrams”).» — cómo lo ilustran los emblemas, según Pregadio: la línea Yang sólida dentro de Kan y la Yin partida dentro de Li representan la operación de Qian y Kun en el espacio y el tiempo

«Each hexagram consists of “six empty spaces” that are filled by lines of either sort to represent the nature and qualities of a particular state of change. Just as the solid and broken lines within the hexagrams are not fixed,.but “flow in cycles” through the sixty-four emblems, so too are the states of the cosmos “not constant,” and change occurs cyclically throughout space and time.» — y la consecuencia: como las líneas no son fijas sino que fluyen en ciclos por los sesenta y cuatro emblemas, tampoco los estados del cosmos son constantes

«The Moon is Kan 32 and the Sun is Li 2. However, although the Yin trigram Kan is associated with the Moon, it encloses a solid Yang line that belongs to Qian =. This line corresponds to the celestial» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 7: aunque Kan sea Yin y se asocie a la Luna, encierra una línea Yang sólida que pertenece a Qian y corresponde al tallo wu; la frase sigue en la plana siguiente

«stem ji 已 , representing the passive, fulfilling aspect of the One. When Qian and Kun are contained within Kan and Li, they are called the “essence” (jing) of the Moon and the “radiance” (guang) of the Sun.» — y su contraparte: el tallo ji representa el aspecto pasivo de lo Uno, y contenidos en Kan y Li, Qian y Kun se llaman esencia de la Luna y resplandor del Sol

«Soil transmits the One Breath to the four directions and the four seasons—i.e., to space and time—which correspond to the agents Wood, Fire, Water, and Metal, referred to here by the colors green, red, black, and white. In reiterating the unity of Qian and Kun, Kan and Li, and wu and ji, Soil guarantees the conjunction of the world of multiplicity to the Absolute.» — y qué hace la Tierra en el esquema: transmite el Soplo Uno a las cuatro direcciones y las cuatro estaciones y garantiza la conjunción del mundo de la multiplicidad con lo Absoluto

«In another statement of the “Appended Sayings,” Spirit is said to be that in which Yin and Yang are still joined as One and “cannot be fathomed.” (*) Change, instead, is owed to Yin and Yang becoming separate from one another and cyclically alternating as Two. The One and the Two are indispensable to each other, but only the understanding of the One affords the understanding of the Two. Therefore comprehending Spirit (the unity of Yin and Yang) makes it possible to comprehend change (their alternation).» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 8, con la relación entre el Uno y el Dos: el Espíritu es aquello en que Yin y Yang siguen unidos y no se puede sondear, y solo la comprensión del Uno permite la del Dos

«The unity of Yin and Yang underlies their transformations, which determine the appearance of time. Time moves in cycles, similar to a circle rotating around its axis or a wheel revolving around its hub. The axis and the hub represent Non-Being; the circle and the wheel are its operation in the domain of change.» — y su imagen del tiempo: el eje y el cubo representan el No-Ser, y el círculo y la rueda su operación en el dominio del cambio

«Suspended images” is a common expression that designates planets and asterisms, which appear to be hanging in the sky.» — la nota de término con que Pregadio glosa las imágenes suspendidas: planetas y asterismos, que parecen colgar del cielo

«When the Sun goes, the Moon comes; when the Moon goes, the Sun comes. Sun and Moon follow one another, and light comes into existence. ... Going means bending, and coming means stretching. Bending and stretching respond to one another, and benefit arises» — el pasaje de las Declaraciones Apéndice que Pregadio empareja con el verso sobre la ida del Yang: Sol y Luna se siguen y de ahí viene la luz, porque ir es doblarse y venir es estirarse

«note that ming 明 (“light”) is the other graph formed when the graphs for “sun” (ri A) and “moon” (ywe 月 ) are placed not above and below one another, but next to one another.» — y la nota etimológica que Pregadio añade: ming, luz, es el otro grafo que forman *sol* y *luna* cuando se ponen uno al lado del otro y no uno sobre otro

«The sixty-four hexagrams contain altogether 384 Yin or Yang lines. Based on the different positioning of the lines, the emblems of the Book of Changes—trigrams and hexagrams-—symbolize different states of change within the cosmos. The next section, which refers to the trigram Zhen 22, provides an example of this function.» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 9: los sesenta y cuatro hexagramas suman trescientas ochenta y cuatro líneas, y según su posición simbolizan estados distintos del cambio

«The joining of Kan = and Li £8 (Sun and Moon) occurs in the night between a month’s last day and next month’s first day; it replicates within space and time the joining of Qian = and Kun 23 (Heaven and Earth) in the precelestial domain. When Kan and Li join one another, the active and the passive principles réturn to the original state of» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 10: la unión de Kan y Li ocurre en la noche entre el último día del mes y el primero del siguiente, y replica en el espacio y el tiempo la de Qian y Kun en lo precelestial

«In the cosmos, the joining of the Sun and the Moon gives birth to a new time cycle, the lunar month. The first half of that cycle is ruled by the Yang principle, which flourishes until it culminates at the middle of the month. The second half is ruled by the Yin principle, which similarly grows until it overcomes the Yang principle at the end of the month. Then the Sun and the Moon join once more, the Yang principle is reborn, and the cycle begins again.» — y su traducción al ciclo mensual: la primera mitad la rige el Yang hasta culminar a mediados de mes y la segunda el Yin hasta vencerlo al final, cuando Sol y Luna se juntan otra vez

«The trigram Zhen 22 (Thunder) symbolizes the first stage of the rebirth of luminous Yang after the obscurity of Yin. Its Yang line at the bottom (the position of the initial line) is an image of regeneration after stagnation, represented in the Book of Changes by the crack of thunder produced by the conjunction of Yin and Yang. Ar the beginning of the month, Heaven assigns Zhen the task of ruling over the first stage of the newly-born time cycle (the initial five days) and the corresponding sector of space (East). Having been reborn, the Yang principle begins a new cycle of ascent and descent. Section 13 describes this cycle.» — y el papel de Zhen: primer estadio del renacer del Yang luminoso tras la oscuridad del Yin, con su línea Yang al fondo como imagen de regeneración tras el estancamiento

«Boundless” approximates the sense of hongmeng, one of several terms that connote the inchoate state prior to the formation of the cosmos. At this stage—which is temporal only if the hierarchical states of Being are projected onto a metaphoric time scale—Yin and Yang are still joined to one another. Therefore the sages of antiquity, here represented by Confucius, emphasized the joining of Yin and Yang as that which lays the beginning of things.» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 11, con su cautela sobre el tiempo: hongmeng connota el estado inchoado anterior a la formación del cosmos, temporal solo si se proyectan los estados jerárquicos del Ser sobre una escala metafórica

«The five verses that follow refer to the initial sections of five Confucian Classics (Changes, Documents, Odes, Ceremonials, and Spring and Autumns), in which the Cantong qi reads allusions to the conjunction of the male and female principles. The arrangement of these verses illustrates the generative process of the cosmos: taken together, they describe the unfolding of a process that sees Yin and Yang first joined in indistinction, then separated by the “opening of Heaven and Earth,” then remaining apart, then joined again “in marriage,” and finally producing their offspring (see the notes to sentences 2-6).» — y cómo lee Pregadio los cinco versos siguientes: aluden a las aperturas de cinco Clásicos confucianos y describen juntos la generación del cosmos, de la indistinción a la separación, la unión y la descendencia

«In ancient times, when there were not yet Heaven and Earth, there were only images without forms. Deep and obscure! It was vast and measureless. Boundless and cavernous! No one knows where it came from» — el pasaje del Huainan zi que Pregadio cita para hongmeng: cuando no había Cielo ni Tierra solo había imágenes sin formas, vasto y sin medida

«This poem is often deemed to depict the correct relation between man and woman, and the ideals of morality and chastity. The Cantong qi, however, refers to it because ospreys are said to live on their own until the time of mating, and thus represent the state of separation of Yin and Yang while awaiting their rejoining.» — y la lectura propia que Pregadio adjudica al poema frente a la corriente: no la moralidad conyugal, sino las águilas pescadoras que viven solas hasta el apareamiento como figura de la separación del Yin y el Yang

«The first ceremonies described in the Book of Ceremonials (Yili) are those for the coming of age and the marriage. These rites are deemed to be the most important ones in the life of a male and a female, respectively, who acquire social status through these rites. The capping ceremony, however, indicates not only that a male has reached adulthood, but also that he is ready for wedding. Both rites, therefore, denote the idea of “marriage.” The Cantong qi takes them as images of the joining of Yin and Yang.» — la nota sobre los ritos de imposición del gorro y de matrimonio, que el poema toma como imágenes de la unión del Yin y el Yang

«In addition to being associated with True Yang (Qian) and True Yin (Kun), the celestial stems we JX and ji ci are also emblems of the» — la nota de Pregadio sobre wu y ji: además de emblemas del Yang y el Yin Verdaderos lo son del agente central; la frase sigue en la plana siguiente

«central agent Soil, which, like the One, comprises Yin and Yang halves.» — y su razón: la Tierra, como lo Uno, comprende mitades Yin y Yang

«In the Book of Changes, the word yi (“change”) refers to the text itself, and the images are its lines, trigrams, and hexagrams; the full passage reads: “The Changes consists in images; these images are representations. The Judgements (“Tuan”) provide the material. The lines [of the hexagrams] attest to the movements that occur under Heaven.» — la nota en que Pregadio marca un desplazamiento de sentido entre la fuente y el poema: en el Libro de los Cambios la palabra yi designa el propio texto y sus imágenes son las líneas, los trigramas y los hexagramas

«According to some commentators, ywanhuang (“original sovereign”) refers to the first two mythical sovereigns mentioned in the Documents, namely Yao and Shun, who established the foundations of Chinese» — el desacuerdo de comentaristas que Pregadio consigna sin arbitrar: unos leen *soberano original* como Yao y Shun, los dos primeros soberanos míticos de los Documentos

«Ebb and flow respond to the bells and pitch-pipes” alludes to cycles based on the number 12 (the number of the bells and the pitch-pipes) and therefore refers to the annual solar cycle, initiated by Fu (for the bells and the pitch-pipes, see table 11). “Rise and fall accord with the axis of the Dipper” refers to the monthly lunar cycle, inaugurated by Zhen.» — y cómo reparte Pregadio los dos versos: el del flujo y reflujo con las campanas y los tubos remite al ciclo solar anual, y el del ascenso y descenso con el eje de la Osa al ciclo lunar mensual

«In their representations as trigrams, Qian and Kun generate three male trigrams, namely Zhen 2, Kan =, and Gen #5; and three female trigrams, namely Kun &, Li 2, and Dui =. Zhen is the first male trigram and is, therefore, the “elder son.”» — la nota en que Pregadio explica el parentesco de los trigramas: Qian y Kun generan tres masculinos y tres femeninos, y Zhen es el primero de los varones y por eso el hijo mayor

«In this section, the Cantong gi describes the second main cosmological pattern. The cosmological device known as najia, or Matching Stems, divides the lunar month into six parts of five days. Each of the six stages is associated with a trigram and with one of the ten celestial stems. The six trigrams illustrate the rise and the fall of Yin (the broken line) and Yang (the solid line) during the thirty days of the» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 13: el aparato de los Tallos Correlativos divide el mes en seis partes de cinco días, cada una con su trigrama y su tallo celeste

«While the toad, which represents the Essence (jing) of the Moon, ensures that the cycle progresses without error, the hare, which represents its Breath (gi), exhales the Moon’s radiance.» — y el reparto de sapo y liebre: aquel representa la Esencia de la Luna y vela por que el ciclo avance sin error, y esta su Soplo y exhala su resplandor

«After Yang has reached its highest point, it begins to wane, and Yin begins to rise. At dawn on the sixteenth day, the Moon appears in the West, associated with the stem xin 3#; its decreasing light illustrates the emergent Yin and is represented by the trigram Xun =. At dawn on the twenty-third day, the Moon appears in the South, associated with the stem bing WA; now in its last quarter, it is represented by Gen ==. Finally, at dawn on the thirtieth day, the Moon is lightless in the East, associated with the stem yi Z.; it is now an emblem of Pure Yin and is represented by Kun 22» — la merma según Pregadio: Xun con xin el día dieciséis, Gen con bing el veintitrés y Kun con yi el treinta, emblema entonces de Yin Puro

«The trigrams Li % and Kan & are not part of the lunar cycle, because they represent the Center; but precisely for this reason, they constitute a major fearure of the Matching Stems device, In the night of novilune, between the end of one month and the beginning of the next one, the Sun (日 ) and the Moon (月 ) move to the center of space. They join their essences to regenerate the light (88) of the Yang principle, and give birth to the next cycle of change (4).» — y por qué Li y Kan quedan fuera del ciclo lunar: porque representan el Centro, y justamente por eso son rasgo mayor del aparato, pues en la noche de novilunio el Sol y la Luna se mueven al centro del espacio y juntan sus esencias para regenerar la luz

«Since Kan and Li represent the operation of Qian and Kun within the cosmos, the unfolding of all time cycles is ultimately governed by Qian and Kun. The final verses refer to this by means of the celestial stems (see table 9). Qian corresponds to the stems jia FR and ren =F, and Kun to the stems yi Z and gui 3%; therefore “ren and gui match jia and yt.” Moreover, since jia FF and ren “E are the last two stems and yi Z and gui % are the first two stems, Qian and Kun “enclose beginning and end.» — cómo lee Pregadio los versos finales de la sección 13: como Kan y Li son la operación de Qian y Kun, todos los ciclos quedan regidos por estos, y los tallos lo dicen emparejando ren y gui con jia y yi

«Even though they do not take part in the lunar cycle, Qian, Kun, Kan, and Li determine its development. The Cantong qi sees a confirmation of this in the numerical values associated with the celestial stems. Qian is associated with number 9 (the number of “great Yang,” taiyang) and Kun with number 6 (“great Yin,” taiyin); Li is associated with number 7 (“minor Yang,” shaoyang) and Kan with number 8 (“minor Yin,” shaoyin}. The sum of these numbers is 30, corresponding to the number of days in the lunar month.» — y la correspondencia numérica que el poema halla: Qian 9, Kun 6, Li 7 y Kan 8 suman treinta, los días del mes lunar

«According to several commentaries to the Cantong gi, however, peng HA, “friends,” is used in this verse to mean ming 45, “light,” with reference to the obscuration of the Yang principle at the end of the lunar cycle.» — la nota en que Pregadio consigna la lectura de varios comentaristas: *amigos* valdría por *luz*, con referencia al oscurecimiento del Yang al final del ciclo

«These and other emblems illustrate how Original Essence (yuanjing), the seed from which the Dao gives birth to its self-manifestation, operates within the cosmos. Its patterns determine, and are revealed by, the regular movements of the Sun and the Moon. Ttigrams and hexagrams make it possible to represent these patterns and the corresponding states of change. Therefore they provide guidance to the ruler.» — y qué ilustran esos emblemas: cómo opera en el cosmos la Esencia Original, semilla desde la que el Dao da nacimiento a su automanifestación; la capa de texto imprime *Ttigrams* por *Trigrams*, partido al fin de renglón.

«Inferring the rules” (tuidu, an expression that also means “inferring the measures” or “the degrees”) refers to observing and reckoning the patterns underlying the different phenomena; in particular, the cyclical alternation of the Sun and the» — la nota de término sobre *inferir las reglas*: observar y contar los patrones que subyacen a los fenómenos, en particular la alternancia cíclica del Sol y la Luna

«In the quotation, the Cantong qi replaces mi (“observe”) with zhunni (“abide by, conform to”), changing somewhat the meaning.» — la nota en que Pregadio señala que el poema, al citar, cambia una palabra de la fuente y con ella algo del sentido

«The Cantong qi, instead, uses the word yi to refer to the notion of “change,” which is owed to the» — el uso que el Cantong qi hace de esa palabra, según Pregadio: la noción de cambio; la frase sigue en la plana siguiente, donde la atribuye a los movimientos del Sol y la Luna

«mysterious,” xuan, a word emblematic of Heaven), and the womb (“wrap”) of Kun (which is “yellow,” the color emblematic of Earth) is impregnated. Spirit produces that essence through its own coagulation (ning). Thus Kun receives the seed of Qian, and brings it to fruition, All forms of life are generated in this way.» — la lectura que Pregadio hace del pasaje de la sección 10: la esencia de Qian es misteriosa como el Cielo y el vientre amarillo de Kun, emblema de la Tierra, queda impregnado; el Espíritu produce esa esencia por su coagulación, y así se generan todas las formas de vida

«According to others, it refers instead to the mythical ruler Pan Gu, who transformed his own body into the Sun, the Moon, wind, thunder, mountains, rivers, and so forth, thereby causing the “opening of» — la otra lectura de *soberano original* que Pregadio consigna sin arbitrar: Pan Gu, que transformó su cuerpo en el Sol, la Luna, el viento, el trueno, los montes y los ríos, causando así la apertura del Cielo y la Tierra

«The hexagram and the trigram associated with the initial stages of the year and the month—the two time cycles respectively based on the Sun and the Moon—are images of the rebirth of Light. Fu £2, associated with the eleventh lunar month (the month of the winter solstice), is the first hexagram in the cycle of the year.» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 12: Fu y Zhen son imágenes del renacer de la Luz, y Fu, ligado al mes lunar undécimo, es el primer hexagrama del ciclo del año

«Metaphorized as the “elder son,” it inherits the Yang nature of Qian, its father, and after being brought to life by Kun, its mother, it establishes the foundation for a new cycle of change during the lunar month. Therefore the emblematic functions of Fu and and Zhen are the same: when cyclical change is represented by the year, Fu stands for the rebirth of Light and the first stage of a time cycle among the hexagrams (see section 51); when it is represented by the month, Zhen performs the same function among the tri» — y el papel de Zhen: metaforizado como hijo mayor, hereda la naturaleza Yang de Qian y, traído a la vida por Kun, funda un ciclo nuevo, de modo que las funciones emblemáticas de Fu y Zhen son la misma según el ciclo se represente por el año o por el mes

«The twelve pitch-pipes—here called zhongli, lit., “bells and pitch-pipes’—produce a» — la nota sobre los doce tubos sonoros; la frase sigue en la plana siguiente, donde seis resultan Yang y seis Yin

«musical scale based on the correct relations among the different sounds. The six pitch-pipes are Yang, and the six bells are Yin. In a purely emblematic function, they represent the items comprised in any duodecimal sequence, particularly the twelve “double hours” of the day and the twelve months of the year, and are therefore used to illustrate the increase and decrease of Yin and Yang along the stages of that sequence» — y su función: seis tubos Yang y seis campanas Yin que, en función puramente emblemática, representan cualquier serie duodecimal y sirven para ilustrar el aumento y la merma del Yin y el Yang

«At dusk on the third day of the lunar month, the crescent Moon appears in the West, associated with the stem geng 庚 ; its clear light is an image of the beginning of the rise of Yang and is represented by Zhen 22. On the eighth day, the Moon at dusk appears in the South, associated with the stem ding J; being in its first quarter, its light is “level as a string” and is represented by Dui» — el recorrido lunar que Pregadio detalla en la nota a la sección 13: la Luna creciente al oeste con geng el día tres y en el sur con ding el ocho, nivelada como una cuerda en su primer cuarto

«At dusk on the fifteenth day, the full Moon appears in the East, associated with the stem jia FA; it is an emblem of Pure Yang and is represented by Qian =. Now “the Breaths of Sun and Moon shine together,” because Yang is at the peak of its growth and Yin is at its lowest: the Moon is entirely exposed to the light of the Sun, and thus appears as full.» — y su culminación: llena al este con jia el día quince, emblema de Yang Puro representado por Qian, cuando el Yang está en su cima y el Yin en su punto más bajo

«When the eight trigrams are projected onto the celestial vault, they are distributed among the directions of space, arranged around a central axis represented by the Northern Dipper. The trigrams represent the segments of space to which the Dipper points during its apparent rotation around itself, as well as the corresponding terms of time. Although only one trigram is active at a given time, none of rhem ever strays from its place.» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 14: proyectados sobre la bóveda celeste, los ocho trigramas se reparten por las direcciones en torno al eje de la Osa, y aunque solo uno esté activo a la vez, ninguno deja su lugar; la capa de texto imprime *rhem* por *them*

«The Hetu (Chart of the Yellow River, based on the five agents) and the Luoshu (Writ of the Luo River, based on the the eight trigrams) are among the other images and emblems that are used for the same purpose (see figs. 1 and 2). Relying on these emblems, and on the writings that illustrate their functioning, the ruler assists Heaven and Earth in maintaining and nourishing all creatures, and ensures that» — los dos diagramas que Pregadio añade: la Carta del Río Amarillo, fundada en los cinco agentes, y el Escrito del Río Luo, fundado en los ocho trigramas, con los que el soberano asiste a Cielo y Tierra en mantener y nutrir a las criaturas

«As a symbol of the Heart of Heaven (the center of the cosmos), the Northern Dipper presides over the directions of space and the cycles of time. Designated by terms Head (kui) and Handle (bing), which respectively refer to its frst four and last three stars, the Dipper aligns the patterns of space and time with the apparent rotation around its own axis.» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 15: la Osa Mayor, símbolo del Corazón del Cielo, preside las direcciones del espacio y los ciclos del tiempo, con Cabeza y Mango por sus cuatro primeras y sus tres últimas estrellas

«The trigrams and hexagrams of the Book of Changes illustrate those patterns. By adhering to them, the ruler is enabled to manage the events that occur in his kingdom, and even to know the favorable or unfavorable outcome of his actions. Although the task of government is demanding, if he follows the directions or the Book of Changes, the king brings harmony to the kingdom, just as the five planets (“five wefts”) intersect in their orbits in complex ways, and yet move harmoniously along their paths. If he goes against them, instead, the king induces adversities, comparable to the calamities that would occur if the twenty-eight lunar lodges parted from one another.» — y cómo lee Pregadio la parte política de la sección: siguiendo el Libro de los Cambios el rey trae armonía al reino, como los cinco planetas se cruzan y aun así se mueven acordes, y yendo contra ellos induce adversidades

