The Twenty-Four Jieqi and their Importance in Neigong

 By editors at the Immortal Ancestor, Gold Mountain Daoist School of the Jin Dan (Gold and Cinnabar) Method

Under the direction of Wang Yen-nien

Translated by Julia Fairchild

Updated for 2008

 English Translation © 2008 Yen-nien Daoguan

 

During the practice of internal alchemy (neigong), which aids people to live a long life without illness, Daoists seek to develop an internal drug called the elixir of life (neidan).  The internal alchemical methods used by Daoists in the Gold Mountain School of Internal Alchemy remain an oral tradition handed down teacher-to-student and in private.

 The practice of neigong involves:

Ø          An amalgamation of jing, qi and shen in the physical body;

Ø          The absorption of sun, moon and star energy from the heavens;

Ø          And the absorption of water, fire, and wind energy from the earth in order to crystallize the naturally occurring immortality drug, neidan.

  To develop neidan, one must be wiling and firmly resolved; have a methodology to follow; have time to practice; practice earnestly; and persevere.

The Chinese year is apportioned into twenty-four two-week periods of fifteen days each.  Known as the “joints and breaths of the year,”these twenty-four periods correspond to the days on which the sun enters the first and fifteenth degrees of each zodiac sign.  The former are known as zhongqi  or "principle terms," and the later, jieqi, or “divisional terms.”  On these days, the stars emit and absorb energy, which can be used for nourishing yin and yang qi, making these important days for Daoists in their practice of neigong and the crystallization of neidan.

The “joints and breaths” serve as accurate subdivisions of the seasons. Farmers rely on them for sowing and harvesting.  They also coincide with atmospheric and climatic changes and many people suffer from headaches and higher blood pressure at every jieqi.

To use the zhongqi and jieqi times to your advantage, begin sitting quietly twenty minutes before each designated time, use the methods jinzuo (Daoist sitting meditation) TuNa (Daoist Art of Breathing) and liandan (Daoist Art of Tempering and Refining the Elixir of Life), and continue for twenty minutes after the designated time before ending your meditation session.

Because this article is limited in scope, we enclose the Farmer’s Almanac jieqi and zhongqi dates and times for 2005 for your reference and point you in the direction of a neigong class with Master Wang for more details of this fascinating subject.

  

A List of Zhongqi and Jieqi Dates and Times for 2008.

(Also available on the Taiwan government’s weather bureau website: www.cwb.gov.tw

　

 23. Xiao(3) Han(2), Small Cold//January 6, 07:25

24. Da(4) Han(2), Great Cold//January 21, 00:44

1.      Li(4) Chun(1), Beginning of Spring//February 04, 19:00

2.      Yu(3) Shou(3), Rain Water//February 19, 14:50

3.      Jing(1) Zhe(2), Awakening of Insects//March 05, 12:59

4.      Chun(1) Fen(1), Division of Spring (Spring Equinox)//March 20, 13:48

5.      Ching(1) Ming(2), Pure Brightness//April 04, 17:46

6.      Gu(3) Yu(3), Corn Rain//April 20, 00:51

7.      Li(4) Xia(4), Beginning of Summer//May 05, 11:03

8.      Xiao(3) Man(3), Ripening Grain//May 21, 00:01

9.      Mang(2) Zhong(3), Corn in Ear//June 05, 15:12

10.  Xia(4) Zhi(4), Arrival of Summer (Summer Solstice)//June 21, 07:59

11.  Xiao(3) Shui(3), Small Heat//July 07, 01:27

12.  Da(4) Shui(3), Big Heat//July 22, 18:55

13.  Li(4) Qiu(1), Beginning of Autumn//August 07, 11:16

14.  Chu(4) Shu(3), Limit of Heat//August 23, 02:02

15.  Bai(2) Lu(4), White Dew//September 07, 14:14

16.  Qiu(1) Fen(1), Autumn Equinox//September 22, 23:44

17.  Han(2) Lu(4), Cold Dew//October 08, 05:57

18.  Shuang(1) Jiang(4), Hoar Frost//October 23, 09:09

19.  Li(4) Dong(1), Beginning of Winter//November 07, 09:11

20.  Xiao(3) Xue(3), Small Snow//November 22, 06:44

21.  Da(4) Xue(3), Big Snow//December 07, 02:02

22.  Dong(1) Zhi(4), Arrival of Winter (Winter Solstice)//December 21, 20:04

  

Note: All times are Taipei times and are not adjusted for Daylight Saving Time (DTS).  The zhongqi and jieqi names have been Romanized according to the Chinese phonetic alphabet known as “pinyin,” with the tones indicated in parenthesis.