charm

introduce

The application of the principles of management, qi and number in alchemy or astronomy is even more obscure and elusive, but the alchemists in China, with their knowledge of Yin and Yang, five elements and number, tried to smelt copper, lead and other metals into gold in order to achieve the goal of immortality. The Secret of the Five Phases of Avatar Qi is an important theoretical work of alchemy, and its opening is as follows:

Yang yi er San si Wu

Water, fire, wood and gold soil

Yin 67890

The distribution of yin and yang, five elements and number in this table is consistent with the "river map" (refer to the first part of this book), which shows that the principles of reason, qi and number are closely related to alchemy. The failure of alchemy can be attributed to the negligence of the process of alchemy, but it can also be attributed to fate, which is the other side of the number. Therefore, a person must be destined to be an elixir, or he will fail.

The origin of alchemy

The invention of alchemy in China originated from the idea of immortality in ancient myths and legends. For example, Hou Yi got the elixir from the Queen Mother of the West, and Chang 'e ate it secretly, then flew to the Moon Palace and became a fairy on the moon. We don't have exact records of what pills ancient drug addicts took in order to live longer, but according to the Fairy Biography compiled by Jin people, what they ate included unrefined minerals and plants such as cinnabar, mica, jade, ochre, stone, pine nuts and cinnamon.

The method of "Yi Yan" sprouted in the Warring States Period, and Qin Shihuang and Emperor Wudi were also good at talking about immortals and immortals. Various alchemists, such as Li and Luan Da, served in the imperial court, and Liu An was also a famous alchemist in the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. His book Huai Nan Zi once mentioned drugs such as mercury, cinnabar and realgar. By the end of the Western Han Dynasty, Wang Mang still liked immortal thoughts and alchemy. In addition, Taoism is also related to alchemy, and Zhang Ling, the founder of Taoism, is said to be proficient in this technology.

Before the Eastern Han Dynasty, there were two different traditions of alchemy: one was to seek immortality medicine; The second is to try to make gold. In the Eastern Han Dynasty, when the two traditions merged into one, alchemists tasted the elixir of life, and the factors that contributed to the combination of the two traditions were related to the development of medicine, so many famous alchemists such as Ge Hong and Tao Hongjing were also great doctors. Ge Hong's contribution to alchemy and early chemistry is preserved in the Inner Chapter of Bao Puzi, which records many Dan medicines (such as Taiqing Dan and Jinye) and their preparation methods.

The above is a long-standing belief that mortals can become immortals, and this deformation can be explained by the theory of Yin-Yang and Five Elements.

The Golden Age of Alchemy in China

The story of the elixir of life after Ge Hong's era continued to attract many emperors. In this way, Tuoba GUI, the fifth emperor of Wei Dao, set up a fairy workshop for refining medicine in Beijing. The fifth emperor Tuoba Tao called Wei Wenxiu, asked the alchemist about the elixir of life, and ordered people to visit the immortals on the mountain. Xu Jian adopted the alchemy camp as the alchemy of Emperor Xiaowen, thus realizing the "method of prolonging life". The picture on the right shows the stove included in (Fontaine Notes).

China alchemy entered the golden age from the end of Jin Dynasty to the end of Tang Dynasty. Famous alchemists, pharmacologists and pharmacologists have made great contributions. He once worked as an alchemist for Liang Wudi Xiao Yan, and circulated the book "Thirty-six Water Methods of Taoist Collection", which is quite helpful to the study of water-mediated inorganic reactions in chemistry. At the same time, alchemist Chuze compiled Su Yuanming's "Taiqing Shibi Ji", which recorded the ingredients and refining methods of various Dan medicines such as Jiuding Dan method. Su also explained the anonymity used by chemists at that time in Fontaine.

Many emperors, such as Aidi, Tang Xianzong and Tang Muzong, died of poisoning caused by taking Dan medicine. So many experts have warned that you should not trust the prescription of Dan medicine. Jin Yingdan, for example, contains mercury, arsenic and toxins, but people in China still insist on alchemy, because not all pills are poisonous. Some people take the elixir poison as a warning and pursue longevity in other ways. Moreover, China's concept of "fighting poison with poison" is established in modern medicine.

charm

Alchemy originated very early in China (according to historical records, alchemists had the medicine of alchemy and immortality at least during the Warring States period), and it was supported and encouraged by the ruling class from the beginning. Therefore, there are always more or less so-called alchemists in the past dynasties trying to refine the "immortal" elixir. Also accumulated some practical experience and written records (such as the Zhouyi Shentongqi written by Wei Boyang in the Eastern Han Dynasty is an example). After the Three Kingdoms, these alchemists gradually joined the ranks of Taoism, and a large number of Taoist priests began to study and try alchemy, so alchemy was combined with the emerging Taoism. With the increasing popularity of Taoism in China, alchemy has also developed, laying the foundation for the development of gunpowder and health care medicine in China.

Since ancient times, alchemists in China have always believed that if a substance is combined with another substance through several procedures under appropriate conditions, its original characteristics can be automatically transformed into another substance, and mortals may accept this change. Therefore, they try to make some non-perishable substances, especially minerals such as gold and silver, into pills that are easy to swallow, and the non-perishable characteristics are absorbed by people after swallowing, so as to achieve the effect of immortality. Although the above theory seems absurd today, alchemists from Qin and Han Dynasties to Sui and Tang Dynasties believed it. And many emperors and nobles who are looking forward to long-term prosperity are quite convinced. Under this background, smelting ore tries to reduce its volume, soften its hardness, remove its original toxicity and make it swallow Dan medicine, which has become the main content of China alchemy. Sulfur in ore is one of the most commonly used drugs for alchemists (because sulfur can change the shape and appearance of other ores). For example, the book Zhouyi Shentongqi once recorded its effect on mercury (mercury):

Prostitutes on the river are the most spiritual, flying as soon as they catch fire, and seeing no dust. Ghosts hide from God and don't know what God is. Will want to make it, yellow bud as the root.

The "prostitute on the river" mentioned in the article refers to mercury, and the yellow bud at the end of the sentence is sulfur. When sulfur and mercury are put together, mercury sulfide can be produced, which is what the alchemist calls cinnabar.

Alchemy is a technique of refining Dan medicine in ancient times and a pioneer of modern chemistry.

China has advocated and applied this method of heating and sublimating drugs since the Zhou and Qin Dynasties, which is the earliest in the world. China's alchemy was introduced to Arabia in the 9th century and10th century, and to Europe in12nd century.

There are two kinds of drugs made from alchemy: external use and oral use. External use is still very valuable, and internal use is gradually eliminated because of its great toxicity. The so-called "panacea" of "immortality" is absurd.