«The celestial administration governed by the Northern Dipper is a model for the earthly administration governed by the king. Just as che Dipper rules in the cosmos with the support of its subordinate constellations and stars, so should the ruler govern the kingdom with the assistance of his ministers and ofÏcials.» — y la correspondencia que Pregadio traza: la administración celeste de la Osa es modelo de la terrestre del rey, con sus ministros por constelaciones subordinadas

«The Dipper is the chariot of the Emperor [of Heaven]. It revolves at the Center and presides over the four hamlets (i.e., the four quarters of space). It divides Yin and Yang, establishes the four seasons, regulates the five agents, shifts the nodes [of time] and the degrees [of space], and establishes the various sequences (ji). All this is related to the Dipper» — el pasaje del Libro de los Oficios Celestes de las Memorias Históricas que Pregadio cita: la Osa es el carro del Emperador, gira en el Centro, divide Yin y Yang, establece las cuatro estaciones y regula los cinco agentes

«The term “essential course” (yaedao) derives from the opening passage of the Book of Filial Piety: “For the kings of old there was a perfect virtue and an essential course, through which they were in accord with all under Heaven. By the practice of it, the people were brought to live in peace and harmony, and there was no ill-will between superiors and inferiors» — la nota de término en que Pregadio deriva *curso esencial* del Libro de la Piedad Filial, donde los reyes de antaño tenían una virtud perfecta con la que concordaban con todo bajo el Cielo

«The “five wefts” are the five planets, namely, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, and Jupiter. They are so called in contrast to the Sun and the Moon, which are the “warp.”» — la nota de término sobre las cinco tramas: los cinco planetas, llamados así por contraste con el Sol y la Luna, que son la urdimbre

«According a different interpretation, the five planets are the “weft” because they rotate in Heaven from the right to the left, while the twenty-eight lunar lodges are the “warp” because they rotate from the left to the right.» — y la interpretación alternativa que Pregadio consigna sin arbitrar: serían trama porque giran de derecha a izquierda mientras las mansiones lunares lo hacen al revés

«The twenty-eight lunar lodges in this verse are referred to as siqi, “four [times] seven” (i.c., “if the four-seven run opposed one another ...”). The lodges are subdivided into four sets of seven, corresponding to the four quarters of space» — la nota en que Pregadio explica por qué el verso llama *cuatro sietes* a las veintiocho mansiones

«Terrace (tai) is another constellation below the Northern Dipper, made of six stars grouped into three sets of two and therefore often referred to as the Three Terraces (santai). Assistant (fu) may be a star located near the sixth star of the Northern Dipper, but the reference here is more likely to be to another group of four stars around the north pole, called the Four Assistants» — y la nota sobre Terraza y Asistente, con la cautela de Pregadio sobre a qué estrellas remite cada nombre

«According to several commentators, this section alludes to the six periods of five days (ri H means both “sun” and “day”) contained in the lunar month (ywe 月 means both “moon” and “month”; compare 3:1: “In one month there are six nodes of five days”). The five days correspond to the five agents, and the six periods of che month correspond to the six Yin items within the series of the twelve pitch-pipes (see the note to 12:5).» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 16: según varios comentaristas alude a los seis periodos de cinco días del mes lunar, aprovechando que ri y yue significan a la vez sol y día, luna y mes

«By virtue of the rule of the Northern Dipper, the spans of space and the terms of time correspond to one another without error. The numeric symbolism used in this passage provides an example of this correspondence: the thirty days of the Moon cycle agree with the thirty degrees of space crossed by the Sun in one month along irs» — y la correspondencia numérica que Pregadio destaca: los treinta días del ciclo de la Luna concuerdan con los treinta grados de espacio que el Sol cruza en un mes

«The Book of Changes enables the ruler to trace the origin of things and know their end. Inauspicious events and errors, however, may occur as he performs his tasks. When this happens, he should rely on his subordinates to have knowledge of those incidents, and respond appropriately.» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 17, con el lugar que da al error: el soberano puede equivocarse, y entonces ha de apoyarse en sus subordinados para saberlo y responder

«The king conducts government from the Hall of Light (mingtang), a building that performed the symbolic and ritual function of aligning the center of the kingdom with the center of the cosmos.» — y el Salón de la Luz: edificio cuya función simbólica y ritual era alinear el centro del reino con el centro del cosmos

«Literary Glory (wenchang) is a constellation formed by six stars above the Northern Dipper. The six stars represent the six ministers that assist the ruler in the earthly administration. The phrase “manages the registers” refers in particular to the» — la nota sobre Gloria Literaria: constelación de seis estrellas sobre la Osa que representan a los seis ministros que asisten al soberano en la administración terrestre

«The zhifa, or Upholder of the Law, is usually known as Censor (yushi), one of the main ofÏcers in the imperial administration. In the context of the present portion of the Cantong gi, which compares the administration of the kingdom with the administration of Heaven, it is significant that zhifa is also the name of a constellation.» — la nota en que Pregadio identifica al Sostenedor de la Ley con el Censor de la administración imperial y señala que es a la vez nombre de una constelación

«Carrying out governance by virtue is like the Pole Star staying fixed in place, while all the other stars go along with it» — el pasaje de las Analectas que Pregadio empareja con el verso de la Estrella Polar

«The art of rulership consists in dwelling in the pursuit of non-doing and in practicing the teaching without words. Clear and quiescent, [the king] does not move; he uses a single measure and does not hesitate; he complies with the course of things and relies on those who are below; he instructs others to fulfill their tasks and does not toil himself» — y el pasaje del Huainan zi sobre el arte de gobernar: morar en el no obrar, practicar la enseñanza sin palabras y apoyarse en los que están abajo

«The subject of sections 18-19 is the principles of superior virtue. Emptiness is the fundament from which all things arise and to which they return; quiescence is the state required to contemplate Emptiness.» — y su principio: la Vacuidad es el fundamento del que todo surge y al que todo vuelve, y la quietud el estado requerido para contemplarla

«Attain the ultimate of emptiness, guard the utmost of quiescence. The ten thousand things are brought about together: accordingly, 1 observe their return, ... Returning to the root means quiescence; being quiescent means reverting to one’s destiny; reverting to one’s destiny means being constant; knowing the constant means being luminous» — el pasaje del Daode jing que Pregadio pone como fuente de esa primera estrofa: alcanzar lo último del vacío y guardar lo sumo de la quietud para observar el retorno de las diez mil cosas

«Attaining the state of Emptiness requires closing the “openings” through which we deal with the world of multiplicity. This principle, and its formulation, also originate in the Daode jing: “Shut the openings, close the gates, and to the end of your life you will not toil. Unlock the openings, meddle with affairs, and to the end of your life you will not attain salvation» — y el segundo principio con su fuente: cerrar las aberturas por las que se trata con el mundo de la multiplicidad, según el pasaje 52 del Daode jing

«For the Cantong qi, the openings are the “three luminaries”: the eyes, the ears, and the mouth, or the functions of sight, hearing, and speech. When the “three luminaries” do not turn their light toward the external world, they “sink into the ground.” This expression, which derives from the Zhuangzi, denotes the attitude of the saintly man who conceals his sainthood (see the note to verse 7).» — cómo identifica Pregadio esas aberturas en el poema: los tres luminares son los ojos, los oídos y la boca, y cuando no vuelven su luz al mundo exterior *se hunden en el suelo*, expresión del Zhuangzi para el santo que esconde su santidad

«This attitude and nothing else constitutes the way of superior virtue and the realized state according to the Cantong gi. As we are reminded with another sentence drawn from the Daode jing (see the note to verse 9), no pursuit is necessary: the Dao is invisible, inaudible, and imperceptible, but is “nearby and easy to seek.» — y la conclusión de Pregadio, con su negativa dentro: esa actitud y ninguna otra cosa constituye la vía de la virtud superior, porque no hace falta búsqueda alguna: el Dao es invisible e inaudible pero está cerca y es fácil de buscar

«This is the first of ten sections (18-27) that illustrate the main features of “superior virtue” (shangde) and “inferior virtue” (xiade). The import of these chapters is made clear in sections 20-21: superior virtue is the way of non-doing (wuwei), and consists in the cultivation» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 18, que fija el eje doctrinal del tramo: diez secciones ilustran la virtud superior y la inferior, y la superior es la vía del no obrar; la frase sigue en la plana siguiente

«of inner nature (xing); inferior virtue is the way of doing (youwei), and focuses on the cultivation of one’s existence (or “vital force,” ming) by means of practices such as the alchemical ones.» — y su contraparte: la virtud inferior es la vía del obrar y se centra en cultivar la existencia mediante prácticas como las alquímicas

«Established in quiescence, he does not turn himself toward the external objects, allowing the radiance of the luminaries to illuminate and nourish his true Nature (the “numinous trunk”). Maintaining himself in the state» — qué hace el santo según Pregadio: establecido en la quietud no se vuelve a los objetos externos y deja que el resplandor de los luminares ilumine y nutra su Naturaleza verdadera; la frase sigue en la plana siguiente

«of non-doing, he contemplates the arising of all entities and phenomena from Emptiness and their return to it, and nurtures the Pearl spontaneously generated in him by the One Breath prior to Heaven.» — y su cierre: manteniéndose en el no obrar contempla el surgir de todo desde la Vacuidad y su retorno, y nutre la Perla generada en él por el Soplo Uno anterior al Cielo

«In later times, neizhao (“to illuminate within”) became the name of an inner alchemical practice, as seen, for instance, in the expression huiguang neizhao, “circulating the light to illuminate within.” From the perspective of the Cantong qi, however, this term does not refer to a practice, or at least not to a practice in the ordinary sense: neizhao describes the state of the realized person, whose inner being is constantly illuminated.» — la nota en que Pregadio separa el término del uso posterior: neizhao llegó a nombrar una práctica de alquimia interior, pero desde la perspectiva del Cantong qi no designa una práctica sino el estado del realizado

«This verse is quoted from Daode jing, 14, where it refers to the Dao: “Watching, you do not see it: it is called invisible. Listening, you do not hear it: it is called inaudible. Grasping, you do not get it: it is called imperceptible.» — la nota con la fuente del verso sobre lo que no se ve: el pasaje 14 del Daode jing sobre el Dao invisible, inaudible e imperceptible

«The One Breath of the Dao is invisible and unknown to all, but embraces all things. This Breath is distributed from the Yellow Center (huangzhong), the spaceless point that ensures the conjunction of the cosmos and the human being with the absolute principle. In the cosmos, that point is the Heart of Heaven (tianxin); in the human being, it is the Heart (xin).» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 19: el Soplo Uno se reparte desde el Centro Amarillo, punto sin espacio que asegura la conjunción del cosmos y del ser humano con el principio absoluto

«In several Taoist traditions, Yellow Center (huangzhong) is a name of the central Cinnabar Field (dantian), which is located in the region of the heart. It is, moreover, a name of the spleen, the organ that represents the Center when the framework of reference is not the three Cinnabar Fields, but the five viscera.» — y los otros sentidos del término que Pregadio consigna: en varias tradiciones taoístas el Centro Amarillo es el Campo de Cinabrio central y también el bazo

«In superior virtue, nothing needs to be searched or investigated; the unity of the state “prior to Heaven” (xiantian, the Absolute, Emptiness, constancy) and the state “posterior to Heaven” (houtian, the relative, the world of change) is immediately realized. Inferior virtue, instead, seeks the One Breath prior to Heaven (xiantian yiqi) within the state posterior to Heaven.» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 20: en la virtud superior nada hay que buscar y la unidad del estado anterior y posterior al Cielo se realiza de inmediato, mientras la inferior busca el Soplo Uno anterior dentro del posterior

«As a practice, alchemy—in any of its forms, “external” or “internal”——pertains to the way of inferior virtue.» — y dónde queda la alquimia en ese reparto, sin distinguir entre sus formas

«Qian = and Kun 2 signify the precelestial state. Qian (Heaven) is above and represents the principle of Non-Being; Kun (Earth) is below and represents the principle of Being. As they join, Qian enters Kun and becomes Li =; Kun receives Qian and becomes Kan EE.» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 21: Qian arriba representa el principio del No-Ser y Kun abajo el del Ser, y al unirse Qian entra en Kun y se vuelve Li mientras Kun recibe a Qian y se vuelve Kan

«The apparent symmetry of this process hides a significant distinction between what is “above” and what is “below.” Above, Non-Being embraces Being. Discerning this is the way of “superior virtue”: nothing needs to be sought, and one resides in the state of “non-doing.” Below, Non-Being is enclosed within Being. The hidden principle demands to be sought, and one enters the state of “doing” in order to enable the inner line of Kan to rise again “above,” where Spirit dwells, and reconstitute Qian. Allowing this to occur is the way of “inferior virtue,” and is the function of alchemy» — y la asimetría que Pregadio señala bajo esa simetría aparente: arriba el No-Ser abraza al Ser y basta discernirlo, que es la virtud superior; abajo el No-Ser queda encerrado en el Ser y el principio oculto exige ser buscado, que es la virtud inferior y la función de la alquimia

«The way of superior virtue centers on the “cavity” of Li #2, the Breath of Water (shuigi) that originally belongs to Kun. The way of inferior virtue centers on the “cavity” of Kan 33, the Essence of Metal (jinjing) that originally belongs to Qian. (*) As the Cantong qi upholds both ways, it is concerned with the “two cavities.”» — y el reparto de las dos cavidades: la virtud superior se centra en la de Li y la inferior en la de Kan, y como el poema sostiene las dos vías, trata de las dos cavidades

«Li EE is Fire, but its inner line—its “breath”—represents Water; therefore Breath of Water should be intended to mean “the Breath that is Water.” Analogously, Kan 33 is Water, but its inner line—its “essence” — represents Metal, or True Lead; therefore Essence of Metal means “the Essence that is Metal.» — la nota en que Pregadio desarma la aparente contradicción de los nombres: Li es Fuego pero su línea interior representa Agua, y Kan es Agua pero su línea interior representa Metal

«Alchemy seeks the principle that gives birth to, and is hidden within, the manifest cosmos. Among the emblems of the Book of Changes, this principle is represented by the solid Yang line contained within Kan # (Water), which originally belongs to Qian =. Alchemically, it is represented by the True Lead found within “black lead,” or native lead.» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 22, con la definición más escueta de lo que la alquimia busca: el principio que da nacimiento al cosmos manifiesto y se esconde en él, representado por la línea Yang dentro de Kan y, alquímicamente, por el Plomo Verdadero dentro del plomo negro

«The term luchen (“sinking into the ground”) derives from this passage of the Zhuangzi: “[The saint] has buried himself among the people, hidden himself among the» — la nota con la fuente de *hundirse en el suelo*: el pasaje del Zhuangzi sobre el santo que se entierra entre la gente y se esconde entre los campos

«This section is characterized by frequent switches of topics, which additionally are not always explicitly stated. The True Man alludes to Metal, ie., True Lead, and the “great abyss” alludes to Water. Metal ordinarily is the “mother” of Water, which is its “son.” The alchemical process inverts these roles. In the cosmological metaphor, Metal, whose color is white, emerges from Water, whose color is black; in the alchemical metaphor, True Lead emerges from native lead, or “black lead.” Placed within the vessel, the white True Lead is compounded with True Mercury and generates the Elixir, whose color is vermilion.» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 24, que declara la dificultad del propio texto: la sección cambia de asunto a menudo y sin decirlo, con el Hombre Verdadero aludiendo al Metal y el gran abismo al Agua, y con el proceso alquímico invirtiendo los papeles de madre e hijo

«The Elixir is equivalent to the One Breath prior to Heaven. It contains the True Yin and True Yang principles joined together as one, and accordingly it is said to be both “square and round,” two traditional attributes of Heaven and Earth. Its size of “one inch” alludes to the Two joined as One.» — y qué es el Elixir para Pregadio: el Soplo Uno anterior al Cielo, que contiene unidos el Yin y el Yang Verdaderos, y por eso se dice a la vez cuadrado y redondo

«This sentence is found in both the Daode jing and the Zhuangzi. The Daode jing, 25, says: “There is something inchoate and yet accomplished, born before Heaven and Earth. Silent! Still! It stands alone and never alters, it goes all around and never ends. One can say that it is the mother of Heaven and Earth. I do not know its name, but call ic Dao.» — la nota con la doble fuente del verso *nacido antes que el Cielo y la Tierra*: el pasaje 25 del Daode jing sobre algo inchoado y acabado que es madre de Cielo y Tierra y cuyo nombre se desconoce

«The alchemical vessel is compared to one of the mythical motintainislands that lie in the midst of the ocean, and to a palace with surrounding walls and intricate passageways. Thus the vessel guards and shields the Elixir, making its compounding possible.» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 25: el vaso alquímico se compara con una de las islas montañosas míticas y con un palacio de murallas y pasadizos, y así guarda el Elixir; la capa de texto imprime *motintain*; la capa de texto corrompe *mountain* en *motintain* y además parte *mountain-islands* al fin de renglón, que la herramienta devuelve pegado.

«The most essential stage of the compounding is the final one, as it consists in entering the state of non-doing (wuwei). If this state is attained, the Elixir is accomplished; otherwise, it vanishes. But once the Elixir is obtained, it is never lost.» — y la etapa que Pregadio declara esencial: la última, que consiste en entrar en el estado de no obrar; si se alcanza, el Elixir se cumple, y si no, se desvanece

«While this sentence has a negative import in the Daode jing (it is pointless to keep ephemeral possessions under guard), the Cantong qi uses it to denote something precious.» — la nota en que Pregadio señala una inversión de sentido al citar: la frase es negativa en el Daode jing y el Cantong qi la usa para nombrar algo precioso

«Sections 26-27 conclude the portion of Book 1 concerned with the general principles of superior virtue and inferior virtue. The present section consists in an admonition against fruitless practices.» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 26: cierra el tramo del Libro 1 sobre los principios de las dos virtudes y es una admonición contra prácticas estériles

«This section rejects meditation methods, breathing practices, sexual techniques, and the worship of minor deities and spirits. “Passing through the viscera” (lizang) is an early term that refers to visualizing in succession the gods residing within the five viscera. “Inner contemplation” (or “inner observation,” neishi, the reading found in other redactions of the Cantong qi) also refers to meditation on the inner» — y el censo de lo que el poema rechaza, con el término técnico de cada práctica: recorrer las vísceras es visualizar en sucesión a los dioses de los cinco órganos, y la contemplación interior remite también a la meditación en las deidades interiores

«Not only does the Cantong qi reject these methods; it also refers to them with irony. “Exhaling the old and inhaling the new [breath]” (tugu naxin), a common designation of the breathing practices, becomes “exhaling the pure and inhaling the evil without” (from the perspective of the Cantong gi, the “pure” is to be found in the first place within). Breath is ingested “till it chirps in your stomach.” The adept who devotes himself to these practices is “vague and indistinct,” an image that in the Daode jing denotes the Dao itself, but here quite literally refers to the practitioner who “looks like a fool.”» — un hallazgo de tono que Pregadio señala: el poema no solo rechaza esos métodos, también los nombra con ironía, volviendo *exhalar lo viejo e inhalar lo nuevo* en *exhalar lo puro e inhalar el mal*

«Apart from this, the rejected practices, says the Cantong qi, are ineffective because they focus on the body and on the hope of extending one’s lifetime. For this reason, they go against the true Taoist teaching, which the Cantong gi associates with the Yellow’ Emperor and with Laozi, the Old Master.» — y la razón de fondo que Pregadio adjudica al poema: esos métodos son inútiles porque se centran en el cuerpo y en alargar la vida, y por eso van contra la enseñanza taoísta

«The six jia (liu jia) are the six days of the sexagesimal cycle marked by the celestial stem jia FA (see table 15). Being especially important in hemerology, these days are associated with deities and with talismans that grant communication with those deities.» — la nota de término sobre los seis jia: los seis días del ciclo sexagesimal marcados por ese tallo, importantes en hemerología y asociados a deidades y talismanes

«The term shuji denotes the pivot, mainspring, or “vital point” of something, and derives from the “Appended Sayings” of the Book of Changes: “Words and deeds are the hinge of the noble man. As the hinge moves, it determines honor or disgrace» — la nota con la fuente del gozne: las Declaraciones Apéndice, donde palabras y hechos son el gozne del noble y su movimiento decide honor o deshonra

«Shu, here translated as “art,” refers to various cosmological sciences and techniques—for instance, divination, physiological techniques, and alchemy— including both their doctrinal foundations and their specific methods.» — la nota de término sobre shu: las diversas ciencias y técnicas cosmológicas, adivinación, técnicas fisiológicas y alquimia, con sus fundamentos doctrinales y sus métodos

«The precise connotation of the term jiudu (“nine capitals”) is unclear in this context; it may refer to the Nine Palaces (jizfu) of the administration of Fengdu, the subterranean realm of the dead. The implication, nevertheless, is clear: the death of the adept of incorrect practices is a punishment delivered by Heaven.» — la nota en que Pregadio declara oscuro el término *nueve capitales* y aun así fija lo que el pasaje implica: la muerte del adepto de prácticas incorrectas como castigo del Cielo

«Having rejected several methods that it deems to be erroneous, the Cantong qi portrays the attainment of those who devote themselves to alchemy, the only practice that it regards as correct if performed according to its own principles» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 27: tras rechazar los métodos que tiene por erróneos, el poema retrata el logro de quien se da a la alquimia, única práctica que aprueba si se hace según sus principios

«For the adept who performs both stages of the alchemical path— those that lead him first to ascend to the Dao and then to realize the non-duality between the Dao and the world—existence and nonexistence are one. He maintains himself in the world as long as the conditions to do so persist, hiding his state and giving benefit to his surroundings by his mere presence, until God, the Great One, summons him to Heaven.» — y qué logra ese adepto, según Pregadio: para quien cumple las dos etapas —ascender al Dao y realizar la no dualidad entre el Dao y el mundo— existencia e inexistencia son una, y se queda en el mundo ocultando su estado hasta que el Uno Grande lo llama; el troceo parte *non-existence* al fin de renglón y la herramienta lo devuelve pegado, *nonexistence*.

