Qi (lifeforce) and jing (essence) The basis of much Taoist thinking is that
qi () is part of everything in existence.
Qi is related to another energetic substance contained in the human body known as
jing (), and once all this has been expended the body dies.
Jing can be lost in many ways, but most notably through the loss of body fluids. Taoists may use practices to stimulate/increase and conserve their bodily fluids to great extents. The fluid believed to contain the most
jing is semen. Therefore, some Taoists believe in
decreasing the frequency of, or totally avoiding, ejaculation in order to conserve life essence.
Male control of ejaculation Many
Taoist practitioners link the loss of ejaculatory fluids to the loss of vital life force: where excessive fluid loss results in premature aging, disease, and general fatigue. While some Taoists contend that one should never ejaculate, others provide a specific formula to determine the maximum number of regular
ejaculations in order to maintain health. The general idea is to limit the loss of fluids as much as possible to the level of your desired practice. As these sexual practices were passed down over the
centuries, some practitioners have given less importance to the limiting of ejaculation. This variety has been described as "...while some declare non-ejaculation injurious, others condemn ejaculating too fast in too much haste." There are different methods to control ejaculation prescribed by the Taoists. In order to avoid ejaculation, the man could do one of several things. He could pull out immediately before
orgasm, a method also more recently termed as "
coitus conservatus." A second method involved the man applying pressure on the
perineum, thus retaining the sperm. While if done incorrectly this can cause
retrograde ejaculation, the Taoists believed that the jing traveled up into the head and "nourished the brain."
Cunnilingus was believed to be ideal by preventing the loss of semen and vaginal liquids.
Practice control Another important concept of "the joining of the essences" was that the union of a man and a woman would result in the creation of
jing, a type of sexual energy. When in the act of lovemaking,
jing would form, and the man could transform some of this
jing into
qi, and therefore replenish his lifeforce. By having as much sex as possible, men had the opportunity to transform more and more
jing, and as a result would see many health benefits. Every interaction between yin and yang had significance. Because of this significance, every position and action in lovemaking had importance. Taoist texts described a large number of special sexual positions that served to cure or prevent illness, similar to the
Kama Sutra. There was the notion that men released yang during orgasm, while women shed yin during theirs. Every orgasm from the user would nourish the partner's energy. Since
underage males were considered to have yin energy in their bodies, a condition similar to that in females,
homosexual acts with them were believed to align with this fundamental principles. Sexual relations between two adult men, however, were considered to lead to an excess of yang energy.
Women For Taoists, sex was not just about pleasing a man. The woman also had to be stimulated and pleased in order to benefit from the act of sex.
Sunü (), female advisor to the
Yellow Emperor Huangdi (), noted ten important indications of female satisfaction. If sex were performed in this manner, the woman would create more
jing, and the man could more easily absorb the
jing to increase his own
qi. According to
Jolan Chang, in early Chinese history, women played a significant role in the
Tao () of loving, and that the degeneration into subordinate roles came much later in Chinese history. Women were also given a prominent place in the
Ishinpō, with the tutor being a woman. One of the reasons women had a great deal of strength in the act of sex was that they walked away undiminished from the act. The woman had the power to bring forth life, and did not have to worry about ejaculation or
refractory period. To quote
Laozi from the
Tao Te Ching: "The Spirit of the Valley is inexhaustible... Draw on it as you will, it never run dry." Many of the ancient texts were dedicated explanations of how a man could use sex to extend his own life, but his life was extended only through the absorption of the woman's vital energies (
jing and
qi). Some Taoists came to call the act of sex "the battle of stealing and strengthening". These sexual methods could be correlated with Taoist military methods. Instead of storming the gates, the battle was a series of feints and maneuvers that would sap the enemy's resistance. Fang described this battle as "the ideal was for a man to 'defeat' the 'enemy' in the sexual 'battle' by keeping himself under complete control so as not to emit semen, while at the same time exciting the woman until she reached orgasm and shed her Yin essence, which was then absorbed by the man." Other research into early Taoism found more harmonious attitudes of yin-yang communion.
Multiple partners This practice was not limited to male on female, however, as it was possible for women to do the same in turn with the male yang. The deity known as the
Queen Mother of the West was described to have no husband, instead having intercourse with young
virgin males to nourish her female element.
Age of partners Some
Ming dynasty Taoist texts believed that one way for men to achieve longevity or 'towards immortality' is by having intercourse with virgins, particularly young virgins. Taoist sexual books by Liangpi and Sanfeng call the female partner
ding (
鼎) and recommend sex with pre
menarche virgins. Liangpi concludes that the ideal
ding is a pre-menarche virgin just under 14 years of age and women older than 18 should be avoided. As unfamiliar as this may appear to modern readers, the
Ming legal code permitted women to marry from the age of 14 and men from 16 (). Earlier ritual and historical sources, however, present different ideals.
Texts from the Han period, drawing on classical Confucian norms, often described twenty as a more appropriate or idealized age for women's marriage. This contrast suggests that early marriage ages reflected later legal and social developments rather than a single continuous practice throughout all periods of Chinese history. Furthermore, certain third-century Daoist monastic rulebooks explicitly prohibit practitioners from "transmitting the Dao to adolescent girls," warning that using such situations to enter the “Gate of Life” would harm their spirits and violate proper conduct (). This suggests that stricter ethical standards already existed within early Daoist communities, and that the prior mentioned practices or beliefs were not universally accepted across all sects, and in this instance such actions were viewed as "perverse and wicked, lacking the Dao" (). According to
Ge Hong, a 4th-century Taoist
alchemist, "those seeking 'immortality' must perfect the absolute essentials. These consist of treasuring the
jing, circulating the
qi, and consuming the great medicine." The sexual arts concerned the first precept, treasuring the
jing. This is partially because treasuring the
jing involved sending it up into the brain. In order to send the
jing into the brain, the male had to refrain from ejaculation during sex. According to some Taoists, if this was done, the
jing would travel up the spine and nourish the brain instead of leaving the body. Ge Hong also states, however, that it is folly to believe that performing the sexual arts only can achieve immortality and some of the ancient myths on sexual arts had been misinterpreted and exaggerated. Indeed, the sexual arts had to be practiced alongside
alchemy to attain longevity. Ge Hong also warned it could be dangerous if practiced incorrectly. ==See also==