Jing Shen is the title of the seventh chapter of the
Huainanzi, a major Daoist text of the early Chinese
Han dynasty. Until recently it has remained relatively
unrecognized and only partially translated. Long
dismissed as merely a reiteration of earlier writings, its
importance as a work in its own right and its role in
Chinese intellectual history is only now beginning to be
appreciated. Chapter 7, Jing Shen – vital or embodied
spirit – examines the origins of life and the integral place
of human beings within the cosmos. As a contemporary
text to the Huangdi Neijing, The Yellow Emperor’s
Inner Classic, it is of interest to practitioners of Chinese
medicine as well as to the more general reader. This is a
group translation, made under the aegis of Claude Larre
and Elisabeth Rochat de la Vallée.