«Sentences similar to this one are found in many Taoist texts. The earliest instance is in the Zbuangzi, which describes the True Man saying: “He enters the water and does not get wet; he enters the fire and is not burned» — la nota con la fuente más antigua del verso sobre el fuego y el agua: el Zhuangzi, que lo dice del Hombre Verdadero

«“Treading the Dipper and pacing the asterisms” denotes the meditation methods of “pacing the celestial net” (bugang). “Six jia” alludes to protective calendrical deities, and in particular to those associated with the talismans of the “six decades,” each of which begins on a day marked by the celestial stem jia FR. “Way of Yin” indicates the sexual techniques, and the expression “nine-and-one” hints to the phrase jiugian yishen» — el resto del censo de prácticas rechazadas, con el término técnico de cada una: pisar la Osa remite a los métodos de andar la red celeste, los seis jia a deidades calendáricas protectoras, la Vía del Yin a las técnicas sexuales y el nueve y uno a las penetraciones

«The Central Land (or Continent, or Island, zhongzhou) is found in the Eastern Sea, surrounded by three mythical archipelagos each of which consists of three islands. It is the earthly residence of the supreme God, the Great One (Taiyi), correlated with his celestial abode in the Pole Star.» — la nota de término sobre la Tierra Central: en el Mar Oriental, rodeada de tres archipiélagos míticos, morada terrestre del Uno Grande, correlato de su morada celeste en la Estrella Polar

«The remaining portion of Book 1 (sections 28-42) is concerned with alchemy. The Sun and the Moon, the main emblems of the Book of Changes, perform multiple roles in the alchemical process. For example, the “fire times” (huohou) used for compounding the Elixir are modeled on the yearly cycle of the Sun (see the Introduction, § 6); and the alchemical tripod, shaped as two semicircles—vessel and lid— reproduces the forms of the waxing and waning quarters of the Moon.» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 28, que abre el tramo alquímico del Libro 1: los tiempos del fuego se modelan sobre el ciclo anual del Sol, y el trípode, hecho de dos semicírculos, reproduce las formas de los cuartos creciente y menguante

«The Moon (Yin) is associated with the agent Water, the direction North, the color black (darkness), the trigram Kan =2, and “black lead” (native lead). The essence of the Moon (True Yang within Yin) is represented by the White Tiger, which is the emblem of the agent Metal, the direction West, and the trigram Dui =.» — el primer juego de correspondencias que Pregadio tabula: la Luna con el Agua, el Norte, el negro, Kan y el plomo negro, y su esencia, el Yang Verdadero dentro del Yin, con el Tigre Blanco, el Metal, el Oeste y Dui

«Therefore the White Tiger signifies the True Lead found within native lead (True Yang within Yin), and the Green Dragon signifies the True Mercury found within cinnabar (True Yin within Yang). The joining of Dragon (East) and Tiger (West) forms the Elixir.» — y la traducción alquímica que Pregadio hace de ese par: el Tigre Blanco es el Plomo Verdadero dentro del plomo nativo y el Dragón Verde el Mercurio Verdadero dentro del cinabrio

«The two ingredients are also referred to as the un and the po souls, which here are abstract emblems just like those mentioned above: True Lead is the po, and True Mercury is the bu. With regard to the human being, hun stands for one’s true nature (xing), and po for one’s true qualities» — y la advertencia de Pregadio contra leerlos como almas: hun y po son aquí emblemas abstractos, con el Plomo Verdadero por po y el Mercurio Verdadero por hun, y en el ser humano el hun vale por la naturaleza y el po por las cualidades

«The expression “records of fire” (buoji) designates the alchemical texts.» — la nota de término con que Pregadio identifica los Registros del Fuego como los textos alquímicos

«Apart from its explicit meaning-—i.e., Book of Changes—the word yi % in this verse also refers to the Sun and the Moon according to the traditional etymology adopted by the Cantong qi (see section 7). This allusion is reinforced by the use, in the same verse, of the word ming AA (“light,” or, as a verb, “to comprehend”), written with the other graph that is formed by the graphs for» — la nota en que Pregadio muestra el doble sentido del verso 28:2: yi remite a la vez al Libro de los Cambios y al Sol y la Luna, y ming refuerza la alusión por ser el otro grafo formado por los mismos dos

«The White Tiger is called “the hinge of the heating” with regard not only to its association with the tripod and the furnace, but also to its being the emblem of True Lead, which represents the One Breath of the precelestial world sought by the alchemist in the postcelestial world.» — la nota en que Pregadio explica por qué el Tigre Blanco es el gozne del calentamiento: no solo por su vínculo con trípode y horno, sino por ser emblema del Plomo Verdadero, el Soplo Uno del mundo precelestial

«Flowing Pearl” (liuzhu) is a common alchemical synonym of mercury obtained from the refining of cinnabar. The name alludes to the physical aspect of mercury and to its ability to escape in both a factual and a figurate way, including its tendency to volatilize when it is heated.» — la nota de término sobre la Perla Fluyente: sinónimo alquímico del mercurio obtenido del cinabrio, que alude a su aspecto físico y a su tendencia a escapar y a volatilizarse

«In addition to the inner line of Kan #2, True Lead (True Yang within Yin) is also represented by Dui =, the trigram associated with the West and the White Tiger. Analogously, True Mercury (True Yin within Yang) is represented not only by the inner line of Li 32, but also by Gen =, the trigram associated with the East and the Green Dragon.» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 29: el Plomo Verdadero se representa también por Dui, trigrama del Oeste y del Tigre Blanco, y el Mercurio Verdadero por Gen, del Este y del Dragón Verde

«Dui and Gen, in turn, respectively connote the first and the last quarter of the Moon (see table 10). In this role, they are both assigned the symbolic number 8, derived from the sequence of the lunar cycle. Dui is the waxing quartet, which occurs at the middle of the first half of the month, eight days after the black Moon» — y de dónde sale el número 8 de ambos: de la secuencia del ciclo lunar, porque Dui es el cuarto creciente, ocho días después de la Luna negra

«Therefore Dui and and Gen, in addition to being emblems of True Yang and True Yin, also signify the first and the second halves of the lunar month, respectively distinguished by the growth of the Yang and the Yin principles. As emblems of True Yang and True Yin, Dui and Gen are equivalent to the inner lines of Kan $2 and Li 2. Saying that “the two quarters join their essences,” thus, is equivalent to saying that Kan and Li join to one another and exchange their inner lines, reestablishing Qian = and Kun» — y qué significa entonces que los dos cuartos junten sus esencias: que Kan y Li se unen e intercambian sus líneas interiores, restableciendo Qian y Kun

«The sum of the numeric values.of Dui and Gen is 16. In the traditional Chinese weight system, 16 ounces (liang) correspond to one pound (jim). The symbolic pound of Elixir, therefore, incorporates and unifies the whole set of cosmological and alchemical correspondences represented by its two ingredients, True Lead and True Mercury.» — y la cuenta con que Pregadio explica la libra: dieciséis onzas hacen una libra en el sistema chino, de modo que la libra simbólica de Elixir incorpora y unifica todo el juego de correspondencias de sus dos ingredientes

«Incorruptible and unchanging, gold withstands the action of fire. Similarly, the Sun and the Moon have been following their courses in heaven since the beginning of time, without ever becoming depleted or exhausted. Gold is a metaphor for the One Breath prior to Heaven, and the Sun and the Moon are images of Yin and Yang.» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 30: el oro es metáfora del Soplo Uno anterior al Cielo y el Sol y la Luna son imágenes del Yin y el Yang

«This section concerns the operation of Metal (also denoted by the word jin, and standing for the One Breath of the Dao), whose nature persists unchanged through the innumerable cycles of change brought about by the Sun and the Moon.» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 31: trata de la operación del Metal, que es también la palabra del oro y representa el Soplo Uno del Dao, cuya naturaleza persiste inalterada por los ciclos del cambio

«Metal is the inner line of Kan 3, the trigram that represents the Moon, This Yang line is, in the first place, the One Breath sought by the alchemist, the essence bestowed by Qian = (Heaven) upon Kun 22 (Earth) and now hidden within the world. The conjunction of Qian and Kun is reiterated by the joining of Kan #2 (Moon) and Li 58 (Sun) at the end of each time cycle (see sections 10 and 48). In the postcelestial world, therefore, Metal is “born from the Moon,” and is sought within Kan (Water).» — y por qué se dice que el Metal nace de la Luna: es la línea interior de Kan, la esencia que Qian otorgó a Kun y está ahora escondida en el mundo

«The Sun (Yang) is associated with the agent Fire, the direction South, the color red (light), the trigram Li 55, and cinnabar. The radiance of» — el segundo juego de correspondencias que Pregadio tabula: el Sol con el Fuego, el Sur, el rojo, Li y el cinabrio; la frase sigue en la plana siguiente con el Dragón Verde

«In the later alchemical tradition, the expression “two eights” (erba, lit., “two times 8”) designates by» — la nota sobre el uso posterior del término: en la tradición alquímica ulterior *dos ochos* pasa a designar por antonomasia al Elixir; la frase sigue en la plana siguiente

«The formation of the Elixir within the tripod reproduces this process. In the alchemical metaphor, the instant in which Metal (True Yang, light) is liberated from “black lead” (Yin, obscurity) and returns to its nature signifies the formation of Gold.» — la correspondencia que Pregadio traza: la formación del Elixir en el trípode reproduce el instante en que el Metal se libera del plomo negro y vuelve a su naturaleza, y eso significa la formación del Oro

«Water, Fire, and Soil are the three main components of the Elixir. Water and Fire (Yin and Yang) are referred to by the respective earthly branches and “generation numbers” (see tables 4 and 13): Water is the branch zi 子 and its number is 1; Fire is the branch wu 4 and its number is 2. The third agent, Soil, whose “generation number” is 5, is referred to by the celestial stems wu 成 and ji 已 , which respectively stand for its Yang and Yin aspects.» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 32: Agua, Fuego y Tierra son los tres componentes principales del Elixir, con sus ramas y sus números de generación

«In the alchemical process, Water conquers Fire, and Soil conquers Water; when Water and Fire return to Soil, the three merge their natures. This happens by virtue of Soil, which represents the original unity of Water and Fire.» — y su resolución: en el proceso alquímico el Agua vence al Fuego y la Tierra al Agua, y cuando ambos vuelven a la Tierra las tres naturalezas se funden

«In the context of the divination techniques, “demon” (gui, or guangui) denotes an item within a series of emblems that “conquers” another item in the same series. In the present case, which refers to the series of the five agents, Soil conquers Water.» — la nota de término sobre *demonio* en las técnicas adivinatorias: el ítem de una serie que vence a otro, aquí la Tierra al Agua

«Analogously, the Elixir is made of Yin and Yang joined as One. It allows an adept to return to the Center, from where he raises to the higher states of being; and it benefirs the entire person, affording health and prolonging life.» — y la analogía con el Elixir: hecho de Yin y Yang unidos como Uno, permite al adepto volver al Centro y subir desde ahí, y beneficia a la persona entera

«Jinsha, translated here as “Golden Sand,” might also be translated as “Metal and Sand.” In fact, according the several commentators, this expression refers-to the Elixir made of True Lead, whose emblematic agent is Metal, and True Mercury, which in Waidan is obtained from cinnabar (dansha, “cinnabar sand,” or zhusha, “vermilion sand”). — The five inner organs are the five viscera (wuzang), namely liver, heart, spleen, lungs, and kidneys.» — la nota de término sobre la Arena de Oro: para varios comentaristas designa el Elixir hecho de Plomo Verdadero, cuyo agente es el Metal, y de Mercurio Verdadero, obtenido en waidan del cinabrio

«There have been several explanations of the chemical import of this verses and their possible relation to the alchemical content of the Cantong qi. As this section makes clear, however, the transformation of ceruse (white lead, Aufen) into lead is mentioned only as an instance of a form reverting to its original state, not different in nature from the return of ice or snow to the state of water.» — y su cautela contra la lectura química: la transformación del albayalde en plomo se menciona solo como caso de una forma que revierte a su estado original

«To compound the Elixir, the ingredients must fulfill the principle of tonglei, an expression that literally means “to be of the same kind” or “of the same category.” This section illustrates this principle only by means of images; their sense becomes clear by reading this section in conjunction with the previous one and the next one.» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 35: los ingredientes han de cumplir el principio de tonglei, que la sección ilustra solo con imágenes

«The principle of tonglei requires that the ingredients agree with Qian and Kun. Only then can they join one another and generate the Elixir: if the ingredients do not agree with Qian and Kun, “could they ever will to be joined in one body?” (30:16). In the alchemical path illustrated in the Cantong gi, therefore, the ingredients—whether they are material or immaterial—should not only match one another, but also enable the conjunction of Qian and Kun.» — y qué exige ese principio: que los ingredientes concuerden con Qian y Kun, de modo que no basta que casen entre sí, han de permitir además la conjunción de aquellos

«Within the cosmos, Qian = operates through Kan #2, and Kun #5 operates through Li 23. Qian and Kun are the true natures of Kan and Li. Black lead and cinnabar represent this configuration. In the alchemical process, they reveal their true nature: the true nature of black lead (22) is True Lead (=), and the true nature of cinnabar (=) is True Mercury (25).» — y cómo lo representan el plomo negro y el cinabrio: en el proceso alquímico revelan su naturaleza verdadera, que es el Plomo Verdadero y el Mercurio Verdadero

«This is not criticism of Waidan per se: even though the Cantong qi deems all alchemy to be the way of “inferior virtue” (see section 20), it uses explicit Waidan terminology and imagery to describe the only kind of alchemical practice that it supports (see sections 39-40 and 62). The criticism, instead, is addressed to methods that do not allow the conjunction of Qian and Kun, alchemically represented by the union of True Lead and True Mercury.» — la acotación con que Pregadio impide la lectura fácil de esa crítica: no es una crítica del waidan en sí, porque el propio poema usa terminología e imaginería waidan para describir la única práctica que sostiene

«The term xiebou (“unexpected encounter”) is first found in “On the Moor is the Creeping Grass,” one of the love poems of the Book of Odes. The first half of this poem says: “On the moor is the creeping grass, / And how heavily is it loaded with dew! / There was a beautiful man, / Lovely, with clear eyes and fine forehead! / We met together unexpectedly, / And so my desire was satisfied” (Shijing, “Ye you mancao,” no. 94; see Waley, The Book of Songs, 21). Later, xiebou was used to denote the “unexpected meeting” with a master.» — la nota de término sobre el encuentro inesperado: viene de un poema de amor del Libro de las Odas y pasó después a nombrar el encuentro con un maestro

«These verses allude to the fundamental method in the Waidan traditions not based on the Cantong qi. Cinnabar (Yang) is refined to obtain mercury (Yin), which is then compounded with sulphur (Yang) to recompose cinnabar.» — la nota en que Pregadio identifica el método al que apuntan los versos 36:11-12: el fundamental de las tradiciones waidan no fundadas en el Cantong qi, que refina cinabrio para obtener mercurio y lo compone con azufre

«Water and Fire have an inherent bond with Soil, the agent that represents the original unity of Yin and Yang: Water is Kan 3, Fire is Li =, and the Yang and Yin inner lines of these trigrams respectively» — el vínculo que Pregadio traza entre Agua, Fuego y Tierra: esta representa la unidad original del Yin y el Yang, y las líneas interiores de Kan y Li corresponden a wu y ji

«Having come forth from a state of unity, Water and Fire wish to join again one another; Soil is the intermediary element that makes their conjunction possible.» — y su consecuencia: venidos de un estado de unidad, Agua y Fuego quieren juntarse otra vez, y la Tierra es el intermediario que lo hace posible

«The second and third stanzas consider Water, Fire, and Soil from the point of view of the sequences of “generation” and “conquest” that occur among the five agents (see table 3). In the generation sequence, Soil gives birth to Metal (True Lead), and Water gives birth to Wood (True Mercury, referred to here with its alchemical name of Flowing Pearl). In this emblematic context, the Elixir is formed when Metal and Wood join to one another.» — cómo lee Pregadio las dos estrofas siguientes por las secuencias de los cinco agentes: en la de generación la Tierra da a luz el Metal y el Agua la Madera, y el Elixir se forma cuando Metal y Madera se juntan

«There are several lists of the eight minerals; one of them includes cinnabar, realgar, malachite, sulphur, mica, salt, saltpetre, and orpiment.» — la nota en que Pregadio enumera una de las listas de los ocho minerales

«The eight minerals, however, are not part of the discourse of the Cantong gi either as a group or-——with the single exception of cinnabar—individually. In fact, the other mention of the eight minerals, found in 87:19~20, is definitely negative: “Dispose of realgar, discard the eight minerals!” This suggests that in the present passage, the expression “eight minerals” is used in a purely metaphoric way: “eight” is the sum of the numerical values of Water (1), Fire (2), and Soil (5}, and “minerals” refers to the subject of the present section, which is obviously alchemical.» — y su argumento de que el término es metáfora: la obra no los trata ni como grupo ni por separado, y en otro lugar manda desecharlos, de modo que el ocho sería la suma de los valores de Agua, Fuego y Tierra

«According to another interpretation, instead, the “eight minerals” are the alchemical equivalent of the eight trigrams.» — y la otra lectura que consigna sin arbitrar: los ocho minerales como equivalente alquímico de los ocho trigramas

«Being positioned at the center of the horizontal plane, Soil upholds the vertical axis that conjoins the precosmic and cosmic domains. It distributes the One Breath to the other agents, setting the principles by which they alternately rule. This enables the cosmos to function . without error.» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 33: la Tierra, en el centro del plano horizontal, sostiene el eje vertical que conjunta lo precósmico y lo cósmico y reparte el Soplo Uno entre los demás agentes, con lo que el cosmos funciona sin error

«This and the next two sections are devoted to the notion of tonglei, “belonging to the same kind” or “category,” one of the main alchemi» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 34, que nombra el principio del tramo: tonglei, ser del mismo género o categoría

«The true nature of all things underlies their particular forms or states. If ceruse (white lead) is placed in a stove, it reverts to black lead; if ice or snow are heated, they return to being water. The same is true of cinnabar (“the Sand”): its original essence and authentic nature is mercury (“quicksilver”), and it yields mercury when it is heated. Since lead (the “Metal”) forms the Elixir by joining with mercury, lead is said to honor cinnabar.» — y cómo lo ilustra: el albayalde vuelve a plomo y el hielo a agua, y el cinabrio rinde mercurio al calentarse porque esa es su naturaleza auténtica

«All transient objects and forms harbor the principle that generates them. This principle is their true nature, and they revert to it at the end of their existence (“end and beginning, of their own accord, depend one on the other”), As long as it complies with the requirement presented in the next section, the alchemical work reveals that principle.» — y la tesis que Pregadio saca: todo objeto transitorio alberga el principio que lo genera, revierte a él al final de su existencia, y la obra alquímica revela ese principio

«According to a different interpretation, instead, the “sand” is the Vermilion Sand (zhusha), which here is not the common name of cinnabar but denotes the True Mercury within cinnabar (True Yin within Yang). Shuiyin (lit., “water silver”) is not the common name of quicksilver, but denotes the Silver within Water, i.e., True Lead within native lead (True Yang within Yin» — el desacuerdo de lectura que Pregadio consigna sin arbitrar sobre los versos 34:5-6: la arena sería el Mercurio Verdadero dentro del cinabrio y la plata de agua el Plomo Verdadero dentro del plomo nativo

«Any alchemical practice that does not involve the conjunction of True Lead and True Mercury is deemed by the Cantong qi to be ineffective, because its ingredients do not represent Qian and Kun, or True Yin and True Yang.» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 36: el poema tiene por ineficaz toda práctica alquímica sin la conjunción de Plomo y Mercurio Verdaderos, porque sus ingredientes no representan a Qian y Kun

«These methods do not comply with the principle of tonglei, described in the previous section: their ingredients do not represent the state in which Heaven and Earth, or Qian and Kun, are joined to one another as “one body,” and cannot make it possible to revert to that state.» — y la razón exacta: esos métodos no cumplen el principio de tonglei, porque sus ingredientes no representan el estado en que Cielo y Tierra están unidos como un solo cuerpo

«Authors belonging to Waidan traditions based on the Cantong qi would later criticize this method for being based only on the refining of Yang, without a corresponding method for the refining of Yin» — el desacuerdo interno al waidan que Pregadio consigna: los autores de las tradiciones fundadas en el Cantong qi criticarían ese método por refinar solo el Yang sin un método correspondiente para el Yin

«This verse probably refers to Waidan techniques similar to the one described in the Baopu zi neipian: “Let [the crucible] cool, remove the contents, and blow to melt the copper» — la nota en que Pregadio empareja el verso del soplado con una técnica del Baopu zi

«According to the Cantong gi, only True Yin and True Yang (Heaven and Earth, and what represents them by © “being of their kind”) can “join in one body.”» — y la nota en que fija el criterio del poema: solo el Yin y el Yang Verdaderos, y lo que los representa por ser de su género, pueden unirse en un cuerpo

«According to the traditional account, the composition of the Book of Changes began with the mythical emperor Fu Xi, who drew the eight trigrams. King Wen of the Zhou later created the sixty-four hexagrams by combining the trigrams in pairs, and added the short “Statements on the Lines” on each hexagram and its individual lines. Finally Confucius wrote the Ten Wings» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 37, con el relato tradicional de la composición del Libro de los Cambios: Fu Xi traza los trigramas, el rey Wen forma los hexagramas y añade las Declaraciones, y Confucio escribe las Diez Alas

«Heaven chose Fu Xi, King Wen, and Confucius to instruct humanity by means of the Book of Changes. Wei Boyang took those three sages as his masters, and thus become awakened. Following his masters’ example, he wrote his Cantong qi to enable us to use forms and signs in order to comprehend what is devoid of forms and signs.» — y cómo lee Pregadio el linaje que el poema se da: Wei Boyang tomó a esos tres sabios por maestros y, siguiendo su ejemplo, escribió su obra para que las formas y los signos sirvan a comprender lo que carece de ellos

«The Ten Wings, or Ten Appendixes, consist of seven texts, the first, second, and fourth of which are in two parts, making ten parts altogether: Commentary on the Judgements (“Tuanzhuan”); Commentary on the Images (“Xiangzhuan”); Commentary on the Words of the Text (“Wenyan zhuan,” concerning only the hexagrams Qian 2 and Kun #2); Appended Sayings (“Xici"); Explanation of the Trigrams (“Shuogua”); Hexagrams in Sequence (“Xugua”); and Hexagrams in Irregular Order» — la nota en que Pregadio desglosa las Diez Alas: siete textos, tres de ellos en dos partes, que hacen diez

«As does the Book of Changes, all alchemical texts deal with one and the same subject: the unity underlying the Dao and the world. In alchemy, this unity is represented by the Elixir made of Lead and Mercury. At first, Wei Boyang thought that he would communicate the method for compounding the Elixir only by means of oral instructions to those who were worthy of receiving it. Later, he decided to transmit it also in written form. Fearing to disclose the “token of Heaven” (tianfu), however, he provided only a brief summary of the method, veiled by the use of images and metaphors. The next two sections contains that summary.» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 38, con el relato del secreto: todos los textos alquímicos tratan de la unidad que subyace al Dao y al mundo, y Wei Boyang, temiendo revelar la prenda del Cielo, dio solo un resumen velado por imágenes

«Looking upward, we use [the Book of Changes] to contemplate the signs in heaven; looking downward, we use it to examine the lines of the earth. Thus we understand the reasons for darkness and light» — el pasaje de las Declaraciones Apéndice que Pregadio empareja con el verso sobre la oscuridad y la luz

«In writing his Cantong gi, Wei Boyang does what Fu Xi did when he created the eight trigrams: “He looked upward and contemplated the images in Heaven, he looked downward and contemplated the models on the Earth» — y el paralelo que Pregadio traza: al escribir, Wei Boyang hace lo que Fu Xi al crear los trigramas, mirar arriba y abajo

«Sections 39-40 contain the main description of the method for compounding the Elixir found in the Cantong qi. The description is divided into two parts: the first ends with the compounding of the Yellow Carriage, and the second one, with the compounding of the Reverted Elixir proper. Although most larer commentators have explained these verses from the perspective of the tradition to which they belonged, namely Neidan, terminology and images in both sections are explicitly Waidan. Nevertheless, the emblematic functions of the ingredients and the process described here can apply to both Waidan and Neidan.» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 39, con la adjudicación que importa: aunque casi todos los comentaristas posteriores expliquen estos versos desde el neidan, la terminología y las imágenes de las dos secciones son explícitamente waidan, y las funciones emblemáticas valen para las dos ramas

«The Elixir is made of two ingredients, here called Metal and Water. Metal is True Lead, and Water is True Mercury. The two ingredients are placed in the vessel, so that mercury circulates but does not volatilize when it is heated. Each ingredient is assigned a symbolic weight of fifteen ounces. Together, their weights correspond to the number of days in the lunar month.» — y la receta leída emblemáticamente: Metal es Plomo Verdadero y Agua Mercurio Verdadero, con quince onzas simbólicas cada uno, que suman los días del mes lunar

«Through the action of fire, which is placed underneath the open vessel, the “three things’—Metal, Water, and Soil—undergo transmutation, taking at first a liquid form and then a solid form, similar to ashes or dust. The compound obtained at the end of the first part of the method is called Yellow Carriage (huangyu). It serves as the basis for making the Elixir in the second part of the method, which is described in the next section.» — cómo describe Pregadio la operación: por acción del fuego bajo el vaso abierto, las tres cosas se transmutan tomando forma líquida y luego sólida, y el compuesto del final de la primera parte se llama Carro Amarillo

«In addition, the weights have another and more important symbolic connotation: 5 and 10 respectively are the “generation number” and the “accomplishment number” of the central agent Soil (see table 4).» — la segunda lectura de los pesos, que Pregadio declara más importante: 5 y 10 son el número de generación y el de cumplimiento del agente central Tierra

«This correspondence ties both Lead and Mercury to Soil, an association that is already implicit in the emblematic functions of the two ingredients: the Yang line within Kan 22 (True Lead) is equivalent to the celestial stem wz 成 , which is the active, Yang aspect of Soil, while the Yin line within Li 22 (True Mercury) is equivalent to the celestial stem ji C1, which is its passive, Yin aspect (see section 7). Being comprised within both ingredients, Soil can play a mediating function between them, enabling the Yin and Yang principles to conjoin.» — y lo que esa correspondencia hace: ata Plomo y Mercurio a la Tierra, que por estar comprendida en los dos ingredientes puede mediar entre ellos

«Yu primarily means “carriage,” but this word also includes “earth” among its meanings. The term “Yellow Carriage,” therefore, alludes to the Center as the unity of Yin and Yang, respectively represented in alchemy by Mercury and Lead.» — la nota de término sobre el Carro Amarillo: yu significa carro pero también tierra, de modo que el nombre alude al Centro como unidad del Yin y el Yang

«The description of the refining of True Lead and True Mercury that had began in the previous section continues here. The compound obtained in the first part of the method is placed in a tripod and is heated in a furnace. The vessel, this time, should be hermetically closed, as even the slightest leakage of Breath (gi) would prevent the Elixir from being compounded, The intensity of heat is regulated according to the system of the “fire times” (buohou), which subdivides each heating cycle into twelve stages (“twelve nodes”) modeled on the growth and decline of the Sun during the year» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 40: el compuesto de la primera parte se pone en un trípode y se calienta en un horno herméticamente cerrado, porque la menor fuga de Soplo impediría el Elixir, con el calor regulado por los tiempos del fuego en doce etapas

«Fire is mild at the beginning, then grows stronger until it reaches the highest intensity, then decreases until it is finally extinguished. After several cycles of heating, Lead and Mercury go through a symbolic death. When Yin and Yang cease to exist as separate entities, the hun soul returns to Heaven, the po soul returns to the Earth, and the luminous Reverted Elixir (buandan) is achieved.» — y el desenlace del régimen de fuego: tras varios ciclos, Plomo y Mercurio pasan por una muerte simbólica, el hun vuelve al Cielo y el po a la Tierra, y se alcanza el Elixir Revertido

«The term daogui, translated above as “knife-point,” more precisely means “tip of a spatula.” According to an interpretation, the word dao 7] (“blade, spatula, knife”) alludes to Metal (i.e., Gold, the Elixir); gui 3, instead, stands for the “two Soils -E” (one on top of the other, representing wu 成 and ji 已 , or Yin and Yang) incorporated into the Elixir. The symbolic “knife-point” of Elixir evokes, therefore, the ingredients that have made its compounding possible.» — la nota de término sobre la punta de cuchillo: dao aludiría al Metal y gui a las dos Tierras, wu y ji, incorporadas al Elixir

«The ingredients of the Elixir are named here Water and Fire. Water (Kan =, containing Metal, or True Lead) conquers Fire (Li =, containing Wood, or True Mercury); when Soil in turn conquers Water, the Elixir is attained (see above, section 32). The relation that ties the agents to one another is the same as the one that occurs among the corresponding natural phenomena: when water is poured over fire, fire is extinguished, and “when soil invades, water cannot rise» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 41: la relación entre los agentes es la misma que entre los fenómenos naturales que les corresponden

«When Water conquers Fire, Metal (the inner line of Kan 3) is liberated from its temporary dwelling and returns to Qian 3, its “initial nature” (see section 31). The name “metal” expresses the outer qualities (ging) of Metal as one of the two ingredients of the Elixir. But Qian is also Pure Yang, the One Breath of the Dao, the principle sought by the alchemist: it is the Elixir itself. When Metal regains its true, precelestial nature (xing), it acquires a different name (a “cognomen”) and is called Reverted Elixir.» — y la lectura alquímica del mismo suceso: al vencer el Agua al Fuego, el Metal queda liberado y vuelve a Qian, su naturaleza inicial, que es el Yang Puro, y entonces recibe otro nombre

«In these verses, the reciprocal encroaching of the Sun and the Moon in the novilune and the plenilune is compared to an eclipse, which in Chinese divination is deemed to be an ill omen.» — la nota en que Pregadio compara ese invadirse del Sol y la Luna con un eclipse, tenido por mal augurio en la adivinación china

«In addition to the one reported above, there have been several other interpretations of these verses. According to one of these interpretations, Metal (Yang) refers to the “qualities” (ging) and Wood (Yin) refers to the “nature” (xing); when they join, Metal reverts to its nature and is called Reverted Elixir. According to another interpretation, “qualities” refers to the Yang dyad made of Metal and Water, and “nature” to the Yin dyad made of Wood and Fire.» — el desacuerdo de lecturas que Pregadio consigna sin arbitrar sobre los versos 41:13-14, con dos interpretaciones más además de la suya

«Liu An (1792-122, also known as Huainan zi, or Master of Huainan) is credited with alchemical knowledge and is believed to have become an immortal after ingesting an elixir. —- The term Autumn Stone (giushi) has several meanings in Waidan, but only one of them applies to the present context: the association of autumn with Metal in the system of the five agents (see tables 1 and 2) makes this term a synonym of Metal, or Gold.» — la nota sobre el Maestro de Huainan y la Piedra de Otoño, que Pregadio resuelve por la asociación del otoño con el Metal; las cifras van tal como las imprime la capa de texto

«Wang Yang has been identified as Wang Jie, a well-known Han-dynasty scholar who was said to be able to “make gold.” (On this name, see the Textual Notes.) On the Yellow Sprout (buangya) see the notes to section 22. As its name also indicates, the alchemical meaning of this term is essentially equivalent to Golden Flower.» — y la nota sobre Wang Yang, identificado con un letrado Han del que se decía que sabía hacer oro

«As does Book 1, Book 2 of the Cantong qi opens with several sections (43-52) that concern cosmology. The images of Qian and Kun are Heaven and Earth; those of Kan and Li are the Moon and the Sun. Just like Heaven and Earth are unchanging and in constant conjunction, so do Qian and Kun “join and embrace one another.” As they join, the active and the passive principles respectively give and receive, Thus the Essence of Qian and the Breath of Kun are distributed, and creatures and phenomena are generated» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 43: como el Libro 1, el Libro 2 abre con secciones de cosmología, y al unirse Qian y Kun el principio activo da y el pasivo recibe

«Qian = in the act of bestowing its essence upon Kun is Li 22; Kun 32 in the act of receiving the essence of Qian is Kan 33, Kan and Li are the counterparts of Qian and Kun within the cosmos. They follow one another like the Sun and the Moon, and nourish all beings with their light, which actually is the light of Qian and Kun. This function of Kan and Li is mysterious and unfathomable, but the sages have provided a way to comprehend it by means of images and emblems.» — y la definición dinámica de Kan y Li que Pregadio propone: Qian en el acto de otorgar su esencia es Li y Kun en el de recibirla es Kan, y nutren a todos los seres con una luz que es en realidad la de Qian y Kun

«Although Qian, Kun, Kan, and Li, from our perspective, appear to differ from one another, they all reside within the Center, indistinct and not separated from each other. The other emblems of the Book of Changes represent the operation of this motionless Prime Mover within time and space. They arrange themselves like a carriage around the Center The saintly ruler is its driver, and uses those emblems to manage and respond to change.» — y el lugar del Centro: los cuatro residen en él indistintos, y los demás emblemas representan la operación de ese Motor Inmóvil en el tiempo y el espacio, dispuestos como un carro en torno suyo

«Earth brings the generative faculty of Heaven to accomplishment; without the Earth, Heaven would not fulfill its power, and without Heaven, the Earth would be fruitless. The “bright noble man” embodies and makes manifest the creative action of Heaven within the human world: what the Earth is for Heaven is the world for the saint, and is the kingdom for the ruler. When the ruler conducts government according to the principles set forth by the saintly men, he brings harmony to his kingdom.» — y la analogía política: lo que la Tierra es para el Cielo lo es el mundo para el santo y el reino para el soberano

«This section consists of a short commentary on a passage of the “Appended Sayings” of the Book of Changes. The sage ruler resides in the Center (see 2:7) and is mindful of the visible and the unseen patterns that tie his own person, his palace, his kingdom, and the whole world to one another. As he fulfills his tasks by conforming to those patterns, the influence of his words and actions extends throughout his kingdom and beyond.» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 44: el soberano sabio reside en el Centro y atiende a los patrones visibles e invisibles que atan su persona, su palacio y su reino

«Jiuzhong, lit. “nine layers,” connotes, by extension, not only the ruler’s palace itself, but also its central location: a nine-layered wall is also said to be found on Mount Kunlun, at the center of the world. The nine horizontal layers of walls, in turn, mirror the nine vertical layers of Heaven.» — la nota de término sobre las nueve capas de muros: connotan el palacio y su posición central, como las del monte Kunlun en el centro del mundo, y espejan las nueve capas verticales del Cielo

«The Cantong qi has described the cycle of the hexagrams during the thirty days of the month in section 3. The present section reiterates its basic features. Qian 8, Kun 2, Kan #, and Li & reside at the Center and are not part of the time cycles. The remaining sixty hexagrams are associated in pairs with the thirty days of the month, beginning with Zhun # and Meng & that rule on the daytime and the nighttime of the first day (see table 7).» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 45: reitera los rasgos del ciclo ya descrito en la sección 3, con Qian, Kun, Kan y Li fuera de los ciclos del tiempo

«The earthly branches related to each pair of hexagrams reflect a different system of associations compared to the one used in section 3 (see table 8). Despite this difference, the cycle of the sixty hexagrams again provides a model for the conduct of the ruler, who uses the qualities pertaining to each stage of time to determine his tasks.» — y la discrepancia que Pregadio consigna entre las dos secciones: las ramas terrestres siguen aquí un sistema de asociaciones distinto del de la sección 3

«In night of novilune, the Yin principle is at the height of its development and obscures the Yang principle: the Sun cannot send its light upon the Moon, and the Moon therefore is black. On that day, however, the Yang principle begins a new cycle of ascent.» — cómo lee Pregadio la alternancia de las lunaciones: en la noche de novilunio el Yin está en su cima y oscurece al Yang, y ese mismo día el Yang empieza un ciclo nuevo de ascenso

«night of plenilune, the Yang principle culminates and overcomes the Yin principle: the Moon is entirely exposed to the rays of the Sun, and appears as full. On that day, the Yin principle in turn begins its ascending cycle that will result in a new obscuration of the Yang principle. Despite the apparent contest between them, the Sun and the Moon ceaselessly giving way to one another provide an example of the harmony that exists between Yin and Yang» — y su contraparte, con la lectura que Pregadio hace de ambas: pese al aparente pleito entre ellos, el Sol y la Luna cediéndose el paso dan ejemplo de la armonía entre Yin y Yang

«Like the saintly man, who conceals his skills and discloses them only when the circumstances allow or require him to do so, the sage ruler should know when the circumstances demand him to respond by» — el paralelo que Pregadio traza entre el santo y el soberano: como aquel esconde sus destrezas y las muestra solo cuando las circunstancias lo permiten, este ha de saber cuándo responder; la frase sigue en la plana siguiente

«Great Heat” (dashu) is one of the twenty-four periods of the year (jieqi). The words “frost” and “snow” appear in the names of three of the twenty-four periods: Descent of Frost (shuangjiang), Lesser Snow (xiaoxue), and Great Snow (daxue).» — la nota de término en que Pregadio identifica los nombres de los veinticuatro periodos del año que el poema usa

«Water clocks bore “notches” (ke) that divided the day into one hundred equal parts, each of which corresponds to about fifteen minutes by modern reckoning.» — la nota sobre las muescas del reloj de agua, que dividían el día en cien partes iguales

«The patterns of Yin and Yang pervade and unify the domains of Heaven, Earth, and Man. Since the ruler’s task is to guarantee and maintain the agreement of Man with Heaven and Earth, this requires that he operates in accordance with those patterns. If he does so, the influence of his words extends throughout and even beyond his own kingdom, bringing about different effects according to the circumstances.» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 47: los patrones del Yin y el Yang penetran y unifican Cielo, Tierra y Hombre, y la tarea del soberano es garantizar el acuerdo entre ellos

«The sage ruler complies with the alternation of Yin and Yang and with the qualities associated with the four seasons. He is active in the times corresponding to spring and summer (Yang), and quiescent in the times corresponding to autumn and winter (Yin). Therefore he ensures that Yin and Yang, the five agents, and all other forces operating within his kingdom keep to their respective places and perform their respective functions.» — y cómo lo hace: activo en los tiempos de primavera y verano y quieto en los de otoño e invierno, con lo que asegura que cada fuerza del reino guarde su lugar

«The conjunction of the Sun and the Moon does not only produce change; it also renovates, within the cosmos, the Numinous Light in which Heaven and Earth are joined to each other. This light leads the saintly man, whose operation in the world attains the perfection of non-doing.» — y lo que Pregadio añade: esa conjunción renueva además la Luz Numinosa en que Cielo y Tierra están unidos, luz que guía al santo hasta la perfección del no obrar

«For ‘hide yourself,” the text literally has “hide your form” (yinxing), the principle of individuality of all creatures and objects» — la nota de término sobre *esconderse*: el texto dice literalmente esconder la forma, principio de individuación de todas las criaturas

«This section describes again the lunar cycle according the najia, or Matching Stems, cosmological device (another description of the same cycle is found in section 13). This time the focus is not on the rise of Yang and Yin in the first and the second halves of the lunation, but on the ascent and the descent of the Yang principle alone. Moreover, each of the six stages of the cycle is associated not only with one trigram, but also with one line of Qian , the hexagram that represents Pure Yang, and is illustrated with a sentence drawn from the Statements on the Lines on that hexagram in the Book of Changes, Their subject is the dragon, the animal that represents Qian.» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 49, con la diferencia respecto de la 13: aquí el foco no está en la subida del Yang y el Yin por mitades sino en el ascenso y descenso del Yang solo, y cada etapa se liga además a una línea del hexagrama Qian y a su dragón

«On the sixteenth day (Xun 53), Yin begins to advance, and Yang begins to recede. On the twenty-third day (Gen =), Yin and Yang are again in balance; now the dragon is “sitting in the throne of heaven,” because this stage corresponds to the fifth line of Qian, and the fifth line is the ruling line of an hexagram. On the thirtieth day (Kun 25), finally, Yang has been overcome. The “arrogant dragon” here denotes the Yin principle, which has defeated the Yang principle and attempts to prevent its rebirth» — y la merma: Xun el dieciséis, Gen el veintitrés con el dragón en el trono del cielo por ser la quinta la línea rectora, y Kun el treinta, cuando el dragón arrogante designa al Yin que ha vencido e intenta impedir el renacer del Yang

«The time cycles and the related phenomena in Heaven and on Earth are regular and function without error; therefore they serve as exem» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 46: los ciclos del tiempo y sus fenómenos funcionan sin error y por eso sirven de patrón ejemplar; la frase sigue en la plana siguiente

«Ultimate” (buangji) refers to the principle that originates and sustains the cosmos. This principle, which coincides with the Center, is represented in Heaven by the Celestial Emperor (tiandi). On Earth, it is represented by the sage king, who rules in accordance with the principles of humanity and righteousness and thereby induces his subjects to follow him.» — la nota de término sobre el Último Augusto: el principio que origina y sostiene el cosmos, que coincide con el Centro y está representado en el Cielo por el Emperador Celeste y en la Tierra por el rey sabio

«This section mirrors the description of the joining of the Sun and the Moon found in section 10. In the last night of each lunar month, Sun and Moon meet at the Center of the cosmos and exchange their essences.» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 48: espeja la descripción de la sección 10, con el Sol y la Luna encontrándose en el Centro del cosmos la última noche del mes e intercambiando sus esencias

«The Moon begins its cycle in the northeast. On the third day (represented by Zhen 25), the Yang principle begins to rise. On the eighth day (Dui =), Yin and Yang are equal to each other when the Moon is in the first quarter» — el recorrido que Pregadio detalla en la nota a la sección 49: la Luna empieza en el noreste, el Yang sube el día tres con Zhen y el ocho con Dui el Yin y el Yang se igualan

«On the fifteenth day (Qian =), the Moon’s illuminated side faces the Earth. Now the Yang principle, having reached its culmination, is about to begin its descent: Yin and Yang invert their courses of “flourishing and decay.”» — y su culminación: el día quince la cara iluminada mira a la Tierra y el Yang, en su cima, va a empezar su descenso

«That is, from East to West, according to the orientation of traditional Chinese cartography, where the West is on the “right.”» — la nota que aclara el giro a la derecha del verso: de Este a Oeste, según la orientación de la cartografía china tradicional

«The expression “compass and square” (guiju) connotes the idea of a rule, _ standard, or law. Compare the “Commentary on the Words of the Text” on the hexagram Qian & (no. 1), “All nines”: “When Qian, the Origin, undergoes change in all the nines, one perceives the law of Heaven» — la nota de término sobre compás y escuadra como regla o ley, con el pasaje del Comentario a las Palabras del Texto sobre los *todos nueves*

«This section concludes the description of the monthly lunar cycle found in the previous section, and introduces the description of the annual solar cycle found in the next section. Its subject is the Yang line that rises and declines along the six lines of the hexagram Qian 3, which illustrates the course of Yang during the six periods of the month (described in the previous section); and along the six lines of the twelve “sovereign hexagrams,” which illustrate the course of Yang during the twelve months of the year (described in the next section).» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 50: cierra la descripción del ciclo lunar y abre la del solar, con la línea Yang que sube y baja por las seis líneas de Qian y por las de los doce hexagramas soberanos

«The rise and decline of the Yang principle accord with the apparent rotation of the Northern Dipper, referred to here with the names of two of its stars, Jade-cog and Armil. Rotating around its own axis, the Dipper distributes the One Breath to the sectors of space and the nodes of time. This Breath sustains the world, and operates through and by means of the cycles of change produced by the alternation of Yin and Yang.» — y el papel de la Osa: girando sobre su eje reparte el Soplo Uno por los sectores del espacio y los nodos del tiempo, y ese Soplo sostiene el mundo

«Xuan (Jade-cog) and ji (Armil) are the second and the third stars in the constellation of the Northern Dipper. By extension, they also denote the first four stars of the Dipper (ie., the so-called Head, kui), as well as the entire constel» — la nota de término en que Pregadio identifica el Diente de Jade y la Armilla como la segunda y la tercera estrellas de la Osa

«After the descriptions of the ascent and descent of Yin and Yang during the day (sections 3 and 45) and the month (sections 13 and 49), the present section is concerned with the third major cosmological pattern described in the Cantong qi: the cycle of the Sun during the twelve months of the year.» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 51: el tercer patrón cosmológico mayor, el ciclo del Sol por los doce meses del año

«and Yang deviated from their regular course, the whole cosmos would be thrown into confusion. Likewise, if the ruler does not conform to those patterns, his kingdom is endangered.» — el reverso de esa regularidad, según Pregadio: si el Yin y el Yang se desviaran de su curso el cosmos entero caería en confusión, y lo mismo el reino si el soberano no se conforma a esos patrones

«The hexagrams chosen to represent the months are the so-called “sovereign hexagrams” (bigua). Analogously to the six trigrams that represent the lunar phases (see sections 13 and 49), they illustrate the ascent and descent of Yin and Yang during the twelve months:» — y cuáles son esos hexagramas: los llamados soberanos, que como los seis trigramas de las fases lunares ilustran el ascenso y descenso del Yin y el Yang por los doce meses

«Thus they fulfill the function of generating and sustaining life on behalf of Qian and Kun: “emanation” (shi, “giving forth”) is» — en nombre de quién obran el Sol y la Luna, según Pregadio: cumplen por Qian y Kun la función de generar y sostener la vida; la frase sigue en la plana siguiente

«After we are generated, Yin and Yang govern our life. The Original Essence of Qian exists in us as the Yang Spirit, and the Original Breath of Kun, as the Yin Spirit. The Yang Spirit and the Yin Spirit manifest themselves as the bun and the po souls, respectively. In the first place, un and po are one, just like Qian and Kun; after they emerge as separate entities, they operate through one another.» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 53: la Esencia Original de Qian existe en nosotros como Espíritu Yang y el Soplo Original de Kun como Espíritu Yin, y hun y po son primero uno y luego operan uno por otro

«The translation given above attempts to express the possible dual meaning of the two verses.» — y cómo resuelve Pregadio esa disputa en su traducción: intentando conservar el doble sentido posible de los dos versos

«One’s true nature (xing) should be guarded and fostered. The individual “qualities,” or ging, provide protection for ir, and allow it to manifest itself, to different degrees of actuality, in the external world. These qualities pertains to the sphere of individual existence (ming); they embrace a wide range of features, including the outward personality or temperament, feelings, emotions, desires, and passions. In the postcelestial world in which we live, it is these properties of ging— which include love, in all of its aspects—that induce the conjunction of precelestial Qian and Kun: the coupling of the male and the female leads to the birth of a new life.» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 54: las cualidades protegen a la naturaleza verdadera y le permiten manifestarse, y abarcan el temperamento, los sentimientos, los deseos y las pasiones

«Liu Yiming writes in his commentary to this section: “Man and woman join one another because of their ging, like Qian above and Kun» — la nota en que Pregadio cita a Liu Yiming sobre ese punto: el hombre y la mujer se juntan por sus cualidades, como Qian arriba y Kun abajo

«As does the passage of the Book of Changes from which verses 1 and 3 derive, the first stanza of this section describes the process that create life. Qian is movement, Kun is quiescence. Complying with their natures and qualities, Qian gives forth the Essence that generates life, and entrusts it to Kun; Kun receives the Essence of Qian, and brings creation to achievement» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 55: Qian es movimiento y Kun quietud, y aquel da la Esencia que genera vida y la confía a esta, que lleva la creación a término

«The joining of essence and substance, or male and female, is in the first place a return to the state of Unity of Qian and Kun. This process can be portrayed in several ways, two of which are alluded to in the present section. The second stanza uses images related to the numeric values of the five agents. Unity here is not represented by Soil, which stands for the joining of Qian and Kun per se, but by Water, the first agent in the cosmogonic sequence (see section 22): the conjunction of Qian and Kun is now the precondition for the creation of a new life, the first stage of a process that awaits its unfolding, a reiteration of the process that leads to the birth of the whole cosmos.» — y por qué la Unidad se representa aquí por el Agua y no por la Tierra: porque la conjunción es ahora precondición de una vida nueva, primera etapa de un proceso que reitera el del nacimiento del cosmos

«This section concludes the description-of the origins of life that had begun in section 53. Its purport is clear: the embryo, produced by the joining of Yin (the “black”) and Yang (the “white”), grows until it comes to life. Later commentators and authors belonging to the Neidan traditions have seen in this section a description of the generation of the Internal Elixir, with its three stages: conception, gestation, and birth. In this, as in many other instances, the Cantong qi has provided a model that the later tradition has applied to the alchemical process» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 56, con la adjudicación que separa al poema de sus lectores: el embrión que nace de la unión de lo negro y lo blanco es lo que el texto dice, y fueron los autores de neidan quienes vieron ahí la generación del Elixir Interno

«The fire and the water obtained by means of these mirrors demonstrate that the Breaths of Yin and Yang extend their influence throughout the cosmos. If the Sun and the Moon, which are so remote from us, produce those transformations, how much more can be achieved by the Breaths of Yin and Yang that innately reside within the human being?» — y el argumento a fortiori que Pregadio lee en la sección: si el Sol y la Luna, tan remotos, producen esas transformaciones, cuánto más los Soplos que residen de nacimiento en el ser humano

«Sections 58-60, which are closely related to sections 18-19, describe other features of the path of superior virtue. The “three treasures” spoken of here are the “three luminaries” of section 18: the ears, the eyes, and the mouth, respectively corresponding to the functions of hearing, seeing, and speaking. These treasures should be guarded and cherished, and their light should be turned within.» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 58: los tres tesoros son los tres luminares de la sección 18, oídos, ojos y boca, cuya luz ha de volverse hacia dentro

«The symbolism of verses 7-8 is complex, but deserves attention as this passage of the Cantong gi is quoted in several later texts. The return of the four external agents—Water, Fire, Wood, and Metal—to the state of Unity is described as “the 9 reverts, the 7 returns, the 8 goes back, the 6 remains.” These sentences refer to the “generation” and “accomplishment” numbers (shengshu and chengshu) of the agents, which respectively are 1 and 6 for Water, 2 and 7 for Fire, 3 and 8 for Wood, and 4 and 9 for Metal (see table 4).» — la nota en que Pregadio descifra los números de los versos 55:7-8 por los números de generación y de cumplimiento de los cinco agentes

«The state of Unity, to which the four external agents must return in order to generate life, is represented by number 1, which belongs to Water. Therefore Metal (9) “reverts,” Fire (7) “returns,” and Wood (8) “goes back” to the 1 of Water. Instead, Water (6) owns number 1 as its “generation” number; since it does not need to perform any movement, it “remains.”» — y su cuenta: el Metal revierte, el Fuego vuelve y la Madera retrocede al 1 del Agua, mientras el Agua, que ya tiene el 1 por número de generación, no se mueve y permanece

«In the third stanza, the male and female principles are represented by the respective essences, semen and blood. Their colors, white and red, are associated with the agents Metal and Fire.» — la tercera estrofa según Pregadio: semen y sangre por los principios masculino y femenino, con sus colores blanco y rojo ligados al Metal y al Fuego

«Metal and Fire contend with one another, until Fire conquers Metal; then Water conquers Fire. Here Water is again the symbol of the return of Qian and Kun to the state of Unity, the very instant in which a new life is generated. Then this Unity “alters itself and distributes by parting”: duality and multiplicity emerge, and life begins its course.» — y su desenlace: Metal y Fuego contienden hasta que el Fuego vence al Metal y el Agua al Fuego, y esa Unidad se altera y se reparte partiéndose, con lo que la vida empieza su curso

«All things and phenomena within the cosmos and the human being occur through the operation of Yin and Yang. The yangsui and the fangzhu bronze mirrors illustrate the principle that things of the same kind or “category” (lei) respond to one another (see section 35). The yangsui is round like Heaven, and receives the essence of the Yang» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 57: los espejos yangsui y fangzhu ilustran el principio de que las cosas del mismo género se responden, y el yangsui es redondo como el Cielo

«At the basis of these different interpretations is the question of whether the cultivation of xing (“inner» — el desacuerdo doctrinal que Pregadio consigna sin arbitrar y que decide la traducción de los versos 53:1-2: si el cultivo de la naturaleza interior precede o sigue al de la existencia; la frase sigue en la plana siguiente, donde lo declara punto en disputa dentro del neidan

«principle (fire), which is sent forth by the Sun; the fangzbu is square like Earth, and gathers the essence of the Yin principle (water or» — el segundo espejo de la sección 57 según Pregadio: el fangzhu es cuadrado como la Tierra y recoge la esencia del principio Yin; la frase sigue en la plana siguiente

«The ears are represented by Kan = (Water, Yin), which is placed below (in correspondence with the lower Cinnabar Field) and holds the Original Essence (yuanjing). (2) The eyes ate represented by Li & (Fire, Yang), which is placed above (in correspondence with the upper Cinnabar Field) and holds the Original Breath (yuanqi). (3) The mouth is represented by Dui == (Metal), which is placed in the center (in correspondence with the middle Cinnabar Field) and holds the Original Spirit (yuanshen).» — la correspondencia que Pregadio tabula para los tres tesoros: los oídos por Kan y el Campo de Cinabrio inferior con la Esencia Original, los ojos por Li y el superior con el Soplo Original, y la boca por Dui y el medio con el Espíritu Original

«When the “three treasures” are secured, Essence does not flow downward, as water does, but instead ascends; Breath does not rise upward, as fire does, but instead descends; and one’s individual traits (ging, i.e., attitudes, temperament, personality, and other features related to one’s individual existence) do not spring forth as emotions or passions, but emerge as qualities that enable Spirit, or one’s own true nature (xing), to operate.» — y qué ocurre cuando los tres tesoros quedan asegurados: la Esencia no fluye hacia abajo sino que asciende, el Soplo no sube sino que desciende, y las cualidades individuales no brotan como pasiones sino como aquello que permite obrar al Espíritu

«The true nature is referred to in this passage as the True Man. Withdrawn “in the depths of the abyss” (compare the expression “sinking into the ground” in section 18), the True Man leads his carriage (see sections 2, and 43) and meets no obstructions. Quiescence and activity are equivalent for him, and he enters and exits the world without distinction. Seeing, hearing, and speaking are turned inward: he watches and listens to the boundless, and communicates with it in words that no one can hear.» — y cómo lee Pregadio al Hombre Verdadero de esa sección: es la naturaleza verdadera, para quien quietud y actividad son equivalentes, con la vista, el oído y el habla vueltos hacia dentro

«Those who attain the realized state guard the “three treasures” and turn their light within. Being focused on the Heart, the center of the human being, they do not let their sight, hearing, and voice drive them astray; whether they are in the states of wake or sleep, they do not lose their union with Spirit and rheir awareness of the unity of existence and extinction. Even their physical features benefit from this: the negative qualities that, in the relative domain, are associated with the Yin principle are removed, and are replaced by the corresponding qualities associated with the Pure Yang, the state prior to the emergence of duality.» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 59: quienes alcanzan el estado realizado guardan los tres tesoros y vuelven su luz adentro, sin perder su unión con el Espíritu ni dormidos ni despiertos

«This section describes the way of breathing of the True Man. His breath is joined with the One Breath, and circulates within his entire person. This is not a description of a practice: it happens spontaneously to the realized beings who take the operation of the Dao as a model for their operation in the world.» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 60, con la negativa que impide leerla como receta: no es la descripción de una práctica, sino algo que ocurre espontáneamente a los realizados que toman la operación del Dao por modelo

«As it does in Book 1 (see section 26), the description of the way of superior virtue in Book 2 ends with a warning against the performance of incorrect practices. The “minor arts” (xiaoshu) are methods such as those mentioned in section 26. From the perspective of the Cantong qi, those practices seem to be easier than alchemy, but do not afford real benefits. On the contrary, using True Yin and Yang may at first appear to be more difÏcult, but is in fact easier because the Elixir is based on the same principles that generate and nourish life.» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 61: las artes menores parecen más fáciles que la alquimia pero no dan provecho real, mientras usar el Yin y el Yang Verdaderos parece más difícil y es de hecho más fácil

«The Flowing Pearl is True Yin and True Mercury; it is the central Yin line within Li =, the trigram associated with cinnabar and the agent Fire, which in turn are emblems of Great Yang (taiyang); hence the name Flowing Pearl of Great Yang. The Golden Flower is True Yang and True Lead; it is the central Yang line within Kan 3, the trigram associated with black lead and the agent Water, which are emblems of Great Yin (ta#yin).» — y la identificación de los dos ingredientes: la Perla Fluyente es la línea Yin dentro de Li, ligada al cinabrio y al Fuego, y la Flor de Oro la línea Yang dentro de Kan, ligada al plomo negro y al Agua

«When the Golden Flower is heated, it liquefies and takes on a white color (white is the color of Metal, the agent corresponding to True Lead). Then it joins with the Flowing Pearl, which as a consequence will not escape and vanish. The two ingredients coagulate into a dry amalgam, merging their natures and their qualities. The amalgam is pounded and is placed in the tripod. Controlled and nurtured by fire, which at first should be as mild as a “loving mother” and then as vigorous as a “stern father,” the Pearl and the Flower transmute themselves into the Golden Elixir.» — y la operación: calentada, la Flor de Oro se licúa y blanquea y se junta con la Perla, que así no escapa; el amalgama se machaca y se pone en el trípode, y el fuego, primero suave como madre amorosa y luego vigoroso como padre severo, los transmuta en el Elixir Dorado

«According to the explications given by Liu Yiming, this verse means that the two phases of activity and inactivity are fulfilled in a non-dual state.» — la nota en que Pregadio recoge la explicación de Liu Yiming sobre abrir y cerrar: las dos fases de actividad e inactividad se cumplen en un estado no dual

«The conquest sequence is at work here; yet in the alchemical process, the “conquest” does not merely cause the extinction of the individual ingredients, but also their transmutation into the Elixir, When the Golden Flower (Metal) is heated in the tripod, it undergoes liquefaction (“Fire by its nature melts Metal”); only because it has been subjugated by fire can it join the Flowing Pearl.» — y el matiz que Pregadio impone a la palabra conquista: en el proceso alquímico no causa solo la extinción de los ingredientes sino su transmutación en el Elixir

«This configuration is expressed in the sentence “The Three Fives combine into One,” which alludes to the numeric values of the agents. The pair made of Wood (3) and Fire (2) forms the first 5; the pair made of Water (1) and Metal (4) forms the second 5; and the central Soil, of its own, is the third 5, representing the Oneness of the five agents and the Unity underlying multiplicity.» — y la cuenta de los Tres Cincos: Madera y Fuego hacen el primer cinco, Agua y Metal el segundo, y la Tierra central por sí sola el tercero, representando la Unidad que subyace a la multiplicidad

«This section uses other cosmological emblems to illustrate the alchemical process and the principles of “conquest” and “inversion.” The twelve earthly branches, arranged in a circle, represent the whole compass of space and a complete time cycle, Among the branches, zi corresponds to Water, and wu 4 corresponds to Fire; mao Yl corresponds to Wood, and you 本 corresponds to Metal.» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 64: las doce ramas terrestres en círculo representan el compás entero del espacio y un ciclo completo del tiempo

«In addition, mao Jf) and you & perform another function: they are the boundaries between Yin and Yang, the intermediate positions of balance between them.» — y la segunda función de mao y you: son las lindes entre Yin y Yang, las posiciones intermedias de equilibrio

«Sparkling Wonderer” (yinghuo) is the name of Mars. This planet is associated with the South (Yang), but is mentioned here as an image of Yang (Fire) generating True Yin (True Mercury).» — la nota de término sobre el Errante Centelleante: es Marte, asociado al Sur y al Yang, y aquí imagen del Yang que genera el Yin Verdadero

«Once more, the Cantong gi admonishes against the performance of practices based on erroneous theories. With regard to alchemy, the only correct practice is the one that applies the principles described in the previous sections. There is no need of searching for minerals and metals that are hard to find in order to compound the Elixir: its ingredients are only True Yin and True Yang.» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 65: no hace falta buscar minerales y metales difíciles de hallar, porque los ingredientes del Elixir son solo el Yin y el Yang Verdaderos

«The expression zaofeng, translated as “blessed encounter,” is found in several Han and later texts to mean the encounter with a master, usually seen as a result of predestination.» — la nota de término sobre el encuentro dichoso: en textos Han y posteriores designa el encuentro con un maestro, tenido por resultado de predestinación

«The subject of this section is the principle of “non-doing” (wuwei), the self-less, coincident, and indispensable response to any circumstance that arises. “Non-doing” is the perfection of “doing.” Shadow and echo exemplify this principle, which governs the operation of Heaven and Earth: “The Dao constantly does not do, yet there is nothing that is not done» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 67: su asunto es el no obrar, respuesta sin yo a cualquier circunstancia, y el no obrar es la perfección del obrar

«To comply with this principle, the alchemical work must conform to the rule of “belonging to the same kind” (tonglei, see section 35 above). Only the Elixir made of True Lead and True Mercury accords with that rule. Using ingredients, either material or immaterial, that do not accord with it would bear harmful consequences. Ultimately, the same principle of “response” would be at work in that case as well; but instead of granting eternal life, it would lead to inevitable death. When that happens, even kings, masters, physicians, or sorcerers could not be of any help.» — y la consecuencia operativa, con su reverso: solo el Elixir de Plomo y Mercurio Verdaderos acuerda con la regla del mismo género, y con otros ingredientes el mismo principio de respuesta llevaría a la muerte

«Yege and badou are identified as the elegant jessamine and the croton seeds, respectively, Both are poisonous.» — la nota en que Pregadio identifica los dos venenos del poema

«The Lovely Maid of the River (beshang chanii) is True Mercury; she is the Yin line within Li 2, referred to as the “second daughter” in the terminology of the Book of Changes. Aroused by fire, she escapes and flies away. (*) Only the Yellow Sprout (huangya), which is True Lead, can hold her. When they meet, they join and generate the Elixir.» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 68: la Bella Doncella del Río es el Mercurio Verdadero, la línea Yin dentro de Li, y solo el Brote Amarillo, que es el Plomo Verdadero, puede retenerla

«When the male and female principles conjoin, each finds in the other not only its match, but in the first place its own truth. This joining is the foundation of life, and no teaching or technique is necessary to make it happen. It occurs naturally as long as both parts fulfill the requirement of belonging to the “same kind”» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 69: al conjuntarse, cada principio halla en el otro no solo su pareja sino su propia verdad, y eso ocurre naturalmente sin enseñanza ni técnica

«This section provides several examples of this principle: natural phenomena like fire and water; the conjunction of man and woman; and the processes that lead to birth and death. The three similar sentences found at the end of the last three stanzas 一 “No teacher instructs them to behave in that way...No skill and no craft is required to be accomplished in this... It is not our father and mother who teach us to do so”—clearly express the gist of this section.» — y las tres frases en que Pregadio ve el meollo de la sección: ningún maestro se lo enseña, ninguna destreza hace falta, y no son el padre ni la madre quienes lo enseñan

«The expression “3 and 5” (sanwu) denotes Yin and Yang and their joining. The respective numeric values of Water and Fire are 1 and 2, which together make 3. The numeric value of Soil, representing the merging of Yin and Yang, is 5.» — la nota de término en que Pregadio cuenta el tres y el cinco: Agua y Fuego valen 1 y 2, que suman 3, y la Tierra, que representa la fusión del Yin y el Yang, vale 5

«In addition to the alchemical emblems, the compounding of the Elixir can also be described by means of the five agents. The most common arrangement of the agents is the generation sequence (xiangsheng), in which Water generates Wood, Wood generates Fire, Fire generates Soil, Soil generates Metal, and Metal generates Water.» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 63: la composición del Elixir puede describirse también por los cinco agentes, cuya disposición más común es la secuencia de generación

«Instead of this sequence, the alchemical process utilizes two others. The first is the conquest sequence (xiangke), in which Water is conquered by Soil, Soil is conquered by Wood, Wood is conquered by Metal, Metal is conquered by Fire, and Fire is conquered by Water. The second consists of the reversal of the generation sequence, in which, in particular, Fire generates Wood, and Water generates Metal. The two quatrains of this section are respectively devoted to these two se» — y las dos que el proceso alquímico usa en su lugar: la de conquista y la inversión de la de generación, a las que se dedican las dos cuartetas

«When the circular pattern of the twelve branches is used to represent the alchemical process, the sequence is reversed compared to the customary cycle (see table 14; another description of this cycle is found in section 73). Starting at zi * (the branch emblematic of the North, which traditional Chinese cartography places at the bottom), it moves westward (i.e,, to the right) to reach you E (West) and then wu “ (South, at the top), where it ends the ascending phase. Then from wu it continues its rotation, proceeding eastward to mao J (East), and terminating at zi to complete the descending phase.» — la inversión del recorrido de las ramas en el proceso alquímico, según Pregadio: desde zi hacia el oeste hasta you y wu en la fase ascendente y de vuelta por mao hasta zi en la descendente

«The first half of the cycle is governed by the Yang principle: Water (zi) generates Metal (True Yang) at due West, the position corresponding to you B§. Analogously, the second half is governed by the Yin principle: Fire (su) generates Wood (True Yin) at due East, the position corresponding to mao Jl. In the first half of the cycle, you is prominent and thus is the “host,” sao is subordinate and thus is the “guest”; in the second half, vice versa, mao is the “host” and you is the “guest.” Therefore “the host and the guest are two.”» — y el reparto de anfitrión y huésped: el Agua genera el Metal al oeste en la primera mitad y el Fuego la Madera al este en la segunda, con cada rama por anfitrión en una mitad y por huésped en la otra

«One’s focused intention and the teachings of a master are required to comprehend the fundament of all things. Creatures, objects, and phenomena arise by receiving the essence from Qian, the father, and by taking form through Kun, the mother.» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 66: hacen falta la intención concentrada y la enseñanza de un maestro, porque las cosas surgen recibiendo la esencia de Qian y tomando forma por Kun

«The argument poetically expressed in these verses resounds at different levels and can be understood in different ways. From the perspective of the Cantong qi, all of them are instances of one and the same principle, In a material sense, the Lovely Maid of the River can be mercury, which escapes (volatilizes) when it is heated by fire. In a spiritual sense, referred to the human being, the Lovely Maid can refer to sentiments and passions. When one’s own Fire is used to stimulate those sentiments and passions, they. escape and run uncontrolled.» — las dos lecturas que Pregadio pone en un mismo plano: en sentido material la Doncella es el mercurio que se volatiliza, y en sentido espiritual los sentimientos y las pasiones, que estimulados por el propio Fuego escapan sin control

«When they are presided over by one’s own ‘True Nature (Lead, the Yellow Sprout), they turn into qualities—instincts, intuitions, propensities—that express one’s Nature.» — y su reverso: regidos por la Naturaleza verdadera, que es el Plomo, se vuelven cualidades —instintos, intuiciones, propensiones— que la expresan

«When the relations among the eight trigrams are represented by means of those within a family, Qian = (Heaven) is the father and Kun #2 (Earth) is the mother; Kan #2 (the Moon) is the middle son and Li == (the Sun) is the middle daughter (see table 5). The male and female natures of Kan and Li depend on the nature of their inner lines.» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 70: en el esquema de parentesco de los ocho trigramas, Qian es el padre, Kun la madre, Kan el hijo mediano y Li la hija mediana

«The inner lines of Kan and Li also represent the exchange of essences between Qian and Kun. The Sun emanates its light upon the Moon (the essence given forth by Qian is the inner line of Li), and the Moon receives the light of the Sun (the essence acquired by Kun is the inner line of Kan). If the bond between Yin and Yang complies with the proper rules—one “gives forth” and the other “receives” along their regular cycles of ascent and descent 一 Yin and Yang suffer no damage: the Sun and the Moon “are not harmed, not depleted.» — y la condición que Pregadio pone: si el lazo entre Yin y Yang cumple las reglas, uno dando y otro recibiendo en sus ciclos regulares, ninguno sufre daño

«The event that occurs at the end of each lunar cycle illustrates the potential negative consequences of the Yin principle overcoming the Yang principle. During the second half of the month, the power of Yin progressively increases and the power of Yang decreases. At the end of the month, Yang entirely “loses its token,” and the complete supremacy of Yin brings about darkness and stagnation. It is only because the Sun and the Moon newly join to one another in the night between the end of the month and the beginning of the next month that the balance between Yin and Yang is restored, and life can contin» — y el caso límite: al final del mes el Yang pierde del todo su prenda y la supremacía completa del Yin trae oscuridad y estancamiento, hasta que la nueva unión restablece el equilibrio

«This example shows that the male and the female should constantly be joined to each other, and exchange their breaths “in accordance with their kind.” This is possible only if they comply with the natures and the qualities of Qian and Kun, to which they owe their existence.» — y lo que Pregadio saca de ese ejemplo: lo masculino y lo femenino han de estar unidos sin cesar e intercambiar sus soplos conforme a su género

«It might seem possible to introduce the translation of this verse with “if” instead of “when.” The event described here, however, is deemed to regularly occur between the end of each lunar cycle and the beginning of the next one. At that time, the Yang principle loses its power, and is momentarily overcome by the Yin principle until the two newly join to create the next time cycle» — la nota en que Pregadio justifica una decisión de traducción: *cuando* y no *si*, porque el suceso se tiene por regular entre el fin de un ciclo lunar y el comienzo del siguiente

«The notions treated in the previous section are illustrated again with an example drawn from the five agents and their cycles of generation and conquest. In the generation sequence, Metal gives birth to Water. By its nature, water—an image of the Yin principle—tends to “flow everywhere.” In the figurative language of the five agents, its rampant spread should be controlled by the firmness of the cencral Soil, which is generated by Fire and therefore, in this emblematic configuration, represents the essence of the Yang principle. In the conquest cycle of the five agents, Soil conquers Water, which thus “can proceed no further.» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 71: el mismo asunto dicho con los cinco agentes, donde la Tierra vence al Agua y así detiene su desbordamiento

«Analogously, but from the opposite point of view, the Yin principle should exercise proper control on the Yang principle, which by its nature tends to exceed in giving forth its essence. If this happens, Yin (here represented by the po “earthly” soul) should “latch” Yang (the hun “celestial” soul) to prevent Yang from squandering its power. Only when Yin and Yang are properly balanced, following their natural cycles of predominance and subordination, can each of them join with the other» — y su reverso: el Yin ha de controlar al Yang, que por naturaleza tiende a excederse en dar su esencia, y solo con los dos equilibrados puede cada uno unirse al otro

«Since the four initial elements are merged “in indistinction,” they are reduced to two, symbolized by the Yang Dragon (whose numerical emblem is 3) and the Yin Tiger (whose numerical emblem is 4). With the addition of the central Soil, which enables True Yin and True Yang to conjoin, there are three sets, each of which has a numerical value of 5, The first set is made of Water and Metal (1+4); the second, of Fire and Wood (2+3); and the third, only of Soil (5).» — y la cuenta de los tres cincos en esa sección: Agua y Metal hacen el primero, Fuego y Madera el segundo, y la Tierra sola el tercero

«The final two verses reiterate the reversion process: from 5 to 3 (Metal and Water; Wood and Fire; Soil), and from 3 to 1, when True Yin and True Yang are joined to one another in the Elixir. The One is indicated by wu 成 and ji 已 , the two celestial stems that represent Soil with its Yin and Yang halves.» — la nota de Pregadio sobre el cierre de la sección 72: el proceso de reversión va de 5 a 3 y de 3 a 1, cuando el Yin y el Yang Verdaderos quedan unidos en el Elixir

«The associations of the five viscera with the five agents will play an important role in Neidan, where the Elixir is often said to be formed by joining the “fire of the heart,” which holds True Yin, with the “water of the kidneys,” which holds True Yang.» — y la nota en que Pregadio anticipa el peso que esas correspondencias tendrán en el neidan, donde el Elixir se dice formado al juntar el fuego del corazón y el agua de los riñones

«In alchemy, the sequence is inverted. The Breaths of Yin and Yang follow a “rightward” rotation: the Yang principle grows from zi to you and culminates at wu, the Yin principle grows from wu to mao and culminates at zi. The courses of Water and Fire are also reversed: Water moves upward, and Fire moves downward. Therefore zi (the branch associated with Water) now looks as though it is in the South, and wz (Fire) looks as though it is in the North.» — y la inversión alquímica: rotación a la derecha, con el Agua subiendo y el Fuego bajando, de modo que zi parece estar en el Sur y wu en el Norte

«When the inverted course reaches you and mao, Water generates Metal, and Fire generates Wood. This corresponds to the inversion of the sequence of generation: Yin generates True Yang, and Yang generates True Yin; alchemically, black lead generates True Lead, and cinnabar generates True Mercury.» — y qué ocurre en los dos puntos de cruce: el Agua genera el Metal y el Fuego la Madera, es decir el plomo negro genera el Plomo Verdadero y el cinabrio el Mercurio Verdadero

«The positions of Dragon and Tiger are also inverted: the Dragon is in the West instead of the East, and the Tiger is in the East instead of the West. Now the Dragon (Yang) has become an emblem of True Yin (Mercury), and the Tiger (True Yin) has become an emblem of True Lead (True Yang).» — y el trueque de posiciones que Pregadio señala: el Dragón queda al Oeste y el Tigre al Este, y cada uno pasa a ser emblema de lo contrario de lo que era

«Beyond its prevalent interpretation in terms of morals, the poem quoted from the Book of Odes (Shijing) at the beginning of this section is a metaphorical illustration of the male and female principles» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 74: más allá de su lectura moral corriente, el poema del Libro de las Odas es ilustración metafórica de los principios masculino y femenino

«The Great One (Taiyi) is the supreme God and one of the deities who revealed the early scriptures on the elixirs. The Eight Sirs (Bagong) were employed at the court of Liu An, and are known as the authors of an early text on the aqueous solutions of minerals.» — la nota en que Pregadio identifica al Uno Grande como Dios supremo y revelador de las escrituras tempranas sobre los elixires, y a los Ocho Señores como autores de un texto antiguo sobre soluciones acuosas

«Records” refers to the Taoist certificates of transmission and/or ordination, or to similar documents that attest the identity and attainment of a priest or an adept.» — la nota de término sobre los registros: certificados taoístas de transmisión u ordenación que acreditan la identidad y el logro de un sacerdote o un adepto

«Sections 7581 consist of the “Epilogue” (“Luanci”), the first of three separate compositions that form Book 3 of the Cantong qi. Sections 75~76 contain the introduction to the “Epilogue.”» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 75: las secciones 75 a 81 son el Epílogo, primera de las tres composiciones del Libro 3

«Hiding” oneself and disappearing is one of the arts of transformation mentioned in several Taoist texts. Other passages of the Cantong qi suggest, though, that this expression refers to the saintly man who conceals his sainthood and lives in retirement.» — la nota en que Pregadio prefiere la lectura sobria de un verso: no el arte de desaparecer sino el santo que esconde su santidad y vive retirado

«The term “three luminaries” usually refers to the Sun, the Moon, and the Northern Dipper. In the Cantong qi, it designates the ears, the eyes, and the mouth, and the respective functions of hearing, seeing, and speaking» — la nota en que Pregadio distingue el uso propio del poema del uso común: los tres luminares suelen ser el Sol, la Luna y la Osa, y aquí son oídos, ojos y boca

«The saintly men of antiquity wrote works on the Elixir, but concealed their teachings under symbols and metaphors, allusions and secret names. Those who received their works recognized their importance, but did not comprehend their meaning. As a result, they neglected their tasks in order to devote themselves to erroneous methods. Concerned for those who in the future might commit the same mistake, Wei Boyang has written his Cantong gi to present the true doctrine of the Elixir. In the next five sections (77-81), he appends an “Epilogue” to provide a way of direct access to his work.» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 76, con el relato del secreto y su costo: los antiguos velaron su enseñanza bajo símbolos, quienes recibieron sus obras no las entendieron y se entregaron a métodos erróneos

«This is, in fact, what Wei Boyang also did with his Cantong qi: “Concisely I will report its guidelines, and let the branches display its luxuriance» — y la observación con que Pregadio aplica al propio poema lo que este dice de sus predecesores: también él expuso solo las ramas

«Note the use of the word yi, here translated as “attention,” but also meaning “intention.” In Neidan, this word—symbolically associated with Soil, the central agent—defines the faculty of Spirit that allows the whole alchemical process to unfold and come to achievement.» — la nota de término sobre yi, atención o intención: en el neidan, la facultad del Espíritu que permite que el proceso alquímico entero se despliegue

«This verse refers to the blisters and bulges found on the “body” of the Elixir, whose irregular and unequal forms are compared to the teeth of a dog.» — la nota en que Pregadio explica los dientes de perro como las ampollas y bultos del cuerpo del Elixir

«This verse has a dual sense. In the first sense, langgan ERE* is a name of a precious stone (see the note to 62:10) and a synonym of the Elixir, whose excrescences are similar to stalactites. In the second sense, langgan is a homophone of langgan Bel “crosswise, diagonal,” and the verse should be intended as meaning “like stalactites protruding and extending crosswise.» — la nota en que Pregadio consigna el doble sentido de langgan: piedra preciosa y sinónimo del Elixir, y homófono de una palabra que significa en diagonal

«This section is based on the same principles described in section 64. In the postcelestial domain, any time cycle—the day, the month, or the year—can be represented by a circle marked by the twelve earthly branches (see tables 13-14). The branches zi 子 , mao Jil, wu 午 , and you BY are placed at the four directions (North, East, South, and West) and correspond to four of the five agents (Water, Wood, Fire, and Metal). The first and the second halves of each cycle are ruled by the Yang and the Yin principle, respectively.» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 73: cualquier ciclo del tiempo se representa por un círculo marcado con las doce ramas terrestres, cuyas dos mitades rigen el Yang y el Yin

«Yang rises from zi in the North (placed “below” in traditional Chinese cartography), goes through mao in the East (placed on the left), and reaches completion at wu in the South (placed “above”); then it begins to decline. At that time, the Yin principle begins to rise; from wu in the South, it goes through you in the West (on the right), and culminates at zi in the North.» — y el recorrido: el Yang sube de zi por mao hasta wu y luego declina, mientras el Yin sube de wu por you hasta zi

«the ordinary course of the corresponding natural elements: Water flows downward (from North to South), and Fire rises upward (from South to North).» — y lo que replica: el curso ordinario de los elementos naturales, con el agua fluyendo hacia abajo y el fuego subiendo

«Despite its immensity and complexity, the cosmos functions by following regular patterns in the heavens and on the earth. These patterns mirror one another: any alteration in the celestial phenomena would be either a cause or a consequence of irregularities in the events that occur on earth, and vice versa.» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 77: los patrones del cielo y de la tierra se espejan, y cualquier alteración celeste sería causa o consecuencia de irregularidades terrestres

«this section gives another poetical description of the compounding of the Elixir.» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 78: otra descripción poética de la composición del Elixir, tras las de las secciones 39 y 40 y la 62

«This “leftward” rotation is the customary route of the Yin and Yang Breaths in the postcelestial world. The cycle goes through the» — el nombre que Pregadio da a esa ruta: rotación a la izquierda, la habitual de los Soplos en el mundo poscelestial; la frase cruza el fin de plana

«The zeng is a pot used for steaming food. It is used here as a metaphor of the tripod or the crucible» — la nota de término sobre el monte Zeng: zeng es una olla para cocer al vapor, usada aquí como metáfora del trípode

«Tanghuo is the name of the “boiling pot” used for capital punishments.» — la nota de término sobre la olla hirviente: nombre de la usada para ejecuciones capitales

«This section explicates the principles at the basis of the alchemical method allusively described in the previous section. Although its language and imagery differ in part from those used in Books 1 and 2 of the Cantong qi, it can be understood in light of other passages of the text, especially sections 32 and 41.» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 79: explica los principios del método aludido en la sección anterior, y aunque su lengua difiera en parte de la de los Libros 1 y 2, se entiende a la luz de las secciones 32 y 41

«The Green Dragon is True Mercury. It is represented by Wood, East, and spring in the system of the five agents; by Room (fang, the fourth lunar lodge in the Green Dragon sector of heaven); by Zhen 22 (corresponding to the East in the postcelestial arrangement of the eight trigrams); by mao Jf) (the earthly branch associated with the second lunar month, the month of the spring equinox); and by number 6 (the “accomplishment number” of Water, which generates Wood).» — el primer emblema que Pregadio tabula: el Dragón Verde es el Mercurio Verdadero, con la Madera, el Este, la primavera, la mansión Cámara, Zhen, mao y el número 6

«The White Tiger is True Lead. It is represented by Metal, West, and autumn in the system of the five agents; by Pleiades (ao, the fourth lodge in the White Tiger sector of heaven); by Dui 2 (corresponding to the West in the postcelestial arrangement of the eight trigrams); by you 相 (the earthly branch associated with the eighth lunar month, the month of the autumn equinox); and by number 7 (the “accomplishment number” of Fire, which conquers Metal).» — el segundo: el Tigre Blanco es el Plomo Verdadero, con el Metal, el Oeste, el otoño, las Pléyades, Dui, you y el número 7

«The Vermilion Sparrow is Fire. It is represented by the South in the system of the five agents; by Extension (zhang, the fifth lunar lodge in the Vermilion Sparrow sector of heaven); by Li #2 (corresponding to the South in the postcelestial arrangement of the eight trigrams); by wu “ (the earthly branch associated with the South); and by number 2 (the “generation number” of Fire).» — y el tercero: el Gorrión Bermellón es el Fuego, con el Sur, la mansión Extensión, Li, wu y el número 2

«When Water (Kan #2, containing Metal, or True Lead) conquers Fire (Li =, containing Wood, or True Mercury), the Elixir is attained: Metal (the inner line of Kan) is liberated from its temporary residence in Water, and Qian = is reestablished. For this reason, several commentators have suggested that “the three” (Wood, Metal, and Fire) actually “come to have audience” with Water, because Water holds the key for compounding the Elixir at this stage of the process.» — y la lectura que Pregadio recoge de varios comentaristas: los tres vienen a audiencia con el Agua porque esta tiene la clave de la composición en esa etapa

«At first there are only Yin and Yang (Water and Fire). When they give birth to the five agents, there are the “three fives,” namely, Water and Metal (respectively corresponding to 1 and 4), Fire and Wood (2 and 3), and Soil (5). (*) When the five agents join one another, they return to the state of Unity, represented by the union of wu and ji (the male and female aspects of the One, here called “the two places”» — y la cuenta de la sección 79: del Yin y el Yang salen los cinco agentes en tres cincos, y al juntarse vuelven al estado de Unidad representado por la unión de wu y ji

«The four colors mentioned in the final part of this section have been understood in different ways. Several commentators, nevertheless, have taken white and yellow to denote two stages in the compounding of the Elixir: white is the color of True Lead (see the note to 22:34), and yellow is the color of the germ of the Elixir—the Yellow Sprout (huangya, see section 22) or the Yellow Carriage (huangyu, see section 39). Black and red are the colors of native lead and the Reverted Elixir, respectively, which mark the beginning and the end (“without” and “within”) of the alchemical process.» — y los cuatro colores del final: blanco y amarillo por dos etapas de la composición, negro y rojo por el plomo nativo y el Elixir Revertido, principio y fin del proceso

«According to another interpretation, “three fives” here means “three times five” and stands for 15, the sum of the numbers associated with the Green Dragon (6), the White Tiger (7), and the Vermilion Sparrow (2),» — la otra lectura de los tres cincos que Pregadio consigna sin arbitrar: tres por cinco, es decir quince, suma de los números de los tres emblemas

«Compounding the Elixir may appear to be complex. If the alchemical work is modeled on the joining of Qian and Kun, however, the required procedure is identical to the processes that occur in nature (see section 35).» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 80: componer el Elixir puede parecer complejo, pero si la obra se modela sobre la unión de Qian y Kun el procedimiento es idéntico a los procesos de la naturaleza

«this verse is understood literally, it is as odd in English as it is in Chinese. Apparently, ic should refer to the Nine Elixirs (jivdan), or Elixirs of the Nine Tripods Giuding dan), an early, exemplary set of Waidan compounds. Several commentators, however, have explained the term Nine Tripods as the nine cycles of transmutation of the Elixir.» — la nota en que Pregadio declara oscuro un verso, en inglés como en chino, y consigna las dos lecturas sin arbitrar: los Nueve Trípodes remitirían a los Nueve Elixires del waidan o a los nueve ciclos de transmutación

«king should accept responsibility for those anomalies, acknowledge his faults to the Celestial Ruler, and amend his ways. When “barriers and locks” protect the kingdom, no harmful and noxious influences can ever enter.» — la respuesta que el poema pide al rey ante las anomalías celestes: reconocer sus faltas ante el Soberano Celeste y enmendarse, porque con barreras y cerrojos ninguna influencia nociva entra

«In Waidan, the Elixir consists of the essences of the primary ingredients, which rise upward within the tripod and coagulate under the lid (or the upper half of the vessel). In Neidan, the Elixir analogously is generated in the lower Cinnabar Field, and rises in the course of its growth to the upper Cinnabar Field, located in the region of the brain.» — el paralelo que Pregadio traza entre las dos ramas al comentar la Canción del Trípode: en waidan el Elixir coagula bajo la tapa del vaso y en neidan nace en el Campo de Cinabrio inferior y sube al superior

«Regardless of whether the whole “Song of the Tripod” is read with reference to Waidan or Neidan, however, the main point is that the Elixir grows until its ingredients are brought back to their original state of purity and unity, and this happens by following an ascensional process.» — y lo que Pregadio sostiene con independencia de que la Canción se lea desde el waidan o desde el neidan: el Elixir crece hasta que sus ingredientes vuelven a su pureza y unidad originales, y eso ocurre por un proceso ascensional

«The last seven quatrains and the final two verses (verses 33-58) conclude the poem by admonishing on the attention required to perform the practice, on its arduousness, and on its secrecy. When the Elixir is achieved, one becomes a True Man. The “Song of the Tripod” depicts this state using classic Taoist imagery: the adepts ascends to Heaven to have audience with the supreme deities, and his name is entered in the “records of the Immortals,» — y cómo cierra la Canción, según Pregadio: con la advertencia sobre la atención, la dificultad y el secreto de la práctica, y con el adepto vuelto Hombre Verdadero e inscrito en los registros de los Inmortales

«In this verse, gi 7 (usually meaning “to regulate, equalize”) stands for qi Hf (“navel”), and the compound fugi 腹 # denotes the belly According to another interpretation, gi 7 here maintains its ordinary meaning (“to regulate, equalize”), and the verse means “its belly equalizes the three,” namely Original Breath (yuanqi), Original Essence (yuanjing), and Original Spirit (yuanshen). In a third interpretation, the verse alludes to the lower Cinnabar Field, which is sometimes said to be located three inches below the navel.» — la nota en que Pregadio consigna tres lecturas distintas de un solo verso de la Canción del Trípode sin elegir entre ellas

«As was noted in the Introduction, § 4, the present passage of the “Song of the Tripod” does not match the method of the “fire times” based on the solar cycle described in section 51.» — la nota en que Pregadio recuerda la discrepancia que ya señaló en su Introducción: el régimen de fuego de la Canción del Trípode no casa con el de la sección 51

«The last of the three compositions found in Book 3 (sections 83-88) is entitled “The Five Categories” (“Wu xianglei”) or, in certain redactions of the Cantong qi, “Filling Lacunae” (“Busai yituo”). It was supposedly written by Wei Boyang to address issues not treated elsewhere in his work.» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 83: la última de las tres composiciones del Libro 3, con dos títulos según la redacción, y supuestamente escrita para tratar lo que el resto no trata

«The present section explains why this composition was added to the Cantong qi. Its putative author, Wei Boyang, first states that this part of his work complements Books 1 and 2, and that its import matches the previous portions. He adds, then, that this additional part fully brings to light the ties of his work with the Book of Changes.» — y lo que la sección declara: que esta parte complementa los Libros 1 y 2, que su importe casa con lo anterior y que saca a luz los lazos de la obra con el Libro de los Cambios

«The chart at the end of the section shows: (a) In the two central columns, the names of the five agents and the respective “generation numbers” (see table 4). (b) In the leftmost and the rightmost columns, the names of the ten celestial stems, which are associated in pairs with the five agents (see table 12). (c) In the two other columns, pairs of Yang (on the left) and Yin (on the right) entities or notions, some of which are directly related to the corresponding agent (e.g., “martial fire” and “civil fire” correspond to the agent Fire» — la nota en que Pregadio desglosa el cuadro del final de la sección 83, columna por columna: los cinco agentes con sus números de generación, los diez tallos celestes por pares y las parejas de entidades Yang y Yin

«In the third line of the chart, the compound word yaowu 藥物 , meaning “ingredients,” is split into yao 32 and wu 物 . The former word is associated with wu D% (Yang), and the latter word with ji Gi (Yin). As this expedient cannot be reproduced in English, yao and wu have been translated as “Yang ingredient” and “Yin ingredient,” respectively,» — la nota en que Pregadio declara un recurso del original que su traducción no puede reproducir: la palabra compuesta que significa *ingredientes* se parte en dos y cada mitad se asocia a wu y a ji

«The sentences “The five positions match one another — Each of them finds its equal” are quoted from the “Appended Sayings”: “The numbers of Heaven are five, and the numbers of Earth are also five. The five positions match one another, and each of them finds its equal” (A.8; see Wilhelm, 310). The numbers of Heaven are 1, 3, 5,7, and 9. The numbers of Earth are 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10, The “five positions” are those of the five agents; North, South, East, West, and Center» — y la nota con la fuente de las dos frases del cuadro y el desglose de los números del Cielo y de la Tierra

«The Cantong gi unifies the doctrines of the Book of Changes, the teachings of Taoism (again referred to here by the names of the Yellow Emperor and Laozi) on “non-doing,” and the practice of alchemy. These three ways are separate branches stemming from the same root; having one source, they can be merged into a single path. Wei Boyang derived his teachings from that source; his words, therefore, are truthful and reliable.» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 84: la obra unifica las doctrinas del Libro de los Cambios, las enseñanzas taoístas del no obrar y la práctica de la alquimia, tres ramas de una misma raíz

«These words refer to the possibility, offered by the Book of Changes, of representing nature and qualities of all objects and phenomena in the cosmos by means of emblems. Those emblems assign a value and a function to each object and phenomenon both individually» — y qué hace el poema con los emblemas del Libro de los Cambios, según Pregadio: los adopta como medio para comprender la multiplicidad y el cambio y su relación con la Unidad

«The eleventh month of the lunar calendar, represented by the hexagram Fu #2 (Return), is the time in which the Yang principle is reborn after its obscuration. It corresponds to the winter solstice, to the instant between the end of a month and the beginning of the next month (see sections 10 and 48), and to the earthly branch zi , placed at due North (the Center of the cosmos) between the end of one cycle» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 85: el mes lunar undécimo, el hexagrama Fu, el solsticio de invierno y el instante entre el fin de un mes y el comienzo del siguiente son la misma cosa

«Here the “Song of the Tripod” uses imagery and language that would later become typical of Neidan, but were already used in the context of the earlier meditation practices on the inner deities: the Elixir is denoted as an “infant,” and the upper Cinnabar» — el hallazgo de lenguaje que Pregadio señala en la Canción del Trípode: usa imágenes que serían típicas del neidan pero ya se usaban en las prácticas de meditación sobre las deidades interiores, con el Elixir llamado infante

«In the eternity of this instant outside the flow of time, the ruler’s task is to provide support: he forbids common activities and remains secluded. Only from the perspective of this timeless point is it possible to understand the meanings and functions of Qian, Kun, Kan, and Li, and to communicate them to others through non-doing.» — la lectura que Pregadio hace del instante intemporal de la sección 85: la tarea del soberano es sostener, y solo desde ese punto fuera del flujo del tiempo se entienden las funciones de Qian, Kun, Kan y Li

«At the end of his work, Wei Boyang finally introduces himself in this and the next two sections. Having renounced the ordinary ways of humanity, he retired on a mountain to lead a solitary life, and composed the Cantong qi on the basis of the Book of Changes.» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 86: al final de la obra la voz que habla se presenta a sí misma, retirada en un monte y componiendo el Cantong qi sobre el Libro de los Cambios

«This verses, moreover, hint to a parallel between Laozi who, in his deified aspect, composed the Scripture of the Yellow Court (Huangting jing) and Wei Boyang, the immortal who composed the Cantong gi. The opening verses of the Yellow Court say: “In the purple aurora of the Highest Clarity, in front of the Sovereign of the Void, the Lord of Jade Dawn of the Most High Great Dao, dwelling at ease in the Stamen-Pearl Palace, wrote seven-word verses» — el paralelo que Pregadio traza entre dos escrituras: Laozi deificado componiendo el Libro de la Corte Amarilla y Wei Boyang componiendo el Cantong qi, con las mismas palabras de morar a gusto

«Wei Boyang now describes the three main subjects of the Cantong qi, adding more details. Cosmology (verses 5~8) bears on the “outward,” in order to adjust and adapt to change. Taoism (verses 9-12) concerns the “inward,” in order to cultivate one’s inner nature. Alchemy (verses 13-22) provides the method, in order to realize the conjunction of Qian and Kun, or Yin and Yang. Wei Boyang traced the. common origin of these three ways, and joined them into one.» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 87, con el reparto de oficios entre las tres materias: la cosmología obra hacia fuera para ajustarse al cambio, el taoísmo hacia dentro para cultivar la naturaleza y la alquimia da el método para realizar la conjunción

«As it does in that passage, here too the Cantong qi mentions the calendar as the ideal application of the cosmological principles in the “outward” world: it allows the ruler to model his government in agreement with the changes that occur in Heaven.» — y qué hace el calendario en ese esquema: la aplicación ideal de los principios cosmológicos en el mundo de afuera, que permite al soberano modelar su gobierno sobre los cambios del Cielo

«Realgar in this verse is designated as “Wudu,” its well-known, classical place of production» — la nota en que Pregadio explica que el verso nombra el rejalgar por su lugar clásico de producción

«To end his work, Wei Boyang concludes the self-portrait that had begun in section 86. He visited the dangerous boundaries of the known world, and went further, obtaining transcendence. Like the deities and the immortals of his land, who periodically descend to earth in order to grant teachings to humanity, he returns to our world now and again to reveal his doctrines. This time, he has bestowed his Cantong qi upon us. Those who follow its teachings, in this or anothet form, belong to the same unnamed, perennial doctrine, They lead a stable life, and provide support to one another» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 88: el autorretrato se cierra con quien volvió del límite del mundo conocido y regresa de tanto en tanto a revelar su doctrina, de modo que quienes siguen su enseñanza pertenecen a la misma doctrina perenne y sin nombre; la capa de texto imprime *anothet* por *another*, partido al fin de renglón.

«Xian (“transcending the world”) can also be translated as “becoming immortal.» — la nota en que Pregadio da la traducción alternativa de xian: volverse inmortal

«To him there is no north or south 一 in utter freedom he dissolves himself in the four directions and enters the depths of the unfathomable» — el pasaje del Zhuangzi que Pregadio empareja con el verso final del poema sobre lo Inaudible

«The mention of Wei Boyang’s place of origin in this section requires a brief comment. While Kuaiji is Wei Boyang’s traditional birthplace, other redactions of the Cantong qi read either Luguo, in present-day Shandong,» — la nota en que Pregadio consigna una variante textual con consecuencias de autoría: mientras Kuaiji es el lugar de nacimiento tradicional, otras redacciones leen Luguo; la frase sigue en la plana siguiente

«The former name deserves notice, as it seems to preserve a trace of earlier traditions that attributed the authorship of the Cantong gi to Xu Congshi» — y por qué le importa: ese nombre parece conservar rastro de las tradiciones anteriores que atribuían la obra a Xu Congshi

«These notes report some of the main issues in translating individual verses of the Cantong qi, the most significant variants introduced by Chen Zhixu in his redaction, and other noteworthy textual features.» — la cabecera con que Pregadio declara qué traen las Notas Textuales; el troceo imprime esta plana dos veces, rotulada 241 y 242

«Richen specifically denotes the twelve earthly branches that represent the twelve “double hours” of the day.» — y la glosa de ese término alternativo

«Neither Chen Zhixu nor other commentators motivate the addition or the omission of this verse. It is unclear whether its political overtones may have led to its omission by the authors of other redactions, or vice versa to its addition by Chen Zhixu (who, it may be reminded, lived under the foreign rule of the Yuan dynasty). Nevertheless, several redactions of the Cantong qi after the one by Chen Zhixu contain this verse, including some of those based on the “Ancient Text.”» — la nota textual en que Pregadio declara no poder decidir: ningún comentarista motiva la adición ni la omisión de ese verso, y no está claro si sus tintes políticos llevaron a quitarlo o a ponerlo

«Grammatically, all three readings are plausible, but the sense is remarkably different.» — y su acotación: las tres son gramaticalmente plausibles y el sentido cambia mucho

«Yu Yan instead suggests that shi means “this” and fei means “is not.” He writes in his Shiyi: “[The verse above] means that this Way is not the meditation methods of ‘passing through the five viscera.’ If shi fei (‘this is not’) is taken to mean shishi feifei (‘consider what is right and what is wrong,’ ie., ‘discriminate, use discernment’), this is an error» — el desacuerdo entre comentaristas que Pregadio consigna sin arbitrar: Yu Yan lee *esta Vía no es* y llama error a la otra lectura

«This reading, however, is hardly consistent with the purport of the present section, which rejects in a thorough way several practices and methods as inadequate for true realization.» — y la única de las tres que Pregadio descarta, con su razón: la tercera lectura no casa con el propósito de la sección, que rechaza de plano varias prácticas

«The Sun and the Moon set periods and measures (日 月為期 度 ), For riyue» — el lema de la primera nota textual, que cita el verso comentado; el carácter chino queda dentro de las comillas tal como lo rinde la capa de texto

«The initial words in this verse lend themselves to three different interpretations, according to whether shi 是 is taken to have a nominal value (“what is right”) and fei» — la nota textual sobre el verso 26:1, donde Pregadio desglosa tres lecturas gramaticales posibles de las dos primeras palabras; la frase sigue en la plana siguiente

«usually refers to a meditation technique developed from the early Tang period, the main purpose of which is purifying the mind from passions and delusive thoughts. Neishi (“inner observation”), instead, is typically associated with earlier practices based on the visualization of the inner deities.» — y la diferencia de época entre las dos lecturas, que Pregadio precisa: la primera remite a una técnica desarrollada desde los Tang y la segunda a las prácticas anteriores de visualización de las deidades interiores

«The rules of prosody demand that this verse is read as made of two clauses, namely yi lei 以類 and fu ziran 8B MR; therefore ziran AYR (“being what it is”) is an object of the verb fu #8 (“to support”). A translation based on reading the verse as consisting of yi lei fu 以類輔 and ziran 自然 (for example, “supporting [a thing] by its kind is natural”) would not respect the» — una nota textual en que Pregadio funda una decisión de traducción en la métrica: las reglas de prosodia exigen leer el verso 35:5 partido en dos cláusulas, y otra lectura no respetaría el patrón

«According to some commentators, in fact, duliang specifically refers to the weights of the ingredients and the amount of heat, which these practitioners calculate or apply incorrectly.» — la nota textual sobre el verso 36:8, con la lectura técnica que varios comentaristas dan al término: los pesos de los ingredientes y la cantidad de calor, mal calculados por esos practicantes

«Both Shaozhou 38IN (a prefecture in present-day Guangdong) and Qiang 3 (a region included among present-day Qinghai, Gansu, and Sichuan) are known as areas of production of chalcanthite.» — la nota textual sobre el verso 36:9, que deja la variante de topónimo sin arbitrar consignando que las dos regiones son conocidas por producir calcantita

«The expression huyi, lit., “to doubt like a fox,” is said to derive from the timorous attitude of foxes when crossing watercourses.» — la nota de término sobre *dudar como un zorro*, que Pregadio deriva de la actitud temerosa de los zorros al cruzar corrientes

«The reading “he composed the Odes and the Documents” (ding Shi Shu 定詩 書 ) would refer to Confucius’ role in editing the two Classics (one of the set phrases that refer to this role is shanding Shi Shu 刪 定詩 書 , lit., “he condensed and established the Odes and the Documents”). This reading, however, has little meaning in the present context: the editing of the Odes and the Documents is traditionally attributed to Confucius alone, and not to all the “three sages” mentioned at the beginning of this section. The first stanza, moreover, shows that this section is concerned only with the Book of Changes, and not with the Odes and the» — la nota textual sobre el verso 37:18, donde Pregadio argumenta contra una de las lecturas: atribuye a Confucio la edición de dos Clásicos, y la sección solo trata del Libro de los Cambios

«It appears likely, therefore, that ding shishu 定詩書 in the present sentence means “I (i.e., Wei Boyang) have composed a book in verses (i.e., the Cantong qi)”; or even that the phrase should simply be read as “I have composed this book,” since the compound shishu 詩書 is attested as also meaning “a book”» — y la lectura que prefiere, con su apoyo léxico: *he compuesto un libro en verso* o simplemente *he compuesto este libro*

«Regardless of which reading or interpretation may be correct or preferred, this sentence contains a play on words that assimilates the roles played by Confucius and Wei Boyang in composing the two classics and the Cantong qi, respectively.» — y lo que Pregadio deja en pie con independencia de cuál sea correcta: la frase contiene un juego de palabras que asimila los papeles de Confucio y de Wei Boyang

«As noted above, sections 39 and 40 are concerned with the first and the second half of the alchemical method, respectively. On the basis of the thyme patterns, the present section should end with verse 39:10 (“but Fire, which is 2, is fastened to them”). I have, however, translated the whole first part of the method in section 39, and the second part in section 40.» — la nota textual en que Pregadio declara haberse apartado de la métrica al dividir: por las rimas la sección 39 debería acabar en el verso 10, y él tradujo la primera mitad entera del método ahí

«Yu Yan has: “Soil therefore is not used, but the two are fastened to it” 其土遂不入、二者與 之俱 . According to his commentary, the “two” are Metal and Water; by virtue of their numerical value (15, corresponding to the “accomplishment number” 10 and the “generation number” 5 of Soil), Soil is included in the vessel even though it is not represented by a particular ingredient.» — el desacuerdo de redacciones que Pregadio consigna sin arbitrar sobre los versos 39:9-10, con la lectura de Yu Yan y su razón numérica

«According to Zhu Xi’s commentary, Water instead of Fire is meant in this verse, because Fire is separately mentioned below in verse 13 as tatyang 太 陽 (“Great Yang”), and because verse 11 says (in Zhu Xi’s redaction) “the two things join to each other” (#448 AZ), which Zhu Xi deems to be a clear reference to Yin and Yang joining together to form the Elixir.» — y la de Zhu Xi, que lee Agua donde otros leen Fuego y lo funda en dos pasajes de su propia redacción

«It is not easy to make a choice between these two readings, but the general theme of this section, and especially the verse “When Yang loses its token...”, suggest that the first reading may be preferred.» — la nota textual en que Pregadio declara difícil la elección entre dos lecturas y elige por contexto, sin dar el asunto por resuelto

«In verse 12 (“the heart is red and is the daughter”), Chen Zhixu calls the heart Li 離 35 (the trigram that denotes Fire and corresponds to the heart), possibly in order to avoid ambiguities between the heart as an emblem of the five agents and as the center of the human being. Yu Yan has xin +f), the common word for “heart.”» — la nota textual en que Pregadio adjudica una intención al redactor: Chen Zhixu llama al corazón por el trigrama Li, quizá para evitar la ambigüedad entre el corazón como emblema de los agentes y como centro del ser humano

«The chart at the end of this section is included in the present translation as it is found in Chen Zhixu’s redaction of the Cantong gi. There are good reasons to suggest that it should not be considered part of the text» — la nota textual en que Pregadio imprime el cuadro de la sección 83 y a la vez declara que hay buenas razones para no tenerlo por parte del texto

«The chart introduces notions that are extraneous to the language and the imagery of the Cantong gi—in particular, those of “martial fire” (wubuo) and “civil fire” (wenhuo). Moreover, silver (yin) is not mentioned in the Cantong qi, and the placement of “true mercury” and “true lead” respectively on the “Yang” and “Yin” sides of the chart is perplexing.» — y sus razones: el cuadro trae nociones ajenas a la lengua y a las imágenes del poema, la plata no se menciona en él, y la colocación del mercurio y el plomo verdaderos en los lados Yang y Yin resulta desconcertante

«For these and other reasons, it is not surprising that Zhu Xi, Yu Yan, and about a dozen of Ming- and Qing-dynasty commentaries to the standard text of the Cantong qi that I have seen do not include the chart.» — y su prueba por la tradición: Zhu Xi, Yu Yan y cerca de una docena de comentarios Ming y Qing no incluyen el cuadro

«Finally, it is significant that, although the chart is a noticeable formal feature in Peng Xiao’s and Chen Zhixu’s texts of the Cantong qi, even they do not provide any explanation of it in their own commentaries.» — y el dato que Pregadio declara significativo: aun donde el cuadro es un rasgo formal visible, ni Peng Xiao ni Chen Zhixu lo explican en sus comentarios

«Several commentators and scholars have pointed out that this section contains a “cryptogram” that, according to different views, hides the name of Wei Boyang ( ' #8(4%1), or the phrase “composed by Wei Boyang” ( ' SiH M438 1 ), or the title “Song of Wei Boyang”» — la nota textual sobre el criptograma de la sección 88, con las tres cosas distintas que se ha dicho que esconde

«For neiguan PUR (lit., “contemplating within”), all extant redactions» — el lema de la nota textual al verso 26:2, que cita el término comentado; la frase sigue en la plana siguiente, donde da la lectura de las redacciones anteriores

«All extant redactions prior to Chen Zhixu have mu (“mother”) for zi» — otra nota textual de la misma serie, donde Chen Zhixu se aparta de todas las redacciones anteriores en una palabra

«GENERATES iS GENERATED BY CONQUERS IS CONQUERED BY WATER Wood Metal Fire Soil wooD Fire Water Soil Metal FIRE Soil Wood Metal Water SOIL, Metal Fire Water Wood METAL Water Sail Wood Fire “Generation” (xiangsheng 相生 ) and “conquest” (xiangke Wil) sequences of the five agents» — la tabla 3, que ordena las secuencias de generación y de conquista de los cinco agentes

«QIAN DUI LI ZHEN XUN KAN GEN KUN heaven lake fire thunder wind water mountain earth father youngest — second eldest eldest second youngest mother» — la tabla 5, que reparte los ocho trigramas por imagen natural y por parentesco: cielo, lago, fuego, trueno, viento, agua, montaña y tierra, con padre, madre, hijos e hijas

«wooD FIRE SOIL METAL WATER DIRECTIONS east south center west north SEASONS spring summer (midsummer) autumn winter COLORS green red yellow white black» — la tabla 1 del volumen, con las correspondencias de los cinco agentes por dirección, estación y color; el aparato tipográfico queda dentro de las comillas tal como lo rinde la capa de texto

«EMBLEMATIC green vermilion yellow white snake ANIMALS dragon sparrow dragon tiger and turtle NUMBERS 3,8 2,7 5, 10 4,9 1,6 YIN-YANG (1) minor Yang — grear Yang balance minor Yin great Yin YIN-YANG (2) True Yin Yang balance True Yang Yin STEMS jia bing 丙 wu IX geng BE ren = yi Za ding T ac xin 38 gui 獎 BRANCHES yin BE wi xu JR, chou th = you bai K mao Ml sil weidk, chen fe shen 申 ait PLANETS Jupiter Mars Saturn Venus Mercury RELATIONS father daughter —_ forefather mother son VISCERA liver heart spleen lungs kidneys BODY ORGAN eyes tongue mouth nose ears The five agents (wuxing» — y el resto de la misma tabla: animales emblemáticos, números, pares de Yin y Yang, tallos, ramas, planetas, parentescos, vísceras y órganos del cuerpo

«The twelve “sovereign hexagrams” (bigua REE) and their relation to other duodenary series: earthly branches (dizhi 地 支 ), bells and pitch-pipes (zhonglii $27), months of the year, and “double hours” (shi» — el pie de la tabla 11, que relaciona los doce hexagramas soberanos con las ramas terrestres, las campanas y los tubos sonoros, los meses del año y las horas dobles

«Although Peng Xiao cites the Shenxian zhuan as his authority, his account is remarkably different from the one translated above» — la advertencia con que Pregadio presenta la segunda biografía: Peng Xiao cita el Shenxian zhuan como autoridad y su relato difiere mucho del traducido antes

«The fictional nature of this account has been noted for a long time. Nevertheless, several elements in Peng Xiao’s account are significant: the indication of Shangyu as the area of origin of both Wei Boyang and Chunyu Shutong; Wei Boyang’s expertise in the esoteric “weft texts”; the close relation between the Cantong qi and the Longhu jing; the subdivision of the Cantong gi into three parts, all of which 一 according to Peng Xiao——were written by Wei Boyang; the hint that the composition process took place in more than one stage; the reputed date of the text, which would fall around the mid-second century; and the attribution of an early commentary to Xu Congshi.» — cómo trata Pregadio ese relato sin desecharlo: su carácter ficticio se ha señalado hace mucho, y aun así enumera siete elementos significativos, del origen común de Wei Boyang y Chunyu Shutong a la atribución de un comentario temprano a Xu Congshi

«As we saw in the Introduction (§ 2), Peng Xiao claims that his account» — la cabecera del apéndice de las dos biografías, donde Pregadio remite a su Introducción

«I have used the earliest extant edition, published by the Jinling shufang 金 陵書 坊 (Nanjing Print Shop) in 1484. This edition appears to be extant in a single exemplar, which is kept at the Shanghai Library» — la declaración de base textual del apéndice chino: la edición más antigua conservada, impresa en Nanjing en 1484, al parecer en un solo ejemplar, guardado en la Biblioteca de Shanghái

«The Shanghai exemplar of Chen Zhixu’s work lacks the portion corresponding to the second half of Chapter XXXIV and the whole Chapter XXXV (in the present translation, the portion going from verse 83:16 to the end of section 88). For the missing portion, I have used a Japanese manuscript dating from the Edo period (1603-1868) kept at the Cabinet Library (Naikaku Bunko) in Tokyo.» — la laguna que Pregadio declara en su propia base: al ejemplar de Shanghái le falta el tramo que va del verso 83:16 al final de la sección 88, suplido con un manuscrito japonés del periodo Edo

«The Gujin tushu jicheng 古今 圖書集成 edition (first published in 1726), also belongs to the same lineage but includes a large number of errors and is unreliable as a witness of Chen Zhixu’s text.» — y el juicio que Pregadio hace de otra edición de la misma rama: con muchos errores y poco fiable como testigo

«The four exceptions are readings for which no evidence is available, but are very unlikely to be correct. These are the A : 天 variant in 26:21; the =E : ZK variant in 42:6; the HE : 明 variant in 49:14; and the 22 ; & variant in 74:37. In these cases, I have adopted the readings found in other redactions of the Cantong qi and (except for the variant in 42:6, which appears to be Chen Zhixu’s own error) in the other editions of Chen Zhixu’s work that I have seen.» — y las cuatro excepciones que declara: lecturas sin evidencia disponible pero muy improbables, para las que adopta las de otras redacciones

«My emendations are listed below. Each line shows the section and verse numbers; the emended sentence; the variant in the Jinling shufang edition; and, where available, the evidence for the emendation.» — y el formato de la lista de enmiendas que sigue

«The first full record of the Shenxian zhuan biography, which is also deemed to be the most reliable one, is found in the» — qué versión de la biografía traduce Pregadio y por qué: la primera consignación completa, tenida también por la más fiable

«The term weihou denotes the Han-dynasty esoteric texts commonly» — la nota de término con que Pregadio glosa weihou en el texto de Peng Xiao: los textos esotéricos Han comúnmente llamados apócrifos; la frase cruza el fin de plana

«I have corrected about three dozen errors found in the Jinling shufang edition. With only four exceptions, these errors are demon» — el criterio de enmienda que Pregadio declara: cerca de tres docenas de errores corregidos en la edición de 1484, con solo cuatro excepciones

«strated by one or more of the following types of evidence: citation of the same word or verse in the commentary; disregard of rhyme patterns; reading of the Edo manuscript; and context of the verse.» — y las cuatro clases de evidencia que admite: la cita del mismo verso en el comentario, el descuido de las rimas, la lectura del manuscrito Edo y el contexto

«Index of Main Subjects References are to section numbers, The capitalization of certain words is different in the translation.» — la cabecera del Índice de Materias, que declara dos cosas para quien lo use: las referencias son a números de sección, no a páginas, y la capitalización de ciertas palabras difiere de la de la traducción

«Dao 34, or Way, 5, 17, 22, 27, 36, 38, 41, 42, 49, 52, 54, 55, 60, 61, 65, 66, 76, 82, 84; see also Way of Heaven; Way of Yin and Yang» — una muestra del Índice de Materias: la entrada del Dao remite a veintitantas secciones de la traducción, más que ninguna otra del índice; las cifras son números de sección, no páginas

«Confucius (Fuzi 夫子 , Kongzi fuF, Zhongni 仲尼 ), 11, 37, 67» — otra muestra del mismo índice: Confucio, con los tres nombres chinos bajo los que el volumen lo registra y las tres secciones en que aparece

«Dragon and Tiger (longhu BEBE), 42, 64, 72, 73; see also dragon; Green» — y una tercera: el par Dragón y Tigre, con sus reenvíos internos

«bugang #8 (“pacing the celestial net”) “Busai yiruo” 補塞貴脫 (“Filling Lacunae”) cang # (hue of green)» — otra muestra del mismo glosario, con los términos técnicos del taoísmo y de la alquimia que el volumen traduce

«Cantong qi Lili zhi BBR 0 “Monograph on the Pitch-pipes and the Calendar according to the Cantong qi”)» — y la entrada del glosario para la obra perdida que Pregadio discute en su Introducción a propósito de la datación

«Baopu zi neipian THAD ARB (Inner Chapters of the Book of the Master Who Embraces Spontaneous Nature]. Ge Hong 4, ca. 317, revised ca,» — una muestra de la bibliografía de fuentes del volumen: el Baopu zi de Ge Hong, con su fecha y la edición usada; los caracteres chinos quedan dentro de las comillas tal como los rinde la capa de texto

«Laozi zhongjing 老子中經 [Central Scripture of Laozi]. Third or fourth century Daozang, CT 1168.» — otra muestra: el Libro Central de Laozi, que Pregadio usa en su Introducción como precursor del vocabulario del neidan, fechado en el siglo III o IV

«Robinet, Isabelle. Taoist Meditation: The Mao-shan Tradition of Great Purity. State University of New York Press.» — el único asiento de la bibliografía que corresponde a una obra con ficha propia en este corpus: la Taoist Meditation de Isabelle Robinet, que Pregadio cita además en una nota de su Introducción

«Sivin, Nathan. “The Theoretical Background of Elixir Alchemy.” In Joseph Needham, Science and Civilisation in China, vol. V: Chemistry and Chemical Technology, part 4» — y el asiento en que aparecen los dos nombres que el brief daba por citados y que no tienen ficha propia: Nathan Sivin dentro de la Science and Civilisation in China de Joseph Needham

«Waley, Arthur. “Notes on Chinese Alchemy.” Bulletin of the School of Oriental Studies 6 (1930-32): 1-24.» — otra muestra de la bibliografía: las notas de Arthur Waley sobre alquimia china, de donde sale la traducción del poema de Jiang Yan que el volumen reproduce

«Wilhelm, Richard. The I-ching or Book of Changes. New York: Bollingen,» — y la edición del Libro de los Cambios a cuya paginación remite Pregadio en casi todas sus notas de verso

«Golden Elixir Press publishes dependable and affordable books on Taoism, Taoist alchemy, and other traditional doctrines, in print and as e-books» — la declaración de programa de la editorial, en la última plana del volumen

«Fabrizio Pregadio, The Seal of the Unity of the Three: A Study and Translation of the Cantong qi, the Source of the Taoist Way of the Golden Elixir. 2011. Isabelle Robinet, The World Upside Down: Essays on Taoist Internal Alchemy. 2011. Wang Mu, Foundations of the Internal Elixir: The Taoist Practice of Neidan.» — y el catálogo de la editorial impreso ahí, que fecha este volumen en 2011 junto a otros dos títulos del mismo año

«TRADITIONS FABRIZIO PREGADIO The Seal of the Unity of the Three A Study and Translation of the Cantong qi, | the Source of the Taoist Way of the Golden Elixir» — la portada del volumen tal como la imprime el troceo, con la palabra de colección arriba y el subtítulo entero

«Fabrizio Pregadio The Seal of the Unity of the Three A Study and Translation of the Cantong qi, the Source of the Taoist Way of the Golden Elixir Golden Elixir Press» — la portadilla interior, que repite el título, el subtítulo y el sello sin la palabra de colección

«Preface, ix Introduction, 1 The Title of the Cantong qi, 2. A Single Author, or Multiple Authors?, 5 The Dating Riddle, 11 The Three Books and the “Ancient Text,” 28 Main Commentaries, 33 Dao, Cosmos, and Man, 36 The Way of “Non-Doing,” 47 Alchemy in the Cantong qi, 53 From the External Elixir to the Internal Elixir, 58 Translation, 65 Book 1, 69 Book 2, 92 Book 3, 114 Notes, 127 Textual Notes, 231 Tables and Figures, 245 Appendixes, 261 Two Biographies of Wei Boyang, 263 Chinese Text, 266 Index of Main Subjects, 286 Glossary of Chinese Characters, 295 Works Quoted, 303» — el índice del volumen, que da la estructura entera por páginas impresas: prefacio, introducción con sus nueve parágrafos, traducción en tres Libros, notas, notas textuales, tablas, apéndices, índice, glosario y bibliografía

«The opening sentence, borrowed from the Daode jing, states that one should “keep to the black” in order to “know the white.” Black (Yin) represents the agent Water, the outer Yin lines of Kan 3, and native lead; it is the world in which we live. White (Yang) represents the agent Metal, the inner Yang line of Kan, and True Lead; it is the One Breath sought by the alchemist. “Keeping to the black” and “knowing the white” generates the Numinous Light (shenming), which in the alchemical metaphor is the Elixir.» — la nota de Pregadio al arranque de la sección 22: lo negro es el Agua, las líneas exteriores de Kan y el plomo nativo, es decir el mundo en que vivimos, y lo blanco el Metal, la línea interior de Kan y el Plomo Verdadero

«Therefore the precelestial Breath is to be sought within Water. As a cosmological principle, Water is the first of the five agents (here called the “five metals”); it is “the beginning of Yin and Yang,” and is represented by number 1 and by the northern direction. Because of its primal position within the cosmos, Water is the “axis of the Dao,” and all changes and transformations derive in the first place from it. For the same reason, Water is also the element that supports the River Chariot (beche), the vehicle that transports the One Breath (Metal, True Lead, True Yang) back and forth in its cycles of ascent and descent within the cosmos.» — y por qué el Agua es el eje del Dao, según Pregadio: por su posición primera en el cosmos, y por eso sostiene el Carro del Río que transporta el Soplo Uno en sus ciclos

«Being the True Yang within Yin, this authentic principle is the opposite of black lead, and therefore is called True Lead. For the same reason, it may be called “mercury,” which in Chinese alchemy stands in a polar relation to lead. Because of its white color, it can also be called “silver,” in contrast to black native lead. Finally, since True Yang is the precelestial One Breath, it may be called “gold,” the metal that more than any other represents the Elixir.» — y cómo se justifica cada nombre: Plomo Verdadero por ser Yang dentro del Yin, mercurio por su relación polar con el plomo, plata por su color y oro por ser el Soplo Uno precelestial

«way for its rebirth and puts forth new sprouts, representing the strength of Yang within Yin. In the ninth month, corresponding to Bo fi (Splitting Apart), Yang is vanquished. In the tenth and last month, at the end of the solar cycle, Yin reigns alone and is represented by Kun #2 (The Receptive), the hexagram that symbolizes pure Yin. Kun, however, fulfills her motherly function: “she receives Heaven in herself,” and once again gives birth to the Yang principle.» — el cierre del ciclo anual en la nota de Pregadio a la sección 51: en el noveno mes el Yang queda vencido y en el décimo el Yin reina solo, representado por Kun, que sin embargo cumple su función materna

«The well underneath the earth is the lowest Yin line of the hexagram Jing, whose nature is represented by the image of a cold spring.» — la nota en que Pregadio empareja un verso con la línea de un hexagrama: el pozo bajo la tierra es la línea Yin más baja de Jing, cuya naturaleza figura el manantial frío

«Literally, the “transmuting Breath” or “Breath of transformation” (huaqi), the energy that gives birth to all forms of life and nourishes them.» — la nota de término sobre el Soplo vital: literalmente soplo transmutante, la energía que da nacimiento a todas las formas de vida y las nutre

«As presented in the Cantong qi, the Way of the Golden Elixir is an integral doctrine that takes account of all the essential principles and guides to their realization. This doctrine is unchangeable and everlasting, and is transmitted to all those who are ready to receive it.» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 81, donde nombra la tradición propia de la obra: la Vía del Elixir Dorado es una doctrina íntegra que da cuenta de todos los principios esenciales y guía a su realización

«This section contains the “Song of the Tripod” (“Dingqi ge”), the second of the three compositions that form Book 3 of the Cantong qi. The first two quatrains (verses 1-8) refer to the tripod, and even at» — la nota de Pregadio a la sección 82: la Canción del Trípode es la segunda de las tres composiciones del Libro 3

«The numbers of the circumference, 3 and 5, allude to the Three Fives and therefore refer to the five agents. (The model of this configuration is the Hetu, or Chart of the Yellow River; see fig. 1.) The verse “an inch and one part” (cun yi fen 寸一 分 ), which in a literal sense describes the thickness of the tripod, can be read as meaning “in its inch [of thickness] (cun 寸 ), there is the One (yi 一) divided (fen 分 ) [into the Two].» — cómo lee Pregadio las medidas del trípode: como números y no como cotas, con el verso que describe el grosor leído a la vez como *en su pulgada está el Uno dividido*

«The numbers of the mouth, 4 and 8, allude to the four main and the four intermediate directions of space and therefore refer to the eight trigrams. (The model of this configuration is the Luoshu, or Writ of the Luo River; see fig. 2.) The two inches of the lips allude to» — y la segunda lectura numérica: las cifras de la boca aluden a las ocho direcciones y por tanto a los ocho trigramas

«Either the graph '=E 4 was mistakenly used by Chen Zhixu himself, or an error found in the first edition of his work has been transmitted to the later editions.» — la nota textual en que Pregadio consigna una alternativa que no puede resolver: o el grafo lo usó mal Chen Zhixu o un error de la primera edición pasó a las posteriores

«The word mei 昧 (“darkness”) in verse 44 contains the branch wei 3; the word qi # (“lodging”) in verse 44 alludes to the pitch-pipe Forest Bell» — una muestra de la lista en que Pregadio desglosa esos juegos de grafos verso por verso

«For several commentators, “white” stands for True Lead; for others, it means either mercury, or silver, or gold. These varying views reflect different configurations of the alchemical emblems, in whose contexts the same principle can be represented by different terms and symbols. “White,” in all cases, alludes to the authentic principle contained within the “black.”» — la nota en que Pregadio explica por qué un mismo principio recibe nombres distintos: para unos comentaristas *blanco* es el Plomo Verdadero y para otros mercurio, plata u oro, según la configuración de emblemas en que se lea

«This section contains one of the finest passages of the Cantong gi from a literary point of view. The poetic and aesthetic mastery of its author is also reflected in the way he refers to the pitch-pipes and the earthly branches, which are one of the main subjects in these verses.» — la nota textual en que Pregadio juzga la calidad literaria del poema: la sección 51 contiene uno de sus mejores pasajes y su maestría se refleja en el modo de nombrar los tubos sonoros y las ramas terrestres

«The names of the pitch-pipes are sometimes shortened to one graph (e.g. cou #8 for taicou AIR, and xi WE for guxi EYE), while the names of che earthly branches are often contained within other graphs (e.g. wei 未 within mei BR, and shen Fi within shen 伸 ), In either case, while the graphs allude to the cosmological emblems, they also retain their ordinary lexical meaning within the poem. Similarly, the names of the hexagrams are meaningful within the verses in which they appear.» — y la técnica que describe: los nombres de los tubos se abrevian a un solo grafo y los de las ramas se esconden dentro de otros grafos, que conservan a la vez su sentido léxico ordinario

«FIRE South Vermilion Sparrow 2 cinnabar Original Spirit (yuanshen» — la tabla 2, que empareja cada agente con su dirección, su animal emblemático, su sustancia alquímica y una de las tres Originalidades; el aparato tipográfico queda dentro de las comillas tal como lo rinde la capa de texto

«Table 6 S QIAN DUI XUN E roid» — la tabla 6, que dispone los ocho trigramas por punto cardinal; la capa de texto no rinde el diagrama y la muestra se consigna tal cual

«HEXAGRAMS CELESTIAL STEMS Qian H 細 jia, ren» — la tabla 9, que empareja los hexagramas con los tallos celestes: Qian con jia y ren

«STEMS AGENTS DIRECTIONS COLORS VISCERA NUMBERS 1 jia F wooD» — la tabla 12, que reparte los diez tallos celestes por agente, dirección, color, víscera y número

«Table 14 S wu FIRE E Ww mao Jl you 本 wood METAL» — la tabla 14, que dispone las ramas terrestres y los agentes por punto cardinal

«Hetu 河圖 (Chartof the Yellow River). Figure 2 ae 000000000 的 $ ofe wo. ts Luoshu 洛書 (Writ of the Luo River).» — los pies de las figuras 1 y 2, con los dos diagramas numéricos que Pregadio nombra en sus notas a la sección 14; la capa de texto pega *Chart of*

«Kan and Li are the inner and the outer walls” (1.3) Kan 23 and Li = represented as two joined semicircles.» — el pie de la figura 3, que dibuja el verso 1:3 del poema como dos semicírculos unidos

«eight minerals (bashi /V&), 32, 87 Eight Sirs (Bagong /\4), 74» — una muestra del Índice de Materias: los ocho minerales y los Ocho Señores, con las secciones en que aparecen

«Kan 3, 58; and Li &, 1, 4, 5, 7, 41, 43, 70; see also Li kidneys (shen &), 72 kind (or type, or class, fei 類), 6, 23, 66, 70, 74» — otra muestra del mismo índice, con la entrada del par Kan y Li y la del género o categoría, que es el principio del tonglei

«Pure Yang (zhengyang 正陽 ), 59, 79 gi 3A, see Breath Qian =, 13, 49; and Kun 25, 1, 4, 11, 13, 14, 29, 43, 54, 82; see also Kun Qian =, 11,51 qualities, see nature and qualities» — otra muestra del índice, donde el propio volumen distingue por su carácter dos entradas que se romanizan igual

«Way of Yin (yindao 陰道 ), 26 Way of Yin and Yang (yinyang zhi dao» — y la última tanda del índice, con las dos Vías que el poema distingue

«fanfu 反複 (“to go back and forth,” “to go to and fro”) fang (“Room”) fangshi Fie (“master of the» — una muestra del Glosario de Caracteres Chinos, con términos del poema y del aparato

«“Xici” SEH# (Appended Sayings) xiehou #838 (“unexpected encounter”) xin ity (Heart; mind) xing 性 (inner nature) xingji BAA (Stellar Sequence)» — y una tercera, con los títulos de los apéndices del Libro de los Cambios y los términos doctrinales

«Shijing 詩經 [Book of Odes]. Ca. tenth to sixth centuries BCE. Text in Maoshi yinde 毛 詩引得 (A Concordance to Shib ching). Peking: Harvard-Yenching Institute, 1934. Shujing 書經 [Book of Documents], Ca. ninth to fourth centuries BCE. Text in Shisan jing zhushu + = REZERI, ed. of 1815.» — una muestra de la bibliografía de fuentes, con el Libro de las Odas y el de los Documentos y las ediciones usadas

«Studies, Translations, and Reference Works Bertschinger, Richard. The Secret of Everlasting Life: The First Translation of the Ancient Chinese Text of Immortality. Shaftesbury, Dorset: Element,» — la cabecera de la segunda mitad de la bibliografía y su primer asiento: la traducción de Bertschinger, una de las que Pregadio declara haber consultado

«Table 16 EAST 1 jiao 角 Horn 2 kang 亢 Neck» — la tabla 16, que lista las veintiocho mansiones lunares por cuadrante, con su romanización, su carácter y su nombre inglés

«Peng Haogu 8787 74 (A. 1586-99) Peng Xiao 彭蛙 (2-955) Penghu 332 Penglai 蓬萊» — una muestra del Glosario de Caracteres Chinos, con los comentaristas fechados y los nombres de las islas míticas

«Table 7 Oo eH HA PWM 計 Ww» — la tabla 7, cuyo contenido la capa de texto no rinde: solo devuelve caracteres sueltos donde el impreso trae el reparto de los sesenta hexagramas entre los treinta días del mes

«Table 8 QIAN KUN ZHEN SUN KAN LI GEN DUI EK» — la tabla 8, con la serie de los ocho trigramas que encabeza el reparto alternativo de las ramas terrestres que Pregadio comenta en la nota a la sección 45

«Golden Sand (insha 89), 33» — una muestra del Índice de Materias, con la entrada de la Arena de Oro

«Metal (jin 金 ), 21, 22, 23, 31, 32, 34, 39, 41, 55, 63, 71, 72; see also» — otra muestra del mismo índice: la entrada del Metal, una de las más largas, con las secciones en que aparece

«stars, see Armil; Head; Head and Handle; Ja» — y una tercera, con el reenvío general de las estrellas a sus nombres propios

«Bagong 八 公 baji /\#& (eight directions) bajie 八節 (eight “nodal days”)» — la apertura del Glosario de Caracteres Chinos, con los Ocho Señores, las ocho direcciones y los ocho días nodales

«jindan zhi dao 金丹之道 (Way of the Golden Elixir) Jing Fang 079 (77-37 Bce) jing #8 (essence)» — la entrada del glosario para el nombre que la tradición se da a sí misma: jindan zhi dao, la Vía del Elixir Dorado

«silin ORK (“four neighborhoods”) siming ©] ff (Controller of Destinies) sigi 四 七 , “four [times] seven” sitong 四胃 (“everywhere”) sui PZ (“to follow”)» — una muestra del glosario, con los términos que Pregadio glosa en sus notas a las secciones sobre el espacio y el tiempo

«zhongzbou 中洲 (Central Land) zbouliu ARR (“flowing in a cycle”) Zhouyi cantong qi HABER (The Seal of the Unity of the Three, in Accordance with the Book of» — y la entrada del glosario para el título completo de la obra, el Zhouyi cantong qi

«In verse 24:12, the error is probably due to the accidental repetition of the homophonous word ju 居 , which is found in the same position two verses before (24:10: ' H3SEFS , ), In verse 40:16, the compound word hechi ih7R used by Chen Zhixu in his commentary is likely to be a gloss on he if, rather than chi» — el cierre del aparato de enmiendas, donde Pregadio explica dos errores por sus causas probables: la repetición accidental de una palabra homófona dos versos antes, y una glosa del propio comentario tomada por lectura

«Finally, I have replaced several variant graphs with the corresponding standard forms. The text reproduced in the following pages is based on the Jinling shufang edition, edited according to the criteria outlined above.» — y la última decisión editorial que declara: sustituyó varios grafos variantes por sus formas estándar, y el texto chino que sigue es el de la edición de 1484 así editado

Atanor (el horno de fuego constante) — El vaso y el horno se leen por la Luna: la Luna supina es el modelo del trípode y el horno, el recipiente se describe con murallas y portales a semejanza de la isla Penghu, y la Canción del Trípode da sus medidas y su régimen de fuego en doce nodos.